You won’t want to miss the upcoming Horsefly River Salmon Festival taking place this Friday, Aug. 31 to Sunday, Sept 2.
The weekend kicks off on Friday night at the Horsefly Community Hall with a family square dance, music provided by the Fraser River Buckaroos (Pharis and Jason Romero, Marin Patenaude and friends). Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the dance at 8 p.m.
The cost to attend is $10 each and $25 for a family of three or more.
Saturday morning you can sing along and learn with the best at a free signing workshop with Pharis Romero at the Horsefly Hall from 10 a.m. to 1p.m.
Sept. 1 and Sunday Sept. 2 will see fishy activities for the whole family down at the river from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., as well as kids crafts, salmon and watershed info, the ever popular fish dissection tent, interpretive walks, Northern Shuswap traditional fish drying demos, artisan and food vendors, and more.
Visitors will also enjoy a Gyotaku fish art print making workshop (a Japanese term pronounced ghe-yo-tahkoo, meaning fish gyo and print, rubbing, or impression taku).
Sunday afternoon, buy a ticket on your lucky number for first prize in the Sockeye Salmon Egg float in the Spawning channels just past the bridge, co-ordinated by to the Horsefly SAWS (Seniors Activity and Wellness Society).
This year’s Salmon Festival is a collaborative event sponsored by the Horsefly River Roundtable, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, BC Hydro, and the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society.
As in previous years, this is a family-focused, all-ages event aimed at celebrating and understanding more about the highly significant Horsefly sockeye salmon run.
The obvious next question is, “How many salmon will there be?”
2012 is the fourth year in the Horsefly’s sockeye cycle, which means this is likely the smallest run of the four.
Nonetheless, early September is expected to be prime viewing time for the sockeye that make this remarkable journey from the Pacific Ocean back to the river of their birth.
For more information, call Maureen at 250-620-3505 or Brandi at 250-620-0572, or visit www.horseflyriver.ca