Summer isn’t over until after Metchosin Day, a community gathering always celebrated on the first Sunday after Labour Day. This is the 47th year of the event.
The whole family will enjoy watching blacksmith, sheep shearing and wool spinning demonstrations, a dunk tank, backhoe and hay rides or shopping at more than 100 vendors set up on the village green.
Sunday is also the regular day for the Metchosin Farmer’s Market and artisans selling produce, plants and meat as well as pottery, jewelry, dog treats, soaps, fashions, baked goods, flowers, natural wood products, body art and more.
There will be an astral show, with a space bus and models of the solar system and an ecliptic calendar set up across the front field. Sharing the field will be the Project Germani, a historical re-enactment of the first century BC to the first century AD where people can learn about food, crafts, armour, clothing and more.
Attendees can examine a vintage car or listen to music on the stage beside the community house, which is open for tea and scones, with entries to a photography contest on the walls.
The event kicks off at 8 a.m. with a five-kilometre run/walk that leaves from the community hall to the municipal grounds. The run raises money for the Senior’s Information and Resource Centre. Participants can stop by for a pancake breakfast at the Scout tent then stick around for the five-kilometre run, with prizes of fresh vegetables and trophies at the pavilion at 10:30 a.m.
The Village Green activities start at 11 a.m. with the pet contest followed by children’s games at noon. People can learn about the 4-H club and see what animals they have on display.
The Metchosin Equestrian Society puts on horse displays, with events taking place in the riding ring all day.
The event is free. It runs from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Metchosin Municipal Grounds, 4450 Happy Valley Rd. behind the fire hall. There is free parking next to the village green. Enter off Happy Valley Road and exit out Rocky Point Road. Bike parking is in front of the municipal office. To get to the site from Victoria by bike take the Galloping Goose Trail to kilometre 25-1/2 and turn left down Rocky Point Road to Happy Valley Road, then right on Happy Valley Road.
For information, go to metchosinday.ca.
Fernwood block party welcomes neighbours
The Vining Street Party On the Plaza on Sunday is a funky block party in Fernwood that grew to include a whole community, attracting over 1,200 people last year.
The residents of the street are hosting their family-oriented event for a seventh year with live music, face painting, contests, local food, beverages, a silent auction, children’s activities, exhibits and more.
There will be live stage performances, magicians, clowns, stilt-walking, face painting, bumper balls for children 10 and older and hamster balls for those younger.
There will be around 50 vendors and exhibitors displaying a variety of green and sustainable products.
Last year the event raised over $6,000 for various charities. This year net proceeds from the event will benefit the South Vancouver Island Chapter of the Learning Disabilities Association of B.C. to support their work with vulnerable children through their reading and writing programs.
The event is free. It runs 2 to 9 p.m. on plaza of the Victoria High School, 1260 Grant St.
For more information, go to facebook.com/Vining.Street.Block.Party or call 250-995-2696.
Festival is beer lovers’ paradise
Germany might have Octoberfest, but Victoria has the Great Canadian Beer Festival, one of the world’s must-attend beer events that runs tomorrow and Saturday. The annual beer festival was first held in 1993.
Beer-lovers from all over the globe come to the city to taste craft beer from 58 vendors from British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario as well as another 25 in the
U.S Pavilion.
Attendees can try Lager, IPA, bitter, wheat, stout/Porter, Saison/Brett, ESB, Klosh and a number of types of beer that defy convention.
There will also be six food vendors. Maps are available showing the different booths and what they are pouring.
Tickets are $40 and beer tokens are $1.50.
The event runs 3-8 p.m. Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Royal Athletic Park, 1014 Caledonia Ave. For more information, go to the website at gcbf.com.
Give music a try at conservatory’s open house
The Victoria Conservatory of Music will be tooting its own horn, banging on a drum all day and blowing dust out of its trumpets at its annual open house on Saturday.
The music school, one of the largest and most respected in North America, will be offering a variety of activities and entertainment to appeal to every member of the family.
Children can enjoy playing on a variety of instruments at the musical petting zoo, be entertained by The Kerplunks, let off steam in a bouncy house or partake of all-you-can-eat ice cream.
Teenagers get to test the sounds of electronic drums and guitars, try their hand as a disc jockey or jam with rock and folk artists.
Teens and young adults can also get information on the school’s new programs: Youth Rock Band, School of Contemporary Music, Music Technology and Creative programming.
Adults and seniors who always wanted to learn to play guitar, piano, fiddle or bagpipes can take mini lessons or experiment with software-assisted music-learning tools.
“It has always been our goal to provide high-quality education that speaks to the musical needs of our community,” said Stephen Green, dean of the school. “We’re proud to offer many new choices this year and we hope to spark the interest of those wanting to explore the variety of musical genres we have to offer.”
The conservatory, which celebrates its 50th anniversary, is a non-profit organization.
The event is free. The open house runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the school, 900 Johnson St. Details at vcm.bc.ca.
Model trains raise cash for charity
All aboard for the annual Model Railway Show on Sunday. This is the show’s 24th year celebrating the endearing hobby, which attracted more than 2,000 spectators last year.
More than 60 model railway enthusiasts will be on hand to show off their collection of scale-model trains and answer questions from the public. There will be 13 different operating train tracks at the show, with up to five different scales of trains.
More than a dozen commercial vendors will compete against individuals and others buying, selling and swapping a large selection of supplies, tools, magazines and models.
Proceeds from the event support the Times Colonist Christmas Fund and CFAX Santa’s Anonymous.
Admission $7 adults, $3 youth 11 to 16, free for children eight and under accompanied by an adult and $14 for a family.
The event runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Curling Rink of the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre, 1767 Island Hwy. B.C. Transit route #50.
For more information, call Ted Alexis 250-595-4070.
Home tour features artists at work
Watch artists Bev Petow, Robert Amos, Richard Hunt, Brian Simons and Debora Tilby at work in the garden of five of Victoria’s most beautiful homes at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria House Tour on Sunday.
The self-directed tour, in it’s 61st year, leads visitors to three heritage homes in Oak Bay, an Old Esquimalt residence from the 1950s and a manor on a sprawling acreage behind Elk Lake that once hosted a royal visitor.
Along with the artists, members of the Victoria Flower Arrangers Guild will also create flower arrangements specifically to complement the décor of each house.
“This is one of the most important annual fundraisers benefiting the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria,” said event co-chair Pieta VanDyke of the Gallery Associates. “The funds raised support the mandate of the gallery, which includes the development of education as well as exhibition programming.”
Tickets are $35. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at various locations in Greater Victoria. Tickets are available at the art gallery, all GardenWorks locations, all Brown’s the Florist locations and online at aggv.ca/housetour2014. Tickets purchased online need to be picked up at the Gallery prior to the tour date. For information, go to aggv.ca.
Last chance to stargaze at observatory this summer
See the stars for the last time this year at the Summer Star Party, an event hosted by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory on Saturday.
After the closure of the Centre of the Universe facility at the end of last summer, the National Research Council of Canada agreed to limited public access to the observatory, including providing the facilities for summer viewing activities. This is the last of the seven Saturday nights the facility has opened this year.
On Saturday night, local society members will use their telescopes to show visitors the moon, planets, stars and other objects in the sky. The evening will include audio-visual presentations and astronomy lectures inside the historic Plaskett Telescope. These inside activities will take place regardless of the weather conditions.
“We are pleased that our members will be on Little Saanich Mountain again this summer showing the wonders of the universe to members of the public,” said Nelson Walker, president of the Victoria chapter of the society. “Our history of public outreach at the observatory goes back decades.”
The event is free. The grounds of the observatory will open from 8-11:30 p.m. at 5071 West Saanich Rd. The gate to the hill will close for new visitors at 10:30 p.m. Observatory Hill is restricted to 300 people at a time so there is a chance that guests may be asked to wait.
Please follow the directions of the commissionaires for parking. It is advisable to wear comfortable shoes and bring a sweater or jacket for cooler times after dark. Details at victoria.rasc.ca.