Emergency crews act fast to save father-in-law’s life

Bunny rabbits, multi-coloured Easter eggs, chocolate, fresh lamb dinner, daffodils and the stone that rolled away are all the elements incorporated into making this weekend great.

I had much more witty repartee to add to this opening statement and would have carried on, but I want to use the rest of my opening to thank emergency services and the KGH for saving my father-in-law’s life.

We were all working in the garden and I went in the kitchen to prepare tea and biscuits, when I saw my husband’s dad in a chair with his eyes closed.

I shouted to my husband to “wake up dad its tea time,” then we saw his colour draining from his face, slurred speech and terror in my husband’s eyes, I called 911.

Within three minutes, paramedics were there diagnosing that dad was having a heart attack. Less than 30 minutes later, he was being operated on at Kelowna General Hospital. Twentyfour hours after that, dad had regained his speech and mind clarity and doing a little walking around the cardio ward.

This Easter weekend, we definitely have a lot to be thankful for that our prayers were answered.

————— Music always has a healing vibration to it so today from noon to 1 p.m., make your way to the new Innovation Centre at 460 Doyle Ave. downtown, for a pop-up concert featuring mezzosoprano Suzanne Lommler, who will play the lead for Opera Kelowna’s mainstage production of Bizet’s Carmen.

This is part of series of mini concerts performed at various places leading up to the big opera production in August.

Georges Bizet, who composed this opera, died at the age of 37 and never got to see his musical premiered properly.

A friend of the composer, Ernest Guiraud, rearranged Bizet’s opera a little over the three months after his death and it became a hit because of the fascinating music he composed.

Come early to enjoy a slice of Curious Cafe pizza, or enjoy a bite from Glow or Blenz, both located in the lobby.

————— Thursday and Friday night at the Kelowna Community Theatre and Saturday at the Vernon Centre for the Performing Arts, Rocky Mountain High — a Tribute to the Music of John Denver will light the stage with a huge production conducted by internationally acclaimed composer/conductor/arranger Lee Holdridge.

If you read Saturday’s interview with Rick Worrall, the mind behind the show, you already know he is the lead singer of this grand-scale production.

On stage, you will hear the musicians of the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, five singers and additional musicians on fiddle, banjo, piano, drums and bass. You can purchase tickets through Kelowna Tickets at their Orchard Park shop, by calling 250-862-2867 or online at KelownaTickets.com. Vernon tickets are sold by Ticket Seller.

————— It’s always a pleasure to revisit the talents of a musical artist and learn that they are continuing to hone their craft to a degree of sweet purity.

I ask myself have they always been that good or have I just woken up again? One of those musicians that came back into my radar is Sandy McAfee.

McAfee is doing so much for keeping music live and highlighting the talents of other musicians, but now it’s her time to step forward and feel the heat of her own spotlight as she tells stories from the heart through song.

She is one of the finalists in the Okanagan Music Group’s 2018 Songwriters Competition and if you go to youtube.com and search her name, you can listen to Whisperin’ My Name.

McAfee is teaming up with another artist I wrote about last month, Nils Loewen. If you are interested in finding out where they will be performing next, emails andym ca fee music@g mail and request to be sent that information.

Or you can visit the website heartinthehouse.weebly.com. I know they are performing tomorrow, so please email her tonight.

————— On Good Friday be a part of the Okanagan’s largest Easter egg hunt at the Parkinson Recreation Centre in Kelowna.

Hosted by Victory Life Fellowship, this free event is open to children of all ages, who will be hunting for 15,000 eggs.

A free pancake breakfast will also be served and there will be live entertainment from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

The only catch is that arriving guests are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to help fill our local food banks. The Central Okanagan Community Food Bank and The Salvation Army will be on site to receive the donations.

There are lots of little shows and concerts and more Easter eggs hunts this weekend, so have yourself a great Easter long weekend.

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