The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 21, 1999 - 81 TERRACE STANDARD. INSIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS B2 CHARLYNN TOEWS Nothing personal answered the phone at home a while back: ‘‘Hello,’’ 1 said. The person calling me said, ‘Do you agree that videos today are too violent and filled with profanity?’’ “What?” I said. “Who is this?”’ She gave me some vague answer and pro- ceeded to ask me how many children ] had and how old they were. “What?” T said. I still didn’t know who she was or why she was calling. ‘‘No, I’m not giving you any personal information.’’ “No?” she said. She sounded surprised, She went on to describe children’s videos for three different age groups, asking me each time if J thought I might be interested in them. “Wait a minute,”’ I interrupted. ‘‘Is this a sur- vey of some sort or are you trying to sell me something?” In a long complicated explanation, she said she wasn’t actually selling these videos, she was just informing me of their availability and how to obtain them. “Oh,” I said, and ‘Good bye.’’ Some stranger calls me up and starts asking personal questions, I like to hang up. I’m funny: that way. Another time, about a year ago, I answered the phone in my usual way: “'Hello,”’ I said. “Who is this?”” the person calling demanded to know. Now, this has happened to me a couple of times, and always gives me pause. Does she often phone people she doesn’t know, perhaps as some sort of hobby? Does she punch in numbers on the phane blindfolded just to see if she will get someone she knows by sheer chance? Did she rather have a large list of people to call, and she forgot exactly who she was calling in between dialing my number and me picking up? I used to do thal at work, when I bad a lot of phoning to do. I would hear the first two rings and realize { had no idea who to ask for at the other end when they answered. In such a case, though, I would quickly hang up and start all over again, keeping one finger on the per- son's name so I wouldn’t forget again. It also reminds me of the Monty. Python sketch where the phone rings and John Cleese answers, He says ‘‘Hello,’’? and then ‘‘Yes’’ several times. Finally he removes his shoe, says “Size 12’? and hangs up. The phone rings many fimes, with cach different character answering and obediently taking off his shoe to report this bit of personal information. None of them say, “What? Who is this?’’ or ‘‘Why do you want to know my shoe size?’’ Anyway, the person calfing me demanded 1 identify myscHf. I replied instead, ‘“Who are you?” She didn’t want to say. Naturally, because she didn’! know who I was I could be some sort of kook, right? She just said, ‘‘Did you just call me?”’ Now, this left me momentarily speechless, again, Ifshe wouldn't tell me who she was, how could I truthfully say whether I phoned her or not? Fortunately, that particular morning | had not made any calls at all, so I could just say ‘‘No.”’ ‘*No,"' I said. She was furious. ‘You did so!’’ she said. “What?” I said. ‘‘No, I did not!" “Yes, you did!’’ she insisted, Well, turns out she had call display or had punched in Star-69. Later, much later, I figured out that my friend X, who had dropped by that very morning, had used my phone while ] was powdering my nose. X had been trying to con- tact Y who was supposed to be staying al Z’s. It was Z who called back to my number. At the time, though, poor old Z and I traded some accusations, two complete strangers yeil- ing at each other over the phone. Just recently I bought a coffee table. The fur- niture store clerk took down my name from my credit card as she was wriling up the bill. ‘Phone number?”* she asked, “No,” I said, “No?” she said. She looked not just surprised but shocked, ‘‘Why not?’’ she asked. I sighed. My little boy was trying to get her at- tention. He was shouting out his full name and exact age. ‘‘Shush, now,” I told him. I tuned back to the clerk and said, ‘‘It’s just that I don’t like lo give out personal information.” . She looked crushed, even hurt, But really, it’s nothing, personal, THE ART WALK tour is a charming way to spend an afternoon, strolling about town with a friend discuss- ing local art on display at a number of downtown businesses. A map of the walking tour listing the 13 businesses that have agreed to display four or five picces of art from a local artist can be found at participaling stores, includ- ing Misty River Books, Hava Java and the Terrace Art Gallery. At Misty River Books, art- ist. Maureen Worobey’s watercolours and pen and ink drawings are tastefully displayed in the shop’s window. Ama Beddie, bookstore owner, says she participates in the annual Art Walk to support local artists, It’s also gives local resi- denis and tourists something social and enlightening to do, Beddie added. “Is a good culture thing for people to see and it’s good for the community,” she said. Voyeurs can’t buy any of° the art at the participating ‘|: stores, but the artist’s businesses cards are avail- able for more information. Artist Anita Klein, whose. watercolour and = acrylic paintings . arc hung in Groundworks, said it’s great fo have an allernative to a gallery to display ber work. **¥ou don’t need as much artwork to display,’’ she said, For a show, often artists are “required to produce 30 ' pieces to display, which is time-consuming and rather costly, since framing is often expensive. So a small exhibit like Art. Walk is a wonderful venue, Klein said. At the Cotton Pick ‘n’ Quit Patch shop, another business participating in the Art Walk tour, nine dif- ferent quilts are on display and viewers are asked to QUILTERS Dee Jenion, ‘Sam Ridler and Betty Doating owner of Cotton Pick 'n' Quilt Patch, show off some of the colourful quilts displayed at the store. Twelve other businesses are displaying art this month as part of Art Walk. People are en- couraged to do the walking tour to check out the work of talented locaf artists. ‘chose their favorite one. To compete in the contest, each of the nine quilters was given a packet of 80 squares of six-by-six inch fabric to incorporate into a design. By adding two extra fab- tics of their choice, each contestant had a few months to come up with a pattern. Dee Jenion, who has been quilting for five years, said making the quilt using the required materials was 4 definite challenge. “IE you take a look at all the fabrics some of them are pretty ugly,’’ she said, ‘‘It ROCKERS: Fans of local rock band Fair Warning say the lead singer, Dan Fraser, sounds like Ozzie Osborn. The group will be performing in Rosswood August 21. Rock band records CD LOCAL ROCKERS Fair Waming are recording their first full-length CD this summer to sell copies while touring the northwest. *“We'll flog off the CD’s to anyone wio wants to hear our music,’” guitarist Jim Fraser. Jim and his brother Dan are self-taught musicians, who’ve been playing together since they were teenagers. The pair have been with their drummer, Kenny Isaak, for the past two years and have finished half of their CD, “If we can make our own music and people listen to us that’s what counts,’ Dan " said, The band doesn't play many bars in the area because they don't get the opportunity to play original songs. ‘‘There’s not a big market for original material in the bars,’ Dan said. The group isn't interested in playing , cover tune after cover tune in bars, bul Dan is slowly gelting used to bearing people say that he sounds a bit like Ozzie Ozborn. "T don’t think I sound like Ozzie at all, but I take it as a compliment now,”’ he jokes. said lead Having finished half of their CD the band is finding it easier to get played on CFNR, Jim said, and has developed a following in and around the area. ‘Sometimes Pl listen and hear a request . for one of our songs from Prince Rupert,” - ‘4t's gratifying and gives you incentive to keep pushing on with the album.”? The availability of recording technology in the north is also a big Incentive for them to keep pushing on with their CD. "With access to better lechnology we can put together a good CD without paying an * outrageous price,” Jitn said. The group plays as many music festivals. in the area as they can, Their next gig will be at the Rosswood festival, August 21. was hard trying to pick two colours that would coor- dinate.”’ The trick was, she said, to cut the fabrics into smaller pieces so they wouldn’t stand outso much. She was surprised at how different all the quilts turned oul, even though each con- ltestant had to use the same basic materials. Sain Ridler, who also en- lered a quilt in the contest, said it was difficult creating her awn patlern. “When you start out you don’t know how it’s going lo finish,’’ she said, ‘‘It doesn’t work out some- limes. It takes a lot of rear- ranging.”’ She said she started quilt- ing five years ago for some- (thing to do when her hus- band travelled. “T just bought myself a book and a sewing machine and went to town,” she said. She’s been in quilting heaven ever since. “It's a great stress teliever,’’ she said. ‘‘When you're quilting you're not thinking of anything else.”’ Participating Art Walk businesses include: Uniglobe Courtesy Travel, Central Flowers, Ground- works, Pendragon Com- puters, Misty River Books, Northern Savings Credit Union, Cotton Pick ‘n’ Quilt Patch, Don Diegos, Hava Java, The North Store - Coast Inn, Sight and Sound, Red Raven Gallery and the Terrace Art Gallery. On display are paintings (oils, watercolours and acrylic) by artists Flicka Humphreys, Maureen Worobey, Dave Comfort, Dyan Myhr and Anita Klein; pencil portraits by - Brin Nichol; pen and ink -drawings by Maureen Worobey;, photography by Vi Timmerman, Wendy Shymaaksi and Rod Gee: objects by Charlynn Toews and quilts by nine local quilters. The Art Walk tour is organized by the Terrace Art Association and funded ‘by the Terrace Arts Council and the city of Terrace. Artwork will be displayed until the end of the month. Little Theatre gains big reputation THE TERRACE LITTLE Theatre carlier this month made a big impression al Mainstage, the provincial amateur theatre festival in Nanaimo. TLT director Marianne Brorup Weston’s production ‘‘A Life In the Theatre’, written by David Mamet, walked away with recognition in five major categories. Weston’s designs won a first place ‘‘Thespian’’ award | for best costumes. The company also received honourable mentions for best technical (Gary Mills), best set design (Marianne Brorup Weston), best actor (Alan Weston) and best director (Marianne Brorup Weston.) Brorup Weston said “‘A Life in the Theatre’ quickly be- came the festival favourite, playing to an audience of more than 500. *‘More people said it was the best play,” she said. Weston said that being regarded as the best play by her: peers meant just as much to her as the adjudicator’s per- sonal opinion. Adjudicator Glynis Leyshon of the Vancouver Playhouse described ‘‘A Life in the Theatre’? as a huge challenge, which was met with sophistication and intelligence. “A Life in the Theatre’’ quickly became the festival favourite, playing to an audience of more than 500, Al the awards ceremony beld at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo, Leyshon thanked actor Alan Weston for giving her a very special moment in theatre for the closing scene of the play. Brorup Weston has attended Mainslage every year but one since 1989, This was the third play she has directed al the competi- tlon. She said TLT is. always so successful at Mainstage be- causc the theatre group, which has more than 100 mem- bers, takes learning very seriously. “'TLT supports learning and the creative growth process which means you atlract talent and commitment,” Weston said. And with that sort of commitment, chances are you can achieve high standards, she added. Every year after Mainstage, actors bring back knowledge and information to share with the others, Brorup Weston said she was grateful for all the support she received from locals who atiended Mainslage. Her next project is “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest’, which will be performed in November.