With the first-ever Blueberry Jam Music Gathering now on the books, attention will turn to Flin Flon’s traditional fall festival: Culture Days.
This year’s event, the ninth of its kind to be held in Flin Flon, will take place from Sept. 28 to 30. Organizer and Flin Flon Arts Council cultural coordinator Crystal Kolt said that plans are underway to extend the 2018 edition of Culture Days to more than 120 events, up from 112 last year.
“It’s another thing that just keeps growing,” said Kolt.
“We have some new events coming in that people might be interested in.”
One new event, which will likely be held near the Rotary Wheel, is called After the Drum. Inspired by a similar event in the Northwest Territories, the exhibit will lead participants on a path through the forest, where they can take in themed art installations and performances.
“We’re stealing that. We saw an article from the territories where they tried something like that and we thought it would be so beautiful and so much fun,” said Kolt.
“You can take a wander into the woods and have this sort of boreal experience that you can’t do in many other parts of the world.”
Other ideas, such as exhibits detailing Islamic culture and the contributions of female workers to northern Manitoba mining, are also in the works.
The Superstar program– which is held in schools and offers students instruction in such activities as acrobatic stunts and circus tricks – will also expand to high schools this year.
Culture Days will also be bringing back the traditional favourites, including the Human Books event at the Flin Flon Public Library, the Wild Things Outdoor Market at Creekside Park and the iconic Dancing Down Main Street. Listings for all three events are up on the national Culture Days website.
In other sites this year, Culture Days is emphasizing the idea of hubs – sites where multiple events can be held. It’s an idea that Flin Flon has already embraced, with areas like the Rotary Wheel and Creekside Park playing host to multiple events.
“In Flin Flon, one of our hubs is the kids’ culture hub at the Rotary Wheel, where there’s multiple events happening, or the Wild Things Outdoor Village at Creekside Park – that’s growing,” said Kolt.
Kolt said that since Culture Days and other arts events have built a following in the community, different arts programs and festivities have bloomed.
“People know you can go to Local Roots and see great entertainment. People know that, when I say Wild Rice Cabaret, what it is. There are things we don’t necessarily have to build from scratch,” she said.
