Dawn Gibson
Sooke News Mirror
Aside from its usual talent, Sookapalooza welcomed special celebrity guests to enjoy the music at 17 Mile House last weekend.
The star of the Netflix series Riverdale, KJ Apa, made a special appearance at the music festival. Apa plays Archie in the series.
“He’s such a talented musician, we invited him over to check out the Island and take in Sookapalooza,” said Sookapalooza organizer Graham Mackenzie, whose wife is a makeup artist on the Riverdale set.
“We tried to keep it pretty quiet so he would get a chance to chill out and enjoy the bands, but the way social media works these days, word got out quick.”
Mackenzie also lined up a zipline tour for Apa and Charles Melton, who plays Reggie on the show. After ziplining, the two actors headed over to the 17 Mile Pub to enjoy the live music.
Dylan Lammie, a performer at Sookapalooza who met Apa and Melton, said it was neat that even though the actors are so well known, they still wanted to get to know him.
“KJ wanted to get on stage and jam with me later on in the night, but I had to leave before the chance came up,” said Lammie.
“I think if word gets out that young, popular celebrities come to see a festival at a bar in Sooke that it will attract more people to come [to Sookapalooza] next year.”
Lammie added that both actors were really personable and easy to talk to.
“KJ ended up getting up on stage with local blues legend Jason Buie who was playing with Hype Man and the Worms and treated the crowd to some great guitar playing,” said Mackenzie.
“The boys had a great time and I wouldn’t be surprised if you see them back on the Island sometime soon.”
