(Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

By Angie Rolheiser

Art in the Back Alley

Artists, buskers, and the public bask in the Back Alley Tour in Melfort

Jul 16, 2021 | 4:00 PM

The fifth edition of the Back Alley Tour in Melfort was a hot one.

Not only was the temperature well into the 30’s, but the number of participants and attendees was also high. Over 25 artists and vendors set up for the day in the alley behind the Northern Lights Gallery to showcase their creations while a handful of buskers performed.

Organizer Sandra Dancey told northeastNOW artists and the public alike really needed a day of interaction.

“The last year and a half has been tough on everyone, so to have a relaxed event where people can just come together and socialize and to see everyone’s faces again has been great,” Dancey said.

The Back Alley Tour is the first in-person event in the community since the lifting of all COVID-19 restrictions in the province.

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“We had more people coming from farther away when it comes to artists and the buskers are even more eager to get out and perform again as well,” Dancey said.

The first performer of the day was Luke Dukart who travelled from nearly two hours away just to have the chance to perform some songs live again.

“To play in a new place and see new people was pretty exciting, I had never played in Melfort before,” Dukart said.

Luke Dukart performs at the Back Alley Tour in Melfort. (Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

Dukart was at the event solo which is also out of the norm for him as he is typically accompanied by fellow members of his central Saskatchewan. based band, ‘The Dirty Sheets.’

“I did some stuff during the break with the band but haven’t been out too, too much,” Dukart said. “It was just really nice to just grab a guitar and play for a little bit of a crowd rather than to my camera and posting it to Facebook.”

The Dirty Sheets played one of the concerts that that were hosted last fall at Danceland at Manitou Beach and have also performed at a few smaller venues in a socially distanced setting. The band was also lucky enough to be selected for the Max TV local on demand music series.

Music festivals and trying out some new venues, as well as familiar venues, are on the radar for the band moving forward.

“It’s just a matter of getting back on the strings and getting rolling again the way it was before the COVID break,” he said.

The other performers throughout the day were Leslie Dancey, Shaun Dancey, Darlene Tuleta, Pam Cochet, Alan Lawrence, and Brenner Skifftun.

Artists at the event were from all over the northeast, Regina, and Saskatoon.

Audra Fawcett is a textile artist from Saskatoon and attended the Back Alley Tour for the first time.

“Events like this are so important for artists and I loved being able to come and showcase my creations,” Fawcett said. “I am also going to be attending the Fringe Festival in Saskatoon for the first time this year as well, so it is an exciting summer.”

The back wall of the Melfort Amateur Dramatics building was also painted during the event. Paint was set-up and free for the public to use to add their own creations to the wall that is painted each year during the Back Alley Tour event.

The back wall of the Melfort Amateur Dramatics building was painted during the event. (Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

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angie.rolheiser@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser