Jan. 1
Broomball players sweeping for charity at street party
There was no shortage of fun events coming up at Cariboo Challenge Family Fun Night on Jan. 9.
Human foosball, a broomball tournament, children’s activities, a gift basket draw and a parade are all part of the scheduled fun for the inaugural event.
A lack of snow led to the cancellation of the 2015 Cariboo Challenge Jack Gawthorn Memorial Sled Dog Race, the street party was on.
Jan. 8
Choir raises big bucks for needy families
The Eclectica Community Choir’s annual benefit concert at Martin Exeter Hall on Dec. 7 was a rousing success as the Magic of Christmas concert raised $2,405 for the 100 Mile Food Bank and Loaves and Fishes Outreach, which received equal shares to support their ongoing food distributions.
Jan. 15
Local artist embraces unique form
A body of artwork created in a rather unique and distinct style was on display at Showcase Gallery in 100 Mile House.
Local encaustic artist Gisela Gruning uses a small hot iron, pointed metal tools, and small special brushes to create a variety of colourful art, from abstract paintings to realistic landscapes, flowers and animals.
Jan. 22
New faces taking the stage
An upcoming production by the 100 Mile Performing Arts Society was set to feature a couple of faces new to the local community theatre scene, and plenty of plot twists sure to keep audiences guessing until the end.
Art of Murder, written by Joe DiPietro, was directed by Gord Smith.
The cast included Kaitlyn Dewhirst, Rachel Guindon, Shawn Nelson and Eric Storteboom.
Dewhirst and Guidon are relative newcomers to 100 Mile House.
Jan. 29
Saddle up for the 100 Mile House Cowboy Concert
The 15th Annual 100 Mile House Cowboy Concert was set to be a crowd favourite on Feb. 14.
The event is one of the biggest annual fundraisers for the BC Cowboy Heritage Society and all proceeds go towards three annual student scholarships and to the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Feb. 5
‘The beauty of the Cariboo’
Four local painters got together in a unique way for an art show in Williams Lake.
The show, called “4 from 100,” included more than 30 paintings by artists Tom Godin, Lianne Heales, Kathy Crawshay, and Susan Kruse – all members of the Cariboo Artists’ Guild – portraying the beauty and essence of the Cariboo region.
Feb. 12
Artist captures and explores the natural world
Vivid and captivating paintings of outdoor scenes by a former South Cariboo wildlife biologist went on display at Parkside Art Gallery in 100 Mile House.
The show, Just Passing Through, featured paintings by John Youds.
Youds worked as a wildlife and habitat biologist in the Cariboo for the province of British Columbia for 30 years before retiring in 2012.
Feb. 19
Committee, students working for adjudication
The 100 Mile Festival of the Arts folks were heading into a busy time with workshops and recitals leading up to their adjudicated festival, starting in on April 13 and winding up with the wildly popular Showcase Concert at Martin Exeter Hall on April 24.
Feb. 26
Public invited to free movie, refreshments
Area residents were in for a real treat as filmmakers Jenny Rustemeyer and Grant Baldwin were set to be in 100 Mile on March 3 to give a talk after the screening of their latest movie Just Eat It – A food waste story.
Rustemeyer and Baldwin – both filmmakers and food lovers – dove into the issue of food waste from the farm, through retail, all the way to the back of their own fridge.
March 5
Anna Betuzzi tops in Music Theory 3 and 4 in B.C.
Sixteen-year-old Anna Betuzzi makes the piano come alive.
The Grade 11 Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School student loves music, and it shows.
Anna performed a piano exam in Coquitlam on Feb. 4 (87 per cent), and also wrote the Music Theory 5 exam in January (87 per cent). She received First Class Honour marks for both of them.
March 12
Artists Guild group at showcase gallery
A group of Cariboo Artists Guild (CAG) members were featured at Showcase Gallery in the South Cariboo Business Centre.
Many CAG members were set to display their paintings in the Parkside Art Gallery Summer Art Show, July 31-Sept. 12.
March 19
Fantastic cast for The Melville Boys
Director Chris Adams said the 100 Mile House Performing Arts Society cast for The Melville Boys was one of the best he’s ever worked with as the local community theatre group’s production approached on March 26-28.
The cast included Gina Gigliotti, Lacey Venner, Alex Martin and Brian Weir.
Gigliotti, Venner and Martin are all newcomers to the Performing Arts Society.
March 26
Key It Up important for local musicians
The 100 Mile Festival of the Arts Committee embarked on an ambitious fundraising program – Key It Up – to purchase a gently used grand piano.
Festival of the Arts co-chair Bruce Madu said the committee is excited to have launched the project, which is independent of its regular festival budget, to raise $46,000 to replace the piano at Martin Exeter Hall.
April 2
Taste of bluegrass at Mile 108 Elementary
A slew of great bluegrass tunes filled the gym at Mile 108 Elementary School and students got a bit of a crash course in that musical genre when an American band stopped by on March 25.
Students cheered the musical stylings of the band, The Special Consensus, and heard about the types of acoustic instruments the musicians played and about the origins of bluegrass music, a sub-genre of country music made famous by the legendary Bill Monroe, a Kentucky musician known as the father of bluegrass.
April 9
Performers brought characters to life
Director Chris Adams had nothing but praise for the cast of the 100 Mile House Performing Arts Society’s production of the The Melville Boys.
Written by famous Canadian playwright Norm Foster, the four-person play delivers plenty of laughs followed by some serious drama in the second act.
April 16
Endless artistic pursuit
Marilyn Yewell had a captivating assortment of artwork on display at Showcase Gallery in 100 Mile House.
Yewell hung a number of her paintings, depicting varied subjects in myriad styles, on April 7. Among them: a black-and-white portrait of Marilyn Monroe, topless rose-coloured models, vibrant Cariboo landscapes, and a beautiful pink flamenco dancer wearing a flowing black dress.
April 23
Festival of the Art Showcase Concert on April 24
All of the performances for the 100 Mile Festival of the Arts, which ran April 13-23, are done and adjudicators offered invitations to the some performers to display their talent at the grand finale – the Festival Showcase 2015.
On April 17, Musical Theatre participants brought high energy to their performances. Dressed in imaginative costumes, they sang selections from shows, such as Wicked, Les Miserables, Matilda, Little Mermaid and many other familiar musicals.
April 30
New book release by local author
Between Shadows, by Kathleen Cook-Waldron, was released in May.
The Cariboo resident is the author of numerous books for younger and older children and her newest book is aimed at readers eight years old and up.
“It’s really about family and family legacy,” the author said. “It seems like everything I write boils down to family and the importance of family.”
