by Sid Ruhland

We have softly opened the doors! We’re still hanging decorations and waiting for merchandise shipments, but the beer is flowing and the vinyl is spinning 😀 We are here everyday to host you as our guest, and strive to make you feel right at home.

We have not yet permanently set our hours of operations, but you can be sure that from now on we’ll be open here every day from Noon til 8pm for retail beer to-go and bar-service enjoyment on-site. For pints we use the UK Imperial Pint (20 UK-oz), which is 20% larger than a US Pint. All of our prices include tax… because who really feels like crunching math equations when they’re out for a beer?!

The last of the Kickstarter Rewards (t-shirts, hoodies, and stoneware growlers) will be arriving in 2 weeks. Everything else is in! Soon we’ll be planning a reward pickup event, but you can come in any day for your reward(s). We’ll keep the updates coming so everyone is informed about what’s happening.

Our Grand Opening Party is tentatively set for Friday, July 22. We’ll be sending out invites for that very soon. Jam Nights, Vinyl Nights, and Beer Club events are also in the works, so stay tuned!

Please come check us out! We’re openly accepting feedback, good and bad, so that we can quickly iron out the kinks and make this space the best it can be. We are super excited, and love our new home! Thank you to all backers; you made this happen. The Backer Barrel Table is here and ready for your signature. Cheers!

FEDERATION OF CANADIAN ARTISTS, SOUTH OKANAGAN-SIMILKAMEEN CHAPTER

ART at TINHORN CREEK VINEYARD

537 Tinhorn Creek Rd.

Oliver, BC

July 8-25/2016

Daily 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.

Kicking off the summer for art lovers, the Artists of the South Okanagan-Similkameen are pleased to be showing a collection of member works in their upcoming exhibit at Tinhorn Creek Vineyard. Treat your senses to a blend of Art and Winery ambiance!  Duration of Exhibit:  July 8-25/2016   Hours: daily 10:00AM -4:00 PM.   For more information please visit our website at   http://fca-sos.ca

The Oliver Community Arts Council recently awarded two bursaries of $500 each to 2016 graduates from Southern Okanagan Secondary School: Gavin Buttar and Christina Raposo.

Gavin Buttar is perhaps best known for his on-stage charisma, both as a lead in SOSS Drama productions and as an Oliver Ambassador. He provided able assistance during the quiz portion of the arts council’s Community Christmas Concert last December. Christina Raposo is a talented visual artist, and had won previous awards in English and French, and had been the junior grades award winner in fine arts.  Both graduates were among many talented artists displaying their work in the SOSS Year-end Art Show at the Oliver Public Library on June 15. Both were awarded one of twelve District Authority Scholarships, for $1250.

Congratulations to you both!

The Ripoff Artists are SCREAMING in anticipation of this year’s Ripoff challenge!!! This year’s artwork, The Scream by Edvard Munch, will have everyone shrieking with glee!

This also marks the tenth Ripoff Artist challenge! Besides the usual skullduggery of ripping off a famous artist, the group is showing works from all their previous challenges. AND, for the first time ever, many works will be for sale! Come celebrate with the artists, and take home a piece of history.

The opening reception will be on Monday, July 11 from 6 to 8, and will feature the wines of Montakarn winery, music by Brian Mapplebeck, and a Norwegian-style smorgasbord spread in honour of Edvard Munch. See, with your own eyes, the many works created by this talented group of South Okanagan artists over the past 9 years.

Throughout the week, the show will remain open, while the Ripoff Artists will also carry out their usual shenanigans in the Studio building, ripping off Munch’s famous image of The Scream (itself one of the most-stolen artworks in history). The usual suspects will be there: Enid Baker, Tara Hovanes, Kurt Hutterli, Terry Irvine, Barb Levant, Norberto Rodriguez de la Vega, Marion Trimble, JoAnn Turner and Russell Work. Between them, this motley crew will tackle collage, mixed media, fabric and fibre arts, acrylic painting, 3 dimensional assemblage and furniture painting. In addition, this year the group will welcome guest artist Bethany Handfield, an encaustic and mixed media artist from Penticton! With a group this cunning and talented, you never know what else they might be up to! Come and see for yourself!

Steal away to the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre, 5840 Airport Road in Oliver, during the week of July 11 to 16. The retrospective show and sale will be open in Big Blue 10-2 Tuesday to Friday, while the gang will be hard at work in the Studio building everyday from Tuesday through Saturday between 10 and 3. It’ll be a scream!

The Ripoff Artists thank the Oliver Community Arts Council for their generous support.

Announcing the 2016-17 Theatrical Season

It has been SOAP’s wish to move to a three-show-per-year format for some time.  Maybe the Okanagan Zone Drama Festival made us feel invincible, or maybe we are just crazy, but ready or not, your daring board has approved an ambitious three-show season for 2016-17.  In addition, we endeavour to plan next year in advance, too.  The advantages to a season planned in advance are many, but the best reasons are that we can begin to advertise much sooner and seek sponsors for a season brochure.

After careful deliberation, the SOAP board has approved of the following series for 2016-17:

Boeing Boeing by Marc Camoletti (End October 2016) –  Directed by Nathan Linders

Don’t Dress For Dinner by Marc Camoletti (End January 2017)

Art by Yazmina Reza  (Beginning May 2017 and Okanagan Zone Festival) –  Directed by Trevor Leigh and Aimee Grice

Auditions for all three shows commence in June!  Please mark your calendars.  While we must cast Boeing Boeing now, if enough people show up we may be able to cast the rest.  As such, we are holding, at a minimum, two auditions each in Oliver and Osoyoos.  The dates are:

Oliver:  Thursday June 23^rd : 6 pm – 9 pm

              Sunday June 26^th : 12 noon to 3 pm

              Quails’ Nest Arts Centre

              5840 Airport Street, Oliver

Osoyoos:  Sunday June 26 6-9 pm

                  Tuesday June 6-9 pm.

                  Osoyoos Art Gallery

                  8713 Main Street, Osoyoos – West Side entrance

Both genders, all ages.  Bring friends!  A good turnout is better for the production!

This is also a call for volunteers for backstage roles.  There is room for everybody in every role behind the scenes.By the way, even if you don’t want to be onstage, you are still invited!  The readings are fun, and you might find something else you’d like to do for the production!

Tell a friend!  We are casting for a broad age range but we are particularly short on 20-40 something actors.  Also, we will be looking for a large male to have some fun portraying a figure of menace for the climax of one of our shows.

If you think you can pull off intimidating we have a part for that
If you think you can pull off 60s stewardess, we have a part for that
We’ve got great parts for cheating men, art lovers, a cheeky housekeeper, and more.  AS ALWAYS WE CONSIDER ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS.

Some tips:

Ladies, work on your convincing French, German, and California accents (definitely an asset). Leading men may find a French accent an asset.
We can cast for most age groups as long as we can cast in groups of similar age so don’t stay home because of what I said above about 20-40 somethings.

Correct email and website:

info @ soplayers.ca

www.soplayers.ca

Got the sunscreen, got the shades, got the lawn chair…. Got the music? Don’t worry: Music in the Park has your entertainment covered for total summer relaxation.  Live music fans will gather Thursday evenings at the Oliver Community Band Shell to hear performers that span the generations. The concert series line-up features youthful talent and seasoned musicians, fresh new tunes, golden oldies and traditional ballads.

Teen country singer Beamer Wigley opens the series on Thursday June 30 at 6:30 p.m. Beamer began performing live at age 7, and has been belting out show tunes in Penticton’s Soundstage productions for six seasons. Determined to make music his profession, he has toured the Eastern U.S., B.C., Alberta, Ontario and performed at the CCMA series in Halifax, winning numerous awards along the way. His debut album will be released in August. Audiences who catch this talented 14-year old now will be saying “I knew Beamer when…” once Mr. Wigley hits the big time.

Husband-and-wife duo Timbre Wolves mix it up with classic rock and current hits on Thursday July 14. Influenced by Heart, Adele, Neil Young, Aretha Franklin, and April Wine, Kevin and Jill combine soulful singing with driving rhythms.

Audience favourite Jazz Out West returns this year on Thursday July 21 with the smooth and sultry tones of Iris Larratt fronting the band. These seasoned pros are known for tight rhythms, clean and fresh melodies, and warm appeal.

Country rock fans will enjoy another perennial crowd-pleaser, Dale Seaman & Highway 97 on Thursday July 28. This “country gentleman” is often compared to Alan Jackson, but sings a wide variety of tunes, including many of his own. The evening will be the “Feed the Valley” concert, sponsored by Valley First. Donations of food items for the local food bank are welcome.

From two ageless musicians comes some ageless Celtic music, followed by rhythm and blues on Thursday August 4. Sure to widen music horizons, Rusty Copeland and Rolly St. Amand share a program spanning the genres and centuries.

Toe-tapping dance band Uncorked! entertains on Thursday August 11 with energetic selections from the Gypsy Kings to Paul Simon, Patsy Cline to Chuck Berry.

Locals will cheer for Rebel Luv & Dawn on Thursday August 18. Mikie Spillett and Ken Repkow will rock out with a country sound, and Dawn MacRae will add her twangin’ rock in this evening’s double-header.

Music in the Park goes out with a big bang – and a big band sound – on Thursday August 25. Members of the Naden Band (Royal Canadian Navy) span the musical ages with classical hits, marches, show tunes, film scores, and jazz and pop hits.

All concerts are rain-or-shine on Thursdays from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the Oliver Community Stage band shell. Rain venue is on–site at the Oliver Community Centre. Suggested donation is $5. Bring a lawn chair. Market and food vendors 4:30 – 8:00 p.m. Info: OliverCAC @ gmail.com Presented by the Oliver Community Arts Council.