Brant Men of Song hosted a charity concert in support of Harmony United Church’s Breakfast Club on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
The group, which is celebrating its 65th season this year, welcomed special guests the Kevin Williams’ Trio, East Coast folk musician Ian Bell, and the Bell City Strummers ukulele group for the performance.
Brant Men of Song president Stuart Chambers credited the group’s accompanist, Amy Groleau, with bringing the various musical acts together.
“Amy Groleau has been with us for going on 26 years now, and her musical gift is only overshadowed by her personality and care,” he said. “She continually goes way above and beyond what’s expected of her, and she is the architect of tonight’s performance. It’s her idea and her efforts that brought together so many talented performers tonight.”
Kicking off with Greg Gilpin’s “Why We Sing,” the Brant Men of Song’s concert also included two love songs: “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady and The Beatles’ “Something.”
Following their three songs, the Bell City Strummers took the stage to perform Jim Beloff’s “Can’t Help But Smile,” The Beatles’ “All My Loving,” Stompin’ Tom Connors’ “The Hockey Song” and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising.”
After several original songs by Bell and a jazz-inspired set from the Kevin Williams’ Trio , featuring Kevin Williams on trumpet, Mary Ann Gorcsi on keyboard and Andrew Dibsdale on drums, Groleau’s daughter, Faith, received a development award from the Brant Men of Song. She also had the opportunity to play the cello alongside her mother Amy on the piano.
The Brant Men of Song then presented a cheque for Harmony United Church’s Breakfast Club, which was received by chorus’ member and Harmony Church attendee John Stonham.
“On behalf of Harmony United Church, I can’t express to you how much we appreciate your attendance here tonight in support of our breakfast program,” said Stonham. “It started 30 years ago or more, and it started out in conjunction with King George School across the road. Originally the church was serving lunch to the children, but after a couple of years of running the program, the principal came over and asked if they wouldn’t mind switching to breakfast. They noticed their children were having a hard time focusing, the teachers couldn’t keep their attention and they figured it was because they weren’t eating until lunch.”
He continued, “That was 30 years ago, and we’re still running that program today. It’s entirely volunteer-run, mostly by members of the church, but there are others that help out too, and anyone is welcome to volunteer. We serve bacon and eggs on Mondays, pancakes on Wednesdays, and sausages and hash browns on Fridays, along with other items. And while food is important, so is providing a safe space where friendships are built and giving these kids a sense that their community cares. We hope that stays with them.”
While $1,690 was raised during the concert, the Brant Beacon learned that the final total came to $1,845.
Brant Men of Song then ended the concert with another three songs. Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher’s “You Are So Beautiful,” Derrick Fox’s “Journey On” and Joseph Martin’s “The Awakening.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
