What would you do with an extra day?
Would you spend it with family, treat your staff to a barbecue lunch, bake cupcakes for your hockey team, or simply curl up with a good book beside a crackling fire?
It's worth thinking about because this month we all get an extra day courtesy of Leap Year.
And the Kamloops Project aims to catch every glorious minute of it.
"When we were looking ahead at the calendar and noticed that February would have a 29th day this year, we knew it would be a perfect day for the return of the Kamloops Project," said Daily News editor Mel Rothenburger.
"So we're really excited to announce today that part two of our community time-capsule will take place on Leap Day, just three short weeks from now."
The Kamloops Project is a photographic study of life in our community, as illustrated through images and captions sent in by residents.
The first such project was held Oct. 19, 2010, collecting more than 600 photos taken during that day in households, workplaces and outdoor settings throughout Kamloops.
"The result was quite profound, just seeing all of these images on the website and reading the captions from each person," said Daily News reporter Catherine Litt, one of the project's team leaders.
"There's something really compelling about them. They are all simple snapshots of people, children, pets and scenery, but they give us a deeper look at the everyday moments in our lives.
"Those quieter moments tell a bigger story; they show who we are as a community and what matters most to us — the love of a grandchild, the laughter among friends, the sage-covered hillside outside our door."
The first Kamloops Project can be viewed at www.kamloopsproject2010.ca and a new website has been created at www.kamloopsproject.ca for the hundreds of photos expected on Feb. 29.
The new site contains an introduction to the Leap Day Kamloops Project along with a list of frequently asked questions and instructions on how to participate.
Daily News staff are also hard at work on a special video promoting the project, with editing help from Jordan Nicholson of Mastermind Studios. Several local musicians are contributing original music — among them: Danie Pouliotte, Shea Duncan and the Midnight Lights, Zen Rising and Shawn Knippelberg and Jeff Marchand.
"Working collaboratively on a video for the Kamloops Project seems so fitting and I'm excited to see what we come up with together," said Daily News graphic designer Jen Poohachoff.
"Putting together a chronological video of the last Kamloops Project really puts this 'Day in a Life' project into a whole new perspective and makes me excited to see what the community sends us on Feb. 29."
We invite everyone in Kamloops to submit a photo on Leap Day.
In the meantime, please join the conversation on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kamloopsproject.
"The purpose of this ongoing project is to capture a moment in time as means of not only documenting our history but as a way of learning more about ourselves and our neighbours," said Rothenburger.
"These days it's easy to feel disconnected and isolated by all the technology that's designed to improve our lives. We want to use that technology to connect the community, to give us a sense of shared identity and belonging, not separation."
