IN BOOKS

• Times columnist Jim McGregor released a compilation of his best holiday columns in .

• Small business writer and former Times columnist Frances McGuckin published two stories in , to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. Aldergrove’s Pamela Kent also published one story in the book.

• 91Ô­´´ business owner Pamela Dangelmaier wrote her first book, . The novel was inspired by various garden clubs she attended over the years.

• Lee Murphy of Vista D’oro Farms & Winery in 91Ô­´´ published her first , The Preservatory: Seasonally Inspired Recipes For Creating and Cooking With Artisanal Preserves.

• 91Ô­´´ author and historian Warren Sommer published .

IN MUSIC

• opened as a new space for concerts, dance productions, film nights, community events and more. The venue helps fill a void for a multi-purpose arts studio in 91Ô­´´.

• Brookswood Secondary grad performed his iconic beach rock music for his hometown fans at Cascades Casino in December.

• 91Ô­´´ country artist hit a number of milestones in 2017. He became the first Canadian country artist to be most played overall in Mediabase Canada history; had three back-to-back number ones from album Side Effects; won three CCMA awards for Side Effects, including album of the year, single of the year (Autograph), and top selling Canadian album of the year; and became the only Canadian male country artist to have four number one singles.

• 91Ô­´´â€™s welcomed musicians David Sinclair, Keith Bennett, Glenda Rae, Brett Wade and Phil Robertson to his home for public backyard concerts in 2017.

• Country musicians Emily Taylor Adams and Karen Lee Batten performed at Paddington Station in August as part of a free thank you event for the community. After a fire destroyed one of the two apartment buildings at Paddington, community members rallied to for the affected residents.

brought her I, Bifficus Songs and Stories Tour to Cascades Casino in September.

• Through the summer and fall, 91Ô­´´ residents enjoyed free shows from local artists at the . The summer shows were held outdoors at the new amphitheatre in Willoughby, and the fall shows were indoors at the Chief Sepass Theatre.

IN ART

• Artist painted a mural on two walls at McBurney Plaza in downtown 91Ô­´´. This mural is one of at least five Pohl has painted in downtown 91Ô­´´. She says murals turn an unwelcoming alley or drab wall into an inviting, colourful space.

• One of B.C.’s largest and most prestigious art shows came to 91Ô­´´ in September. The late-summer edition filled Glass House Estate Winery with beautiful landscape and lifestyle works from 17 of the top artists in Western Canada.

• The 24th annual was held in downtown 91Ô­´´ in August. Hundreds of artistic vendors, ranging from painters to jewellers to musicians set up along Fraser Highway for the day-long event.

• A mural made up of more than 6,000 photographs of students and staff at was unveiled outside the Chief Sepass Theatre in May. The photos form an image of the Blaauw Forest.

• A collection of 32 mural panels depicting the history of agriculture in B.C. were unveiled at the in the summer. The works of art are a permanent display at the museum.

IN FILM

• Fans of TV show had many opportunities to meet the actors as the show filmed throughout 91Ô­´´ in 2017. The popular series did shoots in several locations, including Gabby’s Country Cabaret, Twilight Drive-In and in Fort 91Ô­´´.

• Around 450 people from across North America travelled to 91Ô­´´ in October for the third annual . The event gives fans of the TV show When Calls the Heart an opportunity to tour the 1910-era film set, which is located on a 91Ô­´´ farm, and meet the stars of the show.

• The returned for a second year in March. The 2017 series featured films RiverBlue, Eagle Huntress, Manchester by the Sea, 20th Century Women, Captain Fantastic and a student montage.

• After five years of peering down 272 Street in Aldergrove, the iconic mansion was taken apart. The structure was a duplicate of the house from the 1960 Hitchcock classic film Psycho.

IN THEATRE

• Local theatre group showcased three productions in 2017: Old Love, The Grandkid and The Memory of Water.

• Many 91Ô­´´ playwrights and actors took part in the annual Vancouver Fringe Festival in September, including actress Rachelle Tomm, who wrote and starred in , and Shelby Wyminga, who wrote, produced and acted in .

• Bard in the Valley’s sixth season featured the production by William Shakespeare. Every summer the theatre group puts on outdoor performances of a Shakespeare play.