Don`t miss the final day of the Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens Artisans` Festival

By Keith and Heather Nicol

    The 17^th annual artist`s festival is on the long weekend at the Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens and you have one day left to take it in. This year the festival runs Aug 31- Sept 2 and tomorrow promises the best weather of the long weekend. With close to 70 exhibitors which featured everything from pottery to paintings to wood work and everything in between there is alot to choose from. The exhibitors tend to be mostly located in small open meadows on the 24 acre site but some are in enclosed areas like Santa’s Barn. 

We loved the bright folk art of Laurel Hibbert

    From the map we could see that there are many trails that wind through the forest and so we will have to return for another visit to fully explore the gardens.  We also appreciated the musicians who were playing music along the way and each day of the festival there are different people playing at the different venues. There is also an ATM and food trucks on site. The Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens offers a tranquil setting to enjoy nature and this weekend there is an added bonus of the artisans’ festival.  

Most of the vendors are set up in small open meadows surrounded by tall trees

 We are looking forward on coming back to see the gardens when the rhododendrons are in full bloom since they have one of the largest collectionsof rhodos on the Island.  Also one vendor told us that if we hadn`t visited at Christmas that this was a must do. ``The place is all lit up`he told us. The gardens are located about 15 minutes north of Courtenay just off the North Island Highway. For more information see:  http://woodlandgardens.ca/  

Brad Prevedoros and other musicians really added to the ambiance