DEER LAKE — With three feet of snow in most backyards, it may be a little early to think about the Strawberry Festival.
Still, committee members say they’re already selling tickets for the event, and have been since before Christmas.
That’s when it was announced that country singer Tara Oram would be playing a concert for the festival at the Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex.
Born in Hare Bay, Oram was a Canadian Idol top-six finalist in 2007, and the 29-year-old signed to a major record label the following year.
Strawberry Festival committee spokesperson Karen Mangrove said more than 200 tickets have already been sold.
“That’s more than we thought we’d sell at this point,” she said. “I think this is great for Deer Lake and the surrounding area, and we’re feeling good about it so far.”
Oram will perform in a spot during the festival schedule when a dance had been traditionally held, but Mangrove doesn’t see a problem with changing up the schedule.
“We heard people say they wanted something different, so instead of a dance at the stadium there will be a concert at the stadium,” she said.
“It should be over by around 10:30 p.m. so people can still go do other things after.”
The opening act will be Newfoundland country singer Craig Young, who received the award for Country Artist of the Year from Music NL in 2011.
The evening will be hosted by Country Music Television personality Casey Clarke.
