Prince George Citizen January 4, 2019 by Prince George Citizen

Friday, January 4, 2019 | Your community newspaper since 1916

Operation Red Nose delivered almost 1,000 safe rides Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Getting air Kyler Toutant gets some air as he slides down the hill in Rainbow Park Thursday morning.

Almost a thousand drivers chose the red nose during the holiday season but an alarming number of people chose the red lights of the RCMP instead. Operation Red Nose is a volunteer-based community safety service run by the Rotary Club of Prince George Nechako in partnership with ICBC and the Prince George RCMP. With one phone call, anyone who believes themselves to be possibly impaired can get a ride home with an Operation Red Nose team that We’re quite also delivers happy with your vehicle at the same time. how New During the Year’s Eve unfolded. four weekends the holiday — Andrea Johnson of season, 802 rides were provided plus another 157 safe trips home on New Year’s Eve itself. It was the fifth-busiest Operation Red Nose year in the program’s 21-year history in Prince George. The feat was carried out by 24 road teams at the peak of Dec. 31 action. Overall, the campaign ran on the dispatching, driving and navigating of 197 volunteers. “We’re quite happy with how New Year’s Eve unfolded,” said Andrea Johnson, Operation Red Nose spokesperson, who profusely thanked the volunteers for nine nights of dedication. “The longest wait times (on New Year’s Eve) were one hour at most and our teams managed to keep up with the demand for rides we experienced from midnight to 3 a.m. We appreciate the patience of everyone who called us for a ride as our volunteer teams navigated their way through the snowy weather.” The delivery of driver and vehicle is made by donation, with all proceeds raised going to amateur sports organizations in the community, channeled through the Rotary club. — see ‘FORTY-FIVE PERSONS, page 3

YEAR IN REVIEW

Record-breaking year for Judy Russell Presents Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff It was a record year for Judy Russell Presents. In 2018, the local live entertainment company put on more shows in a single year than ever before. They also saw the biggest public reaction at the box office. All of their events did strong sales numbers, no downturns in the bunch and a couple of them could have been held over were it not for the fact the cast and crew are all comprised of community volunteers. The February production of Cabaret rang up ticket sales and critical acclaim en route to major talent buzz for lead actors Shelby Meaney (as Sally Bowles) and Owen Selkirk (as The Emcee). After that high-profile stage victory, Judy Russell Presents went in a direction less travelled by the veteran production company. They assembled a cast of actors that staged the all-dramatic play 12 Angry Jurors and entered it in the Central Interior Zone Drama Festival. For a team focused almost exclusively on presenting musical theatre events, this was a departure and an experiment that seems to have worked on a number of levels. It established connections with local community performers who aren’t prone to participate in musical theatre but are hungry to work with a script. It provided a meaningful project to rising directoral talent Anna Russell. The show won four of the 13 awards at the May festival. From there, it was an easy transition to the company’s big sum-

Today’s Weather Hi -2° Low -4°

CITIZEN FILE PHOTO

Owen Selkirk is surrounded by dancers during rehearsal for Judy Russell’s presentation of Cabaret in February. mer blockbuster, Legally Blonde. Meaney once again led the cast to score a second wave of acclaim in the same calendar year. Again, the critics and the fans agreed on the show’s entertainment value. They weren’t finished. As always, the company presents a holiday favourite during the Christmas season. Every second year, in keeping with its ballet fundamentals, they do The Nutracker. This was one of their off-years for that, so instead they did A Christmas Carol starring Gary Chappel

LOCAL HOROSCOPE OPINION NEWS SPORTS

1-3 2 4 5 7-9

A&E COMICS CROSSWORD CLASSIFIEDS MONEY

as Scrooge. It was the third time staging this seasonal favourite – again, more of a drama than a musical – and the public gave it a strong response during the thick of the Christmas rush. Judy Russell Presents is a branch of Enchainement Dance Centre, which is also linked to the Performers North Entertainment Company not-for-profit society, the Russell Audio-Visual sound and lighting company, Central Interior Tickets and the Prince George Playhouse.

10-11 11 11 13-16 17

In addition to these formal productions, the team also presented a pair of recitals for their dance students, a fundraiser show for Performers North, a trip to the BC Annual Dance Competition held each year in Prince Rupert, a pair of student shows for School District 57, a suite of six numbers for the Festival of Trees event to raise funds for the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation, plus readying the in-house dancers for their own local competitions, classes and exams.

B.C. girls’ murder case goes to jury NEWS 5

See page 2 for more details and short-term forecasts

www.pgcitizen.ca

“All my life I’ve tried to live by the words ‘go for it’ but now at this stage of my life I look back and it’s ‘gone for it, so now what?’” Judy Russell said. “What does ‘go for it’ look like going forward? We have done so much, and other people in the city have done so much, that nothing is automatic anymore. Is it time to push for bigger and better or is it time to coast a bit? And what is bigger? What is better? How is that actually defined?” It may be Judy Russell’s name on the company, but there are three generations of Russell (and Murray) family actively working under the production umbrella, plus raising the very young fourth generation. There is also a large contingent of dancers, backstage crew, administration and operation personnel, plus many others who support the effort. “I am truly appreciative of the support from my family, team and community,” Russell said. “We do have a true team going on, and that’s how I managed to survive – and I use that term loosely – a year with a record number of productions and projects.” None of it would be possible, she said, if the public didn’t respond positively to the offerings on stage. Some shows sell better than others (The Producers and Les Miserables are particular standouts) but her shows now come with a timetested assurance of artistic quality. That is seen not only in direct indications like ticket sales but also in signs like how many Prince George performers leave for professional positions across Canada and other places in the world. — see PRINCE GEORGE, page 3

Newsstand $2.00 incl. tax Home Delivered 95¢/day

58307

00200