Nanguz the fox may be known as a trickster in Lheidli T'enneh tradition, but excitement over the 2015 Canada Winter Games mascot was genuine as he made his first public appearance Sunday morning.
More than 100 young people waiting to take part in the Northern B.C. YMCA's Healthy Kids Marathon cheered the arrival of the mascot as he took the stage at Masich Place Stadium.
Decked out in a Canada Winter Games polar fleece, Nanguz - the Dalkeh Carrier word for fox - has made the leap from a two-dimensional drawing by 10-year-old Hart Highlands elementary school student Kaitlyn Muir into a real, live waving and high-fiving character.
Muir won the Games' mascot-selection competition in March, taking the prize out of almost 400 submissions and nearly 3,000 votes nationwide.
Provincial Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Coralee Oakes was on hand to congratulate Muir.
"Kaitlyn's creativity and imagination that has given us Nanguz the fox, the official mascot of the 2015 Games, is all things that are spectacular about our community," said Oakes. "I want to congratulate you on your success because that is what fills our hearts... inspiring kids from across the north and showing them how it's possible to start with an idea, reflect on it and develop it into something big that's going to be a legacy piece for the north I think is absolutely fantastic."
Oakes was also in the city to announce an additional $150,000 of provincial funding for the Games, targeted towards showcasing B.C. artists.
"The work that I've tried to do in this ministry is to carve out as much as I possibly can to bring here to the north," said Cariboo North MLA who is based in Quesnel. "[The arts program is] such an important part of the Games; it's our opportunity to showcase how magnificent Prince George and the north is. I'm excited to see what the artists create. If it's any indication, look at what Kaitlyn created today."
Games host society chair Anthony Everett said the money will play a major role in what happens on the main stage at Canada Games Plaza (formerly the Civic Centre Plaza) during the two-week event next February.
Without support from all levels of government, especially provincial, the cultural component of the Games becomes more difficult, said Everett.
The host society is mandated to program a professional arts and cultural festival during the Winter Games that covers a variety of disciplines. Programming will be guided by a jury review made up of local artists representing various fields.
Eligible artists include musicians, actors, dancers, writers, visual artists, street performers and filmmakers for events such a music performances, mural painting, ice sculpture and literary readings. There will also be workshops on dance, playwriting and choral music.
"If you're in Hazelton and you want to participate in the Games, that's the kind of funding that's required," he said.
For information on how to participate, contact Karen Jeffery, manager of ceremonies and culture, at 250-596-2015 ext. 218 or email [email protected].
