The best thing about this time of year, besides the beautiful green tint the hills take on and the return of the kind of weather the Okanagan is known for, is that the arts scene really starts to come alive again.
There are a lot of really great things coming up here in Summerland that, even though a lot of it is happening later in the month, if I don’t start talking about it now, I’m going to end up missing something and that’s never good — anyone out there who is worried I may, in fact, miss their event is encouraged to let me know about it as soon as possible.
First up we have the Summerland Singers and Players who are gearing up for their spring production of A Bench in the Sun at the Centre Stage here in Summerland.
The Summerland Singers and Players never fail to delight audiences and their performance of A Bench in the Sun is sure to keep that tradition going strong.
Tickets for this heart-warming comedy are available at the Summerland Arts Centre on Main Street, as well as at the Artisans of the Okanagan store, which is also on Main Street.
The show runs from April 21 to 24 with performances starting at 8 p.m. every day and there’s a 2 p.m. matinee on April 24.
Another great thing happening this month is the Summerland Museum and Heritage Society is holding a photo contest for youths ages six to 18 (broken down into different age categories), that is open to entries until April 21.
I always love it when people hold contests to encourage kids to explore their artistic sides because there’s always the chance that it ends up being the defining moment in someone’s life.
The theme for the contest is “Walk Softly on the Earth” and anyone interested in submitting photos can do so via email to info@summerlandmuseum.com.
The really interesting thing about this contest is that photos must have been taken within the last 60 days, which is a great idea because it gets people out into the community and the surrounding area to capture images of our area as it returns to life — not to mention the fact that we get some really beautiful birds passing through at this time of year as they make their way to their summer homes.
Those interested can find more information about prizes, age categories and all the specifics of entering here: summerlandmuseum.org/photo-contest-2016. Good luck to all who enter.
Last but not least, thanks to saxophonist Susan Norie for suggesting the name Arts Spectrum as the new name for the column — she actually had a few suggestions, but that’s the one that spoke to me the most.
Arts Spectrum does a great job of conjuring up the image of the wide variety of arts, artists and other creative individuals that we have here in Summerland and the wonderful opportunities that our community provides for all of them.
Hopefully others out there share my enthusiasm for the new name.
Douglas Paton is a Summerland writer and musician. If you know of a local arts and culture event, contact him at dgpaton80@gmail.com.