Besides providing cool vibes, the Little Lake Crew continues to give back.
During a two-year anniversary event at the Victoria Harbour Legion branch 523 recently, the group of musicians presented a nearly $7,000 donation to the legion.
Called the Little Lake Crew in reference to their initial formation, the group of local musicians were honoured earlier this fall with an appreciation day for the simple joy they bring others with their playing.
"This dedicated group of musicians perform every Wednesday afternoon from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Victoria Harbour Legion," event coordinator Doreen Gunson explains. "Everyone is welcome."
This year’s donation to the Legion follows a similar one last year; all proceeds raised from their weekly sessions.
“From October 2023 to October 2024, the group of musicians donating their time and the fantastic group of people attending to participate every Wednesday donated $6,879.25 to the branch,” Gunson says.
“The first year, we donated $7,005.40. Unfortunately we were closed five times this year, missing our target increase for the year. However, the branch was still very appreciative of our donation of a two-year total of $13,884.65.”
And one can't complain about the cost to attend with a dollar drop-in fee and a one dollar each for coffee/tea and snacks, it's a great entertainment value.
The band, which can sometimes have up to 13 musicians, according to Gunson, originally featured a group of musicians who played together at Askennonia Senior Centre in Midland.
But when COVID-19 hit and virtually everything closed down, including Askennonia, the musicians needed to eventually find a new way to get together with Little Lake Park proving to be a great option.
But while the summer is a great time to jam together outdoors, once the temperature drops, it's a little more uncomfortable to be running your fingers across a chilly fretboard.
So with Askennonia not yet ready to welcome them back, Gunson was asked whether they could play at the Legion where she was involved.
"That was two years ago," Gunson says, noting the branch considers it a community service to welcome the musicians and the dozens of other local residents who drop by every Wednesday afternoon.
"We average about 40 people, we've had as high as 57," Gunson says. "We have our regular dancers. The band play old country, rock n' roll. It used to be a jam session, but now it's the same musicians every week."
