Thank you all so much for coming to the first Green Man Festival Reimagined! I’m so happy all of you came to see what the youth of Bowen were able to put together, with the support of our numerous volunteers and sponsors!
As some of you may know and understand, it takes a lot to put on an event, no matter the size of it, and I know that I couldn’t have done this without the support of my friends and family. When I was younger, I remember fondly the Green Man festival, performed by Graham Ritchie (The Green Man), and Tina Nielsen (the Ice Queen), Murray Atherton (the Olde Town Crier) and whoever decided to play the May Queen. It was one of my favourite events of the year, because it brought together the youth, and the community, by keeping alive the ideas of the fantastical, magical and whimsical land of the Fae.
This is why I brought it up to my Mum a couple months ago. It was a spur-of-the-moment, do-you-remember-when conversation, and it ended with me saying “I want to bring this back as a volunteer project!” and my mum going “oooookayy.” I am an impulsive decision maker, and a lot of the time, that isn’t a very good thing. I make rash decisions, and end up either hurt or disappointed. However, with this decision, I think it was perfect.
It has been a good couple years since Bowen has gotten to experience these kinds of community events, and I think it’s important that we start bringing back some of the ones that may not be “as important” as Bowfest or Light Up the Cove. The thing with these kinds of events is that they bring together the community in some of our quirky Island traditions, and that was the goal of this year’s Green Man Festival Reimagined. I wanted to bring together the community in a way where everyone would have some fun.
Whether it was because you remember going to the old Green Man Festival in 2014, or you’re here as a kid yourself, experiencing the magic of these Island traditions is one of the things that makes Bowen unique, so thank you all so much for supporting me and my peers as we bring back the magic of old.
The youth and kids on this island are amazing, and what empowers and strengthens us even more, is that we have the support of our families, and our community.
Thank you to our amazing volunteers, sponsors, partners, and donors! A big shoutout to Liz Nankin (costumes and wand making), Sarah Haxby (co-coordinator), my mum and dad (for emotional support, setup, and organization), Murray Atherton, Docs'n'Socs (the bagpipers), Alison Nixon and her group of fiddlers, Lee Chanho (Bowen Taekwondo), Alison Nosek, Elle and Dom Wild, Carmen McKay, Emilie and Link Irelan, Aaron and Kelly Woods, Jack and Julie from Tir-na-nOg (for their throne prop), Basia Liseke (for the winter decorations), the Hearth Gallery, Bowen Island Public Library, Marysia McGilvray, Bowen Island Community Foundation, Bowen Island Municipality, Tina Nielsen, Shirley Wrinch (costumes), Titaina Michniewicz (face paint consultant), and Jami Scheffer.
And last but not least thank you to all of my friends, the teen representatives, who helped me bring my dream to life (listed in no particular order): Jovie Nosek (face painter), Tierney Nosek (face painter), Max Wild (Bowen Taekwondo), Nikko Yamashita (Bowen Taekwondo), Ronan Ramsay (Bowen Taekwondo), Sam Irelan (Bowen Taekwondo), Alex William (Bowen Taekwondo), Dylan Woods (the Green Man), Aviva Rabinowitz (the May Queen), Claire Carchrae (the Ice Queen), Noam Olsen (our drone pilot) and Ethan Harrison (our photographer).
