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Music and fun at Kitson Island Days

Despite the rain and wind that marked most of the July long weekend on the North Coast, Saturday was fairly mild and gave way for the Prince Rupert Community Arts Council to follow through with Kitson Island Days, a celebration of BC Parks 100th Anniversary, held at Kitson Island, southwest of Port Edward.
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The Prince Rupert Community Band performs at Kitson Island Days.

Despite the rain and wind that marked most of the July long weekend on the North Coast, Saturday was fairly mild and gave way for the Prince Rupert Community Arts Council to follow through with Kitson Island Days, a celebration of BC Parks 100th Anniversary, held at Kitson Island, southwest of Port Edward.

Around 50 made their way to the island, just south of Port Edward. They arrived by kayak, Peter Loy’s voyageur canoe, skiffs and even a herring punt.

Some of the planned activities were cancelled due to the weather, but still people managed to explore the island, take in a bird talk with NWCC professor Reto Riesen, and listen to the Prince Rupert Community Band perform Kitson Island Suite, composed by band director Peter Witherly for the occasion. Photographer Mike Ambach was there to record the performance and the event.

Around a dozen people stayed and camped, enjoying a rainless evening and an uninhibited view of the ocean and distant islands. On Sunday evening Witherly said the weather acted up in the morning so the band members didn’t return to perform a second time, but he and the other campers packed up the band equipment into the herring punt and returned to Prince Rupert by early afternoon.