Although the weather put a slight damper on the Walk of Stars Gala freebie show Saturday afternoon, it didn’t stop the star-studded party later that evening.

The once-a-year occasion drew an assortment of well dressed Merrittonians, along with many out-of-town guests who filled the Merritt Civic Centre Saturday night to see some of country music’s hottest and traditional musicians perform.

“Valdy was my personal highlight of the night,” said local musician Stuart Emslie, who opened the evening, his first performance in the Gala’s seven-year history.

“It’s an amazingly high level of entertainment that comes out for this.”

Emslie performed Still Crazy About You, a track he wrote with Steve Drake of The Odds.

Tammy Weymouth and AJ Woodworth, two familiar faces to Merritt, both performed singles following a heartfelt rendition of O Canada by Rob Hess.

While the silent auction may have seemed lengthy for some, those placing bids on getaways, meat, and country music memorabilia, were strapped in their seats and eager to partake in bidding matches, drawing in laughter from the audience and the charismatic, joke-telling Stockwell Day, who eerily sounded like a professional auctioneer.

Country Music Television’s Casey Clarke also gave the audience some laughs throughout the evening, taking the microphone between performances and uttering various witty remarks and engaging in some brief roasting of the evening’s performers and special guests. Clarke appeared very impressed with Valdy’s youthfulness, but was more expressive of his desire for a seat on Merritt city council.

Kenny Hess, The Higgins, and Ridley Bent, now household names in the Nicola Valley, returned to Merritt again to light up the stage with rockin’ and melodic performances.

Charlie Major, Valdy, and Gord Bamford soulfully performed a few sets of songs that rang of old-time country. You could sense in the building the ghosts of country megastars past.

The Seventh annual Gala Weekend started off with a live, free show at the future home of the Canadian Country Music Hall of Honour after the show was moved from its original location at Spirit Square.

The Walk of Stars Fan Fair featured some local talent, including the Merritt Dessert Inn Dancers, Harley Carmen, Al Horne, and was headlined by B.C. country music stars AJ Woodworth, Kenny Hess, and The Higgins.

Canadian recording artist Ridley Bent ended the afternoon before a brief appearance by Nashville recording artist Beverley Mahood, who delivered a memorable performance later on at the Gala.

“It went very well,” said Merritt Walk of Stars president Ron Sanders.

“There were no hitches anywhere the whole weekend. We got rained out but moved inside.”

“That worked out good for our first event in the Hall of Honour,” added Sanders.

The weekend concluded with a friendly, celebrity golf tournament at Sage Brush Golf and Sporting Club.

Kenny Hess, Lee Dinwoodie, and Tom McKillip were some of the stars on hand to swing some irons. Proceeds from the Gala Weekend will be used to fund the Hall of Honour. Phase one is scheduled to open this summer. The Walk of Stars plan to open a permanent home for the Hall of Honour within the next five years.