A Day in Chemainus

• Author: WifeOfTheOwner
• Accommodation: Chemainus Accommodations

We were visiting family in Victoria in August and decided to drive the hour and a half up Hwy 1 to catch a show at the Chemainus Theatre. As my son is only 7 we enjoyed the matinee of James and the Giant Peach originally a book by Roald Dahl. This production was dramatized by Richard R. George and was just delightful. It was entirely geared to a young audience with songs, audience participation, funny costumes and wonderful puppets. The Chemainus Theatre boasts an entire festival season of 6 to 8 productions throughout the year (http://chemainustheatrefestival.ca).

It was lunchtime when we left the theatre so we headed down Willow Street to find something to eat. There are many little restaurants and cafes to choose from, we chose for convenience to eat at the Willow Street Cafe. Housed in one of the town’s historic buildings, the cafe is located at the corner of Willow and Victoria Streets a block away from the theatre (www.willowstreetcafe.com). They offered a wide range of sandwiches and wraps, soups and salads and baked goodies as well as a kids menu with plenty to choose from for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. I thoroughly enjoyed my vegetarian sandwich accompanied by carrot/ginger soup and home made chai tea latte. Yum. My son was particularly taken by his double chocolate cookie, but insisted the cheese quesadilla with tortilla chips was good too.

Something struck me about my personal dealings with people in Chemainus, they were all, to a person, friendly and helpful. From the volunteer ticket takers at the theatre, the staff at the Willow Street Cafe to a few encounters on the street after our meal. We were wandering through the hallway of a mini mall filled with old photos from the town’s 150 year old past. Chemainus was founded as a logging town in the 1850s. However in the 1980s with the slumping lumber industry, the community put together a program that would attract tourists. Chemainus is famous for its many murals painted by various artists on the walls of buildings throughout the town. There is a walking tour easy to navigate by following the little yellow foot prints painted on the side walks. The town also has a golf course, and offers many water activities; sailing, kayaking, fishing and diving off of Kin Beach to explore the sunken Boeing 737. Anyway, back in the hallway of the mini mall, a woman came out of a doorway and spoke with us. We explained that we had seen the children’s play and she mentioned that she often volunteered for the theatre. She suggested that we check out the outdoor market a few doors down and if we were interested, we could purchase Chemainus dollars from the local bank on the corner!! Chemainus has its own currency which is legal tender in the town. We purchased a $1 and a $2 which were much too pretty to use as money. The famous Canadian West Coast artist, Emily Carr graces the front of both bills. We wandered around a little more admiring the many murals. Everywhere we went people greeted us with a smile if not a hello. It must have something to do with quiet, gentile living in a beautiful part of the world.