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Fill up on April Wine at Valley East Days Sept. 10

'Biggest band the Valley has ever gotten,' organizer says
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April Wine performs at Valley East Days at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre Saturday, Sept. 10. Supplied photo.

You'll probably see plenty of Boomers rocking out to the tunes “Just Between You and Me” and “Sign of the Gypsy Queen” in the parking lot of the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre Saturday, Sept. 10.

That's because the Canadian rock band April Wine, which enjoyed international success in the '70s and '80s, is the headliner of this year's Valley East Days.

Chris Vitiello, the owner of Cousin Vinny's Restaurant in Hanmer, who also organizes the Sept. 9-11 festival, said he's getting excited about the band's upcoming performance.

“I mean, it's the biggest band the Valley has ever gotten, probably as long as I've been alive,” he said.

“It's very exciting for people in the Valley and even in Sudbury. There's a lot of people that look forward to seeing April Wine, right? It's going to be an amazing night. We're actually anticipating a sell-out this year.”

The Saturday evening of the festival — dubbed “Rock Night” — also features local bands Lenny's Garage, which won the slot through a battle of the bands competition at Cousin Vinny's, and Toe Jam Tequila.

“Country Night” takes place the evening before, and the headliners are the Canadian country rock group Cold Creek County. The evening also features local acts Northbound and Larry Berrio.

A weekend pass for both concerts costs $60, and it's $40 for either Friday or Saturday evening.

While the evening events are open only to those aged 19 and older, there's plenty of fun for families at Valley East Days — and it's all free.

There's family fun days going on at the Hanmer mall from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Sept. 10 and 11, with activities including inflatables, hot air balloon rides, a petting zoo, classic car show and a magic show.

There's also plenty of live entertainment, including local band The Bluez Brotherz, and several pop idol tribute artists, including Katy Perry and Taylor Swift.
The festival wraps up with fireworks at dusk on the Sunday of the festival at the Howard Armstrong Centre.

“We've become the largest family festival in Northern Ontario,” said Vitiello. “We're getting attendance well and above over 30,000 over the weekend, and we're still growing. We're really proud.”

Visit the festival's website for the full lineup.


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Heidi Ulrichsen

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