Women from around British Columbia will be vying to become B.C.’s Funniest New Female.
Laughter Zone 101 is running B.C.’s Funniest New Female contest at Lafflines Comedy Club. New West resident Janice Bannister, owner of Laughter Zone 101, is excited to host the event.
Preliminary rounds will take place Wednesday, July 16 and Thursday, July 17, while the finals will run on Thursday, July 24.
Women from all parts of the province will be vying for cash prizes and a chance to perform at Lafflines on a weekend show. The top comic will also be awarded a guest spot on the 2015, I am Woman Hear Me Laff comedy tour that takes place in March for International Women’s Day.
“The comics all are relatively new to comedy with less than five years of performing experience. They come with lots of talent and many different backgrounds,” Bannister said in a press release. “We have a stay-at-home mom, a graphic designer, a one-year cancer survivor, an engineer, a published writer, a retired senior, a biology student, an actress, and the list goes on. The diversity of backgrounds is amazing.”
Judges will be looking for originality of material, stage presence and, of course, audience reaction. Audience members will also get to cast a vote, and each night’s most popular comic will get a spot in the finals.
Doors open for all shows at 7 p.m. at the Columbia, 530 Columbia St. Tickets are $10 for the preliminaries and $15 for the finals and available online at www.lafflines.com.
For more information, check out Laughter Zone 101 on Facebook.
Celebrating diversity
Royal City residents are invited to attend an evening of unity through diversity.
The first Community Music Heritage Night is being held on Wednesday, July 16 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Olivet Baptist Church. The event is intended to be an evening where all cultures in the community can celebrate and share their unique heritage through songs and music.
“Bring your instruments or just your voice and play the songs of your heritage to an appreciative audience,” suggests a press release. “Should you want to showcase your abilities with a popular song of today, a karaoke machine will be provided.”
The Community Music Heritage Night, made possible through a grant from the Vancouver Foundation, includes food and drinks as well as draws. It’s being sponsored by Long & McQuade in Surrey, Save-on-Foods in Royal City Centre, Kal Tire, Union Jack Neighbourhood Public House, Starbucks on Sixth Street, Safeway in McBride Plaza and Blenz Coffee.
Iconic buildings in New West?
Do you have a favourite building in New West that deserves some recognition?
The Architecture Foundation of B.C. is inviting people to submit nominations for B.C.’s 100 Best Buildings – whether it’s your favourite building in which to work, live, play, or just pass by. The foundation is inviting British Columbians to share those buildings, regardless of their purpose, age or construction.
To submit a nomination, go to www.BestBuildingsBC.ca.
But do it fast as nominations close on Monday, Aug. 4 – B.C. Day.
Will any New West buildings make the cut? Once the nominations are in, you’ll have a chance to vote for your picks from each region to make the Top 100 and judges will select the top three from each region.
Busier than ever
While secondary school students won’t be heading back to class this summer, more students are attending Douglas College for summer semester than ever before.
Enrolment for the summer semester has hit an all-time high, with enrolment reaching nearly 6,300 students this summer, which is up 43 per cent since 2010.
“Summer is traditionally a slower time, but more people are open to studying through the summer months, and we have some unique offerings during the semester to encourage more students,” said Kathy Denton, interim president of Douglas College. “We also have space constraints at our New Westminster campus, so we’re being creative in how to use the space as efficiently as possible.”
Denton noted that fall and winter semester enrolment is also up 27 per cent since 2010, but the increased use of space in the summer months has helped reduce the impact of the college’s growth on the limited space at the New Westminster campus.
In 2012, the college also relocated a faculty to the Coquitlam campus to give the New Westminster campus more room to grow.
