Carmen McDowell is the Summer Art Program coordinator at the Summerland Arts Council
In 2014, the Summerland Community Arts Council started a new community project to support local musicians in the area. Weekends on the Water, or W.O.W., is a music concert series held Wednesday nights at Spirit Square, Peach Orchard Beach from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
This year W.O.W. will start on the night of July 8 and run every Wednesday until August 26. This event is free to the public (donations are welcome) and is sponsored by many Summerland businesses as each band is paid an honorarium for their time and talent. We have a variety of genres among our local talent including nights of jazz, bluegrass, folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll just to name a few. Check out our website or drop by the Arts Centre to find a list of this summer’s featured performing artists.
Our opening night on July 8 will feature the Kettle Valley Brakemen. For those who’ve never seen one of their concerts, the Kettle Valley Brakemen are heritage entertainers and what they do is unique. A Brakemen show is a series of brief stories and original songs about B.C.’s colourful steam rail history. The songs either complete or complement the stories. Each performance finishes with a couple of singalong numbers so audiences get a slice of B.C. rail history, a concert of folk/bluegrass music and the chance to participate.
With tributes to the official railway doctor on the KVR and beloved characters like conductor Perley McPherson, our audiences will get KVR history set to a toe-tappin’ folk-bluegrass beat. We encourage families to bring picnics, lawn chairs and blankets down to the beach to enjoy an evening of music. There is beach access, a playground and waterpark for small children, soccer/Frisbee fields and a volleyball court as well! If you or your business would like to sponsor an evening of music contact Carmen at 250-494-4494 or email sap@summerlandarts.com for more information.
Art Walk 2015: Calling all artists and downtown businesses. The Summerland Community Arts Council will once again be running their annual Art Walk during the month of August. The Art Walk is designed to promote tourism, business and cultural awareness in Summerland. All interested participants are asked to contact Carmen at the Arts Centre for more information at 250-494-4494.
