Vina Moses stands alongside a statue of country music legend Hank Snow. Photo Ed Halverson

Organizers of the annual Hank Snow Tribute are calling for help.

For the past 30 years the life and legacy of Liverpool’s favourite son has been celebrated through several nights of concerts, music and memories.

But administrator at the Hank Snow Museum Vina Moses says the annual tribute which acts as their major fundraiser may not be enough to keep the doors open.

Moses who also appears on-air here at QCCR says a three-years long pandemic with little opportunity for fundraising has drained the organization’s accounts.

“The financial situation at the Hank Snow Museum is critical,” says Moses. “We are really looking for sponsors, especially for both of our events but mostly for the Tribute. We really need help this year to get through.”

Moses says the museum has kept the doors open and the lights on over the past few years thanks to the support of several large sponsors including the Region of Queens, Sobeys, Belliveau Veinotte accountants and Heritage Canada.

Hank Snow was Canada’s first major country music star. His career took flight when he moved to Nashville in 1949. Over the next five decades he recorded 140 albums and landed 85 singles on the Billboard Country charts including number one hits “I’m Moving On” and “I’ve Been Everywhere”.

Moses is hoping to see others who are passionate about Snow’s music step forward and support their work.

“There are folks who have already helped, and we are now looking for some more major sponsors as well as folks who will maybe sponsor $50.”

Moses says that $50 will place the sponsors name beside an artist on the festival literature.

Headlining the Hank Snow Tribute this year will be Ruth Manning and the Prospectors on Thursday, a collection of Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees is featured on Friday, the Rhinestone Romeos from the valley and Southern Breeze from New Brunswick will co-headline Saturday and Joyce Seamone will lead the finale Sunday.

Country legend Carroll Baker was scheduled to headline the Tribute, but Moses says due to circumstances beyond their control the Hank Snow Society couldn’t fly her in.

Organizers are working to bring Baker back next year.

The Hank Snow Society is planning several other events this summer including weekly Wednesday barbeques featuring local performers at the Hank Snow Museum.

The Hank Snow Tribute will be held at Queens Place in Liverpool the weekend of Aug 17 and tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 14.

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Hank Snow Museum. Photo Ed Halverson

The Hank Snow Museum staff is looking ahead to a better summer this year.

Despite having to call off the annual tribute show for the second year in a row due to COVID restrictions, the museum’s doors will be open and music will be played.

Acting administrator Vina Moses says they’re accepting visitors by appointment and Wednesday will mark the start of a weekly concert and BBQ series she’s calling the ‘Hank Snow Chuckwagon BBQ & Wednesday Entertainment”

“We are doing everything outdoors because that’s the only way that we can do [the event] with spacing,” said Moses. “It’s very hard to do it indoors and try and clean and all that kind of stuff.”

Moses says they will be following all COVID protocols from social distancing and cleaning to hand sanitizing and masks.

Because the events will be held outdoors there will also be some new steps taken to make visitors comfortable.

“We realize that we can’t let people sit out there in the sun so we’ve got sun shelters this year which is really a big and a wonderful addition,” said Moses.

While the shows are free, Moses says the museum will gladly accept do nations.

“Because we don’t have the tribute we need this money to augment our lights, our electricity, our fuel,” said Moses. “So it’s actually to keep the museum going during the whole year.”

Moses says the museum relies on events such as this, their monthly online 50/50 draw operated in partnership with QCCR and the $10,000 the Region of Queens provides each year to keep the operation running.

It turns out closing the doors for an extended period of time has allowed museum staff to dive deep into their collection to put more memorabilia on display.

Moses says they’ve dug into filings cabinets and examined close to 40 boxes that have been in storage.

“It’s been wonderful because we’ve had the time to peruse them all, to find letters from Hank Snow himself. We’ve been able to find memorabilia that we would not have known about,” said Moses.

As far as when the annual tribute show will resume, Moses says that is up to public health officials.

“If you saw the line up of people who come here, they’re from all over. They’re from all over the United States, they’re from all over Canada,” said Moses. “ So we could never have the tribute without having the borders open.”

Moses says whenever the tribute does happen again they have already confirmed Carroll Baker will be headlining.

Until then the “Hank Snow Chuckwagon BBQ & Wednesday Entertainment” will run each Wednesday until mid-September.

The series kicks off Wednesday with Autumn Carver at noon followed by Bob Russell and the Salt Water Cowboys at 1:00pm.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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