Four painted banners are still missing from the Rotary Arts District, but one that a painter originally thought was missing has been found.
READ: Banners vanish from Rotary Arts District
In early May, volunteers from the Arrowsmith Rotary Club hung up 104 hand-painted banners on lamp standards in Port Alberni’s Rotary Arts District. Each year, the banners brighten up the downtown area on Argyle Street down to Harbour Quay.
When local artist Rachel Rose contacted the Rotary Arts District a couple weeks later in search of her own painted banner, organizers discovered that four banners that had previously been put up in the Harbour Quay area had gone missing.
However, not all of the banners painted in 2018 had been raised yet. Rose’s banner, along with a few others, were hung up a few days later and at least one mystery was solved.
“It was apparently in storage,” Rose said. “It looks awesome. I’m super stoked about it.”
Rose’s banner is now hanging in front of the Paramount Theatre. But although her story had a happy ending, Rotary president Terry Deakin said there are still four banners missing.
“All of the banners from the 2018 painting season have been put up now,” confirmed Deakin. “What we will do now is try to establish which ones are missing by looking at the photographs we took of the banners.”
A few more banners from 2017 that are still in good shape will also be hung up at Centennial Pier, Deakin added.
A report about the missing banners has been filed with the RCMP, and at least one citizen reported seeing a shopping cart with banners in them on Third Avenue, but the banners have not been located.