Sunfest Festival Highlights Past Performances and Community Growth in Lake Cowichan

A retrospective look at Sunfest’s early years in the Lake Cowichan area notes that the festival’s first season at its new site was deemed a “huge success” by public‑relations manager Emmalee Brunt. Attendance rose steadily, reaching about 13,500 on Thursday, 15,000 on Friday and 17,500 on Saturday when Carrie Underwood performed, with slightly higher numbers for Dierks Bentley on Sunday. Brunt highlighted Bentley’s large following and the draw of opening act Autumn Hill, and announced that Toby Keith would headline the 2017 edition.

The same newspaper also featured a story about local resident Patti Thomson, who unexpectedly expanded her horse herd from two to five within ten months, and a proposal by consultant Jerry Reid for Lake Cowichan to become a trailhead on the Vancouver Island Recreation Corridor stretching from Sooke to Cape Scott.