With lights, cameras, music and crafts, the B.C. Day celebration at St. Ann’s Academy on Monday offers samples of the exotic fun this province offers.
Celebrate B.C. features Juno and Grammy-winning Latin musician Alex Cuba, originally from Smithers, the Vancouver-based Shane Philip on his (Australian aboriginal) didgeridoo and traditional B.C. First Nations Kwakwaka’wakw songs of the Le-La-La Dancers.
And there is the kid-bopping rhythms of Bobs and Lolo, a big hit with Treehouse TV fans every time.
“[Bobs and Lolo] were a great success last year so we are bringing them back for an encore performance,” said Amanda Wilcox, project director.
“I was so impressed to see so many strollers rolling in,” Wilcox said. “It was so great to see so many small, smiling, dancing kids at the front of the stage.”
And when the little ones get tired of music and dance, they can retire to the crafts section for some hands-on activities.
But that’s just the program at first glance.
Wilcox also said this year the event has been specifically assembled with the idea of showcasing “Everything B.C.”
So films, from the province’s industry, will also be showcased in the auditorium of St. Ann’s Academy. One documentary, Salish Oars, features the story of a group of paddlers who set out to circumnavigate Vancouver Island.
But Wilcox is also excited by an exhibit of photography submitted by the public called “Capture B.C.” All images have been submitted with the province in mind.
All this takes place on the historic grounds of St. Ann’s Academy, which dates back to 1858 when it was a chapel and convent. It has since been refurbished with provincial government help and has been declared a National Historic Site of Canada.
Wilcox said the grounds and the building offer a wonderful venue for entertainment and enjoyment.
“It provides a really great backdrop,” she said. “It’s easy to navigate and it’s really quite beautiful.”
Celebrate B.C. was arranged with the help of the provincial government.
Shirley Bond, minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, said B.C. is full of things to celebrate and enjoy, for residents and out-of-province visitors.
“We are so fortunate to live in a province with a beautiful landscape full of opportunities where you can go cycling, hiking, boating or even zip-lining,” said Bond in a statement.
“So I encourage British Columbians to spend these holidays exploring local attractions and enjoying outdoor festivals,” she said.
Celebrate B.C. starts at noon and continues to 9 p.m., Monday, Aug. 4, at St. Ann’s Academy National Historic Site, 835 Humboldt St.
All events other than the movies — to be shown indoors in the auditorium — are outside on the grounds. Admission is free.
For more information, including a schedule, check online at celebratebcday.com.
Tango fest grows to include wider Latin
The Victoria Tango Festival, in its seventh year, has expanded to become the Tango and Latin Festival, incorporating a broader range of Latin music and art forms, based on audience and performer requests.
The stated goal of the festival is to develop a Canadian identity for Latin music and arts, with roots in South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Spain.
The festival opens on Aug. 1 with returning act Joe Powers, a world champion harmonica player specializing in tango and jazz fusion.
Headlining this year is local classical group the Emily Carr String Quartet performing alongside San Francisco’s Trio Garufa.
Other featured performers and events are nuevo tango dancers Gabriel Gaumond and Hinda Es-Sadiqi, a “Salon Buenos Aires” milonga, Cuban-born pianist Pablo Cardenas and Argentine pianist and composer Gabriel Palachi.
Free and by-donation dance demos and musical performances are hosted at Centennial Square on Aug. 2 and 3 from 1-6 p.m.
For information, including ticket prices, go to passion4tango.com.
Lantern float promotes peace
A slogan we often associate with the 1960s — Ban the Bomb! — is a plea that sadly remains relevant decades later.
With this in mind, a cross-section of local and high-proile peace activists are co-sponsoring a remembrance at Esquimalt’s annual lantern ceremony on Wednesday.
The 7 p.m. ceremony at Esquimalt Gorge Park (off Tillicum Road, south of the Gorge Waterway) will recall the 69th anniversary of the Second World War horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The U.S. bombed the Japanese cities in 1945 during the war’s final days, the results of which have inspired many cautionary books, movies and TV specials.
Lantern-making will begin at 7 p.m., followed by songs of peace at 8 p.m., before flickering lanterns are set afloat on the Gorge waterway as a symbolic gesture to express our desire for global peace.
Floating lantern supplies will be provided. Participants are asked to bring a blanket to sit on and a battery tea candle if desired.
The event is sponsored by the Victoria Raging Grannies, the Victoria Peace Coalition, Dr. Elinor Powell, Canadian Department of Peace Initiative and the Council of Canadians Victoria chapter.
Sidney fire celebrates centenary
Sidney’s Volunteer Fire Department has bravely battled plenty of fires in its 100-year history, but there’s one thing firefighters won’t be able to extinguish on Saturday: fun and community pride.
Saturday’s centenary celebration begins with a parade down Beacon Avenue to First Street at 11 a.m., followed at noon by an open house until 3 p.m. at the Sidney Fire Hall, 9837 Third St.
Dozens of fire engines old and new will be on display on side streets throughout the afternoon. There will be live demonstrations and additional displays at Sidney Museum, 2423 Beacon Ave.
The event will show just how far the fire department has come since 1914, when Sidney’s 600 residents raised funds to start one with a hand-drawn hose reel and 300 metres of hose.
Today, the department has six full-time members and access to 40 trained volunteers to serve a community with a population of 12,000.
The firefighters have three engines, two pumper trucks — one equipped with a 23-metre ladder — and state-of-the-art rescue gear at their disposal.
More information at sidneyfire100year.com.
Trucks, tractors galore at Heritage Acres
Lovers of all manner of Big Iron, trucks that is, can satisfy their greatest desires this weekend at the annual Butch Taylor Memorial Truck Show.
Held at Heritage Acres, 7321 Lochside Dr., in Central Saanich, the show will feature new trucks, tractor trailer units, dump trucks and many other specialized heavy vehicles.
Some will be special show trucks that never see a speck of dirt. But the majority are working vehicles whose owners have cleaned them up, shined their chrome or even resprayed them for the show.
“The owners and drivers have a lot of pride. They take real pride in their ride,” said Ron Basi of the Island Big Rig Club, organizers of the show.
Basi said a big hit in the past has been a crane truck. Operators hitch a basket to it, equipped with safety harnesses, and then hoist ticket buyers into the air for an aerial view of the show.
The show is named for Butch Taylor, a Vancouver Island icon of trucking and heavy equipment.
The show runs Friday through Monday. Admission is by donation and money raised will go to the B.C. Children’s Hospital.
Slithery fun with snakes
Snakes will be on display at the appropriately named Snake Day, a free family event being held at the Beaver Lake Nature Centre in Saanich on Monday.
The drop-in event (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) is a partnership between the Elk/ Beaver Lake Regional Park and Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, whose staff will be on site for snake shows and displays.
The event is an opportunity for those wary of snakes to get familiar with the slithery reptiles. A variety of snakes will be on hand, according to organizers, and there will be snake songs, games and face-painting to help keep kids entertained.
Attendees are being asked to meet at the Beaver Lake Nature Centre off the main Beaver Lake parking lot, which is wheelchair accessible.
For information, call 250-478-3344 or go to the event page at crd.bc.ca.
West Shore goes big on arts
The West Shore Performing Arts Festival may centre around B.C. Day, but the fun will get started two days earlier.
Tenor Ken Lavigne headlines the special Saturday night opening event at the Church of the Advent in Colwood. Opening act The Cool Beans Trio joins him. Admission is $25 at Tom Lee Music, Westside Instaprint, Coast Collective Arts Centre or at the door.
The Performing Arts Festival on B.C. Day, Aug. 4, features family-friendly entertainment ranging from music and dance to theatre and magic. Local artists, artisans and community groups will have exhibits.
Live performances begin at 10:15 a.m. with the singing of O Canada. Eighteen different performers will put on shows throughout the day, including Raven Baroque, Taya Lee & Friends, Westshore Dance Studios, Miguelito Valdes and Maureen Washington.
In addition to performers, there will be bouncy castles, mini golf, face painting and a musical petting zoo.
B.C. Day events will be held at the Westhills Stadium just off Langford Parkway. Events run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and are free.