Books, Borscht, & Blues
Join us for an evening of soup and blues
Enjoy a soup buffet from the Livery Barn Restaurant and enjoy the sound of Manitoba-grown artists; the award-winning Ollee Owens, and the dynamic duo of Big Dave McLean and Dan Thiessen.
Big Dave McLean & Dan Thiessen
Canadian blues legend Big Dave McLean is a multiple award-winning artist with a career spanning nearly four decades. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2019 for his work shaping the Western Canadian blues scene. But for Dan Thiessen of The Jake Brakes, McLean is a down home everyday kind of guy. He has hosted the jam nite at the “Times Change” in Winnipeg for 40+ years. That is where McLean met Thiessen in the early 90’s.
Today they play together multiple times a year and are great friends. They come to the Mennonite Heritage Village every summer to hit the Sunday buffet at the Livery Barn.
Ollee Owens
Far more than a vocal powerhouse, Manitoba-raised, now Calgary-based Ollee Owens’ live performances are unforgettable, moving both body and soul. With the warmth of Mavis Staples, the vocal intensity of Etta James, and the soulful delivery of Bonnie Raitt, Ollee draws on a wealth of experience, acknowledging the struggles of life while never losing sight of what truly matters. Combining her original work with unique interpretations of well-known and long-lost songs, the dynamic of Ollee’s live show creates an exciting backdrop for her incredibly diverse vocal range.
Her most recent album “Nowhere to Hide” (2024) has been well received across North America, Europe and Australia with airplay on over 1000 radio stations world-wide. Owens is a recipient of a Canadian Blues Music Award for Emerging Blues Artist of the Year (2026) and is a 2025 YYC Music Awards Nominee for Blues Recording of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. She has also won two international songwriting awards for her song “Still in Pieces” (2024/2025).
Since 2016, Ollee has played hundreds of shows and festivals across the Canadian Prairies, sharing stages with artists like Tim Williams, Matt Anderson, Blue Moon Marquee, Julian Taylor and Dawn Tyler Watson. She has performed in Belfast, Ireland and as far south as Beale Street in Memphis, TN. Ollee is currently working on a new album with award winning Producer Colin Linden due to be released in Spring 2027.
