Vernon鈥檚 Polson Park is bustling with creatives of all stripes.
The province chose Vernon to kick off BC Culture Days Friday, Sept. 23. It鈥檚 the start of a province-wide celebration of arts and culture which will run for three weeks until Oct. 16.
鈥淚n Canada, and here in B.C., Culture Days is an invitation to residents, and everyone who makes our province so dynamic, to celebrate who we are and where we came from,鈥� said Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. 鈥淲e are proud to proclaim BC Culture Days and to support communities with free and affordable events that celebrate our diverse history 鈥� together.鈥�
An opening ceremony was held in the park, organized by the Arts Council of North Okanagan in partnership with Tourism Vernon. Carolin Ivey, a member of the national Culture Days board, presented the 2022 Volunteerism in the Arts award to Maya Preshyon, founder of the Vancouver Black Library, which offers resources and workspaces for people of colour.
Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu attended the opening ceremony to present a provincial proclamation.
鈥淐ulture Days is an important nationwide designation to strengthen and increase awareness, appreciation, participation and engagement in the arts and cultural life of communities,鈥� Sandhu said. 鈥淚n B.C., we have so much to celebrate. This province鈥檚 vibrant culture enriches our lives in countless ways and makes our communities inspiring and dynamic places to live and raise our families. It is through sharing our culture that we grow closer as a community.鈥�
More than a dozen arts and culture organizations were set up in the park holding activities, from face painting to button-making to teaching about all sorts of different arts and crafts.
Live music from local bands will fill the airwaves in the park, and the celebration goes all day until 9 p.m. Children鈥檚 acts took place in the morning, with the afternoon鈥檚 events for all ages. In the evening, an upbeat concert will be hosted by Local Losers.
鈥淚鈥檓 super excited because I鈥檓 able to bring a lot of young people to this space to listen to music and have a good time and utilize the park, which I feel is under-utilized a lot of the time,鈥� said organizer Noah MacLeod, who runs Local Losers and sits on the board of the local arts council.
Tris White, also an organizer of the event, said it was exciting to see the many booths get set up to host some fun for the whole family.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really exciting to see people celebrating arts and culture, and some of the performers that we鈥檝e got lined up, I鈥檓 really excited about what they鈥檙e going to do,鈥� White said.
Amanda Shatzko, Regional District of North Okanagan鈥檚 Electoral Area C director, was among those in attendance Friday morning. She鈥檚 a former ambassador for BC Culture Days.
鈥淚 found when I first participated in culture days back in 2015 I was able to meet new patrons, peers and leverage the exposure of Culture Days to catapult my art career. I hope that our local artists can take advantage of this opportunity,鈥� she said.
Shatzko said the regional district has been collecting data for economic development and has found that there are more than 8,000 artists in the Greater Vernon area alone.
鈥淎 lot of people don鈥檛 realize how much creativity and artists we have here, so bringing something to this region can show the province and also Canada that we鈥檙e an important player in the arts and culture world,鈥� she said.
Attendees can enjoy art exhibits, live painting and art demonstrations from the Vernon Photography Club, Caetani Centre, North Okanagan Wood Carvers, Moontide Gallery & Studio and local artists.
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