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- Aug 26 - Hwy 4 about to fully reopen
Aug 26 - Hwy 4 about to fully reopen
$575 fine for tossed cig. 2 going on 30. Your weekend events. Fake rideshare driver. Fires shut Fort.
Capital Daily Team
August 26, 2023
Good morning !
Even if you remember the correct birthday date, it’s often hard to keep track of exactly how old a friend is turning. That’s especially true if your friend is Victoria’s August blues festival: technically it’s only in its second year, but really there have been 28 annual blues bashes, and those have happened over 30 calendar years.
More on the long-running local event below, plus this weekend’s other late-summer festivities and new updates on travel limits for the Island and the interior.
— Cam
Have you been to Blues 'N Roots / Blues Bash before? |
Today’s approx read time: 6 minutes
🌫️ Air quality: Moderate risk today (4/10). Light smoke expected.
🚘️ Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
NEWS
Highway 4 to fully reopen by next weekend
Fallen tree along Cameron Bluffs route, posted by BC Gov Flickr in early June
The province confirmed Friday that it intends to have the east-west Island highway fully open by Labour Day, for the first time since it was shut in early June due to the Cameron Bluffs wildfire.
The route has been partly open for most of the summer, but this past week full closures were used to ramp up crews’ work. The province said crews resurfaced parts of the road, put up 700m of roadside barrier, and removed “about a dozen refrigerator-sized boulders” from the troublesome Angel Rock section of the bluff.
One more full closure needed, province says
The highway will close again on Tuesday from 9am to 5pm—without the usual chance for backlogged cars to drive through around noon. The province said crews still need to do more work around Angel Rock and put up another 700m of barrier.
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Swimming okay again at Willows Beach: Advisory now lifted, but water will still be monitored until Labour Day weekend.
$575 fine for Saanich driver’s cigarette toss. Wildfire Act violation ticketed on Aug. 18 amid extreme dry conditions.
Balmoral closed from Quadra to Vancouver for hydro repairs today and Monday.
NEWS
Blues ‘N Roots returns for either its 2nd or its 28th year
The blues-centred festival in Victoria’s Inner Harbour has been running since 1994. But a pandemic hiatus for what was then the Vancouver Island Blues Bash led to a re-imagining by founder Darryl Mar and the Victoria Jazz Society (which also runs early summer’s JazzFest).
Blues Bash moved off its longtime Labour Day weekend date and onto the less-busy prior weekend, and its name became the BC Smoke Shop Harbour Blues ‘n Roots Festival. Last year’s relaunch succeeded, and so this weekend features a second (or 28th) round of local and international blues, folk, rock, country, world music, and roots performers in both free and ticketed concerts.
Today
Ship Point (free): Claire Coupland, Big Hank & The Toasters, Garret T Willie, and Bill Johnson & Shades of Blue.
Ship Point (ticketed): Fantastic Negrito headlines; Ndidi O opens.
Hermann’s Upstairs: Boy Golden
Tomorrow
Ship Point (free): The Smokestacks, Melissa Endean, Beautiful Maladies, and Brett Smith-Daniels.
Ship Point (ticketed): Allison Russell headlines; The Blue and Gold supports.
NEWS
Summer’s still here: Plenty of local festivals this weekend
GreekFest / Facebook
Roots ‘N Blues is far from the only thing going on. This weekend is jam-packed with festivals and fairs across the city, celebrating everything from music, to performing arts. Here are a few that we are excited to check out this weekend.
Local, national, and international artists will participate in live performances varying from drama and musicals to spoken word and comedy at 9 venues in this 11-day indie performing arts fest.
A nightly Fringe Cabaret will be hosted at organizer Intrepid Theatre’s studio with pop-up programming and post-show socialisation. FringeKids Fest is at the Kaleidoscope Theatre for Young People today and tomorrow with games, drag storytime, crafts, and dress-up.
[Today’s tickets]
The Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society’s free family-friendly fair at Esquimalt Gorge Park Pavilion runs 10am-4pm today. Tea ceremonies, tours of the Japanese garden, crafts and games for kids, and more.
Performances: Uminari Taiko, VJHLS Soran Dancers, Rina and Tohoku Minyo Band, Furusato Dancers, and Satomi Edwards.
Food tents: Cozy Koji, Hide N Seek, Sakura Grocery, and Oni-Oni.
The first of two weekends showcasing Greek traditional cuisine, dances, and vendors.
Performances from Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Eastern European, and Balkan traditions
Food such as souvlaki, spanakopita, loukoumades, lamb on the spit, and baklava.
More at Tasting Victoria.
Hosted by CFB Esquimalt, tomorrow’s festival brings music—and more—to Langford’s Starlight Stadium. Kids can enjoy a bouncy castle, face painting, and interactive games; adults can sip a brew in the beer garden.
Performances: Yukon Blonde, The Naden Band, The New Groovement, The Fabulous B Sides, Kendall Gender, and Vivian Vanderspuss.
Food trucks: Kattia’s Kitchen, Deadbeetz Burgers, and Candytime.
The tournament wraps up today at the Juan de Fuca Lawn Bowls Club. Watch in person or find the streaming link via the Bowls Club website above.
Find even more options below in Things to Do.
SPONSORED BY DANCE VICTORIA
Photo: Marc J. Chalifoux
Early bird Nutcracker tickets; Ukrainian Shumka Dancers and Victoria Symphony
Capital Daily readers save up to 20% off regular priced adult tickets to Ukrainian Shumka Dancers’ Nutcracker. Promo code: Nut-Capital-Daily.
December 1-3
Tickets at Royal and McPherson Theatres or call the box office, 250-386-6121.
⭐️ Capital Picks
🍁 Victoria fall recreation: Register for cooking classes, gardening courses, art classes, and more.
💻 Dump your lousy internet provider and upgrade to oxio - the first provider you'll actually like! Say goodbye to shifty prices, long term contracts, and terrible customer service.*
📻 Basement Closet Sessions: Yesterday CFUV featured local singer-songwriter Charis Tazumi on its Friday live Basement Closet show—listen to the episode here.
🌏 Sing for change! Make a positive difference for the planet and its people through song. West Coast Reach's inclusive choirs are accepting new members. Get more info or email [email protected] / call 250-882-4339.*
🤝 Now hiring: Out of School Care Team Lead at Fernwood NRG.
*Sponsored Listing
🗞️ In Other News
Police seek faux rideshare driver: A woman was waiting for an early-morning rideshare pickup at Store and Chatham on Aug. 14 when a vehicle stopped. The driver said he would take her home, then when she got in said he was taking her to his home, VicPD said.
Fort shut over alleged firebug: Police, investigating reports of a person lighting items on fire on a downtown roof, closed Fort to traffic on Friday afternoon. One person was arrested after several hours.
Okanagan travel restrictions lifted: Remaining limits on non-essential travel to the region ended Friday, though some local evacuation alerts remain and firefighting continues.
🗓️ (Even more) Things to do
🎥 Free B Film Festival: Watch Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan tonight at the Cameron Bandshell at Beacon Hill Park, 9pm.
🪩 ABBA-themed lunch: Dress up in disco attire and head down to 229 Gorge Rd. E for a night dedicated to the iconic Swedish supergroup.
🚲 Cycle of Life Tour: Cycle 200km to fundraise for hospice care today and tomorrow. [Details]
🎤 The Timebenders at Mary Winspear Centre: Get dancing to music through the decades tonight in Sidney. 7:30pm.
⚾ Watermelon Classic softball tournament: Play softball, enjoy music, and win prizes today at Bullen Park.
🛥️ Fundraiser sale: Art & clothing for sale behind Knotty by Nature today (11am-7pm) to help buy a boat for W̱SÁNEĆ harvesters.
🖼️ Saanich Scattered Artists summer art tour: Take a self-guided tour across Saanich to see work from 18 artists at five locations. Today and tomorrow.
🎉 Cream Bazaar: Shop from 30 vendors, enjoy live music, and eat tasty food today at 2000 Fernwood, 11am-4pm.
Today’s Fringe shows include:
🐟 The Big Wail: A comedy about a bottom-feeding fish (Roxy Theatre / 12pm)
🎭 June Bug: A play about a youth who has to save her granny from aliens (Baumann Centre / 4pm).
🎬 Phantom Pains: A drama about a painter navigating grief. (SKAM Satellite Studio / 6pm)
🎟️ Pieces Of: A moving, multi-sensory experimental performance (Metro Studio / 8pm)
👀 In Case You Missed It
New multicultural food festival today at Cook Street Village Food Court. [Tasting Victoria]
Friday’s headlines: Clipper says it will replace workers who strike, UVic gets $840K for grad scholarships, Upper Cowichan River fishing closure, and more. [Aug. 25]
Butchart Gardens cancels last two firework shows, citing BC’s state of emergency over wildfires. Chris Millington Band will still perform today on the open-air stage at 6pm.
Homes for sale with air conditioning: Enjoy comfort year round with condos and homes that offer A/C or a heat pump. View all active listings for sale.*
Thursday’s headlines: Islanders win gold at dragon boat world championships, record deep-sea water temperatures near Island, Thetis Lake fire, and more. [Aug. 24]
Vancouver Island marmot pups were sent to an Alberta breeding centre to help rebuild the population. [Capital Daily]
*Sponsored Listing
That’s it!
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