Skip to content

Community Kindness Countdown to Christmas: Sheldon's music feeds soul of Sault fans

Performer is the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel
Sheldon Jaaskalainen
Sheldon Jaaskalainen is a fixture on the local music scene.

Music in the air can bring people together like no other magic out there, and a musician in the room entertaining the crowd is the life of the party. Let’s face it we love them and in these pandemic times we so miss seeing them live making their melodies and making us smile. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it has taught us the importance of making music for the collective well being of our souls.

Sheldon Jaaskalainen, sawing on his fiddle, is at the top of the heap. The Sault is so extraordinarily blessed with so many good musicians. Jay Case, Dustin Jones, Frank Deresti, Mark Dunn, and Lindsay Pugh to name just a few. We even have some talent, Crystal Shawanda, Tyson Hanes, and Shane Chisholm, who have made Nashville their music home so that they can hone their craft in the biggest music market out there. But for me, Sheldon has embodied what the Sault music scene is all about.

I first heard Sheldon playing on CBC radio. He was part of the trio, the Goulais River Rats, and the CBC Morningside show was featuring their music. I was hooked from the first chord. Gail and I went to watch Sheldon and his “Rats” play at a local Sault pub over the Christmas holidays, and it led to us booking the band for a gig on Valentines Day and St. Paddy’s Day.

These young kids were an instant hit. Sheldon striking his bow across the strings of his fiddle, Vince slapping the skins of the bongo drums, and Sheldon’s brother Chris playing guitar. These guys had the audience in the palm of their hands for the entire show.

And so started a relationship with Sheldon and countless other musicians that has lasted nearly 20 years. Our outdoor stage, here at the lodge, has had Sheldon play on it with various groups so many times that I could not count them up.

Sheldon and his band played at a family reunion of ours, and we even had Sheldon over to play at my mom’s funeral day reception because she wanted a “Kitchen Party” type final party. Sheldon knows how to make a “Kitchen Party” happen - even if it is at a funeral.

Sheldon is a classically trained musician who has been entertaining crowds since he was a youngster growing up in Goulais River. He quickly learned that the person with the bow and fiddle in his hands could hold a crowd for hours at end.

Sheldon has shared his gift with the Sault scene for decades now, and we can all recall weddings, socials, community gatherings, rallies, festivals, carnivals and so many other events where his voice and fiddle took over the crowd. Tapping our toes, clapping our hands, belting out tunes with him, and just plain smiling the night away is what Sheldon makes us do. We can forget about life for a while when under his spell.

And so Sheldon I want to thank you for sharing your gift, and it is a true gift, of being a minstrel with passion, a musician with love in your heart, and a consummate professional entertainer who has honed his craft to the highest level.  You have recognized the importance of how music can mend fences between people, mend broken hearts, and mend broken souls. You have taken on your role with such integrity and compassion for all of us common folk who just love to listen to you make some music.

Isn’t it kind of funny that at the end of the pandemic (well what we thought was close to the end)  it was Sheldon and The Wild Turkeys plucking on fiddles and guitars who first entertained the Sault Crowd at the Algoma Fall Festival’s Celtic Celebration.

And that is what you do Sheldon. You lift our spirits, you make us laugh and smile and dance, and on occasion you bring a tear to our eyes. You were the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

God Bless you good friend. 

My wish for you is that you and your family have a most wonderful Christmas season filled with laughter, and the sound of the fiddle, round your kitchen table.

Your friend, Frank O’Connor.

Frank O'Connor and his wife Gail are the owners and operators of Voyageur Lodge and Cookhouse in Batchawana Bay. He's writing a profile a day leading up to Dec. 24, featuring people who have given back to their community in a positive way through their good deeds and work.


What's next?


If you would like to apply to become a Verified reader Verified Commenter, please fill out this form.


Discussion