Head to the hills for the 2016 Foggy Mountain Fall Fair in Cumberland on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.
This free grassroots community event is all about celebrating trails, trees, harvest and heritage in our community.
The fun kicks off on Friday, Sept 30 with a guided walking tour of the historic village. Explore the streets and alleys of the village, and learn about the trials and triumphs of Cumberland.
Then, grab a bite to eat at one of many tasty village establishments and head over to the Masonic Hall for the third annual Fall Fair Follies. Don’t miss this mad-capped showcase of the weird and wonderful, featuring the unusual talents of villagers.
Admission is by donation. Doors open at 7 with showtime at 7:30.
On Saturday, head out for the fair at the corner of First and Dunsmuir. Live music, harvest vendors, family painting projects, workshops, dance performances, a pie contest and cake auction, craft beer and bratwurst barbecue, heritage food traditions, crafts and games and so much more await residents and visitors. Things kick off at 10 a.m. and the fun runs all day long.
Try your hand at the old-fashioned apple press, learn about beekeeping and mushroom foraging, take a guided tour of historic Chinatown or a family nature walk, get your family involved in a forest art project, hear stories around the campfire, take part in a scavenger hunt, join in a tug of war, try out your DJ skills in the Turn Temple, or just kick back with a beer and listen to live music all day long. Performers include Captain Thunderpants, a local youth music showcase, Luke Blu Guthrie, Tereza Tomek, The Emily Cars and Cumberland’s own Perseverance Creek.
Bakers of all ages can get involved by entering the Cumberland Pie of the Year Contest or contributing a cake to the Silent Cake Auction. Show off your baking skills and creativity and help raise funds for the Cumberland Forest. Details can be found at cumberlandforest.com.
After dinner on Saturday you can head to the Masonic Hall for a 7 p.m. theatrical performance from Theatreworks called Coal Town Remembered. This original one-act play explores the stories and experiences of children in Cumberland back in the coal mining days. Admission is by donation.
“The Foggy Mountain Fall Fair is a great opportunity for Comox Valley Arts to help facilitate grassroots cultural activity in our community,” said Dallas Stevenson, executive director of Comox Valley Arts. “The support and engagement of the organizing partners and from the Department of Heritage Canada helps to make this event vibrant, engaging, fun and best of all - free to the public
A detailed schedule of events, performer bios and other important details can be found at comoxvalleyarts.com