Vernon area residents can join the rest of Canada and British Columbia in celebrating this year’s Culture Days, Sept. 26 to 28.
Culture Days features free participatory and interactive arts and cultural activities presented by individual artists, groups, organizations, municipalities, and festivals.
There are so far six free events registered for Culture Days in the Greater Vernon area.
They include the Vernon Performing Arts Centre and Okanagan Regional Library’s Booksmack!, Friday, Sept. 26 in the Performing Arts Centre’s foyer from 7 to 8 p.m.
The Booksmack features a crew of librarians, local authors/poets and storytellers who will speed review as many books and films as they can in an hour.
The Vernon Public Art Gallery hosts two events as part of Culture Days, including a poetry reading, artist talk and open discussion about First Nations peoples and their lives with Margo Tamez, Mariel Belanger, Garry Gottfriedson, and Nigit’stil Norbert, Sept. 26 from 7 to 9 p.m.
The gallery is also hosting its Family Saturday session with a workshop on Aboriginal dot painting for children five and over (parents are also welcome), Sept. 27 from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
All materials will be supplied.
The Vernon Community Arts Centre in Polson Park is getting in on the action with a demonstration of a obvara firing, Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Obvara is a raku style technique of finishing the surface of pottery. After bisquing, the pottery is heated to about 1650 F, dunked into a fermented flour and yeast mixture, then dunked into water to be rapidly cooled. The pieces range from off white to almost black with speckles, a beautiful, but not food safe finish.
The Greater Vernon Museum and Archives has a fun drop-in hands-on activity for all ages, Sept. 26 and 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Spot What Doesn’t Belong will see participants searching the museum displays to find the artifacts that do not belong. Participants will also be able to exercise their creative sides at the museum’s craft stations, and draws will be taking place throughout the two days.
And not to be outdone, the Regional District of the North Okanagan is hosting a public open house and fun activities related to the Greater Vernon Cultural Plan.
It is slated to take place Sept. 27 at the Village Green Centre, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more on Culture Days, visit culturedays.ca.
