What's Up in Wells

For Science!
2023-06-22 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Vancouver) | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
A study in comedy.
Rated PG: Family-friendly, but designed for adults.
Bill Nye the Science Guy meets Blue Man Group in an absurd investigation of instant gratification and celebration of the scientific method.
The Professor and her Lab Assistant need YOU for their research. Without words, they seamlessly guide members of the audience through a series increasing complicated challenges. It begins with ringing a simple desk bell, includes a Nerf gun shootout, and ends in a spectacular musical finale.
Incorporating projections and some truly terrible science puns, For Science! appeals to the nerd in all of us, and sparks the utter joy of losing ourselves to curiosity.
Created & performed by Christine Lesiak & Ian Walker
Directing consultant: Deanna Fleysher
Software designer: Adrian MacKenzie
Video design: Navras Kamal
Music consultants: Chase Padgett & Leif Ingebrigtsen
Performance consultant: Jan Henderson
Runtime: Approximately 55 min.

Trivia Night: the Wells of Knowledge
2023-06-11 18:00 - 20:00 | The Wells Hotel, 2341 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
Join us for weekly trivia hosted by local writer, actor, and generally entertaining guy, Ryan Schmitt.

Kimberley MacGregor with Danny Bell live at the Wells Hotel
2023-05-28 20:00 - 22:00 | The Wells Hotel, 2341 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
A reformed bank manager, Kimberley realized she was doing a successful job of living someone else’s life—and a poor job living her own. In 2013, she launched her original songs into the world and took centre stage.
She has since released three full-length albums, and was awarded Female Artist of the Year at both the 2015 and 2016 Edmonton Music Awards. In 2022, she relocated to Vancouver Island, residing in Qualicum Beach.
She lovingly crafts and passionately performs songs that will move your heart, change your mind and stomp your feet. Weaving seamlessly between blues, folk and rock, her common threads are strength, vulnerability and badassery, always sizzling with soul.
Kimberly is joined by local northern BC favourite Danny Bell for her Sitting B-Side Tour.

Trivia Battle: Integris vs. Wells
2023-05-27 20:00 - 21:00 | The Wells Hotel, 2341 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
The Board of Directors of Integris Credit Union is hosting their annual strategic planning retreat in Wells, and for a bit of fun they’re inviting the locals out for a trivia battle!
Come on down and join your neighbours in a bit of friendly competition with our local credit union. The winner of the battle gets to choose which local non-profit receives a $200 donation!

Gallery Opening: Face-To-Face
2023-05-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Island Mountain Arts, 2323 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
Gallery Opening tomorrow May 26th @ 7:00 pm- 9:00 pm
Two deeply distinct series of portraits that demand a double-take. Troy Lindstrom and Samantha Wigglesworth’s joint exhibition opens at 7:00 PM – have some snacks and beverages with us, and hear a bit from the two artists. ⁠
In Face-to-face, the work of Northern BC Artists Troy Lindstrom and Samantha Wigglesworth are exhibited together, exploring the fine lines of first impressions and preconceived notions.
Anyone can walk through this show and assume each person’s gender and sexuality based on the representation of the portraits. The question is, would you be right in your assumptions and the labels you assign to them? How would you know?
ID: From left to right:
Troy Lindstrom, #NotSoulless, Digital illustration, 2021
Samantha Wigglesworth, AMBIGUOUS, Acrylic on canvas with 3D elements, 24 x 36 in, 2021
Face-To-Face
Troy Lindstrom
Samantha Wigglesworth

Unlocking Stories: An Evening of Music w/ Zach Kleisinger
2023-05-21 20:00 - 22:30 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
Doors at 7:30 PM.
Unlock you Family Story (www.imarts.com/upcoming-workshops/2023/unlockyourfamilystory) is capped off with an evening of music, story and wit from Vancouver’s Zach Kleisinger.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Zach writes lyrically-driven songs in the contemporary, darkened-folk, singer-songwriter style. His words often feel like a bathroom mirror, while his compositions tend to conjure an emotion akin to the heartbreakers on Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. The strength of Kleisinger’s songwriting has a simple yet poetic intimacy that illustrates profound messages by magnifying the little things.
Since releasing his EP, I Hope It’s Calm, Then, in 2018, Kleisinger has established himself within the alt-folk music community, performing hundreds of concerts across Canada, the UK, Europe, and the US. His live performances have gathered him a loyal audience, where the comfort of his warm baritone voice and magnetic songs are often juxtaposed, oddly and satisfyingly, by dry, unrehearsed humour.
Kleisinger’s latest record, Their Symposium, was released in August 2021 via DevilDuck Records to widespread acclaim. Since its release, Their Symposium has charted on college radio across the US and Canada, received generous airplay on Canada’s nationally syndicated radio network CBC, and earned numerous publications in magazines such as Canadian Musician, Americana UK, Atwood, and American Pancake. In the deep sea of indie-folk songwriters, Zach Kleisinger is a narrator of raw emotions and real tales that will draw you into an intimate, familiar world.
www.zachkleisinger.com
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LOCATION:⁠
The Sunset Theatre, Wells BC⁠
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TICKETS⁠
$25.00 General Admission
$20.00 Member
$15 Youth under 18
Free Youth under 10
Free for Unlock Your Family Story Students
This event falls at the tail end of Unlock your Family Story, a family history writing workshop.
You can get your tickets here: https://island-mountain-arts.square.site⁠
*A note for ticket buyers* – Square online requires a street address to process payments – if you encounter any issues, call our office (250)-994-3466 between 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM from Monday – Friday.
Live Music Presentation is made possible for Island Mountain Arts through the Government of Canada Department of Canadian Heritage, the Province of British Columbia and Creative BC. We are grateful to our hosts at the Sunset Theatre, and the many board members and volunteers that make our work possible.

Wells Community-Wide Garage Sale
2023-05-21 09:00 - 15:00 | BC
Looking for a long weekend activity? Head out to Wells and discover some treasures in the community-wide garage sale. A list of participating locations below will be updated as new locations are added. A printed map will be available for pickup starting Saturday at the Wells Hotel.
Participating locations:

2323 Pooley St (Island Mountain Arts Gallery)
2341 Pooley Street (the Wells Hotel)
2317 Bowman (Dave)
Apartment 33 – 3874 Solibakke (Larry)
Apartment 64 – 3805 Hong St (Sophie)
12383 Barkerville Hwy (Jack O’ Clubs store)

Unlock Your Family Story
2023-05-20 - 2023-05-21, 2023-05-13 - 2023-05-14, 2023-05-06 - 2023-05-07, 2023-04-29 - 2023-04-30, 2023-04-22 - 2023-04-23 | BC
Is your family story locked in your accumulated documents and trees? Does your family ask for the stories? Then it’s time to pull it all together and publish that story! Participants engage in 14 hours of workshops and discussion facilitated by Brenda L Smith and Andrea Lister.
Topics include: identifying the audience; choosing the right format; reviewing research, putting words on the page; editing; legal necessities, and assignments to get started. Working with their own materials, and supporting each other, participants discover how to move from gathering information to creating a publishable product. Participants will set goals for their research, organize and evaluate their data, and unlock their family story.
IMA’s operational work is made possible through support from the Province of British Columbia, The BC Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

The Rocky Mountain Special
2023-05-19 20:00 - 21:00 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
THIS PRESENTATION IS BY DONATION.
The Rocky Mountain Special follows an elderly trans woman haunted by her cringe-worthy younger self aboard the Rocky Mountain Special- a luxury coach from Calgary to Vancouver that she’s been riding for the last forty years. A guitar driven, one woman musical tour-de-force about the Canadian urge to run from your past, The Rocky Mountain Special is a prayer for healing, a love letter to the lost kids of fragmented diasporas, and a playlist for the road-trip home.
Tiffany Thomas is currently in Wells developing new work through the Exploration Series.

filling in the cracks: a somatic creation workshop with amanda preston
2023-05-19 19:30 - 20:30 | Island Mountain Arts, 2323 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
In this workshop you will move through a method of creating art in a consciously somatic way.
A space to place some of your thoughts.
A drop off for the itchy bits left in the back of your mind, waiting to come out.
This art practice is rooted in connecting the loose thoughts floating around in your mind’s view while taking pressure away from creating with a destination in mind.
This workshop is pay-what-you-can and all ages are welcome. We will have paper and writing implements, but if you have a sketchbook you like to use, it would be most welcome!

Sawney's Legacy
2023-05-18 20:00 - 21:15 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
Please join us this Thursday, May 18th @ 8PM for a special performance of Sawney’s Legacy at the Sunset Theatre in Wells.
Date: Thursday, May 18 @ 8PM
Running Time: @ 70 minutes – no intermission
Box Office Opens @ 7:30PM
Licensed Concession Opens @ 7:30PM
Tickets are $20.00 or Pay What You Can and can be purchased at the door or online at https://www.sunset-theatre.com/tickets
ABOUT Sawney’s Legacy:
Sawney’s Legacy is written and performed by Brendan Bailey.
Brendan has very generously offered this show as a fundraiser for the Sunset Theatre. Thank you Brendan!
An Edwardian doctor explores the legacy his father, poet James Anderson, of Sawney’s Letters renown, left in a far away mining camp in a place called Cariboo.
This solo-performer play is written and performed by Brendan Bailey, directed by Dirk Van Stralen, designed by Emily Bailey, produced by Noble Players Theatrics, and developed with thanks to research provided by historian, Richard Wright.
Sawney’s Legacy is a period piece, runs approximately 70 minutes in length, and at various times during the show explores privileged views of 19th century caucasian society as well as addressing adult themes around family trauma and bias. It is not recommended for those under 10 years of age.
A biographical play about Barkerville poet, James Anderson, Sawney’s Legacy explores an enduring connection between father and son.
Anderson, an 1860s Scottish miner, was known as the Bard of Barkerville and the Poet Laureate of the Cariboo. He was one of the province’s first published poets, and was also known for his poems and lyrics compiled as Sawney’s Letters in 1867. He left Barkerville to return home to Scotland after nearly a decade in late 1871. His 10 year-old son, David, would grow to take after him as a prolific writer in the late 19th Century.
Sawney’s Legacy was developed in part through the Sunset Theatre’s Exploration Series on the ancestral lands of the Dakelh, Lhtako Dené, and Secwépemc Peoples in 2020. This was followed by staged readings in 2021 and a premiere during the Sunset Theatre Speakeasy Festival in July 2022. In late August 2022, Sawney’s Legacy was performed in the Victoria Fringe Festival to great acclaim.
Feedback for the play has included: “mesmerizing,” “amazing,” “deeply sensational” “a really specia lexperience,” “awesome,” “an insightful, complex and comforting escape,” “beautifully written and performed,” “nothing short of remarkable,” “a rich transport back into time,” and “all history should be taught this way.”

The Interstellar Jays Spring Fling at the Wells Hotel
2023-05-13 20:00 - 22:00 | The Wells Hotel, 2341 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
Iridescent grooves and psychedelic takes on old tunes.
The Interstellar Jays are a Wells favourite and sure to get you up on the dance floor.
Presenting both fiddle and clarinet and an irresistible groove, this iridescent flock has the drive to make you move. Huck yourself into the air or off to a distant galaxy with the Interstellar Jays!
Cover by donation. Dinner service available from 5 pm – 9 pm. Concert go-ers receive a 15% discount on rooms

Winter Hip-Hop Dance Class
2023-05-08 16:45 - 17:45, 2023-04-24 16:45 - 17:45, 2023-04-11 16:45 - 17:45 | Wells Community Hall, 4269 Sanders Ave, Wells, BC, V0K2R0, Canada
New Year, new opportunity to put on your dancing shoes.

Sign up for Island Mountain Arts’ latest round of the Hip Hop Workshop: YOUTH (ages 6-17) and Adults (18+) Hip-Hop Dance Classes with Tyler Burnson! ⁠
AND NEW THIS YEAR – A Drop in session! – Read on for details!
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Join us for some dance-y fitness fun! This class serves as an introduction to Hip Hop Dance styles – learn a choreography, get moving and stay warm with us through the winter! ⁠
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Classes take place bi-weekly from 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM for youth aged 6-17, and from 6:00 PM – 7:15 PM for Adults 18+. ⁠
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Here’s the complete schedule:⁠
Monday, Jan 30
Monday, Feb 13
Monday, Feb 27
Monday, March 13
Monday, March 27
TUESDAY, April 11 (Moved due to Easter Weekend)
Monday, April 24
Monday, May 8

⁠We will also be offering 4 drop-in sessions for those of you who want to groove, but can’t commit to the ongoing schedule! The drop-ins will be by donation, and they’ll run from 7:15 PM – 8:15 PM on the second Monday of each month (Jan 30th, Feb 27th, March 27th and April 24th)

We can’t wait to get moving with Tyler! Don’t delay – Class space is limited! Sign up in advance at: ⁠
https://island-mountain-arts.square.site⁠
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Cost: $60.00 (+ GST for Adults) – Discounts for IMA Members and pay-what-you-can-rates available!
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Location: The Ballet Studio (2ND Floor of the Wells Community Hall), 4269 Sanders Ave, Wells, BC V0K 2R0

Toil & Trouble: a Women's Mini Beer Fest
2023-05-06 18:00 - 23:00 | The Wells Hotel, 2341 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
Join us for a small but mighty gathering of northern craft breweries that empower women at the ownership, management, and brewmaster level. Toil and Trouble aims to provide a safe and supportive atmosphere for craft beer enthusiasts in BC’s rural north. It is a women-centred event but open to all participants 19+ years of age.
What’s included in your ticket:

12 x 4-oz samples from participating breweries
A grazing menu prepared by our in-house Chef
A souvenir Wells Hotel glencairn crystal tasting glass
Live music by Britt A.M.
An exciting historic venue, with 6,000 sq ft of space, three crackling fireplaces, and plenty of cozy seating
If the sun is shining, a big south-facing patio to enjoy!

Participating breweries:

Barkerville Brewing Co (Quesnel, BC represented by Ksenya Dorwart)
Trench Brewing & Distilling (Prince George, BC represented by Baily Hoefels)
Deadfall Brewing (Prince George, BC represented by Erin Baerwald)
Three Range Brewing (Valemount, BC represented by Rundi Anderson)
Slaughterhouse Craft (Prince george, BC represented by Emily and Mitchell Hawes)

What you need to participate:

A ticket (only 50 available. Call 250-994-3427 or office@wellshotel.com to reserve)
A place to stay in Wells or a designated driver (proof must be provided to enter the event)
A commitment to our Code of Conduct, requiring a harassment-free environment for all

Accommodation options:

The Wells Hotel: https://wellshotel.com/
The White Caps Motel: https://whitecapmotel.godaddysites.com/
The Nest: http://support-imarts.com/rooms
Historic Stays in Wells: https://www.stayinwells.ca/
Barkerville Cottages: https://barkerville.shop/products/barkerville-cottage-rental-summer-main-season

IMA | Annual General meeting
2023-04-25 18:00 - 19:30 | Online event
Island Mountain Arts (IMA) will be hosting our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday April 25th at 6:00 PM. This meeting will be hosted via Zoom and will feature a Special Resolution to update our organization’s Bylaws in accordance with the timeline as set out in The Societies Amendment Act, 2021.
Our mission: Island Mountain Arts (IMA) serves artists, builds community, and stimulates and enhances artistic, cultural and economic development. We foster connection and expression through workshops, residencies, seminars, exhibitions and performance.
Our vision: An art-full life is possible.
With ongoing infrastructure projects, growth of year-round and place-based programming, ongoing youth programming and the ArtsWells festival returning, we are looking to fill 3 to 5 board vacancies this AGM.
We welcome applications from folks who identify with our organization’s vision and mission, and are willing to work with us to shape IMA’s future!
Skills we are looking for:

experience with, or an interest in, non-profit finance
a teacher, parent or primary caregiver of a young person, able to offer a perspective on programming and youth policy (we would also interested in having a youth representative on the board/our committees)
a background in human resources
a background in facilities maintenance and management

Directors must be members of IMA – you can activate or renew your membership here -> https://support-imarts.com/checkout/donate…
Board terms are 2 years in length, with active committees and monthly meetings that equate to a commitment of about 10 hours per month.
Board Members are expected to attend 75% of board meetings.
If you are interested in becoming involved with IMA in this capacity, feel free to get in touch with Executive/Artistic Director Elyssia Sasaki (elyssia@imarts.com) for more information. We would be delighted to add your name and a bit of information about you to our AGM agenda in advance and also welcome nominations from the floor during the meeting!

Wells Historical Society AGM
2023-04-24 19:00 - 20:00 | The Wells Hotel, 2341 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
Our AGM is coming up on Monday, April 24 at 7pm in the Wells Hotel dining room! Hope to see you there!!

IMA Presents: Earth Day with Hendrika (Yukon Songstress)
2023-04-22 20:00 - 22:00 | The Wells Hotel, 2341 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
By donation at the door only (suggested $15.00)
Do your part – turn out your lights, turn off your devices at home and be part of something bigger than yourself by experiencing one impressive singing/songwriting talent out of Whitehorse!
There have been many iterations of Hendrika over the years, helmed by Yukon songstress Selina Heyligers-Hare. Selina Heyligers-Hare has been a staple in the Yukon music scene since 11 years old and has performed countless times in many roles in many bands; from lead singer, to guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, and harmony singer.
Along with her career in the Yukon she has toured Western Canada with Major Funk, Garbageman and Paris Pick. Most recently, she opened for Canadian icon Jenn Grant at the Yukon Arts Centre as a solo artist.
This spring, she will be touring through BC and Alberta with Garbageman as a supporting act, they will be heading out in April to play a slew of shows, including the East Town Get Down music festival in Calgary and the Roxy Cabaret in Vancouver.
Catch Hendrika on tour right here in Wells, BC. A big thank you for the Wells Hotel being our hospitable host! Coming from out of town to catch the show?
Concertgoers can enjoy a 15% discount on rooms at the Wells Hotel upon check-in.

Wells Community Organizations Open House
2023-04-21 16:00 - 21:00 | Wells Community Hall, 4269 Sanders Ave, Wells, BC, V0K2R0, Canada
The Community Organizations Open House is this Friday from 4pm to 9pm!
There is a great lineup of participating community groups. The Wells – Barkerville Community Forest will be there to answer any and all of your questions, especially about our upcoming expansion. And don’t forget about the food!
We can’t wait to see you all there!

no art to see here: Exhibition Opening
2023-04-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Island Mountain Arts, 2323 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
Thursday, April 20th, 2023 – Sunday May 21st, 2023
Exhibition Opening: April 20th at 7:00 PM
Gallery Hours: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday – Sunday, or by appointment
“Art fills the cracks of meaning that tangible things leave behind.”
As a child, Amanda Preston’s sketchbook went everywhere with her. Where words weren’t appropriate, art was. Conversations between the adults around her became colours, and her means of connection were often her drawings: her way of quietly saying “I see you.”
Where colour palate bonds her work together, the pieces explore disconnect to others and to self, as well as the expectations of being: Being alive, being oneself, being surrounded by one another, being alone in a world that is both kind and unkind.
Though words convey a lot of meaning, language is limited and meaning is steadily diminished through ambitionless buzz-words that can’t always articulate one’s feelings. As one might reach for metaphors and similes to be the grout that secures honest feeling, Preston reaches for art to fill to secure those same misplaced pieces, providing a connection to those leftover bits of emotion that too often go unspoken.
The title of the show, “no art to see here” can be read as a nod to Lady Macbeth’s “there’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.” In other words, no one can determine what another is thinking by looking at their appearance or the expression on such a person’s face.
In a very similar way, you can be told to receive or not to receive art in a specific, curated process but true connection or understanding will filter through our own individual perception. No one person can predetermine another’s connection or lack thereof.

Pickleball at the Hall
2023-04-20 16:00 - 18:00, 2023-04-13 16:00 - 18:00, 2023-04-06 16:00 - 18:00 | Wells Community Hall, 4269 Sanders Ave, Wells, BC, V0K2R0, Canada
Looking for a new way to exercise and have fun? Become a pickler. Drop-in every Thursday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the Community Hall.

National Canadian Film Day at the Sunset Theatre
2023-04-19 - 2023-04-20 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
To celebrate Canadian Films we will be hosting a day of all Canadian Film Screenings at the Sunset Theatre in Wells along with hundreds of Theatres across Canada for the All You Can Watch Buffet.
Box Office will open at 11:30AM on April 19th.
Tickets: Pay What You Can
Here’s our Line Up of Canadian Films for #CanFilmDay
12PM – Long Time Running (2017)
A chronicle of The Tragically Hip’s Final 2016 tour.

2PM – Viking (2022)
The Viking Society is recruiting volunteers for the first manned mission to Mars. The goal is to form a B-team that will mirror the mission here on Earth in order to find solutions to the interpersonal problems that the Mars-bound crew is experiencing. The film tells the story of David, a high school gym teacher, who seizes this opportunity to revive his dream of becoming an astronaut and making a difference. Viking is a little absurd, falling somewhere between a high-concept comedy and a straight up allegorical tale. It’s a story about the gap between our dreams and reality.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/viking_2022
4PM – Scarborough (2022)
Three children become friends while living in a low-income neighbourhood.

7PM – First We Eat (2020) • Hot Docs
Living just south of the Arctic Circle, filmmaker Suzanne Crocker and her skeptical family attempt to ban all grocery store food for one year.

9PM – I Like Movies (2022)
Socially inept 17-year-old cinephile, Lawrence Kweller (Isaiah Lehtinen) gets a job at a video store, where he forms a complicated friendship with his older female manager.

#CanFilmDay 2023!
Help us celebrate Canadian Films on National Canadian Film Day!

Live Music Fridays with Sage Gordon
2023-03-31 20:00 - 22:00 | The Wells Hotel, 2341 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
Kick off the weekend with the talented local guitar and piano player Sage Gordon, every Friday night this winter at the Wells Hotel. No cover charge.
