An inspirational evening of music, poetry, and art took place Thursday night at Winkler Arts and Culture (WAC) with tributes to Leonard Cohen.

MC and musician, Bill Dowling, explained that open mic nights can be unpredictable; the crowd may not be responsive, but that wasn't the issue Thursday. Even the most shy performer wanting to share their music or poetry would have felt at home thanks to the audience.

"I get the feeling people around here are still getting used to the idea of [an open mic night]," said Dowling.

"It is a really great opportunity for people, especially if you're kind of shy about it. It's a really supportive audience as I clearly found out tonight...We all appreciate the expression people can come up with."

A number of performers braved the open mic and presented poetry or music, some sharing how important Leonard Cohen was to their musical education.

Also featured during the event, was art by another inspiration in the local arts community, the late Marcel Dubreuil.