MOOSE JAW — The 78th Rotary Carol Festival concluded last weekend, uniting school divisions, church parishes, and the community to usher in the Christmas season at the Rotary Club’s longest running event.
The two-day festival returned to a packed venue at Zion Church on Dec. 9 and again on Dec. 10.
“I believe (the festival) went rather well. I thought that the groups were fantastic,” announced Rod Montgomery, vice-president of the Rotary Club of Moose Jaw. “Everybody worked hard at it, they had fun doing it, and it was great to see.”
Known today as the Rotary Carol Festival, the event began in 1945 when then-Ross School principal Arthur Wilton organized “The Festival of Christmas Carols.” These original concerts were attended by students in grades three to eight from local public schools.
With participation growing to include choirs from Zion United Church, St. Andrew’s United Church, First Baptist Church, St. John’s Anglican Church, and the Ladies Philharmonic, the festival soon expanded across three evenings — a tradition that continued until the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
In its early days, the festival was organized by Penny Gillin Braaten, the first public school music supervisor to assume the role. In 1947, the Rotary Club of Moose Jaw offered its support and took over planning and production in 1975 with the tradition continuing to this day.
Each festival includes several groups and intermissions include a chance for the audience to participate in guided Christmas carolling with traditional pieces like “The First Noel,” “Angels We Have Heard On High,” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”
The first day focused on adult and youth groups including the Zion Bell Choir directed by Darla Wutke, Ecole Ducharme’s choir directed by Stephanie Montpetit, and Desperate for Haggis directed by Doug Shepherd.
As well, Ecole Palliser Heights’ choir attended and was directed by Audray-Anne Montpetit and Jodie Hendry. The Heritage Singers were directed by Brenda Johnson, Zion Sanctuary Choir was directed by Bruce Learmonth, and the Moose Jaw Community Choir was directed by Diane Rhodes.
The festival’s first day was led by MC Jack Ross, with Bruce Learmonth on the organ and Kathy Sudom-Young leading the Christmas carollers.
On day two of the event, the focus was more on high school performances.
The second night began with a performance by the Cornerstone Christian School Concert Choir directed by Josh Carly, followed by Ho! Ho! Horns directed by Jim Mitchell and a stunning flute ensemble directed by Stella Salido.
The focus then switched to high school performances as the festival drew to a close. These included Peacock Collegiate’s choir directed by Jennifer Hemstock, Central Collegiate’s Oxford Street Singers directed by Paul McCorriston, Vanier Collegiate’s choir directed by David Selensky — who played trumpet during the earlier Ho! Ho! Horns performance — and the Central Collegiate School Choir closed off the night under the direction of Paul McCorriston.
The festival’s last day was led by MC Byron Kean, the corps officer for the Salvation Army in Moose Jaw, and Melanie Braaten led carols with Learmonth returning as the organ player.
All proceeds support both the Rotary Club and Salvation Army’s ongoing community projects. In an early estimate, this year’s festival raised around $3,200 — minus expenses.
Montgomery wished to thank everyone who helped make this year’s Carol Festival possible. “Everybody pitches in and makes it a go,” he said. “So, we really appreciate all the moving parts to make it a success.”
To learn more about the Rotary Club of Moose Jaw, visit ‘Rotary Club of Moose Jaw’ on Facebook or its website at Portal.ClubRunner.ca/1005. You can also call or text the club at 306-631-9480.
