A little town, but with a lot to offer.
A few dozen hand carved totem poles dot the town streets and parks, artifacts produced by the many First Nation communities surrounding the town.
A little micro brewery and pub, some cafes, a couple of very good restaurants (one of them award winning Vietnamese), second hand stores, banks, art shops, bakeries, clothing...all the stores a community requires to lead a pleasant life.
Japanese cherry trees line some of the narrow streets. And at every corner stands a silent monument, a wooden, carved, sometimes painted, tree trunk telling one of the many traditional stories of First Nation beliefs and legends.
Duncan has a Town Hall, located beside a little town plaza with a gazebo, some benches and a lot of flowering shrubs. Background for many open air summer concerts.
Venturing into the back alleys, one can find some antiques, at least in BC terms. Houses and barns built during the early 20th Century, the time when Vancouver Island started to be of 'economic interest' and settlers started to put down roots.
However, a few tentative attempts at building low rise condos are evident and advertising placards advise of future 'luxury' developments. So far - no takers, except for a few newly constructed retirement residences. Ergo, the little town remains almost 'un-improved'.
Duncan prides itself of having a very good hospital, however 'alternative' healthcare thrives: naturalists, herbalists, yoga, crystal therapy, reiki, and 'Midwfery'.
Baby production must be slow right now, the sign at the door said: Off to the library and having a coffee at the food bank.
But, judging by the line up along the second-hand baby carriage store, things must have been a little busier some time ago.
Every town need a little alley, usually a preferred location for art display and murals, and the same holds true for Duncan.
Here it is 'Alvin's Alley'
Justin Beaver, a detail of Alvin's Alley mural.
J. E. Hughes, a well known painter born in this area, is honoured by a copy-cat mural.
But other artists create their own original location-appropriate art pieces.
One way to beautify an empty lot. The town has converted it into a little picnic area, the surrounding walls are painted to suggest a lush green rain forest, and a number of totems adorn the small park.
And the Sea comes to Town. Enjoy an ocean panorama right in self-same downtown mini park, a little oasis where a cup of coffee and a sandwich are just right for a perfect alfresco snack.
