Spirit Fest’s first big weekend could, for the most part, be regarded as a major success with decent-to-large crowds turning out for most events but a few events are foundering.
Organizers worry that Revelstokians’ tendency to show up at the last minute is having a negative impact on at least one event. The Amazing Race scheduled for next Sunday may be cancelled unless more teams sign up by Wednesday.
“Once again, we’re struggling with registration numbers for this event,” Meghan Tabor said in an e-mail to other Spirit Fest organizers. “I know everyone in Revelstoke is last minute, but we reallyneed people to pre-register for the event so we can plan the race accordingly. So far we have one team signed up. If you could help get the word out to your businesses, friends, etc. that would be awesome! Registration at the Chamber of Commerce until Wednesday Feb 6.”
Sure, most people in town don’t seem to plan very far ahead but surely it wouldn’t hurt to do so when you know that other local residents, some of whom are probably their friends, put in hours of work to organize events for the community at large.
Meanwhile, the Stoke FM Golf Tournament, which was scheduled for Tuesday evening, has also been cancelled. Scott Duke said he has recently been overwhelmed by a number of different issues and had to cancel the tourney. The other disappointment was a very poor attendance at the Youth Jam Night at the United Church. Organizers pulled the plug on it early in the evening when little more than a half-dozen people showed up.
Other than that, the weekend’s other events turned out quite well, as you can see by our selection of photos below. However, first I apologize for a dearth of photos from the Tournament of Chumps at RMR on Sunday. I was unable to attend that because of personal matters. Here, though, are our photos from everything else:
Anna Fin sings and plays guitar during the Youth Jam at the United Church on Friday evening. Alas for Anna this was a poorly attended event. She was, nonetheless, a lovely singer. David F. RooneyVictoria Leeson models her Revelstoke formal wear — a pair of Boggs — during the dress-up portion of the Top Chick Contest at the Last Drop on Friday evening. David F. Rooney photoJennah Woods was ready for anything, sort of, with her unusual formal wear. Actually, her ensemble kind of complements MC Jean Marc Laflamme’s etire. David F. Rooney photoLindsay Craig sports the Value Village look. David F. Rooney photoJess Craig poses for the camera. David F. Rooney photoKatie O’Connor was ready to rock. She actually won the Top Chick Contest with a bravura performance in the “talent” portion of the event. You can see how she did that by going to The Current Video feature on the front page. David F. Rooney photoThe visiting high school students from Ono Cho, Japan, put on one heck of a performance with a remarkable dance that drew tremendous applause from the crowd at this year’s Carousel of Nations at the Community Centre on Saturday afternoon. David F. Rooney photoIf you love the pipes — and most people of Scottish and Irish descent do — then you had to enjoys Saturday’s performance by members of the Revelstoke Highlanders Pipe Band. David F. Rooney photoJane Morris (left) chats with Lynne Barisoff at the Metis food stand at the Carousel of Nations. David F. Rooney photoCathy Cameron Suchy performs a traditional Scottish dance to the skirling music of the Highlanders’ pipes. David F. Rooney photoViolinist Donna Peterson prepares to play her favourite instrument. David F. Rooney photoIf you had an interest in local history Jan Morehouse and Cathy English could answer just about every question that could spring to mind. Jan’s the chairwoman of the Revelstoke Museum & Archives Society and Cathy, of course, is the Museum’s curator. David F. Rooney photoNelson Mendonca and Sara Devita serve up some of Isabella Ristorante’s great Italian food to a hungry customer. David F. Rooney photoJim Smith (right) demonstrate’s calligraphic technique to an fascinated Susy Huang at the English as a Second Language booth. David F. Rooney photoCrescendo’s Shelly Isfeld and her boss, Daniel Weber, served up treats created with the shop’s exquisite selection of fine oils, spices and vinegars. David F. Rooney photoAs always, there were plenty of things for the wee ones to do at the family-friendly Carousel of Nations. David F. Rooney photoMatt Shaw (;eft) serves up a tasty plate of perogies at the Buns & Beyond food booth. David F. Rooney photoAnd where would the Carousel of Nations food court be without Pam Sanghera’s fantastic Indian food? David F. Rooney photoBill and helen Shuttleworth manned the Multicultural Society’s table for much of the afternoon’s event. David F. Rooney photoMembers of the Li Jigeurs Machis dance troupe from Golden perform a traditional Metis broom dance that prompted some of the many kids at the Carousel of Nations to join in. David F. Rooney photoAmy Flexman was so busy as MC at the Carousel of Nations that she would only register as fright-wigged blur on my camera. David F. Rooney photoInspired by all the semi-professional dancers at the Carousel of Nations these kids put on their own impromptu but inspired performance. David F. Rooney photoThe final event of the Carousel of Nations was a terrific performance by Locarno, a Latin group from Vancouver. They later played the Last Drop. David F. Rooney photoThe Gang on Skates! at the Disco Funk Skating Party at the Forum after the Carousel of Nations. That’s Madeline Skerry in front during her first time on skates. Keri Knapp photoJordan Vandenberg-Clark and Julie Vandenberg Rock out in Retro Wear. Keri Knapp photoDJ Michael Fraser really set the audio stage with his selection of retro-funk tunes. Keri Knapp photoCharlene Mortensen dazzles the ice. Keri Knapp photoJessica Klikach and Allison Lambert race out to centre ice. Keri Knapp photoTony Flashes his muscle at the rink. Keri Knapp photoParty train on ice! Keri Knapp photoThese girls added some spice to the ice. Keri Knapp photoMadeline Skerry wraps up her first night on the ice. Keri Knapp photoJules Nichol and Joel Leblanc show off their amazing costumes. Keri Knapp photo
