Love letter to Penticton arts scene

Well, it’s been a while, Penticton.

Technically, I haven’t gone anywhere too far, but if a reporter doesn’t write his opinion down, does it make a sound?

If anyone read my column Ramble On at my former newspaper of employment, kudos and welcome back! For the rest of you who aren’t my mother, strap in, it’s going to be a heck of a ride over the next few months.

Admittedly I’m a bit rusty, and I feel like a rookie reporter all over again. Of course I have tons of things I’d like to write about until the blinking cursor rhythmically mocks me atop a blank page and those ideas quietly drift away.

Over the past year my fellow Penticton Arts Council members and I, along with a ton of great volunteers, local businesses and artists brought the first-ever Arts-rising music and art festival to life in Penticton.

It was a hectic learning experience for me bringing 10 bands together on top of the Penticton Lakeside Resort parkade, but definitely rewarding and what a surreal show. I want to use this valuable space in the paper to shout out to the local musicians and artists in Penticton and the surrounding area.

I grew up in a small town in Alberta, where “arts scene” would be a generous term. Not to slam my old stomping ground, but I’m still finding myself wide-eyed and in awe of the calibre and variety of local talent here.

Penticton is the kind of place where you can create a space-themed, hip-hop performance wearing a full-body space suit and don’t get laughed out of the room (keep your eyes peeled for Flaming Globes of Sigmund, my not-so-secret alter ego).

We have all heard campaigns to shop local and support local businesses. It helps the sustainability and cohesiveness of a community, but few of us likely link the sentiment to music and artists.

The idea of paying to see a local band has become a hard sell. Honestly, it’s hard to get anyone to really leave the house these days for anything. I don’t think I ever realized how valuable a butt in a seat is until I started performing myself.

A $10 or $20 show might not always be able to fit in the budget, but if it does, just know those funds go a long way and create reciprocal feedback, giving artists the time and motivation they need to come back bigger and better.

There is also quite a bit to do for free in town and you may be pleasantly surprised by what you see when you show up.

The open mic on the first Friday of every month at the Penticton Art Gallery is free to attend, and there are plenty of world-class works and events taking place there, often at no cost. The Elite Restaurant hosts an open mic every Friday (which I happen to emcee), open to one and all. Those are just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg when it comes to the arts in Penticton.

I’d go on to mention more, but my tyrant of a boss Joe Fries (wink) has been reminding me of word count limits.

I’ll finish by saying the Penticton arts community has generously supported and welcomed me, so I’d like to extend that welcome to you. Feel free to drop me a line dale.boyd@pentictonherald.ca, and see you at the show!