- The Westshore
- Posts
- Winter Fest warms up the community
Winter Fest warms up the community
Plus, online harassment, shoebox gifts, Colwood food drive, and more
The Westshore team
November 28, 2023
Good morning!
Langford is getting into the holiday season with Winter Fest, the annual Light Up, and more this weekend. Read the list of activities and more in today’s edition of the newsletter.
— Emma
What is your favourite holiday hobby? |
Know someone who should get local news in our Westshore community? Forward this to them so they can subscribe for free.
NEWS
Royal Roads looks at rise in online harassment of researchers
Royal Roads file photo by Tom Gierasimczuk
It may not be the first thing you think of when you read academic reporting online. But for many Canadian researchers, scientists, and academics, the reward for their many months of work—and for making it available to you—is being harassed over the internet.
Researchers and research communicators often face abuse and even threats when they share their research digitally.
“It’s made some people in academia decide to not talk about their work online,” Jaigris Hodson, a Royal Roads associate professor, who specializes in digital communications for the public interest, told Capital Daily.
Last week, Royal Roads hosted an interactive online workshop for students, academics, and communications professionals looking for coping skills to use when they experience this type of online bullying.
Hodson says the stakes are high because if researchers, scientists, and academics don’t make their work public, we all lose.
“It’s a loss to the public discourse because we can’t have conversations about this work if it’s not there,” she says.
SPONSORED BY INTERTIDAL WELLNESS
I’m not myself today
Usually when somebody says, “I’m not myself today,” they’re feeling grumpy, down, tense, indecisive, heavy, lonely or otherwise…not themselves. What’s going on here?
The nervous system is in charge of keeping us safe. As stress shoots up, the nervous system responds either by jamming on the gas, making the body ready to fight or flee, or by slamming on the breaks with a submission or collapse response. Uncomfortable emotions and sensations follow, and then the thought, “I’m not myself.”
When we are feeling “ourselves,” we are present and we feel curious and connected with others. We are spontaneous, flexible, compassionate, and we can keep a more expansive view. The key is a regulated nervous system. Meet with the team at Intertidal Wellness to learn more.
COMMUNITY
Light Up Langford kicks off a variety of fun seasonal activities
Langford’s special Winter Fest is coming to town on Dec. 2 to mark the beginning of the holiday season for the city. Hosted annually, this year’s Light Up activity will kick off Winter Fest with a number of different events at a variety of venues for family and friends to partake in. With many of the proceeds for events going towards the Goldstream Food Bank, Winter Fest is an important and fun-filled event for the community.
With two venues this season, the City of Langford is starting Winter Fest with the Langford Light Up on Dec. 2. Going from 3-7pm at the Langford Station, and 5-8pm at Veterans Memorial Park, check out activities like crafts, an ice carving demonstration, live performances, food trucks, a holiday market, and so much more. Free hot dogs and hot chocolate will be handed out until supplies end, and kids can visit Santa after his arrival at 5:15pm on the Langford Fire Truck. For those more interested in the Langford tree lighting, the event will take place at 7:20pm with a parade following at 8pm.
A vision of glitter, ornaments, and lights will decorate Veterans Memorial Park for the second year of the award-winning Tinsel Gazebo. Open everyday starting Dec. 2, snap some festive photos and check out hundreds of tinsel ornaments and holiday lights decorating the park.
Open on Dec. 2 from 3:30pm-5pm with two additional dates on Dec. 10 and 17 from 12-2:30pm, watch professional ice carvers create beautifully-sculpted works of art at the Langford Station. Check out the artisan shops and food trucks while you wander around, and enjoy the masterful work of ice-craving.
Join the City of Langford for the challenge to stuff the Langford Trolley full of non-perishable food items, toys, cash, warm clothes and blankets for those in the community who could use a helping hand. Needing help now more than ever, proceeds will go towards the Goldstream Food Bank and other local charitable organizations. The event will start Dec. 2 at Light Up, and will pop up in a number of different areas at a number of different times throughout the month.
As a fun and free option for teenagers-only, SD62 teens can participate in roller skating and outdoor ice skating at City Centre Park. The roller rink will be available for teens to check out Dec. 1, 8, 15, and 22, from 4-6:30pm with themes for each day; ice skating is available from 8-9:30pm on Dec. 2, 9, 16, and 30. Skate and helmet rentals are included, and ice skating participants can enjoy a two for $5 special on s’mores. For anyone looking to go skating, the rink is also open throughout the season for everyone to enjoy and is available to reserve a session or drop in depending on availability.
Looking for a new and special wreath to decorate your door? Register for Holiday Wreath Making Crafternoons at the Langford Station this Dec. 2 and 9. The step-by-step outdoor workshops will allow each person to create a 12-inch evergreen wreath with a bow, and is a perfect option for beginners. With a $10 donation to join, all funds will go to the Goldstream Food Bank; workshops will take place at 11:30am and 1:30pm on both dates.
From Dec. 3 to 23, book a festive horse and carriage ride through Goldstream Village with Victoria Carriage Tours. Enjoy a sleigh-ride through decorated city streets filled with holiday lights down Goldstream Avenue. Holding up to six people, the ride goes for about 25 minutes and is available Friday through Sunday from 5-8pm.
Around the 'Shore
🎁 Metchosin inmates help give back to the community: Men from the Community Connections group at the William Head Correctional Facility worked hard to help fill 3,233 shoeboxes for National Collection Week to help Operation Christmas Child give kids a gift this holiday season. The facility made 250 racing cars, 105 whale crayon holders and 57 sets of blocks through woodworking skills, and handpacked shoeboxes which allowed inmates to see how their crafts and hard-work can contribute to many in the community. [Vancouver Island Free Daily]
🎓 John Horgan named a senior fellow at Royal Roads University: As former Premier of British Columbia and Canada’s ambassador in Germany, Royal Roads University is excited to announce that John Horgan is taking the volunteer role of senior fellow, leadership studies. With a lot of experience under his belt and a passion for leadership, Horgan’s mentorship role will help guide students on similar leadership paths and collaborate with faculty who share related educational and research goals.
🚨 Sooke man faces two charges after dog’s jaw broken: West Shore RCMP are charging a man with public mischief and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal after reportedly giving police false reports of a dog attack that occurred on Sept. 6. After extensive investigation, Sooke RCMP announced that 32-year-old Derek Reid admitted to falsifying a story after he attacked another resident’s dog with a blunt object, leading to the dog being euthanized due to injuries. Reid is set to appear in court on Jan. 4. [CHEK]
Advertise your business, event, or restaurant in front of 13,000+ engaged locals! Contact our team today.
Community Events
🥫 10,000 Tonight Food Drive: Help members of the community this Nov. 29 as volunteers drive around Colwood from 5-9pm, going door to door collecting non-perishable food items and monetary donations. Donations will be going towards the Goldstream Food Bank, as the 10,000 Tonight Food Drive aims to collect plenty of items to help contribute to the services the Food Bank provides.
🎶 A Baroque Choral Feast: Join the Sooke Philharmonic for a performance of incredible baroque composers at the Sooke Community Hall this Dec. 2 from 2:30-4:30pm. With conductor Nicholas Fairbank, the orchestra will begin the program with anthems for Advent and Christmas by Purcell and Gibbons, followed by the motet Hodie Christus natus est by Dutch composer Jan Sweelinck; tickets are being sold online.
❄️ Christmas Spirit Market: Start your holiday season shopping at the Christmas Spirit Market going Dec. 2 to 3. Head to the Metchosin Community Hall from 11am to 5pm both days and check out a variety of holiday vendors and draw prizes with proceeds going to the Sooke Food Bank.
What’s Offshore?
🚢 The Guo Yuan 88 is a bulk carrier built in 2020 and is sailing under the flag of China. It is sailing from Wakayama, Japan 🇯🇵 ➡ Vancouver 🇨🇦 and was scheduled to arrive Nov. 15.
Westshore Snaps
Sunrise from the Malahat on Nov. 22. —Paul Young, Langford
📸 Snapped a photo you’d like to share? Send it with a caption and don’t forget to add where you live.
That’s it!
If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.
And before you go, let us know:
What did you think of today's newsletter? |
• Did a friend share this with you? Sign up for free.
• Want to advertise to 13,000+ other locals? Contact our team.
• Have a crazy or cool story to share? Drop us an email.