Merville Hall Heritage Fall Fair

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Sunday, October 4th, 2015
12:00 PM

There will be a Heritage Fall Fair, organized by the Merville Community Association (MCA), at the Big Yellow Merville hall on Sunday, October 4th.

Starting at 12pm (noon) there will be farmers selling produce at the fair, both inside and outside the main hall. We will also have the two heritage buildings, (the Stolen Church and the Manse), 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 for the day.

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.  Gumboot entertainment.  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 would also be the beginnings 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.

So come on out to the Big Yellow Merville Hall, Sunday, October 4th, and see how the Comox Valley can really benefit from this agri-tourism adventure.  We have to start somewhere and the upcoming Heritage Fall Fair is it.  For information, contact Craig Freeman, MCA, at [email protected] or Dawn Ringrose, Tourism Organizer, at [email protected]. 

To register for the Harvest Fall Event just follow the link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MERVILLE