Riverfest to feature Prairie Oyster in August

ELORA - Want to see Prairie Oyster, the Canadian veterans of roots country, in your own back yard?

The Elora Centre for the Arts will feature Prairie Oyster and Winnipeg's House of Doc and award-winning female duo Dala at its Riverfest 2010.

In its second year, the show is a music celebration and com­munity party held at the centre on Aug. 27 and 28. Zoe Janzen opens the Friday night show, followed by headlining act Dala.

Saturday night will see Prairie Oyster and House of Doc on stage. Prairie Oyster's eighth album,

, is being hailed as the best work of its 30-year career.

Lead vocalist and bassist Russell deCarie, guitarist and vocalist Keith Glass, key­boardist Joan Besen, and pedal steel guitarist Dennis Delorme and fiddler John P. Allen self-pro­duced their most recent album.

The band has won six Juno awards, 11 Canadian Country Music Association awards and 14 RPM Big Country awards.

Dala brings harmonies and a fresh brand of acoustic pop to the show. Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine met in high school music class and wrote their first song in 2007. They have toured Canada six times, opening for artists such as Jann Arden, Tom Cochrane, Matth­ew Good, Stuart McLean of the CBC's

and most recently, Chantal Kreviazuk.

Dala's album

was released in June 2009 and it earned them their fifth Canadian Folk Music award nomination.

House of Doc is bent on reinventing folk music. The Wiebe family had been singing together since early childhood, and House of Doc was born after Matthew Harder joined the family by marrying Rebec­ca, and saw the potential in playing professionally.

Tickets for both shows are available from the Elora Centre for the Arts.

Tickets and show times are:

- Friday, adults $20, students and seniors $15, children 5 to 12, $5. Showtime is 8pm; and

- Saturday, adults $25, students and seniors $20, child­ren 5 to 12, $5.

The Saturday barbecue and cash bar begins at 6pm and showtime is 7:30pm.

Order tickets by calling 519-846-9698.