When one hears the word Classic, what comes to mind may not be something precise, as it is a well used colloquialism in some circles, ie. Jimmy's hair is classic! What may be considered tangibly classic is also imprecise: a vintage hockey game, an old movie, a popular catch phrase, the original Black Sabbath album. So when the family and I attended an event dubbed the Christmas Classic at the arena at the Castlegar Community Complex on December 23rd, none of us knew what kind of classic to expect. Not me, not the two-year-old who at that moment added the word classic to her expanding vocabulary. The poster said the event was an 11th annual charity hockey game, preceded by an old-timers hockey game, and followed by a Classic Dance, all put on by something called the Classic Foundation. Did we find out what it was all about? Sort of. I think. Luckily we happened to sit by the knowledgeable and gregarious Jinjo of the Dam City Rollers roller derby team. Gotta love small towns. Jinjo shared that the Castlegar Christmas Classic is a charity hockey game featuring former hockey playing residents with ties to the local area. She shared that the dance that followed has quickly become a community go-to holiday event, all the funds raised went to the local food bank, and sometimes, celebrities showed up to play. And, in fact, a celebrity was playing in this game, and singing the anthem; Shawn Hook, a world-famous crooner and heart-throb wearing number 67, wooed and wowed the full arena with both his voice and surprising skills on skates. As I sat, wishing I'd worn thicker socks, I still couldn't quite figure out what I was watching, or why I was watching it. It wasn't pro hockey, it wasn't a hilarious Harlem Crown's style hockey jam, and it wasn't for all the marbles, just one marble, namely a marble of pride for the winning side. I was wishing I'd known the players, their reason for playing, how they got there and what the story was. I was wishing I felt involved. And then I stopped wishing and just watched. And looked. And listened. It was a Friday Night Lights high school football game in El Paso, Texas, a rodeo at Writing-on-Stone in Southern Alberta. It was a hardcore punk show in New York, it was a waffle in Brussels. It was Shawn Hook singing the Canadian anthem in his home town before playing in front of friends and family. It was local boys in a small Canadian town playing the national sport in a charity game. And they played because they love to. And if you're a person who is fond of authenticity and genuinely gracious human spirit...this was a Classic.

An old man once said, to another man of equal or lesser age, "I don't know what they do on the other side of them mountains, but I can tell ya, it ain't nothin.'" Whether this old man was referencing the Purcells, the Monashee's, the Selkirk's, or the Rocky Mountains, nobody knows, because nobody can find him, rumour says he was last seen walking backwards into Valhalla Park. What 'they' do on the other side of the mountains, nestled along riverbanks and bubble-babble brooks, along sandy shores of immense lakes, is, well...everything. Well, maybe not everything, there's nobody base-jumping off skyscrapers, but a person can follow up a whitewater rafting morning with a ski afternoon and a punk show at an old abandoned school house. There is never nothin' happening in the Kootenays, and if it seems like it sometimes, it just means you missed the poster on the power-pole. The Kootenays represents a frontier of diversity; sometimes weird, sometimes heartwarming, sometimes downright frightening, but always unique. Once a person reaches the mountains, what's behind the next bend can often be a surprise, it's best to be prepared, and LiveKootenays hopes to be of some assistance. We hope to post every event open to the public in the Kootenays and you can help. If you hear of, or are organizing an event of any kind, please email info@livekootenays.com and we would be happy to post it. Keep and eye out in the future as well as we will be live from as many of these events as we can. So pack your bear spray, a life jacket, a sack of nuts, and choose your adventure. Be kind, and treat yourself well, you deserve it, oh...and if you see the old man, tell him it's ok to come out, I think. Tim

< Back Charles Bailey Theatre 1501 Cedar Ave, Trail, BC V1R 4C7, Canada https://trail-arts.com The Bailey Theatre has shows for everyone! The Trail & District Arts Council brings you year-round entertainment in the renovated Bailey Theatre and around town. Previous Next

< Back Kimberley July Fest 100 4 Ave, Kimberley, BC https://www.kimberleyjulyfest.com Get ready for the ultimate summer celebration! 🌞🎶 July Fest, presented by Kimberley & District Chamber of Commerce, is back and better than ever! Join us for a weekend of music, sports, and community spirit as we come together to support local businesses and nonprofits. See you there! Previous Next

< Back Shotties 12th Ave South Cranbrook, BC https://www.facebook.com/p/Shotties-100063635647252/ Located downtown Cranbrook in the York Hotel (In the back). Shotties is your entertainment destination for Cranbrook. Previous Next