There are still a few tickets left for the Victoria Water Garden Tour, a self-guided tour that takes place July 13 at various gardens in Greater Victoria.
This is the 13th year of the annual fundraiser, which includes 10 gardens and outdoor spaces that feature water features, such as fountains, waterfalls, streams, ponds and lakes.
The event is a major fundraiser for the For the Love of Africa Society.
The gardens range from elegant creations to botanical extravaganzas. Some will feature live music, while others will serve desserts or have master gardeners and artists on hand.
Your ticket includes the opportunity to speak with several water-garden designers.
Tickets are $25. The tour runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. July 13 at various locations throughout the region.
For more information, go to watergardentour.ca.
Elementary class wins Golden Star Award
The Grade 1 class at Strawberry Vale Elementary has won the Golden Star Award again. The competition is organized by the B.C. Retired Teachers Association.
Marjorie Ireton Roach’s Grade 1 class won the same award, which celebrates programs that feature the interaction of seniors and students, in 2010.
On both occasions, the award was for the program Berwick Grandparents, which introduces her class to regular sessions with seniors at Berwick at Royal Oak.
Each student is matched with a Berwick grandparent with whom they meet each month for various activities. The pair interact by reading together, playing games and working on crafts.
Students were presented with a statuette and a cheque for $1,500 at the program’s year-end picnic at the residence two weeks ago.
For more information, go to bcrta.ca/bcrta-golden-star-awards.
Non-profit offers clothes to aid women’s careers
Purchase bargain-priced designer clothes, shoes, costume jewelry and accessories ahead of the crowd at the Very Intimate Preview Sale, a fundraiser for a local non-profit Wear2Start, hosted by the Costume Loft of Langham Court Theatre, July 12.
Wear2Start provides wardrobes to women who require clothes to take the next step toward a successful future. They service women fleeing an abusive relationship, meeting a potential landlord, a banker, a lawyer or other professional. They also help those enrolled in a workshop or course.
As well as clothing, the non-profit provides shoes, handbags, accessories, personal-care essentials and an appointment for a free haircut.
They receive donations of clothing throughout the year. Items not suitable are provided to Langham Court’s Costume Loft, which has a giant sale every year, with Wear2Start receiving a large portion of the proceeds.
The Very Intimate Preview Sale is a ticketed event for the first day of the theatre’s two-day Giant Annual Costume Sale. The $15 admission gives ticket holders the first crack at what is on sale, a glass of wine and appetizers. The event runs 6 to 9 p.m. July 12 at Langham Court Theatre, 805 Langham Ct.
Tickets are available online at langhamtheatre.ca/boxoffice/ buytickets, from the Langham Court box office by phone at 250-384-2142, or in person at the theatre.
For more information, go to langhamtheatre.ca/costumes or Facebook.
Queen bee holding court at Swan Lake sanctuary
The Nature House at Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary has a new queen bee and the public is invited to pay their respects in the coming months.
The sanctuary lost its resident queen two months ago, taking about half of the workers with her. A search could not find her.
In her absence, a worker bee took it upon herself to lay eggs.
Unfortunately, a worker laying eggs will never be able to replace the role of a mated queen. Unlike the queen, the worker does not go on mating flights. This results in the workers only laying unfertilized eggs, which then develop into drones, or male bees. That’s right — the boy bees have no father, only a mother.
Although drones play an important role as they leave their nest and mate with new queens, they do not contribute to the day-to-day function of the colony. When autumn approaches and mating season comes to an end, the workers will usher the drones out of the hive. That will be the end of the colony.
The remains of the Swan Lake colony will be integrated into another happy, healthy hive at a new apiary site in Victoria.
Swan Lake Nature House will then invest the new royal bee and a new colony.
For those visiting, the queen will have an easily identifiable green dab of paint on her torso.
For more information, go to swanlake.bc.ca.
B.C. Ferries’ naturalist program returns
British Columbia Ferries are bringing back the popular Coastal Naturalist Program on routes linking metro Vancouver with Vancouver Island and at the Tsawwassen, Swartz Bay, Duke Point, Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay terminals, from now until Sept. 4.
The program offers a free 20-minute educational session dealing with the world beneath the waves. Questions to be answered include: What grows in a kelp forest and where can you find a clam garden?
“The Coastal Naturalists are a highlight for many people who travel with us. We’re happy to offer this experience again this summer, on more sailings and at more terminals than before,” said Janet Carson, B.C. Ferries’ vice president of marketing and customer experience. “To meet demand, the program is starting early this year, and we’re adding more than 100 additional presentations to the schedule.”
Topics include B.C.’s wildlife, marine life, geography, culture and history.
The program is presented in partnership with Parks Canada and Ocean Wise.
B.C. Ferries expects close to 150,000 passengers will participate. Since it began in 2005, almost two million people have enjoyed these free educational programs on the outer decks of vessels and at terminals.
For more information, go to the Coastal Experiences section of bcferries.com.
Community policing on display in Sidney
Children can explore a police car and police boat at the Sidney North Saanich RCMP’s first Community Policing Open House, today at the Mary Winspear Centre, Sidney.
There will be booths showcasing volunteer programs, such as Block Watch, Citizens on Patrol, Saanich Peninsula Restorative Justice and the Peninsula Emergency Measures Organization (Search and Rescue).
The Royal Bank of Canada will be there to advise about financial safety and fraud prevention.
RCMP Const. Meighan de Pass will have safety tips for seniors.
The family-friendly event will have police-themed goodie bags for the first 150 kids, plus colouring books.
Bring your bicycle down to the event for free engraving to aid recovery in event of theft.
You can also meet a rider from the Tour de Rock Cops for Cancer Ride, who will be fundraising for that cause.
You can grab a bite to eat from the Saanich Peninsula Lions Club Food Truck, which will be on site.
The event is free and runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today in Bodine Hall of the Mary Winspear Centre, 1143 Beacon Ave., Sidney. For more information, go to sidney.rcmp-grc.bc.ca.
$16,000 gift for Royal Commonwealth Society
The Royal Commonwealth Society Vancouver Island has received a gift of $16,000 from the FlagStone Fund, managed by the Victoria Foundation.
The society has served needs in the community for more than 100 years, with its royal charter initiated in December 1919.
It opened opportunities for people to engage in positive activities and to build relationships after the end of the First World War in 1918.
The current executive includes patron B.C. Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin; president, David A. Spence; secretary, Donna Otto; treasurer, John Western; board members, Tony Goodman, Kathy Cook, Mary Bernard and youth representative, Zayge Klein.
For more information, go to Facebook or 778-679-9331.
Mural project a chance to make your mark
Open Space has announced an open call for emerging artists to submit individual or group proposals to create an original mural for the MAKE/SPACE Mural Project.
The artist-run centre is looking for artists self-identified as being in early stages of their career to create the mural on the outside back wall at Open Space, 510 Fort St. The wall faces historic Helmcken Alley.
The project aims to engage with questions about public art as integral to community identity and visibility, and how these ideas transform over time.
Artists will be asked to reimagine the space through the lens of their own individual experience and placement within the City of Victoria.
The artists will also be asked to design a workshop or talk, as well as participate in a launch event. The installation process and launch event will be documented through photo and video.
The centre encourages applications from artists who self-identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, disabled or living with disability, or as a member of an otherwise marginalized community.
The project is open to group proposals, although teams must share the total commission awarded. Previous mural experience is not required.
The winning entry will receive a flat-rate fee of $2,000 and a community engagement fee of $300. Material costs as well as photo and video documentation of the work will be covered by Open Space.
The project is possible thanks to assistance from the City of Victoria’s My Great Neighbourhood Grant.
The call for submissions runs through to Tuesday, July 16.
For more information and to apply, go to openspace.ca/make-space.
Buy a brick for memorial playground
You can help fund the Sarah Beckett Memorial Playground by buying a brick at the Rotary Club’s Buy a Brick program.
The Rotary Club of West Shore is fundraising for the memorial playground, being built near City Centre in Langford. It honours the memory of Cst. Sarah Beckett, a mother of two and member of the West Shore RCMP who was killed in the line of duty in April 2016.
You can show your support by purchasing a brick for $200 and having it engraved with your name. You can also engrave your company name, favourite quote or honour a loved one by buying a brick in their memory.
The playground is set to open on Aug. 24, coinciding with the grand opening of the new Westhills Stadium. All donations will receive a tax receipt.
For more information, go to portal.clubrunner.ca/1897 or westshorerotary.org.
