INSIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS B2 ‘MY POINT OF VIEW. ARON STRUMECKI Film force WAS probably no more than seven or I eight when I first saw Star Wars. Since our family wasn’t the most fre- quent of moviegoers, it was a special treat to go see any movie at all, let alone one that we actually had to line up around the block lo go see, I can still remember standing in line, ask- ing my mother what we were waiting for, and why the other people were waiting in line to go see as well. It was a memorable spectacle, one that left a big impression on my young mind, and helped to forever burn the exotic sights, sounds, and smells of the movie theatre in my mind. It was a heady mix of sci-fi, bright lights, big stars and popcorn that’s stuck with me ever since. Even after the VCR came into being, I'd still take every possible chance to see my films in the theatre. Nothing else could com- pare. It was like a switch was thrown in my * head that day. Now, as an adult, I’ve come to love and crave the movie experience of my youth. I’ve been known to go to great extremes to get the ultimate movie experience. We're talking about a guy who saw Lord of the Rings in no less than three different movie theatres. For movie freaks like myself, catching an eagerly awaited flick is an event to be patient- ly planned around; no expense is too much, and no effort is too great. I love the big screen. I love the sights, the sound, and most of all, the raw communal re- sponse-of large live audience. As far as. I’m «| concerned, there’s nothing better. Throw me a bag of popcorn and I’m done. You-can imagine how excited I was when I heard that this summer was to see Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. Figuring that it never make it to Terrace until at least a month or two after its release this past May, I had begun planning dozens of mad schemes so I could caich it at least once in a decent theatre. I'd carefully squirrelled away enough of my hard-earned shekels, I'd almost convinced a half-dozen of my ' friends to be ready, at a moment’s notice, to ’ be ready to drive all night to see it on the opening night in Prince Rupert, or if need be, Prince George. Well — almost, but not quite. Suffice it to say I was eager to see the lat- est offering from the boundless imagination of George Lucas. My imagination was captured long ago, and ever since the special edition has been released, I’ve made every effort to make it to the opening night of every one of the Star Wars epics. You can imagine my pleasant surprise when I heard the latest movie was in Terrace on the : opening weekend no less. It was an intriguing opportunity to see the latest instalment in the same theatre where I saw the original as a kid. It was pretty trippy. : It was the same smells, the same decor, and the same scratchy sound that I remem- bered so well from so long ago; all to see a ! love the big screen. | love the sights, the sound, and most of all, the raw communal response of large live audience. film that was oh-so-familiar. ] think even the seats were the exact same colour as well, It was like being Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future, The only thing that seemed to be different was the video games in the lobby. It was a comforting mix of the old and the new, and I feel like It’s not going to be tno long before I’m waxing poetic the same way "my father does whenever he starts talking about the days of yore. I could practically feel the technology leap- ing past me as I watched the film. Attack of the Clones, as I found out the day before on the Internet, was entirely digitally filmed and con- structed, The only time good-old-fashioned 35mm film emulsion was used, was when the prints were made for distribution. Sitting in the old seats of our old-fashioned theatre with my friends and a pleasant crowd _ of fellow movie-goers, ] realized exactly what it was that made the movie experience so va- ’ Iuable to me, and it provided me with a weird touchstone kind of kind moment. I like to go to the theatre because it’s - packed to the gills with real live humans, and that, in a computerized age where everything and nothing seems to be réal (9/11), that seems pretty special: to me. TERRACE STANDARD | OMMUNITY-# The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 5, 2002 - B1 SECTION B CHRIS WILLIE, 16, works hard on the totem pole that’s taken the students at the Terrace Teen Learning Centre three months to complete. The totem pole project was conceived of and supervised-by-local artist Joe Mandur. JOANNA WONG PHOTO ~~ utting edge An infectious love of art is taking a class of young carvers to a higher plane By JOANNA WONG race schools, “It touches everyone “We've.gone from a reluctance For many of the centre’s First “WALKING INTO the Teen Learning Centre on Kalum, you can smell it right away. It’s a smell that’s filled the cozy one-room classroom for the past few months — the unmistak- able fragrance of cedar. Amongst a mess of wood shavings strewn on the floor sils the result of three months of de- dication and hard work — a six- foot hand-carved cedar totem pole. “I don’t think there’s one per- son in this room who hasn't worked on it,” said Joe Mandur, the local artist responsible for gui- ding the learning centre students through the totem pole project, Mandur has specialized in the northwest coast style of carving for the past 20 years. “Anything to do with art is very spiritual,” said Mandur, a veteran of many similar projects in Ter- on some level,” in these art forms td‘a real pride,” According to Mandur, the totem pole undertaking was a “self-motivation thing” for the centre’s students working towards graduation and entering the work force. “As soon as they gel caught up with the art it gets closer to their spirit,” he said. said Viguers. The project has been a labour of love —the learning centre stu- dents designed the totem pole themselves, choosing the heads of a killer whale, frog, bear and eagle to represent the varied clans found in the classroom. Mandur supported a hands-on “When they look at this in ten years boy they're going to feel good about it.” The students do seem to be caught up with the art — a handful are already hard al work on the totem pole and the rest are busy sketching or carving First Nations- style animals. Principal Doug Viguers says that Mandur’s totem pole project has sparked an interest in aborigi- nal art among many of the centre’s 28 students. attitude toe teaching, and encour- aged students to dive in and begin carving right away. Many students sport battle scars and scabs from learning ta work with Mandur’s array of well- sharpened tools. “You get blisters after a while,” said Joel Williams, proudly showing off his hard and weathered calloused hands. Nations students, the totem pole has been an opportunity to further develop skills already passed down to them from elder relatives. “T knew quite a bit but Joe had to show me a couple things,” said 16-year old Chris Willie, who in- itially learned to carve at Nisga'a Elementary-Secondary School. “It was more experience for me.” Now that the totem pole has almost been completed, Viguer hopes to hold a celebratory cer- emony after the school moves to , its new location. In the meantime, cedar will re- main a familiar aroma around the centre Students continue to add final touches, smoothing out rough spots and deciding whether or nat to paint the pole. “It’s the ripple effect,” said Mandur of the totem project. “When they look at this in 10 years boy they’re going to feel good about it.” For 75 years, they’ve done their best By JENNIFER LANG GEORGE LITTLE Memorial Park will be filled with memories of boyhood fun and ad- venture Saturday, when the Scouting move- ment celebrates a major milestone — its 75th year in Terrace, The First Terrace Scouts, the oldest Scout troop here, formed on May 31 in 1927. That’s one year before Terrace was official- ly incorporated. The troop, led by Sam Kirkaldy, met at the Great War Veteran’s Association Hall and re- cieved its official Boy Scouts Canada charter on Oct. 31 of that year. Some names on the that original charter, like Dudley Little, then aged 15, and 14-year- old Walter McConnell will have a familiar ring to many Terrace residents today. Local Scouting spokesman, historian and assistant Cub leader Eric Harkonen says it’s thought the troop disbanded during the 1930s — the years of the Great Depression. Scouting in Terrace began to gain momen- tum again after the Second World War, with Cub packs and Scout troops forming in the mid-1950s, and 1960s. One of Terrace Scouting’s proudest mo- ments is Terrace’s, too. On a sunny day in 1959, Scouts, Girt Guides and other community members gath- ered on the airport tarmac outside the Cana- dian Pacific Airlines hangar to wait for the ar- rival of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. After the royals landed — in a federal De- partment of Transport aircraft - dozens of Scouts and Guides stood at attention while the Queen, dressed in a splendid fuchscia overcoat and white hal, conducted her inspection. UNKNOWN FACES: A few Sietson-wearing First Terraca Scouts in an undated photo from the local Scouts archives, taken in the late 1950s or early GOs. Scout numbers have dwindled across Cana- da and in Terrace in recent years, Harkonen says. Just the First, Sixth and Eighth Terrace Scouls remain today. Back in Scouting’s heyday in Terrace, the - town didn’t have much else to offer youth. “There were no hockey leams, or karate clubs, or other extra curricular activities,” Harkonen says. Black and white and colour photographs from the time show smartly-uniformed Scouts grinning self-assuredly in the sunlight as they pose next to cativas tents, log” cabins. or alop local mountains. He's collected photographs and other mem- orabilia documenting Scouting history in Ter- race, but there are many holes in the story. For example, few pre-1946 photographs re- main, or perhaps never existed in the first place. And memories are fading. “So many of the older people have just pas- sed on,” Harkonen says. “And these that haven't, don’t remember,” Present and former Scouts, Cubs, Beavers, Ventures and Rovers are invited to take part in the Terrace Scouting’s 75 anniversary festivi- ties, scheduled from 10 am. to 8 p.m. June 8. Scouting officials will also. be encouraging pre-tegistralions for the coming year.