“Never underestimate your ability to make a difference in the life of a child,” says iconic Canadian children’s entertainer Fred Penner, who has been booked for a 60-minute show at this year’s Rock Creek and Boundary District Fair.
He is perhaps best known for the CBC show Fred Penner’s Place which ran from 1985 to 1997, and became a big part of kids’ lives.
“In our initial planning meetings for this year’s fair we discussed increasing the number of visitors for our Sunday gate,” explained stage manager Terry Keough. “Bringing the number of people for Sunday closer to what we see on Saturday will add more to the event and the fundraising without adding any more volunteer effort.”
So with that in mind Penner will perform on Sunday, Sept. 15 starting at 2 p.m. at the dais stage.
“Having a strong anchor performer like Fred Penner should help with this and allow us to build a good full day for the Sunday.”
Penner has without a doubt established himself as a fundamental part of the North American family entertainment scene. And whether it’s through CDs, videos, books or television, his cornerstone philosophy remains the same: absolute trust that his work can make a difference.
His pre-music experience working with troubled youth set the stage for what was to come, providing an understanding of the trauma of child abuse and the ability of music to heal.
Those learnings, along with the untimely passing of his 12-year-old sister with Down’s Syndrome and subsequent passing of his father a year later, sparked a period of deep soul-searching and life-changing decisions. Inspired by his sister’s pure love of music, the man who had planned to become an economist, made a choice to become a performer. Lucky for us, he did.
For 12 seasons (four seasons in the U.S.) Fred Penner crawled magically out of a hollow log at the beginning of the CBC TV show Fred Penner’s Place. Modern day CBC TV host George Stroumboulopoulos called him the nicest man to ever crawl through a hollow log.
Over the years Penner has been a spokesperson for organizations like UNESCO, World Vision, UNICEF and the National Conference on Down Syndrome, which he chaired.
Keough said the fair is looking for a donation of accommodations for Fred Penner and other acts for this year’s event, so if anyone would like to donate these services they should contact him at jollyjack1861@gmail.com.