Canadian alternative rockers 54-40 will headline the main stage entertainment at the 106th annual Aldergrove Fair Days on Saturday, July 21.
The entire weekend of July 20-22 will feature live music on the main stage, with bands covering classic rock and blues music. The music at the Fair is once again sponsored by Aldergrove’s Nicholson Group of Companies and Super Steve’s Tire and Mechanical, which sponsored previous free headliner concerts at the Fair by classic rockers Trooper and Chilliwack.
The headliner shows are free admission, however, there is a legal limit on the audience size so concert-goers should get there early to ensure they have a spot before the gates are closed. There are porta-potties within the concert area as well as a variety of foods and beverages available, including the Aldergrove Legion’s beer and wine garden.
The Aldergrove Fair grounds are at the Harry Hunt Fields behind the Kinsmen Community Centre, located at 26770 29th Ave. Free parking is available in the adjacent Aldergrove Community Secondary School (ACSS) parking lot.
The main stage concert series begins on the Friday, July 20 at 6 p.m. with a Food Truck Friday celebration featuring a wide selection of food and beverages while cover bands perform the music of classic rockers Heart, Bad Company and Pat Benatar. The Fair Days Show ’n’ Shine will be taking place at the same time at the ACSS parking lot so fairgoers can also wander to and fro and take in the classic cars and trucks on display that evening.
The music continues midday Saturday afternoon with Aldergrove’s Rawhide Bones performing classic rock from John Mellencamp and Tom Petty, and a Tragically Hip tribute band, before 54-40 takes the stage for the evening’s headliner show.
’The Hip Show’ is Canada’s ultimate tribute to The Tragically Hip. The lower mainland-based quintet has been playing shows across Canada for almost 10 years, in some of the better venues in the country.
Joe Foley, lead guitarist and manager of The Hip Show, says, “We work very hard to present the Tragically Hip show that people will no longer get to see, from the details of the music, and stage presentation, to the wardrobe, and instruments used. Because of this attention to detail, we are considered one of the best Hip tributes in the country. We take pride in what we do.”
https://youtu.be/lkh4qdxLFH0
54-40 started out almost 40 years ago in Tsawwassen, when singer-guitarist Neil Osborne, bassist Brad Merritt and drummer Ian Franey came together for their debut independent recording titled Things Are Still Coming Ashore. Osborne and Merritt are the remaining founding members in the quartet that now includes drummer Matt Johnson and guitarist Dave Genn. The band has had a number of significant Canadian hit singles over the years — I Go Blind, Ocean Pearl, and One Day in Your Life among them — and continues to tour across Canada to the delight of their fans. Their new album, Keep On Walking, is now available
Then on July 22 it’s a “Sunday of Blues” featuring the best blues musicians in the Fraser Valley performing starting at 10 a.m. on the main stage till the Fair closes at 4 p.m.
On Sunday, the main stage will feature an International Blues Challenge contest with three bands and three solo/duo acts from B.C. battling it out. The judges will be picking one winner from each category to go to Memphis, Tennessee in April 2019 for the 35th annual Memphis International Blues Challenge. This Blues Foundation event has musicians and bands from all over the world converging on Beale Street to compete and be named the top blues acts.
This Aldergrove Fair Days event is sponsored and managed by the Fraser Valley Blues Society, a local non-profit that holds blues jams and live music events. The Aldergrove Fair Days show will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional information can be found on the website: http://FraserValleyBluesSociety.com/InternationalBluesChallenge