On a gorgeous mid-summer evening, on Thu. July 20, more than 500 outdoor music enthusiasts – both the young and the grey – moved, shook, and shimmied along to the soulful croons of Hillbilly Burlesque and the smooth rhythms of Conner Derraugh at the Lyric Bandshell, one of the city’s most popular public concert spaces.

Gerry Atwell, organizer of this Assiniboine Park Summer Entertainment Series event, appropriately titled, PeaceABLE Days, said, “The focus of tonight’s event is to celebrate the abilities and artistry of performers who have prevailed, despite disabilities.”

Atwell enlisted the support of Peace Days (peacedays.ca) and Arts Accessibility Network Manitoba (aanm.ca) as presenting partners of the PeaceABLE Days event.

Angel Calnek, Co-Founder of Arts Accessibility Network Manitoba and lead singer of Hillbilly Burlesque, is an artist whose health has significantly impacted her daily functioning.

Having learned to play guitar at age 12 and performed extensively in the late 60s and early 70s, Angel has returned to concert performances as a way of bringing joy and vibrancy to her life. Her spirited show livened the crowd and led many fans to approach her off stage.

Judy Slivinski interviewed Angel Calnek, Co-Founder of Arts Accessibility Network Manitoba and lead singer of Hillbilly Burlesque:

As an integral element of this diverse event, an American Sign Language interpreter took to the stage and danced along with each seamlessly weaved sign, giving a vibrancy and groove for everyone to enjoy, especially the deaf and hearing impaired communities in attendance.

Peace Days encompasses the United Nation’s International Day of Democracy, September 15 and International Day for Peace, September 21. Peace Days were inspired and have been facilitated by Rotary International District 5550 World Peace Partners since the inception of the event in 2010. This year’s celebration runs from Sept. 15 – 24; for full event listings and ticket info: http://www.peacedays.ca/