Junos come with spring

Yay, spring is here! My winter tires are off my car, my front lawn has been raked from all the debris of winters grit, and I’ve started pruning, prepping my vegetable garden for planting and longing for my green bin to be emptied so I can fill it up again.

Many of you know how much I wished and waited for the coming of spring/summer, I’m quite exhausted from the languorous dread of grey and long for some colour on to the palate of our valley.

It always excites me to witness the city come to life as spring approaches — not only esthetically but creatively as well.

————— Tonight in preparation for Juno week 2018, the Let’s Hear It! Juno Host Committee is setting up shop at the Kelowna Community Theatre.

The talented line-up of live entertainment will include: previous Juno winner and 2018 nominee, DJ Shub; East Vancouver’s The Boom Booms; Vancouver’s Little Destroyer, with Okanagan pop music singer/songwriter; Andrew Allen as the opening act.

The show will them travel to Victoria for a March 22 concert at the Capital Ballroom then culminate in Vancouver on Friday, March 23 at the Vancouver Art Gallery — adding and subtracting musical acts as it travels to each destination.

The Juno Awards are on Sunday, March 25, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver and will be broadcast live nationwide 5 p.m. PT on CBC, CBC Radio and globally on cbcmusic.ca/junos.

Tickets for tonight’s event are only $10 and available at kelownatickets.com/JunoTourKelowna.

For a full For a full listing of events, along with the events calendar for the 2018 Juno Host Committee and Awards show go to: letshearitbc.com website.

For more information about the Juno Awards, visit:junoawards.ca.

————— The weekend begins on a fun front when Hit CBC Radio show The Debaters, comes to Kelowna Community Theatre, 1375 Water St, at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

It’s part of the New Vintage Theatre hosted Kelowna Fan Expo 2018.

The Debaters is a comedy heavy question oriented competitions in which the answers to a topical question is argued between two teams.

The answers might not be correct, even politically correct, but points are given for the funniest puns, jibes and quirky answers with laughing as the end result.

This show was first broadcast in 2006 and has been a favourite on CBC radio ever since.

The show is recorded in front of a live audiences and travels to theatres across Canada. The format being that debates take place between two sets of contestants ,usually well known comedians in show business, who are given topics that are deliberately obscure, for example; “Apples are better than oranges” or “Darth Vader was a bad father.”

The winner is chosen by audience reaction at the end of each debate. Kelowna audiences will see Evany Rosen and Ivan Decker go head to head with host Steve Patterson.

Tickets for the show are $40 at selectyourtickets.com or you can enjoy the VIP Package at $75 to include a three-day pass to be part of the whole Kelowna Fan Expo experience.

Visit this world of superheroes, film, comics, manga/anime, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, gaming, performance, and more.

The Rotary Centre For The Arts, Kelowna Community Theatre, Black Box Theatre and Okanagan Regional Library Downtown will be playing host to this unique annual event. Visit: kelownafx.com for all the details.

————— Downtown Kelowna is celebrating local business through Small Shop Spring Saturday.

This is a great opportunity to meander the streets of the downtown and browse to see what’s happening in your city without the fear of getting a parking ticket because it’s free parking — on the street and in the three parkades (Library, Memorial and Chapman).

————— You can get your latin on, Saturday night. At the Laurel Packinghouse it’s the Dual Influence: Black & White Salsa Formal, you dance salsa, bachata, kizomba.

The note I received about it, promises that even if you've never danced before or are a veteran dancer, there is something for everyone.

The evening includes catered appetizers, refreshment bar, silent auction and door prizes.

It’s a chance to socialize and mingle while receiving a crash course in that style of dance because the floor will be open all night to this DJ’d dance party.

Tickets are $50 and you get purchase them through kelownasalsacommunity.eventbrite.ca

————— A free tax preparation clinic, isalso happening on Saturday at the Mission Library, Capital News Centre, 4105 Gordon Drive, from noon until 3 p.m.

For those of us who need a little help, this is perfect opportunity to get some help from the knowledgeable volunteers on hand to help prepare your income tax and benefit returns.

Bring your tax information slips and receipts and just get it done.

After all that palaver is over and your taxes are safely ready to be posted, cross to the H2o Centre (h2okelowna.ca) and have a swim and sauna to really get those stress toxins washed away for another year.

Anna Jacyszyn is an award-winning jazz singer. Email her at artafactevent@gmail.com.