Six ponytails, four dancers, one dance mom and one dance teacher - put it together and you have the makings of a special day.
Kids in Motion Dance Studio in Sapperton held a hair donation event on July 8 for B.C. Children’s Hospital’s Wigs for Kids program. Five-year-old ballet student Kailey Carson approached Mrs. Jessica in class and asked if they could donate their hair together.
“Kailey had never cut her hair before and was eager to do something special for her first cut,” said an email from Jessica Hanson, owner/creative director of Kids In Motion. “Thanks to Jackie from Hair by Jackie M., six people were able to donate their ponytails – four dancers, one dance mom and Mrs. Jessica.”
Vienna McKenzie, 12, was the top donor of the event, contributing a whopping total of 24 inches and three separate ponytails.
Miranda Malcolm, Miriam Malcolm and Amanda Semenolf also participated.
Party on 12th Street
A Juno award nominee, an award winning harmonica player and a city councillor are among the performers who will be hitting the stage at the 12th Street Music Festival.
The Save-On-Foods 12th Street Music Festival returns with musical entertainment and activities for the family on Sunday, July 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Local politico Coun. Chuck Puchmayr and the Blue Express will kick off the music-filled day at 11 a.m. at the Nanaimo Street stage. James Buddy Rogers, a Juno award nominee for Best Blues Album of the Year, will follow at 12:30 p.m. and Canadian Harmonica Player of the Year Harpdog Brown will play from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
On the Edinburgh Street stage, Russian blues guitarist Arson Shomakhov and popular children’s entertainer IshdaFish will be entertaining the crowds. At the 10th Avenue stage, folks will be able to swing to their hearts content with the Royal City Swing, which will feature Deanna Knight and the Hot Club of Mars.
“This has truly become one of the premier free family festivals in the Lower Mainland and continues to grow in quality and interactivity for all,” Amber Anderson, president of the West End Business Association, said in a press release. “Children’s entertainer IsdaFish, a petting zoo, interactive crafts with the New Westminster Arts Council and Glenbrook Day Care, fire and police command centre tours and many, many vendors.”
Anderson notes that local businesses Steel and Oak Brewing Co. and Pacific Breeze Winery will be offering a beer and wine garden at the festival.
Library issues a challenge
The New Westminster Public Library is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a challenge to adult readers.
As part of this year’s anniversary, the library has 150 challenges for its adult summer reading club. The library wants to celebrate the many ways the library serves the public, with a diverse set of challenges that will have folks exploring and using the library like never before.
Reading challenge booklets are available at the main branch and Queensborough branch of the New Westminster Public Library.
“There’s no obligation to complete all 150 of the challenges. Think of it as a passport to self-discovery and an invitation to broaden your horizons with new books, movies, music and digital resources,” a press release from the library states.
Along with learning about the library’s resources, participants are eligible for monthly prizes and a grand prizes at the end of the summer. To enter the draw, people must share their completed reading challenges with the library via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtags #NWPL150RC and #NWPL150.
People can also search these hashtags to see what other people are doing for their reading challenges.
The library suggests that residents watch for more tie-ins to celebrate 150 years of the New Westminster Public Library, including an anniversary party on Saturday, Aug. 15.
For more information, visit nwpl.ca or contact Erin Watkins at [email protected] or Shelley Wilson-Roberts, public services librarian, at [email protected].
Help make a mascot
In a creative mood this summer? New Westminster’s sister city of Moriguchi, Japan is hosting a mascot design contest and has invited New West residents to participate.
Moriguchi is creating a mascot to celebrate its 70th anniversary of incorporation – someone that will represent the charms of the city and will endear Moriguchi to many.
Contest details and an application package are available on the City of New Westminster’s website at www.newwestcity.ca. All entries must be postmarked by no later than July 21.
Do you have an item for Around Town? Send ideas from around the community to Theresa, [email protected], or find her on Twitter, @TheresaMcManus.
