Hodge Podge with Charlie Hodge – November 21th

I’ve stated this before, however it seems more appropriate today than ever before. If, indeed, we are known by the company we keep, then I run with some pretty top quality folks.Last Saturday night my adopted family of musical brothers and sisters gathered at the Kelowna Community Theatre and put on an amazing evening of quality music. Many of the tunes are still playing in my head.Although the theatre was not as full as I had hoped, there is no question that those who attended the 9th annual Night of the Arts witnessed a remarkable evening of fellowship and music once again. All six acts on stage: Dirt Road Opera, Jimmy LeGuilloux Band, the Trips, Papa Thom, Cowboy Bob, and of course Deb Stone were tremendous.A tally of the funds raised for Metro Community will be completed soon and the name of the winner of the cruise for two to Mexico will also be announced.In addition to the musicians and many volunteers who donated their time, a tip of the hat goes to Peter Comrie of Full Spectrum Leadership for his generous sponsorship, as well as the care and support displayed by our Kelowna Firefighters.One person I failed to thank (on Saturday evening) for her ongoing solid support of the event year after year is my number one supporter, Tez. It seems every year I go into some sort of fog for a few days before the event and Teresa manages to keep the ship pointed in the right direction and safely afloat.I tend to get all the praise and applause for the concert but its people like Teresa and Leslie Tulman who are the real stars of the night.Speaking of stars, music, and fabulous events – there are no better examples of all three rolled into one then Jim LeGuilloux and his annual Rock4Kids concert at Whiski Jack’s Pub in West Kelowna.On Sunday, December 1 Whiski Jack’s will be fully rocking as the facility plays host to the 20th annual fundraiser.For all 20 years Jimmy has been involved with the Power104 sponsored event and for the majority of those years Jimmy has not only played but also hosted and organized the fabulous day long music and silent auction.It’s Jim’s caring and determined nature, as well as his exceptional musical skills that make him one of the most popular and highly regarded musicians in the Okanagan Valley.This year’s Rock4Kids is heaped with talent. Taking part will be: The Odds, Fields of Green, Kinship, Slam dogs, The Flu, Young’uns, a reunion of 3hGAM, The Zamboni Brothers, and of course, The Jimmy LeGuilloux Band. The day will kick off with the popular Songwriters Showcase featuring: Natasha Williamson, Melish Band, Steve Dreger, Rob Schaefer, Gary Turlock, Calum Hughes, and Theresa Bishop. and Floyd Vedan.Rock4kids is scheduled to run from noon until 11:45 p.m. (wink wink, nudge nudge) on the Sunday. See you there hopefully.

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On another musical note (nice segue) my lifelong buddy Danny Thiessen has joined numerous other singer songwriters across the country in entering the current Hockey Night in Canada song writing contest.The winner of the contest will be asked to perform their song on a Hockey Night in Canada broadcast –which is something Danny says is now on his bucket list. Please give Dan’s song a listen and support his quest to win the contest by registering your vote. Check it out at:http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/Dan-ThiessenIt is a “by vote” contest with three voting periods to pick the winner.From all of the entries the first vote picks 50 to continue (voting starts on Nov.23)The second vote narrows the entries to the top 10 and the third vote picks the winner.

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Charlie Hodge is a best-selling author, writer, a current Kelowna City Councillor, and a Director on the Regional District of the Central Okanagan Board. He spent more than 25 years as a full-time newspaper journalist and has a diverse background in public relations, promotions, personal coaching, and strategic planning. A former managing editor, assistant editor, sports editor, entertainment editor, journalist, and photographer, Hodge also co-hosted a variety of radio talk shows and still writes a regular weekly newspaper column titled Hodge Podge, which he has crafted now for 41 years. His biography on Howie Meeker, titled Golly Gee It’s Me is a Canadian bestseller and his second book, Stop It There, Back It Up – 50 Years of the NHL garnered lots of attention from media and hockey fans alike. Charlie is currently working on a third hockey book, as well as a contracted historical/fiction novel. His creative promotional skills and strategic planning have been utilized for many years in the Canadian music industry, provincial, national, and international environmental fields, and municipal, provincial, and federal politics. Charlie is a skilled facilitator, a dynamic motivational speaker, and effective personal coach. His hobbies include gardening, canoeing, playing pool, and writing music. Charlie shares his Okanagan home with wife Teresa and five spoiled cats.

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