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Bed Races and Sidney Days are among key events returning this summer - Saanich News

Sidney Days are returning to Canada Day festivities and traffic in downtown Sidney will look mighty different later in August.

Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith welcomed the return of Sidney Days but also put it in a larger context.

“The return of Sidney Days after a two-year hiatus shows our community is emerging from the pandemic in a very positive way,” he said. “Given the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, I know the community will want to gather, as we have done for generations on Canada Day, to celebrate the freedoms we cherish and may sometimes take for granted.”

Sidney Days open on June 30 with live music starting at 7:30 p.m. at Beacon Park, followed by fireworks scheduled for 10:15 p.m.

Sidney Lions will host a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m. on July 1 at the Mary Winspear Centre. The Canada Day Parade presented by Peninsula Celebrations Society down Beacon Avenue will get underway at 11:30 a.m. followed by a Family Fun Fair featuring Valdy from 12:30 to 4 p.m. in downtown Sidney. The event will also mark the return of the Slegg Build-A-Boat that sees teams construct a water vessel and attempt to stay afloat while racing to claim victory.

Also returning to Sidney this summer are the Bed Races, a popular fundraiser by the Saanich Peninsula Hospital and Healthcare Foundation.

Scheduled for Aug. 28 from noon to 4 p.m., the event sees squads of four people push a bed piloted by a team member down Beacon Avenue for one full block in the fastest time with two teams competing at a time. The event encourages teams to dress up in costumes. The event awards prizes for fastest team, most funds raised and best team spirit.

Both events are returning for the first time since 2019.

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wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com

Saanich Peninsula

Special events set to return to Sidney parks starting in May - Saanich News

Several familiar special events are returning to the Saanich Peninsula starting in mid-May, but the costly provision of portable toilets has discouraged others.

Bruce DeMaere, Sidney’s manager of engineering, said in a staff report addressed Monday (April 25) the municipality has received an “influx of applications” for the use of public parks and facilities for events following the lifting of pandemic restrictions.

He added that special events that include food services or which expect to draw moderate crowds over a longer period have to provide portable toilets, but not everyone can secure them.

“Some organizers of the smaller scale community events have reported the costs and challenges of providing portable toilets are too prohibitive, resulting in some organizers withdrawing event applications,” he said.

The municipality is currently planning for a new public washroom facility along the waterfront and DeMaere predicted that would help with events in Beacon Park, which tends to see the majority of applications.

DeMaere told councillors Monday the facility is still being designed, with construction scheduled to start later this year and be completed in early 2023.

Relaxing the requirement for portable toilets may place undue pressure on the use of washrooms of local businesses, he added, but would also help support smaller scale events.

When asked by Coun. Terri O’Keeffe whether the municipality had looked into absorbing the costs of providing portable toilets for the summer, DeMaere said staff had inquired about rentals, but have not received much feedback. “(The construction industry) has a big handle on them,” he said, adding that an accessible, portable toilet would cost about $3,000 to purchase, with operational and maintenance costs on top.

Also on Monday council voted to waive provisions of the municipality’s noise bylaw concerning amplified sound for seven special events this summer, six of which in Beacon Park.

Spring events kick off Thursday, May 19, when middle and secondary school music students from School District 63 will perform in the park, with the show starting at 9 a.m. and running through 1 p.m. The Festive Brass Ensemble will also perform.

Then, the skateboard park in Tulista Park will host skaters of various age groups on May 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a competition and BBQ.

Cascadia Seaweed Corp., in partnership with their brand Kove Ocean Food, will host a mindfulness morning on June 4 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Beacon Park.

The event will guide participants through guided meditation and yoga stretches, finishing with a plunge into the ocean at Glass Beach. Amplified soft music will play throughout the event.

On June 11 Beacon Park will host three local cover bands playing contemporary music in a fundraiser for the Saanich Peninsula Lions Food Bank from noon to 4 p.m. The following day the park will host children’s piano recitals from 2 to 3 p.m.

On Saturday, June 18, Will + Wheel Hair Lounge will host a pride picnic on the lawn of Beacon Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Plans call for a local cafe to provide lunches, subject to the availability of portable toilets.

The Salish Sea Lantern Festival, organized by the ArtSea Community Arts Council will also return to Beacon Park on Aug. 20 with the event running from 6 to 10 p.m.

Do you have a story tip? Email: vnc.editorial@blackpress.ca.

wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com

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