It’s crunch time for the McMillan Arts Centre.
In an effort to keep the doors to the iconic Parksville facility open, board members have come up with a number of new programs aimed at appealing to a broad range of community members.
Resident musician Kerri Brown helped bring much of the music programming to fruition, including the MACoustic Folk Club, which will happen on the third Friday of every month at the MAC. This event will host open-mic performers, followed by a feature act, all for $5. Sept. 21 Celtic roots music group Skewlines will be the feature act, of which Brown is a part of. This four-piece acoustic group plays mostly original Celtic tunes on a multitude of instruments, throwing in the occasional Greek, Turkish or Scandinavian folk tune. Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 7:30 and there will be a break for coffee and snacks.
On the second Friday of every month, the MAC will host a film night, starting Oct. 14. I Heart Doomsday will be the first screening, a film that did well on the festival circuit, Brown said, produced by Eric Amber.
A reception will take place on the first Friday of each month at the MAC, with wine and cheese, each one kicking off a new exhibition of visual art. Currently One World, Two Views is being exhibited with abstract work by Deborah Sears and realism by Carol Hillard, as well as photography of French Creek Harbour by Rick Marotz, running to Sept.29.
The fourth Friday of each month a casino night is being planned - stay tuned for more details on this event.
An intimate and interactive music series is also in the works, where acclaimed performers set to play at the Errington Hall will perform a casual show and be interviewed by host David Malek. The first of this series starts Oct. 27 with Paul Pigat from Cousin Harley Band.
Music classes are also starting up at the MAC, the first of which is a children’s choir beginning Sept.19 and running Wednesdays. A preschool music program begins Sept. 20 and runs Thursdays. Adult group classes for beginner ukulele and guitar begin Oct.10.
See MORE PROGRAMS, page A6
Other programs on the horizon include West African storytelling and music, a piano-playing 12-hour “pianothon” fundraiser for the MAC, all-age art classes and Wednesday evening dance classes.
Check out the website www.mcmillanartscentre.com for more information and click on their calendar of events for full details. The McMillan Arts Centre is located at 133 McMillan Street in Parksville. Drop by or call 248-8185 for office hours and more information.