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Virtual art shows feature local artists and great gift ideas

Plus ways to help others this Christmas, game shows, a market, and more
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‘Cuddles on Christmas’ by Marilyn Anderson is one of the works for sale in the Ashcroft Art Club’s virtual sale, which is on through Dec. 20. (Photo credit: Ashcroft Art Club)

Clinton Christmas Market

A reminder that there will be an outdoor Clinton Christmas Market on Sunday, Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot outside Hunnies Mercantile on Cariboo Highway in Clinton. The market was originally scheduled for Dec. 6, but was pushed back one week due to provincial health orders surrounding COVID-19.

Vendors will need to supply their own tent and heater; a few tents are available for rent by calling (250) 457-7473. To reserve a spot, call that number or (250) 457-1020. The cost is $10 per vendor, with proceeds going to the Clinton Food Bank.

Glorious gingerbread

Bake some holiday cheer and take part in the first Ashcroft and Area Gingerbread Contest! Philip Schuberg has created the contest as a fun and COVID-safe way of celebrating the holidays together, and it’s easy to take part: simply think of, and then create, the most interesting, fun, or unique gingerbread design you can. Entrants can go traditional with a gingerbread house, or step it up and design a one-of-a-kind gingerbread creation.

Once your gingerbread creation is complete, simply take a picture and post it on the Ashcroft & Area Gingerbread Contest Facebook page so that others can see it, enjoy it, and leave comments. Judges will also award prizes, so check the Facebook page for details. The contest closes on Dec. 15.

Are you game?

Come on down! If you missed out on the HUB Online Network’s October game shows, never fear: they’re back, and looking for people who want to take part for a chance to win some prizes. The three game shows will take place live via Zoom between Dec. 16 and 23, and viewers will be able to watch the live action from home and cheer on the participants.

First up is “Trade Up!” (a Let’s Make a Deal-style game) on Dec. 16. It will be followed by “Wheel of Fortune” on Dec. 17, and “Quiz Show: Christmas Edition” — a Jeopardy!-style trivia show — on Dec. 23. For more information, or to register as a contestant, go to the HUB Online Network Facebook page or email honmanager@ashcrofthub.com.

Christmas Raffle

The Spences Bridge Community Club’s annual Christmas Bazaar is not going ahead, so the club is holding a raffle fundraiser instead. First prize is a Robert Bateman print framed by Rick Brown; second prize is a gourmet gift basket; and third prize is $50 in cash donated by the Wyatt-Purdens. A fourth prize — a gift certificate for The Packing House restaurant — has now been added.

All proceeds will go to support the Spences Bridge Community Club. Tickets ($20 for a book of 12) can be purchased at The Packing House, the Spences Bridge post office, and the Cook’s Ferry Band office. They can also be purchased online; send a message to Mavourneen Varcoe-Ryan on Facebook for e-transfer details. The winning tickets will be drawn on Dec. 19.

Integris stocking stuffer campaign

For several years, Integris Credit Union in Clinton has held a Christmas Stocking Campaign, to help brighten up the holidays for those who are alone or less fortunate. This year, due to COVID-19, things have to be a little different, and stockings cannot be sent home to be filled by members of the community.

However, Intergris is accepting cash donations, and one elf will be shopping for things that will brighten up the holiday season for recipients. The gifts will be handled in a COVID-friendly manner and wrapped to be delivered in a non-contact fashion. Anyone who would like to donate funds for this year’s stocking campaign can contact or drop by the Integris branch on Cariboo Highway in Clinton.

Equality Project donations

Due to COVID-19, The Equality Project does not have its usual dropboxes for donations this year. However, there is one outside the door of the clubhouse on Stage Road in Cache Creek during regular hours (Monday–Wednesday, 9 a.m. to2 p.m.; inside the door in bad weather).

The Project is looking for a variety of items, in order to help those in need this Christmas, including warm socks, gloves, toiletries, dog and cat food/treats, oranges and chocolates, and small hand-crafted gifts (for a list, please visit The Equality Project Facebook page). In lieu of items, donations of cash or gift cards are also greatly appreciated, and can be dropped off at the clubhouse, mailed to P.O. Box 52, Cache Creek, B.C. V0K 1H0, or sent via e-transfer to info@theequalityproject.ca.

Christmas lights and decorations

If you’d like to take a virtual tour of some of the fabulous Christmas lights and decorations (indoor and outdoor) around our communities, hop over to the Christmas Lights and Decorations of 2020 Facebook page. Area residents have posted pictures of their holiday decorations, which are sure to brighten the heart (and maybe give you some decorating ideas of your own). If you have pictures you’d like to share, put them on the page, and feel free to post comments on anything that strikes your fancy.

Ashcroft Art Club virtual show

From now through Dec. 20, the Ashcroft Art Club is holding a virtual pre-Christmas art show and sale. There are 70 works by 11 local artists on display at https://bit.ly/3f2d6J3, many of which showcase the beauty of our local region.

The club is inviting people to (virtually) wander through the show and enjoy the works on display, and find out more about the artists who are featured. All the works are available for purchase, so you might find something unique for a special person on your Christmas list (or something to add to your own wish list).

To find out more about the Ashcroft Art Club, visit their Facebook page.

SMALL//works art show

The Kamloops Arts Council has had to make some adjustments to its annual SMALL//works: A Great Big Teeny Tiny Art Show. With in-person visits to the Old Courthouse Cultural Centre on hold, the show — which began on Nov. 20 and runs through Dec. 19 — has gone virtual, with hundreds of artworks by regional artists available to view and purchase online.

The show is an opportunity to buy small, one-of-a-kind, original artworks by artists in the TNRD region, including local artists Marilyn Anderson, Judy-Lynn Davidson, and Royden Josephson. Many of the works are priced under $100, with prices starting at $20, meaning there are lots of opportunities to obtain unique Christmas gifts this holiday season.

For more information, and to view the works on display, go to www.kamloopsarts.ca.

Christmas fun fact

Since records started being kept, only 42 songs worldwide have sold more than 15 million single copies, whether that be as physical singles (mainly on vinyl and CD), in digital format (which first became available in the early 2000s), or as streaming singles (post-2015).

The undisputed champ, at 50 million copies and counting, is the third-oldest song on the list: Bing Crosby’s recording of “White Christmas”, released in 1942 (the next closest is Xiao Zhan’s “Light Spot” (2020), which has sold 44 million digital copies). “White Christmas” later inspired a 1954 movie of the same name, but was actually one of 12 songs composed by Irving Berlin for the 1942 film Holiday Inn, about a Connecticut hotel that is only open on various holidays throughout the year.

“White Christmas” was listed as the best-selling single of all time in the first-ever Guinness Book of Records (published in 1955), and has held the spot ever since. The only other Christmas song to sell more than 15 million copies is Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (1994; 16 million); other big-selling Christmas songs include Gene Autry with “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1949; 12.5 million), Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (1984; 11.7 million), and Crosby again, with “Silent Night” in 1935, which has sold 10 million copies.



editorial@accjournal.ca

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