A Heritage Fall Fair, organized by the Merville Community Association (MCA), at the Big Yellow Merville hall on Sunday, Oct. 4, will raise money to renovate two heritage buildings.
Starting at 12 p.m. there will be farmers selling produce at the fair, both inside and outside the main hall.
The two heritage buildings, (the Stolen Church and the Manse), will also be open for inspection and for vendors or activities. There should be plenty of space for everyone and even room for the old Farmers’ Market entertainment float.
During the day there will be activities for children and adults, including a big Tug-o-War between Mervillians and Black Creekians, hopefully officiated over by the “Mayors” of both communities.
The late afternoon and evening will be taken over by a rural Merville/Black Creek variety show that will feature local acts of music, poetry, dance and anything else. There will be auctions and draws for church prints and paintings; local wineries are invited and the Gladstone Brewery will supply beer on tap.
The MCA is aiming for a festive, daylong event that should go well into the evening with a lot of music and dancing.
The MCA is promoting the idea of Area C and B becoming the “Provence/Tuscany” of the North Island with the Merville Hall being the hub as it is centrally located right on the Old Island Highway, between Campbell River and Courtenay. This agri-tourism promotion could be a real tourism boost for all of our areas.
The Harvest Fair will also be the beginning of raising financing from the federal/provincial governments, and/or interested investors, for the renovations of the two on-site heritage buildings, the Stolen Church and Manse. These renovated buildings, with the hall, would be a natural tourist stop for travellers along the highway. The plan for the next few years is to create a heritage site on the three acres of hall grounds with demonstration gardens and buildings (cob, earth), alternative power sources, antique machinery, historic displays, and a small retail space where samples of the wares from all of the agricultural businesses in the Valley could be displayed. Rooms in the buildings could be used for educational classes and ongoing community activities. Come on out to the Big Yellow Merville Hall, Sunday, Oct. 4, and see how the Comox Valley can benefit from this agri-tourism adventure. The Merville Community Association says it has to start somewhere and the upcoming Heritage Fall Fair is it.
For more information, contact Craig Freeman, MCA, at seabankmars@shaw.ca or Dawn Ringrose, Tourism Organizer, at dawn.ringrose@shaw.ca
To register for the Harvest Fall Event visit, www.surveymonkey.com/r/MERVILLE