Creative Compass Society (CCS) is an integral part of Fort Langley’s B.C. Culture Days celebration this weekend, Sept. 27-29.
The annual festival is a province-wide initiative to get communities more in touch with the artists and creative minds among them.
Fort Langley B.C. Cultural Ambassador Molly Gray rounded up an array of artists to take part in the week, one of them being Langley resident Brigitte Seib.
Seib launched CCS earlier this year, offering local musicians mentorship and performing opportunities, starting with an open mic night series called Myles of Smiles; it was named in memory of her 29-year-old son Myles, who passed away from brain tumour complications four years ago.
“When Molly approached me about Creative Compass joining Culture Days as a participant, I was excited to put together a series of events as the Culture Days formula aligned with our mandate of celebrating creativity and empowering people to participate,” Seib explained.
“Part of the Culture Days criteria was the events had to be free, which was perfect for us as all our events have been free family fun, such as our premier event, the Myles of Smiles Open Mic,” she continued.
The Myles of Smiles stage has given various artists a platform to perform, popping up in different Fort Langley locations from the Community Hall lawn to the CN Station – even venues like Maria’s Gelato.
This go-round, the open mic session will be happening at The Birth of BC Gallery, 9054 Glover Rd, from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29.
Sign up starts half an hour before showtime, which Seib said is open to anyone interested in performing.
If listening sounds more intriguing than getting up in front of an audience, Seib said a painting method known as plein-air will coincide with the open mic where people can paint along to the music.
Read More: B.C. Culture Days ambassador Molly Gray hopes to spark artistic passion
“Since things are always good in three, Creative Compass is introducing the art component to the Open Mic event, as part of our mission is to create events rooted in theatre, music, art and film,” Seib said. “We have six artists signed up so far with a combination of established artists painting plein-air and new comers who are used to painting indoors in the comfort of their home.”
The third event CCS is bringing to Culture Days is the performance of an original production, Wheels of Time, which has been running since Labour Day weekend and wraps up on Oct. 12 during the Cranberry Festival.
Produced alongside the Langley Heritage Society, this series of historical vignettes re-enacts the history of the CN Station on the actual train platform.
The show will run every hour between 12 and 4 p.m. at the northwest corner of Mavis Avenue and Glover Road on Saturday, Sept. 28.
For a full list of events happening at B.C. Culture Day’s Fort Langley celebration including a vegan market, block printing classes, and various demonstrations, people can visit www.culturedays.ca.
“In the past few years, I’ve seen a major growth in arts and culture in Fort Langley and surrounding communities. The BC Culture Days is a fantastic event which brings vibrancy to our community and held in early fall, at a beautiful time of year when the surrounding area is full of colour; a perfect time to celebrate the arts,” Seib added.
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Email: ryan.uytdewilligen@langleyadvancetimes.com
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