Jun 28
The Sooke Subaru Triathlon On Whiffen Spit
For the past five years, approximately 600 elite and amateur athletes have come to Sooke to compete in the Subaru Western Triathlon Series. Set against our lush coastal rainforest location and rugged, varied terrain, the triathlon has been a popular event and it’s about to get more popular.
The Clover Point Drifters will perform at the Sooke River Bluegrass Festival
Sooke River Bluegrass Festival and Tall Tree Music Festival
Back once again, the ever popular Sooke River Bluegrass festival goes this coming weekend, June 18-20 for three full days of music, camping, and hopefully, sunshine.
Held every 3rd weekend in June, the Sooke River Bluegrass Festival is well known for being a family-friendly affair, and the setting couldn’t be better – at the Sooke River Campground, along the banks of the river. As music festivals go, it’s tremendously affordable, with a weekend pass going for only $35, and single day passes also available. There is on-site camping for both tents and RVs, and a huge lineup of players, including The Spinney Brothers and Four Chords of Wood.
With the summer weather having finally arrived, I can’t think of a better way to take in some great music!
Tall Tree Music Festival
New (as far as I know) this year is the Tall Tree Music Festival on June 25 and 26th, being held on the edge of the earth in beautiful and rustic Port Renfrew, about an hour’s drive west along the highway from Sooke.
A 2 day festival featuring bands such as Aidan Knight, Current Swell and, uh, Donkey Dong (yeah, you probably don’t want to Google that), you’ll be listening and camping on the site of the old Rec Retreat on Baird Road just past the general store in Port Renfrew. This site is soon to become Wild Coast Cottages (post on this to come soon). The festival is being held in support of “Avatar Grove,” the stand of old-growth trees recently “discovered” in the area. A group called Ancient Forest Alliance wants to protect this special place for all to enjoy for posterity.
Anything happening in Renfrew is a great idea in my opinion. The tiny village of about 200 is well known for great fishing, and as a jumping off point to hike the West Coast Trail or the Juan De Fuca Trail. I predict that it will grow in popularity in the coming years, much like Tofino has.
If you go:
Have an event in the Sooke Region this summer? Send me the details and I’ll post about it here!
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
Your comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Just use the form or link below this post.
You can bookmark this post using the button below,
or subscribe to this blog for free updates using the big buttons on the sidebar!
Springtime in Sooke – Cherry blossoms, daffodils, tulips. A season of renewal is upon us as the days get longer and the weather gets warmer. For the last 20 years, another sign of spring in Sooke has been the Sooke Rotary Club‘s annual auction and spring fair.
This year’s fair, the 20th anniversary of this important fund raising event for the Rotary Club, will be held Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 10:00am to 10:00 pm. As usual, the entire SEAPARC leisure complex on Phillips Road will be taken over with exhibits from local businesses, fabulous food, and dozens of items up for sale in silent and live auctions.
This year will be a little different in that the Rotarians are hosting a community party with the theme “Sooke – A Great Place To Be!”
Don’t miss:
Everyone is invited, from new residents to long-time Sooke-ites to those that don’t yet live here. Mark your calendars and come on down on the first to enjoy the bargains, the sights, sounds, and smells of the Sooke Rotary Auction and Spring Fair.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
Your comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Just use the form or link below this post.
You can bookmark this post using the button below,
or subscribe to this blog for free updates using the big buttons on the sidebar!
Sooke Santa Skate
The annual Sooke Santa Skate, put on by our team at Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty and SEAPARC, will be held this Sunday, December 20th, 2009 at the SEAPARC Arena. Join us from 1:30 until 3:00 for a fun, family event. Admission is by donation of non-perishable food items, new, unwrapped toys, or cash to support Sooke families in need this Christmas.
Your local REALTORS® from the Royal LePage Coast Capital office will be on hand passing out free and tasty hot chocolate and hot dogs and collecting your generous donations. Skate rentals are also included if you do not have your own. Bring your camera and get a memorable picture with Skating Santa Claus!
Last year’s event was a success, despite having been postponed due to adverse road conditions brought on by the wild winter weather we had last December. Hopefully we’ll have a typically mild day, making it easy for everyone to safely get to the arena.
I hope to see you there!
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
Your comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Just use the form or link below this post.
You can bookmark this post using the button below,
or subscribe to this blog for free updates using the big buttons on the sidebar!
This past Saturday saw the 2nd annual Sooke Spirit Festival which was a resounding success. What started as a small event in a snowstorm last year, grew into a well organized and well attended family affair this year.
I was driving the lead boat (the Coast Guard Auxiliary boat) in the sailpast, and managed to shoot a little bit of video to give you an idea what it looked like out there if you missed it. What a perfect night to be on the water. A little chilly, but the wind held off until after the sailpast, which was a big plus. There were lots of people on the boardwalk watching the dozen-plus decorated boats sparkle on the crystal-clear and calm evening on Sooke Harbour.
Check out the video I shot below. It’s mostly of the boats getting ready and of the beautiful harbour before sundown, as I was driving the boat during the actual sailpast. If anyone has any better video, shoot me an email and let me know and I’ll post it!
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
Your comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Just use the form or link below this post.
You can bookmark this post using the button below,
or subscribe to this blog for free updates using the big buttons on the sidebar!
Ho Ho Ho!
The Sooke Harbour Chamber of Commerce and The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary Unit #37 – Sooke invite one and all to the Sooke Spirit Festival, which takes place tomorrow, Saturday, December 5th, 2009. Right in the heart of the town centre, come join us in getting into the Christmas spirit!
What’s happening?
We have been blessed with fantastic weather this year, and while it will be cool and crisp, there won’t be rain (or a snow storm like last year!) This is an awesome free family event you won’t want to miss.
Other family events this year in Sooke include the Sooke Santa Skate, put on by me and the team at Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty. Stay tuned to 642Blog for more information about this other wonderful Christmas family event.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
Your comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Just use the form or link below this post.
You can bookmark this post using the button below,
or subscribe to this blog for free updates using the big buttons on the sidebar!
Driftwood Santa Christmas Ornaments
One of the oldest and biggest craft fairs on the Island goes this weekend, November 20 – 22, 2009. The All-Sooke Arts and Crafts Fair is taking place in the Community Hall building in Sooke. Over 60 exhibitors on two floors will be there, along with food and entertainment.
Come on out and get some Christmas shopping done and get ready to deck your halls this coming season! Admission is free and the show runs 10:00 – 5:00 on Saturday and Sunday and 1:00 – 8:00 on Friday.
On a side note – while we won’t be at the fair (couldn’t get a table!), my wife Margaret still has her famous Driftwood Santa Christmas Ornaments for sale. You can call her at 250-508-9122, or order online.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
Your comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Just use the form or link below this post.
You can bookmark this post using the button below,
or subscribe to this blog for free updates using the big buttons on the sidebar!
I was driving around downtown Victoria yesterday, where I saw several VANOC staff and vehicles in various parking lots, a huge stage being erected on the lawn of the legislature, portable lights, temporary NO PARKING signs, and other signs of the imminent arrival of the Olympic Torch. Lit a few days ago in Greece, it’s due to arrive in Victoria tomorrow – the first stop of its 45,000 km journey across this vast nation, touching over 1000 communities in every province and territory before arriving back in Vancouver to light the Olympic flame in February.
After its arrival and the celebrations (and protests) in Victoria, early risers in Sooke will be treated to a ceremony at Sooke Muncipal Hall, and a relay down to the T’Sou-ke Nation and a breakfast at Edward Milne Community School.
It will be a short visit – the torch is on an understandably tight schedule – before it’s whisked away to Metchosin and other points along its journey.
Set your alarms! At 7:00 am, Mayor Janet Evans will present a short speech at the municipal hall and a short video clip of Ed Johnson’s record breaking 27 second climb up a 100-foot pole at All Sooke Days in 1984 will be shown to give a sense of Sooke’s community heritage. The torch will then travel down the hill and across the Sooke River Bridge to Derbend Road, leading to a ceremony at the T’Sou-ke Nation. The send off ceremony will include a concert and breakfast at Edward Milne School at 8:00 am.
With any luck, the current forecast will hold – partly cloudy with a chance of showers. I plan to attend, shoot a few photos and some video – check back after the event to see what I managed to capture.
Hope to see you there!
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
Your comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Just use the form or link below this post.
You can bookmark this post using the button below,
or subscribe to this blog for free updates using the big buttons on the sidebar!
Think the end of summer marks the end of community events? Think again! Lots will be happening in Sooke on the weekend after Labour Day, September 12th and 13th.
The Sooke Fall Fair, started in 1913, is widely recognized as one of the finest small town fairs in British Columbia, and the 96th edition of that fair this year will be no exception. A celebration of agriculture and rural life, the Fall Fair has something for everyone. Dozens of exhibitors in wide-ranging categories will be displaying their best in areas like produce, poultry, kitchencraft (canning, baking, preserves, etc), art, photography, literature, and more. There are categories for juniors and preschoolers as well. Browse the exhibitor tables at the Sooke Community Hall and the Sooke Legion and enjoy all that our town has to show off. There is a pancake breakfast on Sunday morning as well.The full event program/schedule can be found here.
The Sooke Lions Club will be holding their third annual Sooke Chili Challenge for Charity on Saturday, September 12th. Bring the family out to 6639 Sooke Road (the parking lot between Village Foods and Odyssey Fitness) and watch the teams compete for spicy stew glory. Of course, the best part is eating the chili, so you’ll want to make sure you are there to help judge the competition. The crowd is the only judge, and by purchasing your bowl and spoon, you are helping out local charity and trying out chili from 16 different teams, with entries from local restaurateurs, businesses, and community groups. There will be live entertainment on stage, including Kin Basket, The Cronies, In Need Of A Name, and Git’r Done And The Metal Head Rednecks (uh, wow).
Beach Art by Bendystraw on Flickr
I was out for a run yesterday along Whiffen Spit, when I saw a strange craft being towed past the beach. It appeared to be a boat or barge of some sort, with some kind of rocking-horse as a figure head and SEPT 12 spraypainted in various spots (if only I’d had a camera). It made me so curious that I stopped to read the rest of the spraypainted messages. ART ON THE BEACH. WHIFFEN SPIT. SEPT 12. So, there is an art on the beach event on Saturday, September 12th, at Whiffen Spit Park. I saw a promotional poster at the entrance to the spit, but was unable to pull up any more information online. All I know is that the Sooke Community Arts Council is putting it on, and their website has the wrong date on it. If anyone knows any details (time, what to expect), please contact me.
UPDATE: I ran past the poster again today and noted that the event is a competition of sorts. Get a team together and build an art piece using only found items (driftwood, etc) from the beach. Registration is at 12:30, with the competition starting at 1:00 until 3:00. Judging and prizes (!) are from 3:00-4:00.
So, get out and enjoy the late summer weather – with the dry summer we’ve had, we can probably expect sunshine until late October. There is always lots to see and do no matter the season in Sooke.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
Got an event? Let me know and I’ll write about it here!
Your comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Just use the form or link below this post.
You can bookmark this post using the button below,
or subscribe to this blog for free updates using the big buttons on the sidebar!
Sushi - Zeetz Jones on Flickr
Looking for an interesting dining experience? Join local Sooke chef extraordinaire Kari Osselton and Captain Ralph for a 3-4 hour dinner cruise departing from Sooke on July 25, 2009 at 5:00.
Step aboard ROLANO, an 80-foot long vessel which holds the distinction as the only floating B&B approved by Tourism British Columbia. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the harbour as you dine on fresh sushi prepared by Kari. The cost is $100 per person or $175 per couple and reservations must be made at 250-744-4908.
ROLANO is also the site of Sooke’s Sushi on the Sea, which serves sushi in an intimate setting when she is tied to the wharf on the weekends. Kari Osselton also runs Kari’s Catering and has done a spectacular job for several of our real estate office functions. Her latest endeavour is Souki Sushi, which serves up the good stuff next to Stick in The Mud Coffee.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
Your comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Just use the form or link below this post.
You can bookmark this post using the button below,
or subscribe to this blog for free updates using the big buttons on the sidebar!
Linen Theme by The Theme Foundry
Copyright © 2012 Tim Ayres - WhatTheSooke.com. All rights reserved.