Announcements
by yazmin Paddling for Life Society, a non-profit society with registered-charity status, will host the 2010 Sunshine Coast Final Fling Dragon-Boat Festival at Mowat Bay, on Saturday, Sept, 25, 2010. Last year, when our team of breast-cancer survivors and supporters attended the annual event at Garden Bay, we agreed to host this year’s regatta in Powell River. The Dragon-Boat movement for breast cancer survivors in BC began in 1996 and there are now hundreds of teams holding festivals and regattas throughout the province. We are supported in this new venture by the Pearl Warriors, a mixed team of men and women who paddle alongside us at Powell Lake. This event is not just for breast cancer survivors—all paddling teams are welcome. The regatta begins at 11 a.m. Saturday morning and will finish about 3 p.m. The bay will come alive with the sounds of race horns, cheering, and drumming. Paddling for Life, the Pearl Warriors from Powell River, and four Sunshine Coast teams, with their supporters, will converge on the race site. “The Final Fling” is the last festival of the season for most Sunshine Coast teams. There will be food vendors onsite, a silent auction, a raffle, an awards ceremony and lots more excitement to round out the day. A 42-feet-long dragon boat carries 20 paddlers, a steersperson, and a drummer or caller. Its prime directive is to paddle in complete unison. It is not always the strongest team that wins, but the one that is best able to work together. “One boat—one paddle” is a dragon boat’s mantra. |
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by Brenda The voters in the Regional District responded July 17 to Powell River’s desperate need for a shelter for homeless, abused and injured animals. The present situation requires volunteers to pre-empt their own lives in order to take calls, make calls, pick up and deliver, and search for kind-hearted people willing to take in a homeless or unwanted dog or cat (and many other critters!) and foster that animal until a suitable home can be found. Many many volunteers work very hard, giving of their free time and resources, to ensure that Powell River’s innocent creatures are cared for in the best way possible. There is a new SCPA shelter waiting in the wings, however, since funding for operating expenses was dependent on the July referendum. Specifying an annual $75,000 contribution towards the operation of this new shelter, the referendum resulted in a landslide victory for animals in need. Shared by residents of Powell River and surrounding electoral areas, that amount comes to an estimated cost of $5.00 per year for the average residential property. This is a nominal amount of money for each of us to pay—less than the cost of a latte, an inexpensive bottle of wine, a package of cigarettes, a dinner out or a bag of dog kibble.... We will soon have an SPCA shelter in Powell River! Woofs of joy and thank-mew for your vote! |
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Powell River’s Hot Summer Night Market is back for a third season with a new mix of goods to Willingdon Beach every Thursday, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm, until August 26. That’s nine weeks of eclectic local shopping you can’t find anywhere else! Local textile artist Amber Friedman stepped up to the plate as Coordinator this year. Amber has worked with the New Brunswick Crafts Council as festival coordinator as well as coordinating arts events for Fredericton’s New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. Vendors back for a return engagement include Moe’s Kitchen, with yummy home cookin’ and fruity juices; one-of-a-kind ceramics and jewelry from Funktifyd Creations; Kissing Fish Studio, art & photography by Powell River artist Mischa Brooks-Thoma; hand-dyed and handspun yarns by Danika Reeve of Spinswim Studio; unique tie-dyed and silkscreened fashions from International Fabric; beautiful pottery by Brenda Neall of Down-to-Earth Clayworks; and the faithful and fabulous Doreen with her table of treasures with all of her proceeds going to support the Powell River soup kitchen. New regular vendors this year include Velma Richmond and her natural soaps; the Lund Farmers’ Co-op with fresh produce; Periwinkle Granary with fresh pasta, milled flours and muffin mixes, and the CHPPPR (Community Heritage Publishing Project Powell River) partners with some of Powell River’s first totally local books!. |
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by Katherine Ray The cat’s out of the bag in once sleepy Cranberry. Remember Wilshire’s? Right across from Cranberry Pottery? Where you can get yourself and your dog a haircut just two doors apart? Around the corner from local veggies at Mitchell’s? Now you’ll have an even better reason to hit the high road north—6762 Cranberry Street. 
Katz Meow Café and Emporium plans to enlarge the tradition of historic Wilshire’s as a place where the community can gather and enjoy company with fresh food (preferably from within 100 miles). Once a store and soda fountain, the location will now be an eatery and performance venue where musicians, writers and theatre people can amuse and amaze us with their craft and aspiring artists can try out their stuff on the stage. There will be eye candy aplenty, too, in the form of art and crafts by local creators.
The walls will be graced by the works of a new artist every month or so, with “closing parties” at the end of the show. Meghan Hildebrand’s work is now on view, with Louise Gloslee and then Skye Morrison in the line-up.
The Live Poets’ Guild will meet at Katz Meow on Tuesday evenings, 5 to 7 p.m., for poetry sharing, sometimes followed by Open Mike, a spoken-word performance or a book launch. Wednesdays, Randy Pinchbeck will host a jam night for musicians of all stripes. August 6 the café will welcome Slim Milkie and his music. Check Powell River Direct, or Facebook’s page for Katz Meow, to keep up with events.
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by Laura Kew Almost 65 years ago, the first atomic bomb dropped. On August 6, 1945, the world changed forever when the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki put the world on notice that the nuclear age had dawned. From the moment the first pictures of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were published, the people of the world began to organise to demand that these weapons never be used again. Today, the choices between war and peace, health and security, even the survival or demise of humankind on earth, are as stark as ever. 
Dr. Sylvia Keet, a member of Physicans for Global Survival who encouraged our mayor to become a member of Mayors for Peace, organised the first Powell River Citizens’ Peace Panel, part of the national organization Citizens for Peace. Dr. Keet also organised the first Peace Lantern Ceremony here, a tradition which continues. Now retired to Vancouver Island, she will return as guest speaker at the Annual Hiroshima & Nagasaki Remembrance Commemoration and Peace Lantern Ceremony to be held Friday, August 6th, 2010. An ancient tradition, the Lantern Ceremony now commemorates those who died in the world’s first two nuclear attacks, expressing hope that nuclear weapons will never be used again. Each lantern symbolises a personal commitment to create peace in this world and hope for the future. Participants can create a lantern, and send it out on the water at dusk.
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Immanence staff, Thanks so much for your progressive voice in this age of skepticism and new age cliquish dialogue! I’ve glanced at this publication haphazardly over the past few years, but I finally took some time with your winter 2010 issue and was surprised and astounded. The articles I read were amazingly clear and to the point with a definite progressive attitude that is quite refreshing in these days of widespread pessimism. As a somewhat over-the-hill child of the sixties, I’ve gone through many different phases in a lifetime of constant change. I’m sorry to admit that I was starting to lose hope. I watch as we seem to continue to spiral downwards with over consumption and and destruction of limited resources. The breath of fresh air I experienced when I read the Immanence articles rekindled my hopes for tomorrow. Here’s a few lines I wrote for you....
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by Esther Dyck HAVE YOU HEARD? - You are invited to a commoners party on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at the Rainbow Room, Rodmay Hote from 7:00—10:00 pm. Admission is free, but donations are gladly welcome. The Chamber of Commoners (not to be confused with the Powell River Chamber of Commerce) is the heart of Powell River. Our community, non-profit, and other people-based groups are coming together to talk with each other and to exchange information and views in an informal setting. The Chamber of Commoners is a social gathering, not a meeting. Join us! SNACKS PROVIDED. CASH BAR - WINE AND BEER Door Prizes! Organization Speed Dating! Catch up with everyone all at once! Please RSVP as soon as possible to chamberofcommoners@gmail.com. There is a limit to the room occupancy and space is filling up! We would love to see you there!
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by Barb Rees Are you ready to take your writing to the next level? Do you need more tools in your writing kit? You’re just starting out and want encouragement? All this and more awaits you as the former Festival of Writers, all grown up into a world-class Writers’ Conference, celebrates its 7th anniversary. Presenters include Heidi Greco with “The Prickly Art of Self-Editing” and award-winning author Brian Brett on creative non-fiction with “Writing Your Life.” Federation of BC Writers’ Director Sylvia Taylor offers a master class on “Building Your Professional Platform: A Blueprint for Success.” Canadian Association of Authors’ President, Anthony Dalton, brings his master class, “Don’t Give Away All Your Rights: Understanding Publishing Contracts.” Back by popular demand, the writing contest, this year entitled “So You Think You Can Write”, offers cash prizes and conference registration. Join us for entertaining opening ceremonies on April 30 at Dwight Hall as Powell River’s version of American Idol judges take on the contest winners. Contestants will write poetry or prose using “Take it to the next level” as the theme. A West Coast Writers’ Banquet on May 1 at 6:00 p.m wraps up the weekend with entertainment. Everyone welcome! For the first time, PRWC Society is offering sponsorship to people who are serious about writing but have financial difficulties. Businesses or individuals have the opportunity to sponsor a writer’s $120 registration or a portion thereof. Writers who want to be considered should write a letter outlining how serious they are about writing, why financial circumstances make it a hardship to attend, and what they can pay towards registration. Sponsors’ names are posted online and on some promotional material. Send requests or offers to sponsor to: Powell River Writers Conference, #14-7624 Duncan St. Powell River, V8A 5L2 |
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One advantage of the diverse horizons and backgrounds in Powell River is the possibility of open cultural exchange. The new Powell River Diversity Initiative (PRDI) starts this year in creative and exciting ways to make Powell River an even more welcoming and inclusive place to live and visit. During the next five months, the Powell River Employment Program Society kicks off a series of fun events where people of all ages, both long-term residents and newcomers, can share their stories in a variety of ways. At a potluck dinner in March, families will enjoy a great movie on a theme that will encourage sharing their own stories and experiences. In April, teenagers will be invited to express themselves at their own chili dinner and a movie. PRDI plans to collect culturally diverse recipes, with their accompanying stories, from interested community members at these events and elsewhere. This “Community Secret Recipe Book” will then be published! An art exhibit, the “There and Here Art Show”, will be the PRDI’s culminating event in May. Community members can display their paintings, collages, prose and poetry, and photography depicting their cultural homeland or scenes of their current habitat in Powell River. The PREPS received funding from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development for this project. The Open Cultural Exchange Project team is excited to participate in this great diversity project with all of you! —Miyuki Kamiya, Assistant Coordinator, PRDI |
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by Eva van Loon The idea of IPPWA is to walk the International Peace Poem--just parts of it, as the whole thing is now over 90,000 lines in length--from one community to the next and to take part in peace-related activities at each destination. The purposes of the new society include public education about peace and peace-building, as well as publication and promotion of peace poetry. Initial directors are Allan Brown, Randy Pinchbeck, Barb Rees, Lyla Smith, and Eva van Loon. IPPWA takes on the sponsorship of the Youth Peace-Poem Competition and the publication of the PRIPPA annual anthology of winning poems from that competition.The Live Poets’ Guild, who started the Competition in 2008, will continue to co-ordinate both activities. The Competition ends with an Awards Ceremony, April 8 at the Max Cameron Theatre, with poetry, lyrics and music. Well known singer-songwriter Valdy will conduct a song-writing workshop and perform with some of the Competition’s participants. IPPWA welcomes new members and look forward to public support and ideas from the public for showcasing the ideals of peace and poetry. |
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