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Get to know the Olympians before the Games

Like it or not, summer is winding down, and with the dwindling hours of daylight comes more time in front of the television.

Like it or not, summer is winding down, and with the dwindling hours of daylight comes more time in front of the television. Rather than just catching reruns, however, tune in for some pre-Olympic programming from Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium.

"The plethora of pre-Olympic Games programming on all our networks affords Canadians the chance to feel the magic of the Olympic movement and establish an emotional connection with Canada's Olympic hopefuls," Keith Pelley, president of the Consortium said in a recent press release. "Some of these Canadian athletes may not be household names yet, but our programming lineup showcasing their perseverance and passion for sport will resonate with fans across the country, making it impossible not to cheer for them at Vancouver 2010."

Coverage ranges from a one-hour special on the Top 10 Canadian Olympic Winter Moments to Over the Bolts, a multi-part series that takes people behind the scenes with Canada's national snowboard team. Over the Bolts was filmed here in Whistler, and the first episode airs on Sunday, Sept. 20.

SLCC speaks up

Rainy fall Sundays in Whistler are about to get a bit more interesting, thanks to a new Sunday Speakers Series being organized and hosted by the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre.

They've invited a range of community groups, non-profit organizations and musicians to use their space to host seminars each week, in hopes of creating fun, non-denominational learning opportunities for the community. Admission will be by donation or free.

The series kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 6, with a presentation by Bear Aware. Lori Homstol and Nicola Brabyn present "Living with Whistler's Urban Black Bears," which describes what happens to garbage bears, and other facts about the 65 to 100 black bears that call Whistler home.

Keep an eye on this section and our community events listings for more upcoming seminars in the Speaker Series schedule.

Harley's photos in The Mix

For the entire summer, The Mix By Ric's has featured some of the finest local art with their Women's Art Series. In July, Vanessa Stark's vibrant acrylics adorned the walls, while in August, Andrea Mueller's creative creations took their place. Now, for the entire month of September, Paige Harley's stark, funky photography has been selected to complement the restaurant's warm contemporary décor.

To kick off her exhibit, The Mix is hosting a special launch party on Thursday, Sept. 3, starting at 9 p.m. Not only will attendees be exposed to some sublime artwork, but they'll also have an opportunity to try artist-inspired cocktails and check out tunes by DJ Tim Livingstone.

Building a mini-Olympics

The Whistler Museum's annual Lego Building Competition was a great success this year, as children aged 12 and under came out in droves to try their hand at constructing Olympic-inspired structures in exchange for great prizes. The competition went down on Saturday, Aug. 22 at the Spruce Grove Field House. After the kids were finished building their own pieces, organizers had them see who could build the tallest flagpole. Then, kids were given little Olympic and Paralympic flags to "fly" side-by-side, because Whistler is the first place ever to fly the two flags side-by-side. Christian Roberts (5), Cameron McLagan (5), Jack Brooks (5), Ian Brett (8), Lily Roberts (7), Tasman Forster (8), Christopher Dommer (7), Owen Kloepeer (9), and Haris Cokic (10) all walked away with prizes from the event.