a yerinancamrgeys | ENTERTAIN MENT By FRANK ISERNIA ‘Sun staff writer Su-Chong Lim is artist of many facets but more importantly he is a superb storyteller. Through song and witty tales he describes Cana- dian history through the eyes of an immigrant, ‘a Chinese immi- Srant. But the twist is that all of us are immigrants, so in essence we are laughing with ourselves. The audience on hand at the Brilliant Cultural Centre was totally with But Lim himself said that the con- Performance was terrific, cept of the show was very sneaky, “People think that I am a very clever individual in the planning of the show, but it isn't that way at all. It’s power is just a collection of whimsical songs with no connec- tion,” said the musician who appeared in Castlegar last Thurs- day evening. Lim explained that he was look- ing for the soanection when some- things, to which maybe I'm con- nected, but the energy is coming from your own immigrant view- point, that Canadians take for Branted sorhetimes. And really it’s not just a story of one immigrant, it's a story of all immigrants, and it really comes back.to the fact that Canada is an immigrant country.” Lim states that just because it happens to come from one paiticu- lar i i iewpoint, it is one that be was the “It's mo,” says Lim, “I’m just the average immigrant coming to Canada looking through these e Castlegar Sun aes ing that every immigrant or. any person that realizes that his grandparents were newcomers to Canada can relate to, “The greatest difficulty of the show is the credibility of the act. People in general have trouble but commu certainly a setback for‘our soci ety,” she said. “Financially this - evening was disastrous," : »What is evident, is that unless ' the community support improves, » there could be some serious reper- ions to further in this area, And unfortunately it is only you and I, as individuals, let alone as a community, who will suffer. If the pattern of last night’s appalling display of support con- tinues, Castlegar cannot expect the * Asts Council to continue to suffer financial loss. How can we justify . :) holding the council. to their promise of high quality entertain- _ ment? The choice is ours. Lim also expressed his disap- iB up to i acts, for this show that comes complete- ly out of left field, I think the first thing that people think is, oh God, this is so.different to anything that we can relate to, how can it possi- bly be entertaining, It's our promo- tional challenge to try..and overcome that inertia,” said Lim. Lim stated that all those who have gone to the’ show, including the audience in Castlegar, have their d i at the quality and enjoyment of the show, Although the performance of . the show was outstanding,. the same cannot be said of the support by this community, z Only a handful of people at- tended the performance, which says very little for the support that this 365-5304 Chicken Time Milkshakes onty99* reg. *1°” until March 31/91 REMEMBER ANYTIME IS CHICKEN TIME Celgar, Westar & Cominco meal tickets accepted 2816 Columbia Ave. is willing to give the Community Arts Council. Without’a commitment from the area, The Arts Council cannot keep . booking the high level of entertain- ment for Castlegar as they have done in the past. Castlegar Arts Council events co-ordinator, Eleanor Elstone was terribly disappointed and visibly upset at the poor showing by local resi- dents. “The loss we incurred tonight is ys TAX RE Get your tax returned to you on your purchase . of any dinner meal after 5 pm (offer good until April 30, 199 ow open for dinner Sn "URN till 8 pm “Tossed SOUPS. ‘Baked French Onion oe 3.00 topped with croutons and mozzarella: ~ Soup of the Day Gust ask) small 125 large 175 PASTA DISHES : 795 -Fish:and Chips ' Deep Fried Fantail Shrimp oe ‘The above pasta dishes served with salad and garlic toast =-vegetarian 725.) 2.750" 802875 8.02950 Ecaelaty @ ie ‘above served with salad; fresh vegetables and’ | ‘Your choice of mashed potato, shoe or Fries — 10 oz: 1L50. ‘Mon. - Thurs. ')* Saturday 5:30 am - 8 pm'e OUR HOURS: 5:30 am - 8 pm ¢ Friday 5:30 am - 9 pm Sunday 7 am - 3 pm P with the turnout, but explained it in much kinder terms, “Every small town has to grope with poor showings, and the only way to overcome this, is for small towns, and even big cities too, is to be exposed to not just main stream stuff that’s straight off the tube, but also material that TV _ won't handle... the However, Lim stated that the energy from’ the small number of People at the show was incredible, “The audience.has really re- sponded. On a per capita basis, the audience was very very lively. In this hall, the seats may be ve but the i are superb. It’s an incredible hall,” he exclaimed, m John Ekroos ng his aa SUN STAFF PHOTO/ Frank leemia Su-Chong Lim put on an incredible performance at the Brilliant Cultural Centre last Thursday. ow Liss ‘SUN STAFF PHOTO / Frank leeria in association with j British Columbia Country Music Association Bud Country Talent Search "91" CASILEGAR THURSDAY _ FEB. 21 Open to any vocalist, amateur or professional for more information ‘cal “9 965-6933 m music By FRANK ISERNIA - Sun staff writer Castlegar retiree John Ekroos doesn't know how to play a note on his violins, but he sure can build them. A former machinist with Cel- gar, the soft-spoken Ekroos began to carve various artifacts‘ ten years ago, but didn’t begin to build latest fort’ of interest’ unti ‘recently: °°" Re ii“My dad used to make ‘quité‘a few violins, and so did my broth- er,” he said proudly. “I guess you could say that I’m continuing the tradition.” Ekroos explained that his art Fequires an awful lot of expertise and patience. “Tt has taken me two months to carve and put together the first two that I have built. There are some Teal secrets that go into manufac- turing a violin that will sound good and is a pleasure to play. “If you don’t design them to Proper specs, or you don’t put them together meticulously, either they won't play or their tone will sound awful,” be said. Ekroos says that the top of the soundbox is made of spruce wood and actually it is supposed to be edge grain, where the grain runs up and down. The bottom, he added, is made of wood ‘that comes from the Mount St. Helens region of Washington State. se “The makers of the Stratavarian violins went up to the 8500 feet level of the Italian mountains and cut 200 year old trees about 2 meters in diameter, and took the wedges out of the sunny side and Ekroos said that spruce and maple gives violins the best possi- ble tone, and he explains how tone is produced by the violii IS. “The tone goes from the strings through the bridge and the sound Post down into the box. The bot- tom of the’sound box acts'as a _ deflector for the sound.”* °- Ekroos boasts that his guitars’ are far superior to the ones built by the Japanese, violins he considers as junk. Be Bate Violins produced by Ekroos are readily available for sale but he isn’t too keen on the idea of mass Producing them.) 000) -“I make them because there are fun to build. If I have a buyer, that’s great. I'am a retiree living on pension. Any extra income is ‘helpful, pecalise Tealistically it Costs about $200 out of m: pocket to build a violin.) %, : r’ Is 12 he Mount * By FRANK ISERNIA Sun staff writer nity-related occasions, and 15 per cent are for state or geremonial “That : 8 “Not only are our Mounties famous for “getting their man”, but thanks to the talents of their famous musicians, the RCMP Concert Band, they are also well known for their expertise in the entertainment field, On April 8, in the Brilliant Cul- tural Centre beginning at 8 p.m., the Castlegar RCMP in conj number of performances means that between the Concert Band and Bison, the two play an average of 17. concerts a month, That trans- _ lates into every province and terri- tory receiving a visiting tour by both bands every four years. The Band is very favorably received abroad. Their appear- - Canada’s , with the High Arrow Shrine. Club are very pleased to sponsor this highly revered group of musicians, The history of this band is as colourful and proud as that of the. - regular force across Canada, and indeed the world. / . Their earliest notes were sound- ed in’ 1874, but their first musical triumphs were played on make- shift drums fashioned out of large tin dishes with tent pegs substitut- ing as drumsticks, The melody was achieved by fifes.” ‘The first band was formed in 1876 by the Northwest Mounted Police at Swan River Barracks in the North West Territories, to pro- vide entertainment through the long winter. “ The band’s first musicians were strictly volunteers who supplied and paid for their own equipment. © The first permanent Band was formed at the RCMP. training school in Regina during 1938. However, later in the year, the Band moved to Ottawa, its current home base. : The purpose of today’s RCMP Concert Band is primarily to gen- erate the goodwill of the RCMP throughout the world by utilizing: their vibrant musical concerts as a vehicle in accomplishing that cause, Today's RCMP band is com- prised of two major ensembles. The first ensemble is the Concert Band whose size and musical vol- ume can comfortably fill a 400- seat community hall or 4000-seat auditorium: And the.second is the Bison, formed to accommodate smaller halls and audiences who would otherwise be overwhelmed by the Concert Band, ti AUl,band members are rank- holding RCMP officers who must meet two basic classes of qualifi- cations: each must fulfill the per- sonnel selection standards for entering the force, and cach must Possess training and experience as a professional musician. Assigned to full time duties in the band, the musicians must also be versatile. Many of the members ances Pp image at intemational fairs, Cana- dian Embassy functions and a whole wide range of various other functions, These Canadian good- will ambassadors have taken their music to every corner of the globe. ‘The Band has also appeared in many television specials world- -wide, including a Japanese venture , seen by over 100 million viewers. f Locall: The Castlegar Sun Perform: a free concert for students _.. {Pose of these miracle hospitals is of the Castlegar District during the day. of the concert. It is esti-:. mated that over 700 students will + geta chance-to hear this highly respected and entertaining band. Corporal Day of the Castlegar _RCMP detachment stated that ‘he just cannot say enough about the "talent and spirit of this band. “They're super, just.great,” he says with pride in his voice.” It's not because I am biased. This band is the best bination of show- Page 3B Centres of Excellence”. The pur- to provide care to crippled chil , dren to help them lead fuller, and | more productive lives, Al recipi- ents of Shriner Hospital aid must be under 18 years old, wy There are 22 complete modem hospitals throughout Canada, U.S.A,, and Mexico. . These hospitals receive no funding from either the federal or Provincial funding, making fundrai. band and marching band world- wide. They just don't program to the adults, they are also very good at playing the latest tunes too. They are real entertainment.” Proceeds of this concert are used for the benefit of Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children. Shriners Hospitals are known as “The Houses of Miracles and ising efforts of this type a necessity, Since 1968 the High Arrow Shrine Club of Castlegar has spon- sored in excess of 270 children, Tickets for this worthwhile con- cert are available throughout Castlegar, Trail, and Nelson at various locations, including all REMP detachments for only $5 each, Sunday Brunch the RCMP Band will rm featuring: “Our delicious regular Sunday brunch “plus; Roasted turkey * Baked ham Mashed potatoes » Dressing Adults “9% Seniors *75 Children under 12 *4° * Group reservations recommended « 1944 Columbia Avenue Castlegar, B.C. 365-8444 The world renowned RCMP Co the Brilliant Cultural Centre on A proceeds in pthc As well, ti Photo submitted (INFORMATION NIGHT ) play as many as five ii and some take on vocals, emcce- ing, or even composing duties. The band has a supporting staff that includes a tour management team of four, a sound engineer, two full-time music arrangers, a copyist, a chief administrator, cler- ical support staff and, as needed, contracted movers who are profes- sionally trained in long distance moving and proficient in setting up professional musical equip- ment. The equipment that the band utilizes is staggering. A multi- channel sound board that guaran- tees superb audio quality; five kil of cable, i hones; and, in addition to the traditional winds and brass. ‘The band also carries an extensive collection of other musical instru- ments consisting of guitars, syn- thesizers, a piano, marimba, accordion and mouth organ. The Concert Band is well booked throughout the year. Of their 300 performances annually, 85 per cent are charity or commu- Rossland Ave., Trail. ° 354-6465. For people interested in knowing more about becoming.a FOSTER PARENT, you are invited by the Ministry of Social Services and Housing to an “Information Night" on Thursday, March 28th, 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Trail District Office, 930 Foster parents who will consider taking 12 - 16 year old children are in high demand for emergency short-term and some long-term situations. Please consider helping with the protection of our community's children. For more information call Wayne or Chris at Fostering You can make a difference. J OEPARTURES B SPRINGTIME ON-THE ISLAND ff April 11:19, 1891 Vancouver Island Tour |» { Dun: Inctudes: In Uctustat,. double-, | | decker peace! of ‘in Campbell River wed visite to Chemalnus +] Nanaimo.) . Limited eating sift available, < TING STILL AVAILABLE ON MANY RENO Bae IN MARCH, APRIL AND MAY ay ‘Enjoy the relaxed and telsurely pace of a Bus Tour to Reno ALL TOURS NON-SMOKING ON BOARD COACH See your travel agent or CALL 1-800-332-0282 All ours are subject to G.S.T. where applicable YELLOWSTONE’ BLACK HILLS” June 11-24, 1991 Tours ory National. Park’? and Mi blights inchide Aiospiaee < Mottart a 1355 BAY AVENUE, TRAIL, B.C. 368-6666 GREAT: NORTHERN ADVENTURE ::.* June 30 - July 23