Local Festival Showcases Talent since 1945
Fort St. John is home to a vibrant Arts Community
For nearly 80 years, the Peace River North Festival has been showcasing local performing artists. Completely volunteer-run, the Festival’s longevity is a testament to both the love of the Arts and the dedication of the volunteers in the region.
A long-time supporter of the Arts in Fort St. John, as well as a Festival volunteer, Sue Popesku’s archives are full of interesting snippets of information about the history of the Festival. One these was the minutes from a Festival meeting in 1955, which proclaimed it to be the 10th Anniversary of the Festival. That festival was quite different from the ones today.
Most of the entries came from the schools, and back then, not only was there music, dance and speech arts, but drama. Schools would enter plays in the Festival. At that time, the Cultural Centre didn’t exist, so schools and local halls were used as venues. It seems that Central School was always used for dance, for example. Fort St. John was not the sole host of the Festival in years gone by, there was a time when Dawson Creek would host the Festival in alternate years.
With the growth in both communities, the North and South Peace each hold their own festivals, and are part of Performing Arts BC, a provincial network of 32 festivals, each year showcasing the top talent from around British Columbia. This year, the Provincial Festival will be held in Penticton, from May 28 to June 1.
Here are the Festival participants who have been chosen to represent the North Peace at Provincials:
Choir: Alleluiah Children’s Choir
Vocal Merited Participant: Kennedy Holtmann
Strings:
Merited Participant: Ella Knoppers
Junior A Strings: Olivia Bullert
Intermediate Strings: Renaldy Zaldy
Piano, Merited Participants:
Simon Jones, Abby Wuthrich, Naysa Boyd, Ranita Luo, Kevin Nguyen
Dance:
Ballet I: Macey Bates
Alternate: Mataya Howells
Ballet II: Emily Peters
Alternate: Kenlee White
Ballet III: Sophie Soderberg
Stage I: Carissa Zaldy
Alternate: Temperance Milne
Stage II: Rylea Krezanoski
Stage II: Julia Bennett
Alternates: Brielle Beard, Maddie Alexander
Stage III: Abby Taylor
Stage III: Tara Carnell
Modern II: Addyson Soderberg
Alternate: Maddy Alexander
Modern III: Ella Brooks
If you have an interest in the Arts in Fort St. John and are interested in volunteering for the Peace River North Festival, planning for the 2024 Festival starts in September with the Peace River North Festival Assocation AGM. Follow them on Facebook for more information. https://www.facebook.com/PeaceRiverNorthFestivalAssociation