The Prince Albert region will be well represented at TeleMiracle 47, with half-a-dozen local musical or dance groups scheduled to take the stage during the main show.
The list includes Arborfield musical group For the Love of Country, and the Birch Hills Dance Centre, both of which have performed at TeleMiracle before.
For the Love of Country is composed of husband and wife Dale and Delphine Rindero. This is the third time they’ve performed at TeleMiracle as a duo, but it’s the first time since COVID-19 hit in 2020.
“I played the year before (2019). It was the final time it was on before they shut it down due to COVID,” Dale explained.
“We were pretty lucky. That was the last thing because the country music awards were the next weekend and they canceled them.”
The duo has supported TeleMiracle even when they did not live in the province. Now that they’ve back in Saskatchewan, Dale said they are eager to take the stage again in 2023.
“We just love doing it,” Dale said. “I don’t know what more you can say. Everybody is so awesome when you go there. They are just wonderful folks and it’s just such a wonderful cause.
“We have supported them for years and years, even when we weren’t here in Saskatchewan, and it’s just so wonderful to be back here and be able to help out in this way instead of just money.”
Like many of the entertainment acts scheduled for TeleMiracle 47, For the Love of Country are pre-recording their performance in Saskatoon. Dale said they look forward to the show returning to in-person performances.
“We are just waiting for the time when they can have the whole blown show back because I will tell you, there ain’t nothing nicer than looking down when you are playing and seeing the smile on those people’s faces. It’s just such a wonderful thing that we are able to help out with,” Dale said.
The Birch Hills Dance Centre performed in TeleMiracle 46 and Teacher, Choreographer and co-owner Alicia Wotherspoon said they’re eager to perform again in 2023. Wotherspoon said Telemiracle represents the best of Saskatchewan, which is why they’re happy to support it.
“We take care of one another, and we give what we can,” she said. “Our group may not be able to raise thousands of dollars in our small town, but we do see the value in sharing our gift of dance. We hope that it will inspire and entertain others. While watching the telethon or through knowing families that have benefitted from donations, we have seen how the foundation impacts lives.”
The Dance Centre will feature dancers Jaelynne Fjeld, Callie Braaten, Hadley Gariepy and Olivia Harvey who range in age from 13 to 16-years-old.
Last year the Centre held two workshops in August and February where all registration fees went to TeleMiracle. They also did a bottle drive to help raise funds.
“We were so proud to raise $1,000 to such an incredible cause,” Wotherspoon said.
“We will run another workshop in the new year. The girls also have shown interest in organizing some of their own fundraising ideas, which is wonderful to hear.”
The group will dance to the song “Hometown Glory” by Adele. Wotherspoon said it’s a fitting song for their group, and for TeleMiracle.
“Like us, Telemiracle is proud to represent and showcase our hometown province of Saskatchewan,” she explained. “It was for this reason that we chose the song.”
Wotherspoon added that her dancers have shown extra commitment.
“In the case of auditions, most studio dances for competition and recital are started in November; however, this group of committed dancers wanted to start their dance as soon as we were back in the studio in hopes of being able to prepare part of their dance in time for the Telemiracle audition,” she said.
TeleMiracle announced ton Dec. 1 that 81 performers from across Saskatchewan would appear on TeleMiracle 47, which starts Feb. 25 and ends Feb. 26.
These acts were chosen through an audition process and will be featured throughout the 20-hour telethon, including the “Countdown to TeleMiracle” pre-show, the Main Show, and the Overnight segment
TeleMiracle 47, in support of the Kinsmen Foundation, will be broadcast live from Prairieland Park in Saskatoon. The entire 20-hour telethon can be seen on the CTV Saskatchewan network, starting at 9:00 pm on Saturday, Feb. 25, and concluding at 5:00 pm on Sunday, Feb. 26. The entire show will also be live-streamed at www.telemiracle.com beginning with “Countdown to TeleMiracle” on Feb. 25 at 6:15 pm.
Once again, these fundraising efforts will receive a boost from Nutrien, which has agreed to match all donations raised by Saskatchewan Talent up to a maximum of $100,000.
Other artists and performers from the Prince Albert region who will appear on TeleMiracle include the Performing Arts Warehouse from Prince Albert, Paul Lomheim from Prince Albert, Dale Von Bieker from Nipawin and Shelby Murphy from Melfort.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca