Creative Current: Desert Daze gets its act(s) together

A bi-monthly roundup of the arts and theatre scene in Ashcroft and the surrounding areas.

Music In The Park this Wednesday

Winding Rivers Arts and Performance Society presents another Music In The Park on Wednesday, June 27. Bring your favourite lawn chair or blanket and enjoy some great music with your friends and family. There is a concession available. Music starts at 7 pm. Pass the Hat donations encouraged. Washrooms open until 9 pm.

Under the Gazebo this week is Jazz Blues Singer extrodinaire – Sabrina Weeks. Sabrina Weeks & Swing Cat Bounce Trio offer up a generous helping of the swinging bouncing boogie blues. The songs are light hearted with a twist of naughty, the melodies are infectious. Should be a great show!

Hailing originally from Kamloops, this group  collectively makes up over 100 years of musical expertise. The band members include Sabrina Weeks, Mike Hilliard (guitar) and Ken Sell (bass). In 2010, Sabrina Weeks and Swing Cat Bounce released their debut CD “Tales from Lenny’s Diner.” The CD debuted at #1 in Canada (#12 overall) on the Roots Music Report Blues Music charts.

The WRAP Society hopes you enjoy the music all summer long! Look for posters around town and take home one of the small handouts that will be available at local retailers. Also why not check out www.windingriversarts.ca for info on all the upcoming artists and their music.

Movie Night with a message

The Village Of Cache Creek is pleased to present a family movie night featuring the pre release showing of The Lorax on Thursday, June 28.

Long before saving the earth became a global concern, Dr. Seuss, speaking through his character the Lorax, warned against mindless progress and the danger it posed to the earth’s natural beauty.

The animated adventure follows the journey of a 12-year-old as he searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.

Cache Creek Community Hall doors open at 6:30 pm and the movie starts at 7 pm.

Concession snacks support the Cache Creek Elementary School’s Parent Advisory Council. (No outside food or drink please and please put cell phones on vibrate for everyone’s enjoyment. Children must remain seated and quiet during the movie thanks)

Desert Daze Line Up

For many musicians included in this year’s Desert Daze Festival, it will mean a trip east from Vancouver to play in the magnificent desert landscape for the very first time.

The 2012 festival is hosting an array of musicians including The Boom Booms, Emily Spiller, The Johnson Brothers, Linda McRae, Gary Comeau and the Voodoo Allstars, Maria in the Shower and The River and The Road. Locals from Ashcroft are also on the Festival bill including; John Kidder, Mudville and Nadine Davenport.

Besides their performance, Maria in the Shower will teach festival-goers about an ancient instrument called the rhythm bones, traditionally made from deer rib bones, traced back to African roots. Other workshops range from yoga and pickling cucumbers to guitar, drumming and writing.

Maria in the Shower band member Jack Garton is no stranger to the festival circuit and loves the drive through the Fraser Canyon up into BC’s desert area.

Their style reflects an unearthing of styles of times past. The majority of the music is original with a few traditional folks songs.

Aside from a jam-packed musical line-up, Desert Daze showcases delicious Okanagan fruit and a wide variety of vegetables from nearby farms. The apple-bobbing and seed-spitting contests remain one of the reasons the festival has garnered so much attention, in addition to the usual hot, sunny weather.

The festival kicks off with an aboriginal welcome ceremony with hand-drumming and singing on Friday, Aug. 17 and runs for three full days.

For more information on prices and where to buy tickets – plus all artists performing at the 3rd Annual Desert Daze Festival, visit www.desertdaze.ca.

Ashcroft Cache Creek Journal