c10 thursday, january 16, 2020 timescolonist.com | times … · 2020. 4. 30. · will feature wine...
TRANSCRIPT
Celebrate Victoria’s vibranthospitality scene at Dine Aroundand Stay in Town 2020, easilyVictoria’s most anticipated foodieevent, Friday until Feb. 2 at various restaurants and localesthroughout the city.
The two-week festival is anopportunity for visitors and localsalike to sample what’s on offer inthe city’s diverse culinary sceneduring the industry’s shoulderseason.
Participating restaurants willoffer set-price three-coursemenus for $20, $30, $40 or $50 perperson.
Local hotels are also offeringan array of accommodation atreduced prices to entice thoselooking to sample a staycation.There are 16 properties to choosefrom, from budget to luxurious,
with rooms for $109, $129, $149,$169 or $199.
The festival kicks off tonightwith the Dine Around Gala, alaunch party where more than50 of the participating restaurantsoffer bite-size samples of whatdiners can expect during the festival.
Along with appetizers, the gala
will feature wine and beer fromVQA wineries and B.C.’s finestcraft breweries, and lively enter-tainment.
Tickets for the gala (you haveto be 19 or older) are $65. Theevent runs 5 to 7:30 p.m. tonight atthe Victoria Conference Centre,720 Douglas St.
The festival’s presenting
sponsors are Destination GreaterVictoria and the B.C. Restaurantand Food Services Association.The official charity is the B.C.Hospitality Foundation.
Tickets are available onlinethrough Ticket Rocket. For moreinformation, go to:tourismvictoria.com/eat-drink/dine-around.
timescolonist.com | TIMES COLONISTC10 THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020
EXPLORECompiled by Pedro Arrais > Email: [email protected]
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Chairman of the judges, Davin de Kergommeaux, pours Alberta Premium whisky at the Strathcona Hotel to promote the 15th anniversary ofthe Victoria Whisky Festival, which takes place at the Hotel Grand Pacific today through Sunday. DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST
FESTIVALS
There will be appetizers aplenty at tonight’s Dine Around Gala at the Victoria Conference Centre, whichkicks off Dine Around and Stay in Town 2020. TIMES COLONIST
Learn more about a dark chapterin Canadian history atFieldtrippers: Hidden History ofEsquimalt Teahouse, Saturday atEsquimalt Gorge Park.
Fieldtrippers are themed out-door field trips led by Royal B.C.Museum staff and communitycollaborators that take place fouror more times a year.
Join Dr. Yasmin Railton of the
Landscapes of Injustice project,Tsugio Kurushima from theVictoria Nikkei Cultural Societyand Paul Ferguson, Royal B.C.Museum collections manager andmilitary and homefront historianas they walk and talk aboutJapanese Canadians in BritishColumbia during the time of PearlHarbour.
They will offer insights on the
impact of dispossession andinternment on thousands ofCanadians, and the currentcampaign to restore theEsquimalt Japanese Teahouse.
You can join the group bydonation. The field trip, suitablefor ages 10 and up, runs 11 a.m. to12:30 p.m. Saturday at EsquimaltGorge Park. Meet at the TillicumRoad entrance parking lot, just
south of the Gorge Waterway. Enter the park off Tillicum
Road and follow the road down tothe first lot you come to. Gather atthe edge of the parking lot, nearthe entrance to the Japanesegardens.
Dress warmly and be preparedfor winter weather. For moreinformation, go to royalbcmuseum.bc.ca.
Teahouse’s hidden history uncovered
Spend a day taking part inbracelet-making with emergingvisual artist Jesse Campbell andlisten to stories connected to hisMétis and Cree roots at FamilySunday — Making and Sharing,Sunday at the Art Gallery ofGreater Victoria.
This Family Sunday event isabout talking and listening toothers — and creating art as away to remember our sharedstories. Expect a wide variety ofhands-on making and artisticexperimenting.
Campbell says the bracelet’sfive colours are inspired by thecolours and teachings of theMétis sash. “Participants willthen write or draw on thebracelet what those coloursmean to them. This way we canunderstand the significance ofthese symbols in how werepresent ourselves. During thesharing activity, the participantstrade bracelets with each otherand share how the meaningbehind each bracelet relates tothem.”
Campbell is of Métis, Cree,Scottish and English ancestryand has been a practising muralpainter since 2010. He also men-tors youth on the craft of muralpainting and understanding thediverse forms of Indigenous artacross North America.
The event is included with theprice of admission or the pur-chase of a family membership.Alternatively, visitors can enjoythis event with their LibraryFamily Access Pass, WarmWelcome Pass for Newcomersand/or discounted admissionwith membership at a partnerorganization.
Family Sunday is a recurringevent that runs 2 to 4 p.m. everythird Sunday of the month untilJune at the Art Gallery ofGreater Victoria, 1040 Moss St.For more information, go toaggv.ca.
Create artat gallery’sFamilySunday
Dine Aroundcooks up a deliciousstaycation
W hisky lovers cansample new andlimited-editionwhiskies, revisit
favourite drams and hear thelatest distillery news from aroundthe world at the Victoria WhiskyFestival, today until Sunday at theHotel Grand Pacific.
This is the 15th year of theannual event, which attracts morethan 50 distilleries presentingmore than 200 whiskies with abroad range of styles, flavourprofiles and philosophies fromevery corner of the globe.
Canadian whiskies will featurestrongly in the festival, withcompetition from distilleries fromScotland, Ireland, England, theU.S., Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Indiaand France.
Tonight, attendees willdiscover the best whiskies in thecountry at the 10th annualCanadian Whisky Awards gala.
Distillers from across Canadaare jockeying for major awards,including Best Single MaltWhisky, Best Blended Whisky,
Blender of the Year, Best NewWhisky and Whisky of the Year.
The coveted Whisky of theDecade award, in celebration of adecade of growth in Canadianwhisky, will also be named at theawards banquet.
Distilleries in B.C. had theirstrongest showing in 2019, withmajor awards going to VancouverIsland’s Shelter Point Distilleryfor the Innovation Award and deVine Winery and Distillery forBest Whisky Spirit.
“The leaps that the Canadianwhisky industry has made in thelast 10 years have been incredi-ble, both in the growth of thenumber of distilleries but also therange of flavours that still repre-sent the uniquely Canadian style,”says Davin de Kergommeaux,chairman of the judges andauthor of Canadian Whisky: TheNew Portable Expert. “This hasnot gone unnoticed internation-ally. There is growing demandaround the world.”
Canadian Club will showcaseThe Dock Man, a 42-year-old
whisky that holds the title of theoldest whisky ever released inCanada. The whisky pays tributeto the dock workers who dili-gently delivered quality whisky tobar owners and drinkers duringthe Prohibition era.
Last year, the Canadian Club41-year-old was named bestConnoisseur Whisky in Canada atthe Canadian Whisky Awards.
The Victoria Whisky Festivalhosts three days of events,including grand tastings, masterclasses and consumer tastings.
Net proceeds of the volunteer-run festival are donated tocharitable organizations.
Master classes are $40, grandtastings are $60, consumer tasting$140 and the VIP consumer tastingis $190.
The event runs from 7 p.m.today until Sunday at the HotelGrand Pacific, 463 Belleville St.
Tickets can be purchased fromthe Hotel Grand Pacific by callingJames Burrough at 250-380-4455.For more information, go to victoriawhiskyfestival.com.
Warm to whiskies at whisky fest
FAMILY
Learn all about hibernation at ASleepy World, this week’s topicfor Wonder Sunday at the RoyalB.C. Museum.
Children will learn why bearsenter their dens in October andNovember to sleep until spring.Bears can hibernate betweenthree and eight months, depend-ing on the climate where they live.
Alejandra Zubiria Perez, aUniversity of Victoriaresearcher who is studying themovements of grizzlies in thewestern slopes of centralAlberta, will chat about her find-ings, and about how topography,food distribution, food availabil-ity and human activity affectgrizzly bears’ land-use patterns.
Children will learn how blackbears hibernate in tree cavities,under logs or in caves. When nat-ural dens are not available, abear will dig a den.
The program is included inthe price of general admission ormembership. The event runs 1 to3 p.m. Sunday in the NaturalHistory Gallery of the Royal B.C.Museum, 675 Belleville St. Formore information, go to royalbcmuseum.bc.ca.
Museum hashibernation on the agenda
EXCURSIONS