CANADA 150 CELEBRATIONS on October 15 at the Miners Hall and Strawberry Pass
By Rossland Telegraph
Canada 150. People have various opinions about celebrating this date, depending on their views about exploration, colonialism and the treatment of First Nations by the invaders. Regardless of one's views, it's a significant date, and an excuse to party. Rosslanders will have a number of celebrations to choose from, in Rossland and out at the Rossland Range Recreation Site. Want to see how many events a person can fit into a busy schedule?
The Rossland Council for Arts and Culture (RCAC) has a line-up of events at the Miners Union Hall. Here's the schedule for those, fresh from RCAC:
The fun begins at 5:00 pm on Friday October 13th, with the opening of the “Cultural Landscapes” Art Exhibition and Reception, taking place in the newly renovated Attic Space at the Miners Hall. Entry is free and everyone is welcome to come view and shop for pieces from our local artists. There will be wine and cheese to thank all our hardworking volunteers and generous sponsors who have supported the Miners Hall renovation. The reception will also feature the beautiful musical stylings of Lise Levesque and the alternative folk group “Dirt Floor”.
Friday at 7:30 pm: The Canada Show: The Complete History of Canada in One Hour! The Canada Show has been Monster Theatre’s most successful play. The show premiered in Calgary at Shakespeare in the Park and over the next two years toured 8 different Fringe Festivals, as well as the Just for Laughs Tour. This is a great chance to see world-class comedy without having to leave town!
On Saturday, Oct. 14th, The Art Exhibition will be open for viewers from 3:00 pm ― 7:00 pm.
Saturday at 8:00 pm: The Devils You Don’t featuring opening act Sexton Blake:“Devils” are a high energy five-piece band from Nelson specializing in Swing, Bluegrass, Old Country, Rock, Pop, and Disco. Opening for the band is the talented duo "Sexton Blake" featuring Rosslanders Nadine Tremblay and Rupert Keiller. Sexton’s music is innovative and energetic with hip hop, indie, synth-pop and electro influences. This event is sure to sell out ― get your tickets early!
On Sunday, Oct. 15th, 1:00 pm: The Purple Pirate’s Magic Pirate Ship! Especially suited for kids from three to eight, the Purple Pirate weaves together theatre, music, dance storytelling and state-of-the-art lighting and sound to promote positive messages and values rooted in courage and compassion. There will be an optional craft workshop afterwards where kids will get a chance to build their own pirate ship! Kids are encouraged to come dressed at a pirate, or wearing purple. This event is sure to be fun for the whole family.
Sunday at 7:00 pm: Special Joe Hill Coffee House: “Echoes of Rossland, Past and Present” Poetry, Spoken Word and Songwriting Showcase. Local poets and musicians will perform their original poems and songs and have a chance to win cash prizes!
The Art Exhibition will be open for viewers from 12:00 ― 2:00 pm, and from 5:00 pm ― 7:00 pm on Sunday.
All performances take place at the Rossland Miners Hall. Tickets are available at Out of the Cellar in Rossland, or online at www.rosslandartscouncil.com.
For more information about the RCAC celebrations, please contact: Sammantha Parrott, RCAC Executive Administrator: rosslandarts@gmail.com
Out at the Rec Site, Friends of the Rossland Range Society (FORRS) are celebrating free outdoor recreation and years of fun by recreationists and volunteers out in the mountains near Strawberry Pass. Things have evolved over the many decades that locals and numerous visitors have been venturing out into those hills for hiking, skiing, snowshoeing and, more recently, mountain biking. Now we have the Rossland Range Recreation Site, and official permission to have a limited number of day shelters in it, so beautiful new ones have been built to replace many of the old "cabins" out there. The newest cabin is not, at time of writing, finished yet, but it will be the site of a celebration on October 15 at 1:00 pm. Here's a picture of its state of development as of September 26:
Come and see how much it has changed by October 15! There will be an informal gathering, with some refreshments (including cake) and a few words may be uttered by some of the grateful people present. They've promised to be brief.
Oh, the name of the cabin? It will be named "Booty's" in honour and remembrance of Booty Griffiths, who built the first illicit public-use shelter out there in the woods back in the day, and was told by irate Forestry officials that it had to be torn down (it was, after all, illegal) but after subsequent demonstrations at the Forestry offices in Castlegar by large numbers of irate recreationists, was told that it could stay, but that it couldn't be called "Booty's." Several other illicit cabins followed and have been heavily used over the years. Booty is credited by some Forestry officials for initiating the consideration of BC's forest lands for public recreation values as well as for harvesting trees.
On October 15, find the new Booty's cabin by following signs that will be posted at the parking lot at Strawberry Pass. It will be a five to ten minute stroll, depending on one's speed of perambulation. If you have been on the Seven Summits trail in that area recently, you have probably already seen the new structure.
Booty's Cabin is the largest of the day shelters in the Rec site, because it is intended to be the "gateway" cabin, able to host school groups that use the Rec site for outdoor experiential education day trips. It replaces the old "Surprise" cabin, which is slated for demolition.
For more details on the celebration at Booty's cabin, click this link.
For more details about Friends of the Rossland Range and the Rossland Range Recreation Site, including photos and printable maps, go to:
