Lego master builder Robin Sather will be making Christmas tree ornaments. There will be live music and facepainting. Telf & Melf the Christmas Elves will be on hand, and joining them is the jolly ol’ elf himself, Santa.
They’re all turning out at Krause Berry Farm & Estate Winery this Sunday for the annual fundraising pancake breakfast.
The by-donation feast is one of the farm’s biggest events of the year, and its primary goal is to raise money for breast cancer research in memory of Liz Krause.
This fundraiser runs 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 6179 248th St., and for more information, people can visit krauseberryfarms.com, or call 604-856-5757.
CANCELLED: Let Doucette play
Announcement came out at 3 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12 that this concert has been cancelled. Tickets available for refund at point of purchase.
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A seasoned guitarist by the name of Jerry Doucette will be in Langley just head of Christmas.
The legendary axe-master, who brought us the platinum album Mama Let Him Play, as well as the popular tunes Down the Road, All I Wanna Do, Hey Hey, My My, and Nobody, will be performing Thursday, Dec. 15 at Langley’s Cascades Casino.
“A journeyman in every sense, he began to master the tradecraft of music with his father and uncle,” explained show promoter Rob Warwick. “Receiving his first guitar at age six, Jerry was in his first band, The Reefers, at the tender age of eight.”
The Juno-award winner has since performed with a number of bands and on his own.
All these years later, Doucette “continues to deliver clean melodies and slick pop every time he takes the stage,” Warwick said.
Tickets to the Douce is Loose show are $32.50 and available at www.ticketweb.ca, or by calling the casino at 604-530-2211. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the show at 8 p.m.
Christmas at home
Langley’s own contemporary pop artist Tiffany Desrosiers has invited her counterparts from Vivace to join her in presenting a stylistic Christmas concert in her hometown this weekend.
In addition to pursuing her own solo career, Desrosiers is also a soprano members of Vivace – a foursome that combines pop and classical music in what’s dubbed a classical crossover/popera genre.
The group started during the 2010 Winter Olympics, and features Desrosiers, along with Melody Courage, Brett Pruneau, and Marc Devigne.
They have since travelled extensively throughout Canada and the United States. And while they’re in Victoria this week, they’ll be back on the mainland in time for the Langley show Sunday, Dec. 11 at the Church in the Valley, 23589 Old Yale Rd.
"This week I am performing with my popera group, Vivace, in Victoria where we are joining the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy for three of their concerts at The Royal Theatre. We have one show with Naden Band in Vancouver at the Vancouver Playhouse on Dec. 12, as well," she shared.
"I'll be touring with Vivace in Florida in the new year, as well as doing some shows with pianist/vocalist Jim Witter in the states as a soloist."
She is currently planning her next EP, which will be done with four different producers and songwriters.
This past year, she had writing sessions with Victoria Duffield, David Bauman and Garry Francis, former vocalist and manager of '90s pop boy band Soul Decision.
As for Sunday's concert, Desrosiers said performing on home turf is both exciting and "nerve-wracking."
"There are a lot more family and friends in the audience, but it is a supportive feeling at the same time, since it is home," she told the Langley Advance.
Tickets are $20 and available at the door, or online at vivacemusicgroup.com. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the show at 7 p.m.
Therapist on stage
Langley-born psychotherapist/actor Kevin Kokoska is presenting his own one-person play on The Orpheum Annex stage in Vancouver this weekend.
The production, entitled The Mirror Test, was written by and stars Kokoska.
This production, which runs for three showings between Dec. 9 and 10, is a fictional account of Kokoska’s own life experience as a counsellor.
“It follows the awkward, affective, and often humorous journey of two men who look different, yet feel the same, dealing with body image, obesity and self-acceptance,” Kokoska said.
The Vancouver resident is, in fact, a registered clinical counsellor trained in both individual and group therapy that employs and repurpose the skill sets of artists.
As an artist, he has written and produced solo shows about mental health, including efforts in 2012 to raise money for at-risk youth.
The plan was to live homeless on the streets of New York City for 48 hours before immediately running the New York City Marathon. The plan changed when Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast. Kevin’s play “Furniture,” is the story of those two days. Combining his clinical and creative interests, Kevin helps artists develop and prepare for projects while coaching them through the personal and professional challenges that arise along the way. He also teaches in the Family & Community Counselling program at Native Education College (NEC).
This show ran to a sold-out audience at the Cultch last year, and he’s hoping the same will happen again this year, as he returns.
“I had the idea in the summer of 2015,” Kokoska said.
“I booked The Cultch (where the play debuted in January 2016) before having written a single word. At the time, I didn’t have much confidence in my acting ability, but I had lots of confidence in my rising-to-the-occasion ability. I tend to get my best work done under a healthy amount of pressure. I’m big on setting creative traps for myself.”
The Mirror Test is on stage Friday, Dec. 9 at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 10 at 2 and 8 p.m. at 823 Seymour St. in Vancouver. Friday night’s show includes a question and answer session with dramaturge T.J. Dawe, an apparent “expert solo artist.”