Vancouver Celtic group Blackthorn played a wonderful show at the Harrison Memorial Hall on February 27.  Special guest was Vancouver Police Pipeband member Jim McWilliams on small pipes and big pipes.  The music was a mix of instrumental and vocals, coming from Scotland and Ireland with a few Quebecois tunes and even the classic Canadian folk song “Log Drivers Waltz”.  The band mentioned they often play in a “pub style” atmosphere and to get to play a concert setting like the venerable Memorial Hall, allowed them to play beautiful and quiet tunes.  Which doesn’t mean to say they stayed quiet.  Some rousing Irish songs celebrating the sea, women, whiskey and missing Ireland got the crowd going as did tunes from Robbie Burns.   To finish, the group received a well-deserved standing ovation.

Reved-up rockabilly outfit Cousin Harley played a rowdy, rockin’ show at the Memorial Hall on Valentine’s Day.  In the middle of a sand-storm that brought to mind the movie Dune, the sold-out crowd were dancing and carrying on and the band certainly fed off the atmosphere.    Cousin Harley himself (aka Paul Pigat), played here during the Harrison Festival of the Arts as a guitarist for both Jim Byrnes and Ndidi Onukwulu.

If you have not had a chance yet to experience the Agassiz – Harrison Circle Farm Tour make some time to do so.  It is a fantastic self guided tour that takes you to a variety of local farms.  You get to see their operations up close and often speak directly to the farmers or producers of the products.  You can view bison and purchase organic bison meat, find hazelnut treats and enjoy freshly roasted coffee ( you can’t beat the smell when you walk in the door!).  There is also an artisan cheese farm complete with goats and a donkey outside and a herb farm with every type of herb you can think of, over 75 varieties.  A tea room on the site is open on weekends and serves lunches with everything created from scratch using local products.