Lighting up the night in Portage
Portage to join in national Culture Days celebration of local arts and culture
Advertisement
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/09/2016 (3423 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Grab a glow stick and join in on Portage la Prairie’s first Celebrate the Night on Sat., Oct. 1.
Local organizer Yvette Cuthbert, and other volunteers, are working to get as many community groups as possible involved in this celebration, which is part of Canada’s Culture Days.
Culture Days is an annual showcase of culture in communities across Canada from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. Yvette said the Portage la Prairie event is also somewhat inspired by Nuit Blanche in Winnipeg and a light festival she saw a few years ago in Vancouver.
“I thought it would be nice to bring that to Portage,” she said.
She wants people to come to the downtown area and explore the variety of activities offered throughout the evening from 6:45 to 11 p.m.
Celebrate the Night begins with a traditional Aboriginal blessing at Convention Corner (Saskatchewan Ave. E and 3rd St. SE), followed by performances by local dancers and musicians, including the Portage Collegiate Institute jazz band and choir, Micheline’s POW dancers and singer Suzanne Bird.
A glow in the dark hockey game, shadow theatre tent, slide show by a local camera club and screening of filmmaker Bill Plenty’s film, The Republic, are among the activities planned along Howie Avenue between 3rd Street and Royal Road.
Cuthbert is encouraging business owners in the area to light up their buildings, and hopes to decorate Vopni Park with Christmas lights.
One unique display will consist of human lanterns. Cuthbert said she learned to make these from watching an online demonstration. Layers of plastic wrap and packing tape are wrapped around a person, then a slit is cut so the figure can be removed. The human-shaped lantern can then be lit from the inside using glow sticks or battery-powered candles.
Other activities during the evening include geocaching using flashlights, and a story walk and dance walk.
Some events will precede the Celebrate the Night festivities. Angela Roulette will help people make story sticks at the Portage la Prairie Regional Library (40-B Royal Rd. N) on Oct. 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Portage & District Arts Centre (11-2nd Ave. NE) is featuring artists and musicians on Fri., Sept. 30 and Sat., Oct. 1 from 1 to 4 p.m.
Cuthbert said work to organize Celebrate the Night began in March, and she’s hoping that this year’s event is the first of many.
For more information on Celebrate the Night, see https://www.facebook.com/CelebratetheNightPortage/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf
Facebook.com/TheHeadlinerWPG
Twitter: @CanstarHeadline
Andrea Geary
St. Vital community correspondent
Andrea Geary was a community correspondent for St. Vital and was once the community journalist for The Headliner.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Andrea Geary
St. Vital community correspondent
Andrea Geary was a community correspondent for St. Vital and was once the community journalist for The Headliner.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Advertisement Advertise With Us