Ben Dennis may only be entering Grade 8, but he's already caught the attention of the recording industry.
The New Westminster youth has been taking part in a DJ program at the New Westminster Youth Centre since January. His DJ name is Jiiinxxx.
Wolfrage Records picked up Ben's song Shattered Continuum and released it for sale on iTunes, Beatport and Amazon.
Talent shows
An eclectic lineup is expected to grace the stage at the Seniors Have Talent event taking place next month in New Westminster.
Auditions for the event are being held on Sunday, Sept. 15 from 1 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. at Sapperton Pensioners Hall at 318 Keary St. To date, nine people have indicated they'll be vying for spots in the Oct. 5 event that's raising money for the Sapperton Old Age
Pensioners Association and the New Westminster Lions Club.
"It's quite varied," said Vic Leach, one of the promoters of the event. "It's kind of neat some of the things that are coming up."
A Chinese dance group and a dog dancer are among the seniors who will be trying out in this weekend's auditions.
The show, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1:30 p.m., will feature contestants who are 55 years and up.
Singers, musicians, dancers, short story tellers, comedians, poets and other entertainers are welcome to audition for the chance to compete for cash prizes. The show is open to singles, duos, trios or quartets.
Tickets for the show that's being held at the Sapperton Pensioners Hall are available from any members of the New Westminster Lions Club and the Sapperton Old Age Pensioners member. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students and free for children aged five and under.
"New Westminster Lions are raising funds for various projects, one of which is for Buchanan Lodge. Each year, since 1946, they buy and wrap a gift for every individual resident of Buchanan," Leach wrote in an email to The Record. "As an example, three years ago they had a fellow who had been on ships and wanted something relating to that, so they researched and made a calendar of various types of ships specifically for him."
Sapperton Old Age Pensioners are raising funds to replace all the lighting in the lower level of the hall with more energy-efficient fluorescent lights.
For more info, go to eclubhouse.org/sites/new westminsterlionsclubca or call the Sapperton Pensioners Hall at 604-522-0280.
Taking the port's pulse
The New Westminster Historical Society is taking a look at the port in New Westminster at its next meeting.
The presentation is taking place on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in Fraser River Discovery Centre. The presentation, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of the port, will include photos of the waterfront showing changes in shipping at the port and information from the port's history from 1913 to 2013.
Historian Archie Miller, who has been a guide on local harbour cruises for several decades, will lead the presentation. The program is free and everyone is welcome to attend. Fraser River Discovery Centre is located at 788 Quayside Dr.
Douglas forums
Douglas College is inviting the community to have a say in how it can maintain and build strong relationships with local organizations.
The college is holding a forum at its New West campus on Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 4 to 6 p.m. A forum is taking place at the Coquitlam campus on Sept. 23.
"This is really a listening exercise," said Hazel Postma, associate vice-president of external relations at Douglas College. "We want to hear the thoughts and opinions of leaders in the business, corporate, government and non-profit sectors as well as other community members."
The forums will include remarks from Douglas College president Scott McAlpine, presentations on existing community partnerships with the college and dialogue sessions on the college's role in the community.
"We believe we're doing a good job engaging with the community, but we want to learn if there's room to improve," Postma said in a press release. "If there are community groups looking for further support from us or who can provide new opportunities for our students or faculty, we'd like to hear about them."
For more info or to register, email [email protected] or phone 604-777-6501.
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