Category Archives: Arts

Arts

Why is Lovefest such an ongoing success?

Image credit: Kim Pauley singing ‘The Book of Right On’ during Wiley Ferguson’s performance – Igor Backmann photo

(The podcast of this program opens with a clip of saxophone player Dave Blinzinger’s version of the blues classic ‘Route 66,’ in which he added lyrics like ‘Get your kicks right here on Cortes Island’ and ‘When you take that Linnea Farm trip, get your kicks on Route 66.’)

I can’t take too much heat anymore and had to pack it in by 4:30, but it was already apparent that this year’s Lovefest was another success. 

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Arts

Denise Wolda (Part 1 of 2): From Farmer’s daughter to Professional Musician

If Cortes Island had an anthem, it would very likely be the chorus of ‘Feel the Island.’ The songwriter, Denise Reinhardt Larson, was a professional musician for twenty years prior to her marriage to Ron Wolda. Her story goes back through the Folk Revolution to rural Saskatchewan.

“ My maiden name is Reinhardt. I’m from a grain farm in southwestern Saskatchewan. It’s about 21 miles south of Etonia, and just about a mile and a half up from the South Saskatchewan River, with lovely hills running from the river up to the edge of the farm. It’s a beautiful spot, and I’m the last one of the family to still own land there. I have two quarters. That feels odd, and it feels quite lovely at the same time,” she explained.

“ We had halls in our small towns, just like we have our Gorge Hall and Manson’s Hall on Cortes. That’s where I got my beginning.”

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Arts

Review of ‘My Life in Three Chapters’

Four ways to read three chapters

Vijen Vijendren’s exhibition: My Life in Three Chapters, now showing at the Old Schoolhouse Gallery, is as richly varied as the story of his travels.  But how to look at art pieces that are so dramatically different in size, in materials used, and in ways of applying those materials?

Vijen’s work creates a whole from craft, technology, philosophy and imagination.  These four aspects come together to make something wonderful, and are ways to see his body of work.

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Arts

Songwriters of Cortes: A sharing of songs and experiences

Four of Cortes Island’s women songwriters, and one man, got together for an afternoon of sharing stories and songs on August 6. 

More than fifty people gathered under the big top in the Village Commons, in Mansons Landing, to listen to Denise Wolda, Josie Simpson, Juli Nelson, Brenda and DJ Hanson. 

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Arts

Last Minute Updates from Lovefest

Four days until Lovefest, at Linnaea Farm on Saturday August 12. 

Rex Weyler has a couple of updates:  

“One thing that’s new is Amber from Klahoose is going to sing us a couple of songs early on in the show.”

“The other thing, that I just heard from our community action bus driver. is that people can actually flag the bus down anywhere on the route between Manson’s Hall, Gorge Hall, and Squirrel Cove Store during the day. If you go out on the road in front of your house or whatever, or walk along the road, you can flag down the bus.”

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