Only a couple of short days after its conclusion, organizers already say this year’s edition of Culture Days was a success.
“It was fabulous,” said Crystal Kolt, Flin Flon Arts Council cultural coordinator and one of the lead organizers for Culture Days.
“I guess with our special guests, it really had a new essence to it that that was wonderful. We had new events, different events, same events, bigger, more adventurous. So many people from out of town came up for it, which is always wonderful. We’re happy.”
Culture Days 2019 was headlined by appearances by both Governor General Julie Payette and Manitoba Lieutenant Governor Janice Filmon, along with the traditional assortment of events across Flin Flon and surrounding areas.
Things will be different with the way this year’s Culture Days will be assessed after the event. Unlike past events, the number of total events held and Canada-wide rankings will not be done by the national Culture Days office this year. Flin Flon has consistently overperformed in those rankings, finishing second of all communities across Canada in events last year and topping Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and other cities. Only Winnipeg held more Culture Days events than Flin Flon in 2018.
This year’s Culture Days event was a family affair for the Kolts - Crystal’s daughter Katryn came to Flin Flon for the event, catching a series of flights from Toronto for the weekend. Katryn even took on a hands-on role during the events, hitting the stage during Saturday’s Wild Rice Cabaret for a performance of Edith Piaf’s “La vie en rose”, complete with accompaniment from Flinty himself.
“It’s just really beautiful. The whole community comes together and makes something really special and unique happen,” she said.
“This kind of stuff isn't happening everywhere else in Canada. It's unique to Flin Flon and it's worth travelling to come see.”
