Ioco Ghost Town Day features costumed volunteers.
Photograph by: file photo , NOW
It's not often you have a ghost town in your backyard.
In the case of the old Ioco townsite, there's only one opportunity a year for the community to come out and celebrate its heritage.
This Sunday (Oct. 14), residents from across the Tri-Cities and Lower Mainland are invited to the 11th annual Ioco Ghost Town Day, as part of the Ioco Days Festival.
The free festival, which is more like a fall fair, celebrates all things heritage with regard to the old townsite.
Besides pumpkin decorating and apple tasting, the Model A club will be providing rides through the old town, youth volunteers will be dressing up in costumes and talking like Ioco's characters from the past, and a barber shop quartet and bluegrass band will perform.
"[There are] lots of fun ways we share the history of the site there," said Rebecca Clarke, Port Moody Station Museum coordinator.
"The reason why we do it is to raise awareness of the heritage of the Ioco town."
For the kids, there will also be pony rides and arts and crafts.
Clarke said the Ghost Town Day grows a little more each year, noting about 2,000 people came out to last year's event.
A bustling town at the turn of the 20th Century, Ioco was home to the workers of the Imperial Oil Company refinery. In recent years, the company has moved most of the houses off the site, but has left a few community buildings.
The town was the first site to get a heritage designation by the City of Port Moody.
Ioco Ghost Town Day runs from noon to 4 p.m. at the former Ioco lawn bowling green, at Ioco Rd. and First Avenue. Free parking will be available along Second and Third avenues.
