The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A leading voice in the national cultural scene is taking notice of how Flin Flonners celebrate what it means to be Canadian.
In announcing the 2011 edition of Culture Days, a cross-country event, Jian Ghomeshi referenced the city's now-famous dance on Main Street held as part of last year's festivities. Asked where Culture Days found the most support last year, Ghomeshi told The Vancouver Observer that "it really did run the gamut." "Where you see a lot of the action is in small towns," he said. "I loved hearing about Flin Flon, Manitoba. They had people on the street and in a flash mob dancing to 'Waving Flag' by K'naan." Ghomeshi, host of CBC-Radio's Q, was referring to the 300-plus people who danced their way down Main Street to the backdrop of the Somali-Canadian hip-hop musician's hit song.
The Culture Days program promised the dance would be "super easy" and open to "any age, any size, any shape." Ranging in age from breast-fed to prune-fed, participants heeded that advice. Culture Days is a free annual event weekend that celebrates arts and culture in communities across Canada. It debuted last September, with this year's event also slated for September.
