Category Archives: Events

Free Science and Tech Lecture Series at VIU

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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.

New Look for Cedar Main Street

Events, ,

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.

Free Orchestra Day in Nanaimo

Events, Music

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.

Nanaimo Celebrates Chinese New Year – Year of the Dragon

Arts and Culture, Events

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.

Poets wanted in Nanaimo & Poetry Festival on Gabriola Island

Arts and Culture, Events,

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?”

CKGI Gabriola Island Radio making waves

Events,

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.