Coffee and live entertainment at Leader

By Joan Janzen

There’s no better combination than a really good cup of coffee, friendly visiting, and live entertainment. On Saturday, March 4th, Cheryl Frerichs provided the coffee and invited Jack Humeny to her shop, Squirrelly Shirley’s Coffee Shop, on 1st Avenue West in Leader to provide the entertainment. He was accompanied by Cheryl’s husband, Darren. The visiting occurred amongst the dozen visitors who filled the small venue.

Jack Humeny and Darren Frerichs performed at Squirrelly Shirley’s Coffee Shop in Leader on Saturday afternoon, March 4th. Photo by Joan Janzen

Jack, who is a friend to one and all, hails from Eatonia. He masterfully combines song, poetry and humour for an unforgettable entertainment experience. Darren sang some of his songs as well, describing one of his songs as the first fast song he ever wrote, which he had tested out at Burstall, where people responded by getting up to dance.

A story, some funny, accompanied almost every song, others more contemplative, but every song and story was inspired by life on the prairies. Jack explained that anyone in the agriculture industry spends most of their life looking at the clouds. He sang the song “Land of Dreams,” which he had written while returning home from Calgary.

Cheryl was also excited to have some truly unique art on display from a Burstall resident. Melanie Field paints ‘wearable art,’ transforming something simple into an amazing piece of art. Lately, she has been painting hats, transforming each one into her own personalized work of art. And there’s nothing people from the prairies love more than hats!