Dancing off dinner at Country Club

BY Dawn Rankins

Midnight Ride Acoustic Duo performed while more than 50 dined at the Canyon Lake Country Club Bar and Grill Thursday night. Those gathered ranged in age from kids to adults and in addition to listening to the artists perform, they danced, socialized and enjoyed dinner and drinks.

Duo performers Deedee Culp and Shawn Blakely said this was their first time performing in Canyon Lake and hoped that everyone enjoyed the evening because they would love to be invited back. Midnight Ride, formed in 2009, specializes in covering a variety of music, including Top 40, Classic Rock, Modern Rock, 1980’s, Blues, Disco, Pop, Country and R & B. Deedee said that they felt his crowd would enjoy hearing 1970s music and played much from that era Thursday.

Acoustic Duo Shawn Blakely and Deedee Culp from Midnight Ride perform Thursday night at the Canyon Lake Country Club Bar and Grill. The band specializes in covering a variety of music, but focused on music from the 1970s at the Canyon Lake event. Photo by John Foster.

Tiffany Skyberg, a resident of Canyon Lake, brought her two little girls, Charley, 3, and Rocky, 1, out to enjoy some dinner and a little dancing.

“I specifically came for the music and to hang out,” Tiffany said. “I want to enjoy what the community has to offer.”

Shannon, Darin and Grayson Smith said they were cruising around the golf course area on their golf cart and decided to stop by and eat. They were pleasantly surprised to find the music event going on.

The family had front row seats and little 17-month-old Grayson enjoyed his dinner while listening to the music. After dinner, Grayson was able to do a little dancing, while meeting new friends, Charley and Rocky.

Three-year-old Charley Skyberg takes to the dance floor after dinner at the Canyon Lake Country Club Bar and Grill Thursday night. Midnight Ride Acoustic Duo performed at the Country Club as patrons ate, drank and danced. Charley had dinner and then danced with mom, Tiffany Skyberg and little sister Rocky. Photo by John Foster.

Rick and Connie Green of Canyon Lake came out to enjoy dinner and the acoustic duo with their friends, Hale and Susan Gammill, also from Canyon Lake. The two couples said events like this are a great way to meet new people and have fun.

“Events like this are better than TV,” Susan said. “There is so much to do in Canyon Lake, so if you get bored, it’s your own fault.”

Kevin and Leslie Fanning were invited by friends to dinner at the Bar and Grill. Kevin said he liked having a small acoustic duo band playing during dinner and, being a musician himself, he thought the band was good.

He did say he wished he could have heard them a little clearer. With the event being held indoors, and so much socializing from the others going on in the restaurant, it made it a little difficult to hear from where he was sitting, he said.

“It was a little loud inside,” Leslie said. “I understood that with the heat it was best to be held inside, however, I wonder if the event were held outside if it would have allowed for a little less background noise.”

Overall, the couple said the evening was nice and it was wonderful seeing so many people coming out to support the event.

Victoria Bongiovannia, a server and manager at the Canyon Lake Country Club Bar and Grill, serves up a drink at Thursday’s Acoustic Duo event. Photo by John Foster.

Having live music at the restaurant seems to be working and Manager Keight Schlosser said he hopes to host more events throughout the summer and September like the one Thursday.

Server/manager Victoria Bongiovannia started working at the Canyon Lake Country Club Bar and Grill a month and a half ago and said she “loves the crowd.” She drives in from Riverside and said it’s worth the drive and can’t think of a better place to work.a