Kids Entertainer Brings Out The Youth In All
The Parklander, Hinton, Alberta
Rod Kelly
I want to eat, eat, eat eight apples and bananas.
I want to ite, ite, ite eight ipples and bininis.
I want to ote, ote, ote eights opples and bononos.
Ahhh. Remember when?
Remember when the gymnasium floor became and escape from reality and the regular ho-hum classroom? Remember when a surprise visitor came to school to bring some type of song and dance -- a juggling routine perhaps -- or maybe a piece of recent literature? That was the case for 400 or more local youngsters April 17. Students at Hinton's MountainView School stamped their feet, clapped their hands and joined in singing an interesting list of songs written and performed by Alberta-born entertainer Alex Mahé.
A native of St. Vincent, Alberta, Mahé has toured most of Canada where he performs in schools and childrens' festivals. He brings with him an exhuberant amount of energy, a friendly smile, and, of course, much of the work from his past albums and his past television program Alex Mahé's Good Time Train. His two albums -- Good Time Train and Railroad Rendezvous -- include a wide range of English and French songs for all ages of children. Mahé said he remembers wanting to be an entertainer when he was a young boy.
"I remember my dad used to tell me that he was a guitar player when he was younger. I would go downstairs and I could see this old guitar case sitting up in the rafters. I thought 'wow, wouldn't that be something to play music for people'."
He never played guitar while attending school. He picked up the use of the basic chords while on vacation with a friend after graduating from high school. "I bought the guitar for $35."
