A big weekend in the "Mountain Culture Capital of Canada"
By Andrew Zwicker
Had your fill of turkey, leftover turkey, turkey sandwiches, soup, omelets and perhaps even a late night snack of turkey mac and cheese? Got a hankering for some locally grown culture? This weekend serves up second and third heaping helpings of a 100 mile talent. Taken as a sample of life in the Golden City, this weekend could give rise to a new title that might replace our purloined ‘Mountain Bike Capital’ status. Mountain Culture capital of Canada anyone?
If you disagree, perhaps a trip to see a local non-profit theatre society debut their latest work might change your mind. Or how about a night of high art mixed with cello from a Nelson-based professional musician? Or a union hall-turned-coffee house with ten acts ranging from interpretive dance through folk singers all the way to Halloween poetry? Or a game-changing action sports film, produced and shot using local talent? A diverse and healthy arts and culture scene has sprung up from the collision of inspiring places, minds and communities and this weekend features a typically broad spectrum of mountain culture interpretations. Friday and Saturday night this week in the Trail United Church and next weekend October 22nd and 23d at St. Andrews United Church in Rossland, Jane Gaudet will be starring in a one woman performance of White Star Lady: the Story of Violet Jessop. As the second performance of the new Rossland-based Iron Mountain Theatre company, White Star Lady is a one woman musical theatre production that tells the story of Violet Jessop – the ultimate survivor – who lived through three maritime disasters, including the sinking of White Star Line’s Titanic in 1912 and Britannica 1916. With original music written by Nadine Tremblay and an original script by Mark Pollard, the production is directed by RJ Peters and promises to be stand out live theatre performance. The Rouge Gallery, in its impressive new Bank of Montreal building space, will be hosting its second live music event since moving into its new digs. This Saturday Jeff Faragher from Nelson will be performing a solo cello concert among the art. By Sunday night, if you’re still able to keep up with this tour de force weekend of cultural immersion, you’ll have to choose between eclectic and diverse local talent or the local premiere of what could just be the best mountain bike film ever made. The Joe Hill Coffeehouse kicks off at the Miners’ Hall at 7:00 PM Sunday evening and features:
- Les Carter – folk guitar & vocals
- Lori McWilliam & Sarah Currie – Halloween piano duets
- Kootenay DanceWorks – solo dance (Nadia van Asselt), plus maybe one more?
- Rupert Keiller – pop/original guitar & vocals
- Matt Williamson – pop/original guitar & vocals
- Rebecca Stirling – Halloween poetry
- Max Hawk – folk/original guitar & vocals
- Amber Joy pop/folk guitar & vocals
- Russell Haskins – pop/rock guitar & vocals
- Terry & Janet Marshall – folk/Celtic guitar, harp, accordion & vocals
Of course, what many people have been waiting a long time to see, the local premier of Stance Film’s LifeCycles, also goes off at 7:00 PM this Sunday at the Royal Theatre in Trail. LifeCycles tells a spectacular story of the bike, from its creation to its eventual demise. A visually stunning journey, with thought provoking narration, LifeCycles uses Ultra HD to document the many stories surrounding the mountain bike and its culture. Ride along into breath taking natural settings, as we battle the elements, showcase the progression of riding, take a road trip, fix the bike, and show the creation and eventual destruction of trails. The film features a phenomenal West Kootenay team, including co-creators Derek Frankowski and Ryan Gibb, writer Mitchel Scott, rider Mike Hopkins, narrator Graham Tracey, with creative and technical support by Juicy Studios and Andre Nutini. Hosted by Rossland’s Revolution Cycle, the local trail crew will be serving drinks and appetizers beforehand to raise money for new trail-building tools. All in all, if you didn’t already have plans this weekend, consider yourself booked for the weekend with wall-to-wall with homegrown talent that competes with the best any other mountain town out there has got. Hmmm. Mountain Culture Capital of Canada. It’s got a nice ring to it
