News and Views

Posted on

Downtown Vernon! All Month!

The downtown core of Vernon will be alive with the sounds of carolers, musicians and Santa this December.

Each Saturday (Dec. 9, 16, 23), the soothing sounds of musician Marv Machura will be heard, in addition to other family friendly festivities.

“It’s wonderful performing in Vernon’s downtown during the Christmas season,” said Machura. “I have been doing it for the past 10 years and I love the people, the snow, the decorations and the atmosphere.”

There will also be a Letters to Santa contest, where 12 of the participants who submitted letters will be gifted $100 to be spent in the downtown. You can drop the letters off at Teeter Totter Toys from Dec. 4-12 and the Boarding House Cafe from Dec. 13-20.

Santa Claus has modernized in 2023, becoming hip with the times as he will be taking free sELFies with attendees during the Saturdays. Those will be at Teetor Totter Toys from 12-12:30 and Vernon Teach and Learn from 1-2 p.m.

More information can be found at downtownvernon.com and as an added bonus, parking will be free on Saturdays.

Posted on

Canadian Whisky

Hi Friends, I love this new promo by Crown Royal! I have the “Crown on home ice.” There is also a “Crown on away ice.” It made me think of my song “Canadian Whisky.” #Canadianwhisky, #westerncanadianroots

Posted on

Land of Shining Mountains

The mighty nation of the Blackfoot People of Alberta and Montana called their land “the land of shining mountains.” Ian Tyson wrote this beautiful song with this in mind, and it captures much meaning and love for the land that is the stunning east slopes of the Rocky Mountains in this part of Western Canada. When the sun rises, it lights up the east-facing mountain sides and tops with hope and power that literally shines with wonder and figuratively shines in our hearts with joy in the moment and work of today melding with the future and past: an age of magical transformations. Thanks you, Uncle Ian, for this masterpiece of Western Canadian Roots music. #IanTyson; #WesternCanadianRoots; #BlackfootNation.

Photo by Marv Machura Abraham Lake, Alberta
Posted on

Missing You

This recording from the early 2000s is still one of my favourites that I have done. I made the video sometime in the early 2010s.

For the video, I used one of those newly-available small digital recorders that were popular then. This was before our telephones became the amazing video cameras that they are today.

I used that camera to create the TiKToK-style video that you see in this video. I had done that at the beginning and the end of this video to make this more of “real” music video and not just a still-picture compilation video creating a musical collage and/or narrative. I know that this style is common now with our cell phones, but it was not so much then!

I was living in Edmonton Highlands community in a small house with my Golden Retriever, Jake, also featured in the video. It was a good setting for this winter-themed song!