Skip to content

Arts council plans busy summer

Recently several cultural organizations in our community banded together to form the Arts Council for the South Shuswap

Recently several cultural organizations in our community banded together to form the Arts Council for the South Shuswap.

In effect, this was a merger of the Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts, the South Shuswap Children’s Theatre Foundation and FACES, Fine Arts Community Explorations in the Shuswap.

This merger enables these groups to share resources, information, ideas and expenses, and to operate more efficiently while continuing to provide Shuswap residents with outstanding cultural programs and events.

It looks like they are off to a great start.

Here’s a brief outline of the schedule for the upcoming season:

• May 2 – The South Shuswap Children’s Theatre Foundation is holding a Burger & Bevvy fundraiser with silent auction on Saturday, May 2 at The Olde Town Centre in Blind Bay (next to Blind Bay Resort). Doors open at 6 p.m., grill runs until 8, auction closes at 8:30. Order your tickets in advance or stop by the Olde Town Centre. Tickets are $15/person and include a burger and your first beverage.

• May 30, June 6 and 7 –  South Shuswap Children’s Theatre presents A Grimm Night for Hans Christian Andersen.

The May 30 show is at Shuswap Lake Estates; June 6 to 7 is at Shuswap Theatre in Salmon Arm.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for kids and can be purchased at Steamers Coffee in Blind Bay or the Candy Vault in Salmon Arm.

• Saturday, June 7 is  Kids’ Day at the Arts Council For the South Shuswap at #7 24125 Golf Course Dr. Call 250-515-3276 to register.

• July 2 through to Aug. 20 – a free concert will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. every Thursday night at Centennial Field.

Please bring a chair and enjoy the music as the evening settles in beautiful Blind Bay.

• July 23 to July 26 – Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts is a four-day event that takes place at six locations, with a new and refreshed format and an expanded offering of visual, performing and culinary arts.

Venues and events include Sorrento Memorial Hall, which will feature two-dimensional art and fabric and fibre art.

Blind Bay Hall will house a crafters’ market upstairs and the Blind Bay Painters will take up residence downstairs at the Reedman Gallery.

The Cedar Centre will be the festival home for children’s art exhibits and the artists’ Wine and Cheese Gala that takes place on July 24 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

• FACES Studio – offers ongoing workshops in several visual arts and will host a Children’s Theatre Camp July 20 to 24 culminating with a Theatre in the Park presentation on Saturday, July 25 in the morning.

• Centennial Field – will be the site of several events and artisans’ displays, including a concert by Cod Gone Wild at 8 p.m. July 24 and a possible culinary competition on July 25. More details to follow.

• And as if that wasn’t enough, FACES will be offering six summer camps, which include four weeks of arts camps, one week of dance intensive camp and one week of theatre camp.

Schedules are now in development for all music, theatre, dance and art classes starting in the fall.

For more information, including artists’ registration, summer camp info, registration and fall 2015 scheduling, fees and online registrations for dance, music, theatre and art, please go to www.shuswaparts.com.

If you would like to suggest topics for future articles or participate in our community advisory panel surveys, please contact me at pdemenok@csrd.bc.ca.

-Paul Demenok is the Area C director for the Columbia Shuswap Regional District.