B.C. Culture Days are back in Quesnel this weekend (Sept. 28-30), and celebrating their ninth anniversary in the province.
Nazanin Shoja, who organized events taking place across the province (working in collaboration with community groups across B.C.) says Culture Days are about “raising awareness, increasing participation and accessibility to the arts in communities across the country.”
She adds: “The event itself involves many, many organizations and artists and volunteers that open their doors to the public to invite them behind the scenes to discover the world of creative people and their communities.”
These events can consist of workshops, open rehearsals, discussions, collaborative art projects, performances and so on.
Here’s your quick guide to Culture Days events in Quesnel:
Friday, September 28
Orange Shirt Day walk: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. — Orange Shirt Day acknowledges the impact of residential schools by bringing people together in the spirit of reconciliation and understanding. Participants in the walk will meet at LeBourdais Park for a moment of silence at 10 a.m., before walking from the Quesnel Museum up Barlow Avenue to Front Street and down to the spot where the Quesnel and Fraser rivers meet. Following a tobacco/juniper offering, participants will return along the same route to a memorial with bannock and beverages.
Indigenous Artist Show: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — The Indigenous Artist Show will showcase local indigenous artists and artisans at the Quesnel and District Arts and Recreational Centre.
Quesnel’s Great Sidewalk Chalk Challenge: An event made to determine school/class spirit, schools are asked to participate by creating a chalk drawing with the theme of ‘Canada’ and what it means to be a part of ‘a culture that is Canadian.’ Schools are asked to take and send in three photos of the event to be displayed on the Culture Days website.
Saturday, September 29
Orange Shirt Day: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. — ‘Our Story’ presentation about residential schools by elders Joe Ginger and Cyril Pierre will take place at the Quesnel and District Arts and Recreation Centre. They will tell their story of being survivors of St. Mary’s Indian Residential School in Mission.
Wildfire Recovery Party: from 12 p.m. — The Community Strong Wildfire Recovery Party will take place at LeBourdais Park, featuring speeches by Darby Allen, the retired Fort McMurray Fire Chief, and Everett White, an indigenous motivational speaker. Jason Blaine will also perform following Darby’s 6 p.m. speech.
Quesnel Museum Open House: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Quesnel Museum will be waiving its normal admission fees to allow participants to explore their three galleries of exhibits for free. From 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. they will be celebrating the completion of their new exterior exhibits.
Correlieu School Jazz Band: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. — The Correlieu Jazz band will be performing at the Quesnel Farmers’ Market.
Bouchie Lake Harvest Festival: 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. — the fourth annual Bouchie Lake Harvest Festival is taking place at the Bouchie Lake Community Store and will include a squash weigh in, most unusual vegetable and largest root vegetable contests.
Sunday, September 30
Orange Shirt Day: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. —‘Our Story’ presentation about residential schools by elders Joe Ginger and Cyril Pierre will take place at the Quesnel Tillicum Society/Friendship Centre. They will tell their story of being survivors of St. Mary’s Indian Residential School in Mission.
The Doctor’s Case: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. — The Doctor’s Case movie will be shown at the Chuck Mobley Theatre at Correlieu Secondary School. The multi-award-winning independent film was created and written by James Douglas, who works at Barkerville, and features several actors from Barkerville as well. It has been shown in film festivals across North America.