Wouldn't it be AMAZING to go around the world for a good cause like Rick Hansen did?? I know it would be hard to leave work, pack your bags and just go so.... here is good way to start your adventure.

 Come and join us at the Northern Vac Track at the Pomeroy Sport Center on February 15 until March 15, 2012 for the "Many in Motion Walking Challenge" and see how many kilometers you can do in a month.  You will be surprised how far you can go!

 If you have any questions or want to know more about the 25th anniversary Rick Hansen Relay visit our website www.fortstjohn.ca under Community Programs.

A special Thank you to the City of Fort St John for providing us with the picture for this event.

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 years. He was born and raised in the Peace and has lead the local High On Ice team for the last five years in park and site preparations. He is an artist by hobby and a successful entrepreneur by trade. Jesse promises to provide hands on techniques and ice loads of fun.

Instructor Sonja Butts is one of FSJs most recognized artists and the local and professional judge for High On Ice for two consecutive years. She was born and raised in the Peace and has added to the beauty to our community with her art and continues to showcase her pieces. She is an artist at heart and a Director of the FSJ Community Arts Council. Sonja promises to share carving tips and help awaken your spirit with your artistic creations.

The registration deadline is Thursday, February 9th, 2012 so get your forms in and unlease your creative spirit on the ice!

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 showcase of the creative works will be featured at Stage NorthÆs Annual Oscar Night on the Big Screen on February 26. A fashion show and art exhibit opens at On the Rocks Nightclub on Sunday with the Red Carpet at 5pm and Fashion Show at 7:30pm. The Oscars will be shown on the big screen as they happen live in Hollywood. Tickets are only $15 and available online at tickets.npp.bc.ca or at the NPCC box office. 

This unique event is one of a kind and has caught the imagination of many artists. A Youtube video located under Fashion and Form was created by Stage North member Karen Rutledge with the help of local actors and former mayor, Bruce Lantz. Email enquiries have come from as far away as Manchester, England.  

Stage North has partnered with Northern Environmental Action Team who has recycling at the top of their list and the Fort St. John Community Arts Council who encourages new creative projects. Along with Dimitri Karampalas at On the Rocks, Stage North and Fort St. John will be the first to stage a fashion show and art exhibit with recycled movie film.   

Participants have until February 6 to register and all fashions and artworks are to be delivered by February 22. For further information:  www.stagenorth.ca or phone 250-785-6214. 

Yes - it was very cold yesterday - but if you haven't had a chance to checkout the High on Ice Festival, you really should.

I bundled up as much as I could, and lugged out my super cold metal camera and took a few shots.  The process actually was more like I took a few shots, ran back to my car to warm up for 10 minutes, and then ran back out to take more pictures until I was too cold and gave up.

It's a pretty neat experience seeing these guys make such complicated works-of-art out of ice.  It's facinating to watch.  I hope these pictures do it some justice.

I've posted a few pics to our facebook page.

or if you're not into facebook, you can see them on Flickr

Enjoy!

Having an outdoor festival is always challenge - you can't depend on the weather and we know that Fort St. John is particularly finicky. However, there are times when things work out just in time and this year High On Ice is really happy for that! The ice is here, the slides are built, and Centennial Park is looking icily magical. Tonight is the Opening Ceremonies for High On Ice at 6:30pm in Centennial Park. Come see the winter wonderland that has been built in the middle of town, meet the ice carvers who are building masterpieces out of massive blocks of ice, take a slide down the ice slide hill and experience some winter fun!

Did you know... ?

30 loads of snow were trucked in from other locations for ice slides hill.

It's the first year the ice slides have been created by local artists.

The park is brought to magical winter life by the "ice fairy", Angela Loftus.

The ice blocks used to make the slides are 250lbs each.

The carvers use Clinebell ice - grade A, diamond crystal ice made in downtown Vancouver.

This year's carving theme is Forces of Nature.

8th Annual High On Ice – Ice &  Snow Competition is proudly hosted by The Fort St. John Community Arts Council and will be happening January 13th to 15th in Centennial Park. People of all ages are invited to celebrate spectacular sparkling creations carved from ice. Sculpting events by professional and amateur carvers will take place all weekend long, with the amateur event featuring the annual ‘Mayor’s Challenge’ on Saturday and the “Media Challenge” on Sunday. Take in the snow and ice carving competitions in Centennial Park at the following dates and times:

Schedule of Events:  Centennial Park

Thursday, January 12  6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Welcome Reception

Friday, January 13   1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Single Block Competition

                                      10:30 am - 11:45 am Carver’s Connection Meeting

                                       6:00 pm - 10:00 pm Professional carving competition begins

Saturday, January 14  8:00 am - 10:00 pm Professional carving competition continues

                                          9:00am - 4:00 pm Amateur Ice Carving

Sunday, January 15 8:00 am - 2:00 pm Professional carving competition completion

                                       9:00 am - 3:00 pm Snow Sculpting

                                       2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Judging

                                       4:00 pm Awards Ceremony

                                       5:00 pm Fire & Ice Display

For even more High On Ice community events check out the schedule!

Fort St. John’s premiere winter event, the High on Ice Winter Festival, is set for January 12 – 15, 2012. The featured event – the professional ice carving competition – brings in carvers from around the world to compete in British Columbia’s only sanctioned ice carving event.

This year’s competition theme, Force of Nature, will surely inspire some icy masterpieces.

In addition to the professional competition, some of the other highlights include an amateur ice carving competition, a snow sculpting event, sleigh rides, curling bonspiel, snowmobile group ride, ice fishing derby, pond hockey challenge, live entertainment, and the very popular ice slides will be back for another year.

"Fort St John's High on Ice festival has become an opportunity for the community to celebrate our winter season” said Mayor Lori Ackerman. The 2012 event schedule is full of activities both indoors and out. The ice carvings by the professionals differ every year and never cease to amaze us. This is something you do not want to miss!"
High on Ice is a joint venture between the City of Fort St. John, Fort St. John Community Arts Council, and many other community groups and volunteers.

For a full schedule of events and more information, visit High On Ice.

It's one of the most unique and community-spirited events that happens in Fort St. John and it's back! Music That Moves You is coming back for a special holiday edition on December 13th.

If you've never had the Music That Moves You experience, come down to the North Peace Cultural Centre at 7pm and enjoy hot cocoa and cookies while you wait for the bus. But this isn't the bus you remember from school days or those late-night commutes - it's a rollickin' transit bus full of local musicians and live holiday music. And it’s free! Hop on and hop off at any stop along the route and enjoy the music with your family and friends.

Not only that, but wear your tackiest Christmas sweater (blinking Rudolph noses and all) to win a prize!

Thanks to the City of Fort St. John and BC Transit - commutes have never been so fun.

Happy Holidays from Northern Groove!

We've got tons of great stuff for you this month like interviews with Fay ... and Faye! They talk about their passions and the creative things they do. There's thoughts while travelling from Tony Warriner, a backstage peek at the cast of Charlie Brown, tales of multi-cultural Christmases, cartoons from Tyson Mowatt and Rainbow Owl...

And of course the always spetacular Gift Guide! Full of local artists and artisans sharing their great and unique gift ideas - from pottery to seatbelt purses and handknitted touques to paintings. And speaking of paintings, our awesome cover girl is Sarah DeMaid, a local painter and contributer to the Gift Guide and she makes a great coffee at Patch Java!

We've got Music to Move You and getting cool with tattoos as well as eco-friendly gift options. There's tons more but you'll have to check it out for yourself...

Northern Groove December 2011 Issue

Back by popular demand, “Music That Moves You” is back for the holiday season on Tuesday, December 13, 2011. Residents are encouraged to hop on the transit bus and enjoy live holiday music performed by local musicians.

This festive event is free and promises tons of fun for the whole family! Enjoy a mug of hot chocolate as you wait for the bus at the North Peace Cultural Centre. Just for fun, wear your tackiest holiday sweater for a chance to win a prize!

The bus will be travelling the Southside Route. The event kicks off at 7pm at the North Peace Cultural Centre, though riders may hop on or off at any stop along the Southside Route. The event runs from 7:00 – 9:00pm. A special thank you to our partners: BC Transit, the North Peace Cultural Centre, and Northern Groove.

There may be a hundred feet of snow out there, but this weekend at the North Peace Cultural Centre, Alex Cuba is heating things up with some Cuban rhythms.

At 5:30pm tomorrow, you can hang out with Alex and his afro at an awesome and inspiring Face The Music session. It's only five bucks and you can learn from Alex's experiences as a Grammy-winning artist and maybe pick up a few tips and tricks.

Face The Music with Alex Cuba, Saturday, November 19th at 5:30pm!

And don't forget your tickets to the Alex Cuba show on Saturday, November 19th at 7pm - Tickets are $40.00 Adult, $35.00 Seniors/Youth, $25/12 and under.  Tickets are available at the box office, by phone at (250) 785-1992 or online.

Forget the snow and cold, because the North Peace Cultural Centre is going Cuban!