Taste the Valley this weekend at Gem O’The Isle Farm for first time
On June 3 and 4 Gem O’ The Isle Farm is presenting its very first Taste the Valley weekend with wine, art and music.
Enjoy local fine art, classical music, wine and food tasting, alongside skits by the Shawnigan Players, a blacksmith demonstration and, organizers assure, much more.
Tickets are at the gate by suggested donation ($20 per person) and proceeds will fund a unique bee tower project in the Cowichan Valley.
Vendor spaces are still available, and organizers are still looking for volunteers.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Gem O’ The Isle Farm is located at 2465 Koksilah Rd. For more information go to www.tastethevalley.ca or email tastethevalley@shaw.ca
Second Annual Homesteading Fair follows success of 2016 edition
The Cobble Hill Events Society is following up on a successful Homesteading Fair in 2016 that attracted more than 500 people with a 2017 offering this weekend.
On June 3 and 4 the fair, with free admission, is taking place at the Cobble Hill Hall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There will be presentations on food production and preservation, livestock, energy, housing and more, as well as vendors and exhibits.
For more information go to www.homesteadingfair.ca
Mt. Brenton, Arbutus Ridge and Cowichan Golf clubs host tourney
The Chevron Golfers Against Cancer Tournament is scheduled for June 9 at three Cowichan Valley golf courses.
Hosting are Mt. Brenton Golf Club, Arbutus Ridge Golf Club and Cowichan Golf Club.
“This fun filled day on the links has fabulous prizes, both a live and silent auction, and a fantastic dinner at the Cowichan Golf Club to round out the day,” say organizers.
The entry fee of $125 includes dinner, or you may wish to meet your golfing friends for dinner at a cost of $50. Tickets are available at each of the golf courses.
The prestigious event has been a major supporter of the local branch of the Canadian Cancer Society for 28 years and has raised more than $540,000. Last year alone the event raised over $42,500 and donated it to the Society
The Cowichan Valley Branch is run by a committed group of volunteers and provides cancer patients and survivors with access to local support groups, wigs, hats and referrals to the Freemasons’ volunteer driving program as well as financial assistance and telephone peer support.
Alzheimer Society dementia workshop focuses on caregiver stress
An increasing number of Cowichan Valley residents are finding themselves caring for a family member.
The reason? Dementia, the medical term for a set of symptoms that are caused by disorders affecting the brain.
“The physical and psychological toll on family caregivers is considerable,” says Jane Hope, the Alzheimer Society of B.C. Support &Education Coordinator for the Valley and the North &Central Island region.
Knowing the signs of caregiver stress and finding ways to get support are important for both families and those for whom they are caring. To help families on the dementia journey, the Society brings its free three-week Family Caregiver workshop to Duncan beginning on June 13.
Participants will learn strategies for taking care of someone with dementia, as well as taking care of their own health to ensure they are prepared to continue providing care for their family members. “We offer practical techniques and strategies that caregivers can begin using immediately,” Hope says.
Topics to be covered include: understanding Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias; effective and creative ways of facilitating communication with a person with dementia; understanding behaviour as a form of communication; self-care for the caregiver and planning for the future.
The workshop runs on June 13, 20 and 27 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Providence Farm, 1843 Tzouhalem Rd. Pre-registration is required by contacting Hope toll-free at 1-800-462-2833 or jhope@alzheimerbc.org.
The workshop is free thanks to partial funding by the Province of B.C., Provincial Employees Community Services Fund, RBC Foundation, NWM Private Giving Foundation, Seacliff Foundation, The Phyliss &Irving Snider Foundation, The 1988 Foundation, Margaret Rothweiler Charitable Foundation, Tony &Mignon Fenton Trust, R.K. Grant Family Foundation, Frank &Yvonne McCracken Foundation, Cadillac Fairview, London Drugs Foundation, Division 15 Mechanical Ltd., Jack Brown &Family Alzheimer Research Foundation, Colin &Lois Pritchard Foundation, Djavad Mowafaghian Foundation, Victoria Foundation, Don &Lynn Bendickson Foundation, Lohn Foundation and by the generous contributions of individual donors.
More information on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is available at www.alzheimerbc.org.