What is winter, anyway?
In some parts of the world, winter is a pretty consistent phenomenon defined by subfreezing temperatures and steady snowfall. Then you’ve got the Sea to Sky corridor, an area where winter months can sometimes bring powder days, unseasonable warmth and dreary rain in almost-equal measure.
Regardless, winter can be as worthy a time for celebration as any. That’s why The Point Artist-Run Centre (PARC) is bringing back its Winter Carnival during the Family Day long weekend.
On Feb. 18, guests can enjoy a dinner show featuring hearty food and an opening act from local accordion wizard Thomas Studer. Fine-art enthusiasts can make bids at the yearly Winter Art Auction, featuring work by Nafisa, Marcelle Armatage, Megan Burke and Nina Moore. The evening culminates in a lively performance by C.R. Avery and the Storm Collective.
Then, on Feb. 19, community members of all ages are invited to a free afternoon of activities. The DJ Ira Dance Party is teaming up with Ace Mackay-Smith (a.k.a. Frosty) to keep spirits high, while Studer returns to play live campfire music alongside Greg Kelly.
Events will include curling, shinny, and competitions in ice dance, snow-sculpting and donut-eating, as well as an assortment of costumed characters. There will be food along with hot and cold beverages at the Cypress Point Cafe and Harrop’s Bar.
“We did miss a few years of [the Winter Carnival], and it was really fun to bring it back last year,” says PARC artistic director Stephen Vogler. “You never know what winter brings around here. We’ve had everything from two feet thick of ice to a polar bear swim one year when it was a warm February.
“Every winter is so distinct here in the Coast Mountains. You just never quite know, and you have to be ready for anything. [Our goal is] to celebrate the season through the lens of the arts, involving and hiring as many artists as possible.”
Sunday night talent
Avery is one of the more eclectic musicians you’re likely to run into. The Ontario native has been spotted at piano bars, writers’ festivals, burlesque dances and poetry slams over the course of his colourful career, and he can use anything from a mixtape to a paintbrush to great effect. He’s always defied categorization into any one genre, instead making music that is uniquely his own.
Then you add the Storm Collective, a five-piece band that will help him bring the magic to life at this year’s Winter Carnival. Avery and his mates intend to throw harmonica blues and beatboxing into a blender with rock, folk and hip hop, giving audiences plenty to groove to.
“I’ve worked with C.R. Avery for probably a decade or so,” reveals Vogler. “I’ve had him up here for different acts, both at The Point and elsewhere when I used to do events in some other venues around town, and he happens to be our Artist-in-Residence right now. He does so many different things and—kind of like I was saying about winter—you never know quite what you’ll get. His show is always different.”
Avery is one of the first to participate in PARC’s new winter artist residency program. He’ll stay at the facility’s on-site cabin for another two weeks or so, penning a novel and composing some new music.
Meanwhile, Studer hails from a small village in Switzerland called Rothenburg. He discovered the accordion at 10 years old and has used it to liven up all kinds of settings, including weddings, birthday parties and corporate events. Like Avery, Studer is capable both as a solo performer and in tandem with other musicians.
“I just thought he would be a good starter [for the dinner show],” says Vogler. “It seems that he can bring a Winter Carnival-type of music to the show and be a nice opening to the evening when people are just having dinner.”
A break from ‘busy’
Vogler would like to thank the event’s presenting sponsors: Nesters Market and the BC Arts Council, for their support, especially the Arts Council for providing a grant that allowed PARC to expand the carnival to two days.
“I think it's really important to foster good community and celebrations that bring people together,” he says. “Because we’re a resort town, the village is this big hubbub of activity. We're all really busy in the winter and often don't run into the locals we know.
“So this is a nice way to duck out of the busyness and connect with your friends in the community—and you meet some new people too.”
Tickets for the dinner show on Sunday, Feb. 18 cost $45 plus tax ($20 for just the show) and are available at thepointartists.com/winter-carnival. Festivities on Monday, Feb. 19 run from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
