Saanich Seedy Saturday returns for a fourth year this weekend at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific.
The event is being presented by Haliburton Community Organic Farm, which promotes sustainable farming practices and food production. The event was held at the farm for two years before moving to the horticulture centre.
Haliburton Farm board member Elmarie Roberts said the Saanich gathering is part of the national Seedy Saturday movement. The idea is to get people thinking about their gardens and spring planting, she said.
“It provides inspiration in the early days of January,” Roberts said. “Everybody comes out and they buy seeds.”
From there, they can go to a seed-swap table.
Roberts said that climate change will be a prominent theme at Saanich Seedy Saturday, which fits in with growing of your own plants. “We figure that growing something, whether it’s in your container on your patio or in your backyard or on a large-scale farm, is one of the effective things that can be within reach for everyone.”
The guest speaker will be Dr. Trevor Hancock, a public-health physician and health-promotion consultant.
Hancock retired last year from the University of Victoria, where he was a professor in the School of Public Health and Social Policy.
He is also a founder of the Healthy Cities and Communities initiative, and has been a regular contributor to the Times Colonist.
Hancock’s topic will be Feeding a One Planet Region.
One Planet is a concept that has been embraced by the District of Saanich through One Planet Saanich, bringing together schools such as Reynolds, Claremont and Mount Douglas secondaries, Camosun College, businesses and organizations. Hancock wrote in the Times Colonist in September that the goal is to reduce each person’s “ecological footprint” while maintaining a high quality of life and social development.
“No mean feat when you consider this means a 70 to 80 per cent reduction in our footprint,” he wrote. “But essential if we are to enable the coming generations to enjoy anything like the quality of life we enjoy.”
He added that transportation accounts for just over a quarter of humans’ ecological footprint, and two-thirds of that amount comes from using private vehicles.
Sustainability is also an important piece of the One Planet discussion, Roberts said.
She said Saanich helps with funding for Saanich Seedy Saturday, while the Horticulture Centre at 505 Quayle Rd. provides the venue and parking volunteers.
The event runs this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with Hancock speaking at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Along with local certified organic seeds, guests will find produce, children’s activities and a variety of vendors.
Admission is $8. Organizers advise that the event is cash only and there is no ATM on site.
Parking is limited, so consider carpooling.
Hogwarts Castle among creations at Lego exhibit
It’s one of the most beloved toys, those ubiquitous multi-coloured blocks that have enthralled kids for generations.
Since it was invented by a Danish carpenter in the 1930s, Lego — from the Danish “leg godt” for “play well” — has been used to create everything from humble stacking towers to elaborate 3-D worlds consisting of hundreds of thousands of pieces.
Hundreds of ambitious Lego displays will be featured at the Lego Exhibition at the Sidney Museum starting Sunday.
Visitors can marvel at Star Wars-themed Lego models, as well as Lego versions of Hogwarts Castle and the Bugatti Chiron automobile.
Learn the history of the display models, guess how many bricks comprise the giant Lego pyramid and watch a film on the origin and development of the Lego building system.
Lego began in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, who started his career making wooden toys in 1932, and later named his company Lego.
In 1949, Lego rolled out its interlocking plastic bricks, inspired by a similar product already on the market. The modern brick design was unveiled in 1958, with improved locking ability.
Lego was one of the original inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York in 1998, in the same category as Barbie and Play-Doh.
The exhibition, at 2423 Beacon Ave., runs daily from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. until March 31. Entry is by donation.
Sports cards hot at show of collectibles
Looking for a Wayne Gretzky rookie card? In the market for an old Gordie Howe or perhaps a new Connor McDavid?
You might want to check out the V.I. Collectibles show Saturday at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre, 3277 Douglas St.
Billed as Vancouver Island’s “best collectibles show,” the monthly event features a wide array of trading cards, sport memorabilia, toys and other collectible items.
Peter Lindland, one of the show’s promoters, said that up to 30 vendors from across Vancouver Island — and occasionally Vancouver — rent tables for $30 to display their wares and swap goods.
Sports cards featuring current and former NHL stars such as Gretzky, Howe and McDavid are among the most sought-after items at the show.
“We’ve had Gretzky rookie cards coming through there that have been selling for about $1,000 each,” said Lindland, who has been collecting since he was a kid. “Old Gordie Howe cards. A lot of newer stuff, too. The Connor McDavid rookie cards are very popular, too, nowadays. They go for about $400 or $500 each.”
Other popular items up for grabs include game-worn and signed NHL jerseys as well as autographed pucks and sticks.
Lindland said there’s a vibrant collectors’ community on the Island. “More people have been getting into it the last little while and seeing it more as an investment,” he said. “There is high value in some of these cards.”
The V.I. Collectibles Show is open to all ages and tends to attract a number of younger collectors interested in Pokémon cards, Lindland said. Doors open at 10 a.m. and close at 3 p.m.m
Exhibit explores lost Japanese-Canadian fleet
On Dec. 7, 1941, the world was shocked when Japan bombed Pearl Harbour, launching the United States into the Second World War. In the aftermath, nearly 1,200 Japanese-Canadian owned fishing boats were confiscated by Canadian officials on the B.C. coast and eventually sold off to canneries and non-Japanese fishermen.
A new exhibit opening at the Maritime Museum of B.C. on Saturday and running until the end of March explores the world of the Japanese-Canadian fishermen in B.C. before the bombing of Pearl Harbour.
The Lost Fleet, on loan from the Vancouver Maritime Museum, looks at how deep-seated racism played a major role in the internment of Japanese-Canadians and seizure and sale of their property.
It invites visitors to consider how much the political and economic climate has changed — and whether, given current public sentiment about immigration, a similar injustice could be carried out against other groups today.
“The Vancouver Maritime Museum was honoured to have the opportunity to share this important part of Canadian history,” said Duncan MacLeod, curator at the Vancouver Maritime Museum, in a statement.
“This exhibition allowed the museum to connect with new audiences through working with the Japanese-Canadian community. It also provided a context to present a discussion of prejudice against minorities in a modern Canadian context.”
The exhibit will also feature a new art show titled A Series for Contemplation from local Japanese-Canadian artist Marlene Howell, who will be at the museum Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Jan. 17 to March 28.
“Working on a series of confiscated Japanese-Canadian fishing boats provided me the opportunity to go back in time, through research of their history during the early years of WWII,” said Howell in a statement.
“Not having experienced this part of history first hand, [it] conjured emotions that I was unprepared for during my work. With this in mind, my goal was to captivate the viewers through their imagination.”
A launch event featuring three speakers — Jordan Stanger Ross, associate professor at the University of Victoria and director of Landscapes of Injustice, a project to research and tell the history of the forced sale of Japanese-Canadian-owned property during the 1940s; Michael Abe, Landscapes of Injustice project manager; and environmentalist David Suzuki — is set for Thursday, Jan. 24.
For details, go to mmbc.bc.ca.
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