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Music returns to Spirit Square in June

Jim Creighton hands the reigns over to Highway 19 Concerts’ Lucas Schuller
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Concerts return to Campbell River’s Spirit Square this June. Photo by Sean Feagan/Campbell River Mirror

After two long and quiet years, June is going to be a busy and lively month in Campbell River’s Spirit Square.

Nearly every other day beginning Thursday, June 2, the Square will host a concert, farmers market or other special event such as GoByBike week, Pride Day, National Indigenous Peoples Day, and the Nite B4 Canada Day.

Lucas Schuller, who has been programming the Highway 19 Concert series at Rivercity Stage since 2019 , has taken over management and programming of the Square after the retirement of Jim Creighton. Schuller has booked live music every Tuesday at noon and Thursday evening which will continue throughout the summer months.

It all starts on Thursday June 2 at 7 p.m. with two-time Juno Award winning Guinean-Canadian guitarist and singer Alpha Yaya Diallo. The Thursday evening series continues June 9 with Indigenous folk-rock legend Willie Thrasher. For Pride week, indie-pop-rocker Beau Wheeler will perform with their band June 16, and June 23 will feature instrumental folk quartet Vinta from Toronto.

Meanwhile on Tuesdays, the Lunch in the Square concerts begin at noon with music from performers from the local area such as guitar and mandolin duo Jenny Lester and Tai McGillivray, Luke Blu Guthrie and Anela Kahiamoe, and new local bands like Sound Factory. Also appearing at the lunch hour concert is fingerstyle guitarist and songwriter Simon Kempston on tour from Scotland.

“Spirit Square is at the heart of our town,” says Schuller. “When it’s full of people getting together, eating, chatting, playing, dancing, and enjoying live music together on a nice evening, it’s a beautiful thing. Especially after the last couple of years, I think we’ve all been missing that, and we want to make it happen as much as possible this summer.”

For the latest on who is performing and what is happening when go to www.spiritsquare.ca and follow @crspiritsquare on facebook.

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