What a 2017 for Prince George's culture scene.
It's arguably the highest calibre ever exhibited, as demonstrated by a resurgent Prince George Symphony Orchestra, a Community Arts Council pushing its boundaries, a Theatre NorthWest winning critical acclaim like never before, a BC Northern Exhibition almost felled by wildfires before rallying, a Northern FanCon event that has hit its stride,= and many more successes at the grassroots level (albums released, books published, box office receipts, films screened, awards won, etc.).
It was also a big year for big acts in music, comedy and theatre.
CN Centre did a lot of that heavy lifting with spotlight events by Marianas Trench (Shawn Hook and Virginia To Vegas opening); Tom Cochrane & Red Rider (along with opener Meghan Patrick); Sum 41, Papa Roach, Danko Jones and Bleeker; Northern FanCon (with celebs like Alicia Witt, Kevin Sorbo, Karl Urban and many more); Bob Dylan; the '90s combo of Vanilla Ice, C+C Music Factory, Salt N Pepa, Young MC and Rob Base; Foreigner and Honeymoon Suite; Miranda Lambert with Brandy Clark; Offspring with Choke; Dallas Smith (P.G.'s Jer Breaks in the band) with Michael Ray and Lauren Alaina; tribute band Brit Floyd; and children's characters PJ Masks.
Add to that Artspace shows by Alex Cuba, local roots music standard-bearers Pharis & Jason Romero, and others; superstar drummer Kenny Aronoff at Electron Sound & Percussion; metal giants The Agonist at The Legion (a busy venue all year); comedy troupe The Comic Strippers and classical ensemble O Sole Trio at the P.G. Playhouse; the PGSO at Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park (plus sets at Vanier Hall and other settings) for Pops In The Park; Vanier Hall hosting Downchild Blues Band with Harpdog Brown, Corb Lund, CBC Radio show The Debaters (with local comedians Mike McGuire and Kaitlin Shuvera); the Casse-Tte Festival of Experimental Music at Exploration Place, and the Ying'hentzit First Nations Art & Music Gala (hosted by music / TV star Art Napoleon) at the Civic Centre.
The Coldsnap Music Festival had a heap of concerts featuring a raft of local talent plus headliners like Andrea Ramalo & Matt Epp, Buckman Coe, Coco Love Alcorn, The Bills, The Kerplunks and many more.
The same organizers were in summer action with a one-time downtown concert series called Heatwave. This brought Charlotte Diamond, Stephen Fearing, Bruce Cockburn, Delhi 2 Dublin, Ccile Doo-Kingu and many more spread over eight days of free outdoor concerts.
Canada Games Plaza was also the site for Barney Bentall and Glass Tiger headlining an event to celebrate the end of this year's fire season. (Local musicians also entertained and raised funds for the fire victims during the unprecedented evacuations.)
Downtown Prince George also hosted the annual Summerfest event that sparked big crowds despite inclement weather.
Heavy smoke did not prevent crowds from amassing for the Metallion Metal Festival west of the city, either.
KidzArt Dayz was a success once again for the Two Rivers Gallery, which enjoyed a strong year of art exhibits, special events and substantial arts programs.
The Community Arts Council earned fantastic numbers for their annual Studio Fair event, as well as other big initiatives like the Spring Arts Bazaar, Art Battle, art exhibition series, and two new artists-in-residence (Lynette La Fontaine and Michael Kast).
Pocket Theatre won audiences and acclaim for their community drama, Improv Schmimprov got lots of laughs, the Nechako Theatrics Society grew their support base, Miracle Theatre's annual professional play for charity was a hit, and TNW had particularly positive reactions for the innovative play Drowning Girls, the sensational script for Half Life, ovations for their two most recent productions (Jake's Gift and It's A Wonderful Life: The Radio Play), but they also went a step farther this year when TNW's Jack Grinhaus and aboriginal stage/screen star Meegwun Fairbrother collaborated to create the national buzz-play Isitwendam (An Understanding) looking at the residential school atrocity.
Producer Judy Russell brought us Anne of Green Gables and The Nutcracker (both starring Kate McGowan and Makenna Thiffault splitting the main roles).
Excalibur Theatre Arts got in the act as well with their all-local variety show Celtic Christmas.
The PGSO started off 2017 with prophetic pomp. Their first mainstage concert of the year was conducted by Michael Hall, one of the shortlisted candidates for the vacant position of artistic director. Hall went on to be named the successful applicant. At the same time, the society's finances have taken a turn for the better.
The annual Cinema CNC Film Festival held extra cache this year. Headline movie Hello Destroyer was largely filmed in P.G. and gathered a swath of awards.
Several films (the most significant being The Doctor's Case directed by James Douglas) and the city's first-ever all-local TV series (Geoff & The Ninja created by Jon Chuby and Jeremy Abbott) got shot in 2017, demonstrating a true new industry now in motion here.
Some major awards came our residents' way in 2017.
Northern performers Roy Forbes and Gary Fjellgaard were named to the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame.
Jenna Servatius won an Emmy Award for her makeup prowess on the children's show Odd Squad.
Painter Madeline Kloepper won the Tundra Books Emerging Artist of the Year Award for her illustrations of children's book Little Blue Chair.
Writer Sarah de Leeuw's new book Where It Hurts attained lofty heights with a nomination for the Governor General's Literary Award for Poetry. She didn't win but was appointed a member of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
The Exploration Place Museum + Science Centre won the Governor General's History Award for the opening of the permanent gallery named Hodul'eh-a: A Place of Learning. It houses the artifacts and developing historical story of the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation and neighbouring aboriginal cultures.
Two local musicians, Chloe Nakahara and Brittany Iwanciwski, both got called to compete at the pinnacle fiddle competition in Canada, the Grand Masters.
Ten-year-old Isabelle Houghton was this year's Limelight Quest winner, the finals being held at the BCNE.
Food commentator and chef Lindsay Anderson came back to her hometown to launch the book Feast: Recipes & Stories From A Canadian Road Trip co-authored with Dana VanVeller after the two travelled Canada creating what many are now calling the definitive volume of Canuck cuisine.
Some initiatives got their start this year like downtown comedy club Sonar, a society dedicated to promoting wood art, and the Omineca Arts Centre exhibition space.
The local music scene flexed its muscle a number of ways, like the tribute concert to Raghu Lokanathan, the all-female lineup raising funds for radio station CFUR, and the farewell concert for now defunct band Black Spruce Bog. All were a who's who of area performers.
Another powerful reaction threaded from the installation of a new piece of public art. The City of Prince George unveiled Celebrations on the vacant lawn of Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. It depicts, in granite and steel, three balloons hitting the ground about to recoil back into the air, symbolically representing the peak of a party, the mood forever frozen at its apex. It caused initial grumping but public discourse has lately become more understanding and appreciative.
What the new art underscored was the progress being made in our local culture - sometimes to ovations and sometimes to consternations. It shows momentum. It confirms a growing sense of this city's own personality, which comes out most vividly in the form of artistic expression.
