Northern Groove

Registrations are now being accepted for Amateur and Intermediate Ice & Snow Carving in the 6th annual High On Ice Festival, January 14 – 17, 2010.

Currently the FSJ Community Arts Council is busy planning for the Ice and Snow Carving Competition at the High On Ice Festival. This year's theme is Spirit Within and the event will be held in Centennial Park, downtown Fort St. John. Hundreds of spectators come to this weekend event to watch carvers turn blocks of ice into creative works of art. The City of Fort St John’s High on Ice Festival is recognized as a signature community event and a celebration of visual art and local culture is brought to the event through the ice and snow carving events and competitions.

Registrations for Amateur Ice and Snow Carving Registration are due January 8, 2010. You can download the Amateur and Intermediate Registration Form by clicking on the following link: http://www.fortstjohn.ca/files/HOI_amateur_2010.pdf

Amateur Ice Carving events invite community teams to enter in beginner or intermediate community categories on the Saturday 16th January. Ice and snow events foster our local artists and provide a venue for new enthusiasts to develop their skills and techniques related to carving, and offers a community based venue to showcase, celebrate, and promote Fort St John’s talented residents.

Amateur Snow Carving events are designed to be a fun activity for the whole family to take part in. The ease of working with snow allows everyone to help create a work of art in a block of snow. Community snow sculptors will have a snow block for each team with friends, family and colleagues helping with their creation during the day on Sunday 17th January.

As part of the Amateur competition, the City of Fort St John also hosts an annual “Mayor’s Challenge” wherein dignitaries from area communities are invited to bring a team to the event to compete for bragging rights (and a trophy!).  There is also a Media Challenge for local and regional teams.

The High On Ice Festival’s Professional Carving Competition is known globally as a premier competition for carvers. Further, the masterpieces created each year by professional and amateur carvers alike offer a unique attraction in Northern Canada and make Fort St. John and established winter visitors’ destination. Teams from around the world , including Latvia, Japan, Russia, USA and Canada, will compete in BC’s only National Ice Carving Association (NICA) sanctioned event offering over $15,000 in prizes to be won.

Professional carvers can compete in two artistic categories: Abstract or Realistic, and all works must be created within the theme, Spirit Within. A maximum of 8 teams (or 16 competitors) are accepted for this competition.

Join the Fort St John Community Arts Council in what is sure to be a fun filled event for the whole family. Get ready to don your hats and mittens and come on out to marvel at the wondrous ice sculptures and cheer your favorite team on!

Please visit the City of Fort St. John's website (under Community Programs) for more information on High On Ice: www.­fortstjohn.­ca

Find us on Facebook group by searching "High on Ice 2010 - Ice Carving Competition" and check out this video from last year's festival: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV2vHSvGPlQ.

For further information contact Niki Hedges - Ice Carving Competition Cordinator 250-793-0530 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

As a part of its Christmas Elves Program, The FSJ Community Arts Council presents: Holiday Movie Nights at the Lido

Everyone loves classic holiday films. Take a trip down memory lane, or at least take the kids!

SUNDAY DEC 13 7:00PM • National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

MONDAY DEC 14 7:00PM • A Christmas Carol

TUESDAY DEC 15 7:00PM • How The Grinch Stole Christmas

THURSDAY DEC 17 7:00PM • Elf

MONDAY DEC 21 3:00PM - MATINEE • The Muppet Christmas Carol

MONDAY DEC 21 7:00PM • It’s A Wonderful Life

TUESDAY DEC 22 3:00PM – MATINEE • Jack Frost

TUESDAY DEC 22 7:00PM • Miracle on 34th Street

Tickets are $5 at the Lido Theatre

For more information please call The Lido @ 250-785-3011

As further entertainment put on by The Fort St. John Community Arts Council the council would like to present "Raising Our Voices" as part of An Elves Christmas on Sunday, December 21 at 7:00 PM. The show will feature a variety of entertainers and is sure to be an engaging evening. All seats are $18.00 you can get yours on-line by following our Northern Groove link to the North Peace Cultural Centre on-line box office or at the North Peace Cultural Centre at the corner of 100th and 100th. You can also reach the box office and get more information about upcoming events at the North Peace Cultural Centre by phoning (250)785-1992 and of course by checking Northern Groove as often as possible! Help support The Fort St. John Community Arts Council as it is a non-profit organization that is working for a better community by supporting and developing arts and culture.  For more information about the Elves Christmas or the Raising our Voices event, checkout the Arts Council Website (www.fsjarts.org)

Facebook Event Info @ http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=37053918684

Fort St John is becoming such a booming city with so many events happening year round. Everything from Ice carving to painted Flowerpots, world class Irish dancing, to Beauty & the Beast musical theatre productions, Christmas Tree Auctions to rock concerts…..and one of the major driving forces behind these events is the Fort St John Community Art Council.
So you want to know what this has to do with local bands and artists in the Area….well let me tell you. The FSJ Arts Council is major supporter of local arts in the area. It’s not just paintings and theater…they are here to encourage all the arts in our community.
Last year was a year of new things for the arts council…moving it to a new building, starting new pilot projects including the “Elves Christmas”, a new project started with the help of organizers Kate O’Neil and myself, Tara Vandyke. “Elves Christmas” included two evening concerts, a night of hot chocolate, and a tree auction.
The first year was a real learning experience for all of us. It’s amazing how one has all these ideas running through their head …but doesn’t often get the opportunity to try them out.
I was asked last year by the FSJ Arts Council to help organize the Elves Christmas Events with my great partner in crime Kate O’Neil. To put together a series of events that would show case the local talent that we have in the arts…incorporating the old Festival of Trees. So there I am, grandiose ideas racing through my mind about what we could do…..you see, we have the quilters, the spinner & weavers, multiple dance societies, local artists, local musicians, the theater society and so much more. We wanted to include them all.
It’s really like giving some one the lottery and saying okay have fun. So I went where my heart desired for this first year project. I love music…it’s my favorite thing and although I don’t love every type of music I appreciate the talent it takes to compose and perform it, particularly since I definitely am lacking in those skills. I thought this would be an excellent way to showcase some of the amazing musical talent that we have in our own community.
Although there were several events that happened with the Elves Christmas, the ones that excited me the most were the two concerts. They were completely opposite on the scale when it came to genre and style…even the type of audience that were drawn were different.
The first concert was “Christmas Karaoke with Mind Set”…now don’t get confused, Mind Set did not do karaoke although it would be interesting (traumatic) to see Mike Stanberg belt out “Oops I Did it Again “ Brittany Spears version.
It was actually a Karaoke contest that had Mind Set playing a set before after. The participants sang different Christmas songs, all competing for $500.00 in prizes. Then while the judges made their choices Mind Set did one of their absolutely fabulous sets…and really got the crowd going. Although there were only about 100 people put at the event , which was held at the NP Cultural Center…these guys put on a concert as if they where playing for a whole stadium of fans, and the audience could feel it. There was defiantly a lot of hoot ’n an’ hollering going on and I’m sure the guys knew they where appreciated.
The second concert event was “Raising Our Voices” which was more of a traditional Christmas performance by Peace Harmony , Unto Him, and the Goertzen Family. These three groups have a real love and passion for music and it shows in their performances. I have to tell you that “Silent Night” brought tears to my eyes… the way they sang was so soothing, you almost felt like you could hear angels singing in the background with them. Each group sang a selection of songs as a group then they all joined together as a mass choir for the last two songs…leaving everyone in the audience wanting more.
I have to tell you these concerts really nailed it home for me about the amazing talent that we have in the community. They are so diverse and there is really something for everyone.

The Fort St. John Arts Council put on an excellent show last night at the Fort St. John Cultural Centre.  The main event of the evening consisted of a karaoke contest open to the entire peace region with three major prizes, the first being $250 dollars!  The evening kicked off with an amazing performance by the talented local band Mindset.  You can hear songs form Mindsets first album "Remember the Day" by clicking "Listen to Local Music Now" at the top of the site.

Skipping straight to the results, the grand prize winner of $250 of best karaoke performance goes to Dawson Creeks own Heidi Anderson!  Second place of a cool $150 goes to the powerful voice of eleven year old Kara Michaluk.  Third place goes to the talented Shawna Lizotte.  Other performers of the evening included Floyd Lavitt, Natasha Neufeld, Cindy Oldfield, and Debby Smith.  Congratulations to all!

To hear the performances click the play button below!

Heidi Anderson - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree