Music as fresh as summer fruit is what Oliver’s Music in the Park series promises this July and August.  The musical lineup, hosted by the Oliver Community Arts Council, will include a “mixed fruit bowl” of classic rock, country, folk, R&B, jazz, and pop from several new performers . The venue remains the Oliver Community Bandshell on Thursday evenings from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.  A new rain venue on site at the Oliver Community Hall assures great music rain or shine.

The series kicks off Thursday July 2 with indie folk-rock trio from the Similkameen, “JEM”: Jodel, Elam and Maggie.  Think of a tempting bunch of cherries, with their rich dark vocals. Elam and Maggie are also known as “Wild Organic Humans” (named for their organic farm) and join up with Jodel Burk for sweet harmonies that are oh-so-good for you.

After Uncork the Sun, Music in the Park returns Thursday July 16 with Michael Painchaud, an appealing young country singer – songwriter from West Kelowna. Painchaud may be as fresh as a country peach, but with fifteen original compositions under his belt and pursuing a business degree, he has a country music career in his sights.  He has been a finalist in open mic competitions in the Central Okanagan, and named in the top 25 at the BCCMA.

13 Broken Bones bursts onstage for the July 23 Feed the Valley concert. All professional musicians easing back on their separate careers, the Penticton bandmates share “thirteen broken bones” between them as well as a love of classic rock from the 60s to 80s. Rollicking keyboard, familiar guitar riffs, and tight driving vocals will have the audience singing along to Bryan Adams, Doobie Brothers, Van Halen, Eagles, Billy Joel and the Beatles. Bite into this “tart apple” that rewards with a big juicy pop of flavour. Bring canned goods to support Valley First Credit Union’s local food bank initiative.

Smooth jazz provides a contrast on July 30 when Cindy Doucette brings her sultry vocals to centre stage. Think fruity sangria when it comes to Cindy’s voice: tempting, refreshing, and relaxing. A perennial local favourite, Cindy promises to delight with a mix of pop and jazz standards.

Dale Seaman & Highway 97 play country rock on August 6.  Seaman, called “Penticton’s Country Gentleman”, excels at covers from Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson, to Lady Antebellum and Bonny Raitt. Dale has also had success as a singer-songwriter, releasing his first CD in 2009, so audiences can expect to hear some of his own compositions. His new band backs him up with full rich sound.

The Darlene Ketchum Quartet belts out soul, R&B, on August 13. The Delta band, touring the BC interior, will add a funky, laid-back groove to Darlene’s rich, powerful vocals. A talented composer, arranger, and musician, Darlene will sing a mix of gospel standards, funk, blues, and her own compositions.  Be sure to bring along some watermelon to cool you off after some southern soul music.

Train-lovers of all ages will enjoy the songs and stories performed by the Kettle Valley Brakemen on August 20. The band will bring railway history to life with true tales of derring-do and daring and original songs about BC’s dramatic steam train era. Audiences will go “bananas” with their hilarious comedy. Songs and stories of railway brawls, jail breaks, train wrecks, and raining rattlesnakes will enrapture listeners.

The series winds up on August 27 with Up the Crick. Chris Stodola and Rick Braman from Osoyoos perform lovely vintage music from the 20s on to more contemporary pop, all with a sweet easy charm. Like heirloom fruit, the varieties remembered from childhood, the tunes are familiar golden oldies that can’t be replaced.  Chris and Rick (the “Crick” of the title) accompany their vocal harmonies with lush keyboard and guitar.

All concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. and are run as admission by donation, with a suggested donation of $5 to cover costs. Picnic fare and other goods available at the concurrent evening market, open 4:30 to 8:00.

Summer Shades

South Okanagan-Similkameen Chapter of Federation of Canadian Artists
Exhibition at Shatford Centre, Penticton,

June 15 -July 31 2015

Members of the local Chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists
present “Summer Shades”, a group show of fine art at Shatford Centre in
Penticton. The exhibition will be on view June 15 through to July 31,
offering plenty of opportunity for local residents and summer visitors alike
to explore the wide range of work on display in “Summer Shades”.
Shatford Centre hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Info: 250-497-7806 or carol @ carolmunro.ca

Summer is here and once again Medici’s brings you The Premier Concert of the Okanagan’s summer music scene. CÒIG (Ko-ig) is an exciting super group of East Coast musicians, and is one of Cape Breton’s most captivating young bands. A serious force to be reckoned with in the traditional music scene with their driving tunes, haunting songs and infectious energy, Còig epitomizes the the very best in Canada’s East coast music gold.

Fiddler Chrissy Crowley, from Margaree, Cape Breton has an impressive list of awards, nominations, and international appearances. Chrissy embraces her Celtic roots and puts the peddle down when the fiddle hits the stage.

Darren McMullen, from Hardwood Lands, NS, is a highly sought after multi-instrumentalist switching between guitar, mandolin, whistle and banjo. He keeps the rhythm sound diverse, and is very impressive with his lead playing of his various “on-stage weapons”.

Rachel Davis from Baddeck, Cape Breton is on very hard driving Celtic fiddle player. She plays traditional tunes in a traditional way. When Rachel and Chrissy Crowley let the fiddles fly on stage, you better buckle in!!

Jason Roach, from Chéticamp, Cape Breton is one of the most impressive piano players you will ever hear. With a style all his own, and an unparalleled intensity on the keys, you’ll have to remind yourself that there’s other players on the stage.

With a combined total of over 30 nominations and awards, each of Còig’s talented musicians have released their own successful solo albums, and have toured both at home and abroad before coming together as this exciting super group. Their debut album “Five” was released in June, 2014 to rave reviews, and has earned the band the 2014 Canadian Folk Music Award for Traditional Album of the Year.

Tuesday July 28^th Medici’s at 522 Fairview Road in Oliver is the only place to be..Tickets are $40 each. Seating is limited and planned. Doors open at 6:30 and the fiddles fly at 7:30…250-498-2228…Miss anything you like….just don’t miss this!!

The Quail’s Nest was swinging last night, June 11, when eighteen amazing jazz musicians from the Thursday Night Jazz Band filled the air with toe tapping, body swaying music.

The audience, camped out on chairs they carried to the venue, spilled out the big doors into the warmth of a perfect Spring night.  It was a mellow mood.   Walls were hung with African fabrics.  Tables with a variety of African and local handicrafts and even homemade cookies were manned by Oliver Grandmothers for Africa wearing their distinctive lemon yellow shirts with the black logo of mother and child plastered on the front.  It was a time for fun but for a serious cause.

Before the night was out over a thousand dollars was raised to support Grandmothers in Africa.   They are the strong, capable agents of change at the grassroots the Stephen Lewis Foundation champions.

“We are standing hand in hand.  We are marching step by step.  We are singing heart to heart.  We are grandmother sisters.”   So be it.

Photo Credit: Leza Macdonald

Audition dates have been set for next January’s production of the hilarious backstage farce Noises Off produced by the South Okanagan Amateur Players.

Noises Off is a play within a play. It is about an ambitious director and his troupe of mediocre actors. The cast and crew are putting together a silly sex comedy titled, Nothing On – a single-set farce in which lovers frolic, doors slam, clothes are tossed away, and embarrassing hi-jinks ensue.

Playwright Michael Frayn created Noises Off in the early 1980s. It is a love letter and an inside joke to those familiar with the thrilling and unpredictable nature of the stage. The title refers to a common stage direction calling for noises to occur offstage as part of the plot. In this case, the “noises offstage” include the chaos of a production gone horribly wrong.

Each of the three acts of Noises Off contains a performance of the first act of Nothing On.

Act One is set at the dress rehearsal the night before opening with the cast still fumbling with entrances and exits, missed cues, misspoken lines, and bothersome props, most notably several plates of sardines.

In Act Two, the play is seen from backstage, providing a view that reveals the deteriorating personal relationships among the cast that have led to offstage shenanigans and onstage bedlam.

In Act Three, we see a performance near the end of the ten-week run when personal friction has continued to increase and everyone is bored and anxious to be done with the play. The actors attempt to cover up a series of mishaps but only compound the problems and draw attention to the bungling performance.

Much of the comedy emerges from the subtle variations in each version as off-stage chaos affects on-stage performance, with a great deal of slapstick. The contrast between players’ on-stage and off-stage personalities is also a source of comic dissonance.

SOAP plans to produce this play at the Frank Venables Theatre in Oliver in late January, 2016. Auditions will be held on Sunday June 21 in the upstairs board room of the Osoyoos Art Gallery on Main Street, Osoyoos and on Monday June 22 in Big Blue at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre on Airport Road in Oliver. Both will start at 7 pm. Although auditions are being held this month, there are no plans to have rehearsals during through July and August.

Director Ted Osborne has been involved in many SOAP productions as an actor and director. He was most recently involved in The Long Weekend and Lend Me A Tenor. He will be looking for a cast of five men and four women. More information on the characters can be viewed at www.soplayers.ca. The Director can be contacted at elosborne @ yahoo.com

Copies of the script can be viewed at http://www.paololandi.it/theater/testi/Noises%20off.pdf

LLOYD DALLAS The director of Nothing On, Lloyd is passionate, suave, and extremely harried. He has a hot temper which he barely manages to keep in check, most of the time, as he watches his production go from bad to worse to disaster. He is carrying on affairs with both Brooke and Poppy which leads to very much trouble.

DOTTY OTLEY – A (rather) aging prima donna. Her money is funding the production. She has a great deal of trouble remembering her lines, blocking, and props. Capable of using spite or self-pity to get her way… Is having an affair with the much younger Garry. Plays the part of Mrs. Clackett a cockney housekeeper for the Brent’s home in England; hospitable, though slow.

GARRY LEJEUNE – Means well. Believes in The theatre. Tries to keep the show going and everyone’s morale up, but often has trouble finishing his sentences. His good nature is replaced with jealously when he believes Dotty has begun carrying on with Frederick. Plays the part of Roger, a real estate agent who is attempting to rent the house, but uses it for a place to have an affair with Vicki.

BROOK ASHTON – Young and sexy, but a terrible actress. Incapable of taking direction. Spacey and tuned-out – whether onstage or off. Blind as a bat without her contacts, which have a tendency to pop out at bad times. Carrying on with Lloyd, which is how she got her part in the show . . . She plays the part of Vicki who secretly works for Inland Revenue and is trying to woo Roger.

POPPY NORTON-TAYLOR – The assistant stage manager of Nothing On. Overworked and often on the verge of tears. Works frantically to keep the show from completely falling apart, a hopeless (and thankless) task. Her affair with Lloyd leads to a surprise announcement.

FREDERICK FELLOWES – A neurotic, bumbling actor who is filled with self doubt. A sweet man. Not the brightest bulb in the box. Always has a thousand questions about his lines and blocking. Violence and blood upset him, causing him to faint or get nosebleeds. He plays the part of Phillip Brent who is currently living in Spain with his wife Flavia to avoid paying taxes. He enters the country knowing that if he is caught by Inland Revenue, he will lose most of the year’s income. He also plays the part of Sheikh who is interested in renting the home and is the spitting image of Phillip.

BELINDA BLAIR – An experienced actress who is positive, reliable, and charming. A goodhearted busybody, who knows all the gossip about the company. She attempts to keep the show going as it unravels. She plays the part of Flavia, who is Phillip’s dependable wife opposed to household duties.

TIM ALLGOOD – The company’s long-suffering stage manager who is completely exhausted and sleep-deprived. He’s responsible for an inhuman number of tasks and forced to understudy everybody.

SELSDON MOWBRAY – A cheerful, elderly, alcoholic who forgets his lines and misses his entrances. The entire cast attempts to keep him from getting his hands on a bottle. Panic reigns when he cannot be found at all. He plays the part of an elderly burglar breaking into the Brent’s home.

Note – many parts are not “age specific” except for Selsdon, Brooke, and Dotty. The other actors are experienced and in their “prime” so to speak.

Heritage Society Partners with Royal BC Museum to Offer “Species at Risk Summer Day Camp”

Calling all kids who love science and nature! The Oliver & District Heritage Society is hosting a brand new four day summer camp for kids ages 7 – 12. The Species at Risk Summer Day Camp will run from August 4 – 8, 2015 and will focus on British Columbia’s vanishing and threatened animal, plant, and insect species. Campers can expect four full days of fun, hands-on learning about animals and plants, exciting field trips, talks with biologists and animal experts, chances to create art and comics about species at risk, and more!

The summer camp is a pilot project of the Royal British Columbia Museum, which is running the program as part of its 2015 Species at Risk exhibit. Much of the camp is housed in a custom-made trailer full to the brim with different animal and plant specimens, information, and interactive activities. Camp activities will take place both in this trailer and on the Oliver & District Museum’s lawns.

The goal of the Species at Risk Camp is to create awareness about vanishing species, especially species that live close by in the Oliver area, and to help young people discover ways to protect those creatures who are at risk due to human activity. Knowledgeable interpreters will offer fun and inspiring ways to become a champion for local species and to create change. Campers will leave having learned that they truly can make a difference.

Registration for the Species at Risk Summer Day Camp is $60 for four full days, including field trips. Spaces are limited, so please register early to avoid disappointment. To register or for more information, please contact the Oliver & District Heritage Society at 778-439-3100 Calling all kids who love science and nature! The Oliver & District Heritage Society is hosting a brand new four day summer camp for kids ages 7 – 12. The Species at Risk Summer Day Camp will run from August 4 – 8, 2015 and will focus on British Columbia’s vanishing and threatened animal, plant, and insect species. Campers can expect four full days of fun, hands-on learning about animals and plants, exciting field trips, talks with biologists and animal experts, chances to create art and comics about species at risk, and more!

The summer camp is a pilot project of the Royal British Columbia Museum, which is running the program as part of its 2015 Species at Risk exhibit. Much of the camp is housed in a custom-made trailer full to the brim with different animal and plant specimens, information, and interactive activities. Camp activities will take place both in this trailer and on the Oliver & District Museum’s lawns.

The goal of the Species at Risk Camp is to create awareness about vanishing species, especially species that live close by in the Oliver area, and to help young people discover ways to protect those creatures who are at risk due to human activity. Knowledgeable interpreters will offer fun and inspiring ways to become a champion for local species and to create change. Campers will leave having learned that they truly can make a difference.

Registration for the Species at Risk Summer Day Camp is $60 for four full days, including field trips. Spaces are limited, so please register early to avoid disappointment. To register or for more information, please contact the Oliver & District Heritage Society at 778-439-3100 or info @ oliverheritage.ca. Information about the camp is also available on the Society’s website at www.oliverheritage.ca, as well as on its Facebook page. We hope to see you there!

Again this summer, the Oliver and District Heritage Society [ODHS] will be hosting Guided Historical Walking tours of downtown Oliver. With a revised tour route and new additions along the way, these tours are a great time for the whole family, tourists and local alike. Learn about the enormous water project that that created the town, local mining, what was here before and what makes Oliver a great place now.

From June to August regular one hour tours will be go every Thursday at 10:00 am and Friday at 12:30 p.m. In addition, a special new hour and a half long extended tour will also run on Fridays at 10:00 am. These extended tours will provide you with an inside look at the history of the Oliver Chronicle Newspaper and the Oliver Theatre.

The tours will be lead by ODHS summer students Isaac Nazaroff and Shannon Tan and will start at the Oliver Visitor Centre (6431 Station Street). Make sure to bring your hat, walking shoes, water bottle and a sense of adventure! We look forward to seeing you this summer.

Yours, Pamela Woolner

Community Heritage Manager

Oliver and District Heritage Society

Box 847, Oliver, BC V0H 1T0

250-498-4027
info @ oliverheritage.ca

www.oliverheritage.ca

Aaaaaaallright, it’s that time of year again! The Back Alley Concert Series, sponsored by Firehall Brewery, will be rockin’ the kegs down here at the Old Firehall in Oliver, BC. Our Main Street community events will once again feature grassroots music, local arts, winery friends, and of course… fresh craft draft! Tickets are $15 + tax, pre-sold at Pappa’s Firehall Bistro (www.pappasfirehallbistro.com – 250-498-4867) … and ya better grab a growler of beer to-go while you’re in there too 😉

If you haven’t made it to one of our shows yet, here’s the run down. First, we slave away crafting the best beer possible. Then, we hunt down some quality musicians from the area. Next, we call around to our wine-making friends, seeing who’s available to come pour their grape magic. And last but not least, search out some local artists who’d be into displaying their creations on-site during the concerts. We spend the whole Saturday dressing up the back alley area with tents, stage & sound, vibrant shade sails, porta-potties, parking cones, and the bar. We open the gates at 6pm, just in time to tap a one-of-a-kind artisan cask (we brew just one for each gig), to pour alongside our main beer selection. Music kicks off at 7pm, and echoes up and down the back alley until 9pm. Then we’ll wander upstairs to the Pappa’s Firehall Bistro for some after-event drinks and 2-for-1 appies (appy special regularly runs 6 days a week at Pappa’s), while us volunteers clean up the show as quick as possible to join the fun upstairs.

This is a break-even event run by volunteers, including our brewery staff, that very often sells out and is packed to the brim with smiling faces. Sadly, our archaic liquor laws are still prohibition-era, so minors are not allowed to join the fun. Food won’t be served at the show, but we encourage you to bring in a picnic dinner (baskets and bags will be politely searched, just to keep out glass and bad beer) or order take-out from Pappa’s on the main floor. If you need somewhere to crash for the night, Centennial RV Park and Campground  is just down Fairview Road, and there are plenty of motels and B&B’s around the region.