Ron Hynes, the man of a thousand songs, will double up on his efforts, Friday (May 4) when he hits the Bow Valley.
Hynes, whose career spans more than three decades, is a six-time East Coast Music Award winner, a Genie Award winner and a past Juno, CCMA and Canadian Folk Music Awards nominee. He’s been recipient of both Artist of the Year and the prestigious Arts Achievement Award from the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the St. John’s Folk Arts Council.
Hynes also holds an Honorary PhD from Memorial University for his songwriting and contribution to the cultural life of his beloved home province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
When Hynes plays the Canmore Miners’ Union Hall on May 4, he’ll not only offer up his Newfoundland brand of folk/country, he’ll aid a fundraising effort by a restoration committee which hopes to see the exterior of the hall returned to its past glory of 1913, when it was originally built.
Hynes’ songs have been covered by dozens of artists worldwide, including Emmylou Harris, Christy Moore, Mary Black, Denny Doherty, Murray McLauchlan, Valdy, John McDermott, Terry Kelly, Prairie Oyster, The Good Brothers, Shaye, The Cottars and most recently, classical soprano Hayley Westenra.
He began his career as a singer-songwriter on the coffeehouse circuit in the early ’70s and while on a Canadian theatre tour with The Mummers Troupe in ’76, he composed a song called “Sonny’s Dream” that’s become a folk classic performed and recorded by artists all over the world.
He was a founding member of the Wonderful Grand Band, a musical comedy show featuring a six-piece traditional/folk/rock band together with various members of Codco. The group produced two albums of original work, forty-one half-hour television shows (plus specials) for CBC-TV, and toured the country non-stop during its six-year history.
Over the years, Hynes has released numerous albums, including Get Back Change (2003), Songs of Ron Hynes (2005), Ron Hynes (2006) and others.
More recently, in the fall of 2010, Hynes’ new CD Stealing Genius was released by Borealis Records. Also, the feature film about Hyne’s life, The Man of a Thousand Songs debuted in 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival to sold out audiences and critical praise.
For the Union Hall restoration, the committee in charge is looking to have the stucco now covering the exterior replaced with bevel spruce siding.
An anonymous donor has supplied funds already and the committee has approached the Town of Canmore for additional funding.
As part of the project, the committee is also planning to improve the landscaping and gardens surrounding the Union Hall and provide a location for the Canmore Miners’ Statue if the Centennial Museum Society of Canmore, which owns the statue, decides to relocate it from the grounds of the Canmore Hotel as the hotel is currently for sale and its future in doubt.
Canmore coal miners began building the Union Hall in 1910 after joining the United Mine Workers of America in 1905 in an effort to improve working conditions and wages. The Union Hall, built entirely by volunteer labour, was completed in 1913 and it quickly became a community hall to host meetings, dances, weddings, funerals, concerts and movies.
Tickets $28 at Second Story Books and The Edge Gallery.
The hall fell into disrepair after the mine closed in 1979, leading the Town of Canmore to consider demolishing the building to make room for a parking lot.
Instead of allowing the Union Hall go under the wrecking ball, Pine Tree Players, which had been using the Union Hall to mount productions since 1978, in conjunction with the Red Barn Committee, raised $105,000 to renovate the hall.
Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed re-opened the Union Hall on July 1, 1983 as a community centre.
In 1994, the Town of Canmore bought the Union Hall from the Lions Club of Canmore, which owned the hall and used it as a clubhouse at that time.
A $90,000 kitchen renovation was completed 2006, while the stairs – modeled after the 1913 entrance – were replaced in 2008. A year later, all of the windows were replaced, again as close to the original building design as possible. The Town also renovated the washrooms after mould was discovered.
Snape said other potential funding sources include a Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, Community Initiatives Program grant, Bow Valley Community Foundation and community fundraising campaign.
As part of that, Snape added, Pine Tree Players has already raised $4,000. He added the Lions Club, the Mountain Arts Foundation and the Centennial Museum Society support the project.
Following Snape’s presentation, Councillor Hans Helder asked that as the private donor has expectations the Town will match the donation or a large portion of that, if the donor would withdraw the funds if the Town chose not to offer financial support.
“That is not stipulated in their letter, but we’d have to go back and discuss it. We hope council would consider being involved in the project,” Snape said.
“The committee intends to move forward in any case.”
Coun. Gordie Miskow, filling in for Mayor Ron Casey who was absent from the meeting, expressed his support and appreciation for the proposal, even though council could not make an immediate decision.
“Thank you on behalf of the town of Canmore and the citizens of Canmore. It is without a doubt an important facility,” Miskow said.
