Last week, I went to church. My experience there was hilarious, touching, inspirational, and eclectic. There were musicians,
comedians, poets, art installations, and tuba-playing mayors. Sound a bit unlike a typical church visit? That’s because I was there for Smorgasbord, an evening of music and art hosted and curated by none other than local singer-songwriter Dan Mangan, all in support of local initiatives that work to end homelessness in our city.
The event exemplified everything great about the community of Vancouver, bringing together people from all walks of life. It was awesome to see 20-something hipsters mingling (in the pews, mind you) with 50-something community activists. While the older folk got to experience twitter-gone-wild as the younger crowd took advantage of their tweets being projected on a large screen, the younger folk got to experience seasoned Vancouver performers whom they might not otherwise have the opportunity to see (such as the amazing Veda Hille). Clashing of worlds? Definitely. In a city not as classy or as open-minded as Vancouver, things could have gone horribly wrong. But the crowd took it all in stride and demonstrated just how cool Vancouver is.
The burgeoning local arts scene was also very well represented. From the up-and-coming singer-songwriter Aidan Knight who had the crowd dancing in their pews, to comedian Charles Demers (whose activist roots shone through in a very clever set), to the incredibly insightful spoken-word poet Mike McGee, the acts were diverse and equally brilliant in very different ways. Not to mention Dan Mangan capping off the night with Mayor Gregor Robertson on the tuba. If that’s not a tangible example of our city council supporting the arts, I don’t know what is!
Throughout the night, the very serious issues of homelessness and mental health were continuously raised in touching and inspirational ways. A young girl of 11 read an incredible poem she had written, and won an award for, about homelessness. Mayor Gregor handed out ‘local hero’ awards, which recognize individuals and organizations that demonstrate commitment to ending youth homelessness. And last but not least, there was a beautiful tribute to mental health advocate Dr. Nancy Hall, who passed away in March. Dr. Hall was a driving force behind Smorgasbord, and saw it as a way to engage a younger generation in the plight to end homelessness in Vancouver.
I left this event feeling a great sense of pride for Vancouver. From our commitment to ending homelessness to our incredibly engaged citizenry, our sense of community really shone through the pews at Smorgasbord 2011.