Good morning! 

Local fans rejoice, because Langford’s Island FanCon is just two days away. With an array of celebrity guests, workshops, panels, contests, and more, make sure to read all about it in today’s edition of the newsletter.

— Emma

EVENTS

Langford gears up for Island FanCon

Island FanCon is coming to Langford this weekend, and with excitement in the air, fans are getting ready to see the event finally coming together. FanCon is a much anticipated two-day event on April 13 and 14 at City Centre Park. Inspired by Northern FanCon which has been successful in Prince George for a decade, the event will feature celebrity meet-and-greets, shops to check out merchandise, interactive workshops, and more. The event is great for cosplayers, collectors, and fans alike and features a wide variety of things to check out. Check out our event guide for this weekend’s FanCon. 

Planning your adventure  

FanCon is offering a variety of different packs, selling a one-day pass for both the Saturday and Sunday, a weekend pass, a VIP weekend pass, and pre-sale for photo ops. Kids under 12 are free to attend when accompanied by a paying adult, but exclusive events like meet-and-greets still have to be purchased. Doors will open at 10am for VIPs and those with a general ticket can enter at 11am. The event will finish at 6pm both days. Just a head’s up for those wanting to attend a majority of the events that some of the timing overlaps, so make sure to pre-plan your activities before you go. 

Join in on the fan fun  

Celebrity Guests: With a stacked lineup, FanCon has invited 17 celebrity guests including actors, artists, and cosplayers. All celebrities have a specific photo-op time, and there will also be a few panels from select guests including: Forrest Griffin (UFC Hall of Famer), Emily Swallow (Castlevania), Jess Darrow (Encanto), Dave Foley (The Kids in the Hall), Jon Cor (The Flash), and the highly-anticipated Hafþór Björnsson who starred as Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane in Game of Thrones.

Shops: Guests will also be able to shop a wide range of fan merchandise with over 30 shops on site. Offering toys, clothing, games, hand-crafted items, and so much more, FanCon shops are the perfect opportunity to look for all your “nerdy” items while also supporting a fellow fan’s business. If you want to take a preview into what shops are being featured, FanCon has listed all the shops and their websites. 

Artist Alley: Head to Artist Alley where you can find all your favourite pencilers, inkers and writers. This is a great opportunity for all fans alike, as you can find comics, graphic novels, limited edition prints and original art and sketches.

Workshops: For those looking to learn a bit more while at FanCon, there will be two workshop rooms running both days with hour-long sessions on topics like writing, voice-acting, drawing, costuming and makeup, and so much more. Each workshop will be taught by industry professionals who have been working in their field for years. The bonus is that workshops are free to attend with admission. 

Battle for the best costume  

A cosplay contest is the perfect way to celebrate those who take the time to create costumes for the event. FanCon is holding a cosplay contest with three different divisions; Novice for new cosplayers and those without a cosplay contest award, Journeyman for cosplayers who have some experience and may have won previous awards, and Masters for the experienced cosplayers who have the confidence to participate against the best of the best. Cosplayers will be judged on a number of different factors, so make sure to look into the rules and policies of cosplaying to make sure your entry is eligible to register.

SPONSORED BY BELLA PARK AT ROYAL BAY

Discover the elements of living at PARK

Introducing BELLA PARK at Royal Bay - a new community in the vibrant Royal Bay neighbourhood. Register today to be among the first to receive info on the first collection of 1 and 2 bedroom West Coast contemporary residences. At Park, wellbeing is interconnected. The community is designed around a unique central wellness concept and the exclusive clubhouse, Central Park. Bella PARK residents are invited to make wellness an essential and effortless part of their daily life. Learn more, and discover the elements of living at BELLA PARK.

Register today.

EDUCATION

Pearson College UWC creates a path for language connection

Pearson College UWC is building bridges in the community after they announced a recent initiative that would give visitors and new arrivals a better understanding of the area’s Indigenous roots.

On April 10, Pearson shared their recently completed QR code and video project that goes hand in hand with their new SENĆOŦEN House Signs, which were gifted by Chief Russell Chipps of the Sc’ianew First Nation to cultivate the understanding of Indigenous culture, heritage, and community. The initiative works through five new QR codes mounted on the outdoor wall of each student residence house. When scanned, the user will be directed to a video that teaches them how to pronounce the SENĆOŦEN language house names.  

"Having accessibility to the pronunciations of each house name that is heard and spoken in SENĆOŦEN is holding the respect and origin of the word itself,” said Rebecca Beauchamp, Pearson’s director of Indigenous initiatives and engagement. “These QR codes should be utilized to bring greater understanding and care to our roles that uphold relationships to each other, the natural world and origin stories.”

The video is voiced by two Indigenous students, who narrate the origin story video and respective pronunciation videos. With their involvement in the project, the videos allow for a more comprehensive and immersive experience about the origins of each name, design, and their association with each student house. The house names (QOL¸EW̱, SȾOḰI, ŦEḴI, ŦÁ¸WEN and HENEN¸) are SENĆOŦEN for five local species of salmon: Chum, Chinook, Sockeye, Coho and Pink Salmon, respectively.

“I'm happy and proud that, together with my colleague Nathaniel Stuit, our voices represent a shift in campus culture that I care deeply about,” said second-year student Grace Goudie, one of the students involved. “I hope that with the QR codes, we can fully shift to correctly pronouncing the house names and honouring what was gifted to us as a school.” 

Pearson College UWC campus is located on the territory of the Sc’ianew Nation. This initiative allows visitors to learn more about Sc’ianew Nation alongside the school’s Indigenous Vision and Reconciliation Action Plan.

Around the 'Shore

🏰 Thieves steal 400-pound bouncy castle: On April 6 Brooke Ervin, the operator of Just Bounce Inflatables, was asked to rent out a custom-made two-level bouncy castle, and was told by the homeowner to set it up in the driveway while she ran out to get food. She left the castle at 777 Cuaulta Cres. in Langford, expecting to receive a money transfer (which is a standard practice in her business), but was left with no money and returned to find the castle stolen. The people who had rented the castle had used a fake number and a vacant house to arrange the situation; Ervin is just hoping to get the one-of-a-kind castle back, but she spoke with West Shore RCMP and they said it will be difficult to find and prove it is hers. [CHEK] 

🐢 Loggerhead turtle found dead: A rare loggerhead sea turtle was just found dead at Nels Bight near Cape Scott on the North Island, hundreds of kilometres away from its natural range. This is the second loggerhead turtle discovered on the Island in three months, after a female was found in Metchosin in February in severely hypothermic condition.  [Times Colonist]

💲 Your opinions are vital! Take Victoria's 2024 Vital Signs citizen survey today for a chance to win one of three $100 Country Grocer gift cards!*

🏢 Esquimalt agrees to building the tallest development in the municipality: Esquimalt council just approved a 26-storey residential development on April 8, after council signed off on a development permit after a 5-2 vote. The building will include commercial space, 96 rental units, 176 condos, 231 parking stalls, and a range of amenities including a dog park. [Vancouver Island Free Daily]

🍕 Vote for your favourite pizza joint and more: There’s not much time left to get your votes in for the Tasting Victoria Best Restaurant Awards!

*Sponsored Listing

Community Events

🪴 Spring show and plant sale: Join the View Royal Garden Club on April 13 for the 1 to 3pm spring show and 11am to 3pm plant sale. Hosted at the Esquimalt United Church Wheeley Hall, enjoy refreshments while you check out exhibits through a $5 dollar entry fee. Looking to purchase some plants? Pots will be sold via cash purchase until sold out.

🎶 Classical concert series: Enjoy an afternoon of live music on April 13 with Arts and Culture Colwood’s classical concert series “Beloved of the Sky”. Going from 2 to 3:30pm at St. Johns the Baptist Church in Colwood, the Emily Carr String Quartet will be playing a variety of classical pieces, so make sure to get tickets online as seating is limited.  

🍽️ Community dinner: This April 15, head to the Gordon United Church for a free community dinner. Starting at 5pm, anyone is welcome to join in and enjoy meals cooked by volunteers.

What’s Offshore?

No ships today!

Westshore Snaps

Morning paddle at Matheson Lake. — Paul Young, Langford  

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know: