Society News - Harrison Festival Society

the Chilliwack Community Arts Council and Chilliwack
School of Performing Arts. She has been a long time
Festival volunteer and has some wonderfully imaginative
ideas for Children’s Day that we look forward to seeing her
energetic personality bring to fruition.
January 2015 Newsletter
Jodi taking a break from work for a little playful fun in the sun.
Festival Resolution
Included in this issue:
• Society News..................................................... pg 1
• 26th Season of Performing Arts........................ pg 2
• 37th Harrison Festival....................................... pg 4
• Contact Info.......................................................pg 4
Society News
Children’s Day Coordinator • Festival Resolution
Family Membership 2015 • Festival AGM
Children’s Day Coordinator
2015 will see a changing of hands in the job of Children's
Day Coordinator for the Festival. Jodi Senft (now Wilson),
who has done fabulous work over the past four years in
this position, has decided to step down (although we’ll still
see her smiling face at the Beach Stage Button Tent!). We
thank Jodi for her tireless efforts in making Children's
Day a fun and educational event – and for the many hours
she has dedicated to creating and preparing the creative
crafts of our popular crafts tables.
We welcome Janet Hutchinson to the team as Jodi's
successor. Janet has an extensive background working in
the culture sector in Chilliwack with organizations such as
With the ushering in of a new year comes the final results
and conclusion of our 2014 ‘green up our act’ resolution.
With the support and encouragement of our Harrison
Festival family we’ve come within 2% of attaining our
primary 2014 green objective of minimizing the paper
waste associated with our mail outs by 75%! Not only is
this an exciting win for mother nature but with the
continual increases to the cost of postage, this resolution
has also helped the Festival maintain, and in some areas
decrease, administrative expenses and will continue to do
so into the future.
Although initially a new year resolution, ‘greening up our
act’ will remain an integral part of our organizational
fabric. As we move forward we will continue to look for
and invite feedback on more environmentally aware
approaches to our day to day operations. Huge thanks to
everyone who helped make our 2014 resolution a reality
(whose counting that 2% really?!).
Does the Festival have a resolution for 2015 you ask?
Absolutely! For over twenty year’s the Festival has been
incredibly fortunate to have the use of former General
Manager, Ed Stenson’s truck for transporting sound
equipment, staging, tents, signage etc. Ed has very
generously allowed us continued use of his truck since his
retirement last October but now Ed’s truck is looking to
member savings:
1) bring a Festival newbie (someone who has never
been to a Festival event before) to any season show
and get two dollars off your ticket and theirs
2) bring a group of six or more to any season show
and get two dollars off each ticket purchased
Also, family members who make a donation along with
their membership will receive an exclusive invite to the
2015 Festival launch in April!
For more info about joining the Festival family or to
complete your 2015 family member form please click
here.
Speaking of perks, this year’s lucky family member draw
winners are Rob & Tsongin Drysdale!! The Drysdales have
won two complimentary 2015 Season passes as well as
one free full pass to the 2015 Harrison Festival of the Arts.
Thank you to everyone who joined the Festival family, we
are immensely grateful for each and every one of you!
One of Ed’s trucks (there have been a couple over the years)
assisting the Beach Stage crew with set up.
retire too:)
Our resolution for 2015 is to raise enough funds to
purchase a reliable used truck next Fall. Our fund-raising
goal is $5,000 - this will cover the purchase cost and
hopefully some of the annual insurance for the first year of
ownership.
Festival AGM
A reminder that all 2014 Family Members are welcome to
join us at the Festival Society’s Annual General Meeting Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 4:30pm at the Ranger
Station Art Gallery, 98 Rockwell Drive.
To reach this goal we are asking for the help and support
of our amazing Festival family. Donations to our ‘raise a
truck’ fund can be made by cheque (please mail to Box
399, Harrison Hot Springs, BC V0M 1K0) or credit card at
604.796.3664 (donations cannot be made online).
Donations of $20 or more will receive a tax deductible
receipt.
26th Season of Performing Arts
All events held at Harrison Memorial Hall • 8 pm
Whether you give a little or a lot, every dollar gets us that
much closer to our goal. Thank you in advance for your
support and generosity!
John Reischman & the Jaybirds Stylish, Elegant Bluegrass Nouveau
Saturday, January 31
“Aces in writing, instrumental and vocal
departments...worthy of repeated listenings and then
some.” - The Edmonton Journal
Family Membership 2015
Our Festival family is deeply important to us. Without the
generosity of its many family members we simply could
not do what we love to do - bring quality world class music
and art to Harrison Hot Springs! We hope that you will
earnestly consider offering your support to this unique
cultural organization by joining the Festival family. If you
are able, an additional tax deductible donation would be a
big help.
John Reischman and the Jaybirds offers a refreshing take
on bluegrass that is at once innovative and unadorned,
sophisticated and stripped-down, happily old-fashioned
yet unselfconsciously new. While rooted in tradition, a
sense of creativity guides their innovative excursions in
acoustic roots music. Their bluegrass harmonies are spoton and each instrumental break crackles with energy. Mix
that with the fun of watching the Jaybirds skillfully weave
around one centre microphone, engaging in genial and
often humorous MC work - it doesn't get much better than
this.
For 2015 we have introduced a few new family member
perks in addition to the perks of previous years. This year,
for the first time, we are offering exclusive family
~2~
Crikey Mor - Irish Traditional Band of Awesomeness
Saturday, March 14
"The sheer energy these guys delivery is awesome…every
sound seems to complement all the others, creating
uplifting, happy music. Crikey! These guys are good.”
- Ros Bangman, Sointula Ripple
Drawn together by a shared love of Irish traditional music,
Crikey Mor started out as a group of quality traditional
musicians just getting together to play Irish tunes every
week at a local Victoria pub. The sessions caught the
attention of music lovers who wanted more, so some of
the core members decided to band together and bring
their exciting, rollicking and spontaneous sounding music
to the stage. In the past two years, the band has gained a
well earned reputation for bringing audiences to their
feet with the kitchen party atmosphere provided by
their spirited jigs, reels and songs.
John Reischman & the Jaybirds
Locarno - Groove Heavy Mexican Folk & Latin Soul
Saturday, February 21
"Locarno's compelling blend of Mexican, Cuban and
North American popular music delivered with exuberant
energy is a winning combination." - Michael Juk, CBC
Over the past few years, Locarno has emerged as a unique
and highly requested band on the Canadian festival and
concert circuits. Playing a danceable and joyful fusion of
Mexican Son Jarocho music, Cuban salsa, and
contemporary pop songwriting, Locarno appeared at the
2013 Harrison Festival and was a big hit. Lead by seasoned
performer Tom Landa (The Paperboys), the band includes
Kalissa Landa's energetic fiddling and a roster of quality
international Afro-Cuban musicians on horns and
percussion. Bring your dancing shoes!
Crikey Mor
Guy Davis - Good Time Acoustic Blues
Friday, April 10
"Like the best early bluesmen, Guy Davis is, at heart, a
storyteller. A master at setting intimate, richly nuanced
tales to stomping acoustic blues backing.” - Blues Revue
Guy Davis sings classic acoustic blues with authentic
emotion, good humour and a deep knowledge of its roots,
as well as the routes it has taken in its rich history. Davis
returns to the Fraser Valley after his successful appearance
at the 2014 Mission Folk Festival. A natural storyteller, Guy
Davis commands the stage and will no doubt be popular
with fans of other soulful acoustic blues acts who have
graced our stage, such as Eric Bibb and Harry Manx .
Locarno
~3~
international performers, as well as feature both emerging
and established roots music artists. One of the themes
emerging out of this year’s lineup is family. Several of the
acts consist of either siblings or couples - something Andy
started to discover half way through booking gigs, so
perhaps it was subconscious!
As the Harrison Festival is an event with community at its
heart, we celebrate family in its various forms. To this end
we would like to encourage families to attend the Festival
by launching a new ‘12 and under free’ ticket policy for
our evening hall shows. We recognize that sometimes the
whole clan would like to go to a show, yet this can be cost
prohibitive for younger families. We want experiencing the
magic of live music to be something the whole family can
enjoy - ours certainly does:)
Guy Davis
Festival Launch
Petunia & the Vipers Swingin’ Country Blues Rockabilly
Saturday, May 2
Full program details for the 2015 Festival will be available
online at the Festival website April 15.
Be sure to like us
up to the launch!
"Imagine that David Lynch and Nick Cave had a hillbilly
baby. A hillbilly baby that yodeled. That’s Petunia. Now
imagine he’s backed by a band whose talents match his
own. That would be the Vipers. Imagine that man and
that band can step onstage and hold a crowd in thrall
song after song, until the last note fades away, and that
would be Petunia and the Vipers”
on Facebook for ‘lineup leaks’ leading
Contact us!
For tickets:
– Cascadia Weekly, Bellingham
Online • www.harrisonfestival.com
By phone • 604.796.3664 (visa, mc, amex)
In Person • Ranger Station Art Gallery (98 Rockwell
Drive) or Agassiz Shoppers Drug Mart 3 weeks prior to
each show
People still talk about that hot day in July 2013 when the
Festival Beach Stage audience rose to their feet, bopping
to the haunting yodeling and irresistibly swinging sounds
coming from a tall, thin man who evoked the spirit of
Jimmie Rodgers, backed by his band of legendary
Vancouver roots musicians. This was Petunia and the
Vipers, an act that draws on rockabilly, cowboy country
blues and western swing to create music that is deeply
rooted yet brimming with personality, quirkiness and
originality. We just had to bring these guys back!
At our offices:
Box 399, 98 Rockwell Drive
Harrison Hot Springs, BC V0M 1K0
604.796.3664 • [email protected]
37th Harrison Festival
and
Like us on
stay connected all year long!
Festival Programming • Festival Launch
Festival Programming
The program for the 2015 Harrison Festival of the Arts,
July 11 to 19, will be in place by the end of January! In
keeping with the Festival mandate, the program will be
culturally diverse, include a mix of local, national and
Warm Regards,
Andy, Liz & Mel
~4~