Category: Open Call

The Grist Mill and Gardens has now started planning our 2025 lecture and workshop series and we’re looking for speakers and hands-on presenters for a wide variety of topics.

We are a 12 acre BC heritage site in the heart of the Similkameen Valley featuring western Canada’s only working waterwheel-powered flour mill (built in 1877) and stunning ornamental, herb and vegetable gardens. History, agriculture and art combine in fascinating ways on our site and here are just some of the sorts of topics we’d love to see:

• Food Preservation (canning, smoking, curing, drying)
• Food Production (bread baking, cheesemaking, sprouting grains, microgreens)
• Food Issues (food security, climate change, GMOs)
• Local History (geneology, local characters, archeology, First Nations history)
• Gardening (planning a garden, xeriscaping, composting, seed saving, companion planting, pruning, pest control)
• Plant Identification and Uses (healing herbs, foraging, invasive species, natural dying with plants)
• Wildlife (birds, bats, pollinators)
• Visual Arts (painting, sketching, photography)
• Fibre Arts (spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting, lace-making)
• Rural Living Skills (wood stove cooking, raising chickens and other livestock, candle making, soap making)
• Traditional Crafts (making paper, pressed flowers, wreath making, flower arrangement, quilling)

We generally offer two styles of presentation:

1. Lectures – These are offered on weekend afternoons or weekday evenings and are usually no more than an hour long. Weekend lectures are offered at no additional cost to visitors and seasons pass holders. We generally offer an honourarium for these presentations.
2. Hands-on Workshops – These are generally two or more hours long and run on weekday evenings or during half or full days on the weekend. They often have registration fees associated which are split with the presenter.

If you’re interested in presenting here in 2025 on these (or any other topic that seems relevant), please use the form below to tell us more about what you’d like to propose.

Please direct all questions to Chris Mathieson, Site Operator / General Manager at info@oldgristmill.ca and please share this with anyone else you think might be interested. Deadline to submit a proposal is March 15, 2025 and submissions will be considered in the order received.

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Name *

First

Last

Email Address *

Phone Number

Presentation Title *

presentation under You

Presentation Description *

What are the top three things attendees will take away from this session

This presentation would fit best under which category *

• Food Production
• Food Preservation
• Food Issues
• Plant Identification and Uses
• Local History
• Gardening
• Visual Arts
• Fibre Arts
• Natural History
• Rural Living Skills
• Traditional Crafts
• Other

Multiple selections allowed

How much time would you need

• 1 Hour or less
• 2 Hours
• 3 Hours
• Half-Day
• Full-Day

Preferred Audiences

• Youth 12 and under
• Teens 13-18
• Adults 19-59
• Seniors 60

Multiple selections allowed

About You *

Tell us a little about who you are and your interest and proficiency in this topic

Anything Else We Should Know

Submit Proposal

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The Grist Mill and Gardens has now started planning our 2020 lecture and workshop series and we’re looking for speakers and hands-on presenters for a wide variety of topics.

We are a 12 acre BC heritage site in the heart of the Similkameen Valley featuring western Canada’s only working waterwheel-powered flour mill (built in 1877) and stunning ornamental, herb and vegetable gardens. History, agriculture and art combine in fascinating ways on our site and here are just some of the sorts of topics we’d love to see:

• Food Preservation (canning, smoking, curing, drying)
• Food Production (bread baking, cheesemaking, sprouting grains, microgreens)
• Food Issues (food security, climate change, GMOs)
• Local History (geneology, local characters, archeology, First Nations history)
• Gardening (planning a garden, xeriscaping, composting, seed saving, companion planting, pruning, pest control)
• Plant Identification and Uses (healing herbs, foraging, invasive species, natural dying with plants)
• Wildlife (birds, bats, pollinators)
• Visual Arts (painting, sketching, photography)
• Fibre Arts (spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting, lace-making)
• Rural Living Skills (wood stove cooking, raising chickens and other livestock, candle making, soap making)
• Traditional Crafts (making paper, pressed flowers, wreath making, flower arrangement, quilling)

We generally offer two styles of presentation:

1. Lectures – These are offered on weekend afternoons or weekday evenings and are usually no more than an hour long. Weekend lectures are offered at no additional cost to visitors and seasons pass holders. We generally offer an honourarium for these presentations.
2. Hands-on Workshops – These are generally two or more hours long and run on weekday evenings or during half or full days on the weekend. They often have registration fees associated which are split with the presenter.
   

If you’re interested in presenting here in 2017 on these (or any other topic that seems relevant), please use the form below to tell us more about what you’d like to propose.

Please direct all questions to Chris Mathieson, Site Operator / General Manager at info@oldgristmill.ca and please share this with anyone else you think might be interested. Deadline to submit a proposal is March 9, 2020 and submissions will be considered in the order received.

[contact-form to=’info@oldgristmill.ca’ subject=’2017 Presenter Form’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email Address’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Phone Number’ type=’text’/][contact-field label=’Presentation Title’ type=’text’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Presentation Description’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’What are the top three things attendees will take away from this session?’ type=’textarea’/][contact-field label=’This presentation would fit best under which category?’ type=’checkbox-multiple’ required=’1′ options=’Food Production,Food Preservation,Food Issues,Plant Identification and Uses,Local History,Gardening,Visual Arts,Fibre Arts,Natural History,Rural Living Skills,Traditional Crafts,Other’/][contact-field label=’How much time would you need?’ type=’select’ options=’1 Hour (or less),2 Hours,3 hours,Half-Day,Full-Day’/][contact-field label=’Preferred Audience(s)’ type=’checkbox-multiple’ options=’Youth (12 and under),Teens (13-18),Adults (19-59),Seniors (60+)’/][contact-field label=’About You (tell us a little about who you are what your interest and proficiency is in this topic)’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Anything Else We Should Know?’ type=’textarea’/][/contact-form]

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The Grist Mill and Gardens has now started planning our 2018 schedule of events and have numerous opportunities for musicians and other entertainers.

1) Summer Concert Series

The Grist Mill is a 12 acre Provincial Heritage Site in the heart of the Similkameen Valley featuring western Canada’s only working waterwheel-powered flour mill and stunning gardens. Our Summer Kitchen provides an intimate, rustic outdoor venue for folk, roots and world music for audiences of up to 200 from June to Sept.

Over the last five years, we’ve hosted a very successful evening concert series and will be doing the same again for Summer 2018. We love the line-ups we’ve pulled together, from Juno-winning folk legends like Valdy, Shari Ulrich, Lester Quitzau and Bill Bourne, break-out stars like Old Man Luedeke and Pharis & Jason Romero, rising up-and-comers like Sarah Jane Scouten, 100 Mile House and Scott Cook and crowd-pleasers like Tal Bachmann, Mae Moore, The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra, The Sweet Lowdown, and The Eisenhauers.

We love acoustic instruments played with skill. We love stories. We love both original compositions and traditional tunes, performed with heart and soul. In terms of genre, we love anything that suits our rustic venue.

Our annual series typically features one outdoor evening show a week from late-June to early September, timed to coincide with the spectacular sunsets here in the Similkameen Valley. Exact dates are somewhat flexible, but we’d prefer Thursday to Saturday evenings to ensure the largest possible audiences.

If you’re part of a group of no more than four members that might be suitable for headlining one of these shows, we’d love to hear from you.

2) Special Event Days

Each year, the Grist Mill hosts a number of special event days with our partners including Victoria Day, Father’s Day, Canada Day, BC Day and Labour Day as well as our Fall Fair in September and Apple Day festival (in October). We’re always looking for musicians or other performers interested in being a part of these family-oriented events and we can accommodate amplified performances in our Summer Kitchen, roving or busking style performances throughout our site and more.

These events are great opportunities for us to work with groups that may fit outside of the genres associated with our concert series.

3) Private Events

The Grist Mill often hosts events such as weddings, reunions or private receptions are are often asked for a list of recommended musical acts to play unamplified in our gardens for their event. Classical guitar, wind or string trios or quartets would be ideal for these sorts of opportunities.

Get in touch so we can add you to our list of suggestions, or even book you ourselves.

4) Use Our Venue

Perhaps none of these other opportunities are quite right for you; maybe you’d like to organize your own performance, and just use us as a venue. If you’re a theatre or dance troupe interested in doing an outdoor show, a band looking for an affordable (and memorable) venue or an event organizer looking for a big space that can do many different things at the same time, please get in touch. For the right event, we can help promote your event, sell your tickets and more. We also have our own sound system suitable for audiences of up to 200 people.

If you’re interested in any of these opportunities, please contact us at entertainers@oldgristmill.ca no later than Feb 15, 2018 so that we can start planning our season’s schedule. We’d appreciate some or all of the following information:

• Group/Artist Name
• Main Contact and contact information (phone #, email address, etc)
• Theme/Style of Music or Type of Act
• Number of performers in act
• Available Dates & Times
• A brief overview of the experience and background of the act
• The rundown of the equipment requirements for your performance
• Compensation expectations
• Any other information you think would help us find the perfect opportunity for you

We would also appreciate a sample of you performing, either a video or audio recording. You can email us links or mail us CDs or DVDs, whatever is most appropriate. If you don’t have recordings, we may request an in-person audition.

Please direct all questions or submissions to Chris Mathieson, Site Operator at entertainers@oldgristmill.ca.

The Grist Mill and Gardens has now started planning our 2017 lecture and workshop series and we’re looking for speakers and hands-on presenters for a wide variety of topics.

We are a 12 acre BC heritage site in the heart of the Similkameen Valley featuring western Canada’s only working waterwheel-powered flour mill (built in 1877) and stunning ornamental, herb and vegetable gardens. History, agriculture and art combine in fascinating ways on our site and here are just some of the sorts of topics we’d love to see:

• Food Preservation (canning, smoking, curing, drying)
• Food Production (bread baking, cheesemaking, sprouting grains, microgreens)
• Food Issues (food security, climate change, GMOs)
• Local History (geneology, local characters, archeology, First Nations history)
• Gardening (planning a garden, xeriscaping, composting, seed saving, companion planting, pruning, pest control)
• Plant Identification and Uses (healing herbs, foraging, invasive species, natural dying with plants)
• Wildlife (birds, bats, pollinators)
• Visual Arts (painting, sketching, photography)
• Fibre Arts (spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting, lace-making)
• Rural Living Skills (wood stove cooking, raising chickens and other livestock, candle making, soap making)
• Traditional Crafts (making paper, pressed flowers, wreath making, flower arrangement, quilling)

We generally offer two styles of presentation:

1. Lectures – These are offered on weekend afternoons or weekday evenings and are usually no more than an hour long. Weekend lectures are offered at no additional cost to visitors and seasons pass holders. We generally offer an honourarium for these presentations.
2. Hands-on Workshops – These are generally two or more hours long and run on weekday evenings or during half or full days on the weekend. They often have registration fees associated which are split with the presenter.
   

If you’re interested in presenting here in 2017 on these (or any other topic that seems relevant), please use the form below to tell us more about what you’d like to propose.

Please direct all questions to Chris Mathieson, Site Operator / General Manager at info@oldgristmill.ca and please share this with anyone else you think might be interested. Deadline to submit a proposal is March 9, 2017 and submissions will be considered in the order received.

[contact-form to=’info@oldgristmill.ca’ subject=’2017 Presenter Form’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email Address’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Phone Number’ type=’text’/][contact-field label=’Presentation Title’ type=’text’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Presentation Description’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’What are the top three things attendees will take away from this session?’ type=’textarea’/][contact-field label=’This presentation would fit best under which category?’ type=’checkbox-multiple’ required=’1′ options=’Food Production,Food Preservation,Food Issues,Plant Identification and Uses,Local History,Gardening,Visual Arts,Fibre Arts,Natural History,Rural Living Skills,Traditional Crafts,Other’/][contact-field label=’How much time would you need?’ type=’select’ options=’1 Hour (or less),2 Hours,3 hours,Half-Day,Full-Day’/][contact-field label=’Preferred Audience(s)’ type=’checkbox-multiple’ options=’Youth (12 and under),Teens (13-18),Adults (19-59),Seniors (60+)’/][contact-field label=’About You (tell us a little about who you are what your interest and proficiency is in this topic)’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Anything Else We Should Know?’ type=’textarea’/][/contact-form]

Save

Save

Save

The Grist Mill and Gardens has now started planning our 2017 schedule of events and have numerous opportunities for musicians and entertainers.

1) Summer Concert Series

The Grist Mill is a 12 acre Provincial Heritage Site in the heart of the Similkameen Valley featuring western Canada’s only working waterwheel-powered flour mill and stunning gardens. Our Summer Kitchen provides an intimate, rustic outdoor venue for folk, roots and world music for audiences of up to 200 from June to Sept.

The last four years, we’ve hosted an evening concert series and hope to do the same this summer, with a further expanded lineup. (Four shows in 2013, six in 2014, ten in 2015 and thirteen in 2016.) The series features one outdoor evening show a week from Mid-June to early September, timed to coincide with the spectacular sunsets here in the Similkameen Valley. Dates are somewhat flexible, but we’d prefer Thursday to Saturday evenings to ensure the largest possible audiences.

If you’re part of a group of no more than four members that might be suitable for headlining one of these shows, we’d love to hear from you.

2) Special Event Days

Each year, the Grist Mill hosts a number of special event days with our partners including Victoria Day, Father’s Day, Canada Day, BC Day and Labour Day as well as our Fall Fair in September and Apple Day festival (in October). We’re always looking for musicians or other performers interested in being a part of these family-oriented events and we can accommodate amplified performances in our Summer Kitchen, roving or busking style performances throughout our site and more.

3) Private Events

The Grist Mill often hosts events such as weddings, reunions or private receptions are are often asked for a list of recommended musical acts to play unamplified in our gardens for their event. Classical guitar, wind or string trios or quartets would be ideal for these sorts of opportunities.

If you’re interested in any of these opportunities, please contact us at entertainers@oldgristmill.ca no later than Feb 1, 2017 with the following information:

• Group/Artist Name
• Main Contact and contact information (phone #, email address, etc)
• Theme/Style of Music or Type of Act
• Number of performers in act
• Available Dates & Times
• A brief overview of the experience and background of the act
• The rundown of the equipment requirements for your performance
• Compensation expectations
• Any other information you think would help us find the perfect opportunity for you

We would also appreciate a sample of you performing, either a video or audio recording. You can email us links or mail us CDs or DVDs, whatever is most appropriate. If you don’t have recordings, we may request an in-person audition.

Please direct all questions or submissions to Chris Mathieson, Site Operator at entertainers@oldgristmill.ca.

The Grist Mill and Gardens has now started planning our 2016 schedule of events and have numerous opportunities for musicians and entertainers.

1) Summer Concert Series

The Grist Mill is a 12 acre Provincial Heritage Site in the heart of the Similkameen Valley featuring western Canada’s only working waterwheel-powered flour mill and stunning gardens. Our Summer Kitchen provides an intimate, rustic outdoor venue for folk, roots and world music for audiences of up to 200 from June to Sept.

The last three years, we’ve hosted an evening concert series and hope to do the same this summer, with a further expanded lineup. (Four shows in 2013, six in 2014 and ten in 2015.) The series features one outdoor evening show a week from Mid-July to early September, timed to coincide with the spectacular sunsets here in the Similkameen Valley. Dates are somewhat flexible, but we’d prefer Thursday to Saturday evenings to ensure the largest possible audiences.

If you’re part of a group of no more than four members that might be suitable for headlining one of these shows, we’d love to hear from you.

2) Special Event Days

Each year, the Grist Mill hosts a number of special event days with our partners including Victoria Day (May 23), Father’s Day (Jun 19), Canada Day (Jul 1), BC Day (Aug 1) and Labour Day (Sept 5) as well as our Fall Fair (Sept 18) and Apple Day festival (Oct 10). We’re always looking for musicians or other performers interested in being a part of these family-oriented events and we can accommodate amplified performances in our Summer Kitchen, roving or busking style performances throughout our site and more.

3) Private Events

The Grist Mill often hosts events such as weddings, reunions or private receptions are are often asked for a list of recommended musical acts to play unamplified in our gardens for their event. Classical guitar, wind or string trios or quartets would be ideal for these sorts of opportunities.

If you’re interested in any of these opportunities, please contact us at entertainers@oldgristmill.ca no later than Feb 1, 2016 with the following information:

• Group/Artist Name
• Main Contact and contact information (phone #, email address, etc)
• Theme/Style of Music or Type of Act
• Number of performers in act
• Available Dates & Times
• A brief overview of the experience and background of the act
• The rundown of the equipment requirements for your performance
• Compensation expectations
• Any other information you think would help us find the perfect opportunity for you

We would also appreciate a sample of you performing, either a video or audio recording. You can email us links or mail us CDs or DVDs, whatever is most appropriate. If you don’t have recordings, we may request an in-person audition.

Please direct all questions or submissions to Chris Mathieson, Site Operator at entertainers@oldgristmill.ca.

The Grist Mill and Gardens has now started planning our 2015 schedule of events and have numerous opportunities for musicians and entertainers.

1) Summer Concert Series

The Grist Mill is a 12 acre Provincial Heritage Site in the heart of the Similkameen Valley featuring western Canada’s only working waterwheel-powered flour mill and stunning gardens. Our Summer Kitchen provides an intimate, rustic outdoor venue for folk, roots and world music for audiences of up to 200 from June to Sept.

The last two years, we’ve hosted an evening concert series and hope to do the same this summer, with a further expanded lineup. (Four shows in 2013, six in 2014 and eight this summer.) The series features one outdoor evening show a week from Mid-July to early September, timed to coincide with the spectacular sunsets here in the Similkameen Valley. Dates are somewhat flexible, but we’d prefer Thursday to Saturday evenings to ensure the largest possible audiences.

If you’re part of a group of no more than four members that might be suitable for headlining one of these shows, we’d love to hear from you.

2) Special Event Days

Each year, the Grist Mill hosts a number of special event days with our partners including Victoria Day (May 18), Father’s Day (Jun 21), Canada Day (Jul 1), BC Day (Aug 3) and Labour Day (Sept 7) as well as our Fall Fair (Sept 20) and Apple Day festival (Oct 12). We’re always looking for musicians or other performers interested in being a part of these family-oriented events and we can accommodate amplified performances in our Summer Kitchen, roving or busking style performances throughout our site and more. 

3) Private Events

The Grist Mill often hosts events such as weddings, reunions or private receptions are are often asked for a list of recommended musical acts to play unamplified in our gardens for their event. Classical guitar, wind or string trios or quartets would be ideal for these sorts of opportunities.

If you’re interested in any of these opportunities, please contact us at entertainers@oldgristmill.ca no later than March 13, 2015 with the following information:

• Group/Artist Name
• Main Contact and contact information (phone #, email address, etc)
• Theme/Style of Music or Type of Act
• Number of performers in act
• Available Dates & Times
• A brief overview of the experience and background of the act
• The rundown of the equipment requirements for your performance
• Compensation expectations
• Any other information you think would help us find the perfect opportunity for you

We would also appreciate a sample of you performing, either a video or audio recording. You can email us links or mail us CDs or DVDs, whatever is most appropriate. If you don’t have recordings, we may request an in-person audition.

Please direct all questions or submissions to Chris Mathieson, Site Operator at entertainers@oldgristmill.ca.