Kennedy’s talk, based on the book of the same title, tells the story of the BC built ship, the Princess Maquinna that sailed up and down the west cost of Vancouver Island for nearly forty years from 1913 until 1952. Princess Maquinna, sometimes referred to as the “Ugly Princess” but most often “Old Faithful,” transported Indigenous people, settlers, missionaries, loggers, cannery workers, prospectors and travellers of all kinds up and down Vancouver Island’s rugged and dangerous west coast, stopping at up to forty ports of call on her seven-day run.

Join Courtenay Museum Natural History Curator, Pat Trask, for an evening all about palaeontological discovery in the Comox Valley. Trask will focus on the 1988 discovery of the Puntledge River elasmosaur, discoveries made by others in the Comox Valley and on his more recent discovery of a juvenile elasmosaur on the Trent River. Lecture will include slides and a walk through the exhibit area.

A treasure trove of intriguing photos and stories emerged when historian Jeanette Taylor set to work on her latest book, Sheltering in the Backrush, A History of Twin Islands. Some of the stories are so bizarre, says Taylor, they prove the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction.

Discover the fascinating world of fungi with biologist Rick Ross. Rick will be your guide to explore the intriguing world of BC mushrooms. He has years of experience to provide valuable insight for mushroom hunting season, and attendees are welcome to bring mushrooms for help with identification.

Local authors Dickinson and Griffiths bring Comox Valley history to life through stories and photographs from the Courtenay Museum book Watershed Moments, A Pictorial History of Courtenay and District.

When examining the history of British Columbia, one would be hard-pressed to find an Indigenous person who so successfully navigated the echelons of colonial power as did Joseph William McKay (1829–1900).

The fascinating story of the century-long effort to define, access, preserve, develop, and exploit the uniquely beautiful Strathcona area of rugged wilderness in the centre of Vancouver Island.