Hinton’s Arts on Fire gala evening is bigger and better than ever this year, with the addition of more categories to celebrate the arts community. 

The awards ceremony will be held at the Hinton Centre on Feb. 19, and Mayor Glenn Taylor will be on hand to present the awards, as he spearheaded the event. 

The first edition of Arts on Fire was in 2010, when only the emerging artist category was presented. This year the ceremony has grown to include Cultural Pillar and Lifetime Achievement categories. 

The original idea started about five years ago when a group of people from the Yellowhead region decided there was a need to celebrate the diverse artistic culture in the area. It grew into an afternoon reception, and finally an evening event in 2010, when a headlining act was brought in to supplement local performers. 

“We focus on local talent,” said Joan Udell, chair of the Arts on Fire organizational committee.

The evening starts out with a youth performance group, then features an adult group performing for the gala audience. The night ends with an out-of-town talent, Heather Blush and the Uppercuts. Throughout the evening, servers will bring a savoury dish and a dessert to each table, as well as wine pairings. There will be a discussion on why the wines compliment each meal. 

Udell said the servers will provide a different and more elegant atmosphere, and make the event stand out from others.

The first 150 tickets sold will receive a free pottery gift from a local artist. Tickets began being sold as an entire table, and then moved on to single seats. The tables were snapped up quickly. Udell said the event has been sold out since the second week of January. 

“I think the people who attended last year really talked it up,” she said, adding that it is a great satisfaction to watch something finally blossom into a well-attended event after working on it for so many years. She credits the new awards to drawing in more people and nominees. 

Each nominee for the award had to be suggested by the community. The categories accept performing and visual arts, as well as culture and heritage. This year more than double the amount of people were nominated. 

Udell hopes that in the future they can expand the Arts on Fire event into surrounding communities, although each community would have a celebration tailored to its people.

“In Jasper it might look very different,” she said. “We want to make this a reality in other towns.”

This year the Emerging Artists awards will go to singer and flutist Kara Lavoie; singer Jessa Renard; photographer Courtney Congdon and dancer Janae Bancroft. Cultural Pillar honours will go to singer Paul Girard; visual artist Norene Cooper and advocate for history and heritage Tom Peterson. Cultural Patron will be awarded to Nadine Bancroft, who is credited as a supporter of the arts. The Lifetime Achievement category will celebrate Don and Maureen Engerdahl, for their work with the Break-A-Leg Theatre. 

Arts on Fire will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Hinton Centre with cocktails, and move on to the program at 7 p.m.