EMILY HSUEH
SHAWVILLE June 17, 2021
After having gone quiet during the pandemic, live music filled The Little Red Wagon Winery once again, though video cameras replaced the usual leisurely audience.
A small crew and a singer from Chelsea came together at the winery, located in Shawville, to film their eighth episode of Outaouais Live!, a 12-episode show putting a spotlight on art in the Outaouais. The show premiered. . .
last month but still has episodes in production, and the winery is just one of the Pontiac subjects featured in the show.
“We’ve been out in the Pontiac more than once because we went to Portage du Fort, the art gallery there, with artPontiac … We were at Katharine Fletcher’s studio, she is a visual artist and writer in Quyon, and we’re here today at the Little Red Wagon Winery,” explained host and musician Claire Bestland.
Other Pontiac locations being featured include Fort Coulonge and Pine Lodge in Bristol. The episode at the winery and Katharine Fletcher’s studio will be aired on July 12 on Videotron’s MAtv and the 100 Mile Arts Network’s YouTube channel at https://tinyurl.com/5f48d7fw.
The crew was composed of Bestland, director Melanie Willlis, director of photography David Irvine and producer Kerstin Petersson. They shone a spotlight on the Winery itself, interviewing owners Jen and Scott Judd about how their venue operates and how they make their wine.
Later in the day, they spoke to Chelsea singer-songwriter Allysann Mei Foehring, who spoke of her musical journey and performed three original songs on camera.
“I think a lot of people in the community will be really excited and it’s just nice to be able to see live music any way that you can right now, so it’s a great series that they’re putting together,” said Foehring. Her new single Darlin’ can be found on Spotify and Apple Music.
Though the roster for Outaouais Live! is set, Bestland encouraged any other Pontiac artists or venue owners to get in touch with the 100 Mile Arts Network.
“The 100 Mile Arts Network is dedicated to promoting the arts in the Outaouais region. So part of that is connecting artists to venues and having an artist roster, connecting artists to venues,” she said. “I don’t know if there’ll be another series by 100 Mile Arts, but if there are any other cultural performance spaces that want to be featured, please send us an email.
“People think that people move to big urban centres to pursue the arts, but we want to showcase that that’s right in our backyard.”
