EMMY® AWARD-WINNING TRAVELSCOPE CREW TO JOIN DOMINION DAY CELEBRATIONS IN BARKERVILLE

Thanks to support from the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association and Tourism British Columbia, Barkerville is gearing up for an exciting few days with the popular PBS documentary series Travelscope.

Created more than 24 years ago by award-winning travel journalist and author Joseph Rosendo, Travelscope has grown from a radio show and print publication into an internationally broadcast television series, an eMagazine, as well as video streaming, a travel blog and downloadable audio pod-casts.

“After just five seasons, this popular PBS show boasts 250 million viewers and we are thrilled to have them here for our Dominion Day festivities,” said James Douglas, Barkerville’s Manager of Visitor Experiences. “We have an action packed itinerary planned for Travelscopethat will showcase the best of Barkerville and our entire region.

“Partnerships are fundamental to our success and we appreciate local businesses willing to assist us in delivering the best experiences for our visitors,” Douglas added. “We are proud, for example, to welcome Aberdeen Helicopters of Quesnel as a new partner and we really appreciate their willingness to provide an aerial view of Barkerville for the Travelscope crew.”

Barkerville has a long and celebrated Dominion Day history (having been the host of Canada’s first ever recorded Dominion Day party in 1868) and strives to create a fun-filled family atmosphere every year, with many of the same games and activities enjoyed at the town’s earliest celebrations. The annual parade of costumed characters will start at noon, followed by a special program to recognizing the opening of an exhibit at the newly restored Kibbee House, called Conservation in the Cariboo.

Frank Kibbee, for whom the Kibbee House is named, was an early game warden at nearby Bowron Lake, several decades prior to the lake and its surroundings becoming BC Parks’ world-famous outdoor adventure destination, Bowron Lake Provincial Park. BC Parks is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2011, and Bowron Lake Provincial Park itself turns 50 this year. As such, BC Parks representatives – along with popular Parks mascot Jerry the Moose – will be at Barkerville July 1st, and will support the Dominion Day event by giving away pieces of “BC Parks 100” birthday cake and various Parks souvenirs. In addition, Parks has partnered with Barkerville to create a new geo-caching route from Barkerville to Bowron Lake containing ten gold rush-themed caches. Coordinates for these freshly hidden treasures will be posted to http://www.geocaching.com at 12:01 am on Friday, July 1st, 2011.

The traditional Barkerville Dominion Day games and activities will begin shortly after 1:00 pm and will include old-fashioned fun like Sack Races, Broad-Jump, Ladies’ Nail-Pounding, and the ever popular Greasy Pole Climb. Barkerville Gold Mines, Ltd., the Presenting Sponsor for this year’s Dominion Day celebrations, is also a proud Community Supporter of the Mid-Autumn Festival in August and Barkerville’s brand new Cowboy and Drover Jubilee in September.

“Both tourism and mining are set to experience substantial growth in the coming years,” said Barkerville Gold Mines’ Sarai Danby. “We look forward to these opportunities to continue our support of the Barkerville Heritage Trust and Wells-Barkerville community, and to creating additional ways for both industies to work in harmony.”

In addition to Barkerville Gold Mines’ pledges of support, both Celebrate Canada and Scotiabank, as contributing Financial Sponsors, are pleased to be supporting Barkerville’s 2011 Dominion Day celebrations for the second year in a row.

“We recognize the significance of Barkerville, not only as the largest historic site in Western North America but as a huge part our local economy,” said Scotiabank Branch Manager, Brian Harrison. “Our Quesnel branch staff is looking forward to assisting in the delicious job of handing out pieces of Barkerville’s notoriously giant Dominion Day cake!”

Whether you’ve been here before or whether 2011 will be your first experience, Barkerville offers an unforgettable glimpse into British Columbia’s gold rush beginnings. This Dominion Day, come and see for yourself why “living in the past” has never been this much fun!