Telemiracle to carry on during pandemic

Telemiracle will go ahead this year in the shadow of COVID-19.

On Thursday, the charity announced the 45th edition of the telethon will be held at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon on Feb. 27-28.

Chair Brian Angstadt says it was a challenge to create a safe event that follows public health guidelines.

“We pretty much had to rewrite the book,” he said. “We’ve been working every day since Telemiracle 44 ended. We’ve put in countless hours throughout the summer just to make sure this show can be broadcast.”

The overhauled format for the 20-hour telethon won’t have the stream of on-stage guests and performances of past telethons.

There won’t be an audience in attendance, performances will be pre-recorded and special appearances will be done via remote video.

The cast includes Beverly Mahood, Brad Johner, Jeffery Straker, Jill Straker, Jess Moskaluke, Andrea Menard, Chris Henderson, Glen Suitor, Lisa Moen and Mac Shephard.

Angstadt said cast members will be live on stage guiding viewers through the new experience.

“It will look kind of like a news broadcast,” he said. “We’ll have two national cast (members) on stage and they are going to be six feet apart.

“We will still have a phone panel, but it will be reduced down to about 10 to 15 phones.”

The live broadcast begins at 9 p.m. on Feb. 27 and concludes on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m.

Telemiracle raised more than $5.5 million last year.

Since 1977, Telemiracle has raised more than $140 million for Kinsmen and Kinette clubs in the province.