Take in local performances, workshops and art projects in Greater Victoria and the rest of Vancouver Island as the region joins in B.C. Culture Days, a province-wide community celebration of arts and culture, at various venues, Friday to Sunday.
This is the 10th anniversary of the event, which offers a family-friendly weekend that encourages exploration and discovery, celebrating creativity in all its forms.
“B.C. Culture Days gives local artists a platform to interact with the public,” said Dyana Sonik-Henderson, a participating artist and local ambassador for the event. “It’s about increased accessibility and artists respond by making their events as interactive as possible.”
On Vancouver Island, there are 15 events taking place in Victoria, three in the Western Communities, three in Tahsis, and two each in Sooke, Port Renfrew and Nanaimo.
Some of the events you can attend in Victoria include:
• Every.Day.Art Exhibition and Community Art Project, 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at Cedar Hill Recreation and Arts Centre, 3220 Cedar Hill Rd.
• Al Frescoes En Plein Air Paint Out, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, at the Cedar Hill Recreation and Arts Centre, 3220 Cedar Hill Rd.
• Rust — Dance class for 60-plus, 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Friday, 715 Yates St.
• BVC First Dance Workshop, 3 to 4 p.m. Friday, Ballet Victoria Conservatory, 643 Broughton St.
• Lekwungen Traditional Dancers, 1 to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Cedar Hill Recreation and Arts Centre, 3220 Cedar Hill Rd.
• The Library Club open rehearsal with Story Theatre, noon to 1 p.m. Saturday, Cedar Hill Recreation and Arts Centre, 3220 Cedar Hill Rd.
• Open level Rhythmical contemporary workshops, 6 to 7:15 p.m. Saturday, Dance Victoria, 2750 Quadra St.
• African drumming and dancing, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Cedar Hill Recreation Centre, 3220 Cedar Hill Rd.
• Shane-e-Punjab Dancers, 1:30 to 2 p.m. Sunday, Cedar Hill Recreation and Arts Centre, 3220 Cedar Hill Rd.
For details, go to culturedays.ca.
Military re-enactors show what garrison life was like
Step back in time and experience the daily activities of garrison life after hours at Fort Rodd Hill’s Lantern Tour, Saturday at the national historic site.
Take in the sights, sounds and smells of life during the period 1897-1956 with a guided tour of the gun batteries by lantern light.
The scenario is brought to life by uniform-clad members of the Victoria-Esquimalt Military Re-enactors Association.
Organizers say there may even be a few surprises.
Admission is $13.90 for adults, $10 for children, $13.40 for seniors and students, and $10 for members.
Guided tours leave every 15 minutes from 7:15 to 9:15 p.m. on Saturday.
You must reserve tickets at lanterntour2019.brownpapertickets.com.
The event is a fundraiser for the association. For more information, go to verma.org.
Salt Spring hosts 20th apple festival
Take a bite out of heirloom apple varieties — some dating back to 1860 — at the Salt Spring Island Apple Festival, Sunday at various venues.
The island was one of the first regions in British Columbia to grow apples, supplying fresh fruit to Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Today’s orchards boast more than 450 varieties of organically grown apples.
This is the 20th year of the event, which, organizers say, has the largest selection of apple varieties in Canada in one place.
A display of varieties will be arranged alphabetically along eight-foot-long tables at Fulford Hall. The collection will include detailed labels.
If you feel hungry, the Pie Ladies have baked more than 20 varieties of apple pies for you to sample. Buy a slice or a whole pie, or mix and match six slices to make up one pie.
Other apple-based baked goods, such as tarts and lunch options, will also be available.
If you’re interested in learning how to grow a tree, you can pick up educational information on growing organic apples. Experts will also be on hand to help identify apples from your tree.
After Fulford Hall, branch out on a self-guided tour of about 20 participating farms, many not usually open to the public, to taste the fruit and see the trees from which they were picked.
One farm, AppleLuscious Organic Orchards, will have about 80 varieties for sampling.
A few farms will also have young trees for sale. Some trees, such as dwarf varieties, are already potted and available to take home immediately, while others can be pre-ordered for pickup in the spring.
Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students and free for children. The event runs from 9 to 5 p.m. at Fulford Hall, 2591 Fulford Ganges Rd., and at orchards (a map of participating farms will be released at 9 a.m. Sunday).
Tickets are available at Fulford Hall and the Ganges Tourist Information Centre, 121 Lower Ganges Rd. For details, go to saltspringapplefestival.org.
Watch raptors at East Sooke
Watch turkey vultures kettling overhead and take part in live raptor demonstrations and activities on the ground at Hawk Watch, an all-ages drop-in event at East Sooke Regional Park on Saturday. Join CRD Regional Parks and the Victoria Natural History Society for this annual migration event.
You can choose to stay for all the activities at Aylard Farm, which is accessible to all ages and abilities, or add in a hike.
A 15–minute trek up a steep and rocky trail will lead you to a viewpoint above Beechey Head. There, you will find birding experts with spotting scopes, ready to point out and identify the raptors soaring overhead.
Drop in anytime between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Aylard Farm parking lot is off Becher Bay Road. Try to arrive 10 minutes before the start of the program and please leave pets at home. Details at crd.bc.ca/parks.
Music and dance combine
Listen to jazz with a splash of spiritual inspiration or an eclectic fusion of music and dance at two performances this weekend:
• Ballet Victoria is collaborating with the Victoria Symphony to present A Fantasia of Dance, an eclectic fusion of music and dance, Saturday and Sunday at the Royal Theatre.
Talented dancers of Ballet Victoria, under the tutelage of artistic director Paul Destrooper, will join the symphony, conducted by Sean O’Loughlin, for a performance that includes favourites from Fantasia, Rodeo, Romeo and Juliet, Appalachian Spring and more. O’Loughlin returns as principal pops conductor of the symphony, fresh off successful performances of Star Wars and Wizard of Oz.
Tickets start at $35. There are two performances — 8 p.m. Saturday and a matinée at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St. For information, go to rmts.bc.ca/events/pops-1-2019-royal-theatre.
• Enjoy jazz with a splash of spiritual inspiration at Jazz Vespers, at the First Unitarian Church of Victoria on Sunday.
Pianist Karel Roessingh officiates on the theme: The Wedding, A Marriage of Jazz and Classical, as he and his quartet perform a crossover composition (Suite 1 with Flute and Piano Trio Suite 2) by jazz pianist and composer Claude Bolling.
The other members of the quartet are Mary Byrne on flute, Damian Graham on drums and Joey Smith on bass.
The service includes a brief meaningful message, followed by a little of the history of the music performed.
Admission is by donation. It runs from 7 to 8:10 p.m. Sunday at the First Unitarian Church of Victoria, 5575 West Saanich Rd.
For more information, go to victoriaunitarian.ca.
Art workshop recalls explorers
Listen to tales of the early seafaring explorers of the Pacific Northwest coast while turning nautical charts into works of art at the Nautical Chart Art Workshop, Saturday at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia.
You will be taught how to repurpose outdated charts and guided through the creation of 3-D nautical chart art using origami. Then, you can frame your piece in a shadow box to hang at home.
You will learn of the exploits of the early explorers and how their cartography influenced the development of the province.
The cost is $34.99 plus GST and includes all supplies. The workshop runs from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the museum, 634 Humboldt St.
Register early in person or online as the workshop is limited to a maximum of 10 participants.
For more information, go to mmbc.bc.ca/workshops.
Heritage plants on sale in Qualicum
Get great discounts on heritage plants at Vancouver Island University’s Milner Gardens and Woodland Fall Plant Sale, Saturday in Qualicum Beach.
The sale features heritage plants propagated by volunteers. Master gardeners will answer your gardening questions.
Admission is $6 adults, $4 youth and free for children 12 and under when accompanied by adult. The event runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (gardens open until 5 p.m.) at Milner Gardens, 2179 Island Hwy. West, Qualicum Beach.
More details can be found here.
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