Award winning Alberta country music singer and song writer Carolyn Dawn Johnson will be one of the headline acts at the Alberta Centennial Kick-off Party in Edmonton at Commonwealth Stadium. Johnson has been honoured with eight Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMA), including CCMA honors as the 2001 and 2002 Female Artist of the Year.
The concert event on May 23 marks 100 days to the province's 100th birthday on September 1. It is also the official welcome for Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to Alberta who are visiting for three days to help celebrate the centennial.
Born in Grand Prairie, and raised on a farm in Deadwood, Alberta, Carolyn Dawn Johnson has released two very successful albums: Room with a View (2001) and Dress Rehearsal (2004). Carolyn recently was part of the Alberta Scene festival in Ottawa, which showcased the very best established and emerging artists from Alberta.
Approximately 50,000 tickets to the Centennial Kick-off Party were offered free on a first-come, first-served basis on April 26. The event "sold out" just two days after tickets were made available to the public.
The concert event will offer a continuous program of family entertainment, celebrating the province's heritage, diversity and future promise. More than 1,500 dancers, musicians and cultural entertainers will be featured in the celebration including emcees Paul Gross, Lorne Cardinal, Colin MacLean and Renelle Fagnan-Roy and performers including Ian Tyson, Oscar Lopez, Tommy Banks, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the White Buffalo Drums and Dancers, Corb Lund, the Trincan Steel Band and White Chocolate, among many others. Visit the Alberta Centennial website to see a complete line-up of the performers.
Edmonton Transit will operate Park and Ride service to and from Commonwealth Stadium and free transit service will be available to anyone presenting an event ticket. Edmonton Transit's Park and Ride program will be in effect from several key locations including the Heritage and Kingsway malls and the Davies, Calder and Burns city lots.