The Uptown Unplugged busking series got 'em dancing in the streets this past weekend.
The Hyack Festival Association reports yet another successful afternoon of performances, which are happening on summer weekends at the Westminster Centre plaza outdoor stage.
Among the successes from the Aug. 17 performances was Dixie Star Storytelling, a storytelling and musical collaboration from Lisa and Tim Sars.
"They inspired the imaginations of children and grownups alike by getting the whole crowd involved in their story," writes Alexis Douglas, event producer for Hyack, in a press release. "They managed to get everyone to make animal noises, to freeze dance with a stranger and even pretend to be moving tree branches."
Following Dixie Star was The Carnival Band, a community marching band based out of Vancouver, with a range of brass, woodwinds, drums, percussion and vocals.
They gathered the largest crowd for Uptown Unplugged so far, with a reported 250 or more people - many of whom were dancing along.
Also on stage were Malaya Cooks from New West, the Vancouver folk band Sheenak, and Kristina Yano with Hayley Geremia, first-time buskers from Coquitlam.
This coming weekend, Aug. 24 and 25, is the last one for the busking series. Performers will be onstage from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
For an up-to-date concert lineup, check out www.facebook. com/uptownunplugged.
Poet wins honour A New Westminster poet is receiving a special award for her efforts to support writers in the community.
Ariadne Sawyer is receiving a Citizenship Award from Pandora's Collective at Pandora's Literary Awards, being held this Friday in Vancouver.
The award is given to a person who Pandora's Collective feels has excelled in their support of writers.
Pandora's Collective is a registered charitable group dedicated to the motto 'Promoting the arts that inspire the world to take notice of itself.' It holds literary events, poetry workshops, the annual Summer Dreams Literary Arts Festival and more.
The literary awards banquet, which is being held at 7 p.m. in the CBC Studio at 700 Hamilton St., is launching this year's Summer Dreams festival.
For more, see www.pandoras collective.com or www.summer dreamsfest.com.
Kids dazzle onstage Royal City talent took the stage by storm in the kids' division of the PNE Star Showdown semifinals over the weekend.
Elias Tyson Venegas - whom you saw in The Record's pages on Aug. 14, performing with his grandmother's jazz band at Uptown Unplugged - captured first place in the semifinals, held on Aug. 17.
A powerhouse pair of 10-year-old dancers from New Westminster finished right on his heels. Lucky Ancheta and A.C. Bonifacioboth - known as Lucky Aces - popped and locked their way into second place.
For more on the talent contests at the PNE this year, see www.pne.ca/starshowdown.
Poetry in the park Poetry lovers in the city have two more nights to catch the Royal City Literary Arts Society's Poetry in the Park events.
The poetry reading series is running Wednesdays throughout the summer from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the bandshell in Queen's Park.
Tonight (Wednesday, Aug. 21) features readings by Manolis Aligizakis, Ben Nuttall-Smith, Eduardo Pinto and Jo Martinez.
Next week (Wednesday, Aug.
28) will feature Alan Hill, Sho Wiley and the city's poet laureate, Candice James.
If the weather doesn't cooperate, the reading series moves indoors to the Arts Council of New Westminster gallery at Centennial Lodge - right near the bandshell in the park.
If it's nice out, just drop by the bandshell to enjoy the evening.
Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment suggestions to Julie, [email protected], or contact her on Twitter, @juliemaclellan. You can also find her on Facebook, www.facebook.com/JulieLMacLellan.
