Spirit Fest 2013 ended this weekend with a bang. The Top Bloke, Best in Show, Chili Cook Off, Amazing Race and Rail Jam were very successful and the organizers learned a thing or two about what’s popular and what’s not.
The Top Dog contest was — like the Top Bloke and Top Chick Contests — a real crowd pleaser but the Outhouse Race never got off the ground. No one, it seems, is interesting building a racing a biffy through the streets. Too bad, but different generations are interested in different things. The Anything Goes 3 art exhibition was also postponed as Jackie Pendergast, the Visual Arts Centre’s director has pnumonia. It will be held at a later day.
Monday’s Cordwood Curling event was a huge hit with dozens of kids coming out to curl with blocks of wood at The Forum. There were nough kids to form 12 teams.
Here, now, are photos from Spirit Fest 2013’s last weekend:
Top Bloke Contestant Alex Cameron Cruden shows off his tree planter togs during the contest at the Last Drop on Friday. He was up against Voodoo Vujadinovich, Ben Jammin and Devon Cole. David F. Rooney photoBen Jammin tells the crowd about a Top Bloke from out of the mists of Revelstoke’s past. David F. Rooney photoMC Jean-Marc Laflamme introduces mild-mannered contestant Devon Cole. David F. Rooney photo
Cole lacked a phone booth for his transformation into a caped crusader but he pulled it off well. David F. Rooney photoBartender Voodoo Vujadinovich slaps Jean-Marc’s hand as he is introduced to the crowd. David F. Rooney photoContestants competed in different categories, including skiwear. These are Alec’s duds. Jean-Marc especially liked his sense of colour. David F. Rooney photoBen Jammin waits on Jean-Marc who was searching for the ideal question to pose. Contestants were asked for their opinions on a variety of things. David F. Rooney photoDevon looks like he stepped out of a ski-wear catalogue from the 1980s. But that pompom… eek! David F. Rooney photoVoodoo had some kind of hairy thing going on. David F. Rooney photoVoodoo’s formal wear. David F. Rooney photoAlec showed off his skills with one and then two nun-chuks. With his blinding speed and dexterity he’d be perfect to play Whack-A-Mole at a carnival. David F. Rooney photo
Jean Marc promises the contestants that one of them would get to take Marilyn home at the end of the evening. David F. Rooney photoDevon Cole croons to the audience, accompanied by John Baker and Steve Earle as Jean-Marc dances with Linsay Roe Kirkland. David F. Rooney photoBut it’s hard to beat some guy who wants to do a pole dance. You gotta wonder where Voodoo picked this up. David F. Rooney photoAnd, of course, what’s a pole dance without tearing off a few clothes? David F. Rooney photoAnd there goes the hat! David F. Rooney photoIn the end it came the judges and the crowd were almost evenly split between Devon and Voodoo. A last vocal vote gave the title of Top Bloke to Voodoo. David F. Rooney photoSaturday saw a gaggle of workers striving to turn Grizzly Plaza into the perfect spot for a Rail Jam. The snow, of course, had to be trucked in. David F. Rooney photoJoey Noseworthy organized the event and he did a pretty good job of it. David F. Rooney photoSaturday afternoon’s crisp, clear weather was perfect if you wanted to stroll around downtown and sample the chili on offer at the Village Idiot, Society Snow and Skate, The Modern, Benoit’s, Ginger & Spice, Paramjiit’s, the Last Drop and Sangha Bean. David F. Rooney photoThis tiny dog pile of puppies at Society Snow & Skate delighted a lot of chili diners. David F. Rooney photoMmmm, chili! David F. Rooney photoAnother truck dumps its load. David F. Rooney photoThe very first Best In Show contest to determine Revelstoke’s Top Dog brought a very large and enthusiastic crowd. Here, organizer and judge Amy Flexman tells dog owners how their pooches will be judged. David F. Rooney photoIvy and Madelyn Skerry introduce four-year-old Kayle to the crowd. Amy and her co-judge, Voodoo Vujadinovich, scored the animals. David F. Rooney photoDuke the Jack Russell hops through the hoop for his mistress, Emily Vanhouten. David F. Rooney photoBeau stands on his hind legs for a treat from Cassandra MacRae. David F. Rooney photoBev Romanick takjes her Golden Retriever Trigger through his paces. David F. Rooney photoChewy the Great Pyranees-brder collie cross focuses on the tennis ball tossed by Valerie Mathes. David F. Rooney photoChris Ford’s rescued dog, Ronin, enjoyed playing with his master. David F. Rooney photoCleopatra shows off her new puppies to crowd as Baby the English Bull Dog waddles over a friendly sniff of the seven-week-old puppies. David F. Rooney photoAnd the winner is… Trigger. The Golden retriever won a trophy, a crown, marrow-filled bones from Ray the Butcher, and a bag of dog chow from the veterinary clinic. About 100 people turned out to watch the event making it a real success in terms of audience draw. It will likely be repeated during the 2014 Spirit Fest celebrations. David F. Rooney photoMeanwhile, more and more snw was being dumped to build the Rail Jam ramp. David F. Rooney photo“Look Nanny! This snow man only has one eye.” Cooper Horning thought the snowman, her snowchick, at Ginger & Spice was quite amusing. David F. Rooney photoDennis Berarducci hands Gary Starling a hot dog at the food stand organized by the Revelstoke Snowmobile Society. David F. Rooney photoThe Rail Jam attracted lots of boarders and skiers. David F. Rooney photoThis photo, taken at about 5:30, shows a boarder testing the run. David F. Rooney photoA boarder grabs some air as he tries out the ramp. David F. Rooney photoAlan Dennis and and Zuzana Driediger were the friendly faces greeting people attending the Spirit Fest 2013 Wrap-Up Spaghetti Dinner put on as a fundraiser by the Revelstoke Canine Search and Rescue Society on Sunday evening. David F. Rooney photoThe Spirit Fest 2013 Wrap-Up Spaghetti Dinner put on as a fundraiser by the Revelstoke Canine Search and Rescue Society on Sunday evening. Hundreds of people turned out for the dinner. David F. Rooney photoThe Cordwood Curling event at The Forum was one of the very last events of this year’s Spirit Fest. There were 12 teams of boys and girls in this event. Linda Chell photoYoung boys adopt a pose for the camera. Linda Chell photoThese happy and enthusiastic girls got right into the spirit of the game. Linda Chell photoSome kids had decorated blocks of cordwood. Linda Chell photoLook at my form! With enthusiastic style like this the sport of curling in now danger of dying out. Linda Chell photoBrush away! Linda Chell photo
