Video – Photo Gallery – Port Hope Celebrates Its Salmon Run With Art, Education and Community

Pete Fisher
13 hours ago
• Categories: Community, Local

The salmon may have been the stars of the show, but on Sunday the Ganaraska River became a stage for an entire community to celebrate them.

From Ontario Street to the footbridge, the riverfront came alive Sunday afternoon as “Run Salmon Run” brought artists, educators, performers, residents and visitors together to celebrate one of Port Hope’s most remarkable natural events.

The free community event, held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., included activities along the river and the closure of the Walton Street bridge, allowing people to walk through the event and take in everything from art and demonstrations to educational displays and food.

Organizer Sean Carthew said this was the fifth year for the celebration, but this year’s event had a different feel because of its location along the river.

“We shut down the bridge on Walton Street and we got artists all along the river,” Carthew said.

The event featured an educational component involving the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, along with a boat featuring Ian West and his collection of downriggers.

There were also artists including Lee Higginson, a spray painter and graffiti artist, as well as food and fundraising initiatives supporting the local food bank.

And, of course, there were plenty of activities taking place on the bridge itself.

“It’s been great,” Carthew said.

While the salmon may not have been putting on much of a show Sunday, Carthew said they remain the undisputed headliners.

“The salmon who aren’t here today are our star. They’re the headliner,” he said. “But it’s all about celebrating the salmon.”

For Carthew, moving the event along the river was about more than creating a better backdrop.

He wanted the celebration to bring people into downtown Port Hope rather than compete with local businesses.

“With the bridge as our star, with it shut down, we’re trying to funnel people into the downtown versus competing with them with vendors and food vendors and whatever,” he said.

“We want people to eat downtown and go and hang out on the bridge.”

That connection between the river and the downtown is an important part of the event, Carthew said.

The salmon run attracts thousands of people to Port Hope every year, bringing visitors into the community and providing a natural attraction unlike anything found in most communities.

For people who have grown up around Cobourg and Port Hope, the annual migration can sometimes become something that is simply expected.

But the numbers tell a different story.

“There’s 25,000 salmon that go through this town,” Carthew said.

For years, he believes the community may have taken the salmon for granted.

“I think people, we did take it for granted for years,” he said.

That attitude is changing.

Events like Run Salmon Run are helping remind residents and visitors that the salmon run is not simply something to watch from the riverbank. It is an important part of Port Hope’s identity — one that connects nature, tourism, art, education and the local economy.

On Sunday, the closed bridge became a gathering place, with the Ganaraska River flowing underneath and the community celebrating what brings so many people to its banks every fall.

The salmon remain the headliners.

But on this day, Port Hope was happy to share the spotlight.