Thresher Reunion 2024: The Lucky Charms to return to Harvest Stage for show
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
At this September’s reunion of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association, The Lucky Charms will be performing on the Blyth Festival’s Harvest Stage as part of the festivities for the third straight year.
The Blyth-based band, fronted by Blyth Kids Club co-founder Joe Gahan, has come a long way in the last few years and this show is one they have always circled on their calendar since the first time back in 2022 - the first year the reunion returned to its traditional format in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
All the way back in 2022, Gahan, who lives in Blyth with his wife Megan and their children, had just gathered up his band. He was no stranger to performing music, having done it back in his native Ireland and then in Toronto when he moved there - in fact, it was through song at a Toronto Irish pub that Joe and Megan first connected by way of his rendition of “Galway Girl” by Steve Earle (not Ed Sheeran) - but assembling the band and performing was new to them just two short years ago.
The Lucky Charms formed around the same time as the Blyth Kids Club and would often volunteer its services to Legions, fundraisers and other service club events as a means of raising money either for the Kids Club or for another charity of their choice, never taking in money for themselves. That band has retained that mandate, but become much more prolific, performing all over Huron County and beyond and evolving into somewhat of a household name among Huron County residents who like their music.
But, back to 2022 again, Gahan said that concert, on Saturday night of the reunion on the Festival’s then-new Harvest Stage, was their biggest performance to date and, at the time, they didn’t feel prepared to give it.
A lot has changed since then and Gahan and crew say that this is the show they look forward to the most on the calendar. Gahan says that being part of the storied Thresher Reunion, playing for residents and visitors alike and being able to give back to the community through their music are all just magical to them and Gahan feels honoured to be asked to come back now year after year.
As for the band’s catalogue, it really does span the last 100 years of music. With Gahan and some of his bandmates being Irish, they are a staple of the St. Patrick’s Day circuit, performing locally for the green beer crowds in March both in Blyth and beyond. Meanwhile, when they play other fundraising shows, they’ll play everything from old folk and country music to more modern rock. For those reasons, they have found an audience of largely younger people who attend the annual show at the reunion. The setlist is often a stark contrast from the traditional country music that often graces the reunion’s stages.
That’s just fine with Gahan, as he has respect for the musical masters who have come before him and the rich tradition of the Thresher Reunion - especially the music - but also an affinity for the modern-day musicians he hears every day.
Before the Thresher Reunion, the band will be playing a special Goderich-to-Guelph Rail Trail event and then it will soon be time for fall, Halloween, Christmas and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day concerts and the band members will find themselves quite busy as 2024 turns into 2025.