Kinnear’s Mills Celtic Music Festival returns
Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
editor@qctonline.com
The town of Kinnear’s Mills, near Thetford Mines, will resound with the sounds of fiddles, accordions, bagpipes and dancing feet when the annual Kinnear’s Mills Celtic Music Festival returns from July 16-21.
For festival founder and local square dance caller James Allan, the festival is an important opportunity to showcase and revitalize the culture of the historic English-speaking Scottish and Irish communities local on the South Shore. Greater Thetford Mines has a population of about 17,000, according to the 2021 census, and less than 250 people have English as their first official language spoken. However, Allan is placing his faith in the universal languages of music and dance.
On July 16, there will be a pre-festival square dance at the former English school in Kinnear’s Mills, now used by the heritage preservation group Héritage Kinnear’s Mills but still known as the École anglaise. Strawberry treats will be on offer to celebrate strawberry season, and Allan will call the dances in English in his unique, almost sung style, accompanied by a live band. He describes the dances as a “melting pot of music … a bit of Irish and Scottish mixed together with French- Canadian style and Americana square dancing.” Allan said he can’t remember when square dancing wasn’t a part of his life. “I used to go with my grandparents and my parents, and then I took an interest.” Some of the dances he calls, he said, are the same ones his grandparents’ grandparents enjoyed.
He added, “I don’t call dances from Gaspé or Lachute – I call dances from here, because I want to keep them alive as long as I can.”
On July 18, performances begin, with a concert by the Association québécoise des loisirs folkloriques Thetford Mines chapter. The next evening, Yves Lambert, a found- ing member of La Bottine Souriante and a legend of francophone Quebec traditional music, will perform. On July 20, accordionist Frank Sears and fiddler Lise Beauchemin and the Montreal-based trad trio TRIDAM (Laurence Beaudry, Suzie Blanchette and Marie- Claude Simard) will perform under the festival tent. Later that evening, a second dance, more beginner-friendly according to Allan, will be held at the school.
The last day of the festival will feature an ecumenical church service with live traditional music, a bagpipe extravaganza featuring Quebec City’s 78th Fraser Highlanders alongside the Montreal Pipes and Drums and Montreal’s Black Watch and a closing performance by Quebec City- based Errances Celtiques.
For more information and tickets, visit the Heritage Kinnear’s Mills Facebook page, get in touch with James Allan on Messenger or call 418-334- 6812.