Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - In between stickin' it to the man, munching on granola and braiding stuff, hippies in the late 1960s and early 1970s dug some pretty hot tunes.

Musician and promoter Rick Poltaruk is combining the best music of the long-haired freaky people with the fun of the festive season for The Happy Hippie Ho Ho Show at the Top Knight next month.

These hippie sympathizers are, back row, from left, Rick Poltaruk, Eli the dog, Norma Givonetto and Connie Hinchey; front row, from left: Gary Tees, Kelly Merilees Keppel and Jim Taylor. Missing from the photo are Ashley York and Howard McKay. - Daron Letts/NNSL photo

Rick and the Relics, including bassist Gary Tees, drummer Jonathan Sy and Howard McKay on sax, will join vocalists Connie Hinchey, Kelley Merilees Keppel, Norma Givonetto, Ashley York and Jim Taylor on stage.

"The show is not so much Christmas music as good old hippie music from the 1960s and 1970s," Poltaruk said. "They're fun, uplifting songs that taught me how to like music."

New arrangements of familiar classics by Jim Croce, Simon and Garfunkel, Credence Clearwater Revival and other vintage anthems fill the musical sets.

The evening of dinner theatre will capture the acoustic vibe of a classic 1960s coffeehouse with an intimate, informal stage and lots of interaction among the performers.

"It's the way we would have done it back then," Poltaruk said.

In the 1960s, Poltaruk hung with hippies while performing in Winnipeg's coffee houses. He once marched with Manitoba hippies in a peaceful demonstration protesting the war in Vietnam.

"Hippies weren't filthy, dirty people – they were just people with a costume that was a bit different than everybody else," Poltaruk said. "The status quo was afraid of hippies. These poor kids would get arrested but they'd stand their ground."

The hippies' dedication to peace and love is a theme shared by the spirit of Christmas.

"Their message was about loving everybody, not hating," he said.

The peace, love and music will flow on Nov. 7 and 8 and again on Nov. 14 and 15. Like other years, this annual holiday show includes food with the entertainment. Dinner is served at 7 p.m. and the music begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale today at Sutherland's Drugs.