The St. Paul – Cold Lake Métis District is gearing up for its Annual Family Boxing Day Talent Show, a celebration of Métis culture and talent, on December 26 at the Bonnyville Centennial Centre Field House.
Event coordinator Cassandra Collins emphasized the show’s cultural significance and its strong ties to the Métis community. “We’ve hosted the talent show for 30 plus years. We stopped when COVID happened, and we just brought it back last year so this will be our second year hosting it again since COVID,” said Collins. “It’s a traditional talent show for the Métis, we have singing, fiddling, and jigging. It is an all-day event – usually goes from 1 p.m. till around 8 p.m.”
Last year’s event seen 327 attendees, marking a triumphant return after the pandemic. Collins added, “I’ve been attending since i was 12 or 13 years old. I’ve squared danced in it, so when they had the elections, that was one of the discussions – bringing back our talent show. Its like we didn’t even miss a beat.”
The events categories, singing, jigging, and fiddling, are central to its traditional Métis theme. Collins specified, “Doors open at noon and the show starts at 1 p.m. It is open to the public and registration for the talent show is free. Theres specific categories, singing fiddling and jigging, I’m being specific because we had families in the past coming in and wanting to do a skit.”
Collins highlighted the support the event has received from the community, “There’ll be a concession on-site, a 50/50 draw and door prizes. Last year we had an awesome support from the community, we ended up with, around, 70 door prizes.”
The host band, Rockin’ Fiddle, is set to provide lively entertainment, “They’re a very, well-seasoned band,” said Collins.
The show begins at 1 p.m., with doors opening at noon. Admission is free for children eight and under, $2 for youth aged nine to 12, $5 for juniors 13-17 and seniors 65 plus, and $10 for adults 18-64. Talent registration is free and will be accepted on the day of the talent show, closing when each category begins.
For more information about the event, attendees can contact Cassandra Collins at 780-201-2846.
