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Salute to Kimberley - Page 62

1996 - Opening night at McKim

After over a year of fundraising and renovations, McKim Theatre is ready to be opened to the public this evening.

In honor of this special occasion there will be a Gala opening at 7:30 p.m. with a ribbon cutting, and presentations, followed by "A Salute to Show Business."

The gala show will also be performed on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

This entertaining evening is hosted by none other than Ed Sullivan (Bob McWhinnie). Poor Ed is having a bag night, first his parents (Gerrie VanDerVelden and Gary Dalton) show up an hour late, then he is hounded by a no-talent make-up woman (Carli Doering), and, finally, he injures himself attempting to do a shuffle dance.

Along the way, though, he introduces a number of great local performers.

The first act of the evening is the Steppin' Out Dancers, performing the first of two numbers (they later do a Pointer Sisters song), for Cubana, a Latin-American Salsa. As Ed says, it's a spicy little number, complete with bright costumes and great dancing.

Kootenay Gold also makes two appearances in the night. They perform "Winter Harmony" early in the evening, and they do "Movietime" a little later in the show.

Other two time performers in the evening are Cheryl and Randy Tapp performing a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers routine and a Disco number, including The Hustle and YMCA.

The most shocking appearance of the night comes early in the evening as the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, performs three songs, including Jailhouse Rock and Stuck On You. The E-man has looked better in the past, but boy has he dropped the pounds. That new Oprah diet must be working for him.

The first performance by young people in the night is a gorgeous ballet piece by three members of the Kimberley Dance Academy. These three young ladies are very talented dancers, and will amaze people with their confidence on stage.

Confidence is the one thing that the Grumpy Old Men have as well, not to mention talent. These veteran performers always have a great blend of ctassic rock and country songs to wow the audience with.

There is a quick intermission, giving the audience a chance to check out the new digs. The McKim renovations are beautiful, the new hardwood floor, the covered seats, the concession stand, the stage, and the up-to-date catwalk and lighting system. Taking a walk around it's amazing to see how much they have done with the amount of money they had, it is very well planned and organized.

The second young performers come on after the Tapp's second number of the night. They are introduced by Johannes Brahms (Ame Sahlen), they are Carolyn Doi and Franzi Unterberger.

These two pianists play pieces of jaw-dropping complexity, and they play with such flawless grace it is hard to believe how young they are.

Sahlen also plays a few pieces that could stop a show, and together all three are called "Classical Creations."

Don Davies also plays piano to die for. He comes on as Liberace and performs two pieces, including Webber's "Memories." His last piece is a great Ragtime number that gets your toes a tappin'.

The last young performer of the night is Linsay Ivany, the Swing Kid.

She taps an incredible piece, that like the other young performers in the night will leave you shaking your head in disbelief.

Kimberley has a great many talented adults, a number of whom perform at the Gala, but for those who wondered if there would be a next generation of talent, look no further than the McKim Gala.

Miss Ivany is followed by a hilarious, fall-out-of-your seat performance by the Reverend Abbott, and then by Off The Wall with Edith Piaff and more.

The Kootenay Harmony Chorus ends the evening with a Christmas medley, a great way to end a fantastic evening.

Tonight and Friday night McKim will open its doors to the public with a great show. It's sure to be one of many fantastic performances, but what a great way to start a legacy.

City going cellular

BC Tel Mobility has announced its first-ever cellular service in Kimberley.

The new cell site just east of town provides excellent coverage in Kimberley and the ski and summer resort area, the company said. Cellular service also includes St. Mary's Road for about six kilometres past Marysville and the sur-rounding area along Highway 95A.

Coverage on Highway 93/95 from Ta Ta Creek to Fort Steele is enhanced as well.

Cellular service has also been introduced in Spillimacheen and the Elk Valley.

The new cell site just outside of Sparwood will offer continuous service from Fernie to the Alberta border on Highway 3 and north to Elkford on Highway 43.

The BC Tel Mobility authorized dealer in Kimberley is EK Cellteck Plus located in the Mark Creek Mall.

"These new service areas add to our already extensive cellular coverage in British Columbia," said Rob Cruickshank, president of BC Tel Mobility.

"Whether you live in town or travel along the border, our cellular service in British Columbia in 1986, and continues to lead the way in bringing wireless communications to communities all over the province."

BC Tel Mobility will have more than 300,000 cellular customers by the end of the year.

1997

The home-town hockey team streaks to an impressive 30 and 1 record.

Kimberley reaches new highs in the number of summer tourists.

Early summer music festivals rate as an unqualified success.

Rumors of new housing development take on a form of reality with show suites open for viewing, foundations laid and construction plans in the works.

If New Year celebrations have anything to do with reflection, Kimberley has a lot to look back on. The year 1997 was a busy one.

For some, 1997 was the year something as intangible as community spirit became concrete - something kids could play on.

In September, Kimberley's Rotary Club joined the city in proudly unveiling the new and improved Kimberley Rotary Action Park. The service club poured more than $56,000 into the project - the bulk of which was raised by the community in just a few months.

"To sum it up, it was a marvellous project that caught the support of the community. From the first planning meeting to construction, it took all of two months - that kind of timing is amazing," says Graham Mann, Rotary's spokesman at the time.

"The big reward is watching how well used it is."

The success has also given a spurt of optimism to the club. "It shows these major projects can be done if you get the right one for the community," says Mann.

Community pride received another boost earlier in the summer with the success of the Kimberley International Old-Time Accordion Championships. Following on the heels of the highly successful Tattoo 97, hosted by the Kimberley Pipe Band in honor of the band's 70th anniversary, K.I.O.T.A.C. attracted record numbers to the Bavarian City.

"There were more competitors this year than ever before. There were also more people in attendance," says Jean Irvin, one member of the festival planning team.

"The success of this last year helps greatly in planning for the next. Each year is building up to our 25th anniversary," Irvin adds looking to 1999.

Speaking of community pride, you can't ignore the 27-game winning streak the Dynamiters launched this fall. Now ranked first in Canada, the junior team has seen attendance at its games more than double. "The streak was definitely a real highlight," says Coach Tim Tisdale.

A second highlight was the purchase of the team this year by Jim Stewart, which set the Dynamiters on a solid footing financially.

"It would have been difficult to even operate the team without Jim Steward taking over."

For Tisdale, 1997 has seen the team move into a winning position. "It might be something the town needs with no snow. This is something that might cheer people up," says Tisdale.

Next.

Salute to Kimberley - Index Page

Front Cover  -   Inside Front Cover

Page One 1896 - 1910, -  Page Two 1900 - 1911, -  Page Three 1912 - 1920, -  Page Four 1921 - 1924, -  Page Five 1925
Page Six 1926, -  Page Seven 1927, -  Page Eight 1928, -  Page Nine 1929, -  Page Ten 1930, - 
Page Eleven 1930, -  Page Twelve 1931/32, -  Page Thirteen 1933 - 1936, -  Page Fourteen 1937 - 1939, -  Page Fifteen 1940, - 
Page Sixteen 1941/42, -  Page Seventeen 1943, -  Page Eighteen 1944/45, -  Page Nineteen 1945/46, -  Page Twenty 1946/47, - 
Page Twentyone 1948, -  Page Twentytwo 1948, -  Page Twentythree 1949, -  Page Twentyfour 1950/51, -  Page Twentyfive 1951, - 
Page Twentysix 1952, -  Page Twentyseven 1953, -  Page Twentyeight 1954/55, -  Page Twentynine 1955, -  Page Thirty 1956/57, - 
Page Thirtyone 1957/58, -  Page Thirtytwo 1958/59, -  Page Thirtythree 1959 - 1961, -  Page Thirtyfour 1961/62, -  Page Thirtyfive 1962/63, - 
Page Thirtysix 1963/64, -  Page Thirtyseven 1964 - 1966, -  Page Thirtyeight 1967, -  Page Thirtynine 1968 - 1970, -  Page Forty 1970, - 
Page Fortyone 1971, -  Page Fortytwo 1972, -  Page Fortythree 1973, -  Page Fortyfour 1974/75, -  Page Fortyfive 1975, - 
Page Fortysix 1976, -  Page Fortyseven 1976, -  Page Fortyeight 1977/78, -  Page Fortynine 1978, -  Page Fifty 1979/80, - 
Page Fiftyone 1981/82, -  Page Fiftytwo 1982/83, -  Page Fiftythree 1983/84, -  Page Fiftyfour 1985, -  Page Fiftyfive 1986/87, - 
Page Fiftysix 1987/88, -  Page Fiftyseven 1988/89, -  Page Fiftyeight 1989 - 1991, -  Page Fiftynine 1991/92, -  Page Sixty 1993/94, - 
Page Sixtyone 1995, -  Page Sixtytwo 1996/97, -  Page Sixtythree 1997/98, -  Page Sixtyfour 1998/99, -  Back Cover

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