Get the Word. The twetfth annual Word on the Street is back live in Lethbridge  for the first time since 2019. So  the streets outside the Lethbridge Public Library will be alive with the sounds of music, and lots of authors, Saturday, Sept.17.

“ We’re all really excited  to be holding a live event again. it will be the first time since 2019,” said Elizabeth  Hegerat, Lethbridge Public library manager community and economic advances.

 Word on The Street has been an online event  for the past two years during the pandemic.

“ There’s some advantages to  the online event, but it isn’t the same as live,” Hegaret continued.

 The popular event has six stages and a Kids corner and a few activities inside.

Lethbridge Herald Author Stage features  Sandra Wong, Kit Dobson, environmental activist Maude Barlow, Little Mosque on the Prairie  creator Zarqa Nawaz talking about  her debut novel, Leah Hennel, Janet Melrose and Sheryl Normandeau. 

Canadian Heritage Author Stage has Suzette Mayr, Myrna Kostash, Jonathan Dyck, Jacob Lee Bachinger and Jaspreet Singh, Jamie Chai Yun Liew and Virginia Bordeleau. 

The Words in Motion Stage welcomes Lethbridge Historical Society, Lethbridge Girls Rock Camp, Wordbridge writers’ workshop, Andrew Nugara, Telling Stories With Panels with Eric Dyck and a Drop-in Comics Jam. 

The Teen Zone Stage features Jo Treggiari (virtual), Natasha Deen, Judy I. Lin, Colleen Nelson, Jesmeen Kaur Deo and Emily Victoria. 

Kids’ Zone Stage has Deidre Havrelock, Shazia Afzal, Isabelle Groc, Gillian Goerz, Colleen Nelson and Wesley King (virtual) with a special presentation from the Rocky Mountain Book Award Committee. 

There is a alot going on at Casa with seven new exhibits opening, Se[pt. 10 at 7 p.m.

“ We have a new display case integrated for University of Lethbridge students,” said Casa curator Darcy Logan.

 Kaela Murphy’s  “entangled” is the first  exhibit in the gallery, exploring the importance of hair to the Black identity

 Nicole Riedmueller’s  “Materialize Mood” is in onehalf of the  main gallery.

“She has ceramics works  that reflect domesticity and care work,” Logan said.

Casa welcomes back Grande Prairie based artist Bekk Wells, who brings an elaborate interactive exhibit “ Schochastic Mystery Hotline” to Casa.

“ It’s an exploration of mystery,” Logan said.

“ There is a phone that rings. And if you answer it, you will get a message,” said Wells, setting up his exhibit.

 The exhibit explores the chaos and unpredictability of interaction.

“I came up with the idea doing my Masters degree in London, England and it took four years how to figure out how to so it,” Wells continued.

“It’s an uncontrolled interaction without a coherent narrative. So I was thinking about how to put it all together. There’s so much always happening. I was looking at my phone and thought you never know what you’ll get when it rings,” he said.

 In addition to the phones, there is also a video component— a TV show with the credits of  the poeple reading the phone messages.

 He has had local exhibitions at casa as well as the Bowman Art gallery.

It’s been the culmination of a lot of work, fundraising and co-operation, but the Nikka Yuko  Japanese Garden opened their new Bunka Centre, Thursday, July 14.

“ It’s a wonderful building,” summarized Brad Hembroff, president of the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden committee.

 The building, designed by Elizabeth Songer, provides a cultural hub for visitors to experience and learn more about Japan and the history of Nikka  Yuko Japanese Garden through exhibits, workshops, and ongoing programs and events. While the  garden and the structures inside it reflect traditional Japanese culture, the Bunka Centre offers visitors a modern technology-enhanced experience using augmented reality and interactive experiences, including a memory booth, meeting rooms, display rooms and rooms for art exhibits.

 Bunka means culture in Japanese.

Lethbridge’s Songer architecture inc designed the new Bunka Centre to suit a variety of uses and was recently announced as the winner of the 2022 Prairie Wood Design Awards in the industry award 

category for the Centre.

Hembroff noted the Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens has been a hub for cultural activities and fellowship since it first opened in 1967.

“The Bunka Centre tells the story of the Japanese Gardens. It’s history is not static. It will continue to evolve,” he said.