Canadian rock band April Wine will headline the local community festival Valley East Days on Saturday, Sept. 10.
The group, which enjoyed international success in the 1970s and 1980s, will be performing starting at 10 p.m. in the parking lot of the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.
“We're trying to get the highest entertainment we can for our community,” said Chris Vitiello, the owner of Cousin Vinny's Restaurant in Hanmer, who, in his spare time, organizes the Sept. 9-11 festival.
“We're proud to try to bring in bigger names. So every year we're trying to step it up a notch just to keep it interesting. Who knows in the future where it takes us?”
In the past, the festival has featured performances by tribute artists along with activities such as inflatable bouncy castles, magic shows, horse rides and a classic car show.
However, last year the festival featured a performance by Canadian hard-rock band Honeymoon Suite.
“I'm really excited,” Vitiello said.
“I think this is the actual first year we're going to be sold out. We have a capacity of 2,800 people. Last year we had 2,300 people with Honeymoon Suite, and April Wine is a big step on Honeymoon Suite.”
He said he's also booked another great band for the festival for Sept. 9 — the Canadian country rock group Cold Creek County.
“Maybe they're not equivalent to April Wine, but they're a big name for the Valley,” Vitiello said. “They're going to win tons of awards this year. We're really excited to book them, actually.”
Ticket information for the concerts will be released soon, so keep an eye on Valley East Day's Facebook page.
