The Night Market with Oktopus, Baker Street Blues and Twin Fiddles at Music in the Park

Join the Trail & District Arts Council and Trail’s Incredible Farmers Market on July 17 for an entertaining evening of food vendors, market, and live music at The Night Market, with our new sponsor Kootenay Insurance Services. From 5 pm to 8:30 pm there’s lots to do in Gyro Park surrounded by great live music.
Award winning, Canadian world music octet Oktopus headlines the evening with their distinctive approach that devotes itself to klezmer music, while taking that incorporates elements from the classical, Québécois, and jazz repertoires.
The group was formed in 2010 by clarinetist Gabriel Paquin-Buki, and has been praised for the quality of its performances and the finesse of its arrangements, Oktopus has won numerous local and international awards and has been nominated for JUNO and Canadian Folk Music Awards.
Their performances are as passionate as they are virtuosic, sprinkled with humor and storytelling as shown by latest album, “Brahms, Balkans & Bagels”, a unique project where classical and folk music from Eastern Europe intertwine and ignite.
Hear Oktopus perform https://youtu.be/XadNmHb-pPo
Learn more about the group at https://www.oktopus.ca/
The Twin Fiddles are favourites of the fiddling world, featuring award-winning and renowned Canadian fiddlers, JJ Guy from Saskatchewan, and Gordon Stobbe from Nova Scotia. These two have been teaching camp and playing MITP for 20 years with their Canadian Old Time Fiddle Music.
JJ and Gordon’s distinctive original tunes are written in the twin fiddle style with lead and harmony lines that reflect their shared love for traditional fiddle music, the unique places they have been and the people they have met. Telling rich stories of their shared experiences, their show includes much humour and audience participation.
Opening the night are the always fun, rockin’ blues dance band, Baker Street Blues from Nelson. Their highly entertaining shows bring "Blues that grabs hold of you…and doesn't let go!"
Organized by Trail & District Arts Council, in partnership with Trail’s incrEDIBLE Farmer’s Market, our Night Markets have become a staple of Music in the Park where you may picnic, shop, and dance the night away. The market will see a range of artisans and other vendors at the market, as well as tasty cooling treats and delicious eats by our food vendors. Plus, we will be serving up non-alcoholic beverages including a signature cocktail.
Be sure to put our upcoming special events in your diary. Our celebration of Diverse Community and INCLUSION enters its second year on July 23 as RemarkABILITY Fest brings two great live bands to the park from 5:30-8:30 pm with vendors and info booths. Plus, the Friday night beach dance party, Music in the Dark, returns on August 7 from 7:30 to 10 pm. Then The Night Market closes out the season on August 13 from 5-8:30. Details below.
So, bring a lawn chair and don't forget to bring plenty of water. Need to cool off? The music is right by the water park and the river!
Admission is by $5 suggested donation per person at Gyro Park.
Please note that entrance for Music in the Dark is $10. Buy online or at the park. This is a no alcohol event recommended for ages 15 and up.
This show is made possible thanks to our title sponsors Kootenay Savings and Kootenay Insurance Services, and support from Pharmasave Trail, Teck Trail Operations, Doane Grant Thornton LLP, and Tourism South Kootenay. We also gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the City of Trail, Columbia Basin Trust, Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance, the Province of British Columbia, BC Arts Council, BC Live Performance Network, and the Government of Canada.
There’s plenty to look forward to this season as every Thursday until August 13, as at least two music acts perform, making it the perfect opportunity for family, friends and visitors to get together outside and listen to great live music in beautiful Gyro Park.

by _KCR Events

Slocan Harmony Festival shows true community spirit

Volunteers and artists in the Slocan are gearing up for Harmony Festival this weekend. The 3-day festival takes place on picturesque Slocan Beach, and kicks off today at 1 p.m. with a youth songwriting workshop. The festival, now in its 4th year, draws on local talent, effort, and passion to create an accessible event for all ages. Entrance is by donation.

“I would describe it as Slocan Valley vibes, family friendly, lots of fun, lots of art, lots of freedom of expression.

The donation model that I'm trying to expand is a pay what you can or pay it forward. For some people that have a little bit more money, they can put a little extra to cover the people who don't have so much money so that we can all enjoy a community gathering, on one of the most beautiful places in the world, Slocan Beach.”

Organizer and host Lisa Parente, who hails from Montreal, said she created the festival as a sort of sequel to the Unity Music Festival that ran in the Slocan for roughly 6 years.

“I approached the founders of Unity and said, ‘hey, I've been asked to bring this back. How do you feel, I would love your blessing’. And they said, ‘yeah, bring back a music event, that's great. But don't call it Unity, make it something else.’ And so I came up with the name Harmony, which is both a musical term and synonym for Unity.”

Before the Unity Festival there was LittleFest, another grassroots-style Slocan Valley festival that also ran for 6 years. 

Many festivals of its kind, and many larger festivals in the Interior and beyond, have faced challenges continuing in recent years. But there's something in the spirit of these community festivals that isn't so easily cancelled.

The 2nd year of the Harmony Festival was scheduled during devastating fires in the area. Some questioned whether the festival should go ahead. Parente decided to have the event anyway.

“There was friends of mine who had their property burned just a few days earlier, and they were there at the event, singing and dancing, and being with their friends. Because what else could they do? I was standing there, watching the fire creep closer to my home at Harmony… Artists showed up, and they gave their show, and people showed up. And we danced and we laughed…”

The festival comes together through the creativity and support of local artists, volunteers and organizations.

Festival goers can look forward to music, creative workshops, and water games. Everything from felting to kayak races.

“Friday evening, there's going to be some live art happening during the hip-hop show. Free crafts, tons of workshops, lots of games. We're gonna have the Slocan firefighter games on Sunday, and we're having Endless Adventure from Crescent Valley facilitate some water games on Saturday. Getting lots of support from local businesses and organizations and groups.

I just really love the fact that I can help showcase local art through music, dance, and art exhibits.”

Parente runs the Treehugger Events Society — a non-profit that aims to support local artists and culture, and create accessible community events. She says she's proud to provide the space to gather and enjoy cultural and artistic expression.

The event is also produced by Live Harmonics Sound Science — a small event production company based in the Slocan Valley. You might know them from their work at Bloom Nightclub in Nelson. Mark Parsons of Live Harmonics is looking forward to producing the sound for Harmony.

“We have been working with Lisa for the past few years and she runs these events by donation and she brings the community together. It's absolutely adorable, and such a wonderful event. We're really proud to be a part of it. So, yeah, we couldn't be happier to be a part of it again this year.”

Harmony Festival runs through Sunday at Slocan Beach. Admission is by donation, and the full lineup of activities can be found on Harmony's Facebook page.

by Heather Austin