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Cool weather has kept street entertainers indoors

Chilliwack entertainers will be taking to the streets for the second season of city's busker program.
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Ken Canuel and his dog

Chilliwack entertainers of all kinds are taking to the streets for the second season of local busker program.

Because of the exceptionally cool, wet spring, the program is only starting to get into gear now, said Carolyn Marleau, manager of Leisure Development, with the City of Chilliwack.

"This year we've added some more downtown locations," she said.

One of the street entertainers you might meet is Ken Canuel with his energetic red heeler, Chili.

He leads Chili through a range of tricks — just for fun.

"I decided to do this because Chili likes making people happy and making them laugh," said Canuel.

Since his 53-pound dog is motivated to do tricks, he figured why not have fun creating a little performance out of it.

"I'm always looking for something I can do with my dog, and this idea came to me as an activity for us to do together."

Organizers are now trying to get the word out to a broad swath of the community about the Street Entertainer/Buskers program, which kicked off in April and runs to the end of September.

"These entertainers spend a lot of time working on their skills and talents with the hopes of being rewarded with donations.

"So if citizens could kindly show their appreciation in this way, it would greatly assist the artists in their endeavours," Marleau added.

Part of the rationale for setting up the busking program dovetails with the city's commitment to the long-term revitalization of the downtown core, in concert with efforts by the Downtown Chilliwack BIA, Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce and the local merchants.

Entertainers are screened by a selection review panel and they pay $40 for a permit once approved.

Once they've paid the fees, and shown ID, they can take up one of the spots for three hours and 45 minutes at a time.

Buskers will be rotating through these locations from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week:

A) Salish Park on First Avenue

B) Central Park on Young Rd.

C) Clock Tower Plaza

D) Corner of Wellington and Mills

E) Corner of Mills and Victoria

F) In front of The Book Man

G) Across from the Clock Tower (B of M)

Busking will not be permitted during any Music & More or BIA events

unless by special arrangement.

jfeinberg@theprogress.com

twitter.com/CHWKjourno



Jennifer Feinberg

About the Author: Jennifer Feinberg

I have been a Chilliwack Progress reporter for 20+ years, covering the arts, city hall, as well as Indigenous, and climate change stories.
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