Monday is a holiday, so why not plan on going for a little drive to Leitches Creek—located just off Highway 125 between Sydney and North Sydney—and take in an afternoon of songs and tunes. The little white church was built more than a hundred years ago, but sure, Jim Payne and Fergus O’Byrne have songs older than that. Two of Newfoundland’s most respected performers, you can expect rousing sea shanties and work songs, poignant ballads, comic ditties, folk tales and recitations, and toe-tapping jigs, reels, and polkas on a variety of instruments when this duo takes the altar… er, stage. Cape Bretoners Ian MacDougall and Mac Morin probably have a couple of oldies in their repertoire as well. Ian has become one of the most sought-after dance players on Cape Breton Island in recent years and his lively style fills dance halls with those eager for music and dancing. Accompanied by in-demand piano player and dancer Mac Morin, this pair will have your toes tapping all afternoon. The Gilberts’ three-part harmonies, dynamic arrangements, and influences ranging from indie-folk contemporaries to 1970s classics will leave you mesmerized.