A concert series that surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic is back floating on a Saskatchewan lake free to all listeners.
Organizer Velda Court said the second annual Gator’s Waterfest has returned and after a successful year.
“The concert series started with Clint (Moroz) and myself, each having milestone birthdays of the big old 50, and he wanted a place to sing and play,” she said.
“I just happened to have a food boat that wasn’t being used at the moment so we decided to have our own little party on the boat so he could have him and his friends sing and play. And people pulled up in their boats and started listening … we ended up having six (concerts) last summer.
“Everybody was COVID-safe in their own boats. They were socially distant on the public beaches. They were socially distant in the water when the restrictions were in place. So it was ultimately the ideal venue to have any sort of music at all. And maybe that’s why we got such great feedback because last year there just wasn’t any.”
Host and member of The Shenanigans, Clint Moroz, said making the series an annual event was an easy decision.
“We knew and know that it’s a great idea … But we’re able to bring music on the water at Candle Lake with local talent and bands and artists from all over Saskatchewan and it’s just a great venue. It’s a great vibe and to celebrate Candle Lake and be on the water in a beautiful setting and celebrate music,” Moroz said.
“And on top of it … we just have a blast. We get to pretend that we’re rock stars for an afternoon once in a while,” he said.
“We really want something like this more than ever, especially because of what everybody’s gone through as far as the whole COVID experience. This is the summer where things are getting lifted and people need the uplifting sort of experience,” Moroz said.
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With concerts on May 22 and July 3 already in the bag, organizers said they’re expecting the biggest turnout yet this upcoming August long weekend.
“May 22 was a little bit chillier, so it wasn’t a huge turnout but it was a good start to the summer. July 3 was probably one of the best concerts we’ve had … and doing the classic rock series had a lot of people show up crowd-wise,” Court said.
“About 250 boats last year, plus people on the beach, so it was probably close to 3,000 people last August long,” said Dan Moroz, who does marketing and social media for the events.
“This is probably the busiest week of the year at Candle Lake … probably expecting, I would say, close to 300 boats.”
This upcoming concert on Saturday will be the first Gator’s Waterfest held after public health restrictions were lifted by the provincial government on July 11.
“As a performer on the boat, it’s certainly a lot more enjoyable when you can have some proximity that’s close to one another and enjoy the experience a lot more that way,” Clint Moroz said.
July 31 will also be the second last concert of the summer on Waskateena Beach — weather permitting — and is expected to feature Constant Reminder, The Shenanigans, The Stockboys and local musicians.
“People put their lawn chairs in the water. They have floating pizza slices and whatever else they can float on and kayaks and canoes … People are dancing in the water too so you don’t need to be floating on anything. That’s how we met Travis (Moroz). Travis was our main superstar dancer last year,” Court said.
“I met everybody last year and we … started hosting shows and that’s when we started The Shenanigans because that’s basically we’re always up to no good shenanigans and decided that’s a great band name,” The Shenanigans member Travis Lewis said.
The last concert of the summer is scheduled for Aug. 21.
“We started it as a free volunteer thing. We’ve grown it because we were able to attract sponsorships and donations through a variety of people. So that has created the opportunity for us to … pay people to be there, pay for the boats, pay for the gas, pay for some of our headliner performers,” Dan Moroz said.
“The bands … they are contacting us to come and play, to get recognition and because it’s such a fun venue to play at. And it’s unique. So we have quite the line-up ahead of us going into even next year,” Court said.
Candle Lake is approximately 220 km north of Saskatoon.
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