Victoria team takes on Tour de Cure to support cancer foundation
The executive director of the B.C. Cancer Foundation on 91原创 Island will captain Victoria’s Tour de Cure team — known as Team Victoria-ous — next weekend in a two-day, 200-kilometre ride from Cloverdale to Hope.
William Litchfield’s group will include Bonnie Gunderson, who has been taking part in the ride for the past decade in recognition of members of her family.
“As those of you who know me and my family, you know how much cancer has affected our family and why raising funds to fight cancer is so important to us,” Gunderson said on her fundraising page. “I can’t change the fact that cancer has hit once again, this time to my twin sister Connie, my sister Erin and my niece, Tegan, but I can ride a bike and I can fundraise.
“This is my way to show support.”
Gunderson has has been working out with a trainer as well as cycling in preparation for the big event, which runs Aug. 24-25.
This is Litchfield’s third year taking part.
The Victoria team will be part of a field of about 2,000 riders.
The Tour de Cure was started in 2009 and has since raised over $124 million for the B.C. Cancer Foundation and its research programs.
More than 30,000 people in B.C. are diagnosed with cancer every year, and rates are on the rise due to the province’s aging and growing population.
Donations to teams or individuals can be made at .
Carnival celebrates spirit of the Caribbean
A Caribbean Carnival is coming to Centennial Square next weekend with a parade, entertainment and authentic Caribbean food.
The two-day gathering is being organized by i-Land Fest, a group that said it is intent on creating “a vibrant Caribbean presence on the island.”
“Our mandate is to showcase and promote the rich traditions, diverse cultures, lively art and spirited essence of the Caribbean,” the group said.
The carnival begins Saturday with a parade starting at Wharf and Government streets at 11 a.m. The parade will head along Government to Centennial Square, where festivities will get underway at noon.
Saturday’s schedule is noon to 8 p.m., followed by noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
There will be a game zone with board games played in the Caribbean and a kids’ zone with a wide range of activities for children, along with a marketplace featuring many goods and services.
Among the headlining performers will be international soca music star Shurwayne Winchester from Trinidad and Tobago in his Victoria debut, and local reggae artist Caleb Hart, also from Trinidad and Togago.
A Saturday night after-party, which is a ticketed event, will be held at Medusa’s Shot House on Yates Street at 9 p.m.
People are invited to sign up for the parade and volunteers are still needed for the weekend.
Information is available at .
Culinary event brings food and farm together
The 91原创 Island Feast of Fields returns next weekend with culinary offerings served in an outdoor setting.
Long-time participants like Café Brio, Sea Cider and Phillips Brewing and Malting Co. will be joined by newcomers including Café Malabar, Block Kitchen + Bar, Syriana Restaurant and Catering, and Stillhead Distillery.
“We work extensively with local growers and producers, and an event like this is an important way to showcase the results of that local product, not just in supporting local small-scale farmers but also the difference it makes on the plate in terms of freshness and flavours,” said Tyler Thompson, chef at Block Kitchen + Bar.
The 1-4 p.m. event is put on by FarmFolk CityFolk, B.C.’s largest food and agriculture charity, to raise money for its programs and efforts to promote sustainable food systems.
Spokesperson Julia Zado said the group is happy to be bringing the popular gathering back to the Island.
“This event is an important way to connect with local growers and farms in our community that fuel our amazing food culture here,” Zado said.
She said this year’s feast will be bigger than the one in 2019.
“So it’s coming back in a really big way.”
Over 60 such events have been held across B.C. by FarmFolk CityFolk in the past 29 years.
Tickets must be purchased in advance at , which also has a complete list of the event’s participants.
Tickets, which include service fees, include all food and beverages. No tokens are required.
VIP tickets with extra tastings and a gift bag are $294.21 (and include a $75 tax receipt), adult tickets are $123.81, youth tickets for 13- to 18-year-olds are $54.68, tickets for children six to 12 are $22.63 and children under six are free.
Tickets for transport from Victoria aboard the Feast Bus are $25, and must also be purchased in advance. The bus will leave from Uptown at noon.
VIATEC stages Geek Olympics at summer event
Victoria’s tech community hosts its Summer Tech Together — featuring the inaugural Geek Olympics — on Friday.
The Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology & Entrepreneurship Council, or VIATEC, invites the public to Heritage Acres on Lochside Drive site 1-8 p.m. on Aug. 23 for the Tech Together.
The Geek Olympics start at 4 p.m. and will include one-on-one basketball with an arcade format, a human version of the Hungry Hungry Hippos board game, bumper-ball sports and a unique form of mini-golf.
Add to that a 30-metre obstacle course and a contest to show your skill with Gel Blasters, which shoot small balls of gel that burst on impact.
Organizers describe Gel Blasters as “similar to paintball but less intense.”
The Heritage Acres train will be in operation from 2-4 p.m.
Tickets, including a barbecue meal, are $20 for VIATEC members and $30 for non-members. Children 12 and under get in free.
