villagevibeNews and views from the heart of Fernwood

December 2012

Neighbourhood Orchard & Kitchen Garden Take Root

in this issueBuzz

Ode to Fernwood

page 2

Feature

Food Neighbourhood

page 4

Mark Your Calendar

Christmas Lights Bike Ride

page 7

To get the Vibe digitally, sign up at fernwoodnrg.ca

(Left) Future site of Fernwood's Neighbourhood Orchard—West of the Fernwood Community Centre. (Right) Future site of the Kitchen Garden

Project—South of the Fernwood Community Centre. Photos: Mila Czemerys

›› Lee Herrin

An appetite for local, healthy,

sustainable food is bringing a City

of Victoria urban food production

pilot project to Fernwood. Fernwood NRG

is partnering with the City of Victoria on

the Community Orchard Pilot Program

and a Kitchen Garden Pilot. Both will

demonstrate new ways of growing food in

the City in visible, public places.

These programs align with the Food

Systems objectives found in the Offi-

cial Community Plan. The objectives

include: increasing urban food produc-

tion on private and public lands, ensur-

ing that citizens have access to aff ordable,

healthy and local food and strengthening

local food infrastructure. The programs

also align with the Victoria Sustainability

Framework and the Sustainability Action

Plan.

“Community orchards and kitchen

gardens off er an incredible opportunity for

people to connect with their neighbours,

grow nutritious food and then maybe sit

together around the kitchen table digging

into an apple pie to celebrate,” said Mayor

Dean Fortin.  “These projects aim to

grow sustainable, local food and strong

neighbourhoods.”

A Community Orchard is a grove of

fruit or nut trees in a public park where a

community group participates in the care,

maintenance and harvesting of the trees.

Th e food that is produced is then shared

with the community. The Community

Orchard will be developed within

Stevenson Park and will demonstrate how

food production can co-exist in public

spaces with multiple uses.

Fernwood NRG wil l propose a

design for the orchard (with input from

neighbourhood residents—see sidebar)

and will select fruit and nut trees that will

continue to thrive in drier, hotter summers

and wetter, stormier winters. Th e City will

purchase the trees, install and maintain

irrigation and mow the lawn around the

trees during regular park maintenance.

Fernwood NRG will be responsible for

planting the trees, tree health, pruning,

harvesting and distribution of the fruit.

Th e orchard will also be a site for public

education programs such as fruit tree

pruning. Th ese details will be set out in a

license agreement, similar to what is used

for community gardens in City parks.

The Kitchen Garden project at the

Fernwood Community Centre will

transform the centre’s 1800 square foot

front ornamental garden beds (cur-

rently managed by the City) into edible

food gardens that will be managed by

Fernwood NRG. Th e gardens will be used

to educate program participants, and to

supplement some of the 700 snacks and

meals that the centre provides to program

participants each week. Th e plantings will

include a mix of annual vegetable crops

and fruit trees, vining fruits and berries

and berry bushes. Fernwood NRG will be

recruiting volunteers in January to help

with preparing the site and planting and

maintaining the gardens. Th is is the fi rst

phase of Fernwood NRG’s long term vision

to establish the Fernwood Community

Centre as a hub for food programs and

demonstration projects.

Neighbourhood Orchard Consultation

Come learn more about Fernwood’s Neighbourhood Orchard and provide input into the fi nal design.

When: Monday, December 10th, 7pmWhere: Fernwood Community Centre, 1240 Gladstone Avenue

Find out more at: fernwoodnrg.ca/2012/12/ neighbourhood_orchard_ consultation

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page 2 villagevibe December 2012 News and views from the heart of Fernwood

›› Lee Herrin

Sometimes, things change slowly. Even

though you might be right in the middle

of the change, if it happens slowly enough,

you might not even notice it. It’s only

when you stop and think—how long has this been going on?—that you realize what

a tremendous change has happened.

It used to be that once every few months

or so, a student would contact us about

potentially using Fernwood as a subject

for their research. But last month, there

was one week in which we had students

come into the offi ce every day . Apparently,

the word has gotten out that something

interesting is happening in Fernwood.

And students (and others) are regularly

enquiring about Fernwood NRG and the

neighbourhood, or are being directed to

Fernwood by their instructors.

Th inking back, in the past two years both

Fernwood NRG and the Belfry Th eatre have

hosted case studies by business students

from Royal Roads University that identifi ed

opportunities for both organizations,

I have twice spoken with groups of

students studying Urban Geography

at the University of Victoria, Fernwood

NRG and the Belfry Theatre spoke to a

group from the Creative Cities Network

of Canada (they were having their annual

conference in Victoria), and most recently I

spoke to a group of middle school students

about urban planning. Additionally, we

have had numerous individual undergradu-

ate and graduate students approach us for

one on one interviews about Fernwood

NRG and the neighbourhood—there

were half a dozen such inquiries in the

past six weeks. The disciplines included

anthropology, geography, child and youth

care, and business; the most distant student

we’ve helped has been visiting here from

Germany.

Years ago, even before we purchased the

Cornerstone Building, we had ambitions

that others would take inspiration from our

work. We dreamed of somehow reaching

out to other struggling neigbourhoods

to share our story. We haven’t done that

yet (though we have improved all of our

communication tools), but by sharing our

story (now with hundreds of students)

we are getting the word out. Many of

the students at UVic and Royal Roads

come from other cities across Canada and

around the world. Hopefully they’ll carry

a little piece of Fernwood back with them

when they return home—and the world

will become a little more humane, a little

greener, a little more enterprising, and a

little more colorful as a result.

declarationof principles

& values

villagevibePublished by Fernwood

Neighbourhood Resource Group

›› We are committed to creating

a socially, environmentally,

and economically sustainable

neighbourhood;

›› We are committed to ensuring

neighbourhood control or

ownership of neighbourhood

institutions and assets;

›› We are committed to using

our resources prudently

and to becoming fi nancially

self-reliant;

›› We are committed to the creation

and support of neighbourhood

employment;

›› We are committed to engaging

the dreams, resources,

and talents of our neighbours

and to fostering new links

between them;

›› We are committed to taking

action in response to

neighbourhood issues, ideas,

and initiatives;

›› We are committed to governing

our organization and serving our

neighbourhood democratically

with a maximum of openness,

inclusivity and kindness;

›› We are committed to developing

the skills, capacity, self-worth,

and excellence of our

neighbours and ourselves;

›› We are committed to focusing

on the future while preserving

our neighbourhood’s heritage

and diversity;

›› We are committed to creating

neighbourhood places that

are vibrant, beautiful, healthy,

and alive;

›› and, most of all,

We are committed to having fun!

Editorial Committee

Lee Herrin Mila Czemerys

Matt Takach Azelia Serjeantson

Founding Editor Lisa Helps

Contributors

Lee Herrin Jeffry Colin Vos

Mila Czemerys Kelsey Singbeil

Margaret Hantiuk Mark Dusseault

Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition

Art

Vector Open Stock Mila Czemerys

Axel David Cooper

Sam Macey

Production Mila Czemerys

Contact us

1313 Gladstone Avenue

Victoria, BC V8R 1R9

T 778.410.2497 F 250.381.1509

vibe@fernwoodnrg.ca

www.villagevibe.ca

To enquire about advertising in the Village

Vibe, please contact ads@fernwoodnrg.ca

The views expressed in the Village Vibe

do not necessarily refl ect the views of

Fernwood NRG.

editorial:

Learning from the ‘Hood

buzz:

Ode to Fernwoodians

›› Jeffry Colin Vos

Dear Fernwoodians, I am blessed to have

lived in Fernwood for over a year. Fernwood

and the amazing people living and sharing

in this community, allowed me to learn a

lot about myself and how a community can

choose to be.

I want to thank each and everyone one

of you for choosing to be apart of the magic

that is Fernwood, because it is the people

living here, in harmony with their natural

and structured environment, which makes

this the shining community that Fernwood

continues to be.

Th e people of Fernwood NRG continue

to enrich, enhance, and strengthen the

foundation of Fernwood by choosing to

nourish the most important components of

any community: the natural environment

and the people living in it. With the

continued growth and inventions of self-

reliant resource creation— specifically

focusing of food production— livable

housing initiatives, within community

employment, open artistic expression,

inclusion of all voices, open knowledge

sharing, and other life-supporting services,

Fernwood continues to increase its overall

quality of life.

By living in and away from Fernwood,

I have come to realize some immensely

important life-lessons. The way for any

community, and therefore, person, to

increase quality of life, it has to start with

taking responsibility for the choices being

made. Th e only way to learn, is to make

a choice, see it through, and then make

another choice. Mistakes are foundations

for making new choices, and in my opinion

are not mistakes. I make choices to learn

and grow, take responsibility for my

choices and how they impact the people

and environment around me, because I

care about everything’s quality of life, as

much as my own. This knowledge was

gifted to me by all of you, just by being

yourselves, and by continuing to make

collective choices that enrich everything

inside and outside of Fernwood’s borders.

My t h a n k s a n d b l e s s i n g s t o

Fernwoodians for all you give yourselves,

and thus the rest of us. For me specifi cally,

I now have the awareness and inspiration to

choose to return to my friends in Fernwood

and Victoria, to be apart of the amazing

community transitions and choices that are

taking place everyday.

www.fernwoodnrg.ca December 2012 villagevibe page 3

Every year it’s hard

to fi nd that perfect

gift during the holiday

season—why not give

good food?

›› Mila Czemerys

Th is time of year the malls are packed

with shoppers, stores are blasting Christmas

carols, and it feels like the thing to do is

buy, buy, buy! Why not avoid all of that

hassle this year and give your loved ones

something fresh, tasty, and useful.

Giving a Good Food Box gets fresh

fruits and vegetables into the fridge of your

best friend, your little brother, your grand-

parents, or anyone you care about. You can

choose from a variety of boxes—Small,

Medium, Large, Snack, Fruit, Organic.

Th ey come in all shapes and sizes. You can

get a Snack Box for your child in residence

at University; nothing in this box requires

cooking. You could get an Organic Box

for your environmentally conscious friend.

Whatever box you choose, you don’t have

to worry that they won’t use this gift.

Everyone eats!

This gift is good for the planet and

doesn’t require wrapping. You can have

it delivered right to the doorstep of your

chosen recipient. After a long day at work,

they will come home and fi nd a box full of

goodies waiting for them.

Are you feeling generous? Do you have

a family full of carnivores? You can also

donate money to provide boxes for families

who have a little less. All the donations

collected during December will help

provide boxes of produce to families in

need in Fernwood throughout 2013.

Good Food Box is a year-round

alternative food distribution system for

fresh fruits and vegetables. The Good

Food Box purchases high quality produce

and prioritizes locally grown and seasonal

items, ensuring variety, freshness, and

aff ordability. Good Food Box is a project

of Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource

Group.

Learn more at fernwoodnrg. ca/2012/11/

give-the-gift-of-good-food/. To order call

250-381-1552 ext. 100.

buzz:

Give the Gift of Good Food

Happy Holidays!

*

Instead of buying another set of holiday themed PJs or the lastest trendy gadget, get some good

food for your loved ones. Photo: Mila Czemerys

PART-TIME

PERMACULTURE DESIGN

COURSEStarts February 23, 2013

Early bird rate is

$899 before January 1, 2012,

$1099 afterwards

www.permaculturebc.com

page 4 villagevibe December 2012 News and views from the heart of Fernwood

feature:

Fernwood: Food Neighbourhood

This is the speech given

by Kelsey Singbeil,

a member of the

Board of Directors of

Fernwood NRG, to 80

people at the Fernwood

Community Centre on

November 21st, 2012

›› Kelsey Singbeil

Where we came from

From the birth of our organization

through 2004, Fernwood NRG

worked primarily out of the

Fernwood Community Centre to provide

services to the neighbourhood, including

childcare, drop-in programs, pre-natal

nutrition, and recreation.

In 2005, we articulated our Principles

& Values which place the creation of a

socially, environmentally, and economically

sustainable neighbourhood as our highest

commitment.

Also in 2005, through our purchase

and restoration of the Cornerstone

Building, we played an important role in

the revitalization of Fernwood, moving

our activities beyond the confines of

the community centre and out into the

neighbourhood proper.

And from that point, until 2010, we

pursued the development of affordable

housing in response to the acute need

for affordable family housing across the

region. In all, we built 10 three bedroom

units that house nearly 40 people today.

We still wish to develop more housing in

Fernwood, and we have heard from the

neighbourhood that aff ordable housing is a

critical priority. However, the combination

of record high property prices, record low

interest rates, and fewer grants available

from both government and foundations

makes this a risky time to pursue property

development.

In the spring of 2011, we held our

second Neighbourhood Visioning Forum

which was attended by 140 people from

the neighbourhood including a number of

groups active in the neighbourhood. We

spent the day in dialogue to determine our

collective priorities for the future. Although

aff ordable housing rose as a key priority,

there was also a desire for an increased

focus on greater food security.

Where we are going

What is food security? Ultimately, real food

security means that we have the capacity to

sustain ourselves indefi nitely with food we

have grown, stored and cooked ourselves—

not each of us as individuals, but at a larger

regional scale.

Today, we rely on imports from around

the world to bridge the gap between what

we produce and what we consume. Th ere

is nothing wrong with this per se, but it

is a reliance that exposes us to all kinds of

possible interruptions in our food supply,

from a natural disaster to rising energy

prices. And, many of us either don’t have

enough to eat, or don’t have access to

quality food because it is unaff ordable.

We are blessed to live in a region that has

tremendous capacity to support life—and

there are folks around who are pioneering

new approaches to food production that

are suited to the city, and can transform an

urban lot into a food oasis.

Part of our vision for the neighbourhood

in the next five years is to scale up that

production. We want to see food growing

everywhere, and to celebrate what can

be grown and produced in the city. We

want Fernwood to become known as “the

food neighbourhood,” where there is an

emphasis on producing our own food and

joyously consuming it.

What we have already done

Here are some steps we have already taken

toward this goal:

∙ With funding from the federal

government, we have been providing a

nutritional program for mothers for over

15 years, including producing two lunches

per week for the moms and moms-to-be,

∙ We also provide a lunch to our seniors

program on Fridays (and, again, we have

been doing so for over 15 years),

∙ We have increased our lunch program

in our child care programs to once per

week, and provide 2 snacks per day in both

programs,

∙ In total, we produce approximately

700 portions per week in our downstairs

kitchen, using a mix of purchased and

donated food,

∙ We opened the Cornerstone Café in

2006, and have been increasing our menu

over the past few years, with plans to

increase it further in the near future,

∙ We work with neighbourhood

restaurants and other food and beverage

providers across the region to produce

Fernwood Bites, our annual fundraiser

which was started in July of 2010,

∙ In October of 2010, we took

administrative responsibility for Spring

Ridge Common, our neighbourhood food

forest, and have invested in the site and

support the work of the Friends of Spring

Ridge Common,

∙ In the past year, in conjunction

with Permaculture BC, we have hosted a

number of food production workshops

including a 3 month Permaculture Design

Certificate course that gave participants

over 100 hours of instruction and chal-

lenged them to work as teams to design

permaculture systems for the grounds

around the Fernwood Community Centre;

and last but not least,

Children from the Fernwood Community Centre Infant and Toddler Childcare planting an apple tree

at Springridge Common with help from Mayor Dean Fortin. Photo: Mila Czemerys

www.fernwoodnrg.ca December 2012 villagevibe page 5

∙ In October this year, we took over the

day to day administration and management

of the Good Food Box program, which

brings economical local and organic food

to close to 300 families every two weeks,

the majority of whom live in or very close

to Fernwood. Over the next year, we hope

to significantly expand this program,

including moving to weekly delivery.

But, we’re just getting started.

What we plan to do

Here are some of the things we will be work-

ing on in 2013, with generous support from

the City of Victoria and the Real Estate

Foundation of BC, and the United Way (via

the Coalition of Neighbourhood Houses):

∙ We will be increasing our food storage

capacity at the Fernwood Community

Centre to ensure we can handle larger food

donations and can store bulk fruits and

vegetables purchased for distribution in the

Good Food Box,

∙ We will be surveying and finding

creat ive ways to engage with the

neighbourhood to better understand our

shared needs and interests in terms of

advancing our food security,

∙ We will be creating an inventory of land

in the neighbourhood that could be turned

to food production and working with the

landowners to facilitate this transition,

∙ In partnership with the Greater

Victoria Compost Education Centre, we

will be hosting a number of presentations

focused on techniques and ideas for urban

food production,

∙ In partnership with Permaculture BC

we will be hosting another Permaculture

Design Certificate as well as other

workshops through the year, and

∙ Just announced [November 20th],

in partnership with the City of Victoria

we will be turning the grounds around

the Community Centre into productive

gardens and an orchard (see cover story).

We see ourselves maintaining these gardens

with help from the neighbourhood, but

also integrating them into the day to day

activities of the children at our centre.

And that’s not all—those activities are

already planned and on the drawing board,

but we’ve got more ideas too such as having

seed swap Saturdays in the Cornerstone

Café, hosting a neighbourhood seed library,

organizing a neighbourhood wide fruit tree

planting day, installing neighbourhood herb

gardens at intersections throughout the

neighbourhood, and…what are your ideas?

What do you want to see? Be sure to watch

the Village Vibe, www. fernwoodnrg.ca

and the Cornerstone Cafe notice boards

to keep track of everything that will be

happening in 2013 and beyond!

“We’ve got to do something.”

Your

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Everyone says,

Now you can.Take a stroll to the top of Fernwood Road and help support

The Fernwood NRG — identify yourself as a Fernwood resident and we will donate 10% in cash of your purchase back to the

Fernwood NRG. Now you’ve done something.

Proud member of the Fernwood community for 14 years.

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FERNWOOD’S REAL ESTATE EXPERT

For more information on buying and selling real estate

in Fernwood please visit ZamianSellsFernwood.com

250.514.1533 (direct)

Zamian Sells Fernwood

(Left) Judy, Fernwood NRG's chef, preparing some of the 700 weekly snacks for programs at the

Community Centre. (Right) Making pancakes in 3 to 5 Childcare. Photos: Mila Czemerys

Receive 30% off

when you prepay for 6 adsby January 20th, 2013

ads@fernwoodnrg.ca | 778.410.2497

page 6 villagevibe December 2012 News and views from the heart of Fernwood

garden gleanings:

New Plants›› Margaret Hantiuk

At the last Victoria Horticulural Society—

vichortsociety.org—monthly meet-

ing, Vancouver’s Brian Minter was the

guest speaker. He left us with some

recommendations of the latest plants that

breeders are coming up with in response

to recent trends in gardening: smaller

yards, more container gardening, lower

maintenance and drought tolerant plants

and more interest in food production.

Here are some of his picks:

OrnamentalsGardenia: ‘Crown Jewel’- first hardy

hybrid, compact 3’, fragrant double

white

Cercis: ‘The Rising Sun’- wonderful fall

foliage, small variety. 12’X 8’

Physocarpus: ‘Amber Jubilee’- colorful

foliage, ‘Little Devil’- burgundy leaves,

compact

Weigela: ‘My Monet Sunset’, ‘Rainbow

Sensation’, ‘Shining Sensation’

Ligustrum: ‘Sunshine’- good for

hedges, full sun, evergreen, bright yellow

green foliage

Clematis: ‘Bijou’- no trellis, good for pots,

C. alpina ‘Stolwijk Gold’- gold foliage

All-American Rose Selections 2012 winner:

grandifl ora ‘Sunshine Daydream’

Hosta: ‘Liberty’

Perennial: Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack

Frost’

Fruits

Blueberry: ‘Pink Lemonade’- pink berries,

very sweet, hardy

Honeyberry*: Haskap lonicera caerulea-

hardy, fast growing, high yields, excel-

lent favour, high anti- oxidants * (pollenizer

required, ‘ Cinderella’ or ‘Berry Blue’ can

work)

Dwarf Cherry: ‘Carmine Jewel’- high

yields, good sized fruit

Strawberries for containers: ‘Berri Bas-

ket’- big berries, hot pink blooms, ‘Berries

Galore F’- large fruit, ‘ Temptation’- runner-

less and compact, sweet, large fruit

Tomatoes for containers: ‘Megabite’,

‘ Ramblin Gold’, ‘Ramblin’ Red’

Tomatoes for the garden: ‘Defi ant’- blight

resistant, large fruit, ‘ Supersteak Hybrid’

VegetablesBeet: ‘Chioggia Gauardsman’- bolt

resistant Italian heirloom

Beans: Gold n’ Green Mix’ and ‘ Inspiration’

both tender and delicious French style

Broccoli: ‘Green Magic’, ‘Emerald Jewel’,

‘Bay Meadows’- main season, high yield

Brussel Sprouts: ‘Gustus’- European high

quality sprouts

Cabbage: ‘Chinese Mini Tender Gold’-

early, sweet and uniform, ‘Gold Mark’- early

Carrots: ‘Crofton’- high quality, sweet,

‘Tendersnax’- bunching for raw munchies

Caulifl ower: ‘Hermon’- new and excellent

self-wrap

Cuke: ‘Diomede’- sweet slicer with good

disease tolerance

Leeks: ‘Belton’, ‘Vitation’, ’Matisse’- all

main season, easy peel

Lettuce: ‘Simply Salad Alfresco Mix’, ‘City

Garden Mix’, ‘Global Gourmet Mix’, ‘Bis-

tro Salad Blend’- all beautiful and tasty

mesclun type mixes

Onion: ‘Trekker’- early and keeps well,

‘Kelsae’- old fave

Peppers for containers: ‘Basket of Fire’-

spicy, high yield, ‘Cute Stuff Red’- sweet,

‘Habanero Red’- very hot, ‘Sweet Heat’-

compact, early, ideal for salsa

Potatoes: ‘Mr. Potato F1’ (Zolushka)- good

yield, good keeper

Spinach: ‘Imperial Green’- Asian leaf type

Squash: ‘Celebration Orange Acorn’-

sweeter

Growing in containers is a recent trend in gardening. Photo: Fernwood NRG

Fernwood Community Centre1240 Gladstone Avenue, Victoria, BC, V8T 1G6 T 250.381.1552 F 250.381.1509 info@fernwoodnrg.ca | fernwoodnrg.ca

Holiday closures February 11 and March 29 to April 1.

(Reg) Registration Required (DI) Drop In

JANUARY - APRIL 2013

FERNWOOD NRG

For more in fo rmat ion contact :

MONDAYParent and Baby Play Group (DI) Ongoing 9:30am - 11:30amVictoria Street Soccer (DI) Jan 7 - Apr 29 6:00pm - 7:00pmLifeRing Secular Recovery (DI) Ongoing 6:45pm - 8:00pm

TUESDAY

Parent and Tot Play Group (DI) Ongoing 9:30am - 11:30am

Iyengar Yoga (DI/Reg) Jan 15 - Apr 23 5:30pm - 6:30pmDancing Lotus Hatha Yoga (DI/Reg) Jan 8 - Apr 23 7:00pm - 8:30pm

WEDNESDAYBest Babies (Reg) Ongoing 12:00pm - 3:00pmGood Food Box Pick Up Every other week 1:00pm - 5:30pm

THURSDAY

Parent & Tot Play Group (DI) Ongoing 9:30am - 11:30amBest Babies (Reg) Ongoing 12:00pm - 3:00pmIyengar Yoga (DI/Reg) Jan 17 - Apr 25 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Laughter Yoga (DI/Reg) Jan 10 - Apr 25 7:00pm - 8:00pm

Victoria Sport & Social Club (Reg) Jan 17 - Apr 25 7:00pm - 9:30pm

FRIDAYAutumn Glow Senior’s Lunch (DI) Ongoing 12:00pm - 2:30pmFrizilla Friday Youth Group (DI) Ongoing 6:30pm - 9:00pm

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Muttley Crew Freestyle Club (Closed) Jan 6 - Apr 28 6:00pm - 8:00pm

WINTER PROGRAMS

Fox Fair - Feb 9Creative Contemplation Workshop (Reg) - Feb 12Vintageous Fair - March 1 & March 2

Blue Sky Meditation (DI/Reg) Jan 8 - Apr 30 4:00pm - 5:30pm

Homospun (Closed) Jan 9 - Apr 24 7:30pm - 9:30pm

WORKSHOPS / SPECIAL EVENTS

Nuu Chah Nulth Drumming (Closed) Ongoing 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Kids Capoeira (Reg) Jan 8 - Apr 30 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Spring Forest Qigong (DI/Reg) Jan 3 - Apr 25 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Dancing Lotus Hatha Yoga (DI/Reg) Jan 9 - Apr 24 5:45pm - 7:15pm

Yin Yoga (Reg/DI) Jan 10 - Apr 11 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Volleyball (Closed) Jan 6 - Apr 28 11:00am - 12:00pm

What You May Become Workshop (Reg) Mar 19 - Apr 9 7:30pm - 9:30pm

Part-Time Permaculture Design Course (Reg) Feb 23 - May 18 9:00am - 5:00pm

Crave Fitness Bootcamp (Closed) Jan 3 - Apr 25 5:45am - 6:45am

Crave Fitness Bootcamp (Closed) Jan 8 - Apr 23 5:45am - 6:45am

Victoria Meet-up Group (Closed) Every other week 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Part-Time Permaculture Design Course (Reg) Feb 24 - May 19 9:00am - 5:00pm

Karate (Reg) Mar 4 - Apr 29 7:30pm - 9:30pm

Karate (Reg) Mar 7 - Apr 25 7:30pm - 9:30pm

www.fernwoodnrg.ca December 2012 villagevibe page 7

›› Greater Victoria Cycling

Nearly everyone has driven around to look

at Christmas lights. How often have you

jumped on your bike and ridden around to

look at other people’s holiday handiwork?

Members of the Greater Victoria Cycling

Coalition (GVCC) are going to do that with

their 15th Annual Terry van Fleet Memorial

Christmas Lights Bike Ride on Saturday,

December 15th, starting at 6:00pm at the

Fernwood Community Centre.

The two-hour, roughly 15 km route

includes stops at award-winning streets

in the Fernwood, Oak Bay and Cook

Street neighbourhoods. Last year, over 90

riders attended. With a large turnout, the

ride becomes an attraction in itself. Past

rides have seen some participants go all

out to decorate their bikes with lights or

Christmas garlands to get into the spirit

of the event and the season. “When we get

that many riders in a group, we fi nd traffi c

can be really polite to us and residents

often cheer us on as we ride by,” said Sam

Macey, one of the ride organizers. “As well,

when we’re in a group it’s a real social thing,

there’s a real positive atmosphere.”

“Th ere is a two-fold message behind the

ride,” Sam notes. “We want to reinforce the

need for drivers to respect cyclists at night

and for riders to always be visible and take

responsibility for their own safety.” Th e ride

was set up to honour the memory of Terry

van Fleet, who was struck and killed by a

drunk driver as he rode along Blanshard

Street in December 1998.

Th e ride is suitable for riders of all ages

and ability levels and GVCC committee

members will be marshaling the ride to

make sure the riders all stay together and

nobody gets left behind. Of course, riders

need to wear helmets and bikes must be in

good condition with front and rear lights.

The ride begins and ends at the

Fernwood Community Centre at 1240

Gladstone Avenue. Riders are asked to meet

there at 6:00pm; departure is at 6:30pm

sharp. Th e ride is by donation (suggested

$5) and includes hot chocolate and treats

at the end.

For more information, check the Greater

Victoria Cycling Coalition website www.

gvcc.bc.ca or call Sam Macey at 250 382-

8619.

›› Mark Dusseault

In 1824 Charles Dickens’ father was sent

to debtors’ prison. To help his family,

Charles, then 12 years old, was forced to

leave school and work in a blacking (boot

polish) factory in London. Th e experience

had a profound impact on Dickens and

later infl uenced many of his essays and nov-

els, including A Christmas Carol.A Christmas Carol, written in 1843, was

Dickens’ attempt to illuminate the horrifi c

working conditions of the poor throughout

England. As the novella came together, he

shaped it using long forgotten Christmas

traditions and the then very popular ghost

story, creating one of the greatest stories

ever told.

As popular and fresh today as ever,

A Christmas Carol offers a reminder of

things past, as well as a message for the

future.

Late month, the Belfry opened its new

production of this classic Christmas story

of redemption. Th e cast of 14 features

ten local actors; a couple of them were

born and raised here in Fernwood. A

couple of them are still in elementary

school!

If you’d like to learn more about the

show, please visit our website— belfry.

bc.ca—where you can listen to inter-

views with the actors and director, and

watch videos on how the show was put

together.

We hope you and your family can join

us for this very warm and very special

holiday treat.

artist’s aside:

A Christmas Carol

Here to serve you at my Community Office1084 Fort St., Victoria BC V8V 3K4 Phone: 250-952-4211 Fax: 250-952-4586

carole.james.mla@leg.bc.ca www.carolejamesmla.ca

Wishing you a joyous holiday season, and a Happy New Year!Please join us at our

Holiday Open HouseMonday, December 10, 4–6pm at our Community Office Everyone welcome. Light refreshments.

Carole James MLA Victoria – Beacon Hill

1358 GLADSTONE AVE / 250 590 6612 / SOMAVICTORIA.CA

ONLINE BOOKING AVAILABLE!PHYSIOTHERARR PY MASSAGE THERAPY

ACUPUNCTURE PRIVATE PILATES

Fezziwig Dance Sequence featuring (Left to Right): Amanda Lisman (Belle), Daniel Fong (Spirit),

Brian Linds (Mr. Fezziwig - facing upstage), Tom McBeath (Ebenezer Scrooge), Celine Stubel (Flora),

Kevin Kruchkywich (Young Ebenezer Scrooge - facing upstage), Adam Lolacher (Dick Wilkins),

Jessica Hickman (Spirit), Amisha Parikh-Friese in A Christmas Carol. Photo: David Cooper

mark your calendar:

Holiday Ride

Coalition

778-430-5569 | www.littlefernwoodschoolofthearts.comTamara Hernandez BA MA, Director

reaching beyond representational fine art

Scene in Fernwood : VW Neighbourhood