I love my job. I have the privilege of working with Evangel Chapel, bringing great events to the community of Fort St John such as Party in the Park and Candy Planet. At a recent staff meeting the question of Valentine’s day came up. Could we plan a super awesome, heart-themed event for the community? Should we? Of course! 

The discussion brought up all the usual Valentine ideas. Couples, time together, family, love. And for our area in particular, the notion of the craziness of ‘the patch’ lifestyle and what that can do to a family or relationship and the sort of special support that might be needed. Before I knew it, we …

The word “Seasons” evokes a wide variety of ideas for each of us. We are immersed in the seasons in our environment, as well as the seasons of our times, and the seasons of our own lives. Two years ago, six creative women from either side of the mighty Peace River gathered together to form INSPIRATION 6. Mary Parslow and Mary Mottishaw from Dawson Creek joined imaginative forces with the North Peace’s Cindy Vincent, Sandy Troudt, Judy Templeton and Barbara Daley. They were each in a season of their lives where creative expression was becoming a priority. They started with a website designed by Cary Walters, …

Claire Maeryn Turner, 10 years old, loves playing the guitar almost more than she likes scoring goals in soccer games.  Three years ago she started begging her parents for a guitar and a year later, they finally agreed.  She and her mom searched for "guitar teacher in Fort St. John" and called the first name on the list, Doug Palmer.  Claire and Doug have been a jamming team for 2 years.  

Claire loves performing!  "When I am playing guitar, I feel like I can show my inner self.  I like how I can express myself with songs.  Songs are about feelings, not just music." (quote from Claire when asked why she likes music.) 

Come support …

This weekend I learned a little bit about my Scottish ancestry.  I was privileged enough to be able to witness and take part in the celebration of the well known Scottish poet, Robbie Burns Day.  For those who attended... this event needs no further explanation.

For those who have never been... there are no combination of words which I am capable of putting together which may accurately describe this event.  All you need to know is that this is an event that you should mark on your calendar and experience... at least once, in your lifetime.

And - I ate Haggis for the first time. I was told by the organizers it's actually mostly oatmeal. ... …

February.....the month of hearts and cupids and roses and chocolates and love and romance and other mushy stuff.  And, this month the mag features the perfect way to score points with a loved one, secret crush, romantic entanglement, significant other, etc with a Valentines Day Sing-a-Gram.  Details?  Yep...shared by a couple local chanteuses...Emily Goodman and Naomi Shore.  This month's cover features local singin' and strummin' type guys, Joseph Te Bulte and Adam Winn who are playing the Breakfast Room at the Pomeroy Hotel Feb 9 (get your tix on this here very website).  Barb Daley informs us about Inspiration 6 bringing "Seasons" to …

The stories I like best are the ones of seemingly every day folk, who oppose all odds, and seem to somehow still figure out a way to do the things that they love to do.,

Adam Winn and Joseph Te Bulte are two of these kinds of people.

To me, both Adam and Joseph seem to encompass what I could imagine being a very similar situation as many residents in Fort St. John around their age... They both have skilled careers, family responsibilities, a house and mortgage, and all of the expected stresses and obligations that seem to be associated with these things.

But what really sets these guys apart, is that somehow in amongst the everyday life …

Them local quilters! ...they're always up to something!  Checkout the great way these local artists have been using their artistic talents to benefit the learning minds of today!

The quilt featured in this picture above was made by Janette Schneider with the assistance of Olga Braun.  They are part of a local quilting guild that has donated quilts in the past to the Salvation army for local families in need.

Two months ago, Janette took some of her extra quilting blocks that had been set aside and decided to make a quilt for donation to the SD60 meals program.  The program is coordinated by Vice-Principal Dave Burridge and supports students …

Willow Moon Internal Arts Invites you to attend our Chinese New Year Celebration on Thursday, January 26th at the Bert Ambrose School Gym 7:30 -8:30 p.m.
(following the regular Thursday evening beginners class)

There will be Chinese tea, Tai Chi demonstrations and a social. Invite a friend or family members!

2012 – The Year of The Water Dragon: Good Fortune – Everything is Going to Move. According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2012 is the Year of the Black Water Dragon, which begins on January 23, 2012 and ends on February 9, 2013. The Water Dragon Year occurs only every 60 years.

According to Chinese tradition, the water element …

We are still High on Ice!

Perhaps you would like to join us for a day of fun with ice - we hope you say yes! Come join us in “Finding your Creative Spirit”. All interested people are encouraged to attend, artistic ability or not, we will help you find your ability and spirit within.

The Fort St. John Community Arts Council in partnership with the City of Fort St. John present: the FSJ Ice Carving Workshop "Finding your Creative Spirit” on Saturday, February 11, 2012 at Centennial Park form 9 amd to 4 pm. Registration is only $25 and lunch is provided.

Instructor Jesse Forrester FSJs professional carving competitor for three consecutive …

...Well, they never really went away. But as with many Peace Region bands, they've undergone their fair share of lineup changes and accompanying hiatus's (um hiatuses?) ... time off.  With the departure of FSJ's esteemed percustitute, Mitch Guindon, remaining members Adam Perrin and Tyson Mowat were not to be left alone for long. Ryan Hennessey offered up his services to fill the vacancy. He says:

"I'd been a fan and a friend of The Suspicious for years, since the first Rockin the Peace event. When Mitch left, I could see the growth that the band had undergone, the set that they had built, I knew I'd have a good time playing drums with them. …

The reels of movie film as we know it are coming to an end. Along with the demise of photographic film and conventional cameras, celluloid film will be a thing of the past. Movies will soon come to the local cinema on digital. The familiar saying of left on the cutting room floor will take on a new meaning.  

Stage North has found a way to celebrate the well-known strips of black mini-frames by challenging creative people to make wearable art and art forms out of recycled movie film. As a Landmark Cinema, the local Aurora is making the switch gradually this spring and has supplied rolls of film for all competitors in the challenge.   

A …

When entering Alli Peck’s home it is clear the fun and warmth that unfold here. She is a mother of four and has no issues joking about the chaos that often comes with having children. Alli is a local artist, mother and wife who has been involved in photography for six years. Originally trained in commercial photography, Alli knew that her direction needed to change when she moved into the North. With Fort St. John being such a young community, Alli began her company Glow Portraits, specializing in Belly, Baby and Boudoir photos.

Unfortunately, moving to the North meant Alli had to leave her parents. Saying goodbye was a hard step but Alli …

Finding time to learn, even for just 15 minutes a day together with your child can be hard to do.  But, the benefits of this time together, whether reading and writing, playing and exercising, or simply talking about your day, are far-reaching and beneficial for everyone.

If you haven’t started putting aside 15 minutes a day for family learning, Family Literacy Day offers the perfect opportunity to start. Established in 1999 by ABC Life Literacy Canada, the initiative encourages families to participate in fun learning activities to improve literacy skills for both the adult and child. It takes place annually on January 27.

ABC Life Literacy …

Sooo…..a little birdy stopped me this past weekend at the Fort St John Bridal show (Russell Eggleston) and told me that one of BC’s premier talents was coming back to town this Tuesday. Now, I’m not a musical guru or anything, not even close actually, but I do appreciate talent when I see it! Ari Neufeld is on his way back to the Peace, playing the breakfast room at the Pomeroy Hotel/Casino tomorrow night! This guy is totally understated and under appreciated! The news literally made my weekend!

My wife and I first heard of Ari and saw him play at Whole Wheat and Honey this past fall and LOVED his music. He really does combine a …

One of the amazing things about Fort St. John, is that I'm always meeting new cool musicians who have recently moved into town!  I met Kyle Bischke 2 weeks ago.  As a bartender at Tony Roma's, he was asked to perform a few songs at the Pomeroy Christmas Party... After hearing him, and without a second thought, I thought it would be awesome if Kyle would be intereted in opening up for the upcoming Ari Neufeld Show.

So, here's the news:

Kyle's will be performing one of his original tunes, never before heard, tomorrow night - Jan 24th - at The Breakfast Room!  He'll be playing a handful of cool covers, and setting the mood for the evenign! …

Stage North is celebrating 35 years of quality live theatre in Fort St. John. Having its roots with Workshop Players, Stage North began in 1977 when Northern Lights College launched a drama program as part of its curriculum. Over 150 productions later, Stage North is thriving in 2012. Look for more from the archives of local theatre throughout the year in celebration of 35 years of Stage North.

Where Does The Money Go?

Gone are the days when a live theatre production cost in the low hundreds to stage. In the 60’s and 70’s, Workshop Players in Fort St. John took over a gymnasium of an elementary school for a weekend, pulled together …

CANCELLED: Due to unforseen work circumstances, Brad will not be able to make it back to town for this show. He is planning another show for this spring, once work has slowed down, and we hope you will be able to make it!

Shortly after his last show at Patch Java on October 27th 2011 Brad Langerud began a life changing journey of physical, emotional and spiritual growth. The show was a great success and brought many people together; children and adults alike smiled and sang the night away. Everyone walked away from the evening with laughter and lifted spirits. Little did we know that the days following the show would bring about some of the …

I’ve been to many great open mics and coffee houses in B.C and across the country and Fort St. John’s Wednesday Open Mic at Egan’s is up at the top with the best of them.

The night started out with some rockin tunes sung by the open mics host Ryan Hennessey  followed by a great bunch of musicians  ranging in styles from Heavy metal renditions to Johnny cash covers and everything in between.

Notable mention is Hilding Donaldson who played the saw with a violin bow. I played with local singer song writer Adam Winn and also with a fellow Shuswap musician Danielle Prince who recently has relocated to Ft St John.

After everyone on the sign-up …

Snow crunches beneath my feet, but the world is silent. On this frozen moonlit night my senses are muted, leaving space for my mind to wander to and fro. My imagination gathers wishes and dreams as I watch shooting starts draw their white tails of light across the skies black canvas.

Ptolemy had a theory that stars slipped from the sky when gods peaked down from the heavens. He believed that in these small instances a window of opportunity was opened where whispered wishes reached the ears of the gods.

Some call it a wish, while others call it prayer. Whatever your spiritual belief may be there is undoubtedly strength in the power of thought and …

African Guitar Summit

The African Guitar Summit is performing at The North Peace Cultural Centre on January 23 at 7:30.

Face The Music Workshop with African Guitar Summit - Monday January 23 at 5:30 at the North Peace Cultural Centre

Alright, so as a musician I dream of concerts like this. Nine guitar players of African descent touring together to showcase some of the best music this planet has to offer. As a young percussionist the music of Africa was so intriguing. The melodies are intricate and beautiful. The rhythms create a pulse that makes you dance and groove. Once I started to explore African music I soon came to the truth that the …