By the time this column hits the stands, there will be just hours left to vote for two tracks put forth by Flin Flon musicians in the CBC Searchlight competition.
Those two local entries, by CC Trubiak and Jenn and Mark, make up part of just eight finalists in the Canada-wide competition from Manitoba, and 100 finalists across
the country. That means two per cent of the finalists in the entire competition hail from little old Flin Flon. Not bad for a community of 5,000.
In our coverage of the finalists on page 1, Mark Kolt notes he’d like to think both his track and Trubiak’s would have made it into the top 100 based on the judgment of CBC Music producers. But the fact that these two tracks from Flin Flon beat out more than 2,000 other competitors based on votes alone might be more impressive.
There’s no doubt that Flin Flon has some pretty remarkable talent – in music and otherwise. There’s no doubt, either, that its culture scene is unparalleled in northern Manitoba and across much of smalltown Canada – Flin Flon’s Culture Days ranking third in all of Canada is a testament to that. In fact, Flin Flon’s status as a cultural hub was rated as one of the area’s top strengths during Travel Manitoba’s recent place branding session in town.
But the success of cultural initiatives in the area goes beyond their availability and organization. It’s the support for cultural happenings in the community that is truly remarkable. The idea that people – it’s hard to say how many, but clearly a large group of them – voted two Flin Flon artists into the top 100 of a national contest out of thousands is almost unfathomable, not because of the quality of work that was presented but because of the size of the community. It’s small, but obviously it’s mighty, and its influence reaches beyond its boundaries.
We see this again and again in the arts community – people put themselves out there and remarkable things come from it. The 40 people who attended Amisk Tours’ trip to Winnipeg for Come From Away saw it when Steven Schipper, the artistic director for the Manitoba Theatre Centre met with the group during a reception after the show – evidence of the ongoing relationship between Schipper and the Flin Flon arts community. Those who attended the North Central Canada Centre of Arts and Education’s pilot project, the Building Knowledge Course witnessed it when high-level scholars and professionals travelled to town from across the country and abroad to deliver the course. It shows in the Flin Flon Youth Arts Council’s ability to book a band from out of province, in sold-out concerts at Johnny’s and the community hall, and in packed bleachers during Ham Sandwich performances. And it’s apparent now as a few small-town musicians are backed by a dedicated community of supporters who repeatedly took time out of their days to put in the effort to vote and help propel these artists toward the top.
This enormous support for arts and culture allows for all kinds of unique and enriching experiences on a number of different levels, and it isn’t a given in many places – there are thousands of musicians out of the running to prove it. The genuine enthusiasm and support for these endeavours in Flin Flon is something to be proud of and grateful for.
