Valdy's love affair with Brackendale is about to celebrate 30 years - and unlike most relationships, it's showing no signs of slowing down.
The first time the Salt Spring Island folk singer visited the Brackendale Art Gallery, in 1976, he wasn't there to perform - he was there to see Pied Pumpkin.
"I wanted to hear them play and they were playing. I think it was '76 in the fall," Valdy said.
Since then, he's come back every year to put on a show, either as a soloist or with a band. This year is no different. He will be performing with the Cat Shop Shuffle Band at the Wing Ding Dinner and Dance next Saturday (Jan. 29). Tickets are $28, and dinner starts at 7 p.m. at the Brackendale Art Gallery.
"This is a dance we do annually to celebrate the eagle count," he said. "I can never get enough of the Brackendale theatre, art gallery and restaurant.
"It's also a bit of a cultural community that place. It encourages people of different cultures to come together. The room can handle the volume quite well."
Valdy will be doing some recognizable Valdy tunes, including Play Me a Rock and Roll Song as well as Peter and Lou. He's also going to be doing a new song called Hear Us Sing, which he calls "a happy birthday song to the United Nations."
The Cat Shop Shuffle Band has a long history together. It has been playing a dance at Big White in Kelowna for 15 years.
"It's a regular configuration whenever we can," Valdy said. "It's a quartet, sometimes aided and abetted by other players."
Lee Morin on bass, Doug Edwards (Chilliwack) on guitarist and Jim McGillevary on percussion make up the group.
Valdy said there is talk amongst the quartet of releasing a new live or studio recorded CD under the name OFhF.
"It's an acronym for anything you want it to be," he said.
The last time Valdy release a CD was in 2003. It was called Viva Valdy: Live at Last. Over hicareer he has released 14 albums and 22 singles, with nearly half a million units sold worldwide.
