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Free Friday concert: Saanich school hosts Bowker Creek friends event

Summer concert series starting July 9 serves as fundraiser, educational opportunity
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A free concert happening July 9 next to the south campus of Lansdowne Middle School will feature Indigenous poet Tanisha Nuttall, jazzist David Santana and vocalist Myriam Parent. (Photo courtesy of Friends of Bowker Creek)

The first music and poetry night of what could be Creekside Concert’s final season is set for this Friday evening (July 9) at the south campus of Lansdowne Middle School.

The venue near Bowker Creek and the school at Newton Street and Richmond Road will feature local artists, including Indigenous poet Tanisha Nuttall, jazz musician David Santana and vocalist Myriam Parent.

Event organizers with the Friends of Bowker Creek Society recommend that attendees bring a picnic dinner to enjoy with the show. Admission to the outdoor event is free, along with the butterfly-on-a-stick craft-making stations for the kids.

The theme of the evening’s poetry and music surrounds the conversation of the Bowker Creek watershed and the environment at large, said society director Soren Henrich.

“It’s a perfect time to invite people to bring a picnic and enjoy the music,” he said. They’ll also be discussing the introduction of a biodiversity corridor and walkway connecting the creek lands to Oak Bay, Henrich added.

READ ALSO: Ten years in, Greater Victoria’s 100-year Bowker Creek blueprint gets a boost

Tentative dates for this season’s remaining two concerts are July 23 at the University of Victoria, and Aug. 6 in Oak Bay.

Given the departure of longtime organizer James Davis from Victoria’s Tune Your Ride, this could be the final season for the concert series, Henrich said. The society is, however, looking for an organizer passionate about Bowker Creek to fill Davis’ shoes.

The Friends of Bowker Creek is an advocacy group for the restoration and enhancement of the Bowker Creek watershed. The group promotes conservation of the area through concerts, art-making workshops, teams to replace invasive wildlife and letters to government, according to their website.

Sponsors of the concert include the Capital Regional District Arts Commission, the SOCAN Foundation and the Vancity Victoria City Centre Community Branch.

READ ALSO: Locals want pedestrian path along Bowker Creek at Oak Bay Recreation Centre parking lot


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