What's Up in Wells

Kids' Nature Camp: A Place To Call Home
2021-07-08 09:00 - 14:30, 2021-07-06 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Vancouver) | BC
This program is a recognition of the immense benefits of being outside, playing, creativity, and a healthy dose of curiosity. We aim to help children explore in a supportive and safe environment to build confidence of their own capability. Throughout the summer we will focus on play and free exploration as a tool to learn, grow curiousity, and develop a sense of wonder for the amazing world that is around us.
Ages 6-13 with flexibility
Times: Tuesday 9:00-12:00 pm and Thursday 9:00-2:30 pm
Dates: July 6th-August 26th Tuesdays and Thursdays
Program Facilitators: Devon Macdonald and Annie Rutherford
Cost: No cost to participants *
* This is the first year that we have offered a program like this and we are excited about the opportunities it presents for future programming. We are offering the nature camp at no cost for participants because we recognize the learning and growth that comes in the first year. To allow this program to continue into the future we do plan on having a cost associated in future years to keep it sustainable. Thank you for joining us on our foray into the woods we welcome any feedback or comments you may have to help us to continue to grow and learn.
Click here if you are ready to register or call us at 250-994-3466.
COVID 19 POLICY
This program will run in accordance with the directives provided by the BC Provincial Health Office to ensure the safety of any children and staff involved and the broader community. Please read over our Health and Safety Site Plan before registering your child to ensure that you are comfortable with the measures we have in place and to give us time to respond to concerns. We will continue to review and update this document as the summer progresses and new information becomes available.
IMA COVID Health & Safety Site Plan: Focus Youth Programs
If you have any questions or concerns please contact Elyssia Sasaki (elyssia@imarts.com).
WEEKLY THEMES & GUEST ARTISTS
Each week will introduce a new theme which will serve as a jumping off point for our explorations. While we intend to follow these themes we also recognize that there are unforseen circumstances and so all of these themes have a built in flexibility to allow for discovery wherever that takes us. The themes will help to guide our play for each week and in a gentle way allow us to think about new concepts while having fun.
Artists will be announced soon! If you are interested in being one of our guest artists please contact Annie at annie@imarts.com. We would love to hear from you!
July 6 & 8 – A Place To Call Home
This week we will explore habitats and what makes a place home. Our play for this week will focus on building a habitat for ourselves within the forest and finding out who our neighbours are. This weeks art will explore the concept of home and the many ways that a home and habitat are created.
July 13 & 15 – Signs of Life
What clues do different life forms leave behind? This theme examines the trails that are left behind and how we can learn to read these clues and trails like a book to learn who was there. This theme will challenge us to understand different lived experience while making us think about the imprints we leave behind.
July 20 & 22 – Navigating the woods
How do we find our way when we are lost? To begin to answer this question we will build our awareness of the spaces around us. Through games and activities we will cultivate an understanding of the places around us build our capacity for understanding our landscape.
July 27 & 29 – Leafy friends
Did you know that you could make a shirt out of nettles? That willow can help you deal with pain and that you can eat dandelions whole? While we wont necessarily do all these things this week we will explore the amazing world of plants.
Aug 3 & 5 – Creating with the forest
This week’s theme is about discovering the exciting process of decay and renewal. What happens to the trees that fall on the ground? What happens to an apple if you bury it in the ground? We will try to answer some of these questions in this week but also look at how decay provides space for creativity and renewal in the forest. We will play games and test our creativity in finding ways to design and make with the forest.
Aug 10 & 12 Forest Languages
When you walk through the forest can you hear the trees talking? The answer is likely no and that is because trees don’t communicate in the same way we do but that doesn’t mean that they don’t talk with one another. This theme will explore communication in the forest. We will try to decode bird language, marvel at the wonderous world of mycelium and play with these concepts.
Aug 17 & 19 – The Five Senses
This week will focus on training our senses so we can be alert and more aware of what is happening. Our training will include sensory walks and games to get a better understanding of our own senses and the ones we may not use very often. To help us understand the senses and their importance in the forest we will look at how different animals use their senses and how it is important for survival but also to thrive within any environment.
Aug 24 & 26 – Finding Community
As our last week we will identify what it means to be part of a community and the importance of giving back. We will celebrate the community that we have created and think about ways that we can continue to make community in our lives.
WHAT TO BRING
We will be outside rain or shine. The key to having a good time in any weather is preparation. We request that every child come prepared for the day ahead. This list is a guide to what one might bring depending on the conditions outside. If there is anything on here that you do not have please contact us and we will do our best to arrange something. We want to ensure that your child/ren’s experience is positive even on those wet cold days.
Clothing
On Days Without Rain

A long sleeve shirt (it will be buggy)
Long pants
A sweater (if it is looking to be a bit chilly)
A raincoat
Shoes that are comfortable and will handle clambering over sticks
A hat

On Days With Rain

A raincoat and rain pants
Rainboots
A fleece or wool sweater

Other Gear

A backpack
Water bottle (please fill it before you arrive)
Sunscreen
An extra pair of clothes can be a good idea especially for younger children
Snacks

We will have bug nets to go over hats as well as extra water
SAFETY
Ensuring the safety of all participants is very important to us. Both facilitators have First Aid training and will carry a first aid kit at all times. We will also ensure that facilitators are provided with a radio for fast communication as wells as bear spray.
Due to COVID-19 we recognize that safety has taken on different dimensions please see our 2021 06 19 IMA COVID Health & Safety Site Plan for more information on how we are taking this into consideration.
REGISTER
If you have any questions or concerns regarding registration please contact us at info@imarts.com or call our phone number.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Art + The Forest Workshop: Weaving a Willow Platter
2021-07-06 08:00 - 17:00 | BC
Wells is a willow wonderland! In this workshop learn one of the many ways that willow can be used by weaving a simple willow platter. Try your hand at weaving with a project suited to a beginners skill set. This platter uses many of the basic skills needed for further basketry work and is the perfect project for anyone interested in basketry or who just wants a use for all that willow.
Place: Wells-Barkerville School Field
Time: 1:30 – 4:30
Materials: A pillow that can be used outside (optional)
Suggested Payment: No cost to participants
Space will be limited. Please register to secure your spot. Click here to register
About Art + The Forest
Come join us for our forest workshop series every Saturday starting July 3rd and ending August 21. This workshop series will focus on exploring how people can engage with and harvest from the forest in an ethical and sustainable manner. Topics will range from plant id, to making medicinals, to willow basketry. We encourage any and all to join us with one caveat being that anyone under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Learn share and discover some of the ways that we can engage with the forest and the many ways it can help to support us and our communities.
Program Facilitators: Devon Macdonald and Annie Rutherford
Ages: All with 12 and under accompanied

Exhibit: Lineage
2021-06-30 - 2021-08-23 | Island Mountain Arts, 2323 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
As an artist, my upbringing, heritage and family history have long served as inspirations for my work. Over the years, these founding motivations have compounded, evolved, mutated and combined to form new pathways, leading to new ideas. “Lineage,” not only traces my family history and how it has come to affect my work, but it also pinpoints the origins of thoughts and motifs that have recurred in my work since childhood. It charts the development of an artist, the creative process and the transformation of ideas from the first seeds of curiosity to tangible works of art. – Haley Bassett
The show comprises 50-plus works, spanning several mediums including oil paintings, charcoal, watercolor, ceramics, natural materials, photographs and ink drawings. It includes works from Bassett’s early childhood, as well as found objects, references, books, personal belongings, studies and notebooks.
The composition of these varied objects in the space provide a peek behind the curtain, as it were, to the process of creativity and inspiration, highlighting the unstructured and unsuspecting ways that ideas form and build off of each other. Lineage runs counter to the narrative that artists exist in vacuums of lone genius, and that their work resides only in a product of a painting. It provides an open and candid access point to the beauty of process, not only as it relates to ancestry, but in the way we develop, hold to and understand our narratives of personal truth.
Island Mountain Arts is incredibly grateful to be hosting Lineage through our Summer season, beginning June 30th with a gallery opening from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM. The gallery will be open Wednesday through Sunday until August 22nd. Indoor capacities will be in accordance with the guidelines from the PHO.

Wells Works Exhibition
2020-12-10 - 2021-01-25 | Island Mountain Arts, 2323 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
Wells Works 2020!
Submission link here -> https://forms.gle/Gv47xrFyW8SSJ4527
We thank you for your patience with this year’s call out for Wells Works! We want to celebrate the work you are doing by showing it in the Gallery for all to see!
We propose that this consignment exhibition would run from December 10th to January 24th. The gallery is open Thursday – Sunday, with a holiday closure from December 24th, 2020 to January 1st 2021).
More information in the google form, or give the office a call at 250 994 3466!

Movie: Waiting for Guffman
2020-11-20 20:00 - 22:00 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
Join us at the Sunset this Friday, November 20th for this hilarious film by the incomparable Christopher Guest.
Tickets: $10
Showtime: 8PM

When the town of Blaine, Mo., approaches its sesquicentennial, there’s only one way to celebrate: with a musical revue called “Red, White and Blaine.”

Hoping the show will be his ticket back to Broadway, impresario Corky St. Clair (Christopher Guest) rounds up a cast of enthusiastic but untalented locals (Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Catherine O’Hara) to perform his masterwork. But, when Corky reveals that theater agent Mort Guffman will attend the opening, things really kick into high gear.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/waiting_for_guffman

Here are our Covid19 Protocols:

If you are unwell stay home – even if those symptoms are not Covid 19 related
Every area of the theatre is cleaned regularly using CDC Covid 19 cleaning protocols
Seating capacity is limited to @ 20 to 28 patrons depending on Pod sizes
Staff & Patrons wear masks in every area of the Theatre
We provide masks at the sign in table if you don’t have your own
1 person per party must sign in w/ contact information. Max. pod size is 6 people
You may only sit with people in your household or workplace bubble
Maintain a 6ft/2m distance between your pod and other patrons
Hand sanitizer @ sign in desk, entry way of theatre & for sale @ concession
Concession area has 3 socially distanced waiting areas
Debit/Credit Square payment preferred – cash accepted.

Wells-Barkerville Culture and Recreation Centre Public Presentation
2020-11-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
Hosted by the Wells Community Facility Committee of the District of Wells.
A public presentation and discussion of the business plan created for the Wells-Barkerville Culture and Recreation Centre (formerly known as the Wells-Barkerville Community School). The committee will present the draft business plan and committee work to date, followed by feedback from the community.
Call 250-994-3330 or email clerk@wells.ca to register.
Attendance options available in-person (at the Sunset Theatre) and online (via Zoom). Please indicate if you will attend in person how many will be in your group, or provide your email address to receive the Zoom link.
A copy of the draft business plan can be requested in advance from the District of Wells office.

Island Mountain Arts Online Art Auction
2020-11-10 - 2020-11-23 | BC
Our friends at 4th Meridian Auctions are helping us host our last big fundraiser of 2020!

LINK to bid: https://www.invaluable.com/catalog/mhnradac7w

It’s been a strange year to say the least, but we hope that you’d like to end it by getting something brilliant for your walls and supporting Island Mountain Arts!

A huge thanks to the many donors and artists that make fundraisers like this possible! Artists from top left, clockwise: David Mikkleson, Kim Ondaatje, Esther Colton, Peter Corbett, Bill Featherston, Al Colton, Philip Pearlstein, Kristin Krimmel, Mo Hamilton, Edward Clark Porter, Pnina Granirer

Northern Exposure 2020
2020-10-22 - 2020-10-26 | BC
NORTHERN EXPOSURE 2020
October 22 – 25, 2020
Virtual and in Wells and Barkerville, BC
The Northern Exposure Conference draws together the music and arts industry from rural and urban British Columbia to share ideas and knowledge on the sector, access professional development, and foster growth and support networks. The conference includes a showcase of emerging and professional BC musicians to ensure more exposure, promotion and support for BC talent.
Northern Exposure recognizes the unique opportunities and challenges faced by those who create, produce or present music in rural settings and the conference aims to explore and address those opportunities and challenges. In rural BC distances are vast and those working in the music sector often face isolation and a lack of resources. Meeting face-to-face is a vital way to overcome this and build strength in the industry and more opportunities for working artists.
Northern Exposure’s dynamic and intimate model of information sharing creates a solid foundation for the development of a strong network amongst the arts professionals in attendance. Roundtable discussions, B2Bs, collaborative panels and open floor discussions allow for attendees to be heard and for solutions to be discovered with input from many sources.
More info and how to register coming soon….
Topic areas for this year’s conference:
Sustainability and Systems Change will be the overarching theme of Northern Exposure in 2020.
Marketing and Digital Strategies

Mahogany Hall
2020-09-27 20:00 - 22:00, 2020-09-26 20:00 - 22:00, 2020-09-25 20:00 - 22:00 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
Join us for Mahagony Hall – the jazz music collaboration of pianist Patrick Courtin and vocalist Simon Paterson.

BGM Community Discussion
2020-09-22 18:00 - 20:00 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
Barkerville Gold Mines will be hosting a Community Discussion on September 22, 2020 from 6-8pm. The event will be held both in person, at the Sunset Theatre in Wells, as well as virtually on Zoom. To register for the event, please call 778-414-8493 or email feedback@barkervillegold.com with your preference for in person or virtual attendance.
As the Sunset Theatre’s Covid19 Protocols limit seating capacity, you must pre-regiseter w/ the # of people in your household bubble who wish to attend. To register, please call 778-414-8493 or email feedback@barkervillegold.com with your preference for in person or virtual attendance.
There is a sign in sheet and masks at the entry way to the Sunset Theatre.

Improv Comedy Duo: Boydream
2020-09-12 20:00 - 21:00 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
Boydream is a Vancouver based, story focused improv duo. Brad Bergeron and Corey Schmitt have been doing comedy together for over 7 years and have honed in on their style with Boydream. Prepare to be swept off to distant lands and time periods while you laugh so hard you think you might suddenly perish. Enjoy the show!
Tickets: By Donation • $10 min. recommendation

Film Screening: The Thing
2020-09-11 20:00 - 22:00 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
Tickets: $10
Running Time: 109 minutes
Genre: Horror, Sci Fi & Fantasy
Rating: R
John Carpenter’s The Thing is both a remake of Howard Hawks’ 1951 film of the same name and a re-adaptation of the John W. Campbell Jr. story “Who Goes There?” on which it was based.
This now Cult Classic follows a group of American research scientists in remote Antarctica disturbed at their base camp by a helicopter shooting at a sled dog. When they take in the dog, it brutally attacks both human beings and canines in the camp, and they discover that the beast can assume the shape of its victims. A resourceful helicopter pilot (Kurt Russell) and the camp doctor (Richard Dysart) lead the camp crew in a desperate, gory battle against the vicious creature.
Trailer: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1021244-thing

Film Screening: Much Ado About Nothing
2020-09-10 20:00 - 21:30 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
Tickets: $10
Running Time: 110 minutes
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rating: PG-13 (for momentary sensuality)
Actor Kenneth Branagh made his directorial debut with a rousing screen adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Henry V. Four years later, he returned to the bard’s work with this lively version of one of Shakespeare’s best comedies. Don Pedro (Denzel Washington), the Prince of Aragon, returns victorious from battle to the praises of the Governor of Messina, Leonato (Richard Briers). One of Don Pedro’s bravest men, Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard), falls in love with Hero (Kate Beckinsale), Leonato’s daughter, and they plan to marry. However, Don Pedro’s devious half-brother Don John (Keanu Reeves) opposes the match, and he devises a plan to turn Hero against Claudio. Meanwhile, Benedict (Branagh), Don Pedro’s second-in-command, detests Leonato’s niece Beatrice (Emma Thompson), but Don Pedro cleverly brings them together by making each think that the other is secretly in love with them. Much Ado About Nothing also features Michael Keaton in a showy turn as Dogberry.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGlmhwa0zjw

Film Screening: the Grand Budapest Hotel
2020-09-06 20:00 - 21:40 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune — all against the back-drop ofa suddenly and dramatically changing Continent.
Tickets: $10.00

Rating:
R (for language, some sexual content and violence)

Genre:
Comedy, Drama

Directed By:
Wes Anderson

Written By:
Hugo Guinness, Wes Anderson

Runtime:
99 minutes

Film Screening: Paddington 2
2020-09-05 21:00 - 22:30 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
PADDINGTON 2 finds Paddington happily settled with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens, where he has become a popular member of the community, spreading joy and marmalade wherever he goes.
While searching for the perfect present for his beloved Aunt Lucy’s hundredth birthday, Paddington spots a unique pop-up book in Mr. Gruber’s antique shop, and embarks upon a series of odd jobs to buy it. But when the book is stolen, it’s up to Paddington and the Browns to unmask the thief.
Helmed by twice BAFTA nominated director Paul King, PADDINGTON 2 is co-produced by multi award-winning David Heyman / Heyday Films (producer of all eight of the HARRY POTTER films, GRAVITY, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS, FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM) and StudioCanal, who will also distribute in the UK, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.
PADDINGTON is based on the best-selling and internationally adored series of children’s stories by British author Michael Bond, which have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide, been translated into over 40 languages and captured the imagination of children and adults around the globe.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paddington_2

Tickets: $10.00 OR $15.00 for both Paddington & Paddington 2

Film Screening: Paddington
2020-09-05 19:00 - 20:30 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
From the beloved novels by Michael Bond and producer David Heyman (HARRY POTTER), PADDINGTON tells the story of the comic misadventures of a young Peruvian bear who travels to the city in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined – until he meets the kindly Brown family who read the label around his neck that says “Please look after this bear. Thank you,” and offer him a temporary haven. It looks as though his luck has changed until this rarest of bears catches the eye of a museum taxidermist.
Trailer: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paddington_2014
Tickets: $10.00 OR $15.00 for both Paddington & Paddington 2

Film Screening: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
2020-09-04 20:00 - 22:00 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
One woman’s decision to comfort a stranger she finds crying in the street leads to a revealing and powerful conversation between two Indigenous women from very different circumstances, in this poignant collaboration from Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn. In an audacious act of heroism and kindness, Áila (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) chooses to console a young woman she finds barefoot and sobbing in the streets. She soon discovers that Rosie (Violet Nelson) has just escaped an assault by her boyfriend. Compelled to take action, Áila chooses to bring Rosie into her home and, over the course of the evening, the two women explore the after-effect of this traumatic event.
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open is a brilliant, poignant collaboration between two of Canada’s brightest — and boldest — filmmakers. Tailfeathers, a member of the Kainai First Nation as well as Sámi from Norway, triples as lead, co-writer, and co-director. She shares writing and directing with Kathleen Hepburn, whose 2017 film Never Steady, Never Still premiered at the Festival and was named to TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten.
Using 16mm and presenting their narrative in “real time,” the filmmakers craft a delicate intimacy, which lends emotion to this remarkable story of two women’s resilience, strength, and mutual support. Taking its title from an essay by Indigenous poet Billy-Ray Belcourt, and based on a watershed moment in Tailfeathers’ life, this story of a chance encounter between two women — living in the same Vancouver neighbourhood, but coming from distinct worlds of class and lived experience — reveals the necessity for Indigenous people to look out for each other in a society that’s too often indifferent to their existence.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l3WC4wl-SY
Here are our Covid 19 Protocols for all Sunset Theatre events.
• If you are unwell stay home – even if those symptoms are not Covid 19 related
• Seating capacity is limited to @ 20 to 28 patrons depending on Pod sizes
• For everyone’s comfort & safety we thank you in advance for wearing a mask
• We provide masks at the sign in table if you don’t have your own
• 1 person per party must sign in w/ contact info. Max. party size is 6 people
• You may only sit with people in your household or workplace bubble
• Maintain a 6ft/2m distance between your pod and other patrons
• Hand sanitizer @ sign in desk, entry way of theatre & for sale @ concession
• Concession area has 3 socially distanced waiting areas
• Debit/Credit Square payment preferred – cash accepted.

Film Screening: The World is Bright
2020-09-03 20:00 - 21:30 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
When an elderly Chinese couple are notified by the Canadian government about their son Shi-Ming’s sudden death and burial on Canadian soil, they embark on a decade-long investigation to uncover the truth behind his tumultuous life as a young immigrant in Canada. Skilfully employing a docu-thriller style and staying steadfastly committed to the story, director Ying Wang follows the grieving parents for ten years as they navigate a new culture and a complex web of bureaucracy in search of answers. While tracing Shi-Ming’s footsteps through re-enactments and interviews with those closest to him, Wang explores the intricate connection between parental expectations, migration and mental health. A powerful testament to parental devotion, The World is Bright takes a look at mental health within immigrant communities through the sensitive portrayal of two parents channeling their grief into hope.
– Mariam Zaidi
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzobfAm7CA8
Here are our Covid 19 Protocols for all Sunset Theatre events.
• If you are unwell stay home – even if those symptoms are not Covid 19 related
• Seating capacity is limited to @ 20 to 28 patrons depending on Pod sizes
• For everyone’s comfort & safety we thank you in advance for wearing a mask
• We provide masks at the sign in table if you don’t have your own
• 1 person per party must sign in w/ contact info. Max. party size is 6 people
• You may only sit with people in your household or workplace bubble
• Maintain a 6ft/2m distance between your pod and other patrons
• Hand sanitizer @ sign in desk, entry way of theatre & for sale @ concession
• Concession area has 3 socially distanced waiting areas
• Debit/Credit Square payment preferred – cash accepted.

Artist Talk on Meennunyakaa (Blueberry Patch) with Dr. Jennifer Leason
2020-08-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
Please join us at the Sunset Theatre in Wells for an Artist Talk with Dr. Jennifer Leason about her exhibition at the Island Mountain Arts Gallery Meennunyakaa (Blueberry Patch).
This event is by donation, but we must ask for pre-registration as space in the Sunset Theatre is limited. Also please let us know if you are attending as a group or family bubble, so we can pre-assign seating with proper social distancing. The doors will open at 6:30pm on Friday, August 28 and the event will begin at 7:00pm. You will be required to wear a mask until you are seated in the venue (masks provided if you do not have one).
Pre-Register Here!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc5rE5OtA2jIzVAhPBptoD3E6bARsqDLRtcb0Fe66JJJ3aW_g/viewform

Memory Stories - Leaving a Legacy
2020-08-28 - 2020-08-31 | BC
Join Island Mountain Arts and Heather Ramsay in a wonderful writing workshop from August 28th – August 30th. Early Bird Price available until August 1st. Check our Island Mountain Arts’ website for more information!
Workshop Description:
How do we set down our family histories? Stories may be told again and again, but what if we want to leave a more permanent record? From triggering memories to working with heirloom objects, recording interviews and initiating library/archival research, we will explore a variety of ways to creatively put our histories onto the page. Learn to write your own memories in full sensory detail and how to interview others to acquire vibrant elements of their stories. Over this two-day workshop, we will discuss different genres and equipment needed to create a lasting legacy to share with family and friends.

34th Annual Virtual Harp & Cello School
2020-08-16 - 2020-08-22 | BC
Virtual Harp & Cello School Registration Now Open
We are pleased to announce that, although we had to cancel the ‘in person’ school this year due to COVID-19, the 34th Annual Harp & Cello School will take place virtually, Monday, August 17 – Friday, August 21, 2020. Mark your calendars and register below. Scholarships and bursaries are also available.
Instructors: Sunita Staneslow, Seumas Gagne, Sharlene Wallace, Marilyn Rummel, Morag Northey and special guest Tristan LeGovic.
What Does a Virtual Harp & Cello School Look Like?
Registrants will do a live on-line two-hour interactive class each morning (Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 12pm) with their instructor and their harp or cello, there will be one “special topics” session each day with one of the instructors (mostly a listening class), and then a short concert every evening at 5pm featuring an instructor, with a couple of ceilidh style student performances to begin. We’ll try to be our usual informal, supportive style retreat, and try to meet needs of all our participants as best we can.
The classes will be 2 hours, with a 1/2 break in between – where coffee and talking will reign – there should be few enough students in each that we can somewhat chat with each other – we know that so much of the pleasure of coming to Wells is meeting your old harp & cello friends every year!
Sharlene Wallace (Novice/Advanced Beginner), Seumas Gagné (Intermediate), Sunita Staneslow (Intermediate/Advanced) and Morag Northey (All Levels Cello) will be teaching the morning workshops. And while Sharlene’s class is not for complete beginners, they are welcome IF they take the Harp Start class the week before. It will be offered at no additional cost to registrants for the Novice class. Marilyn Rummel, Island Mountain’s Harp School Founder and Artistic Director, will be offering that. Please get in touch for more information (info@imarts.com).
We’ll all join together for the special topics in the afternoon 2 – 3pm, and for the concerts at 5pm.
We are happy to say that Tristan Le Govic will be playing one of the instructor concert nights, and have a special topic as well all the way from France!
Plan for a virtual ‘Welcome Reception’ at 5pm PST on Sunday, August 16 to make sure you have all the information and technical know how to make your week a great experience!
All the classes will be done by Zoom, and registrants will get the info they need well in advance.
Registration Information
Early Bird Rate (includes workshops, special topics and evening concerts):
$355 + GST (Must Register and Pay in Full by July 24)
Regular Fee:
$395 + GST (After July 24, 2020)
Want to just attend the afternoon special topics and the evening concerts?:
$200 + GST
Scholarships and bursaries are available. Application deadline is two weeks before the program, but classes do sell out, so apply early.

Mount Everest Challenge
2020-03-14 16:30 - 2020-03-15 17:00 | Troll Ski Resort, Barkerville Hwy 27 E., BC, Canada
7th Annual Mount Everest Challenge
March 14, 2019 – March 15, 2019
Mount Everest Challenge
What is the Everest Challenge? The Everest Challenge is the brainchild of Len Sinclair, co-owner of Troll Resort. He did the math and determined that if a person were to complete a certain number of designated runs (on our mountain) it would be the equivalent height as having climbed Mount Everest!
What are those designated runs? The magic number is 20, but 7 of those runs are mandatory. The 7 mandatory runs are Snow White, Hurdy Gurdy, Viking, White Lighting, Overlander, The Rush and Racer’s Edge. The remaining 13 runs are skier/snowboarder’s choice. It is a true test of what you can accomplish…and it IS possible. Lifts begin, for the challengers, at 8:30am and run until 4:19pm. A hotdog lunch and refreshment is provided at the bottom of the red lift.
This event is open to ALL AGES and an AMAZING DRAW PRIZES is handed out to each age category, who completes their 20 runs! Age Catagories are:
7 & under, 8-16, 17-35, 36-49, 50 and over
**18 years & under, MUST have a signature of their parent or guardian to participate**
– THE EVEREST BASE CAMP CHALLENGE for ages 7 and under
Every year we have some wee little ones and THIS year we wanted to give them their own attainable goal. Everest Base Camp. The equivalent distance to reach Base Camp is 12 runs. The 7 mandatory runs and 5 more of their choosing.
ENTRY FEE AND RULES for MOUNT EVEREST
Entry fee is $30 per person and other than the opportunity to challenge yourself, you will also receive the collectible Troll Mount Everest T-Shirt, event sticker, lunch, beverages and your name entered into the prize draw, should you complete the challenge!
We still have the popular Speed Pass available. This handy little pass allows you to cut to the front of the line (Red Lift), up to 6 times! Cost is an additional $10, and can be worth it when you give your waiting friends a wave as you cut in front of them.
RULES
1.No speeding, this is a challenge, not a race.
2.The 7 runs identified on the attached trail map must be taken. You will need to pick up, on each of the identified runs, the token for that run which must be given to the attendant at the TOP of the Red Lift station, in order for you to be credited for that run.
3.The remaining 13 runs can be taken on any of the runs off of the top of the Red Lift station. No speeding!!!
4.At the end of your 20th run, turn in your bib at the bottom of the lodge.
5.You have to make 20 runs to get into the draw for prizes. Make sure you check on how many runs you have made.
Hot dogs and drinks will be served at the bottom of the Red Lift, for lunch.
The prizes for each age group will be given out by a random draw, in the lodge, at 5:00pm.
CAMPING at EVEREST BASE CAMP
This has become a yearly tradition (and another way to get your name entered into a draw). Winter camping is fun, and camping with your whole family is even more fun! At the end of the ski day, on Saturday, campers are welcome to set up their tents and prayer flags (if they have any). There will also be fantastic DRAW for those who camp. Trust us, you and your whole family will want to get your name entered into this one 😉
POTLUCK and MOVIE
There will be a potluck dinner in the lodge at 4:30- 5:30. Following the dinner, we will encourage people to get crozy and settle in for a movie on the BIG screen (thanks to Al Frisby). This is a GREAT way to keep warm, enjoy the family evening atmosphere in the lodge, and relax before the BIG day tomorrow!
Come out and enjoy our 7th annual Mt Everest event.

Winter Painting Guided Residency with Peter Corbett
2020-03-13 19:00 - 2020-03-19 15:30 | Island Mountain Arts, 2323 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
Island Mountain Arts presents a mentored studio residency lead by Peter Corbett, one of BC’s premier plein air oil painters. This six-day guided residency is designed to help emerging and professional visual artists explore their studio practice all-the-while being immersed in the beautiful and historic backdrop of Wells, Barkerville and Bowron Lake in the Winter.
Click here for more information: http://imarts.com/upcoming-workshops/winter-painting-2020
Regular Fees (after February 14th):
$849 + GST – 6-day Session , Shared Kitchen & Bath Accommodations included
$912 +GST – 6-day Session , Shared Kitchen & Private Bath Accommodations included
$579 + GST – 6-day Session without Accommodations included
*See scholarship and bursary information below, IMA strives to make this program accessible to professional and emerging artists through providing subsidy.
*Participants must bring with them their own supplies;
* Easels and tables are provided.
About the Program
“The 6 days spent with Peter Corbett as guide was a breakthrough for me in terms of how to paint quickly and effectively outside and I discovered new techniques and new paint in the studio. Peter, artist and scientist, is the perfect mentor for outdoor painting; he understands so much about the land, animals, water and atmosphere and he shares all that he knows and loves with enthusiasm and spirit. We painted in the town, at Bowron Lake, summits on the road, rivers and marshes, and clouds in the sky. We honed our field studies in the studio. We worked hard and long and it seemed like play.” ~Louise Drescher, Rossland, BC
Participants will be given the option of staying in the new IMA residency multi-occupancy building “the Nest” or at any other accommodation provider in Wells. Each Artist will be provided with studio space, as well as, scheduled critiques, demonstrations, and ongoing hands-on work with Peter.
Peter Corbett is considered by many to be one of western Canada’s leading plein air oil painters. Peter has been shown extensively in both public and commercial galleries, been the recipient of numerous awards and has been a mentor and teacher in various capacities. He is also a professional biologist, former outdoor adventure guide, and loves to share his enthusiasm for nature while painting out-of-doors.

Regional Joint Planning Meeting
2020-03-10 12:30 - 15:30 | Barkerville Historic Town & Park, 14301 Hwy 26 E., Barkerville, BC, V0K2R0, Canada
Businesses, organizations, and citizens of Trolls, Wells, Bowron, and Barkerville are invited to the 2020 Regional Joint Planning Meeting in the Barkerville Visitors’ Centre.
Come and be a part of the discussion on how Barkerville and its neighbouring communities can work together on:
• Infrastructure
• Staffing and Housing
• Marketing and Promotions
• Programming, events, and amenities
• And more!
A light lunch will be served at 12:30pm. The session will begin at 1:00 pm.
RSVP to Jillian Merrick, 250-994-3332 ex. 23 or jillian.merrick@barkerville.ca

FILM: Fantastic Mr. Fox
2020-03-08 20:00 - 21:30, 2020-03-08 14:00 | Sunset Theatre, 2357 Pooley St., Wells, BC, v0k2r0, Canada
Mr. and Mrs. Fox live an idyllic home life with their son Ash and visiting young nephew Kristopherson. But after 12 years, the bucolic existence proves too much for Mr Fox’s wild animal instincts. Soon he slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief and in doing so, endangers not only his beloved family, but the whole animal community. Trapped underground and with not enough food to go around, the animals band together to fight against the evil Farmers — Boggis, Bunce and Bean — who are determined to capture the audacious, fantastic Mr. Fox at any cost.
Rating:
PG (for action, smoking and slang humor)
Genre:
Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Kids & Family
Directed By:
Wes Anderson
Written By:
Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach
Runtime:
87 minutes
Critical Mass: Tomatometer – 92% Audience Score – 85%
”A boisterous and magnificent treat.”
– Laramy Legel, Film.com
”One of the most distinctive, entertaining and flat-out fun movies I’ve seen in a long time, a great piece of holiday family filmmaking that doesn’t insult the intelligence.”
– David Harris, Spectrum Culture

Janice Jo Lee Live in Concert
2020-03-07 20:00 - 22:00 | Island Mountain Arts, 2323 Pooley St., Wells, BC, V0k2R0, Canada
Join us at the IMA Gallery for an intimate night of music and storytelling with Janice Jo Lee.
Tickets at the door for $15.
Janice will also be teaching a workshop “Responsibility of the Storyteller” at IMA on Saturday, March 7-Sunday, March 8. Consider spending the weekend in Wells!
