In Canada’s 150th year, it is important to recognize someone who looks in both directions, someone who recognizes and preserves the past, but also someone who is a builder in the community. That is why Larry Pearen is Yorkton This Week’s Citizen of the Year for 2017.
Pearen was most closely associated with two things, the Canada 150 Heritage Dinner, fundraising to help save the Brick Mill in the city, and the many activities surrounding the Community Concert Band and All That Jazz, which was involved with events throughout the community, including the city’s Remembrance Day services, the musical portion of the Yorkton Regional High School’s 50th anniversary celebration and its own Canada 150 concert celebration.
Music is a life-long passion for Pearen, and the goal of the adult band is to give people a chance to enjoy music, whether they’re playing in the band or sitting in the concert seats. Pearen sees that the band is something that means a lot to the members, because they make a great deal of effort just to be involved.
“The joy of the adult band is that there are 45 members, some travel from Russell, Manitoba, from Whitewood, from Sturgis, from Preeceville. Why do they do that? Why would you travel an hour one way for rehearsal with the adult band with Larry directing? A love of music.”
Whether directing a band for adults or bringing the Saskatoon Jazz Festival’s outreach program out to play for students, Pearen wants to encourage a love of music, and do what he can to foster it in people.
“From my perspective, the heart and soul of anything, what makes you tick, it’s the feeling, it’s the emotion. When you see a great concert you can be ecstatic and
cheering, you can be sad, emotions are part of the experience and part of being a human being. I think music is a good thing, we take it for granted.”
Pearen’s says that travelling was what inspired him to work on saving the heritage of the city. He says that Yorkton has already lost much of its architectural heritage, so it’s time to save what we still have.
“The more you travel the more you realize we have valuable things that haven’t been saved. When you go to Europe, when you go to Vatican city, and you see the Pope speak, there are cracks in the walls, they don’t knock it down...
It’s sad to see that our mentality is that newer is better, when in fact it isn’t... When you see only a few left, like the mill is one of the few left in Canada... You want to take it, and say let’s save this.
“It’s also a monument to the past too, as much as a building. My vision is to save the building and revitalize it, but what’s it going to be in 5-10 years? It needs to have a use, it’s great to have a monument but you need commercial space, you need a museum, you need something... And what’s the history? You need to share that history.”
While he says that the heritage dinner was not his idea, he became chair of the event, and worked to organize the event. They were hoping to sell 100 tickets, but the event sold out, and they were thrilled to see the excitement in the community.
“The best part of the evening was fundraising, but the buzz of activity around heritage and celebrating our past and the people who did most of the heavy lifting for us to enjoy today.”
Pearen does not work alone, of course, and he credits many volunteers for making his projects a success. He doesn’t have much difficult recruiting volunteers, and he says that’s because there are people who want to help throughout the community, they just need to know how.
“You have an idea. It’s maybe not your idea, it may be someone else’s idea, but you grab onto it, you support it, and say that this will help make our community a better place.”
The trick is to be passionate about what you’re working on, Pearen says, and get other people on board and passionate about the same project. Then they get others excited, and it spreads through the community.
“The journey is as important as the destination. It’s how you get there. The dinner or the concert is wonderful, but it’s the process of getting there. Talking to the cadets, saying “Would you want to carry the flag?” “We would love to!” And after the event, “when is the next one, we’re in!” Ukrainian dancers, same thing. Drummers and singers from First Nations looking for an activity to perform at. We were so proud of what they did.”
Pearen was surprised to get our call for the award, and says he’s very humbled with even the thought, as there are many fine people doing good work in the community.
“It’s exciting to be recognized. It’s humbling too, because you realize that without all of the volunteers working with you nothing would happen. You can’t do it alone.”
