One of the most popular shows in the history of Canadian theatre is back! Reveen, the Superconscious Experience, on its Western Canadian BC Tour 2017.

Reveen was seen by over 6 million Canadians and now the legend continues as the son of the original Reveen, takes you to the inner and outer reaches of your imagination.

Since 1955, many people worldwide remember the Great Reveen, who entranced audiences for more than five decades with his mesmerizing and hilarious hypnotic shows, high-speed memory demonstrations, and mystical showmanship. Now son Tyrone Reveen is following in his father’s footsteps and continuing the family tradition. Ty learned his craft from the grand master himself – his father taught him everything he knew. The new Reveen show is playing in front of sold out audiences throughout Canada from British Columbia to St. John’s Newfoundland. The Superconscious Experience allows audience members to become the stars in one of the wildest and funniest shows that has left millions of people crying with laughter all over the world.

Jake’s Gift, a beautifully written, critically acclaimed play is coming to the Frank Venables Theatre in Oliver on Saturday October 21st at 7:30 p.m.

Canadian actress and playwright Julia Mackay delights audiences with Jake’s Gift, a surprisingly funny drama that tells the story of a Canadian WW2 veteran’s reluctant return to Normandy, France, for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day. While roaming the shores of Juno Beach, Jake encounters Isabelle, a precocious ten-year-old from the local village whose inquisitive nature and charm challenge the old soldier to confront some long-ignored ghosts – most notably, the wartime death of his eldest brother, Chester, a once promising young musician.

Julia Mackay plays both roles: veteran Jake and precocious Isabelle. Mackay has won many awards for Jake’s Gift: outstanding performer, outstanding production, and best new play among them.

At its heart, Jake’s Gift is about the legacy of remembrance and makes personal the story behind one soldier’s grave. Since 2007, Juno Productions has toured this multi award-winning play to over 230 communities across Canada including international stops in Washington State, Tiverton & Birmingham, England, and to Normandy, France, for the 70th and 73rd Anniversary of D-Day.

Julia Mackay shares Jake’s Gift with us on Saturday October 21st at 7:30 at Frank Venables Theatre, 6100 Gala St, (corner of Fairview Rd) Oliver. Tickets are available online at www.venablestheatre.ca and at the Theatre Box Office. For information, please visit our website or call (250) 498-1626.

Women of Oliver for Women – WOW is hosting a potluck social on Tuesday October 17 for prospective members. Membership is open to women who are interested in helping WOW achieve the goal of “Enriching the lives of women and children in our community and beyond”.

Meetings are held the third Tuesday of every month from September to June, at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre.  Please contact Nita at 250-498-7029 if you would like to come to the potluck.

WOW is a group of Oliver women working together for the betterment of women and families.  The ladies generate funds through three major fundraisers – the annual MAINLY FOR WOMEN TRADE SHOW, a Christmas Auction and the Swinging Skirts Charity Golf Tournament.

They are out there! They are busy and they are making a difference!  The Town of Oliver presented WOW with the Spirit of Oliver Award for a service group in 2017.

We are delighted to welcome Merle to our gallery again with his ONE large 30″ x 60″ canvas of “McIntyre”, which is a legend in the Okanagan Valley and one of 4 ‘Must Sees’ on Trip Advisor.  It has been a multiple award winner both locally and

Internationally, Best in Show and People’s Choice.  If you have never seen McIntyre this is a stunning piece.

Merle has been photographing landscapes for over thirty years. His passion for finding the perfect image has led him to photographing more than one hundred British Columbia parks and over thirty parks in the United States. He has scouted and photographically documented locations in Australia, Central America, the Mediterranean and the South Pacific.

Highly educated and praised, Merle holds a Canadian Master’s in Photography as well as an American Master’s in Photography, one of only 15 Canadians to receive this coveted honour.  His many award winning sharp detailed images have been published extensively and exhibited.

Asking him what matters most for him in considering his artwork he says, “No greater reward exists for me than to produce a photograph that expresses my thoughts and emotions—and to have those felt and understood by someone else.”

Please join Merle on Saturday, September 30 and October 7, 2017 from 10am – 2pm

The Friends of the Oliver Library (FOTOL) are starting our new fiscal year. We held our AGM this week and are pleased to have new and returning members on the Board.

With it being a new year, we hope you will consider renewing your membership. The annual membership fees are:

Seniors – $3

Individuals – $5

Family – $10

Memberships can be paid at the Oliver Regional Library or you are welcome to attend any of our regular meetings held on the third Tuesday of the month at 9 a.m. at the library. The next meeting is scheduled for October 17th.

The goal of FOTOL is to supplement or enhance the available funding to make our library a place of great pride in our community. We have raised money each year through a summer book sale. We have found other funds through inviting contributions from you, the public, and from community organizations.  We have directed our funding towards creating an especially welcoming, inclusive place for all. Your membership helps to achieve these goals.

The funds raised support special events, the Children’s Summer Reading Program. guest speakers and magazine/periodical subscriptions. Where there is a need in the library, we try to fill it.

Thank you for your past support and we hope you will join us for another great year!

The Friends of the Oliver Library

submitted by Marion Boyd

Imagine yourself in November facing the early gloom of another dark evening.   Flash to another scene.    It’s you on Friday, November 10^th arriving into the bright lights of the opulent  Venables Theatre, meeting friends and hunkering down as the Piano Cameleons, a talented pair on two grand pianos, tackle some of the most beloved classical masterpieces in the spirit of the great interpreters but enhancing their renditions with improvised variations worthy of the best jazz players.   Their show, ‘Classics with a Jazzy Touch’ is just the start of a winter season of music brought to you by the South Okanagan Concert Society.

Now imagine yourself choosing your seat and buying tickets.   That could mean buying the whole 4 concert series in advance at only $19/ticket.  It could mean buying any two or three tickets in advance at $21/ticket or a single ticket at $23/ticket.   A single ticket at the door on the evening of the concert is $25.

Children and youth are only $2.50/ticket no matter when they purchase.

You have choices.   Buy online at www.venablestheatre.ca or go to the theatre box office in advance on Tuesday, Wednesday,  or  Thursday between 10 am and 3 pm.   If you need assistance, just call the box office at 250 498 1616.

So what else is on board for this season?   What musical adventures await you?

Friday, January 19^th,  Cheng2 Duo (pronounce that Cheng Squared Duo) will find classical pianist, Silvie, and cellist, Bryan, on our stage.   The duo have been making music together for 14 years and are celebrated for their artistic excellence, generous spirit, and compelling vibrancy.   Their New York debut at Carnegie Hall in 2011 was met with a full house, rave reviews, and an invitation to perform again in 2013.

Friday, February 9^th,  Cari Burdett, a troubadour with gypsy ancestors, will take you ‘cabaret style’ around the world through song.  She delivers a vibrant, genre-defying fusion of jazz, art song, folk and world music and sings with a timeless theatrical flair in multiple European languages.   Accompanied by a quartet of talented musicians, her rich mezzo soprano voice will hold you spellbound.

Friday March 9th The final concert of the season will bring back some old friends who are much loved in this area.   The Joe Trio is not your average piano trio.   They can’t be neatly categorized.   Witty, charming and tremendously musical they engage an audience in a way few classical musicians can.   Their arrangements can sometimes mix many styles in delightful ways but always leave the audience with a new appreciation for classical music.

Now don’t just imagine but actually take action to get concert tickets that are on sale now.   Get dates secured with your friends.  All concerts are at the new Venables Theatre in Oliver and start at 7:30 pm.   Those requiring bus transportation from Osoyoos can call Janet at 250 495 6487 to make arrangements.

Some more early birds: our rustic quail trophies!

Graham Fox of Oliver has been announced as our early bird winner for the Fall Art Show & Sale. All art entry forms received before the deadline of September 8 were placed in a draw for a choice of two prizes: a free entry (original entry fee returned) or a free second entry in any category.  Mr. Fox chose the second option, and has now entered two works in the photography category. Congratulations! Thanks to Simmi at Oliver Tourism for “pulling the name from the hat” for us!

Double O Quilters 30th Anniversary tea.  There will be free refreshments, a quilt display and lots of door prizes.  Everyone is invited to celebrate their first 30 years.

Artists are submitting their best work into Oliver’s 34th annual multimedia competition, the Fall Art Show and Sale, including photography, fibre art, three-dimensional art, watercolours, oils, acrylics, mixed media, and two categories for teens and children. One hundred works will be on display. In addition, two special exhibits are featured, each celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday. The event shares the same weekend at the same venue as the popular Cask and Keg and Festival of the Grape.

The Fall Art Show and Sale spans two days, Saturday September 30 (3 – 9 p.m.) and Sunday October 1 (12 – 5 p.m.), at the Oliver Community Centre, 6359 Park Drive. Admission is by donation, with a chance to win a wine fridge stocked with 18 different local wines.  See the participating wineries listed at right.

On Saturday, the public is invited to vote for their favourite in each media category, and for overall “Best in Show”. Lending sophistication to the evening will be a dessert reception accompanied by smooth ballads from Jazz Out West with Iris Larratt, beginning at 7 p.m.

The nail-biting ends at 8:30 p.m. when winners in all categories are presented with their awards. Local woodworker, Russell Moore, has designed the quail trophy bases, made from salvaged wood from the historic Venables Auditorium before it was destroyed by fire in 2011. Honorable mentions will recognize additional meritorious work.

On Sunday, patrons of the arts must also be patrons of the vine: Sunday’s admission is through a Festival of the Grape ticket only. The popular wine draw continues with every donation to the Fall Art Show and Sale offering a chance to win a stocked wine fridge. Stroll the competitive exhibit and find the many winners, marked with rosettes.

Many works of art are for sale.Meet the artists, and learn a little about their skill.

In addition to the one hundred works in competition, both days also feature special displays by talented local arts groups: the Exploration group and the RipOff Artists. The Exploration group, members of the Double O Quilters Guild, has mounted a display of quilts to “Celebrate Canada”. Look for colours, images, and themes that reflect Canada’s diversity. The RipOffs are ten talented artists, each working in their own medium, dedicated to “ripping off” a dead artist’s work in their own style. This year, the RipOffs cash in on Canada’s 150 celebration by reproducing the ten-dollar bill (complete with Sir John A. MacDonald) Each artist has reworked the currency in their chosen medium and in the style of a different Canadian artist, such as Maud Lewis, Tom Thomson, Ken Danby, and Emily Carr. As an added challenge to the artist and the viewer, the number “150”  appears somewhere in each piece.

Months in the planning, with well over a hundred artists, organizers, and volunteers, the Fall Art Show and Sale is the largest arts event presented by the Oliver Community Arts Council each year.

File Photo: Luba Chpak, by Val Friesen

SOAP Theatre announces that auditions for Old Love by Norm Foster are scheduled for:
– Sunday, September 24 at 2:00 pm and
– Monday, September 25 at 7:00 pm
at our rehearsal space in the “Big Blue Building”, at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre, 5840 Airport Street in Oliver.

Director Jen Jensen, who previously directed Love, Loss and What I Wore. She excels at character development, and bringing out nuanced performances in her actors.

This play will be cast with four actors, together playing seven characters. We will need a “younger” male and female as well as an “older” male and female. There is considerable flexibility on ages, provided one pair of characters can be portrayed to be about 20 years older than the other pair. Depending on interest, up to three additional actors may be selected to play the smaller extra parts.

Experienced and novice actors are all welcome to attend.  Even if you are unsure about going on stage, please consider attending the auditions as they are typically a lot of fun for all involved.

So what’s it about?
Old Love is a romantic comedy, with touches of personal drama, spanning three decades, over which time a smitten Bud Mitchell meets (on several occasions) and falls hopelessly in love with his boss’s wife Molly Graham. The tone of those meetings is comic, with the setting usually an after-hours business social event.
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Other than the socially awkward employee’s well-hidden infatuation with the always inebriated object of his desire, the action amounts to little more than a few shared words, all of which are promptly forgotten and lost by the outwardly and inwardly bored Molly in a haze of alcoholic indifference. Each time their paths meet, she has no idea of who he is and the fact they already know each other.

Run Dates: Oliver February 2 – 3, 2018 and  Osoyoos TBA

More details: SOAP Theatre’s Old Love

Sage Valley Voices is a community choir and a member of the Oliver Community Arts Council. They will be having their first choir practice, Monday Sept. 11th, at the Oliver United Church at 7:00 p.m. in preparation for their upcoming Christmas concert in December. Practices are held weekly, new members are always welcome, and there are no auditions.

Hope to see you there!