Music in the Landing, the popular series of free concerts in Gibsons, launches this Friday, July 3 with guitarist/singer Cam Peters from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Farmers Market in Gibsons. Also on Friday, Martini Madness takes to the Gazebo Stage over the water at 7 p.m. On Saturday, July 4, Butler in the Hey performs at 7 p.m. at Winegarden Waterfront Park and on Sunday, the Knotty Dotters marimba band takes over the Bus Stop Stage also at Winegarden. Bring your cushions, sunscreen and friends, and take a listen.
The 2015 Summer Music series in Sechelt starts Saturday, July 4 at the Sechelt Library lawn Garden Stage. Every Saturday at noon throughout the summer, the District of Sechelt is presenting free concerts with local performers. Then on Sundays throughout August look for additional noon hour concerts at The Old Church Square on Cowrie Street at noon and 1 p.m. This year’s music starts at the Garden Stage with local duo Justus at noon and the marimba ladies, The Knotty Dotters, at 1 p.m. For the full schedule, see www.district.sechelt.bc.ca and follow the updates on Facebook.
Nude Hope
For something new and different, check out the show from the Vancouver Nerdlesque Troupe Geekenders. They are bringing their Star Wars Sci-Fi Adventure Burlesque Show to Sechelt for one night only on July 4. Star Wars: A Nude Hope is on stage at the Sechelt Activity Centre. Doors at 7 p.m.; show at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 at Laedeli in Gibsons and at Strait Music in Sechelt and online at V-Tix (www.vtix.com).
The original production of this show saw 2,000 audience members in four days, with hundreds turned away at the door. Join other nerd lovers in a galaxy far, far away with the fandom theatre troupe who are concentrating their pop culture theatre, comedy and burlesque into a glittering, playfully sensual, two-act reboot of a sci-fi classic. This is a 19+ (with ID) event. See www.facebook.com/events/1434515943519303/
Walking tour
Throughout the summer, local historian Dale Peterson will lead walking tours of Gibson’s Landing that explore the fascinating history of the ocean-side village.
Born and raised on the Sunshine Coast, Peterson will guide participants to historical points of interest such as Stonehurst and Pioneer Park Cemetery while sharing local history and stories. The first tour runs this Saturday, July 4 (check Museum website for more tour dates). Tours begin at 10 a.m. at the Visitor Information Centre and last approximately 90 minutes. Walk is by donation. Participants under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a guardian. Call the Museum to register for a tour: 604-886-8232.
Sand mandala
This past week, Lama Tsundu has been creating the Tibetan Sand Mandala of Green Mara, the female Buddha of compassion, at Saint Hilda’s Anglican Church in Sechelt. The public was invited to stop by while he was working to hear the prayers and explanations as he creates the intricate symbol out of coloured, fine sand using traditional artistic methods.
This mandala creation will serve the three-fold purpose of offering prayers for the earthquake victims in Nepal and Tibet, celebrating the 80th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and bringing blessings to Sunshine Coast communities. You are invited to view the work on July 4, 7 and 8 during prayers from 9 to 10 a.m. through to 5 p.m., and on July 5 from 2 to 5 p.m. July 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. is a potluck celebration of the Dalai Lama’s birthday. Everyone is welcome.
And on July 9 from 3 to 5 p.m. the mandala dissolution ceremony takes place as it begins its journey into the ocean. For updated information, see www.spiritdance.net. Entrance is by donation and all are welcome.
CCA AGM
The Coast Cultural Alliance holds its annual general meeting on Tuesday, July 7 from 5 to 5:30 p.m. at Rockwood Centre, 5511 Shorncliffe Ave., Sechelt. You are invited to celebrate the new Purple Banner Guide and share your ideas for this year’s Sunshine Coast Art Crawl. Enjoy some food, drink some tea, and meet others who love the arts.
Icelandic kudos
Gibsons author Carol Gardarsson has become a hit in Iceland for her historical fiction, the Brewing Evil series. “Murder, intrigue, revenge and denial of love [featuring pioneering Icelanders],” are cleverly woven together by author Carol Gardarsson,” said a review in the Icelandic Canadian magazine. This may be in part why Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, Iceland’s prime minister, awarded Gardarsson a grant to ensure that the series would come to Iceland. The first book, A Witch is Born, was launched May 19 in Reykjavik, Iceland, and translated into Icelandic by Salka Publishing. For two weeks running, this book was number one on the Bestsellers List for Young People with the forecast that it will remain there for some time.
A Witch is Born has received extensive media coverage in Iceland from their widest distributed newspapers. Many have carried positive reviews of the book. Gardarsson is also thrilled that Iceland Radio One’s popular book critic, Jorunn Sigurdardottir, did a special 35-minute program on the subject. Books in the series are: Deadly Spells, Dark Forces, The Book of Petur and the final book in the series, Witch Water, which was released in August 2014.
Custance reads
Students on the Sunshine Coast have been encouraged to tell their own stories, and make them into books as author Ken Custance, whose poem, Each Time I Walk By, is set to be published in The Significant Anthology, shared his new (and as yet unpublished) life-lesson book, LEARN, with various schools.
The book is based on the idea of a “newborn” grandfather imparting his long-learned life-lessons to his newborn grandson, in the hopes that, if the youngster heeds some (or all) of them, his life will be a wee bit easier.
Nikki Barker’s Friday students at the Bethel Preschool were the first to hear Custance read his message to a captivated class ranging in ages from three to five. Cathy McCubbin, principal of Kinnikinnick Elementary, also welcomed the author to read. The students from kindergarten to Grade 3 were again very pleased with the work. Their observations and comments were valuable learning tools to the author and teachers alike. The teachers hope to have the book in the school library very soon. Custance encouraged interested pupils to work with their parents/and or teachers to write their own books, as we all have stories to tell.
Celtic music
The Coast’s School of Celtic Music is set to begin classes on July 6. On July 10 the musicians host the annual Gala Concert at Rockwood Pavilion in Sechelt at 7 p.m. Tickets are at the Sechelt Visitor Centre, Laedeli in Gibsons and at the door. On July 11 the School’s Traditional Big Band performs in Winegarden Park, Gibsons at 7 p.m. This is a free event. On July 12 the Traditional Big Band moves to an outdoor classroom at Madeira Park Elementary School at 1:30 p.m., also a free event.
Concert
The Christian Life Assembly presents With a Song in My Heart, an evening of Christian, classical, Broadway and Filipino music on Friday, July 10 at 7 p.m. (730 School Rd., Gibsons). The concert features Naser Degayo Salcedo, tenor, a stage actor, director, and classical singer, and Karina Gay Manlutac Balajadia-Liggayu, an acclaimed soprano. Admission is by donation. For more information, call 604-885-1407.
Keep me posted
Send your notice of arts events by Tuesday at 5 p.m. for Friday’s newspaper to jandegrass@dccnet.com or phone 604-886-4692. Art Beat covers events one day to one week ahead.
