The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 11, 1998 - BI

TERRACE STANDARD.

INSIDE
COMMUNITY
EVENTS B2

Co MMUNITY:-2

AT THE MARKET.
LYNNE CHRISTIANSEN

City should
support market

ERRACE’S Skeena Valley Farm-
ers Markel is a great success when
compared to other markets across
Canada and the U.S,

I just returned from a Direct Farm Marketing
conference, attended by 1400 people from all
over North American. Terrace residents would
be pleasantly surprised at how our market
measures up,

The Terrace farmers market has 60 registered

‘vendors. Dale Willard (a manager of
Manitoba’s farmers markets) says that Manitoba
markets average 6 vendors. Taking our popula-

tion into consideration, conference participants
were really astounded at the size of our market
—and the variety of product.

They were also impressed with the fact thal
we are economically viabic, with no oulside
support, government grants, cr local sponsors.

I was surprised to leam that 60 per cent of
market managers are paid a salary (often by
their municipality). In some situations
municipalitics hire a market manager to create a
farmers market for their downtown.

One municipality taxes hotels and motels to
generate funds for their local farmers market,
Some markets were operating under consider-
able debt.

Our fee to vendors is lower than most
markets. We charge $60 per season. Most
markets charge more and take five or six per
cent of total sales as well.

Tcame away feeling that we have a wonderful
market. We also have good local support from
the community and good media representation
— our media is tuned into the community.

We also have good relationships with the

retailers, ] just hope our local council has ears to
hear what is important to a community.

The market is the heart of the communily —_
and vital to the survival of local agriculture, But
I'm worried about the market’s future, As stated
ina recent issue of this paper ‘‘moving the
farmers market is on the back burner and the
possibility basn’t becn entirely climinated.’’

City councilor Linda Hawes favours a com-
plete look at the farmers market sile. So let’s
have a look al the farmers market site!

‘At our conference we heard over and over
again the importance of location. The market
should be in the heart of the city,

“The land is seen as a valuable city owned
land in the heart of the city, that only has ac-
tivily on it a couple times a week,’’ said our
council in a recent Terrace Standard story.

The farmers market is an invaluable com-
ponent to our social structure. We are the city.

Farmer’s markets define their communities.

Vendors at the farmers market would like to
see the Davis street property designated as
park/green space. If the market had: an agree-

-ment with the cily to use the property every Sat-
urday morning and Wednesday evening, during
the market season, we would help to develop it
as a town square — an extension of the George
Little Park. It could be used for many other
functions.

Let's look at what the market does:

Wi It’s a business incubator, encourages entre-
preneurship in a low risk setting.

Wi Helps maintain green space.

ga Supports cross cultural exchange and ethnic
diversity,

wi Supports local farmers and artisans.

BB Builds self reliance.

M@ Biodiversity is encouraged,

Wi Healthier diets and fresh food,

Hf Promotes tourism and public events.

@ Agricultural education.

@ Offers variety, quality, atmosphere,

It is frustrating to hear of the support, finan-
cial and otherwise, that municipalities are
giving some struggling markets,

Here we are in Terrace with a flourishing
market, that has cost the municipality nothing
but the use of a vacant lot. Just think whal we
could do with a litte support and recognilion.
“Mankind’s greatest failure is to see and have
novision.”’ (Helen Keller)

City councilor Val George said ‘‘there’s an
overwhelining community reaction opposed to
moving the farmers market and the response
should be respected,’’ Someone is listening; that
is hopeful.

Feel free to contact me if you would like to
further discuss market concerns by calling 615-
0025,

Lynne Christiansen is a vendor at the farmer's “
market and writes a colunin on the market in the
summer.

students give back to festival

SHE PLAYED in the music
festival as a child, and now
as an adult she gives young
students the skills to play
piano on stage.

Fiona Onsicin is good ex-
ample of the strong in-
fluence the Pacific NW
Music Festival has had in
Terrace the last three
decades. The 33rd annual
festival takes place Mar. 24-
Apr. 4.

The festival is one of the
longest running in the pro-
vince, and is also one of the
largest.

This year’s festival will at-
tract over 4,000 people.
About half of those contes-
tants are from Terrace, and
the rest come from outlying
areas, aS far away as Burns
Lake or even Quesnel.

Onstein says it’s the com-
milment to youth and ta
their pursuit of excellence
that’s kept the festival going
for so long.

Organizers ‘‘want to sce
the next generation go on
and strive for excellence,’’
she says, Many of the active
core of 20 members have
had children who competed
successfully in the festival.
President Nara Phillip’s son
Tim Phillips, a talented gui-
lar player, is just one exam-
ple. He’s now at a music
academy in England.

But the festival does more
than encourage local youth
to excel in their discipline,
whether it be speech arts or
this year’s new addition —

- she

Skeena Jr. Secondary Schoot's choral speaking group performed at the Pacific NW Music Festival in 1972.

(Photo; The Herald)

Highland dance.

Onsiein says what’s just as
important is the confidence
that children gain from their
experience playing in front
of judges and an audience,

Onstein started competing
in the festival when she was
eight, playing piano, and
continued till she was 15.
She says she never won any
trophies, but often came in
second.

**Looking back [ realize I
did do well. There’s a fcel-
ing of accomplishment after
alt those hours of practice.’’

She remembers getting
very excited before the festi-
val started, wondering how
could make her

IN 1978 Cathy Kenney and Laurel Adams charmed
audiences in the music festival. (Photo: Brian Gregg)

presentation extra special,
Now she shares that in-
formation with her students.

**Music really is an ex-
pression of yourself. If
they’re focussed on that,
they seem to play their
best.’”

One of her young students
is playing a picce about a
young orphan girl for the
festival, The student had the
technique of the song down,
but something was missing,
said Onstcin. So she told ber
student to imagine what the
young orphan was Eceling.

“Tt was totally different,”’
Onstein said of the girl's
playing. ‘‘You could feel
the longing in her playing.”

Onstein has been teaching
students for ten years and
three years ago decided to
gel more involved in the
festival, She’s now in
charge of publicity.

She says il was her posi-

Fiona Onstein
tive experience that led her
to that position. Bul being
involved is a nearly a year
round job.

The key organizers start
Inceting in September in
preparation for the spring
festival. By January they
have, to raise thousands of
doflars from the business
communily.

“It’s incredible, the sup-

port we pet,’’ says Phillips,

It takes about $50,000 to
Tun the festival, ,and only
$16,000 of that is raised
through entry fees.

The biggest expense —
about $17,000 goes
towards getting skilled ad-
judicators to come to Ter-
race to judge the festival.
Another $10,000 goes
towards cash prizes.

During the festival about
200 people are needed to
make sure the event runs
smoothly. They coordinate -
events and record  ad-
judicator’s remarks, hand
out programs and more.

Throughout the two weeks
of festival, most per-
formatices are open to the
public. But you'll want to
get your tickets early to the
festival highlights — the
Scholarship’ performances
April 3 aud gala night on
April 4.

Quality marked festival

A DESIRE to give music students a chance
to be marked on a provincial level sparked
the first Pacific NW Music Festival in

1966.

Marylin Davies, co-owner of the NW
Academy of Performing Arts, was one of
those founding four members. The others
were Virginia Lowric, Mike Strymecki and

Andy Brodie.

From the beginning Davies said she and
the others wanted the festival to be profes-
sional —- with top quality adjudicators. Just
because it was localed in northern B.C.
didn’t mean the festival should sulfer in

quality.

“We wanted to be marked on a provincial

slandard,’’ said Davies.

Those first years about 300 students com-
peted in the festival in everything from
piano to bagpipes. One adjudicator judged

the whole festival.

Classes were much broader and some
styles and grades were judged together.

everything.

Now Davies says there’s a category for

Looking back over the festival she says

the giving quality of the adjudicators is her

best memory. Peaple who were top in their
field were willing to give their time to help
struggling students.

Of course there were some prima donnas

over the years, she said of the adjudicators.

And one had to be dragged away from strip
shows ata local hotel in order to get back
to judging the festival.

But organizers overcame those minor
hurdles and new arts professionals from

across the continent come to Terrace to

judge the festival.

That high level of professionalism draws

students and bands from across the north.
And participants often go onto provincial
and national music festivals.

‘It’s a real feather in Terrace’s cap,’

said Davies. “It’s the largest festival per
capita in B.C.”

Terrace student wins top honour

TERRACE’S Ryan Orr was recently recognized as one of
the top graduating students in the province.

Orr was one of 15 students in BC given a $5,000 scholar- :
ship for his academic achievement and community service. '
Called the Premier’s Excellence Award, 147 youths across
the province were nominated for the honour.

On and the other winners were congratulated for their >

achievements at a premier’s luncheon on Feb. 28 at Van-

couver Community College.

Orr described winning the award and altending the lun-

cheon as a

‘‘pretty incredible expericnce,’’

His parents

were flown from Terrace to take part in the luncheon, and
watched their son shake hands with Premier Glen Clark.

Orr is now in his-first year of an engineering program at ©

the University of BC. He’s tried to maintain his active role
in sports, playing on both intramural basketball and soccer

teams.

When in Terrace, Orr was involved in a number of |

school sports, including rugby, volleyball, basketball and
badminton. He was also a member of the winning team at
the 1997 Physics Olympics at UBC.

Orr also has some unusual hobbies which make him
stand out from the crowd. For years he’s volunteered help-
ing injured birds of prey and has a special license to keep
them. He also helped monitor bird populations in the Ter-
face area and submitted that information to a provincial

birding group.

And Orr has extensive construction experience, and has
volunteered with his father, installing cabinets for non-

profit societies,

Now his goal is to become a civil or gcological engineer.
Towards that end he thinks he has a good shot at a summer
job in a diamond mine in the Northwest Territories. Being
a recipient of the Premier’s Excellence Award doesn’t hurt

his chances,

PREMIER GLEN CLARK presents Terrace's Ryan Orr with a medal of recogni-
tion for his academic achievements and communily and school involvement. With
‘that medal also comes a $5,000 scholarship. Orr is now in his first year at UBC,