Both community members and tourists will receive a little dose of local history the second-to-last week in August as Powell River’s first Heritage Days give participants a taste of olden times. The event, which lasts from August 20 to 25, involves everything from a ghost tour to a costume contest.
Alex Ciarniello, heritage counsellor at Tourism Powell River and event organizer, explained the goal is to generate more interest and awareness in both tourists and locals alike in Powell River history. “A lot of people come here for the location or for adventure recreation,” she said. “They don’t really know that there are heritage attractions.”
As an early taste of the week’s happenings, Tourism Powell River will host a heritage photo contest with entries due August 17. “It can be any older photo, and it doesn’t have to be super old,” said Ciarniello. “It can be from any era as long as it has a story.” Winning entries will be displayed at the tourism office throughout the week.
Also, throughout the week, there will be heritage geocaching opportunities in which participants can log onto www.geocaching.com to find the GPS coordinates of a secret drop box. Inside the drop box will be a heritage item, “but you have to replace it with something of equal or greater value,” she said.
Be prepared for frights in the night during the city’s first ever Townsite Ghost Tour, Thursday, August 23. Starting at 8:30 pm in the Rodmay Hotel lobby, the tour will be exploring both the Rodmay and Patricia Theatre.
As a little extra, participants can view something spectacularly spooky. “At the Rodmay...there was a lady who went there with her son because he was interested in ghost hunting, and they got some audio and video footage,” explained Ciarniello. The frightening footage will be played on a vintage screen during the tour.
Closing up the weekend will be a Townsite tour with a twist Saturday morning. “We’re encouraging people to dress up in costumes,” she said. Participants will meet at 10 am at Henderson House, the first completed residence in Powell River, and a prize will be awarded for best costume during the tour. Afterward, all are invited to a high tea in the Rodmay for $25 per head.
“I think an event like this is important because it stirs up awareness of the heritage aspect of our town that a lot of people aren’t familiar with,” she said.
The tours and events have another benefit. “It helps preserve the heritage resources we have, and helps get the community involved.”
For more information readers can contact Tourism Powell River at 604.485.4701.
