Fathers will appreciate all the different ways their families can spend time with them for Father’s Day this weekend, from working out at the gym to a walk in the park, a garden tour or even a 10-kilometre run for charity.
• The Panorama Recreation Centre and Greendale Community Centre are celebrating Father’s Day with free admission to drop-in activities for dads.
Spend time with your father swimming, pumping iron in the weight room or attending fitness classes.
The free admission applies all day Sunday at the Panorama Recreation Centre, 1885 Forest Park Dr., North Saanich, and Greendale Community Centre, 2151 Lannon Way, Sidney. For more information, go to crd.bc.ca/panorama.
• Celebrate Father’s Day and Garden Days with complimentary admission to the historic gardens at Hatley Park National Historic Site at Royal Roads University.
Stroll among the grounds of the university, with old-growth forests and 15 kilometres of winding trails, or sit back and take in the views of the Olympic Mountains in the distance.
Hatley Park includes Rose, Italian and Japanese formal gardens of Edwardian design, a First Nations site and a protected migratory bird sanctuary.
Admission is free on Sunday. Access the gardens via the booth located on the courtyard level next to Hatley Castle, 2005 Sooke Rd. For more information, go to hatleypark.ca.
• Lace up your runners and bring your dad, brother or son to help support all the men in your life at the Raymond James Father’s Day Walk or Run for Prostate Cancer at the Vancouver Island Technology Park.
You can join the five-kilometre walk or run, or the 10K Dash for Dad.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men. Proceeds from the event go toward supporting Vancouver Island men and their families affected by the disease.
Registration is $35 for adults, free for 12 year olds and under, or if you plan to raise a minimum of $150. The event starts at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Vancouver Island Technology Park, Markham Street. For more information, go to doingitfordad.com.
• Tour fabulous gardens at the Father’s Day Garden Party Tour, to benefit the B.C. SPCA’s Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre and the Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society. The tour will feature eight gardens, as well as afternoon tea and a silent auction ballot with prizes.
A master gardener will be offering advice to create wildlife-friendly, bird- friendly and deer-resistant gardens. Representatives from both organizations will answer questions and share wildlife information. A plant sale will feature drought- and deer-resistant plants for sale.
All proceeds will go toward animal-related research, animal care and veterinary services. Tickets are $25. The tour runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. from the Windsor Pavilion, 2451 Windsor Rd. For more information, or to buy tickets, go to spca.bc.ca/gardentour.
Royal Oak Burial Park hosts Summer So(u)lstice
Remember the departed and celebrate the summer solstice at the same time at Summer So(u)lstice, Saturday at Royal Oak Burial Park.
The event is an opportunity to walk the grounds and listen to poetry and music.
This year it also commemorates the park’s 95th anniversary.
“We are very much looking forward to hosting our ninth annual Summer So(u)lstice at Royal Oak Burial Park and celebrate our 95th anniversary of serving the people — our families — in this community,” said Crystabelle Fobler, executive director of the park.
“This event continues to offer a great opportunity to remember and honour our loved ones, while enjoying an afternoon on our beautiful grounds.”
This year, the event will honour Dave Obee, editor-in-chief and publisher of the Times Colonist, for his efforts on behalf of the park.
Visitors walking among the markers will be serenaded by Ensemble Laude, an a capella women’s choral group.
Composer Brooke Maxwell has gathered local musicians to create the Sweet Chariot Processional Band: harpist Gwyneth Evans, and clarinetists Erin Onyschtschuk and Dominic Thibault.
Visitors can have a personal poem composed by resident poets Yvonne Blomer, Carla Funk and Wendy Morton.
Park staff will help visitors find the final resting place of friends and family, where they can lay floral tributes, messages or parchment memory flags.
Light refreshments will be served. The facility is wheelchair accessible. Royal Oak Burial Park is the only not-for-profit, community-owned burial park in Greater Victoria.
The event runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, with the kickoff taking place at 1:30 p.m. at the fountain at Royal Oak Burial Park, 4673 Falaise Dr. An event map and performance schedule can be found at robp.ca.
Orchard and museum host events on Sunday
Do your part in helping maintain a community orchard and learn a useful skill in the process as the Welland Legacy Orchard hosts its Passport to Nature: Fruit Thinning Fiesta on Sunday.
Fruit thinning is an important and often overlooked step in growing fruit. Apples, pears and plums can load up their branches. Thinning enables the fruit to grow larger, preventing damage from broken branches and resulting in earlier ripening and more flavourful fruit.
Join others for a fun and easy morning in the orchard, moving from tree to tree and making friends while you work. Save some little green apples to make your own pectin.
The event is free, but registration is required. It runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Welland Legacy Park and Community Orchard, 1215 Stancil Ln. (off the Galloping Goose Trail). Parking is at Strawberry Vale Community Hall. B.C. Transit routes 14, 22 and 50 all have stops within walking distance.
For more information, go to conservancy.bc.ca/2018/02/passport-to-welland-legacy-park-fruit-thinning-fiesta.
• Learn how to make traditional Victorian lavender sachets at a workshop at Ross Bay Villa Historic House Museum on Sunday.
At the hands-on workshop, you will get a taste of history, making ribbon sachets as women would have done in the 1860s.
With this new skill, you can scent your sheets with the timeless aroma of lavender.
Materials, afternoon tea and treats are included. The workshop costs $20. It runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the historic house, 1490 Fairfield Rd. For details, go to rossbayvilla.org or phone 250-598-1803.
Travel back in time at Heritage Acres
Heritage Acres holds its annual Summer Fair, Saturday and Sunday, at its site, which showcases and preserves the Saanich peninsula’s farming history.
Visitors can take part in activities and tour the site, which includes a museum, pioneer church, log cabin and a schoolhouse. There will be blacksmithing and weaving demonstrations. The Vancouver Island Model Engineers will give rides on their miniature railway.
Admission is $10 per carload or $5 for walk-ins (cash only). The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Heritage Acres, 7321 Lochside Dr. Saanichton. For more information, go to heritageacresbc.ca.
Join Filipinos in celebrating nation’s independence
Get a taste of Filipino culture through food, music, performances and activities at Mabuhay!, a celebration to commemorate the Philippines’ Independence Day, Saturday in Centennial Square.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Victoria Filipino Canadian Association, as well as the 120th anniversary of the country’s independence from Spain.
The Filipino community decided to combine their annual Philippine Food Fiesta to create their biggest event to date to celebrate this milestone.
Mabuhay, which means “welcome” in Tagalog (the national language of the Philippines), is a day-long family-friendly event with entertainment, food, games and cultural exhibits.
Entertainment includes the award-winning Sampaguita dance group, which will perform traditional folk dances, singers, a fashion show and games.
Filipino food, including gluten-free options, will be available for purchase. Bite into chicken adobo (a traditional dish made up of pieces of chicken marinated with spices, such as vinegar, soy sauce and lots of garlic), barbecue pork, lumpia (spring rolls), ginataang gulay (a vegetarian dish with squash, green beans and okra simmered in coconut milk), pancit (noodles) and rice dishes.
Visitors can join in free activities throughout the day, starting with Zumba at 10 a.m.
The event is hosted by the Victoria Filipino Canadian Association and the Bayanihan Cultural and Housing Society. The non-profit organizations help new immigrants with housing and help each other adjust to Canada.
The event is free. It runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For information, go to bayanihan.ca.
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