Celebrating the life of Kenny Shields

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This article was published 21/08/2017 (3283 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SO WHO WILL SING FOR KENNY? Kenny Shields, lead singer of the band Streetheart, died recently and is being honoured at Shaw Park on Aug. 29.

As a tribute to his signature tenor voice, some well-known lead singers with similar vocal ranges are stepping up to perform with his band at the memorial show, which is part of the Winnipeg Classic Rock Fest.

Show producer Wayne Jackson has resurrected the Winnipeg Classic Rock Fest, which originally featured Streetheart with Shields out front.

When he died while undergoing cardiac surgery July 21 some people asked for a refund, but now, tickets sales are soaring for what promises to be a fabulous end-of-summer show.

And the tribute singers are lined up to sing!

Paul McNair of Journey tribute band Ultimate Escape has the chops, as does Lisa Windsor, who sang for David Foster in Winnipeg last year at his foundation’s Miracle Gala and Concert at the MTS Centre.

Mike Reno, Paul Dean, Matt Frenette and Ken (Spider) Sinnaeve of Loverboy are on the bill along with Georges Belanger and his band, Harlequin.

Other bands include the Pumps, Orphan, Honeymoon Suite and, of course, all Streetheart members, including fab guitarist Jeff Neill.

It will be a big night devoted to Shields.

Tickets are $49.50 plus fees at Ticketmaster.

On a more serious note, the Celebration of Life for Kenny Shields will take place Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. at Club Regent.

Hosted by his close friend, Howard Mandshein of 92 CITI-FM, the service will accommodate family, friends and fans.

Doors open at 7 p.m.

FUN FACT: Axl Rose and his rock band, Guns N’ Roses, will perform Aug. 24 at Investors Group Field.

Back in 1987 — exactly 30 years to the day — the band opened for the Cult at the Winnipeg Arena for a crowd of 5,000, a month after the release of GnR’s debut, Appetite for Destruction.

Tickets for Thursday’s show, depending where you search online, range from $50 to almost $1,000.

ROMANTIC CANADA? O Kanata, a new West End BIZ mural sponsored by a grant from Canada 150, is not a giant red and white flag, as one might suspect, but a much more romantic ode to our country’s beautiful landscapes.

Be sure to show up for the party on Aug. 22 at 10 a.m. to catch the dramatic reveal — just like a climactic TV moment— featuring a smudging vessel of purity, renewal and hope.

The mural covers most of a wall on the well-known Why-Not food store at the corner of Ellice Avenue and Spence Street.

This unassuming little store has been visited by thousands of West Enders and hungry University of Winnipeg students for decades.

Now it will be a work of art.

The mural took artists Brianna Wentz and Annie Beach almost six weeks to complete.

The pair were helped by local school groups, activity organizations and some West End youth.

Says proud West End BIZ boss Gloria Cardwell-Hoeppner: “O Kanata honours the great country that we call home and all the elements in it.”

SAND FANTASIES: The famed annual Sandcastle Building Contest, held Aug.12 at Grand Beach, morphed into a sand sculpture contest — at least for the professional division.

First place went to veteran carver Randy Ptashnick, who built double towers of weird shapes and creatures.

He swears he doesn’t plan anything ahead.

“I never know what it’s going to be until I start working on it,” Ptashnick says.

Second place went to Gord Bakaluk and his sand sculpture of a large elephant lying with her baby.

It inspired lots of oohs and aahs from moms and kids peering through the protective fences.

Majid Kermani won third place after constructing a large hand pressing down on a head (in reference to Macdonald Youth Services theme).

The yearly contest is in remembrance of co-organizer Patrick Patrucka’s friend, Paul LaFrance, who took his own life.

All money made goes to Macdonald Youth Services programs to help kids, and prevent youth from depression and desperate measures.

PSSST: Don’t forget to get your tickets for k.d. lang at the Burton Cummings Theatre on Aug. 27.

Winnipeg’s own Joey Landreth opens the show.

With their complementary music styles, won’t those two singers detonate some fuses?

Could there be a hit duet in the offing?

Got tips? Cool events happening in your world? Rubbing shoulders with the stars? Email Maureen’s Tips at mscurf@shaw.ca.