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Music and magic kicks off Kaleidoscope
By Mike Redfern
Kimberley’s newest festival, the week-long Kimberley Kaleidoscope arts & culture festival, will kick off August 3 with a family picnic in Rotary Park that will feature music, magic, and children’s games and races.
The festival’s organizing committee invites residents and visitors to come to the park from noon to 3 p.m. that Sunday afternoon to enjoy the free entertainment and children’s activities. Food vendors on site will provide a variety of picnic lunch choices.
The Kimberley Kaleidoscope Festival is the brainchild of Kimberley Arts Council. The festival will expand upon last year’s Arts on the Edge Festival, which was preceded by a midweek poetry and prose event and a series of short workshops. It will combine the First Saturdays arts, culture, and heritage celebration planned for August 2014 with the 2014 Arts on the Edge festival on the second Saturday in August.
The arts council board believed that, given the demise of Kimberley Summer Theatre and KIOTAC, a new weeklong community festival was needed to attract visitors to Kimberley and to provide residents with an opportunity to celebrate the community’s vibrant arts and culture scene. And so a committee was struck, the new festival title was adopted, thanks to a suggestion by David Biggs of Mark Creek Lions, and a series of entertainments and workshops was planned for the six days between the two Saturday festivals.
Therefore, following hot on the heels of the First Saturdays celebrations on August 2, which will conclude with a concert by Cod Gone Wild (pictured above) on the outdoor stage alongside Centre 64 on Saturday evening, the Kimberley Kaleidoscope Festival will continue the entertainment in Rotary Park on Sunday afternoon with sing-along music provided by the popular Kimberley group, Old Spice, and magical entertainment provided by The Amazing Jeremy, a young magician from Invermere who has been making a name for himself at events in the region. In addition to being entertained, the younger members of the audience can participate in traditional pastimes such as egg and spoon races, sack races, and three-legged races.
In the week to follow events will include a painting demonstration with wine & cheese and a Walkabout Wordsmyths poetry and prose, piano and flute performance, both at Centre 64; a vertical dance performance on the outer wall of Spirit Rock climbing centre by Trina Rasmusen and students; a gala reception with silent auction, art awards, and jazz quartet at Centre 64; the Arts on the Edge adjudicated exhibition in the Gallery at Centre 64; two plein air painting workshops, a textiles workshop, and a lantern-making workshop & parade.
The festival will conclude with a Saturday afternoon of music and dance in the Platzl and on the outdoor stage at Centre 64, a Kids Zone offering children’s crafts and entertainment on Deer Park Avenue, artisan demos and an artisan market in the Platzl, food vendors and an evening concert with The Boom Booms on the outdoor stage at Centre 64.
Details of these events will appear in future articles in this newspaper.
