About 8,000 participants are expected Sunday in the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon, the half-marathon, the eight-kilometre road race and the Thrifty Foods Fun Run.
It will be the city’s 39th annual marathon, setting the stage for a 40th-year celebration next year.
People have been working hard to get prepared. An online running clinic led by two-time Olympic marathoner Bruce Deacon has done well, attracting 500 to 600 people, and Frontrunners’ running clinics have generated their usual wide interest.
More than 1,600 volunteers are needed to stage the races each year.
Among the interesting story lines in this year’s marathon is a team of 20 from Costa Rica, who have been active on social media talking about their trip.
Online registration is available through today at runvictoriamarathon.com. And if the races aren’t sold out, people can register on Friday at the Race Expo at the Victoria Conference Centre from noon-6 p.m. or Saturday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Pumpkinfest season to open at Galey Farms
Jump into fall with the whole family at Pumpkinfest at Galey Farms, starting Saturday and continuing every weekend until the end of the month.
This is the 19th year of the family-friendly event, which features live entertainment, face painting and children’s games.
You can take a hay ride to the pumpkin patch, climb aboard for a 20-minute ride on a scale replica of a steam train and, new this year, a cow train (with people travelling in barrels) pulled by an all-terrain vehicle.
The 2.42-hectare corn maze will be decorated in a Halloween theme with new figures added this year.
“We never stop building,” said Rob Galey, owner of the family-run farm. “There’s always something new to see or do.”
That’s a tall feat, given that the farm already boasts an old western movie set, a petting farm (with donkeys, chickens, calves, pigs, goats and ducks) and a haunted house.
He stresses that he has taken great pains to make sure that the attraction appeals not just to children, but to all demographics.
“We are proud to say that some rides are suitable even for people with mobility problems,” he said.
Seasonal displays include a child-friendly Ghost Town by day and Festival of Fear, a spookier version that runs 6 to 10 p.m., which opens next week with four different venues.
Admission is $12 per adult $8 per child, which includes one Train Ride or one Corn Maze ticket. Family Combo Pass (two adults, two children) for $48. Hay rides and Petting Farm are included with the first ticket or separately for $3. Infants (not walking and accompanied by a parent) are free. All prices plus applicable taxes.
The event runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday to Monday this long weekend, Oct. 13 and 14, Oct. 20 and 21, Oct. 27 and 28 at Galey Farms, 4150 Blenkinsop Rd. Most pathways and attractions wheelchair accessible. No dogs allowed. For more information, go to galeyfarms.net.
Craigdarroch movies a real horror show
The spooky season begins with the launch of the Classics at Craigdarroch Movie Series, which runs Thursday and Saturday evenings throughout October, starting tonight at Craigdarroch Castle.
See six creepy cinematic masterpieces that include Dracula (1931), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1925), the silent horror film Nosferatu (1922) and House on Haunted Hill (1959)
The Thursday Night series features a cash bar from Vancouver Island Brewery and some of the season's scariest classics, Dracula on Oct. 4, Creature from the Black Lagoon on Oct. 11, House on Haunted Hill on Oct. 18 and Frankenstein on Oct. 25.
Moon Over Water Brewery products will be featured at the cash bar during Saturday night showings which include Frankenstein on Oct. 6, Nosferatu on Oct. 13, Bride of Frankenstein on Oct. 20 and Dracula on Oct. 27.
Tickets are $11 for the public, $10 for members of the Castle Society. Doors open at 5:45, movies start at 6 p.m. in the dance hall of Craigdarroch Castle,
1050 Joan Cres.
The hall is located on the fourth floor (there are 87 steps and no elevator in the castle). Seating is on a first come, first served basis. Admission includes a pretzel and the opportunity to win raffle prizes from the night's sponsoring brewery.
Tickets are available at thecastle.ca/pages/events or by calling 250-592-5323. For more information, go to thecastle.ca.
Royal B.C. Museum draws back curtains
Take a peek at the little-seen behind-the-scenes work of the Royal B.C. Museum at the Pocket Gallery.
The gallery is an opportunity for visitors to see how individual staff members explore provocative and sometimes revelatory ideas, drawing on collections, research, partnerships and programs that the public might otherwise know little about.
The current feature display is Rafting the Pacific, which explores how marine debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami survived their journey on the high seas. These non-native species have travelled thousands of kilometres to reach the west coast of North America.
Dr. Henry Choong, Royal B.C. Museum curator of invertebrate zoology, is one of the scientists studying the marine species on the debris, which are explored in the Pocket Gallery.
Visitors are advised to check the Pocket Gallery whenever they visit, as displays change regularly.
Access to the Pocket Gallery is free to visitors of the museum. The gallery is located in Clifford Carl Hall, on the main floor of the museum, 675 Belleville St. For more information, go to royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/visit/exhibitions/pocket-gallery.
Salt Spring welcomes ‘locavores’
The Salt Spring Harvest Food and Drink Festival 2018 is a gathering of farmers, chefs, food providers and more from both Salt Spring Island and Vancouver Island. It also includes vintners, brewers and cider makers.
Organizers call it a “locavore” festival, giving people a chance to eat and drink local fare.
The event takes place through the month of October, while Sip and Savour Salt Spring will be featured Oct. 20 from 1-4 p.m. at the Salt Spring Farmers’ Institute, 351 Rainbow Rd. Tickets are $60 or $65 at the door, with partial proceeds going to the Gulf Islands Secondary School Culinary Program.
Tickets are available online at sipandsavoursaltspring.com or at the Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce, 121 Lower Ganges Rd.
Throughout October, restaurants and farms will host harvest dinners that highlight local ingredients.
Postcards, stamps on exhibition
A stamp and postcard exhibition runs Saturday and Sunday at the Comfort Hotel & Conference Centre, 3020 Blanshard St.
The event is sponsored by the Greater Victoria Philatelic a Society and the Vancouver Island Philatelic Society.
Admission is by donation, with youth admitted free — and free stamps provided to youth.
Hours are 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on Saturday and 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.
Trophies to be awarded include the Reg Nairne Award for best exhibit by a novice and the Clarke Horning Award for the best postal-history exhibit.
For more information call 250-721-1940 or go to vicstamps.com.
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