Tag Archives: Things to do

Roots Round Up returns to Cortes since before the pandemic to play weekend of shows

By Louis Belcourt, CKTZ News, through an LJI grant from Canada-info.ca

The Gorge Harbour Marina and the Gorge Hall have both booked Roots Round Up this weekend for two shows.

The prolific Vancouver based band haven’t played Cortes since before the COVID-19 pandemic and have never played back-to-back shows on the island.

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Coming July 5: Iris Steigemann, Adrift Above The Arctic Circle

Iris Steigemann was an artist before she came to Cortes island in 1980, but for the last five or six years her work has taken on a new focus. 

“I’ve been painting icebergs. What fascinates me is the underneath of the iceberg. You usually see  a quarter to a third of an iceberg above the water.  Under the water, it’s kind of a dream landscape.  I  like to play around with that,” she explained.

“There is also the environmental aspect of it. The ice cap there is  melting way faster than  what was expected.  The thickest part of the ice cap in Greenland is about three kilometers deep. They’re doing ice cores of this and they can actually see what kind of weather there was, what was happening on earth at those times. Now  this is all melting.  They break off and a lot of them from Ilulissat Icefjord actually float around to the Canadian side.  They drift down the east coast and then they melt.” 

Continue reading Coming July 5: Iris Steigemann, Adrift Above The Arctic Circle

Jemma Hicken and Robbie Banks tour: Coming Back To Cortes

The audio version of this opens with a short clip of Jemma Hicken singiing ‘Skim Milk.’ I was hoping it would be a new version, with her and Robbie Bankes singing together, but it looks like the only place to hear that will be in Mansons Hall at 7:00 on Tuesday July 2, 2024. Jemma and Robbie are just finishing a month long tour of Alberta and BC. They were about to play at Campbell River’s Spirit Square when Cortes Currents reached them yesterday. They will be on Read Island today.

Cortes Currents: How long have you been playing together? 

Jemma Hicken: “We had one show together last November. Then we’ve just had our tour, so mostly since May 30th.”

Continue reading Jemma Hicken and Robbie Banks tour: Coming Back To Cortes

Summer Markets at Hollyhock

The summer market season begins on Wednesday June 26th, from 12:30-3:00 PM.

“We’re having our first artisans market at Hollyhock,  just outside the garden and the lodge in the grassy area above the hot tubs. This is our first in a series of  five or six markets that are happening  every second Wednesday afternoon over the summer.  We have a variety of artists, fiber artists, ceramicists, lotions, potion makers, clothing makers, painters and live music,” explained Tamlyn Collingwoood, Business Mentorship Coordinator for the Cortes Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA). “Come and check it out, everyone’s welcome.”

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Getting Ready For Love Fest 2024

Ben Coey is co-producing this year’s Lovefest, which returns to Linnaea Farm on Saturday August 10th.  

“Rex, Amy and Rick have been running and producing the festival for a number of years. They’ve  decided that they need to have a bit of a break from doing it. I’ve worked with Rex on a number of projects previously.  He asked me if I liked to get involved and help out with co-producing and I said, ‘yeah, sure,’” Coey explained.

“I’m good friends with Rex. I’ve toured for many years as a drummer in a band with Rex’s son, Jack. I’ve always loved coming to Lovefest, and played in it a couple of times. I’m spending more time up in Cortes and gradually moving up here. This is a nice way to just get involved with the community.”

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