Volunteers are the heart, soul, arms, legs, brains and backbone of organizations like the Chemainus Valley Cultural Arts Society and its affiliate, Rainforest Arts. And in 2026, CVCAS is celebrating 25 years of bringing music, visual arts, and—more recently—local literature to the community.
“Just think what we’d all be missing if the CVCAS hadn’t been here to promote arts and culture,” CVCAS Chair Bev Knight said.
To start with, we’d have missed hundreds of concerts at the Waterwheel bandshell, where the annual Music in the Park series kicks off on Canada Day, July 1 and runs until Sept. 1. In the mix will be a Blues Festival, Bluegrass Festival, Accordion Festival, and Folk Festival to enliven Muraltown’s citizens and visitors all summer long.
Rainforest Arts celebrates an anniversary within an anniversary this year. It has been displaying and selling the works of local artists to the community from its Willow Street gallery for 10 years now, to the benefit of art lovers and creators alike. It also hosts special events like the popular Convergence: Images + Words show.
None of that would be possible without the scores of behind-the-scenes volunteers who keep the shows running. A typical bandshell performance enlists about 15 volunteers, says CVCAS volunteer coordinator Marlie Kelsey. And it’s volunteers who sit the Rainforest Arts gallery, keeping it open five days a week, hanging shows, and patching walls, says gallery manager Stephanie Allesia.
Thank you, and congratulations to the people who make the arts happen in the Chemainus Valley. We couldn’t do it without you… And we’re always ready to welcome new hearts, souls, arms, legs, brains and backbone.
“It’s a great way to meet people and get to know the community,” Marlie said. Open the ‘Membership’ menu item at CVCAS.ca and find out more about how you can help make the arts happen in the Chemainus Valley. And as a community, we should all be chanting, “Three cheers for volunteers!”