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Texada Island events celebrate diversity

Summer sensations a short jump away by ferry
texada meghan
ELECTRIC AND ECLECTIC: From dance beats and moon bags to sand art and skimming, Texada Island’s summer is alternative in every way. Artwork by Meghan Hildebrand

With all of the events, festivals and mellowing out that goes on, summer brings high times to Texada Island.

According to Sue Clark, president of Texada Arts, Culture and Tourism Society, festivals and events on Texada “have a bit of a twist and are diverse.”

Texada’s summer events begin with Sandcastle Weekend, the island’s oldest festival, held Saturday, July 16, and Sunday, July 17.

According to Elayne Boloten, one of the weekend event’s organizers, the community of a thousand people “on a good day” puts on some kind of event every weekend from mid-June and into September; Sandcastle Weekend kicks things off.

“It started in the ’70s,” said Boloten. “It was originally called Texada Days, but eventually it morphed into Sandcastle Weekend.”

A sandcastle-building competition at Gillies Bay Beach is the weekend’s signature event, which involves more than going to the beach with a plastic shovel and bucket, said Boloten. Sculptures can be large and elaborate, she said.

“Sand on Gillies Bay Beach is really good for sandcastle building,” said Boloten. “I’m not an expert by any means, but I guess it holds together nicely. We’ve had boats, castles, mermaids, horses, cats and just about anything you can think of built on the beach at some point.”
Prize money is awarded for first, second and third place in four categories with up to $250 for the top adult.

If organizers can find an old hospital gurney, gurney races will take place again this year, said Boloten. Teams of five people, four runners and one riding on the bed, run a slalom course; the fastest times in adult and children’s categories win cash prizes. Money is also up for grabs in a lip-sync battle and Saturday night features moon bags and a laser light show.

After the sands of time are washed away by the tide, Diversity Festival follows July 22 to 24.

As the name suggests, the three-day festival celebrates diversity and, according to Clark, it is “certainly an alternative one.”

Organizers of the festival describe it as a convergence of creative culture, music and arts.

Autumn Skye Morrison and Blake Drezet, members of artist collective Vale Society, will be curating a space they are calling the Arts Village. Morrison has been attending Diversity since it began 11 years ago.

“It started as a grassroots party among friends that developed into a bigger festival, incorporating a lot of great music acts, both local and international,” said Morrison. “Music is a big theme.”

According to Drezet, Diversity is eclectic and draws many different types of people of all ages.

“There will be grandmas dancing alongside fishermen in gumboots,” said Drezet. “That’s what I mean by eclectic, it’s just a real mix.”

With an all-night dance party on picturesque Shingle Beach, the festival draws members of the art community as well as fans of electronic music.

“The festival is very aptly named Diversity and is very wholesome and safe, and all kinds of people attend for different reasons,” said Morrison. “It’s beautiful how different communities of people within that greater community of the festival overlap; they respect each other and play together.”

What goes on in the summer on Texada, also known as “the rock,” is perfectly suited to the island’s character, according to Run the Rock marathon race director Rob McWilliam.

“We have quite an eclectic mix of characters who are drawn together by loving the rock and loving to show it off to people,” said McWilliam.

According to McWilliam, about 100 runners are expected to participate in the full marathon, half or eight-kilometre race. Now in its sixth year, entrants have come from England, Belgium and across Canada and the Lower Mainland, but not too many from Powell River.

“We get some locals,” said McWilliam. “I know there’s lots of good distance runners in Powell River, but we don’t seem to get a lot. I’ll see more of them in Vancouver than here.”

The 7th annual Skull Skates Skim Jam coincides with Sandcastle Weekend. It is known as one of the best skim events on the coast and takes place on Saturday, July 16, at Gilles Bay Beach beginning at 10 am.

Other events held during the summer include Texada Annual Fly-In, Texada Aerospace Camp and Texada Island Blues and Roots Festival.

According to people involved in the events, summer on the rock is different. The events are small, there is less stress and time goes more slowly.

“It’s not a place back in time, but it’s a place laid back,” said Boloten. “That is absolutely part of it.”

For more information about these events, go to texada.org.