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Pemberton Winterfest calls for artists, musicians and vollies

Street performers, outdoor evening concert, youth mark growing festival

By Cindy Filipenko

Potato Jack may one day be as famous as Bonhomme, the friendly snowman mascot of Quebec’s Carnival. In the meantime, Winterfest organizer France Lamontagne wants to ensure that members of Pemberton and Area C’s creative community are well represented at this year’s festival, running from Feb. 11 to 14.

A Pemberton Spirit of B.C. Committee event, Winterfest is now in its third year, and radically different from previous years. Activities have expanded to incorporate community diversity with an eye to producing a 17-day festival, and subsequent 10-day festival, to coincide with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

“Winterfest is all about inclusion,” she said.

To meet that goal, the festival is inviting artists and artisans from Pemberton, Mt. Currie, Birken and D’Arcy to submit their applications for inclusion in the following categories: artisans (professional and recreational); photographers and artists (professional); musicians and street performers. The deadline for applications is Friday, Jan. 19.

Artisans can apply by calling Marnie Simon at 604-894-0242 or e-mailing her at marnie@whooshnet.com . Within this category fibre artists, jewelers, woodworkers, First Nations artists, painters, sculptors and metal workers will be represented.

Robin Mcgeough will be taking applications from musicians and professional artists and photographers at 604-894-5767 or nest@telus.net .

“We’re defining a professional artist or photographer as someone who makes their living through their art,” explained Lamontagne.

Lamontagne will be taking applications for the street performers who do not have to qualify as local. What they do need to have is a 45-minute family-oriented piece to perform. As part of “Quakertown”, the performers will do their shtick on street corners of downtown Pemberton. Instead of money, appreciative audience members will fill their hats with tokens available onsite. The three street performers with the greatest number of tokens will be awarded prizes at the Saturday evening concert and beer garden.

She’s also excited about what will happen once the prizes are awarded — the event’s first open-air evening concert with Grateful Greg and Guitar Doug.

“I saw The Hairfarmers at the Rotary Halloween Dance, and thought we need them for Winterfest…. we need them for every Winterfest Saturday night concert. They’re great. They really get a crowd dancing.”

A passionate violinist who travels with her instrument in her car “just in case,” Lamontagne is thrilled by this year’s Winterfest theme, Colour and Music.

“We really hope that people will bring their drums, noisemakers, recorders…whatever… out to the parade, so they can be participants as well as spectators,” she said.

This year’s parade will start at the Pemberton Secondary School parking lot and continue through town to the Legion hall.

“Last year businesses, organizations, the fire hall, everyone put in some really great floats. Someone even decorating a super market shopping cart… that’s why we’re saying mortorized or non-motorized floats,” laughed Lamontagne.

The parade concludes with a flag raising ceremony and welcoming address from Lil’wat Chief Leonard Andrew and Pemberton Mayor Jordan Sturdy. Afterwards kids will be able to partake in a variety of potato-related crafts at the nearby Pemberton Heritage Museum, while adults take in a children’s art display.

“You’re wondering why all the potato crafts? It’s Spud Valley, we need to celebrate that,” said Lamontagne.

The idea of celebrating what you’ve got is reminiscent of Lamontagne’s first festival experience: Quebec City’s Carnival, a celebration of that city’s most copious winter commodity.

“When I went to my first Carnival I was six or so… it was a very small event… not like it is today. It was really about the same size as Winterfest,” she muses.

The parade route, evening concert, buskers and potato crafts aren’t the only changes people will see to the program this year. An Australian land-based canoe race is in the works, a seven-chef Rotary-Winterfest joint fundraising dinner at Pemberton Vineyards is being organized and PSS’s Leadership students will be opening the high school’s doors on the Monday evening displaying the creative talents of valley youth.

“There are some surprises that we’re just working out the details for,” said Lamontagne, hinting that the additions are sure to be crowd pleasers.

Also, look for the return of snow events; planned for in previous years, the lack of fluffy white matter in the valley led to their cancellation. And the Sunday morning Polar Bear Swim at One Mile Lake will be going ahead.

While Lamontagne and other members of the Sprit Committee scramble to nail down the details, there’s still room for more hands to be involved.

“We always need volunteers, for set-up and teardown, and there’s still time to get involved in the committee. We meet every Thursday at 7 p.m. in a private room at the Legion.”

A complete schedule of events will be available at participating businesses and organizations by the end of the month.

To apply to Winterfest as a street performer, or to volunteer, call Lamontagne at 604-894-0065 or e-mail her at alchemist@mycoast.net .   Deadline for all performer and creative applications is Jan. 19.