Tag Archives: Cortes expats

Arts

The Awakeneers: coming back to Cortes (July 2023)

Originally published June 23, 2023

The Awakeners came home to Cortes in the summer of 2023. They played at Gorge Hall on Friday July 28, and Mansons Hall the following day.

“We are excited that we’ll have a brand new album with us,” said Immanuel McKenty. 

“It was mostly recorded on Cortes Island and the majority of the songs were also written while we were on Cortes. The album will also be for sale at the Cortes Natural Food Co-op, as well as at our concerts,” added his brother Francis McKenty.

This is the beginning of a two part series about that ‘nomadic tribe of multi-instrumentalist songwriters (most of whom are siblings)’ called the Awakeners. We talk a great deal about their album and where most of the songs were written. In part two, which airs next week, we will go to their home in Willow Point, Campbell River. 

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Arts

Why is Lovefest such an ongoing success?

Image credit: Kim Pauley singing ‘The Book of Right On’ during Wiley Ferguson’s performance – Igor Backmann photo

(The podcast of this program opens with a clip of saxophone player Dave Blinzinger’s version of the blues classic ‘Route 66,’ in which he added lyrics like ‘Get your kicks right here on Cortes Island’ and ‘When you take that Linnea Farm trip, get your kicks on Route 66.’)

I can’t take too much heat anymore and had to pack it in by 4:30, but it was already apparent that this year’s Lovefest was another success. 

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Community, Food, Indigenous Nations

Seafest 2023 At Squirrel Cove 

About 350 people* came to Squirrel Cove for Seafest on Saturday May 20. There was a flow-through crowd and not much more than a third of this number appeared to be at the six-hour long festival at any given time.

“I think Seafest is great, it brings a lot of cultures together and  lots of different seafoods,” said Sharon Francis, a Squirrel Cove resident and member of the Klahoose First Nation.

Curt Cunningham, owner manager of the Squirrel Cove General Store which hosted this year’s festival, added, “They’ve done an incredible job. We’re going to have a good day, a good summer, and this is gonna kick it off!” 

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