2011 Fix Picks

Each and every month we uncover gems in Fernie and share their stories with you. It never ceases to amaze me that while we live in a community of less than 4,200 residents, the number of individuals going above and beyond is far outside the norm. While there are so many groups and individuals worth mentioning, here are a few big picks to follow in 2011!

Angie Abdou
A fiction writer and teacher with a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Calgary, Angie lives in Fernie with her family, teaches at the College of the Rockies, is involved in writing programs throughout the country, and has published a collection of short stories Anything Boys Can Do (2006), a novel, The Bone Cage (2007), and (taking a breath) is set for “one hell of a year”. Not only is she launching her second book, The Canterbury Trail, this spring published by Brindle & Glass, Angie’s The Bone Cage is among the top five finalists in CBC’s 2011 Canada Reads. After a three-week public campaign to formulate a list of the “Top 40 Essential Canadian Novels of the Past Decade”, people then voted for their favourites. The Bone Cage made the top ten, and then was selected by Georges Laraque whom will defend it in the debates this February.

The Canada Reads debates air live on Jian Ghomeshi's Q, February 7, 8, and 9. Panellists will vote until they're down to the single book that all Canadians should read (being billed as "The Canadian Book of the Decade"). The winner will be interviewed on February 10.

And if that isn’t enough, there is rumour of Georges Laraque coming to Fernie this month! www.abdou.ca

Shred Kelly
Fernie’s “Banjo Rock” band has been experiencing a lot of highs lately. Shred Kelly went from playing busy gigs in Fernie to playing on stage at the Olympics in 2010. “I think the Olympics was the gig that made it possible for us to think outside of Fernie and take our music further,” says Sage. This move planted a seed that resulted in their summer tour across Canada. “There were definitely some highlights. St. John's Newfoundland was incredible. If we think the Fernie folk know how to party, St. Johns Newfoundland proved us wrong. It was hard to keep up with their entertainment and nightlife,” she adds.

They continued the momentum into the fall by playing at resort towns in the area and won a contest hosted by www.snowseekers.ca which opened some doors for the upbeat group, providing a fantastic lineup in 2011. “We start the New Year in Panorama and finish the first week of the New Year by playing the opening party in Revelstoke for the Freeskiing World Tour,” says Sage. The month continues with shows in Nelson, Kaslo and then Blizzard Fest (their first festival!).

Shred Kelly is in the process of setting up their summer gigs, hoping to add a few festivals, and will be recording with a new studio – Ghostwood Records in Lethbridge. Keep up to date with their tour schedule at www.shredkelly.com.

Alpine Canada
Why follow Alpine Canada, you may be asking yourself. Well, it seems as though this governing body of alpine skiing, the Canadian ski teams, the para-athlete ski teams and skier cross sports in Canada is becoming inundated with Fernie folks. The most prominent is Emily Brydon, but did she not retire? Emily was elected to sit on the Board of Directors as athlete representative and is playing an active roll by engaging all athlete concerns with the board. Fernie is also represented on the board by Chris Slubicki as Vice Chairman, Max Gartner as President of Alpine Canada , and Mike Delich as Director for the province of BC. Pretty impressive considering the board consists of 16 directors with representation from BC to NB, the Federal Government and athletes – that’s 25% Fernie if you didn’t do the math!

And it doesn’t end there! Alpine Canada is also lucky to have Fernie’s Dave Ellis as Director of the Canadian Skier Cross program, Jennifer Delich as Physiotherapist for the Ladies World Cup Team, and Dr. Curtis Rytz as a dentist to the Canadian teams.

Wapiti
We may have lost the infamous Taste of Fernie, but we now have Wapiti (which means Elk in the Cree language) – the Fernie music festival coming this August 2011. Kevin McIsaac, who was very involved in the Taste of Fernie and began the popular BBQ Challenge, spearheaded this festival after having gone to many such events in the Kootenays and beyond. With insurmountable “research” from not only Kevin but all committee members (attending more festivals than ever the last couple of years), discussion, debate and creative brainstorming sessions, Kevin along with the eclectic committee have begun finalizing elements of this exciting event.

Wapiti will take place August 12 and 13 in the Annex Park (pending approval from the City). Their goal is for the music to be Indie Eclectic – danceable and family friendly. The weekend will start with Kootenay acts on Friday evening and upcoming Canadian talent on Saturday. Currently Kevin and crew are booking acts, creating partnerships, and planning the overall details of the event. As the year progresses, they plan on reaching out to the community to build their volunteer list, as well as begin communicating information on the event to the community. Follow their facebook page as the details unravel! To become involved or learn more, email info@ferniemusic.com..

Fernie Women’s Centre
If someone would have asked me about the Women’s Centre just five years ago I would have countered with an unknowing look. “We have a Women’s Centre?” Much has changed since then as now it might be difficult not to notice this busy, evolving organization. The process began with re-branding. “We wanted a fresh and feminine logo that people would associate with the Fernie Women’s Centre,” says Laren Fox. From there the board moved to building a website. “The site is informative and easy to use. It gives up to date information about programs the Women’s Centre runs in the Elk Valley. It also gives people a way to contact the Centre anonymously through email or through our online forum,” she adds.

With a fresh look and improved communications, they began to push forward by adding a new program for girls in grades seven and eight. “Once a week we have a drop in for girls only that consists of fun activities, empowering conversations and yummy snacks” They also continually look for new ways to broaden the programs they offer, particularly by finding a bigger location. “We are out growing our current space!”

This dedicated and forward thinking board, motivated to work on new projects for the Women’s Centre, also brought to us the popular cook book Fernie Foodies. This fundraising project includes recipes that are, “tried and true favorites of local restaurants and citizens of Fernie. This was truly a community project that could not have happened without all our amazing volunteers and contributors.” So keep on watching and supporting this amazing group as the sky is the limit with their ambition and energy!