The streets of Enderby are about to come alive at the 2011 Enderby Arts Festival taking place Saturday.
Downtown streets will be closed off for the festivities, which run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and organizers, volunteers from the Enderby & District Arts Council promise a extensive collection of free entertainment.
“It’s a day of markets, music, magic and arts,” said Neil Fidler, president of the Enderby Arts Council. “We have never been quite this ambitious.”
Cliff Avenue at Highway 97A and the adjacent block of Belvedere Street will be closed off to traffic for the Mall, where visitors and locals will be able to wander to see living statues, jugglers, musicians and more.
Near the top of the list is Raiden Taiko (Japanese drummers) from Kamloops. This is the group’s second performance outside their home city, and they will play in the Mall during the afternoon.
“Because of the road closures, drivers need to put a bit more planning into parking, heading for the car parks in Russell Avenue or behind City Hall,” said Enderby arts council secretary Alyson Witts.
The Shriner clowns will be selling raffle tickets (look for the yellow convertible) to raise funds for operation of the Care Cruiser Bus, which picks up sick children and their caregivers in Enderby and everywhere else in B.C. to take them free of charge to hospitals and to Ronald McDonald House.
Merchants are also taking to the streets with displays of goods and services, with comfort food expected to be available for hungry shoppers.
The arts festival is anchored by the long-established Enderby Artisans Market, with its entertainment stage and a food court. Forty artisans and artists will be selling hand-crafted goods ranging from harps to pottery, woodwork and jewelry.
The judges’ choices for the arts council’s photography contest will be displayed in the Masonic Hall near the market, and there will also be hands-and-feet painting contests in Belvidere Park, organized by the Enderby Chamber of Commerce.
Performing for the first time in Enderby will be gifted pow-wow dancer Glen Mitchell, accompanied by aboriginal drummers.
Mitchell is a member of the Siska First Nation in Lytton, and will be wearing an outfit he made, involving beadwork and a feathered head-dress. His outfit and those of his sons, Joe and Eric, will be on display at the Enderby museum during the Enderby Art Walk, which forms part of the festival.
Professional face painter Yvonne Boyd, from the Kootenays, and her assistant will also spend the whole day transforming faces of any age, while Kelowna magician Ali K. Zam will give four shows in Belvidere Park during the morning.
For additional information on the Enderby Arts Festival, contact the Enderby and District Arts Council at 250-838-0577 or visit enderbyartscouncil.com.
