RJ Herron

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RJ went from songwriter and recording artist to the catering business in Vancouver to a three-year adventure as co-owner of a bar in Prague shortly after the Velvet Revolution. Since moving to the Comox Valley in the late ’90s, he has written for a number of grass roots publications including BC Musician Magazine. He formed a band with a redhead known as Meaghan Cursons and proceeded to play and volunteer at festivals, eventually helping to form a team of co-producers to present the Elevate the Arts festival in downtown Courtenay. As Vice President of the CV Community Arts Council, he works to help support, promote, and elevate the arts in the Valley. He is currently working on a plan to incorporate his young daughter into his latest music project.

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CONTRIBUTIONS BY RJ

MUSIC WAS OUR CONTRABAND

CV Collective Winter

May 31, 2021: “Hey, Meaghan, we’re thinking if some restrictions lift this summer we might try to book some shows for early July. It’s all dependent on health orders, but if things are looking up would you consider some sort of outdoor concert? Even a backyard private thing with a 50ish capacity. No pressure. Totally […]

Words by Meaghan Cursons
Photo by RJ Herron

PUTTING DOWN THE SAWS

CV Collective Fall

For British Columbians, whether or not we are directly involved in the industry, forest products are us. When I first read The Golden Spruce*, I thought, “How have I lived in this province practically my entire life and never read about the history of something that’s woven so intricately into our history, cultural identity, politics, […]

Words by RJ Herron
Photo by Chukwumuobi Obasi

TOWARD A MORE LIVABLE VALLEY

CV Collective Summer

You pretty much can’t have a conversation anywhere in the world today without one of our global crises popping up and confounding us with its complexity. On the surface, housing people appears to be a relatively basic and solvable problem. We know how to clear land and build buildings, and here in Canada, as in […]

Words by RJ Herron
Photo by Jenn Dykstra

THE PLACES WE MAKE

CV Collective Summer

In Cumberland, the community and forest are inexorably linked. Whether we explore the woods as athletes or artists, educators or explorers, we all find shelter in the shade of her trees, coolness in the lush green ravines, and peace in her silent places. These varied forest experiences are expressed in the unique forest protection efforts […]

Words by Meaghan Cursons
Photos by RJ Herron

BRIDGING THE GAP

CV Collective Spring

American sociologist Matthew Desmond said that housing is absolutely essential to human flourishing. These days, homelessness and affordable housing are very much front and centre as the most challenging social issue we face. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who isn’t affected or connected to a person who struggles in some way with this […]

Words & Photo by RJ Herron

FOOD AT THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY

Collective Efforts CV Collective Intro

We live in an agriculturally rich region where traditions converge to create a sophisticated local food culture. One simply has to wander through the Farmers’ Market to experience the smells, tastes, and textures of our valley’s abundance. We’re always greeted with enthusiasm when we deal with our local food producers, and to help ensure that […]

Words by RJ Herron
Photos by Amy Shaw

AS YOU LIKE IT

CV Collective Market Innovators Summer

As You Like It Products & Catering epitomizes the farm-to-table approach to food production and service. Chef, caterer, and food producer Laura Agnew believes you can’t get too much of a good thing. After sampling some of her tremendously tasty appies at an event, I have to concur. The duck, which came from her own […]

Words & photo by RJ Herron

MERVILLE ORGANICS

CV Collective Market Innovators Spring

Merville Organics is a food grower cooperative made up of several Comox Valley farms including Amara Farm, Ripple Farm, and Kloverdalen Farm. Their focus is producing and distributing deliciously fresh, organic, and transitional produce. Farming challenges brought food activist and organic food advocate Arzeena Hamir together with grower Moss Dance to collaborate, and they eventually […]

Words by RJ Herron
Photo by Arzeena Hamir