There are markets galore on the West Shore and this is a great time to take advantage of all the great picks of fresh produce, country fare and artisans’ wares.
The Metchosin Farmers’ Market is held every Sunday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. There is wine and cider tasting and plenty of farmers’ bounty to enjoy. The Goldstream Farmers Market takes place every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and vendors offer local fruits and vegetables.
Victoria and Colwood’s biggest Canada Day birthday cake is always served at Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites on July 1. Come and join in the celebration this Friday, with live music, fun activities and games throughout the day. There will be a 21-gun salute and free cake at noon. Admission is free and a shuttle service is provided from the Juan de Fuca park and ride. A reminder that dogs are not permitted within the site.
Camp Create will take place at Lakewood elementary from July 4 to 8, from 9 a.m. until noon. The morning camps offer music, high-energy games, singing video and Bible stories. Cost is $55 and includes t-shirt, canvas and supplies. Register now at canvaschurch.ca/gatherings/events/camp-create.
Metchosin-born violin virtuoso Philip Manning eagerly returns to his hometown, with a performance at St. Mary’s Church on July 9. Pianist Braden Young will accompany him. The two musicians first met in 2006 as students in the Collegium Program for Gifted Young Musicians at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. Tickets are $15 with children 12 and under free. Tickets are available at Westside InstaPrint, Coast Collective, Metchosin Country Store, or online at westshorearts.org (plus PayPal handling fee).
The Vintage Car Show will take place at Fort Rodd Hill on July 10 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. With close to a hundred cars, the show offers every variety of this luxury marque: the sleek roadsters of the ’30s, the ’50s classics (all pastels, fins and chrome), ambulances, hearses, custom jobs, low-riders and cutting-edge current models.
Give the gift of life at the West Shore Blood Donor Clinic, taking place July 11 from noon until 7 p.m. at the Church of the Advent, 510 Mount View Ave. in Colwood.
Do you have business news or a community event you’d like our readers to know about? Send it to Christine at cscott@goldstreamgazette.com or Shelley at swestwood@goldstreamgazette.com.