Speed dating has been portrayed on the big and small screens, but now the experience is coming to Nelson.
The Spring Fling is a dating experience put on by Lidia Greyheart, host of Kootenay Co-Op Radio’s Love, Sex and Everything in Between and Mandy Root, host of The Single Show.
“The Spring Fling event is just about the experience,” said Greyheart. “I don’t want it to be anything predatory or anything like it’s dire. For singles it’s more the idea that if they don’t go they have a 100 per cent chance of not meeting anybody. If they do go they have maybe a 50/50 chance of meeting someone. There are great door prizes. It’s an interesting experience. Let’s see what happens here.”
The event is a fundraiser for Kootenay Co-op Radio, which airs both Greyheart and Root’s shows.
Greyheart started her show in May 2009 as part of the process of dealing with a break-up and ideas around intimacy.
“When I moved to Nelson, I moved in with someone that I started seeing before I went on my trip to Europe, who lived in the area,” she said. “A couple weeks after I moved I realized he was a good reason to get me here but we’re not good together.”
In the process of coming into herself and going through some personal healing, she began her show.
“The whole point of doing the show was to deal with issues of intimacy within myself and really exploring them to help others to really get to a place where I’m feeling like I’m mature enough to be in a healthy relationship,” said Greyheart.
“It’s not the end goal but it’s been a really good process. It has helped me in my friendships, my family relationships, my relationships with people I just meet.”
The Single Show by Root focuses on the journey of what it’s like to be single in Nelson.
“From what I know of her story she moved to Nelson with a partner and after a few years things ended and now she’s single,” said Greyheart. “If you look at the demographics in Nelson there are far more women than men.”
Greyheart shared a story of a male friend who came to visit her and saw how the attention he received from women in coffee shops, bars, grocery stores or on the street varied from what she received.
“He turned to me and said ‘There are a lot of single women here. I think I would send any of my single friends who really want to meet someone to Nelson,’” she said.
“You see a lot of really attractive, successful, healthy, beautiful and successful women, especially in their 30s or 40s, who are single in Nelson. That is fascinating to me.”
The Spring Fling is on Thursday at 8 p.m. at Spiritbar. Tickets are $13 in advance or $17 at the door.
The Singles Show is on Kootenay Co-op Radio Thursdays at 7 p.m. and Love, Sex and Everything in Between is on Wednesdays at 11 p.m.
On May 23, for the radio station’s membership drive week, Greyheart will be having sex therapist Dr. David Hersh come on the show and for the first time since May 2009, there will be a live call-in segment.