Cloverdale’s Art of Lights lantern festival will honour the service of the Canadian military at an upcoming special event.
Active and retired members of the Canadian Armed Forces, reserves and cadets will receive free admission to the festival on Sunday, Jan. 20.
Attendees will be able to tour the festival’s permanent features — including handcrafted lanterns, interactive light displays and animatronic dinosaurs — and listen to a special, one-night-only music performance.
The night will feature local Pat Chessell, who will no doubt perform songs from his CD The Minstrel Boy, released in time for Remembrance Day last year. The anthology has a special meaning for the Surrey-based musician, who donated profits from the CD to veterans’ charities.
Chessell will perform three sets, at 6, 7 and 8 p.m.
As well as a live show, festival-goers can learn about the Last Post Fund, which will be on site raising awareness about its work. Since 1900, the Canadian non-profit organization has ensured that every veteran is given a dignified funeral, burial, and military gravestone. The group manages several veterans programs, including the Unmarked Grave Program, which provides funding for headstones for unmarked veteran graves, as well as operating Canada’s National Field of Honour.
On Jan. 20, $1 from each ticket sale for the festival will be donated to the Last Post Fund.
The Art of Lights festival takes place at Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre Park, located at 17728 64 Avenue on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. It is open 5 to 10 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until Feb. 10. Originally, the festival had been scheduled to finish in early January, but, after a two-month delay for its opening, the festival has been extended.
For more event information, visit artoflights.org. Tickets are available at showpass.com.
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