One hundred eight years of fall fairs on the West Shore are being marked from Friday to Sunday with the annual fair at the Luxton Fairgrounds.
The Luxton Fall Fair, sponsored by the Vancouver Island Blacksmiths Association, the Metchosin Farmers Institute and the West Shore Arts Council, will once again give people the opportunity to enter judged competitions for everything from flowers and potted plants to bran muffins and marmalade.
There are even contests for young artists, including finger or foot paintings for children up to two years old and original Lego creations for seven- to eight-year-olds.
Any submissions after Monday are considered late entries. Forms should be left in the entry box outside the fair office at the fairgrounds at 1040 Marwood Ave., or delivered with entries to the office before 5 p.m. today.
Also featured at the fair is an outdoor swap meet from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday that includes farm collectibles, antiques and car and truck parts.
Check out a display and demonstrations of antique farm equipment restored and maintained by volunteers, along with Art in the Barn — an array of artistic creations in such media as metal, wood, fabric, ceramic and paint.
A CFB Esquimalt Model Railway Club display will be set up and a poultry and pigeon show will distribute prizes in a range of categories.
Rides in the midway will run from 3 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Fall fair organizers are remembering longtime supporter Bernie Nikkels, who died this year.
They said Nikkels grew up in the area and managed Maplewood Poultry — a family farm — and helped revive both the Metchosin Farmers Institute and the fall fair.
Salt Spring fall fair highlights farm heritage
Salt Spring’s farming heritage is in the spotlight Saturday and Sunday at the annual fall fair, the island’s oldest community event.
The island’s agricultural history includes the presence of 80 farms by about 1900.
The fall fair, first held in 1896, takes place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days on the grounds of the Salt Spring Island Farmers’ Institute at 351 Rainbow Rd.
This year’s fall fair theme is “crops and crafts of every colour.”
Activities and attractions will run the gamut from entertainment to sheep-dog demonstrations, a tractor pull and zucchini races — featuring hand-
decorated zucchini.
Food offerings include pies made by members of the Salt Spring Island Women’s Institute.
One Wave Gathering celebrates Pacific region’s art, film and dance
The One Wave Gathering is back for a 12th year of bringing together the cultures of the people of the Pacific region.
Events begin today and run through Sept. 25, including an exhibition of digital art, media art and film at FLUX Gallery, 821 Fort St., opening today at 6 p.m.
The main community event is Saturday at Centennial Square from noon to 6 p.m., and includes performances from the Lekwungen Dancers, the Esquimalt Nation Dance Group and Pearls of the South Pacific, among others.
The Alcheringa Gallery at 621 Fort St. has a Sept. 19 event with 19 northwest artists gathering to present their interpretations of the surfboard. All the featured boards are made from Vancouver Island cedar.
Start time is 7 p.m.
One Wave Gathering is organized by the Pacific Peoples’ Partnership, which has been in operation for more than 40 years with a goal of supporting Pacific islanders and Indigenous people, with a focus on peace, social justice and community development.
For more details go to pacificpeoplespartnership.org/one-wave-2019/.
Moon Festival in Gordon Head focuses on fun for families
Saturday’s Moon Festival Lantern Celebration is a free, family-oriented event that marks the time of the harvest moon — a common practice in many Asian cultures.
It will run from 5 to 8:15 p.m. at Lambrick Park and the Gordon Head Recreation Centre, and features traditional Asian dance, musical performances and samplings of mooncakes and traditional green tea.
Food trucks will also be available.
A procession of illuminated lanterns will top off the event.
The schedule begins with 5-7 p.m. lantern-making workshops that include children. There is a $4 fee per lantern.
People are also invited to bring their own battery-lit lanterns.
Performances are set for 5:30-7:15 p.m. by such groups as the Chinese Seniors Choir, the Furusato Dancers and the China Happy Drum Group.
The lantern procession will take place at dusk, about 7:35 p.m.
Full-day sail on warship beckons for girls, women
Girls and women have a chance to board a warship with the Royal Canadian Navy for a full-day sail on Saturday organized by the Achieve Anything Foundation.
Some spots are still open for Operation: This Is You!, a full day of hands-on activities from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. departing from Esquimalt.
The operation is for girls ages 12 and up — not a day younger — and women and transgendered women with enough mobility to climb stairs between the warship’s decks.
“We are processing applications right up to the event in case of cancellations,” said Kirsten Brazier, a professional pilot and president of the foundation.
Brazier, a professional pilot, says about six per cent of women are pilots, a number that has barely changed in decades.
Brazier said career fairs never appealed to her, but childhood visits to the Abbotsford Airshow with her father and uncle did have an impact when she was choosing a career.
Participants in Saturday’s sail get to tour ship-duty stations, try on emergency gear, enjoy firefighting simulations, sit in the commander’s chair and watch joint Search and Rescue demonstrations with the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Lunch is served on board at no cost.
Applications can be filled out online at: achieveanything.ca/thisisyou.html.
Questions can be directed to: [email protected].
A completed application does not ensure acceptance.
Admission to an event is by invitation only, and invitations are not transferable and do not include any other person than the named applicant.
Girls and women are asked to fill out their own applications using a unique email address to which they have regular access.
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