WARMAN — A TeleMiracle 49 video production crew set up at the Brian King Centre in Warman all of last week to conduct pre-recordings of the various performers who will appear during the 20-hour telethon on March 1-2.
TeleMiracle 49 chair Terri Troupe-Logue said they set up at the Brian King Centre on Jan. 10 and began recording a couple days later.
She said they had been recording various acts for about 10 hours each day, while also bringing in groups of students from local schools to do tours of the production.
“It’s a busy time,” she said.
But why come to Warman? Troupe-Logue said they like to bring the production to different locations around Saskatchewan, though there are some technical considerations as well; for instance, they need a space that will be available for an entire week without any interruptions.
As well, the Brian King Centre offered some other advantages. Troupe-Logue said that last year, they had set up in a space with some high-up windows, which made for some challenges when they had to block them off to keep the light from playing havoc with the production.
“It was a lot of extra work to get up there to cover the (windows),” she said, indicating that wasn’t an issue with the Brian King Centre.
Another bonus to shooting in Warman was the enthusiastic support from the municipality itself.
“When we talked to the City of Warman, they were so pumped to have us here. They got behind us right away, and said, ‘Let us know what we can do to help you’’” she said.
Those who have watched TeleMiracle telethons from years past may be surprised to see how much is pre-recorded, given how it was an entirely live event at one point.
Troupe-Logue indicated that all changed with the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced reliance on pre-recorded performances.
“After COVID, we kind of had to change gears a little bit,” she said.
Of course, change is not necessarily bad; pre-recording performances means the production crew can do multiple takes, and Troupe-Logue said some entertainers simply won’t appear on a live show, perhaps due to anxiety.
The COVID pandemic also brought one other major change to TeleMiracle, namely a shift in how the telethon involves youth.
Based on her experience as a teacher, Troupe-Logue acknowledges that kids generally don’t know what TeleMiracle is unless their grandparents watch it or they have a related fundraiser going on at school.
However, with the telethon officially turning 50 next year, the organizers recognize that the only way TeleMiracle will keep going is if they can get the youth involved.
Troupe-Logue said that’s why this year’s telethon will again feature a “Hype Squad” — a group of youth who applied to be on the show and who act as cheerleaders during the event.
“That’s something different from the last couple of years,” she said, noting the TeleMiracle 49 committee also has a Youth Ambassador whose job it is to reach out to youth groups.
It’s worth noting that more than 700 Kinsmen and Kinnettes are involved in putting on TeleMiracle each year, with more than 120 volunteers involved just in the operation of cameras, lights and audio.
All of this is in aid of raising money to provide resources to kids, adults and organizations who need specialized mobility and medical equipment, as well as financial assistance with travel costs.
Troupe-Logue said she has been on the Kinsmen board for five years, and they’ve found that in recent times, more people are having to do without things like hearing devices and van conversions, which can range in price from a couple hundred to several thousand dollars.
She indicated they have to act as a “funder of last resort,” meaning that applicants must first research and seek out other potential funding sources before applying to the TeleMiracle Foundation.
“But if they don’t qualify for this and...this, that’s when they turn to TeleMiracle,” she said.
TeleMiracle 49 will be aired on CTV starting at 9 p.m. on March 1 and will end at 5 p.m. on March 2. It can also be streamed online at telemiracle.com.
