Backyard stage brings live music opportunities to Fort Saskatchewan neighborhood
A Fort Saskatchewan family is looking to create a new live music venue in their community – right in their backyard.
Emmet Van Etten was getting ready Saturday for the first live show at a concert stage he built in his backyard, one he's hoping will bring the community together and breathe some life into the city's live music scene.
Van Etten is a professional drummer and he said he wanted to create a space where his neighbors could come and appreciate live music. It's something he said people are needing after the pandemic.
He said the project was inspired by his touring days, when he would play all sorts of smaller venues, including garages and people's homes.
"It's amazing to be welcomed into somebody's house," Van Etten said. "You meet their neighbors and you meet the community, and it's just a wonderful experience and it really touched me every time.
"There was something just sweet about the intimacy of a backyard concert, and I've always loved it."
Setting up his own backyard stage is an opportunity for him to recreate that experience for other musicians, Van Etten said, giving them a safe place to stop and maybe make a little money and meet the community. He added that he's handed his phone number out around the neighborhood so people can call if there are any questions - or complaints.
"I haven’t had any calls, so we’ll see what happens," he said.
The family-friendly stage is called Van Haven. Shows will play 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., to make sure there's time to get the kids to bed afterwards.
"Bedtimes are very important," he said, as he has two children five and under. "We felt that that is a good time for families to come out and still have time to see the band."
Reily Seddon, one of Van Etten's neighbors, said she's excited by the project. She especially appreciates that the shows are timed in a way that won't disrupt her two-year-old son's naptime, she said, and looks forward to connecting with other parents in the neighborhood.
"We all kind of come home, we go to work, we do our thing and put our kids to bed," Seddon said. "You kind of stay at your place and don’t really have the chance to get out and meet people per se, so I’m really looking forward to it, to be able to connect with everybody in the neighbourhood."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.