Published: September 10, 2010

It’s time to dust off your hula hoops and poodle skirts and fix those beehive hairdos.

The first of what will likely be an annual ‘50s event in Merritt happens this year on Sept. 25 in the 2000 block of Quilchena Ave. between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The Downtown Business Committee is hosting the day of community building and family fun for everyone to enjoy and look back to a time when getting to you know meant meeting up at the local diner instead of in an online chat room.

“The fifties was a time when people supported each other, and it’s before things got so connected that everyone was disconnected,” said Jenn Eaton, owner of Country Bug Bookstore.

“It’s the coming out and supporting your neighbours and being part of a community – that’s the theme we wanted to bring back.”

The block will be closed to vehicles to allow pedestrians full access to the street for the day.

That is, except for vintage models that will be on display.

Games and activities include hula hoop dancing, jump rope, hopscotch, a cake walk, restaurant server races, and a beehive hairdo contest.

Everyone is encouraged to show up in vintage fashion, but saddle shoes, cat eye glasses and college cardigans are not mandatory.

There will also be music, as well as dance performances by the local Cowgirls.

The Nicola Valley & District Food Bank is planning to have a food booth with lunch items, and the local A&W will have floats at the site.

“We’ve got a couple of food vendors so you can have lunch with the family.”

Dan Hare, of the band March Hare, will be speaking during the day and signing his book, “Regrets, They’ve Had a Few”, about Baby Boomers’ biggest regrets and greatest acheivements.

“He does a whole talk on living your life to the fullest without regrets,” said Eaton.

Hare will also be performing that night at the Capital Sound Stage at Iron Mountain Music with his band, March Hare

Tickets for that show are available at Country Bug Books and at the Merritt Herald office.

Volunteers are still needed to help make the ‘50s event run as efficiently as possible. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Eaton at Country Bug Books, 250 378-1302.

September 9, 2010

This month, Olde Courthouse Arts Centre patrons can see the Nicola Valley through the eyes of Alberta artist Patricia Peters. Peters’ exhibition follows the gallery’s August show, which featured art depicting local animal life that local artists created.

A reception at the Olde Courthouse Friday evening gave locals the chance to view a sampling of Peters’ paintings of the Nicola Valley and meet the artist herself. Her work is on display until the end of September.

The gallery’s curator, Kathi Dahlquist-Gray, recalls, “When I first saw her work a year ago, I booked her right away.”

Dahlquist-Gray says she was drawn to the vibrancy of Peters’ landscapes, influenced by Group of Seven member J.E.H MacDonald and Tom Thomson, who also inspired the Group of Seven.

Upon viewing one of Peters’ scenes, Dahlquist-Gray says, “I was just like, ‘Gulp.’

“It was done in all of these reds and vermilions and yellows.

“The colours in it were just like balloons about to pop.”

Peters is a professional artist with her own gallery in Grande Prairie. She frequently travels through Merritt on the way to business in the Lower Mainland and stops in the area to paint.

“It’d take me three hours to drive from Kamloops to here.”

Autumnal landscapes and the warm colours of dusk and dawn dominated the Olde Courthouse exhibition.

Although she has seen the area in all seasons, weather, temperatures, and times of day, Peters says, “It’s only in September that it goes all out.

“Nothing drips here like colour in the Nicola Valley.

“To me, it’s just delicious.”

Dahlquist-Gray agrees. “You just have to keep coming back to it.

“Artists want to be in Merritt because of scenery.”

Peters says that when she is working on a landscape, the process is like a conversation.

“The conversation is what the land says to me while I paint.”

After years of drawing inspiration from the Nicola Valley, Peters agreed to show her paintings locally.

“I just had a lot of stuff from Merritt and I just wanted to share.”

Peters is sharing more than her finished work on her latest stay in Merritt, however.

Later this month, she will present a two-day en plein air workshop for local painters. The French phrase “en plein air” means “in the open” and refers to painting outdoors, mainly of subjects found in nature.

“Patricia is the queen of gels. Gels are very difficult,” says Dahlquist-Gray. Painting en plein air is usually done with gel paints in tubes since they are easier to transport than other paints.

“She’s an excellent teacher, more than qualified for what she’ll be painting,” Dahlquist-Gray adds. “She’s quite a well-known artist in her area and Alberta.

September 3, 2010

The Nicola Valley Fall Fair marks its 35th year this Labour Day weekend and the two-day event will again feature thousands of displays from hundreds of entrants.

According to Reimer, “We usually have about 300 entrants” who display about 2,000 items across a cornucopia of categories at the fair.

“There’s flowers, fruits and vegetables, baking, canning, forage crops…,” says Kathy Reimer, the fair’s convener.

“We have an antique tractor show and vintage cars.

“There’s animals and students and all kinds of stuff,” she adds.

Smaller animals like chickens, pigeons, and rabbits will be present in addition to larger livestock, such as goats, sheep, and swine.

Other categories include fine arts, photography, and crafts.

The Nicola Valley Fall Fair takes place at the Merritt fairground off of Lindley Creek Road, beside the Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo, also being held this weekend.

The fair and rodeo share property but two separate groups organize each event. The Nicola Valley Fall Fair Association is a member of the B.C. Association of Agricultural Fairs and Exhibitions.

The fairground opens to the public at noon on Saturday and closes at 8 p.m. that night. On Sunday, the fairground is open from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 in the afternoon.

The Nicola Valley Fall Fair Country Dance inside the exhibition building at the fairground tops off the weekend. The dance starts at 9 p.m. and finishes at 1 a.m. Merritt local John Allison is again serving as host and DJ at the dance.

Fairgoers of all ages are welcome at all fair events, except for the dance, which is open to adults 19 years of age and older only.

Reimer says the pet show on Sunday at 10 a.m. will be one of the more colourful exhibits at the fair.

Children and adults alike will bring their pets to the show, in which awards will be handed out for the longest tail, shortest tail, best dressed, best pet-owner look-alikes, and more.

Attendance at past fairs has varied, but should exceed 1,000 people.

“We usually have 1,000 to 2,500, roughly,” says Reimer.

The Nicola Valley Fall Fair Association is made up of volunteers who put the fair together during the rest of the year, but Reimer says any help this weekend is welcome.

“Even if it’s just a few hours, it’s helpful.”

This year, the fair is being held in memory of Rainbow the Clown, known off the fairground as Lyle Boulund.

Boulund performed as Rainbow the Clown at the Nicola Valley Fall Fair for 19 years. He died last Saturday

“He’ll be sadly missed by all fairgoers,” says Reimer.

“The kids just loved him.”

Published: September 03, 2010

(IN PHOTO) The Swollen Members, along with over 70 of electronic and hip hop’s most exciting musical artists will be performing in Merritt as part of the Electric Mountain Music Festival’s inaugral event. The festival is taking place on the Merritt Mountain Music festival site and will utilize the two existing stages simultaneously to present its extensive line up. Pictured left are the members of Swollen Members who have recently been added as headliners for the event. Photo submitted

The Electric Mountain Music Festival is set to fill the valley with some of the most exciting musicians in electronic and hip hop music today

With two stages and over 70 performers the two day event is all set to create an entirely new musical experience for Merritt.

Gates are scheduled to open at 9am, September 4th and will close at 10pm every night.

There will also be a contest for aspiring musicians called The Electric Throwdown, this is billed as a no holds bar DJ contest where contestants are given the shot to show their talents and perform in front of a diverse crowd.

The winner of this event will earn a slot on next years main stage as well as a trip for two to Mexico.

The Swollen Members have been added to the bill and have played Merritt in the past and are playing behind a new album. Since the release of their first album, Swollen Members have toured constantly, hitting every major market in the world, performing hundreds of shows a year in front of audiences of up to 15,000 people.

Publications around the world have given Swollen Members’ music and live shows excellent coverage, and their tracks receive strong airplay on both commercial and college radio.

Also added to the bill is Kelowna artist Excision.

Taking influence from DnB, Metal, and Hip Hop, Excision is an artist who must be heard to fully believe. Combining the morphing bass lines of Drum and Bass, the aggressive energy of Metal, and the laid back vibes of hip hop, Excision’s style is incomparable. This young Canadian’s passion for music has already driven him to become one of the biggest Dubstep acts of North America.

With some of the newest and most exciting names in electronic music slated to play this Labour day weekend, festival organizers are positive about this years lineup and their ability to grow this event into something remarkable. Another act to look for are Juno Award winners The Rascalz.

The Rascalz, first broke ground in 1993, with their debut album “Really Livin”. The title track won Best Rap Video at The MuchMusic Video Awards, and put them on the map as major players in the world of Canadian hip hop. Their sophomore effort, Cash Crop, was released in 1997.

The album won a Juno award for Best Rap Recording, and the track “Dreaded Fist”, garnered the group another MuchMusic video award (Best Rap video).

During the release of Cash Crop, Rascalz united fellow Hip Hop artists from across Canada, to participate in the groundbreaking track and video for Northern Touch. The all-star performance was a preview of what was about to come.

The following year, The Rascalz performed Northern Touch, with all the aforementioned guest appearances, on the live, televised broadcast of the Juno awards.

They won the 1999 Juno Award that year for Best Rap Recording, Northern Touch.

Gate tickets are $180.00 for the weekend and day passes will be available for the Sunday shows.