Anne Murray to visit Springhill

The annual event known as Anne Murray Day, being held July 29, raises funds for the operation of the Anne Murray Centre.
At 11:15 a.m. a VIP luncheon with the singer will be held at the Dr. Carson and Marion Murray Community Centre, the centre in her parents’ name. Fans can purchase tickets to the luncheon for $200, which includes a meet-and-greet and patron recognition on the Anne Murray website.
From 2 to 5 p.m. the public can meet Murray for free at the Anne Murray Centre and get autographs and photos.
The turnout for the public event averages from around 400 to 500 people, according to Wanita Shay, operations manager of the Anne Murray Centre.
“Without that day we wouldn’t be able to stay open,” she said. “We’re just a little non-profit, we don’t get a lot of funding. Without Anne we wouldn’t be here.”
Shay was unable to disclose the number of luncheon attendees but says the tickets this year have beat the previous record. Attendees are coming from all over Canada, the United States and even as far as Australia and New Zealand.
“We’re thankful to anybody who shows up on that day,” said Shay. “But especially the VIP luncheon attendees, because some of them come every year and without them we couldn’t keep going.”
Murray publicly retired from singing in 2008. However, you never know if the star will share a little tune.
“Last year someone had brought their guitar to be signed, and she started tuning the guitar and then just broke into song,” said Shay. “A lot of people were super excited about that.”
The Anne Murray Day is part of the Maritime Music Fest in Springhill highlighting Murray and other Maritime musicians. The festival also includes a dinner theatre parodying Murray fans, a songwriters’ circle and a concert.