THURSDAY AUGUST 23, 2018 VOL. 44, NO. 32
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BOWFEST EDITION
We’ve got all the information you need about the August 25 festivities in our centrefold pullout
Tourism numbers set to double — again MARTHA PERKINS CONTRIBUTOR
Last year, the number of people visiting Bowen Island doubled. This year the island is on track for a repeat performance. “It’s unbelievable,” says Murray Atherton, the chair of Tourism Bowen. “We’ve had people from all around the world.” The board recently hosted a “familiarization tour” for Chinese bloggers who came and discovered the island. Their stories about Bowen have been read by 1.3 million people. He and Bruce Russell have also been concentrating on attracting people from the North Shore by going to various events and trade shows to spread the word. “Eighty per cent of the people say, ‘Oh, Bowen. I was there 20 years ago,’” he says. Now their interest is being revitalized. With the American exchange rate adding 30 per cent to any trip across the border, staycations close to home have become increasingly popular. Another huge part of Tourism Bowen’s success is the popularity of its “The secret is out” campaign. Atherton knows that not every islander is as thrilled with the number of visitors, and the impact they have on ferry travel. Continued on page 12
A couple of contemporary art works featured in “The Serpentine Path,” including a neon burnt cedar sign from Ron Terada. The show opens at Terminal Creek Contemporary art space in Artisan Square on August 25. Photo: Scott Massey
Darkness may fall on Light Up the Cove
MARTHA PERKINS CONTRIBUTOR
Basia Lieske is tired. For the past two and a half months she hasn’t had a single day off work. And while she hasn’t had time to read a book or clean her house, it also means she hasn’t been able to pour her prodigious energies into her
many volunteer jobs. As a result, there was no Dog Days of Summer this year. Unless she gets help soon, there will also be no Light Up the Cove in December. “I’m not saying people don’t pull their weight,” she said as she grabbed a late lunch at the USSC Marina gift shop, where she works when she’s not attending to her own
business, Bowen Event Rentals. “I’m so grateful for the people who do help.” However, most of the help comes close to the night of the event when merchants and community groups involved in the magical evening step up. Jewal Maxwell is also indispensable as Lieske’s right-hand woman as the event approaches.
The bulk of the organizational work beforehand, however, falls primarily on Lieske’s shoulders alone. “I’m fried,” she says. As the chief organizer of Dog Days, it wasn’t only that she didn’t have time to gather sponsorships and do the posters, among the myriad of other duties. Continued on page 12