“Crowd the Joanna” is a bit of Cockney rhyming slang. “Joanna” is a common rhyming slang substitute for “pianna”, i.e. “piano”. So “crowd the joanna” is slang for “gather round the piano”. In other words it’s a clue for a good musical time! or in the case of this Kelowna-based band, “a boot-stomping, whiskey-hollering hoe-down full of sea chanteys and drinking anrthems”.

Crowd the Joanna formed in Kelowna in 2012.

“…this band is a rock riot — their tone and brutal presence of Folk/Bluegrass inspired music is genius. Not only is it rowdy and celebrated, the band combines an easy listening tone with gritty punk roots.” – Jeff Stychin, Awesome Okanagan

“Best-darn root tootin’ foot stompers in the Okanagan Valley.” -Jim Reiner

A brand new kids day camp is coming to the Oliver Museum this year. The “Splash from the Past!” day camp will focus on how water has shaped Oliver’s history over the last 100 years.

The day camp, which will run 9 am – 4 pm July 24 to 26, will introduce campers aged 7-12 to watery science and history topics such as how plants and animals use water, where water comes from and how to conserve it. Campers will learn all about the human use of water in this area and how the town of Oliver grew because of the enormous irrigation system called the Ditch. The camp will include hands-on water experiments and activities, summer fun with water, and field trips to the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre and the Okanagan River.

The “Splash from the Past!” camp is guaranteed to get kids outdoors and learning on the go. Campers will build edible aquifers, create H20-inspired art, and build their own water walls, which will be displayed in the Museum yard during the July 27th Water Appreciation Day. Camp activities will be led by our knowledgeable and enthusiastic museum staff.

“Splash from the Past!” registration costs are $65 for 3 days of fun-filled learning. Register early, as only 15 spots are available.

For more information or to register, please contact the Oliver & District Heritage Society at 250-498-4027 or email info @ oliverheritage.ca

Pop into the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre July 1 to 6, when the Ripoff Artists take on Andy Warhol, the king of Pop Art himself. Warhol (1928-1987) is best known for his paintings and silk screen prints of Campbell’s Soup and Coca Cola, and for his brightly coloured portraits of celebrities such as Elvis Presley, Mao Tse-tung and Marilyn Monroe. Many of his images are so familiar, they’re well-known iconic images themselves.

Pop Art, an art movement of the late 1950s and early 1960s, was a reaction against fine art, which had become so elitist, the average person couldn’t understand it. Abstract expressionism was the premier style of the moment, with lots of brushstrokes, colour and unclear imagery, or no imagery at all. Pop art instead used cartoon art and the clean-lines and clear representations of commercial art and advertising to poke fun at the art establishment, and to make ironic statements about modern life and society as a whole.

Besides paintings and prints, Warhol made films, managed a rock band, The Velvet Underground, and hosted parties at his studio, The Factory, in New York. In the Swinging Sixties, his parties became the place to see and be seen, and careers were made for artists, models and actors simply by being a friend of Warhol’s.

He’s also known for personal eccentricities: his monotone way of speaking, his 40 platinum blonde wigs, his “uniform” of all black or black and white clothing. His life became his medium. One of his constant themes was the relationship between popular culture, celebrity and art. Perhaps his best-known phrase is that we all get “fifteen minutes of fame.”

For their fifteen minutes of fame, the Ripoff Artists will explore his many self-portraits as their warm-up artworks, followed by digging into his portraits of Marilyn Monroe. During the week of July 2 to 6, the artists will be at work at the Studio building in the Quail’s Nest Art Centre, 5840 Airport Street, in Oliver, from 9 am to 3 pm. The public is encouraged to come in and see what they’re up to! An opening reception on Monday July 1 from 6 to 8 will feature 1960s party food. Wear your best mod outfit and come down for your own fifteen minutes of fame!

The Oliver & District Heritage Society is once again offering its popular Downtown Heritage Walking Tours this summer from June 14th to August 30th.

The guided tours run every Friday at 10:30 am in June and Fridays and Saturdays at 10:30 am for the rest of the summer, rain or shine. The tour covers the history of Oliver’s historic buildings and landmarks, from the CPR Station to portions of the Ditch. Tours will be led by knowledgeable summer student guides (ODHS) and will take approximately 45 minutes.

All tours start from the Oliver Visitor Centre and finish at the Museum at 474 School Avenue. Participants are asked to bring appropriate footwear and dress for the weather. Each tour covers approximately 1.5 km. Sunscreen and water are encouraged.

Here’s your chance to learn about Oliver’s historic downtown and become a local architecture buff. Learn about places like the Oliver Theatre, Dr. Ball’s Office, the BC Police Building, and more! Come down to the Oliver Museum for more information.

We hope to see you there!

Don’t forget to contribute to the sale — and clear your shelves in readiness. Drop off your old books before sale date to the Oliver Regional Library on the corner of Station Street and Fairview Road. (Please no textbooks, magazines, or encyclopaedias.)

Sonic Flower Entertainment & Oliver Music and Entertainment present
SIMPLY QUEEN
Saturday June 29
7:30 p.m.
Venables Theatre
TICKETS $42
www.venablestheatre.ca

Simply Queen is Canada’s premier Queen tribute. They have headlined theatre and outdoor festival shows to thousands all over Canada and the United States.

Simply Queen is fronted by Freddie Mercury impersonator Rick Rock. Guitarist Bob Wegner (hand-picked by Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor to play guitar in the award-winning “We Will Rock You” musical), Drummer Phil Charrette and bassist Mitch Taylor.

The band performs all the iconic songs that made Queen one of the most legendary rock bands of all time, and faithfully recreates the grand scope of Queen’s live shows, both musically and visually, with superb attention to detail. It’s all live, and “guaranteed to blow your mind!”

Dancers ages 3 to seniors bring you a huge variety of dance forms including ballet, tap, musical theatre, acrobatics and more. At TDS we compose new routines and a new show each and every year so don’t miss your once in a life time opportunity to see this years show full of local talent!!

The Dance Studio in Oliver presents
ANATOMY IN MOTION
Friday June 21 & Saturday June 22
6:00 p.m.
Sunday June 23
2:00 p.m.
Venables Theatre
TICKETS: Adult $22.50
Senior (65+) $17.50
Under 19 $7.50
www.venablestheatre.ca

Murray McLauchlan is one of Canada’s most highly regarded singer/songwriters, and with good cause. Over a 45-year career, he has released 19 albums and been awarded 11 Junos. His songs Farmer’s Song, Down by the Henry Moore, Whispering Rain and Sweeping the Spotlight Away are now considered Canadian standards. Murray is also a painter, an author, an actor, a radio host; he’s been bestowed an Honorary Doctor of Laws and appointed to The Order of Canada. That’s quite a ride. Until recently Murray’s touring had been restricted to Lunch At Allen’s, whose members also include Ian Thomas, Marc Jordan and Cindy Church. But with the release earlier this year of his critically acclaimed  Love Can’t Tell Time, he’s back on the road treating concert goers to a seamless blend of old and new.

Here’s what he has to say: “As a songwriter I know that it’s not enough to sit in your kitchen and write. Your songs need to be heard. Music is a communicative art and if it isn’t brought in front of people there is no way to tell if that end has been met. I like to think of a concert tour as a kind of roving gallery to test your art and your ideas. I try to do my very best to make it worthwhile for folks to be there and to perhaps look at things in a new way when they leave.”

And this, in a nutshell, is the Murray McLauchlan concert experience.

Shantero Productions presents
MURRAY McLAUCHLAN
Tuesday June 18
7:30 p.m.
Venables Theatre
$47.50
www.venablestheatre.ca

HURRY! 90% sold — only a few seats left!

Maker Place hosts Bad Anna’s Pop Up Shop & Trunk Show
Monday June 3
4:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Maker Place
101-6272 Station Street, Oliver
Great shopping and socializing get-together for all you knotty fibre folks!