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Community

Public events on the menu

CKTZ News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A month into BC’s phase 3 of re-opening, locals and visitors to Cortes Island are able to enjoy well-loved perennial as well as brand new reasons to gather.

Photo by Jannes Glas on Unsplash

On July 1, British Columbia officially lifted its mask mandate, opened up to Canadians for recreational travel and now allows for gatherings of 50 people indoors and 5,000 outside.

Although still scaled down compared to pre-pandemic times, Cortes is not only seeing an influx of vacationers, but also regular events. Here is a selection.

  • The Gorge Harbour Marina Resort is delivering live music 5 nights a week for the rest of the summer. The impromptu stage on the Fireside Patio hosts musical acts — some local and some from further afield — from 7:30 to 9:30pm. 
  • The Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery is in the midst of their first show of the season, running for two more weekends. Thursday through Sunday from 2 till 6pm, the gallery is open for viewing of the pieces by 24 member artists in a wide variety of media.
  • A Squirrel Cove resident, Reid Wescott, and a few friends set up a volleyball court near the General Store, and weekly games just switched from Wednesday to Thursday evenings. Come from 5pm onwards to play and swim. Wescott says, “It is a great location, and we are hoping for more sand. We always need more players!”
  • At the south end of the island, Cortes Men’s Circle is having another open night on Wednesday August 11 from 7 to 9pm, thanks to a community microgrant. Host Tommaso Biasiolo started the bi-weekly event several years ago on Quadra after being inspired by an online men’s circle. He also saw the opportunity to address the underlying issues he felt led to societal dysfunction such as became exposed by the Me Too movement. The circle meets at the Sanctuary on the Hollyhock campus. 
  • Hollyhock Leadership Institute has presenter evenings, which are free or by donation events open to the whole community. All proceeds go toward the Island Scholarship fund, which enables reduced program tuition for Cortes residents. The next one is Saturday August 7. It is entitled “Yoga as Intuitive Movement” with teacher Robin Stamm, and runs 8-9:30pm.

Links of Interest:

Top photo credit: People by Johan Mouchet  on Unsplash

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