In the spirit of getting to know more people around us, the Town of Morinville gears up for Alberta Culture Days' diverse range of activities. The three-day event, running Friday, Sept. 29 to Sunday, Oct.
In the spirit of getting to know more people around us, the Town of Morinville gears up for Alberta Culture Days' diverse range of activities.
The three-day event, running Friday, Sept. 29 to Sunday, Oct. 1, boasts a lineup from visual arts activities and museum exhibits to an all-ages animated movie, and a blanket-inspired history lesson.
Due to the town's strong German heritage, Oktoberfest returns sporting savoury food, mighty beer steins and upbeat music wafting through the Morinviille Community Cultural Centre.
"We have a great variety of activities. Everything we do is family-friendly and we would love people from surrounding communities to attend," said Kathleen Ducharme, events and culture programmer.
Best of all, every event is free including Oktoberfest.
Friday
Visitors ease slowly into festivities with a "masking tape canvas paint night" that runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Community Cultural Centre.
Participants slap strips of masking tape on a backing and paint over the entire surface. The strips of tape are then carefully removed creating an effortless, yet arresting abstract.
Sarah Hall, president of the Morinville Arts Club, also explained a visual arts exhibit of 30 to 40 pieces consisting of oils, watercolours, wood carvings, wood etchings, tile paintings and silk paintings will be displayed in the foyer.
Over at Musée Morinville Museum, historians have dug through archives to produce an exhibit on the town's prominent pioneer women. It is available for viewing on Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.
Family movie night featuring the Canadian animated film
Spark: A Space Tail begins at 7 p.m. In this action-packed space odyssey, Zhong, a power-mad general takes control of the Planet Bana and destroys it.
Thirteen years later, Spark, a teenage monkey and one of Bana's few survivors, lives on a rock with friends Vix, a warrior fox and Chunk, a mechanical pig. Spark intercepts a message. He learns Zhong wants to destroy the universe and sets out to stop him.
American heavyweights Jessica Biel, Susan Sarandon, Hilary Swank and Patrick Stewart carry leading voice-over roles. However, at its roots,
Spark is supported by a Canadian creative team that includes writer-director Aaron Woodley, writer Doug Haders and composer Robert Duncan.
Saturday
The Morinville Public Library plans two projects. From noon to 2 p.m., Stacey Buga, program coordinator leads a string craft using nails and Styrofoam.
Immediately following, Naji Matta helms a four-foot by eight-foot community art piece requiring about 10 visual artists to assist.
"Naji will split the plywood board in sections. People will be assigned sections. He will guide the artist in creating an individual space. Once finished, it will be mounted on the back wall of the library, " Buga said.
Interested participants can register at 780-939-3292.
The family-friendly Oktoberfest, held at the cultural centre from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., includes a German-style meal with accompaniment from The European Touch, a traditional oompah-pah band.
"We don't have tickets left, however we do have a waiting list. If people with tickets cannot attend, we would appreciate it if they could return the tickets so someone who wants to go can attend," Ducharme said.
For returns, call 780-939 7839.
Sunday
The Kairos Blanket Exercise concludes festivities. It is a program designed to tell the story of the last 500 years of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.
"Blankest are spread to show the land. Slowly the blankets are taken away until they show you what the Indigenous people are left with. Anyone who has taken part describes this as a whole education they never knew," Ducharme said.
A minimum of 20 people are needed to run the program. Register at 780-939-7839.
