Garden Concert and Vespers

“Boomer folk” band Meridian Line played a highly entertaining set in the gardens of Christ Church, Edmonton on Wednesday, August 5. The trio of Ian Bowden, Rick Diesbourg, Rik Cormier, based out of the west Edmonton/Spruce Grove area, played a variety of toe-tappin’-tunes spanning several decades, from the 60s through 90s. They performed catchy renditions of hit songs including a creative, and unexpected, arrangement of the Britney Spears’ smash “Oops!...I Did it Again.”

“Playing our tunes to an appreciative crowd, on the lovely grass and in the treed shade of the garden area of Christ Church, was a real blast for the three of us,” says Ian Bowden, who also serves as webmaster for St. Augustine’s-Parkland. “This pandemic thing has put a real monkey wrench in our regular performing routine. It’s been half a year since our last gig! Way too long. And probably the longest time in our adult lives that none of us has been in the audience of a live music event, either.”

Christ Church continues to be open on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, from 9:30–11 am, for individual prayer, or to meet for a chat with clergy in the gardens. Also on Wednesday, kids are invited to bring their parents to the garden, at 6 pm, for Messy Summer and to explore more of Jesus’ Parables. This week, William Ramirez will perform a concert at 7 pm, as Messy Church is winding down. The evening will conclude with a short service of vespers, around 8 pm.