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It is a compelling and heart-tugging story of lost and found. The Secret Mask opens this week at Theatre North West and one of its main characters is Ernie, who has suffered a stroke and has aphasia. Finding the right words to convey what he wants to say is a daily challenge, and he works with a speech therapist to help him overcome his communication problems. As well, Ernie is visited by the son he left behind many years ago and who now has questions he wants answered – questions that even...

Her fingers glide gracefully across the keys, her movements are fluid, like water. Sadie Bialuski is only 12 but she has the calm and peaceful presence of an “old soul” as she plays On The Lake for her music instructor, Lori Elder. The piece she was practising on Wednesday is the one she will perform Saturday at the Piano Music for Earth Day Concert and Sale at St. Andrew’s United Church. “The song reminds me of when I go fishing on the lake and I’m casting out,” said Bialuski, a...

Ottawa actor David Warburton brings to The Secret Mask much more than his award-winning skills and experience in theatre. He also brings to this funny and moving play a little piece of his heart and a glimpse into his private life. His role as Ernie, a stroke survivor who struggles hard to be understood, is in many ways challenged like Warburton was – at one time in his life. “I grew up south of Manchester, England and, as a child, I suffered from very severe migraines that often...

I thought it was bad enough that for three years, the highly regarded Macleans magazine ranked Prince George as the number one most dangerous cities in Canada or, alternately, crime capital of Canada. Take your title pick. Either way, it’s not good. So imagine my horror Wednesday night when I found out on King 5 News that the number one worst job is none other than that of a newspaper reporter. Yes, there it was, in a slick colourful graphic, nicely presented, the results ...

For decades of her life, Norma Allison, now 80 years old, has volunteered in many different capacities for the local SPCA. “Now that I’m older I just play a small part,” she said. “I look after donation cans for the SPCA but since I started volunteering with them in 1973, I’ve done just about everything a volunteer can do from raising funds, to co-ordinating volunteers and organizing third party fundraiser events (such as Top Dog Agility.)” Allison has...

Kalina Cook may only be 12, but already she has a decade of dance behind her. The Excalibur Theatre Arts studio dancer displayed her talent in a several disciplines last weekend at the 39th annual Prince George Dance Festival. Her favourite number was performed to Nikki Flores’ Pretty Tragedy. “The song has many layers of emotion so it was a good number for me to be able to express myself,” she said of her lyrical solo dance. The beautiful music and choreography also included jumps where...

You know you’ve lived too long when you see culottes come back into fashion. Culottes, also called Palazzo pants, or their shorter version, Gaucho pants, are once again all the rage with women, forcing me to relive – in my mind, not my wardrobe – my fun and fashion-fearless 70s. From modified Mods to Granny-style to Bohemian look, the boomers had it all covered, or not, depending on the neckline. As of this year, I’ve already come through a resurgence of the mini-skirt, tent dress, hot...

  In the weeks since the resignation of several key people who took care of business at the local SPCA, silence has prevailed at the organization’s head office, says Michael Fazakas. Fazakas is the former chair of the local organization’s community council. He and seven council members quit their positions within a two week span in March after the local shelter’s general manager Angela McLaren and contract fundraiser Andrea Sowers both resigned. Both former employees pointed to...

After a one-year absence, the Prince George Elks Lodge 122 annual May Day parade is back. The decision to put on the 86th annual parade was made in December, said spokesperson Nanci Krushelnicki on Thursday. Interest in having the parade is picking up, she said, after it had waned in recent years eventually forcing the cancellation of last year’s event. The group has heard from a number of people interested in putting in floats with this year’s parade, including the British...