Maritime Museum of B.C. holds annual garage sale
Find seafarer treasures at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia’s annual Massive Marine Garage Sale, Saturday at Ogden Point.
This is the 16th year of the maritime sale, one of the museum’s flagship events.
Money raised from the volunteer-driven sale helps to fund the museum’s community and school education programs.
The annual event is one of the highlights of the year for anyone who has an interest in boating, fishing or outdoor sports, with dozens of tables full of nautical-related goods for sale.
You can expect to find anything that you would in, on or around a boat — be it fishing gear, books, prints, maps. Items for sale also include clothing, anchors, anchor chains, charts and even marine antiques.
People are invited to rent a table to display wares or bring their watercraft on a trailer.
The museum will also have a table at the sale, offering marine and non-marine items that have been donated.
Donations to the museum will be accepted.
Tables will be inside Pier A, with larger items displayed outside.
The event is sponsored by the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, Western Stevedoring and CFB Esquimalt.
Admission is $5 for adults and free for children 12 and under.
Table rental, car topper and boats on trailers cost $40. Commercial sellers are charged $85.
The event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Pier A at Ogden Point, off Dallas Road.
For more information, go to mmbc.bc.ca.
Get lowdown on how our legal system works
A very special Law Day will unfold at the Victoria Courthouse on Saturday as the justice system celebrates the 45th anniversary of the Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of B.C.
Law Day recognizes the signing of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by the Queen and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1982.
It’s an occasion for the public to learn about the law, the legal profession and the legal institutions that form the cornerstones of Canadian democracy.
This year, elder Skip Dick of the Songhees Nation will welcome people to the courthouse, reminding them they are on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen people. This will be followed by dancing and drumming by Answer, an all-female drum group.
At 11 a.m., Alex Nelson, an elder and survivor of St. Michael’s residential school in Alert Bay, will give a talk on truth and reconciliation.
Nelson, a member of the Musgamagw–Tsawatainuek tribes of the Kwakwala-speaking people, hosted the 1997 North American Indigenous Games in Victoria.
Nelson is a gifted speaker. Through his stories, he brings a personal, emotional awareness about residential schools.
At 1 p.m., Judge Roger Cutler will give a talk on First Nations Court. The talks will be held in courtroom 203.
A complimentary lunch of stew and fry bread is available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Unity drummers will perform during lunch.
From 10:30 a.m. to noon., the public will be able to meet a sheriff and see the cells where prisoners are held before they appear in court.
At 11 a.m., there will be tours of a sheriff’s van outside the courthouse on Burdett Avenue.
From 1 to 2 p.m., Victoria police dogs will be sniffing out imaginary criminals in the courthouse green space.
A trial, based on the children’s animated film The Incredibles, begins at 11:30 a.m. in courtroom 301. There’s also face painting, a balloon twister and a photo booth.
Community groups that play a role in the justice system will make presentations on the first and second floors about the services they provide.
The Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of British Columbia is a helping hand to justice for Indigenous people.
Its mission is to provide culturally appropriate justice and health-related services.
Authors share secrets at LitFest
Meet authors, engage in lively discussions, attend writing workshops and listen to book readings at Sidney LitFest, today until Sunday at the Mary Winspear Centre.
The festival, held on alternate years, is a chance for readers to meet 16 Canadian authors, including Esi Edugyan, Wayne Johnston, Carmen Aguirre and poet Lorna Crozier.
Book lovers can choose from authors of mysteries, crime, plays, poetry, novels and non-fiction. They will be at 11 different events over the course of the four-day event.
The festival starts tonight with an evening conversation with Edugyan, a two-time Giller Prize winner for her novels Washington Black and Half Blood Blues.
On Friday, there will be a panel discussion featuring five authors at the cabaret-style Wine, Words and Music event. The evening will also showcase Beats Workin’, a local swing, roots and blues trio.
On Saturday there will be three readings and a panel discussion attended by 10 authors.
For those looking to improve their writing, there will be three half-day workshops, to give writers new tools, techniques and a deeper understanding about writing process.
Five authors will engage in a thought-provoking discussion at Authors Ashore on Saturday night.
The festival concludes Sunday morning with a Breakfast with the Authors, where attendees can converse with a favourite author over the meal and later listen to readings.
A festival pass is $155, an evenings and breakfast pass is $100.
The event runs today to Sunday at the Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave., Sidney.
Tickets are available online at the website or in person at Tanner’s Books in Sidney.
For more information, go to sidneyliteraryfestival.ca or check out the event on Facebook.
Open house at Oak Bay art studios
Oak Bay artists will throw the doors to their home studios open to the public for the Oak Bay Artists’ Studio Tour, Saturday and Sunday at various venues.
This is the 20th year of the event, with 25 participating artists showcasing their talents in various media.
You can see works in watercolour, acrylic, oil, ceramics, photography, fibre art, paper castings, art cards and sculpture.
The juried tour is produced by Oak Bay Parks, Recreation and Culture.
You are invited to walk, bike, or drive the streets of Oak Bay to view the art, meet the artists and learn about their inspiration and process.
In addition to the home studios, five artists will be exhibiting their work in the Neighbourhood Learning Centre, adjacent to Oak Bay High School.
Children and youth who join in the tour are invited to have their tour maps initialled at each studio they visit.
Those who visit three or more studios can bring their maps into Oak Bay Recreation Centre to receive a two for one drop-in pass.
The two-day event is free. It runs from noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Brochures with artist images, descriptions and a tour map are available at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre, Oak Bay Municipal Hall and Oak Bay Library. More information, as well as a downloadable map, can be found here.
Metchosin event focuses on biodiversity
Celebrate Earth Day in Metchosin at Biodiversity Day, an open-house event featuring music, family-friendly activities and nature walks, Sunday at the Boys and Girls Club.
Drop in anytime for musical entertainment, a photo scavenger hunt, a keep-the-Earth-alive big balloon bounce, fun interactive games and nature displays.
There will be walks led by experts Joel Ussery, Paige Erickson-McGee, Kem Luther and Mike Fischer.
You can get on-the-spot training on how to use the iNaturalist phone app to do biological inventories, then use the app during the iSpy program at noon.
A native plant walk, suitable for all knowledge levels, starts at 1 p.m. and there is a habitat walk at 2 p.m.
A barbecue lunch is available by donation.
The event is presented by the Metchosin Biodiversity Project along with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria and Habitat Acquisition Trust.
This event is free. It runs from noon to 3 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club, 3900 Metchosin Rd. Parking will be at the main lot. Follow the signs to the camp centre. Bring tables and camp chairs to set up on the lawns and fields around the event.
RSVP on Facebook or 250-661-7438. For more information, go to metchosinbiodiversity.com.
Churches join for walk on Palm Sunday
Take part in a community Palm Procession and a Palm/Passion Sunday Service at two Saanich churches on Sunday.
This year marks the fifth that the Lutheran Church of the Cross and St. Luke Cedar Hill Anglican Church have organized a procession between the two places of worship on Palm Sunday.
The service begins at Church of the Cross with a blessing of palms, coats and blankets (to be donated to Our Place Society).
Following the blessing the congregation will walk in the Palm Procession that crosses Cedar Hill Road and Cedar Hill Cross Road to St. Luke’s, where the service will continue. Light refreshments will be served at St. Luke’s after the service.
If you wish to donate blankets and coats, bring them to the service at Church of the Cross.
All are welcome. The service starts at 10 a.m. at Church of the Cross, 3787 Cedar Hill Rd. (corner of Cedar Hill Road and Cedar Hill Cross Road). For information, call 250-477-6741 or go to stlukesvictoria.ca.
