Enjoy food and music while browsing a wide collection of pre-owned books as the Churchmouse Bookshop holds its Giant Spring Book Sale at St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church in Oak Bay, Saturday.
This is the eighth year of the annual sale, which features thousands and thousands of books on shelves, tables and in the pews — each with its own story to tell.
The pre-owned books, in excellent condition, will be joined by a now-regular feature: jigsaw puzzles.
Enjoy live music, have a cup of coffee, dine on hot dogs or the Archdeacon’s famous pulled pork or vegan sliders from the grill.
Local authors with the Victoria Writers’ Society will be in attendance to meet the public and display their own works.
Because of zoning and permit issues, the bookshop, which opened in 2015, is a charity project and does not sell books. The books are exchanged for cash donations by the new owners.
Proceeds from the donations are used to fund local and international charities supported by the church.
In 2024, the church is continuing to support Threshold Housing, Our Place Society and the food bank at St. John the Divine.
Admission to the event is free. The sale runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at St Mary’s, 1701 Elgin Rd.
For more information, go to stmarysoakbay.ca/connect/churchmouse-books.
See Victoria Through Artists’ Eyes at Wentworth Villa
Take an illustrated and architectural journey through local venues at Victoria Through Artists’ Eyes, a presentation by artist and art historian Robert Amos, at Wentworth Villa, Sunday, March 17.
At the one-day event, Amos uses an archive of paintings by other artists to showcase an artist’s view of Victoria over the years.
The exhibit starts with photographs of Fort Victoria in 1852, followed by works by painter Sarah Crease, gold seeker W.G.R. Hind and railway artist Frederick Bell-Smith.
Viewers can tour the shoreline with Emily Carr, share the picturesque vision of watercolour painter and printer Walter J. Phillips and admire the Canadian modernism of Jack Shadbolt (who grew up in Victoria) and contemporary artist Herbert Siebner.
The event will be held at Wentworth Villa, the home of the Architectural Heritage Museum. The museum is dedicated to the preservation, documentation and popularization of historic homes in Victoria.
The event is free to attend but registration is required. It runs 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 17 at Wentworth Villa, 1156 Fort St.
The museum is open to the public 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to Saturday. Current exhibitions include Gothic Victoria, Garden City and Francis Rattenbury.
For more information and to register for the event, go to wentworthvilla.com.
Check out the Victoria Rock and Gem Show
The Victoria Lapidary and Mineral Society is hosting their annual Victoria Rock and Gem Show, at the DaVinci Centre Friday to Sunday (March 15 to 17)
More than a dozen of Western Canada’s best-known gem and mineral dealers, jewellers and lapidary artists will be in attendance.
Expect to find jewelry, beads, as well as demonstrations and showcases at the three-day show.
The society is one of the oldest non-profit hobby clubs in British Columbia, with members consisting of amateur rockhounds, artisans, jewellers and miners of all ages.
The non-profit society also offers up to two $1,000 bursaries for students registered in an earth sciences program at a public post-secondary educational institution located in B.C.
Admission is $5 adults, $4 students and seniors, $12 family of four and free for children 12 and under. The event runs noon to 8 p.m. Mar. 15, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mar. 16 and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mar. 17 at Da Vinci Centre, 195 Bay St.
For more information, go to vlms.ca.
