EVENTS

FERNIE CHAUTAUQUA SCHEDULE
SEPTEMBER 9 – 11, 2022

Join us for a weekend of culture, entertainment and heritage, featuring live music, presentations, children’s activities, arts & crafts and lots of fun!

This year’s Chautauqua is centred around the Fernie Museum’s Fall Exhibition Women of Michel, an art installation featuring the work of four women who were born and grew up in the former mining community, located near Sparwood.

Related programming includes an opening reception, artist panel discussion, Ghost Schools of Michel-Natal, and Dancing in the Dark, a fun dinner and dance with special entertainment!

Other highlights of the weekend include:

• Fernie’s Got Kid Talent’ talent show
• A chance to peek behind the scenes at the work of the FDHS
• The Shred Kelly Story with Sage & Tim
• Two full days of Arts & Crafts with the Fernie Visual Artists Guild, Spinners & Weavers, and Quilt Guild
• Heritage displays and walking tours

See below for the schedule of  events and activities.

And check out the other great events in Fernie on the same weekend:

• The Arts Station will host All Types – a gallery show featuring the work of 50 printmakers, and will have the newest collections of banners available to view in the theatre.
• In Rotary Park, The Mountain Market will host The Fall Fair, celebrating all things harvest, on Sunday 11th.

FRIDAY, 9TH SEPTEMBER 2022

11AM | GALLERY OPENING AT THE FERNIE MUSEUM, 491 2ND AVE | FREE

WOMEN OF MICHEL

The above-ground realm of women and girls in the coal mining town of Michel was one of colour, caretaking and pride. After its relocation to Sparwood in the mid 1960;s, Michel ceased to exist on the map. For those who had lived there, Michel still exists in the their hearts and the things they create. 

 This art installation will feature paintings, drawings and fibre arts by four Michel-born artists. Michelle Kozler Loughery, Gayle Gaskell Vallance, Monica Paniec Beranek and Elaine Gaskell DeSpoelberch invite you into their place of origin, the place that informed and inspired them. Artifacts from the community will add context. 

7PM | OPENING RECEPTION AT THE FERNIE MUSEUM, 491 2ND AVE | FREE

WOMEN OF MICHEL

Join the artists for an opening reception and see the exhibit through their eyes. Free admission, drinks by donation, complimentary appetizers. All welcome. 

SATURDAY, 10TH SEPTEMBER, 2022

11AM – 3PM | ART ON THE LAWN AT FERNIE CITY HALL, 501 3RD AVE | FREE

WITH THE FERNIE VISUAL ARTISTS GUILD

Sketchbook Secrets
    See inside the artists’s process. Select sketches will be available for sale. 
Show & Sale
    – New and recent works for sale, all $100 or less.
Art Demonstrations
    11 AM: Mixed Media Greeting Cards with Laura Bentley. Laura’s motto is ’embrace the chaos.’ Experience the joy of random discovery!
    12:30 PM: Abstracted Faces with Karen MacDonald.
                       Learn playful ways to boost your creativity and release the pressure to be perfect with fast, fun, lively sketching. 
    1:45 PM: Encaustics with Jeanne Parker. Watch Jeanne demonstrate this ancient Greek and Roman artform, which dates back to the 8th century BCE. 
Public Participation Community Art Project
    Come and join in the fun of painting a Muskoka Chair. The finished chair will be auctioned in aid of the FDHS at the evening celebration.
ARTISTRY Scavenger Hunt
    Collect a clue sheet from the Fernie Museum, then discover the outdoor art all over Fernie! 
     Bring photographic evidence of all of your finds to the Fernie Museum by 2:30pm to receive a voucher to redeem for an original artwork from the Visual
     Artists. Artwork prizes are limited to the first 20 correct completed scavenger hunts.  

11AM – 3PM | DOORS OPEN HERITAGE – VARIOUS LOCATIONS | FREE

WITH THE FERNIE & DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Take a look behind the scenes of the various operations of the FDHS and discover a world of history beyond the Fernie Museum, including:

11AM – 2PM – DROP IN
FERNIE ARCHIVES CENTRE, above Scotiabank, 502 3rd Ave (entrance on 5th St)
Join Cory Dvorak to see the extensive collection of documents, photographs, maps and books in the collection. 

11AM – 2PM – DROP IN
NEWLY RENOVATED TRIAGE & MANAGEMENT CENTRE, Fernie Museum Basement, 491 2nd Ave.
Join FDHS Director Mike Palamarek to view the renovations that have taken place over the past 6 months and hear about plans for this new space.

11AM, 12PM, 1PM, 2PM – TOUR TIMES
ARTIFACT COLLECTIONS CENTRE, Basement of the Holy Family Catholic Church, 501 4th St, entrance from the rear laneway.
Join Collections Manager Lindsay Vallance to see the results of over 3 years of painstaking collections management and hear about the progress, challenges and highlights of this important project. 

11AM – 3PM | HERITAGE EXHIBIT AT FERNIE CITY HALL, 501 3RD AVE | FREE

GHOST SCHOOLS OF MICHEL NATAL

Many schools have come and gone throughout the Elk Valley over the years. This exhibit will examine the history and legacies that live on in the memories of former students and teachers. One day only, in the Chautauqua Festival Grounds.

11AM – 3PM | HERITAGE EXHIBIT AT FERNIE CITY HALL, 501 3RD AVE | FREE

ELK VALLEY METIS SOCIETY 

11AM – 3PM | HERITAGE EXHIBIT AT FERNIE CITY HALL, 501 3RD AVE | FREE

TWIN MEADOWS ANIMAL RESCUE SOCIETY

The Society was founded in 2020 to facilitate the needs of displaced, stray and at risk animals. In 2021, they helped 150 animals in the Elk Valley with vetinary care, rehabilitation, and rehoming. Drop by to meet the current animals available for foster or adoption, learn more and support the society. 

NOON – 3PM | PANEL DISCUSSION AT THE FERNIE SENIOR’S CENTRE, 562 3RD AVE | $15 CLICK TO PURCHASE ONLINE

MICHEL REMINISCING

Moderator Lynn Rogers will host a panel discussion with the artists from the Women of Michel Exhibit – Michelle Loughery, Gayle Vallance, Monica Beranek and Elaine DeSpoelberch, inviting the audience to join the conversation and share their memories of the former mining community. Lunch included.

Noon: Arrival and buffet lunch served
12:30PM: Moderated artist discussion
1PM: Audience Q&A
1:30PM: Record your memories. A private area will be set up with a videographer for former residents to record their story of living in Michel. Recordings will be edited and compiled into a digital archive. 
CLICK TO PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE

1 – 3PM | CHAUTAUQUA STAGE AT FERNIE CITY HALL, 501 3RD AVE | FREE

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

On the lawns at City Hall; BYO lawn chairs/blanket/refreshments. 

1PM: CHARLES BENJAMIN
A very accomplished musician who has recently moved to our little town and loves to share his passion for live music. Charles Benjamin, originally from Port Elgin Ontario, combines authentic songwriting with his laid back indie-folk persona. Pulling inspiration from travelling, relationships, and the many ups and downs that life entails, he brings his storytelling style to the stage following the recent release of his first EP entitled Broken Strings.

2PM: LORD KNOWS
This local duo has been performing together for 3 years. With his background as a front man in a rock blues roots cover band, Tyrone brings his finely tuned guitar skills and husky vocals, while Amanda, simply put, has the voice of an angel. Her unique interpretations of lady anthems are truly something to behold. Expect sing-along rock, country & blues classics and songs sung like you’ve never heard.

7PM | CHAUTAUQUA SOCIAL – CANCELLED

DANCING IN THE DARK – A CELEBRATION OF COAL TOWN MEMORIES – CANCELLED

SUNDAY, 11TH SEPTEMBER 2022

11AM – 3PM | HERITAGE WALKING TOURS AT THE FERNIE MUSEUM, 491 2ND AVE | $5

Discover the history and heritage, triumphs and tragedies that have formed Fernie over the past 120 years. Join Lindsay Vallance for a fascinating historical tour. Meet at the Fernie Museum. Tours take approx 90 minutes. 

11 AM: The 1908 Great Fire
1 PM: Fernie at War – Internment in the Elk Valley
3 PM: Rumrunners!

NOON | KTUNAXA LEGENDS AT FERNIE CITY HALL, 501 3RD AVE | FREE

BONNIE HARVEY – KTUNAXA LEGEND SHARER

Join Bonnie Harvey to learn How Mt Baker was Created. 

NOON | CHAUTAUQUA KIDS AT FERNIE CITY HALL, 501 3RD AVE | FREE

KIDS CRAFTS & FACEPAINTING 

NOON – 3PM | ART ON THE LAWN AT FERNIE CITY HALL, 501 3RD AVE | FREE

FERNIE SPINNERS & WEAVERS GUILD

FERNIE QUILT GUILD

Pieces of Comfort & Colour

A show and sale of a variety of the diversity of quilting styles produced by the guild. Quilters will be present to explain techniques. Some quilts will be available for sale as fundraisers, and contact information will be available for commissions. 

NOON – 3PM | HERITAGE EXHIBIT AT FERNIE CITY HALL, 501 3RD AVE | FREE

A QUESTION OF LOYALTY – INTERNMENT IN THE ELK VALLEY

A new travelling exhibit from the Fernie Museum comprising of mobile panels suitable for setting up in indoor or outdoor locations. 

This exhibit explores a painful period in Canada’s history, illustrating how a war fought on the front lines of Europe, Asia, and Africa had a profound impact on the lives of people thousands of miles away, and particularly in the coal mining communities of the Elk Valley and the Crowsnest Pass.  

1 – 3PM | CHAUTAUQUA STAGE AT FERNIE CITY HALL, 501 3RD AVE | FREE

1PM: HARK RAVING SIRENS

Fernie’s own sensational singing trio, performing a family-friendly concert for all to enjoy.  BYO lawn chairs and snacks!

2PM: THE SHRED KELLY STORY WITH SAGE & TIM – HOW TO BE A ROCKSTAR!

Hear the story of Shred Kelly – Fernie’s own stoke folk band, who have entertained for over a decade. Join Sage and Tim for tales and songs about life on the road, the trials, tribulations and joys of live performances, recording and more! BYO lawn chairs and snacks!