Indulge your passion for classic, specialty modern and custom vehicles at the Vancouver Island Motor Gathering at the Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit in Cowichan on Sunday.
More than 600 cars, trucks and motorcycles turned up at last year’s event, from classic designs to the very fast, and beautiful, exotics.
This is the fifth year of the family-friendly event, which is open to all makes and models of automobile.
All proceeds from vehicle registrations and donations at the gate will be donated to charity.
This year, the charities include the David Foster Foundation and the Cowichan District Hospital Foundation. Last year, the event raised more than $153,000 in cash and $175,000 in in-kind donations for the two charities.
Registered vehicles can be entered in both judged and non-judged categories. There are 18 award categories, including Fan Favourite, which is voted for by visitors on the day.
The event is hosted by GAIN, a company that has several car dealerships, a resort and a motorsport circuit.
Admission is by donation (suggested $5). Gates open for spectators at 11 a.m., food court at 11:30 a.m.
The Fan Favourite and Best Car Club awards take place at 1:50 p.m. followed by presentations at 2 p.m.
The event is at the Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit, 4063 Cowichan Valley Hwy., Cowichan.
For more information, go to motorgathering.com.
Lots to eat at Greek Fest
Expect to hear shouts of “Opa!” — a Greek word used to express joy — from the audience as they show their appreciation of performances at Greek Fest, this weekend and next in front of Saanich Commonwealth Place.
This is the 16th year of the popular event, hosted by the Victoria and Vancouver Island Greek Community Society, which typically sees between 25,000 and 30,000 visitors sampling food and enjoying cultural performances.
The festival features Greek food, desserts and baked goods. Visitors will eat more than
2,000 kilograms of lamb on the spit, up to 5,000 spanakopita (Greek spinach pie) and 15,000 souvlaki (a dish of meat and vegetables on a skewer) over the two-weekend event.
Diners will be entertained by authentic Greek music by members of the Hellenic Centre for Folklore Studies, an 11-member group visiting from Greece.
But it’s not all Greek music, with 25 local musicians and performers from various ethnic backgrounds taking to the stage throughout the day.
New this year are free Greek cooking lessons, where chefs will teach people how to make spanakopita. The 30-to-45-minute classes start at 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Partial proceeds from food sales will go towards the Hot Lunch program to provide nutritious meals for needy school children in the Victoria area, in partnership with the Saanich Firefighters
Make sure you take the time for a tour of the Orthodox Christian church, which is festooned with religious inconography. Tour times, with a historian, will be posted at the event.
The Greek Heritage Museum explores the history of contributions by Greeks in British Columbia, including Ioannis Focas, the first Greek to visit the province in 1592. You may know him better as Juan de Fuca, the Spanish translation of his name.
The museum can be found on the west side of the Community Centre. It will be open from
11 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the festival.
Admission is free and the event runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday until Sunday and Sept. 1 to 4 under tents on the grounds of the Greek Orthodox Church and Community Centre, 4648 Elk Lake Dr., beside Saanich Commonwealth Place.
For information, go to greekfest.ca.
Celebrate Canada 150 by watching Musical Ride
You are encouraged to dress up in red and white to take in what is perhaps one of the most iconic Canadian travelling shows as the
RCMP Musical Ride trots into town for performances at Topaz Park on Saturday and Royal Roads University on Sunday.
The equestrian team, consisting of 32 RCMP riders and their steeds, is in Victoria as part of a cross-country tour to celebrate Canada 150. The tour includes stops in all 10 provinces and one territory.
The Musical Ride, a tradition perhaps as old as Canada, consists of horse and rider, in their red serge ceremonial uniforms, performing choreographed complex mounted calvary-style drills to the accompaniment of music.
Come early and get an opportunity to chat with members of the team, take selfies and pet the horses (ask first).
Musical Ride merchandise will be on sale.
The event is hosted by the Victoria Military Music Festival Society. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.
The show runs 1:30 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Topaz Park, 790 Topaz Ave. (at Glasgow Street) and 1:30 to
3 p.m. Sunday on the lower lawns of Hatley Castle, Royal Roads University, 2005 Sooke Rd., Colwood. Local performers will open the show, with the Musical Ride starting at 2:30 p.m. on both days.
Bring your own lawn chairs or blankets. There is limited parking at both venues. Organizers suggest carpooling, using transit, cycling or walking to the site. For information, go to victoriamilitarymusic.ca.
Bahá’í Faith holds picnic on anniversary
The anniversary of the world’s youngest independent religion is being celebrated at a community picnic at Beacon Hill Park on Saturday.
This year is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith.
He is considered the most recent of a line of messengers from God that stretches back beyond recorded time.
The faith has more than six million adherents in 236 countries and territories, making it the second most widespread religion in the world.
Bahá’ís view the world’s major religions as a part of a single, progressive process through which God reveals His will to humanity.
The Victoria Bahá’í community, in existence since the turn of the 20th century, is one of 1,200 in Canada.
The faith has more than 30,000 members throughout the country.
In 1974, the local community held the first Bahá’í wedding in Canada to be officially recognized.
At Saturday’s picnic, you are asked to bring food to share and are invited to bring a musical instrument.
The event is free to attend. It runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. by the children’s playground in the park (look for the tent).
For information, go to victoriabahai.org.
Chalk artists display their talents to shoppers
Watch local and visiting chalk artists create an array of artworks at the Uptown Chalk Art Festival at Uptown Shopping Centre from Friday to Sunday.
This is the first year of the three-day event, which sees local and visiting street painters, including 3D chalk artists, create a chalk art gallery along the theme of celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday.
Children will be welcome at the kid chalkers’ zone, with free chalk provided. There will be an entertainment stage and food vendors.
Artists are allowed to take up to two days to complete their piece on chalking spaces that are typically 21Ú2 metres long by three metres wide.
The event is free. You can view the artists and their work during regular shopping hours on the upper level, adjacent to Whole Foods. Uptown Shopping Centre is at 3440 Saanich Rd. For information, go to shopuptown.ca.
Enjoy art, food and music in gardens
Nourish your creative green thumb to the accompaniment of music and food at Arts and Music in the Gardens on Saturday and Sunday at the Gardens at the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific.
This is the 23rd year of the festival. There are three stages with musicians and performers and up to 50 local artists displaying their objets d’art, which are available for sale.
The festival is set among a backdrop of 3.6 hectares of demonstration gardens, which visitors are welcome to explore. The gardens, 12 kilometres north of downtown Victoria, are home to the largest outdoor bonsai garden in Canada.
The grounds are tended to by volunteers and students attending the Pacific Horticulture College.
Admission to the gardens is $12 for adults, $9 students and seniors, free for children under 16 and members. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Horticultural Centre of the Pacific is at 505 Quayle Rd. For information, go to hcp.ca.
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