Oliver Grandmothers for Africa present
Big Band, Burgers and Beer
with the Penticton Thursday Night Jazz Band
Thursday, June 20
7:00 pm.
Firehall Brewery patio
6077 Main Street Downstairs (Alley Access), Oliver, BC
$20 includes a hamburger and a beer
(cash only, sorry no refunds).

Tickets are available from Oliver Shoes & Fashions on Main St., as well as the Firehall Brewery (and from OGFA members).

This is a fundraiser for the Oliver Grandmothers for Africa with proceeds going to the Stephen Lewis Foundation: “Turning the tide of AIDS in Africa”.

The Okanagan Art Gallery celebrates the spring art season with its “First Friday” monthly reception, JUNE IN BLOOM, featuring both paintings and other fine art. The new exhibit opens on Friday June 7 with an artist reception 5 – 7 p.m. at the Okanagan Art Gallery, #5 8302 Main Street, Osoyoos, BC (kitty corner to the Watermark Resort).

The show will feature the full roster of professional artists represented by the gallery which brings together artists from all media including oil and acrylic artists, lithography specialists, photographers and fiber artists.

This June “First Friday” will feature wine presented by Quinta Ferreira Estate Winery. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet with the proprietor Maria Ferreira. Learn more about their select wines and how they relate to art.

For more information, call the Okanagan Art Gallery at 604 308-3995 or visit www.okanaganartgallery.ca

What does the nature, history and culture of Oliver look like in 2019? Local youth are here to answer that question with breathtaking photographs.

On June 7th at 6:30 pm, “Oliver In Focus,” an exhibit featuring pictures taken by 25 students in South Okanagan Secondary School’s grade 11/12 Photography class, will open at the Oliver Museum. The exhibit will feature student photographers’ own perspectives on Oliver and area, with guidance and technical support from photography teacher Lindsey McVicar. Photographs will be displayed in the museum’s exhibit space as well as on the Heritage Society’s Facebook page. The images will highlight what’s unique about Oliver and the surrounding area and preserve it for the future.

There are five different themes for the photographs: People of Oliver, Flora and Fauna, Landscape, Heritage, and Oliver Colours. As part of their preparation, student photographers took field trips to Vaseux Lake, to Spotted Lake and Sẁiẁs Provincial Park/Haynes Point with Indigenous Education Advocate Taylor Baptiste, and to the Fairview area with local historian Larry Shannon. This helped them choose photographic subjects and enhanced their understanding of local heritage. The pictures were taken during several different seasons, and are both creative and visually striking.

The exhibit opening on June 7th runs from 6:30 – 7:30 pm at the museum, and many of the student photographers will be present to answer questions and show off their work. Photographs will be on display for two weeks following the opening. The museum’s extended hours (10 am – 4 pm, Tuesday through Saturday) start in June giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy the exhibit. So come on out, meet our talented local youth photographers, and enjoy some fresh perspectives on Oliver.

SOAP Theatre will hold two open auditions for Born Yesterday, a classic comedy by Garson Kanin, and directed by Tom Szalay. While the production is slated for February 2020, casting begins in June.

Set in Washington, DC in 1946, the play is as fresh and topical today as when it was written. Born Yesterday tackles such timely themes as political corruption, influence peddling, and misogyny all served up in a delightful mix of satire, romance, and above all, comedy.

Overbearing junkyard mogul Harry Brock sets out to buy a senator.  After his girlfriend, the sassy ex-showgirl Billie Dawn, publicly humiliates him with her lack of education, Brock decides she needs a crash course in class and intelligence, and hires journalist Paul Verrall as her tutor. Billie is determined to outwit Brock and give him an overdue comeuppance. Can street-smart Billie prove she is much more intelligent than her crass boyfriend and tutor give her credit for?

Born Yesterday calls for 15 characters including three leads, four supporting cast and eight minor parts. Szalay anticipates selecting two female and six or seven male actors to fill the roles. Some actors will play more than one minor character. Alternatively, backstage crew members may be costumed to make minor appearances and walk-ons as various hotel staff.

Auditions will be held on Sunday June 23 at 2 pm at the Big Blue Building (Quail’s Nest Arts Centre), 5840 Airport Street, Oliver, and again on Monday June 24 at 7 pm at the Osoyoos Art Gallery (upstairs),  8713 Main St. Osoyoos. Newcomers are always welcome. Those seeking to work backstage are also welcome to attend.  No RSVP or appointment necessary.

Full descriptions of each character and preparatory materials for the audition, are available on the SOAP Theatre website: www.soplayers.ca/audition. There hopeful actors can find script excerpts, background information, rehearsal plans, and accent tutorials (Billie and Brock). To level the playing field, the director advises the material be read before the audition, although memorization is not required. 

Cast members selected will be given scripts to review prior to rehearsals. There will be two read-throughs and a couple of meetings to discuss character development before rehearsals begin in earnest in the fall of 2019. Rehearsal scheduling will be done in consultation with actors and crew.  

Born Yesterday is booked to play five performances at the Venables Theatre between February 7 and 15, 2020.

Information about the auditions is available from the producer, Penelope Johnson, 250-498-0183.

Derek Edwards is “the funniest man in Canada” according to Rick Mercer. Anyone who has heard Edward’s baritone voice, contrasting with his slightly hapless hiccupy delivery, will agree. Derek casts himself as an Everyman facing crises at every turn, whether it’s taking his dog for shots at the vet or trying to find milk and bread at an enormous grocery store.

On Sunday June 2, prepare for side splitting laughter when Derek Edwards takes over the stage at the Venables Theatre. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to see this icon of Canadian comedy: $47.50 There is no better way to start your work week with a smile!

From Victoria to St. John’s, this Just For Laughs veteran is universally considered to be among the comic elite. Certainly his peers think so, as evidenced by the fact that he’s a four-time nominee, and winner of Best Standup Comic – Canadian Comedy Awards, as well as a multiple Gemini nominee for Best Performance in a Comedy. Derek’s numerous TV credits include The New Red Green Show, A & E’s Comedy on the Road, Just For Laughs, and CBC’s Comics.

Alls I’m Saying is Derek Edward’s latest 90-minute stand-up show. Identifying himself with the ordinary working guy, his comedic gift is making the ordinary extraordinary.  Derek is also known for keeping it clean. As one fan testifies: “It was so refreshing to see a terrific comedian that does not need to constantly swear to be funny.“ 

Derek’s credentials are huge: “5 STARS – the funniest man on earth” – Winnipeg Free Press; “4 STARS – the crowd howled” – Victoria Times Colonist; “still the funniest man in Canada” – Toronto Sun; “Edwards reigns as the King of Canadian comedy” – Charlottetown Guardian; “Derek Edwards is hysterical” – Calgary Sun; “Edwards takes stand-up to next stage” – Georgia Straight; “the epitome of timing & storytelling” – Halifax Chronicle Herald; “the comedian’s comedian” – London Free Press.

Andi Zack-Johnson and Ken Johnson return from Nashville! These singer-songwriters are booked for Friday May 31 at Medici’s Gelateria & Coffee House. Get your tickets soon because they are as HOT as southern fried chicken. Only $25! 522 Fairview Road, Oliver 250-498-2228

Andi and Ken have penned hits for many country pop artists including Harry Connick Jr., Brothers Osborne, Vince Gill with Jenny Gill, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Craig Morgan, Chris Janson, Mike Plume Band and Uncle Kracker.

The couple has collaborated with many artists including members of Cheap Trick, Matchbox 20, Lynyrd Skynyrd, NRBQ and Aerosmith and more.

They’ve also starred on the hit CMT show I Love Kellie Pickler, produced by Ryan Seacrest, for three years, and have appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Harry (Connick Jr.) Show, Fox and Friends and Good Morning America.

Whew! Whatcha waitin’ for?

Hank Lionhart and the Blue Hearts will be performing at Medici’s Gelateria and Coffeehouse in Oliver, on Wednesday May 22 at 7 p.m.

Mark Comerford (guitar, percussion, vocals) and Hank Lionhart (vocals) are both members of RCA recording artists, Uncle Wiggly’s Hot Shoes Blues Band who have performed all over Western Canada for the past 4 years since their reforming of the band. Newest member of the Blue Hearts is founding member of the Powder Blues Band Jack Lavin on bass. Jack is a terrific song writer and vocalist as well as an amazing bass player.

Mark Comerford and Hank Lionhart have been performing and recording the blues for more than 40 years, with each other and in other Blues bands. They have opened shows for Muddy Waters, Joe Cocker and more recently for Burton Cummings. In 2015, they were privileged to represent BC at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis Tennesee with Uncle Wiggly’s Hot Shoes Blues Band. In 2016, they represented BC in the Solo/Duo category where they made it to the semi-finals of the International Blues Challenge. This was followed by the release of their debut album Pumpin Out The Blues and performances across BC and Alberta, such as the Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival, Island Folk Festival, and 39 Days of July. and they are representing BC again this coming January 2019 in Memphis for the International Blues Challenge.

The Blue Hearts play original songs in a traditional style staying true to the Blues. Tickets are $20, available at Medici’s on 522 Fairview Road, Oliver. 250-498-2228 Get your tickets soon, before they disappear!

Shay Kuebler Radical System Art presents
EPILOGOS – Creative Residency
May 19 – May 24
FREE performance!!!
Friday May 24
5:00 p.m.
Venables Theatre
Coming to Oliver from May 19th to May 24th is an exciting and innovating way to promote contemporary dance in our community. Venables Theatre will be hosting a creative residency with Shay Kuebler Radical System Art. What does that mean? It means that a professional dance company from Vancouver will be taking over our theatre and our town to create their newest work EPILOGOS before heading out on a national tour.

While the technical crew take over the theatre every morning to develop the lighting, projection and sound for EPILOGOS, the dance company will be at Plass, the new community studio at 6570 Park Drive. Dance professionals and teachers from throughout the Okanagan have been invited to drop-in for these 90 minute morning class, Monday – Friday starting at 11.

On Monday evening, Plass is also partnering on a community Master Class for advanced dance students in the area and on Wednesday there’s an event at River Stone Winery for their members.

Local visual artists and photographers are also invited to attend some of the afternoon on-stage rehearsals in the theatre to sketch the dancers and capture photographs of this new dance piece in development.

Creative Residency Schedule is found here: EPILOGOS

​The creative residency culminates on Friday May 24th at 5:00 pm with a dress rehearsal to give our local audience a sneak peek of the performance. Admission is free of charge and open to the everyone.

This Thursday is stand-up comedy night at the Firehall Brewery. Who is Brittany Lyseng? Hailing from Calgary, Brittany has performed at the Just For Laughs Festival in Vancouver, Toronto and, Montreal. She is currently listed as one of the top eight comedians in Canada after placing in the Sirius XM Canada’s Top Comic last fall. Joining Brittany are host Andrew Verge and comedians Kate Belton and Andrew Crone.

Thursday May 16
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Firehall Brewery
6077 Main St. Oliver
$15
250.498.4867

A tribute to Bruce Springsteen will have the audience dancing in dark in the Venables Theatre on Saturday May 25.

“Boss” Tom O’Leary fronts Canada’s premier Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band tribute act. Bruce’s working-class anthems take centre stage: “Born to Run”, “Glory Days”, “Fire”, “Blinded by the Light”, “Hungry Heart”, “Born in the U.S.A.”, “Brilliant Disguise” and yes, “Dancing in the Dark”. Songs of loss, hope, desperation, exaltation, youthful vigour and the grittiness of life’s hard-fought battles. Anyone coming of age in the last quarter of the 20th century had the Boss as the soundtrack to their life’s key moments.

Tom O’Leary and his band honour Bruce with an energetic show that captures the essence of the man and his music. As a special bonus, Oliver local, and Nashville singer/songwriter Kristi Neumann will open for The Boss.

“The Boss — a Tribute to Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band” perform on Saturday May 25 at the Venables Theatre, 6100 Gala Street. Tickets are $35 and available at box office, by phone at 250-498-1626 or online at www.venablestheatre.ca or below:

“Tim Tam” Tamashiro is all about accentuating the positive. His laid-back jazzy vocals lift your spirits. His stories are told in a warm and engaging style. And his wide grin invites everyone to smile. On Wednesday May 29, settle back for an evening of retro jazz tunes and tales with “When You’re Smiling” at the Venables Theatre at 7:30 p.m. We dare you not to sing along to “High Hopes” , “Candy Man” “I Get a Kick from Champagne” and “That’s Amore”.

Vocalist Tim Tamashiro is joined by his jazz trio performing songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. You might know them as The Rat Pack but in their day when they were planning a party they called themselves “The Summit”. Together they really were the pinnacle of entertainment.

Tim combines his story-telling skills (honed on his CBC 2 radio jazz program, “Tonic”) with his career as a jazz vocalist, and brings them together for an evening of Rat Pack tales and song. It promises a cool cocktail mix of their Vegas lifestyle, behind-the-scenes buddy stories, naughty hi-jinks, lots of laughs, and of course, the unforgettable songs of the mid-century jazz scene. Think of it like The Vinyl Cafe with a jazz band.

Seats are just $37.50. ​Groups of 10 or more $30 (Use promo code GROUP or call the box office at 250-498-1626)​ Purchase your tickets by phone or by visiting www.venablestheatre.ca

Art runs rampant next weekend during the Wine Capital Art Walk, on what is becoming Oliver’s funkiest little street. From a beatnik bistro at the Oliver Legion at the north end of Station Street, to a hip artisan market at Oliver Eats near the south end, Oliver’s arts community will be “busting out all over”.

The Wine Capital Art Walk big event is a street festival on the afternoon of Saturday May 11 from 1- 4 pm. However, the area around the Oliver Library gets a head start on the art, 10 am – 4 pm from Tuesday May 7 – Friday May 10. Visitors can view wine barrel artists at work all week long, and place their earlybird bids at the silent auction, just north of the library. Inside the library, an SOSS student art exhibit gets underway during the week.

The wine barrel silent auction features work by such artists as Marion Trimble, Painted Chair artists Rachel Allenbrand and Robert Lacasse, Lorraine Gibson, Tiffany Beckedorf, CreateAbility artists, Ava Grice, and Little Wonders Daycare. The decorated barrels have been a hot commodity each year. These one-of-a-kind barrels make attractive show pieces for gardens, patios, businesses, and homes. Bids start at $150 and are accepted in person at the art walk, and has already opened online. OliverCAC @ gmail.com or @Oliverartscouncil on Facebook. Bidding ends at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday May 11. The wine barrel auction revs up with competitive bidding that afternoon. A capped bid of $800 can buy a barrel outright at any time. Winners will need to prepare to drive (or roll) away with their wine barrel on the Saturday.

Saturday’s festival features more than a dozen artists displaying their artwork in many media — photography, jewelry, wood carving, fibre arts, 3-D, acrylics and oils. Follow the chalk footprints into Maker Place, Oliver Library, Beyond Bliss, Oliver Laundromat, S.O Physiotherapy Centre, and Oliver Eats. A chainsaw sculpting demonstration takes place next to the Oliver Food Bank, which will open to receive food donations. Chat with some fascinating artisans, and do a little shopping. Pick up a “Passport to Art” at participating locations, have artists initial it, and enter the completed passport into the draw for a wine-and-theatre gift basket or a children’s art bag.

Children join in on the creativity at the Kids’ Art station beside Maker Place: cork crafts transform the humble bottle stopper into brooches, tie pins, key rings, and other make-and-take projects. Across the street at the library, high school students exhibit their latest SOSS art projects.

Live dance music by Diane Ball and Cindy Doucette will have patrons swaying to the beat in the parking lots at Beyond Bliss and Oliver Library. The Dance Studio in Oliver is preparing a colourful routine for audiences who prefer to leave dancing to the truly talented.

There will be no shortage of food and drink at the Wine Capital Art Walk. Wine tastings are served at Maker Place and S.O Physiotherapy; and the Firehall Brewery pours at Beyond Bliss. For big appetites, Oliver Eats will serve up lunch fare, and food trucks will park at both ends of Station Street. The Oliver Legion Hall (Main St entrance) opens its doors to all ages from 3 – 5 p.m. for appetizers and arts-inspired cocktails. Sip Van Gogh’s Vodka Sunset or the non-alcoholic Picasso’s Punch.

An information booth at the corner of Station and Fairview will issue Passports to Art, answer questions about art walk activities, and advertise upcoming arts events.
As the art walk winds down at 4 p.m. the Wine’d Up Party cranks up the energy. From 4 – 5 p.m. at the Oliver Legion Hall, participants enjoy light refreshments and cheer the winners of the barrels and passport draws.

The Wine Capital Art Walk is presented by the Oliver Community Arts Council, with the sponsorship of Kiwanis Club of Oliver, the Town of Oliver, Oliver Parks and Recreation and the Oliver-Osoyoos Winery Association, and the support of Station Street businesses.