The 2015 Canada Winter Games is setting up to score more than just athletic goals for Prince George.
While in the city to launch official BC Sports Day events, the provincial minister responsible for sports and culture, Coralee Oakes, said she was just as excited to win arts, history and lifestyle points with the legions of Canadian visitors and viewers.
"It is equally important to identify local musicians, artists, writers, to give them that national exposure and give them a national stage," she said. "When people come here or watch on TV or read the media stories, we want them to see what it means to live in northern B.C., to get an understanding of who our First Nations are, what our cultural features are, learn our region's story."
The Games website already has a thumbnail description of the city's arts and culture main points. There is also a volunteer form that includes arts and culture components that interested people can sign up to help with.
To indicate the scale on which the Games can reflect local culture, a one-year countdown concert will be held at CN Centre headlined by superstar rock band Hedley - a band that prominently features Prince George's Dave Rosin on lead guitar. Tickets are on sale now for that event in February, and other arts-orientated features will be announced soon.
