Harrison – Sasquatch Days is still on deck for June 27 & 28.
Sasquatch Days has a long history in Harrison Hot Springs. The original Sasquatch Days were a two-day event that took place on May 23 & 24th, 1938. It was a major event attended by some 2000 First Nations people from a host of different bands from both Canada and the United States. The Honorable A. Wells Grey, Minister of Lands from the province of BC was on hand to open the event and so was invested Chief Sespatch, honorary Chieftain of the Chehalis Band (known today as “Sts’ailes”).
This intercultural celebration includes canoe races, traditional salmon barbeque, and medicine walks. Stop in at the Harrison Hot Springs Visitor Centre, and take a tour of the Sasquatch Museum with Sasquatch Investigator and author Thomas Steenburg.
Harrison Hot Springs has always been a center of Sasquatch activity and little wonder as the very word Sasquatch derives from the Sts’ailes word “Sa:sq’ets” meaning ‘wild man’. The Sasquatch is sacred to the Sts’ailes and as the symbol of their people it is only fitting that this celebration stick with the name given to this very popular event that last took place in 1938.
This two-day event will begin at 9:00 am Saturday with a short procession to Harrison Lake Plaza where a welcoming ceremony will be held at 9:30 am. Each day will feature medicine walks (signup required- limited space) and opportunities for intercultural sharing. Saturday morning the main event starts as war canoes gather for a friendly competition that will continue with final races on Sunday. Of course, no canoe race is complete without a traditional salmon barbeque that will take place Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
The joint hosts for this event, Sts’ailes First Nations and the Village of Harrison Hot Springs, invite visitors to this unique event that brings two communities together in an opportunity to learn about the traditions of the Sts’ailes people and share cultural experiences.
https://www.tourismharrison.com/our-events
