Come for the coffee, stay for the community spirit
Holiday Alley is once again hosting a Brainstorming Day. This is a unique opportunity to collaborate with others in our community and come up with ideas to make our local award-winning winter festival a little bit better.
“It’s an opportunity for people who care about arts and culture and creativity in their community to pitch their best ideas that they think we should be doing. Everybody gets a chance to pitch an idea. No idea is a bad idea, as we know from Sheep Poetry the more unusual or bizarre or creative the idea, the more excited we all get,” said Shirley Muir, founder of Holiday Alley.
She says that Holiday Alley prioritizes hosting events where they connect with the community because it was at an event like this that Holiday Alley got its start as Homes for the Holidays.
“I still feel like the best way to build a festival is to listen up to what the community cares about, and what they find exciting and what they want to deliver themselves,” said Muir.
The day will see a variety of activities so participants will never be bored.
“It will start at 10 o’clock in the morning. It’s a three-part process. We ask you to pitch your ideas and then we break into little groups to discuss the ideas. Then we get on our little sticky dots, and everybody votes for their favourite idea,” said Muir.
A recent example of how this idea of community creating the festival is the Ribbon Skirt Fashion Show that the Selkirk Friendship Centre hosted last season. The groups at the Friendship Centre had been learning to make ribbon skirts all year so hosting a fashion show that celebrated not just the culture and art of the ribbon skirts making but the achievements of the students who learned to make them was a natural fit.
As for preparing for the brainstorming event, Muir says to come with an idea or plan to listen and support other’s ideas.
“There’s really nothing much more you need to do. We’ll have coffee and doughnuts there. And the trick is just to come with an open mind. Come with a ‘yes’ mind,” she said.
Muir explained that ideas that people take ownership of and follow through with are the ideas that often end up on the next year’s itinerary.
She says that this event is open to anyone in our community to come to check out. In particular, she encourages newcomers to our community and young people to check it out.
“This festival is really theirs. They’re the people who are attending, they’re the people who are coming down, they’re the people who will be here in a few years building the community. And so, I’m always super excited when there’s lots of young people there,” said Muir.
She looks forward to all the great ideas that are sure to come and says it’s a great way to fill an afternoon in this in-between season.
“It’s not going to be warm enough out to be in your garden yet. There’s not enough snow to go cross-country skiing. So, you might as well come out and spend a couple hours with your neighbours and your community and bring your kids and let’s figure out how we can make Holiday Alley better,” said Muir.
The Brainstorming day fun starts at 10 a.m. on Sat. April 6 and Christ Anglican Church Hall on McLean Ave in Selkirk. There will be free coffee and treats and participation is free. Just visit holidayalley.ca/register to register.
