CULTURAL CRAWL ARTWALK AND STUDIO TOURS
FORT ST. JOHN, BC

Enjoy a free community event in celebration of the creative energy and expression of our local artists and the culmination of the 20th season of our North Peace Cultural Centre during the first Cultural Crawl Artwalk running June 1-22, 2013 in downtown Fort St. John.

Local artists will have their works of art on display at 22 business locations in the core of the city as well as at the North Peace Cultural Centre and Peace Gallery North. A map of the event locations and information on participating artists will be distributed throughout the city, at the participating venues, the North Peace Cultural Centre, as well as on the NPCC website: www.npcc.bc.ca at the commencement of the event.

Cultural Crawl Studio Tours take place on Saturday, June 8th. This special feature of the event will see 12 local artists opening their studios for public visits. A 10 passenger Bus Tour is also being coordinated for transportation to the various studios that day, with the schedule to be posted on the NPCC website. Contact information will also be made available to arrange for personal visits for those not utilizing the Bus Tour service.

The Cultural Crawl Artwalk is a tremendous opportunity to view the incredible works of art being created right here in our own community by a diverse group of talented artists, and a chance to learn about their processes, techniques and inspiration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE EVENT OR TO ARRANGE FOR AN INTERVIEW, PLEASE CONTACT:
Sandy Troudt: 250-785-3867
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Holly Ulrich: 250-785-1518
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For the first time the Peace River Zone Theatre Festival will be represented at Mainstage 2013 by an original play written, directed, and acted by high school students from Fort St. John. The winners of the regional theatre Festival were announced Saturday night at the closing of the three day competition among community theatre clubs. The winning play, written and directed by local high school student Mason Temple, won the Best Production among other awards. Adjudicator Stephen Drover of Vancouver praised the group from the Spectacular Chair Factory theatre club for their insight, character development and bravery in staging the show.

The Best Production Award went to Hallways, a festival entry by the Spectacular Chair Factory Theatre Club. The club is a newly formed young people’s theatre club that entered another show in the festival as well. Three additional awards went to Hallways. The entire cast won Best Ensemble and Best Set (Cameron Wilson and Terrence Zhou). Plus Mason Temple won the Best Newbie for his role as a first time playwright and director of a show.

Adjudicator Stephen Drover emphasized that he is awarding Exceptional Awards rather that Best Awards. He said that all the shows had elements of exceptional and the choice is sometimes not easy to make.

Best Director was won by Ted Sloan for The Breakfast Club. This play, also an entry of the  Spectacular Chair Factory received more awards than either of the other shows: Best Technical (Jenn Merrett and Ted Sloan), Best Costumes (Melissa Baumeister), Best Supporting Actress (Carli Vance), and Best Supporting Actor (Braden Lock). Braden Lock, a local high school student, adapted the show for the stage which had never been done before.

The Stage North Theatre Society’s Take Five won three awards with Runner Up Best Production. The Runner Up is eligible to represent the Peace River Theatre Zone at Mainstage in Kamloops in July if the winning play cannot go. Stage North won Best Actress (Jamie Lock) and Best Actor (Dennis Szalai).

Spectacular Chair Factory will be fundraising in the next month to raise enough money to get the cast and crew to Mainstage in Kamloops to compete among other selected performances from throughout the province.Hallways will perform Friday, July 12, at 12 noon in Kamloops. The Peace River Zone committee kicks off the fundraising efforts with a $2000 grant.

For further information please contact: Mason Temple (Hallways) 250-794-8088, Braden Lock (Spectacular Chair Factory) 250-263-2201 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Dale Hillman (Peace River Zone Theatre) 250-793-6715 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Northern Lights Youth Choir & Special Guests Present...
"Spring Sing!" - a delightful afternoon concert of choral, concert band and string ensemble music!
Sunday, May 12 @ 2:00pm at the North Peace Cultural Centre
Adults $15, Seniors (65+) $10, Youth (0-18) $5
Tickets online at npcc.bc.ca or call box office 250-785-1992

Preparations for the second annual Sand Sensations sand carving event are well underway and it promises to be even bigger and better than last year.  Six international carvers have been invited to participate and they will be hard at work at Peace Island Park from July 27th to August 2nd.  The sculptures they create are guaranteed to be truly spectacular and they will remain on diplay through the World Gold Panning Championships and throughout the rest of the summer.

This year, as well, there will be opportunities for local residents as well as visitors to the region to try their hand at carving with a carving workshop and a family competition. 

Planns for 2013 include:

Theme: “A Walk on the Wild Side”
Date: July 27-August 2, 2013
Place: Peace Island Park, Taylor, BC.

Invited Sculptors: David Ducharme and Peter Vogelaar of BC, Canada
Ray Villafane of AZ and Andy Bergholtz of CA, USA
Arianne van Rosmalen and Merielle Heessels of GL, Nethernlands

Activities: Pre-work July 17-26
Summer SAND STAGE Music and Mixes July 27-28 & August 1-2
Professional Guided Tips & Tricks Workshop July 26
Family Competition July 27
Profession Judging & Closing Ceremonies August 2

The generosity of the community made last year's success possible, and once again we are inviting local businesses and individuals to join us in putting on an event that will make the region proud and provide an outdoor activity that can be enjoyed by local residents and visitors of all ages.

SAND SENSATIONS SPONSOR PACKAGE

After months of hard work and practice, hundreds of performing artists are ready to take the stage at the North Peace Cultural Centre for the 2013 Peace River North Festival.  Professional adjudicators will be arriving in Fort St. John from Vancouver, Edmonton and Quesnel to evaluate, encourage and inspire the musicians, singers and dancers of all ages and levels; from children whose feet don't quite reach the floor when they sit at the piano, to dancers in their teens who are already seasoned veterans of many festivals. 

All sessions are open to the public we encourage Fort St. John to come out and support these young performers, see what kind of talent we have in our community and welcome visiting bands and dance troupes from Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson and Quesnel.   

Schedule