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Going green(er) in honour of Earth

In honour of Earth Day (Thursday, April 22), at least one local group is hosting a party in hopes of raising awareness and funds for environmental issues. The festivities start at 3 p.m.

In honour of Earth Day (Thursday, April 22), at least one local group is hosting a party in hopes of raising awareness and funds for environmental issues.

The festivities start at 3 p.m. on Thursday at Merlin's, with the second annual Green Gathering. The event features an open jam session, which starts in the afternoon and runs until 8 p.m. It's followed by performances from Kostaman, Adam Bowen and his crazy live looping rock show from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., and a dance party with DJ JimiRay, Milton (a.k.a. Gnome Chompski), Miss Kosmik (a.k.a. Marie Fortin) and Stevie James (a.k.a. POD) playing a mixture of electronic dance music. There will also be a special appearance by MC Lozen and Garuda on the didgeridoo and djembe.

Performing artists will be working in the mezzanine all evening, creating live art and encouraging others to contribute to the Earth Day Community Canvas Project. Farfalla Hair and Esthetics will be running a beauty booth at the event. There will also be a raffle, with gift certificates, sporting goods and other swag up for grabs. Entry is a $5 donation, with all proceeds from the door and raffles going towards 1STEP, Mark Abma's environmental foundation, and the Sea to Sky corridor's Bands Against Hunger Society.

Learn the art of laughter

Local comedienne Michele Bush is offering up a new workshop for anyone who has always wanted to perform for the Whistler Arts Council's Street Entertainment program.

"I'm always asked by interested locals how they can get started," Bush said in a recent press release. "I tell them to come up with an act and pitch it, but this is harder than it looks. Your act could fall flat, rowdy kids could steal your props and drunk guys usually think you're some insane weirdo."

To help get people started, Bush has created a workshop that will teach performers some of her tried-and-true acts, the do's and don'ts of entertaining the public and how to develop your own act "in a less scary environment."

Workshops will be starting at the end of April and run through the middle of May. Then, students will have the opportunity to audition for WAC to land a performance contract for this summer's Street Entertainment program.

"I've always wanted to go out as the Fashion Police with a couple of rookies as back up!" Bush quipped.

So, fashionistas, here's your chance to learn from the best! Interested performers should call Bush at 604-907-1495.

 

Time to disco down!

As part of the after-hours Kokanee Freeride Club Series that's ongoing during the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival, partygoers should prepare for one very special party, the second annual Silent Disco.

Not familiar with the concept? Okay, according to Wikipedia: "a silent disco is a disco party without a traditional speaker system, instead relying on the use of wireless headphones and an FM transmitter to deliver the music to participants. Those without the headphones hear no music, giving the effect of a room full of people dancing to no tune."

The inaugural event was a huge hit last year, and this time around it's sure to be a similarly popular event. DJ J-Boogie will be on the decks. The disco dancing goes down at Merlin's on Friday, April 23.

 

And the winners are...

While the epic on-hill antics have been captivating during the daylight hours at the 15th annual Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival, the after-dark arts and cultural competitions have been wowing crowds, as well. As of press time, Icon Gone, Three Point Oh and the Filmmaker Showdown had wrapped up, with a select few competitors emerging victorious.

On Sunday night, Icon Gone was a no-holds-barred verbal wrestling match that saw seven long-time locals face-off in a competition to define Whistler's greatest icon.

This year's competitors included Shauna Hardy-Mishaw, Kevin Damaskie, Cathy Jewett, Mike Berard, Nicole Fitzgerald, Stephen Vogler and Andrew Mitchell. The competition was narrowed down to just four finalists - Vogler, Berard, Jewett and Mitchell - who were invited to present a 60-second rebuttal in defense of their icon. But only one person could take home the handcrafted crown and the glory that went along with it, and in the end, the Pique 's own Andrew Mitchell won the competition.

All four finalists received a framed photograph from the Whistler Museum and Archives, a Whistler community cookbook and a shingle from the legendary Boot Pub. Mitchell took home the top prize, an evening at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.

The second annual Three Point Oh competition that fuses mountain culture, art, music, film, and photography into one new media collaborative piece took place at the Whistler Conference Centre on Monday evening. There were six projects screened, with David O'Dowd's animated short, Love at First Site, winning Best in Show and the grand prize of $2,500. The People's Choice award went to Kari Medig's amazing stop-motion photography piece, Pillow Lines, with Medig winning $1,000 for his efforts. He also won the inaugural re:Action action sports portrait competition, which came with a $2,500 prize.

Finally, on Tuesday night, there was an upset at the 72 Hour Filmmaker Showdown when past winners Johnny Fleet and Robjn Taylor were passed over by judges in favour of a new team of American filmmakers for their short, dubbed "Panty Bloom." They walked away with the $5,000 Best in Show award, plus major prizes, while Fleet's film, "War of 1924," was selected as Audience Favourite for a $1,000 cash prize.

 

Best of the Fest

If you're among the unlucky ones who waited too long to buy tickets to this year's Pro Photographer Showdown, 72 Hour Filmmaker Showdown and Three Point Oh new media showcase, you have one last chance to check out the winning submissions.

On the final day of the festival, Sunday, April 25, the GLC will play host to The Best of the Fest wrap-up party, where the winners of all three competitions will be exhibited. As if that's not enough to draw a crowd, Wassabi Collective will also be playing an evening show.

Tickets to the event are $25, with all proceeds going to the local non-profit organization, Playground Builders. Advance tickets are available at the GLC; don't miss out this time around!

 

A fond farewell

Players Chophouse is hosting a rather sombre-sounding event, dubbed "The Wake," to send off their manager, Travis Talbot, who is returning to Vancouver to resume his role as Director of Operations for Points West Hospitality.

During his two-year tenure in town, Talbot spearheaded the opening of Players Chophouse Creekside and Prime Tapas Bar just across the bridge. In his personal time Talbot acted as the marketing chair for Slow Food Sea-to-Sky, a charter member of The Green Table Network, a member of the Whistler 2020 Task Force and organizer/MC for the Whistler Chef Challenges. Talbot also participated at a range of community events like the Great Canadian BBQ Challenge, Feast in the Mountains and Tour De Farms. As well, he organized fundraisers for the Whistler Children's Centre, Whistler Arts Council, Whistler Writers Festival and Whistler Animals Galore.

His send-off event will also help raise money for Whistler Animals Galore and specifically, one of the organization's most recent residents: Marley, an eight-month-old Rottweiler/Shepherd mix who was shot with an arrow, critically wounded and required extensive surgery.

The party takes place on Tuesday, April 27. It's open to the public, and the $10 admission charge, which is donated to WAG, includes dinner, a drink and entertainment by an assortment of local DJs.