For the past two weeks Squamish's downtown has been singing a new tune.
The sounds of guitars, violins and other instruments filled Cleveland Avenue as the Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association (BIA) kicked off its busker program.
"It was sort of briefly chatted about in the last meeting, then we just did it," said Scott McQuade, the association's president.
The association received about 10 replies to its call out for artists. They are provided seed money from the BIA and also accept tips. The program will run into the first three weeks of September before being assessed by the association's members, McQuade said. So far feedback from the community has been positive, he noted.
"People are talking about it," McQuade said before adding he expects the program to be reinstated next summer.
The aim of the initiative is to animate downtown. McQuade said he hopes to see more acts enter the busking pool next summer.
"[The program] is great for the town and it is great for the merchandisers," he said.
