A festival of the arts, in honour of a Canadian author and playwright, will be held in Summerland in September.
The ninth annual Ryga Arts Festival will feature a variety of events, including author readings, music, drama and more.
This event is in honour of George Ryga, who lived in Summerland from 1963 until his death in 1987 at the age of 55.
The festival begins with pre-festival events at Summergate Winery on Sept. 5 and at the Summerland Community Centre on Sept. 13. The opening night celebration will be at the George Ryga Arts and Cultural Centre on Wednesday, Sept. 18, with a variety of events planned for Sept. 19 to 22.
Trista Bassett, general manager of the festival, said the five-day event will have a similar format to previous years, but with some different performers.
Two one-person plays will be staged during the five-day festival. The Theatre Trail, organized by Summerland Singers and Players, will feature several short plays which will be staged in downtown Summerland.
Author Harold Rhenisch will hold a book launch for his book, Salmon Shanties and Emelia Symington-Fedy, author of the memoir Skid Dogs, will hold an author reading and workshop. The Kym Gouchie Duo will perform during the festival.
The final event will be a hootenanny on Sunday, Sept 22, in honour of Dick Clements, a Summerland actor who had worked with Ryga.
A full list of events can be found online at
鈥淚鈥檓 excited about the festival this year,鈥� Bassett said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a really good lineup of authors and performers.鈥�
While the opening welcome event on Sept. 18 and some of the headliner performances require paid admission, other events are free to attend.
Ryga鈥檚 most famous play, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, was written and first staged in 1967. The play is the story of an Indigenous woman who has left the reserve where she grew up and is living in Vancouver. Many of those around her are presented as well-intentioned people whose actions do more harm than good.
The play has been staged and studied around the world.
In addition to the arts festival, Ryga鈥檚 legacy is honoured in Summerland in other ways.
From 1996 until 2012, his home on Caldwell Avenue in Summerland was used as an arts and cultural centre and an occasional writers鈥� retreat. The house is the only registered provincial heritage building in Summerland. Today it is privately owned.
The George Ryga Arts and Cultural Centre on Wharton Street is named in honour of Ryga. The building houses the community鈥檚 art gallery and holds arts-related events.
A display at the Summerland branch of the Okanagan Regional Library honours Ryga鈥檚 life and works, and the Ryga Family Archives are housed in the Summerland Museum.
