There have never been more titles to choose from at the annual sa国际传媒 Book Sale, which takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Victoria Curling Club.
Thousands of people donated their used books at the book drive, held a few weeks ago. After being so by a small army of volunteers, the books are now ready for new homes.
Last year, more than 7,000 book-lovers picked through hundreds of thousands of titles.
Proceeds from the book sale, now in its 20th year, go to literacy projects and education. This year, 160 literacy organizations and schools shared $272,000 raised at听last year鈥檚 sale. Since 1998, the听sale has raised $2.3 million for听programs on Vancouver Island.
Even books that don鈥檛 sell on the weekend will find a good home 鈥� on Monday, school teachers and other non-profit organizations get to scoop up all the books they want for free.
The books are priced to sell:听$3听for hardcovers, $2 for softcovers, $1 for pocket and children鈥檚 books 鈥� the prices haven鈥檛 risen since 2002.
Payment is by cash, debit and听major credit cards. No cheques.
Admission is free. The听event runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Curling Club, 1952听Quadra St. No听strollers on the second floor (where the Children鈥檚 section is听found).
Pay parking is available at the lot听serving the curling club and Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. There is free on-street parking along Quadra Street, but spots on听nearby side streets are for residents only. The club is on sa国际传媒听Transit route 6.
For more information, go to timescolonist.com.
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Get those kids moving at the family sports festival
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Find out about programs to keep your children active and happy at the Family Sport and Recreation Festival at the Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence on Saturday.
This is the eighth year of the annual event, a pre-summer destination for introducing kids to new opportunities at the club and community level.
The event is co-hosted by the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame and the Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence, the festival features more than 30 activities for children and families. Participants can try outdoor rock climbing, obstacle courses, tennis, rugby, hamsterball, wheelchair basketball and more.
鈥淭he festival is a great way of introducing families to a wide variety of options for keeping kids engaged in healthy activities without spending a dime,鈥� said Amy Corkery, the event co-ordinator.
鈥淭his year, kids can celebrate sa国际传媒鈥檚 150th and check off activities from the ParticipACTION 150 Playlist all in one afternoon. Our goal is to not only give them the chance to try out a sample of different sports and activities, but hopefully excite them about what they might want to participate in, long term.鈥�
Admission to the event is free.
It runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, at PISE, 4371 Interurban Rd. Details at piseworld.com/events.
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Where the water and the wild things are
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See pristine wilderness, traces of early Victoria鈥檚 history and the city鈥檚 source of drinking water at CRD Watershed Tours: Source to Tap, today through Saturday at the Sooke Lake Reservoir.
The Integrated Water Services Department of the Capital Regional District is once again inviting the public to take free bus tours of the watershed they manage during sa国际传媒 Drinking Water Week.
The tour, which takes five and a half hours, gives participants a behind-the-scenes look at the more than 20,500 hectares that make up the watershed. It is a place of unspoiled wilderness on the outskirts of the city. In the past, it was a former logging area complete with a sawmill. Snaking through the property was a road that stagecoaches took to travel from Sooke and Leechtown.
Human activity, even access, is restricted now. The 8.3-kilometre long Sooke Lake has been a reservoir since 1915, with nearby Goldstream Lake serving as a backup.
The tour will follow the flow of water as it makes its way from Rithet Creek (the lake鈥檚 main tributary) to the water supply facilities and finally the water-treatment process it undergoes before it flows from the tap.
Along the way, people will see a forest dominated by Douglas fir, with stands of western red cedar, white pine and alder.
Joining the tour is free but registration is required. There is one tour a day, which runs 9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. today through Saturday. Tours are recommended for ages 12 and up. Tours start from the CRD Field Office parking lot, 2955 Sooke Lake Rd. (near Goldstream Park campground). The tours repeat in June, when they will add shorter three-hour tours, twice a day, as well.
To register, or for details, go to crd.bc.ca/service/public-tours/watershed-tours.
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Honour those lost at sea in pivotal battle
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Watch a parade and join in ceremonies to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the end of the Battle of the Atlantic, on Sunday at the Cenotaph and the Sooke branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Every year, sa国际传媒 and its naval community commemorate those lost at sea during the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest single campaign of the Second World War.
The campaign was a pivotal struggle during the Second World War, lasting from September 1939 to May 1945, during which the Royal Canadian Navy lost 33 vessels and suffered more than 2,200 casualties. The Canadian Merchant Navy lost more than 70 ships and had more than 1,600 casualties. The Royal Canadian Air Force lost more than 900 aircrews.
Hundreds of Canadian Armed Forces personnel, veterans, cadets and the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy will take part in a parade, which starts on Wharf Street, march down Government Street to the Cenotaph at the sa国际传媒 Legislature for a ceremony.
The parade starts at 10:35 a.m., with the ceremony beginning at 10:50 a.m. Sunday.
The public is also welcome for a gathering at the Sooke Royal Canadian Legion to remember the Battle of the Atlantic and Victory in Europe Day.
Doors open at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 54 (Sooke), 6726 Eustace Rd.
For details, go to navy-marine.forces.gc.ca/en/navy-life/history-boa-home.page.
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TGIF at the beach in West Shore
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The City of Colwood hopes the launch of Beach Food Fridays and Saturdays at the Colwood waterfront will make the municipality the place to be at the end of a work week. The summer-long event debuts Friday on the beach off Ocean Boulevard.
The city wants to encourage people to get out and be active in the fresh air to fully appreciate the municipality鈥檚 beautiful natural surroundings.
People can come down to the beach for a stroll or a splash in the ocean 鈥� and have a meal accompanied by live local music. A variety of food trucks and musicians are scheduled throughout the summer.
The event is free to attend. It runs between noon and 8 p.m. every Friday and Saturday from this Saturday through September. Two or three food vendors will set up in a designated area near the welcome sign on Ocean Boulevard (near Lagoon Road) in Colwood.
Details at colwood.ca/news-events/community-calendar/event/beach-food-fridays-saturdays-colwood-waterfront.
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Get ready for the big one in Colwood
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Learn to be prepared for a power outage, earthquake or tsunami at Colwood鈥檚 annual Regional Emergency Preparedness Fair on Sunday at Westshore Parks and Recreation.
At the annual fair, now in its 10th year, attendees can learn about the many emergency resources available in our area.
The event features emergency vehicles, equipment and emergency supplies as well as interactive activities for children.
There will also be food vendors, giveaways, draws and more.
The free event runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Juan de Fuca Seniors Centre and Juan de Fuca Arena parking lot at Westshore Parks and Recreation, 1767 Island Hwy.
For details, go to colwood.ca/news-events/community-calendar/event/emergency-preparedness-fair-2017.
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Musical parade marks church鈥檚 150th birthday
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Meet the Naden Band, play games and take part in a parade at celebrations marking the 150th Anniversary of St. Paul鈥檚 Church, Anglican Parish of St. Peter and St. Paul, on Saturday.
The parish church has had many names. Over the years, it has been known as the Admiralty Church, the Esquimalt Church, the Esquimalt Episcopal Church and the Naval and Garrison Church.
The Naden Band will lead the community down Esquimalt Road on Saturday, tracing a route reminiscent of a journey once taken by St. Paul鈥檚 Church.
鈥淚n 1866 the community raised funds to build St. Paul鈥檚 Church on the Royal Navy Base at Signal Hill on Esquimalt鈥檚 natural harbour,鈥� said Towstego, rector of the church.
鈥淏ut in 1904, the Canadian Government needed the land and the church was slowly being shaken apart from gunnery vibrations, so it was brought piece-by-piece to where it is now.鈥�
After being welcomed by First Nations, the Township of Esquimalt and members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the Church will be open for a special presentation by the Princess Patricia鈥檚 Canadian Light Infantry Association commemorating their 32 years of involvement with the church.
The parish hall will also be open to view exhibits from the last 150 years, including a virtual-reality display of the church and its surroundings.
Food trucks from the Songhees First Nation and others will offer snacks for purchase.
The procession will gather at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the parking lot across from the Wardroom by the Military Family Resource Centre. The one-kilometre-long march will end at the church, 1379 Esquimalt Rd. Details at stpeterandpaul.ca.