The Fraser River Sockeye Fishery closes on Wednesday July 30th- Get out and enjoy because it only happens once a year!
Sturgeon fishing has been great, especially up the Fraser Canyon.
We’ve also seen lots of fly rod action on the Upper Pitt River with the catch and release Sockeye fishery in full swing.
The weather has been great, get out and enjoy it!
604-847-3100
Fraser River opens Saturday, July 26th, for Sockeye fishing. The limit is two fish per day. For more information or to book a fishing trip call Harrison Bay Guided Services at 1-877-796-3345 or 604-796-3345
The 30th annual Harrison Festival of the Arts was an artistic and financial success, with organizers wondering what they can do to top this year’s event. The evening concerts in the Memorial Hall featured one of the strongest line-ups in the Festival’s history, including a sold-out show by Jim Byrnes & the Sojourners, and wonderful shows from Baka Beyond, UHF, The Paperboys and more. Music on the Beach featured a little something for everyone. From cutting edge dance music by Delhi 2 Dublin to the old-time music of the Highwater Jug Band, audiences were treated to some of the best that Canada, and the World, has to offer. Children’s Day was also a big success, with a myriad of activities and entertainment from Juno Award winning entertainer Al Simmons. It was also a strong year for the Art Market, with product ranging from paintings, pottery and jewelry to henna tattoos and tie-dyed clothing.
Top Ten Moments:
1. Festival Executive Director Phyllis Stenson getting a big hug from his Honour Steven Point, Lieutenant Governor of BC and receiving a drum made by her Honour Gwen Point.
2. Baka Beyond’s concert, from start to finish.
3. The incredible vocal harmonies of Jim Byrnes & the Sojourners.
4. Delhi 2 Dublin getting the whole beach dancing.
5. The humour and song parodies of Todd Butler.
6. A fantastic encore from BC super-group UHF (Shari Ulrich, Bill Henderson & Roy Forbes) as they each performed their greatest hits.
7. Seeing old friends like Tao Ravao & Vincent Boucher back in Canada and better than ever.
8. Harrison Festival favorite Faith Nolan leading the Community Choir.
9. The sing-along at the Paperboys concert.
10. Swing dancers just showing up and showing off to the music of the Highwater Jug Band.
The Agassiz, Harrison Hot Springs area is known for its natural beauty and its Hot Springs, but in the summer months there is so much more. Circle Farm Tours got its start in our area and this year offers a self-guided tour that takes you from bison roaming the fields, to handmade artisan cheeses, and handcrafted willow baskets and pottery. Harrison Lake and river offer some great fishing and local Harrison Bay guided services has grown from a couple of boats to 18 by providing world class sturgeon and salmon fishing.
Summer events - This summer in Harrison Hot Springs promises to be eventful. July kicks off the summer with the Harrison Festival of the Arts celebrating its 30th anniversary July 5th -13th. This unique event brings the cultures of the world to the small resort village of Harrison Hot Springs. For nine days the Village hosts a celebration of music, dance, theatre and visual arts. This two week event will be followed in August with the Harrison Agassiz Chamber of Commerce sponsoring an event to commemorate the important role that the area played in the 1858 Gold Rush. The Gold Rush 150 – Paddlewheel Adventure scheduled for August 5-8th will see the Paddlewheeler MV Native retrace the historic Gold Rush route up the Fraser and Harrison Rivers and Harrison Lake to Port Douglas. Departing from New Westminster Quay on August 5th, this 4 day trip will include 4 segments with overnight stops in Mission and Harrison Hot Springs before returning to New Westminster on August 8th. For further information and to purchase tickets check out www.vancouverpaddlewheeler.com.
Major new development in Harrison Hot Springs has been facing a road block since last November when a moratorium was placed on issuing water and sewer hookups. However with all the pieces now in place to install additional water capacity the water moratorium was lifted by Council on June 16th. In addition Harrison Hot Springs was recently awarded a grant of $3.2 million by the Provincial and Federal Governments to allow Harrison to tie into the District of Kent Waste water system. This joint project will substantially improve Harrison Hot Springs waste water treatment both in terms of capacity and environmental sustainability.
Agassiz and Harrison Hot Springs are both welcoming new restaurants. Ravens on the Beach is part of the Harrison Beach Hotel complex, offering a great West Coast menu and boasting a spacious outdoor patio overlooking spectacular Harrison Lake. Jack’s Restaurant and Steakhouse the smaller sister of Chilliwack’s successful Jackson’s Steak and Grill is opening its doors this July in Agassiz.
Considered by some to be an undiscovered gem of natural and pristine beauty. In my business I get many calls from customers outside the Lower Mainland area and most of them have never been to Harrison Lake and many have never even heard of it. Harrison Lake is a boaters paradise, and that paradigm has been greatly overshadowed by the naming of Village at the southern end of the lake as Harrison Hot Springs. Albeit there are hot springs in the Village, but they play a much lesser role than that of the lake.
Enough said about that topic. Our focus is on the lake and as I said before, it is a pristine beauty that stretches some 50 miles in length. For the boater it is a paradise. Quiet bays can be fouind up and down both east and west shores of the lake. The further north one travels the greater the solitude. it is a blessing that development on the lake has been primarily limited to a small number of cabins in clustered areas such as Cascade Bay and Long Island. If you have the opportunity to visit the lake by boat you will soon discover that it offers a unique experience within close proximity to the highly populated Lower Mainland region. Come see for yourself!