Mid Island News » Events

Open House 6025 Uplands Drive Housing Project

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:15:48 +0000

Do you live in the Dover / Hammond Bay / Uplands Drive area?

You are invited to 2 open houses held by Pacifica Housing regarding the new housing project at 6025 Uplands Drive in Nanaimo.

OPEN HOUSES to be held:
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 5pm – 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 5pm – 7:30 p.m.
at Vancouver Island Regional Library administration building 6250 Hammond Bay Road.

The project is planned to provide housing for approximately 30-35 previously homeless individuals who face multiple barriers to accessing and retaining housing in the private market, and who are also dealing with issues.

Pacifica Housing, CitySpaces Consulting, and Chow Low Hammond Architects will be on hand to answer questions.

Neighbours will have an opportunity to sign up for the following workshops:
Designing for Safety & Security
Designing for Neighbourhood Fit

If you live in the area make plans to attend on Wednesday, April 18th or 25th.

Read more on a related post called “What has happened to BC subsidized housing in Nanaimo”.

Mid Island News

Nanaimo Museum Fun for Kids

admin — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:50:47 +0000

Are you looking for something to do this spring break? The Nanaimo Museum on Commercial Street has family drop-in activities all this week from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Each day there is a new theme and unique activity. Activities are designed for children ages 5 through12 and admission is by donation.

Family Tree for Me (Monday, March 19, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm)
Bring your own old family photo (small) to make a picture magnet
Start your own family tree
Make a quill pen
Create a family memory book

Coal Miner (Tuesday, March 20, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm)
Make a crystal garden using coal
Be like a coal miner and go on a walk through the dark mine tunnel
Make a safety lamp

Birds! Birds! Birds! (Wednesday, March 21, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm)
Create heron inspired art projects
Explore how birds eat by doing the bird beak activity
Make your own bird journal

Old Fashioned Toys (Thursday, March 22, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm)
Play with old fashioned toys, just like children did 100 years ago
Learn how to play with marbles, the acrobatic man, whirligigs, tumbling clowns and pick-up sticks, also try your hand at making Victorian toys such as paper dolls, thaumatrope and whirligigs

Snoopy in Space (Friday, March 23, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm)
Get ready for our upcoming Feature exhibit “Snoopy Soars with NASA”
Learn how to draw Snoopy and other Peanuts characters, step-by-step
Make your own comic strip about Snoopy in space, create an orbiting planet art project, construct a star finder, and a balloon rocket.

For more information email program(at)nanaimomuseum.ca.

Mid Island News

Nanoose Annual Feat for Food

admin — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:00:47 +0000

Would you like to get some exercise outdoors and raise money at the same time?

The 2nd Annual Feat for Food 5km walk or run takes place Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 10am rain or shine to raise awareness and donations for Nanoose Food Cupboard. Start and finish at Nanoose Bay Dental located at 2461 Collins Crescent behind Red Gap Centre.

Registration is by donation, and a $40 or more donation will receive a free technical t-shirt printed with the “Feat for Food” t-shirt logo. For more information contact Rhonda at 250-713-0048.

Mid Island News

Seedy Sunday in Nanaimo

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:15:12 +0000

Seedy Sunday is coming to Nanaimo on Sunday, March 4, 2012 at the Bowen Park Auditorium from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.

Come and celebrate organic seeds and urban gardening.

There will be a seed exchange where you can trade or purchase organic and non-hybrid seeds, educational workshops and displays that foster home gardening, local agriculture and sustainable practices which do not rely on the use of toxic chemicals.

Get ready to start eating your own home grown fresh veggies!

Mid Island News

Free Science and Tech Lecture Series at VIU

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:03:31 +0000

Every Wednesday evening from 7:00pm to 8:00pm at Vancouver Island University the Science and Technology Lecture Series is being held. This free lecture series will be in the Education Building (Building 356) at the Lecture Theatre (Room 109) which is located at the top of the hill from the 4th Street entrance. The closest parking lot is Lot N.

Come and listen to these free lectures given by internationally acclaimed scientists and then after join in for conversation and light refreshments. Here is the schedule:

February 1, 2012 – Derek Matthews -Bird Banding Vancouver Avian Research Centre
February 8, 2012 – Dr. Damien Joly -The international trade in wildlife diseases
February 15, 2012 – Dr. David Gaumont Guay – Leukemia – the science of the disease
February 22, 2012- No Lecture – Reading Break
February 29, 2012 – Dr. Erin McClelland – Effect of Ocean Acidification on Shellfish
March 7, 2012 – Dr. Frank LoPinto – Animated QR codes
March 14, 2012 – Dr. Sheri Molnar – Seismic Hazard Mapping
March 21, 2010 – Speaker: TBA
March 28, 2012- Dr. Sarah Olson - Ebola: Wildlife Conservation and a Deadly Disease
April 4, 2012 – Dr. Jan Lovy – Infectious Diseases: Pacific Herring

For further information and details of the lectures visit Vancouver Island University Science Faculty or you can listen to the speakers being interviewed on “Not Rocket Science” aired weekly at 1:00 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays on CHLY 101.7fm.

Mid Island News

New Look for Cedar Main Street

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:53:23 +0000

The Regional District of Nanaimo is resuming the Main Street design for Cedar with a four day workshop and presentation, starting today. The charrette will take place at the Cedar Heritage Centre located at 1644 MacMillan Road in Cedar.

Cedar Community Design Charrette Schedule of Events
Day	Date	Event	Time	Purpose
Wednesday	January 25th, 2012	Presentations	9:30am – 12:00pm	Overview of the project
Thursday	January 26th, 2012	Presentation	7:30pm – 8:30pm	Presentation of concept sketches
Friday	January 27th, 2012	Work Day (no formal public event)	n/a	n/a
Saturday	January 28th, 2012	Open House and presentation	3:00pm – 5:00pm	Presentation of final concept sketches

In addition to the above, community members may drop in to the Cedar Heritage Centre to view design progress, make suggestions, share ideas, and ask questions at any time within the designated site office hours identified below.

Date	Site Office Hours Cedar Heritage Centre
Wednesday January 25th, 2012	1:00 -5:00pm
Thursday January 26th, 2012	9:00am – 5:00pm
Friday January 27th, 2012	9:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday January 28th, 2012	9:00am – 3:00pm

For more information please visit the Regional District of Nanaimo website at www.rdn.bc.ca, email to cedarmainstreet(at)rdn.bc.ca or call Greg Keller, Senior Planner at (250) 390-6510.

Mid Island News

Free Orchestra Day in Nanaimo

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:07:55 +0000

The Vancouver Island Symphony is offering a free special Community Day where the public is invited to come to The Port Theatre on Saturday February 18, 2012.

Come and check out the Vancouver Island Symphony (VIS) to see what happens during a symphony rehearsal and try all the instruments of the orchestra.

Activities include:

11 am – 12 noon: Musical Instrument Zoo – Come try the instruments of the orchestra!
11:45 am – 12:15 pm: NoteworthyKids Music Club Event – meet Conductor Pierre Simard
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Open Symphony Rehearsal Event

Reserve your Free Ticket through the Port Theatre Ticket Centre or call the theatre at 250-754-0177.

Mid Island News

Nanaimo Celebrates Chinese New Year – Year of the Dragon

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:09:33 +0000

You can welcome in the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dragon on Saturday, January 21, 2012 with two events in Nanaimo.

At the Nanaimo Museum on Commercial Street, the Nanaimo Chinese Cultural Society and the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society are hosting an event from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Admission is by donation.

Starting at 1pm the entertainment includes: an opening lion dance, Guzheng, Tail Ji, calligraphy, Chinese traditional drama – peacock flying to south-east, traditional Chinese songs, traditional Chinese dance – TaoYao and the closing lion dance.

While you’re there, have fun trying some calligraphy, paper arts, and playing mahjong.
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As well, the Nanaimo Art Gallery is celebrating both Robbie Burns Day and Chinese New Year with an event called Gung Hei Haggis or Xin Nian Haggis. This event takes place at the Bowen Auditorium in Bowen Park Saturday, January 21st from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

You can enjoy a Chinese/Scottish buffet and watch a bagpiper procession bring in a haggis. Entertainment will include piping and Highland dancing, a lion dance, Peking opera and Chinese folk dancing.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children and are available at the Nanaimo Art Gallery downtown at 150 Commercial St, and at McLean’s Specialty Foods at 426 Fitzwilliam Street in the Old City Quarter or by calling the Nanaimo Chinese Language and Art Centre at 250-729-9948.

Chinese New Year trivia: the Lunar calendar has a cycle of about 29.5 days and they insert an extra month in once every few years, resulting the Chinese New Year to fall on a different date each year. This is the year of the Dragon which is the mightiest of the signs in the Chinese Zodiac. Dragons symbolize such character traits as dominance and ambition.

Mid Island News

Poets wanted in Nanaimo & Poetry Festival on Gabriola Island

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:45:51 +0000

The mid island is turning to poetry! The City of Nanaimo is looking for a poet laureate to serve a three year term. A minimum of one original poem is to be produced per year. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2012. For more information email Bob Kuhn at The City of Nanaimo, bob.kunh(at)nanaimo.ca.

On Gabriola Island, they are kicking off 2012 in a big way – with the 8th Annual Poetry Gabriola Festival! This year’s celebration of literature, spoken word, and music runs from February 16th to 19th 2012, at the Dragon’s Lodge on Gabriola Island.

The four evening mainstage performances feature artists from across Canada, including six British Columbia poets commissioned to create new works. This year’s commissioned poets are Susan Musgrave, Gregory Scofield, Barbara Adler, C.R. Avery, Jordan Scott and Tim Lander.

As well as four feature evening presentations, 2012 will offer afternoon events, salons, workshops, school shows, cameo performances, and the return of the hit event, “Knock-Knock, Who’s There?”

Mid Island News

CKGI Gabriola Island Radio making waves

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:30:03 +0000

A belated congratulations to CKGI – Gabriola Co-op Radio 98.7 FM for getting a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language community FM radio station on Gabriola Island.

It took 11 years from concept to getting permission to proceed, but Gabriola Radio Society (GRS) got the green light from the CRTC to start a community radio station on Gabriola.

If you would like to support Gabriola Radio you can check out their fundraiser event coming up this January 7, 2012. This event called, “You turn me on – I’m a radio” fundraiser will kick off a year in which the Gabriola Radio Society aims to raise $320,000 to establish a tower, studio, and offices on Gabriola Island.

Mid Island News