Where

Timber!

Much of British Columbia was built on logging and the Royal BC Museum is celebrating this history in August with Good Timber: Songs and Stories of the Western Logger, “a rollicking musical revue celebrating the time when loggers climbed trees.”

The ensemble performance of stellar local artists plays against a multi-media backdrop of outstanding archival imagery, August 8 to 27. Inspired by a dog-eared copy of Rhymes of the Western Logger, a compilation of logging camp poetry by Robert E. Swanson, creators Ross Desprez and creative partner Tobin Stokes have gathered a stellar cast for this entertaining romp through the past. Set against a multi-media backdrop of rarely seen images from the BC Archives, John Gogo, Mark Hellman, Kelt and Colleen Eccleston, Sarah Donald and Desprez act, sing and play everything from guitar to handsaw. Original music ranges from Celtic and country to folk and blues, to accompany the loggers’ poetry.

Five Summer Must-See Events

1. Take in the TD Art Gallery Paint-In, along Moss Street from the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria to Dallas Road July 16. See many of the city’s finest artists at work, relax in the food and beverage garden and enjoy evening music and dancing with Kumbia.

2. Head to the Inner Harbour early July 30 for Symphony Splash, the musical event of summer with the Victoria Symphony and special guests performing from a
floating stage in the harbour.

3. The Organic Islands & Sustainability Festival, July 9 and 10, brings together an amazing array of green-themed products, services and ideas, paired with food, entertainment and kids’ activities in the lovely setting of Glendale Gardens.

4. August 12 to 14 brings the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival to the Inner Harbour. Cheer on the remarkable athletes and enjoy cultural foods and entertainment in a weekend of exciting competition, camaraderie and community.

5. Take in a local farmer’s market. Favourites include Moss Street, the Peninsula Country Market, the Thursday night market in Sidney and the Oak Bay Night Market.

While Victoria offers plenty to keep you entertained this summer, extending your visit to explore some of the treasures awaiting up Island is a highly recommended way to while away the summer. Here are a few of our favourite Island destinations…

Salt Spring Island

35-minute ferry trip from Sidney/Swartz Bay

Salt Spring Island is a tranquil, island paradise renowned for its relaxed lifestyle, natural beauty, art galleries, studios, wineries and gift shops. Visit on Saturdays and take in the huge outdoor market where Salt Spring’s accomplished artisans and farmers display their fine products. Hiking trails at Ruckle Provincial Park, country roads ideal for cycling and wonderful kayaking are among the many possibilities here. (more…)

Prepare to indulge in the best food and wine Vancouver Island has to offer this summer at the third-annual Taste: Victoria’s Festival of Food and Wine July 21 to 24.

Focusing on Vancouver Island cuisine and British Columbia wines, the festival is supported by a number of local winemakers, chefs, artisan producers, farmers and fishers – all key players in helping to make Vancouver Island a vibrant culinary destination.

“When choosing partners for Taste, I look at a number of factors to ensure they’re really walking the talk, so to speak,” says Taste founder Kathy McAree. “I look at how local and seasonal ingredients are showcased in their products (and) their contribution to our community which contributes to our local economy. Taste is also unique in that, rather than just being one day, it offers four great days of serious food and wine indulgence!”

The Taste weekend kicks off on Thursday, July 21 at Victoria’s Crystal Garden with The Main Event, an evening brimming with more than 100 BC wines and great Vancouver Island eats. Guests will be joined by local chefs, wine producers and the live music of Greenlaw, a local band with a unique blend of dub, soul, jazz, drum and bass-infused rhythms.

Other special events taking place July 22 to 24 include the wine and seafood extravaganza Sips and Seafood, hosted by the Inn at Laurel Point and chef Takashi Ito, a Silk Road tea tasting with Tea Master Daniela Cubelic, a Swine and The Vine pig roast on the Hotel Grand Pacific patio, a three-course brunch at Vista 18 and a unique wine seminar of Vancouver Island vs. the World.

New to this year’s multi-day line-up is Land and Sea Harvest on the Family Farm, a dining adventure to take place in the middle of the field at the Vantreight Family Farm, overlooking the Saanich Peninsula and ocean. Join Ryan Vantreight and chef Matt Rissling from The Marina Restaurant for a “zero mile diet” dinner, paired with wines from BC’s Mission Hill Family Estate Winery.

For event or ticket details, visit www.victoriataste.com

– Jennifer Blyth

Exploring the City of Gardens

From the world-famous Butchart Gardens to an elegant city garden designed by royalty, the City of Gardens holds no shortage of possibilities for the garden enthusiast!

Abkhazi Garden is an oasis in the heart of the city, the 1946 creation of Prince and Princess Abkhazi featuring an amazing mix of oaks, maples, rhododendrons and more.

In nearby Rockland, the Government House Gardens feature six hectares of gorgeous mixed beds, massive rhododendrons, an elegant rose garden, herb garden and more, not to mention stunning city views.

Rockland, along with the nearby community of Oak Bay, is also a popular neighbourhood for a walk or bike ride, allowing green thumbs to appreciate the many beautiful private gardens gracing the region’s stately older homes. Over the blue Johnson Street Bridge, the beautiful gardens of Saxe Point Park are well worth a stroll, as are the Finnerty Gardens at the University of Victoria campus, about 15 minutes northeast of downtown.

Heading out the Saanich Peninsula, Glendale Gardens and Woodland offers 17 specialty and demonstration areas – Victoria’s “garden for gardeners.” Particularly lovely is the native plant wildflower garden, rhododendron and hosta garden and hardy fuschia garden, not to mention the Takata Japanese Garden.

The Saanich Peninsula is also home to Victoria Butterfly Garden, whose lush, tropical gardens provide the ideal backdrop for thousands of free-flying butterflies. Nearby, Butchart Gardens boasts 20 hectares of breathtaking gardens. Visit this spring to take in vast seas of flowers, shrubs and trees bursting forth in stunning colours.

In Victoria’s West Shore community, Hatley Park National Historic Site is home both to Hatley Castle and Royal Roads University, plus beautiful Italian, rose and Japanese gardens. The Mother’s Day Paint-in May 8 is a terrific time to come explore the gardens while also enjoying the talents of local artists.

Glorious Gardens!

The 29th annual Victoria Conservatory of Music Mother’s Day Garden Tour is a must on the calendars of both Victorians and visitors.

Meander through cloistered paths rich with bursts of colour and wander through motifs ranging from simple to elegant. Your ticket is a self-guided tour of the textures, colours and aromas of spring. On May 7 and 8, from 10am to 4pm, garden enthusiasts can immerse themselves in a melody of colour and sound as live music will be performed in the gardens by VCM students and faculty. All funds raised support the conservatory.

Tickets for the self-guided tour are $30 for a two-day pass, available from all Victoria-based Thrifty Foods locations. Visa, Master Card and debit card payments will be accepted at the Conservatory

Call 250-386-5311 for details.

– Jennifer Blyth

Canada’s Singular Live Theatre Event

For 14 years now, Victoria’s Uno Fest has put a new spin on the “one man show.” Or one-woman show, for that matter.

Dubbed “Canada’s Singluar Live Theatre Event,” over the past 14 years, Uno Fest has featured more than 200 solo performers from around the world in a unique international festival devoted to the power of the one-person show. This year’s festival, May 19 to 29 at the Intrepid Theatre Club and Metro Studio, promises more of the same.

North America’s longest running solo theatre festival is mounted by Victoria’s 25-year-old Intrepid Theatre, which also produces the annual Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival and a year-round series of international theatre presentations and premiers for local indie companies.

The 2011 Uno Fest lineup includes an eclectic mixture of one-person shows from across Canada, works in development by innovative emerging artists, walking tours, monologue slams and more. And, with tickets just $16 or $65 for Festival 5-Show Pass, there’s no better deal in town!

Among the highlights of Uno Fest 2011 are:

•  Lucky 9 – TJ Dawe, Vancouver. Fringe legend TJ Dawe returns with his newest fringe hit about his family, psychology and HBO’s The Wire. (tjdawe.com)

•   Public Confessions of a Public Servant – Missie Peters, Victoria. Public Confessions was the surprise hit of the Victoria Fringe 2010. First-time Fringe performer Missie Peters charmed local audiences with her humorous spoken word show about working in the public service. (missiepeters.com)

•   Son of Africville – Justin Carter, Victoria. An emerging local artist’s autobiographical one-man show takes audiences on a journey to his family roots in the oldest black settlement in Canada.

•   Women in Fish – Rosemary Georgeson, Vancouver. The tale of a fishing boat tragedy and the woman who miraculously survived. Originally created as a radio documentary for CBC. (urbanink.ca)

•   DECK or How I Instigated Then Overcame an Existential Crisis Through Home Improvement – Lucas Myers, Nelson, BC. DECK examines the fine line between perfectionism and obsession, chaos and freedom and why a piece of 2×6 lumber isn’t really two inches by six inches. (pilotcopilot.com)

•   GITA: God in the Army – Celia McBride, Whitehorse. A multi-media meditation on war and peace, the duty of service and the nature of GOD. (celiamcbride.com)

•   The Devil and Billy Markham – Matthew Kowalchuk, Vancouver. A retelling of the Faust legend, set in the country music capital Nashville, performed as an epic poem accompanied by music. Written by playwright and author Shel Silverstein.

– Jennifer Blyth

Celebrating the Art of Gardening

Whether gardener or art lover, one of the hottest tickets in town this spring will be Art in Bloom 2011, a week-long celebration of fine art and all things botanical, March 28 to April 2.

Heralding the start of spring on Vancouver Island and supporting exhibitions and programming at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Art in Bloom highlights the talents of local and international artists, writers, floral designers and garden experts. A red carpet gala in the new Atrium Building caps off the event.

In all, this year’s lecture series boasts a stellar line-up of 17 local and international horticultural experts, speaking on themes from food to flowers to best practices in gardening and design. Acclaimed gardening expert, author and floral designer Thomas Hobbs will be a highlight for many gardeners as he discusses Creating or Curating: Knowing when it’s time to make a change.

Author and photographer Michael Ableman will explore food security and sustainability while Dominique Browning, author, columnist and former editor of House and Garden magazine, will discuss her new book, Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pyjamas and Found Happiness, about reinvention and seizing new opportunity in gardening and in life. Dan Hinkley, a widely published plants-man, garden writer and horticulturist, will explore the Forgotten Elements of Good Design: Texture, Movement and Fragrance.

For a full line-up of Art in Bloom events and lectures, visit www.aggv.bc.ca

– Jennifer Blyth

Stage Struck

Intrepid Theatre, hosts of two of the capital city’s favourite arts events, the Uno Festival and the Victoria Fringe Festival, presents a fundraiser featuring local creator of the international hits One Man Star Wars and One Man Lord of The Rings. The Charles-Ross-A-Thon is at the Metro Studio November 3 to 7. In February, the theatre presents Floating, “the comic and beautiful tale of the island that floated away. Welsh theatre company Hoipolloi have collected four-star reviews across Britain with this award-winning production.

Pacific Opera Victoria heats up February with Puccini’s cherished La Bohème. “While his friend Marcello carries on a tempestuous affair with the flirtatious Musetta, the poet Rodolfo falls in love with a seamstress named Mimi. Their euphoria is soon tinged with dread as Mimi falls ill. But in their brief moments of joy together, they find the love of a lifetime.” Justly called “the greatest love story ever sung.”

Victoria’s historic Belfry Theatre continues its winter season with The Life Inside, a unique piece of musical theatre based on Maurice Maeterlinck’s 1895 play, Intérieur, and created specifically for the Belfry. In the New Year, the Belfry offers David Mamet’s Cryptogram. “Set in 1959, The Cryptogram is a journey back to childhood and the moment of its vanishing – the moment when the sheltering world is suddenly revealed as a place full of menace where the grownups are speaking in code, and that code may never be breakable.”

Fresh Face for Langham Court Theatre

One of Victoria’s most beloved community theatres is greeting its 2010-2011 season with a fresh face.

Langham Court Theatre is housed in a nineteenth-century carriage house and barn that over the years have been part of a school for boys, a meeting hall and the home of the 1930 Victoria Operatic Society. In 1938-40 the buildings became The Victoria Little Theatre & Dramatic School.

The name was changed in 1950 and over the last half-century the theatre has seen many more improvements and expansions, including this summer’s renovation of the auditorium and replacement of the theatre seats. All the better for enjoying this winter’s theatrical treats.

The Memory of Water will fill the theatre November 17 to December 4, following three sisters reunited for their mother’s funeral, women whose paths are littered with laughter, tears, hidden secrets and love.

In the New Year, the theatre explores the 1998 beating death of a gay University of Wyoming student in the poignant Laramie Project, a response to the tragic events in Laramie that was formed from actual interviews at the time.

Music Makers

Something for everyone truly describes the music calendar this winter as Victoria welcomes everyone from Ozzy Osbourne to the Rankin sisters.

The Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra celebrates a remarkable 25 years with three winter concerts. University of Victoria’s Farquhar Auditorium welcomes the young musicians November 14 for a Silver Season Gala featuring Handel’s Royal Fireworks Music, Bartók’s Rumanian Folk Dances and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D. On December 12, at the Church of St. John the Divine, the orchestra says Thank You to Our Home Community with Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll, Poulenc’s Organ Concerto in G minor.

February 13 brings the orchestra back to the Farquhar Auditorium for The Next Generation, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Overture on Russian Themes, Mozart’s Wind Sinfonia Concertante in E flat and Gershwin’s  Catfish Row.

The Victoria Symphony Orchestra entertains with a wide selection of performances this season, ranging from a series of Christmas performances to the classics. In December, Canada’s foremost musical comedienne, Mary Lou Fallis, serves up a performance of musical highjinks in My Funny Christmastime. Always illuminating but mostly just hilarious, Mary Lou will provide definitive performances of familiar Christmas classics and invent some classics of her own that will infuse your holidays with laugh-out-loud joy.

Additional highlights include a traditional Viennese New Year’s celebration January 1 and Brush Up Your Shakespeare February 2. “The Immortal Bard has inspired endless music from Medelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Broadway hits such as West Side Story and Kiss Me Kate. Hear the Victoria Symphony play your favourite Shakespearean tunes – and as a bonus, enjoy Duncan Regehr’s rendition of some Shakespearean verse!”

This fall, the Victoria Gilbert and Sullivan Society explores the great tradition of The British Music Hall December 3 to 5 in a fundraiser production at the Fairfield New Horizons. Featuring a master of ceremonies, or “Chairman,” introducing singers, dancers and special acts, mingled with jokes, the music hall is similar to American Vaudeville, with outrageous characters and some improvisation. Audiences take note: “the success of a Music Hall show depends on audience participation, so leave the prim and proper at the opera and bring your cheers and jeers!” For details see www.gilbertandsullivanvictoria.ca

East Coast Canadian folk-rockers Wintersleep come to the Alix Goolden Hall in November, in support of their New Inheritors tour – sure to be a popular fall event.

Ready to rock out with something completely different? Check out Ozzie Osbourne, coming November 12 to the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, joined by special guest Halford.

Dance

Step inside the walls of William Head Minimum Security Prison to take in Chalk, from SNAFU Dance Theatre and William Head on Stage. With public performances scheduled for select nights November 4 to 20, the production is created and performed by six men from William Head Prison, with Anne Cirillo and Ingrid Hansen. (Audience members must be 19 years or older.) Advance tickets only – visit www.snafudance.com

December stages are busy with ballet. From December 27 to 30, Ballet Victoria presents a new take on the familiar Beauty and the Beast, visually entrancing, fresh and innovative. Canadian Pacific Ballet presents the holiday favourite Nutcracker Suite, following the adventures of Clara and the Christmas gift of the mysterious nutcracker doll. Complementing the performance is the Sugar Plum Fair, an interactive transformation of the McPherson lobby, where children young and old can enjoy the sweets of the land.

In February, Toronto Dance Theatre performs Pteros Tactics, by Christopher House, whose “playful approach to creating new works brings out the best in his international company of 10 dancers, earning House his reputation as one of the leading choreographers in Canada today.”

– Jennifer Blyth

Celebrating The City’s Spookiest Season

Halloween – October 31 – marked the end of the year for the ancient Celts. The veil that separates the land of the living from the realm of the dead was thought to be thinnest then and spirits were free to come and go.

Today in Victoria, the province’s most haunted place, the city’s many “spirited” attractions celebrate with the Ghosts of Victoria Festival.

• Ross Bay Cemetery is a beautiful oceanside Victorian cemetery where phantoms roam. Isabella Ross, once owner of the land, sits looking forlornly out to sea; David Fee, murdered one Christmas Eve, appears as white mist. The Old Cemeteries Society hosts tours each Sunday at 2pm and the annual Ghost Tour is from 1 to 3pm Sunday, October 31.

Call 250-598-8870 for more details.

• The Maritime Museum is the favourite haunt of Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie, the “hanging judge.” Dominating Bastion Square, many consider it Victoria’s most haunted place, the location of public hangings during colonial days. The museum is open daily, with Ghost Tours at the end of October.

Call 250-385-4222, ext. 106 for information.

• A former convent school, St. Ann’s Academy’s grounds feature a walled orchard, woodland walk and beautiful Novitiates’ Garden. The restored chapel is open Thursday to Sunday, 1 to 4pm. On October 22, 23, 29 and 30 at 6:30 and 8:30pm, Voices from the Past explores life, death and unexplained phenomena at this 150-year-old historic site.

Call 250-953-8828 for details.

• Ghostly Walks explore the haunted alleys and courtyards of downtown Victoria. Until October 21 these popular 90-minute walks begin nightly at 7:30, with extra 9:30 tours on Fridays and Saturday. Tours start at the Visitor Centre. Extra Halloween tours begin nightly from October 22 to 31 at 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30pm, meeting in the lobby of the Bedford Regency Hotel at 1140 Government Street. No reservations needed.

Call 250-384-6698 or visit www.discoverthepast.com for details.

• The stunning Craigdarroch Castle, open daily, does not offer ghost tours, but at Halloween hosts a spooky play, The Cursed Cabaret, a new play with music, on selected evenings from October 13 to 31. Call

250-592-5323 for information and reservations.

• Haunted Horse-drawn Trolley Tours venture down dark streets in the most haunted neighbourhoods on the West Coast, and you just might see a ghost or two! The 45-minute tour is narrated by a ghostly guide and to make matters even more intriguing…all the stories are true! Tours take place at the end of October.

Call 250-383-2207 for information and reservations.

• Nightmares Entertainment, downstairs at 1215 B Government Street in Trounce Alley, is one of Victoria’s newer spooky attractions. The “Terror Zone” in 3-D attraction is not for young children, but only the brave! Open throughout September and October, with extended hours around Halloween.

Call 250-388-4024.

• Ghost Bus-tours, are two-hour coach tours past Victoria’s most haunted places. The Old Cemeteries Society has run these very popular tours for 16 years, with a different route each year. Join a tour October 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 or 31 at 6:30 and 9pm. Tickets are available through Tourism Victoria at 250-953-2033.

GHOSTLY GOINGS-ON

To explore for ghosts on your own at any time, start downtown in several Old Town shops, such as Rogers Chocolates and Old Morris Tobacconists. Tourism Victoria can also provide names of haunted restaurants, bars, hotels and bed and breakfasts.

Featured in the Creepy Canada TV series, Hatley Castle (part of Royal Roads University) is haunted by ghosts of the Dunsmuir family who once owned it, and you just might catch a glimpse of James Dunsmuir Jr. in his soldier’s uniform as he rises from the lake in the Japanese garden.

A passenger on the Lusitania when it was torpedoed in May 1915, his body was never found. Back at Hatley, his elderly mother longed for him to return home and when the castle became a military college during the Second World War her ghost stalked the dormitories to see whether one of the cadets was her long-lost son.

Beneath majestic trees and crumbling tombstones at the Old Burying Ground on Quadra at Meares Street lie 1,200 bodies. The spectres of Adelaide Griffin who died in 1861 and “Soap and Water” Johnson who committed suicide in 1871 often glide among the graves.

The Victoria Golf Course on scenic Beach Drive is haunted by Doris Gravlin, strangled there by her husband in 1936 and hidden under a pile of logs on the nearby beach. She appears often as a white figure or light on the fairways, running quickly toward people and sometimes running circles around them near the beach and beside the road.

Chinatown has many supernatural stories. Its secret tunnels are only myths, but its hauntings are very real. Feel the paranormal energy in Fan Tan Alley as you walk past its abandoned opium dens and gambling halls. Watch out for the ghost of Chung, a teenager who fell in love with one of Chinatown’s sing-song girls, but was spurned by her when he proposed marriage. In revenge he returned and chopped off her head as she sat at an open window. He fled through Fan Tan Alley and his ghost is felt there still, pushing people against the brick walls.

– Jennifer Blyth

HARVEST TIME

Think Summer has cornered the market on Victoria’s calendar? Not a chance with the way the harvest season shapes up on the south island.

Victoria is blessed with an abundance of fertile farmlands a short drive from downtown. The fruits of these lands can be found in local restaurants and farmers’ markets, but many also have their own farm markets, farm-gate sales or attractions.

In the Blenkinsop Valley, Galey Farms plants a new corn maze each year, complemented by a western town, train ride, petting farm and more. Come mid-October, those features take on a decidedly spooky twist.

Enjoy the short ferry ride from Sidney for the 12th annual?Salt Spring Island Apple Festival, Sunday, October 3, from 9am to 5pm. Start at Fulford Hall and take in a day-full of activities dedicated to one of the island’s tastiest crops. And appropriate for this year’s theme, Kids and Apples – A Magical Combination, activities are free for children 12 and younger.

The intricate work of Victoria pumpkin carver returns to the Victoria Truth Centre, near downtown, from 5 to 10pm October 28 to 31. Featuring an amazing array of carvings, ranging from spooky scenes to entertainment icons from yesterday and today, the illuminated works of art are a seasonal highlight for many. Free parking is available at the nearby Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

GORGEOUS GARDENS

While Victoria is renowned for its spring, fall really makes a striking statement. Don’t miss the magnificent Butchart Gardens, especially the bright hues of the Japanese garden. In town, the gardens at Government House are splendid with fall’s changing colours, set against the backdrop of one of the city’s most elegant neighbourhoods. Nearby, Abkhazi Garden greets the season beautifully with its towering oaks, shrubs, perennials and brightly coloured Japanese maples. Fancy the tropics? Visit the oasis at Victoria Butterfly Gardens!

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

The businesses of Oak Bay Avenue extend the summer season with the Oak Bay Village Night Market, September 15 from 4 to 8pm. Following an official opening by the Town Crier, artists and artisans will present jewellery, pottery, turned wood, toys, fresh produce and food against a backdrop of music and entertainment.

Local farmers’ markets are generally a hive of activity through Thanksgiving in mid-October. Highlights include the destination Moss Street Market near downtown and the Peninsula Country Market near Sidney. Both markets feature the freshest of local produce and products, plus entertainment, treats, kids’ activities and more. Exploring downtown? Get a taste of local farms at the Island Chefs’ Collaborative Bastion Square Market, Thursdays and Fridays through late September.

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

On Labour Day weekend, September 4 to 6, the Saanich Fair is one of Victoria’s favourite farewells to summer and a must for many locals and visitors alike. The 143rd annual fair fills the Saanich Fairgrounds with traditional animal and agricultural displays, games, entertainment, delicious food and a fun-filled midway.

In the West Shore, the Luxton Fair comes to town September 17 to 19, with blacksmithing and antique farm equipment displays, First Nations arts, historical displays, midway and more. Don’t miss the Luxton Tough Truck Challenge 2010, beginning at 11am Saturday and Sunday.

Insider’s tip: If the kids plan to take in more than a few rides on the fairs’ midways, consider a wristband that allows them to ride all day for a set price.

At the Saanich Historical Artifacts Society’s Heritage Acres, also on the Peninsula, reap the harvest at the family-friendly Fall Threshing event, September 18 and 19. Don’t miss the butter-dipped corn-on-the-cob!

WINE TIME

Southern Vancouver Island is enjoying its growing reputation as a wine-lovers’ destination. Celebrating that status is the sixth Cowichan Wine and Culinary Festival, September 18 and 19. An assortment of events showcases the area’s best wines and ciders, unique farm-fresh delights, live entertainment, green Earth seminars and more. Purple “wine route” roadside signs make it easy to find participating properties.

All the festival locations will offer at least one complimentary activity or tasting. “A tradition of the festival is to be as free as possible to encourage visitors to indulge in the full variety of bounties the festival has to offer, ” explains Kellie Turner. In addition to exciting free opportunities, visitors can also choose to purchase tickets to premier events, including winemaker’s dinners.

Outside the festival, enjoy a self-guided tour of Victoria and Cowichan-area wineries or let Executive Wine Tours do the driving and explore the region’s award-winning vintners in luxury.

– Jennifer Blyth

The Royal BC Museum is inviting visitors to take a peek behind the scenes, exploring all things natural in its latest exhibition.

Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes is a multi-year project that includes an original exhibition, special events, interactive website and tours to the museum collections areas.

Designed to give visitors an insider’s look at the museum’s 124-year history of scientific research, part one of Behind the Scenes continues to fall 2011 and showcases the work of the natural history department.

“Since 1886, the Royal BC Museum has been collecting specimens relating to BC’s natural history,” says RBCM CEO Pauline Rafferty. “The specimens you see in our galleries are a small fraction of what’s actually in our collections. The goal of this exhibition is to show visitors a side of their museum they’ve probably never seen before, and give a sense of how exciting – and varied – this province’s biodiversity really is.”

The 929-square-metre (10,000-square-foot) exhibit features thousands of natural history specimens, ranging from preserved sea cucumbers, clawed frogs and pythons to a 225-million-year-old fossilized Saurichthys (reptile fish).

In a hands-on activity space, explorers 10 and younger can go wild in three activity tents packed with biodiversity-themed games. Kids can break out their stripes by dressing up like a skunk, channel their inner marine biologist by trekking through a kelp-garden or perform scientific research by studying a bug’s innards through a microscope.

As an approved 2010 UNESCO International Year of Biodiversity project, Behind the Scenes also features an extensive special events program for all ages.

To take in the Behind the Scenes interactive exhibition online, visit www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca. For more information on the latest activities, events and exhibitions at the Royal BC Museum call 1-888-447-7977.

– Jennifer Blyth