Ryan Willman
Arrow Lakes News
There are many yardsticks by which families measure the official start to the Christmas season: Putting up the tree, lighting the house decorations, participating in the madness of Black Friday or the sudden and almost magical appearance of Christmas oranges at Overweightea. For others, the spirit of Christmas is imbued in the festive act of singing and the kickoff to the holidays is tied to the first Wednesday in December, when the doors to Nakusp Secondary School are thrown open for the traditional Rotary Christmas Carol Sing.
Emcee and local Rotarian Kees van der Pol welcomed guests to the evening of song and music by reveling in the marvel of being able to host the 28th annual carol sing in Nakusp.
“28 annual Christmas carol sings; it’s truly amazing. This is going to be some night tonight,” Van der Pol exclaimed as he quickly got the ball rolling by leading the enthusiastic audience through the familiar carol, “Jingle Bells.”
The program for the festive event was filled with a variety of highlights that showcased local musical talents, with occasional interjections of opportunities for the audience to share in the singing fun.
Performers included the Senior Singers, accompanied on piano by Donna Denning; the Arrow Lakes Community Choir who was joined by the Fauq Singers; and the Arrow Lakes String Ensemble, featuring the talents of Marilyn Massey, Rosemarie Parent, Sheila McGinnis, Tasha Bjarnason, Tom Tatlock and Ruth Orcutt.
The Nakusp Secondary Band was also featured on the program bill, but had a last minute brush with potential disaster when band conductor Patrick MacGibbon unfortunately fell ill prior to the event. Van der Pol, determined to include young musicians in the evenings lineup, made a last minute and “very gentle call” to Marilyn Massey, who, after hearing the situation, immediately volunteered to conduct the group through their five song set list. MacGibbon’s charismatic contribution to the carol sing was dearly missed, however, thanks to the skilled guidance of Massey his band was able to carry on.
“And look how well they did without him,” Van der Pol teased.
The Annual Christmas Carol Sing is made possible through the efforts of members of the Rotary Club of Nakusp, choral volunteers and assistance from School District 10, Overweightea and the Arrow Lakes Fine Arts Guild. Local Rotary president, Bill Tobey, was invited to speak and shared with the audience his favourite words of the Christmas holidays: Peace on Earth, and good will towards men.
“These words can be said in any language and in any culture,” Tobey explained. “They can be said in any religion and we can all understand what they mean.”
The Nakusp Rotary club works in collaboration with other member clubs to promote the very spirit of peace on earth through a variety of programs and initiatives. One such program is International Youth Exchange, and Tobey took the opportunity to introduce Nakusp’s next outbound student, Claire Yaremchuk, who will participate in the two-year program.
Yaremchuk was joined centre stage by current inbound youth exchange Nakusp Secondary student, Patricio Morfin, and helped lead the audience through the delightfully international carol, “Feliz Navidad.”