No Stone Unturned concert returns to St. John’s Park

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This article was published 31/08/2022 (1221 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The 14th annual No Stone Unturned free concert in honour of Manitoba’s missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls returned to St. John’s Park (1201 Main St.) on Aug. 13 from 1 to 11 p.m.

The concert, which includes performances from local musicians and artists, was founded by Point Douglas MLA Bernadette Smith in response to the disappearance of her sister, Claudette Osborne Tyo, who has been missing from Winnipeg since July 25, 2008.

“This year marks 14 years since my sister, Claudette, went missing,” Smith said in a news release. “Our family will never stop searching for her, for answers and for justice — nor will all families whose loved ones have gone missing or murdered.”

The yearly event aims to bring awareness of Manitoba’s missing and murdered while providing supports for victims’ families through community sharing, food, music and ceremony. Saturday’s event showcased several Manitoba talents, including C-Weed; Black Hawk Band; Ivy Venin; No Stone Unturned concert founder, musician and event host, Hector Menow; Kristen McKay; and Indian City, whose founding member, Vince Fontaine, passed away unexpectedly in January 2022.

“Our annual concert provides a safe space for grieving Manitoba families of missing and murdered to celebrate and honour the lives and spirits of their loved ones, and as a meeting place to unite as a larger Manitoba community committed to ending violence,” Smith said.

Aside from live music, the event features a free community lunch and dinner feast, children’s activities, bouncers, ice cones and a vigil/drum ceremony and fireworks display.

The 14th annual No Stone Unturned concert took place in partnership with the North End Community Renewal Corporation’s 22nd annual Picnic in the Park. The event is organized and hosted through the efforts of several volunteers, donations from community non-profits and businesses, unions and its chief sponsor, the Province of Manitoba.