School may be in session and the weather turning cold, but the last day of October is a bright spot for Norman Foote.
The Juno-award children’s entertainer loves the trick-or-treat holiday that’s wildly popular in communities across Canada.
“It’s the most creative time of the year for kids,” the father of five said. “Let’s face it: They’re dressing up in costume, spreading joy throughout the neighbourhood, putting on shows and, of course, getting free candy.
“What could be more perfect than that?”
For his two shows in Coquitlam on Sunday, Foote not only has his animated “Wall of Sound” (a 100-plus choir made up of School District 43 students) but he hopes to have a decorated audience, too.
He’s asking children — and their parents and grandparents — to get into the spirit and don their Halloween duds, whether they be Darth Vader garb or Tinkerbell costumes.
Together, Foote hopes to stir up what he calls “organized spontaneity… There’s a lot of comedy. A lot of laughs,” he said.
Foote said he enjoys returning to the Tri-Cities, the third largest school district in the province, as the kids here like to sing along to such tunes as Love My New Shirt, Shake a Leg and Always Be Yourself.
That level of participation, he said, makes his shows unpredictable.
The last time Foote was at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam was in November 2013, just after he released his eighth CD titled Always Be Yourself. Then, his Wall of Sound comprised of guest singers from the Coastal Sound Music Academy, Vivo, Aubrey and Aspenwood elementary.
For Sunday’s shows, Foote said he’ll be the leader of a “howling” masquerade.
Still, it won’t be too scary for the little ones. “The shows are for all ages,” he said, “so we keep it light. Not fright.”
• Norman Foote: The Howl is at 2 and 4:30 p.m. at the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam). Tickets are $16/$12. Call the box office at 604-927-6555 or visit evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
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