It was an honour that was tough to put into words. Surrounded by friends and family, Jason Lepine finally saw his plaque go onto the wall at the Carman Community Hall. 

Lepine, who was born and raised in Portage but now lives in Winnipeg, has known about the induction for several years - but the pandemic forced the ceremonies to be put off since 2019. Last Sunday, the day finally arrived.

"To have it official and have that celebration, it was one huge honour. You know being on that wall of fame with my dad, is the biggest honour. He is my biggest idol when it comes to the fiddling world. To be surrounded by some of the closest people in my life and see my name join the likes of Patti Kusturok, the late Clint Dutiaume and more, it was very special"

Lepine's father is Garry Lepine and his name has been on the wall for quite some time. Both are staples on the Saturday Night Polka Party still heard on CFRY each weekend from 7 to 10 p.m.

The afternoon started with a dance that Lepine and others performed at and that was followed by supper and the induction event. The day-long event wrapped up with some more dancing.

lepinethe local fiddler and a couple of long time band mates pose for a selfie while the crowd takes a short break from the dancing

Lepine says he is more than happy to help keep the tradition of Metis fiddling alive in our province.

"Absolutely. Here in Winnipeg, I've been teaching a lot of kids and doing lessons as well. I know Mark Morrisseau from Portage is as well. It's very important that we have that tradition of our fiddle playing and keep it going. There are a lot of great young fiddle players coming up. These kids, they learn so fast these days and it is just great to see"

 

A total of four new names went on the wall that day. Posthumously, Walter Lacroix went into the fiddler/performer category as well while Irene Gamey went into the accompanist category and Daniel Koulack went in as a builder.