The Labour Day weekend was, as usual, hot and busy at Lake Cowichan, with tourists trying to wring that last bit of fun out of summer and locals just sitting back and enjoying it all.
The big hit of the weekend was the end-of-season concert organized by The Tube Shack on the river at Saywell Park, featuring entertainer Jesse Roper and a whole lot of fans either sitting on land or reclining on tubes and other water toys in the Cowichan River.
By midway through the show, the beer garden and the outdoor deck at Jakes at the Lake were packed, every shady spot was taken in the park, cars were parked on side roads as far as Coronation, and at the Tube Shack, they hauled in a truckload of extra tubes to meet the demand for those who just had to enjoy it all from the water.
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A day earlier, on a sizzling Sunday, Sept. 3, Lake Cowichan’s Trunk Treasures wound up its summer season at Saywell Park and the Lake Cowichan Market held its second-to-last session of the year at Central Park.
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The heat continued later Sunday, too, as more than chili was cooking at the annual Chamber of Commerce Volunteer Appreciation Chili Barn Dance at Saywell’s gazebo.
There were several kinds of chili to enjoy — we especially liked the Oktoberfest one with German beer and sauerkraut mixed in — plus delicious, old fashioned sarsaparilla to drink and, later, an old-style barn dance to the music of the Barn Burners Band, with Amanda Nixon, who is Cowichan Lake Idol for 2017.