by John Kernaghan –
News, changes, updates, launches? Email noteworthyseaside@gmail.com.
These Dog Days Were Great Days
When North Saanich council folded quickly on the notion of pickleball court construction at the leash-free dog park, Cy Hampson, it was a major win for dog owners up and down the Peninsula.
But in the midst of that was another victory for pet lovers, one that is repeated often and rarely reported on.
It was the story of little Lara, adopted just hours earlier, who slipped her leash and was lost in the worst of January’s storm.
A plea by owner Chloe Parsons on the “This is Sidney” Facebook page loosed a whirlwind search for the pup in Sidney’s Resthaven-Ardmore area. Volunteers by the score trudged through snow and leaned into the wind for three hours til Lara, a rescue from Iran, was sighted and secured.
“We couldn’t be prouder of the little town we call home,” said Chloe.
The hunt for Lara got a big boost from ROAM (Reunited Owners with Animals Missing), a go-to non-profit assisting pet owners.
Women on the March, in March
The group 100+ Women Who Care sure know their multiplication tables. They meet four times a year and typically turn 175 individual commitments into $17,500 each time.
That’s more than $70,000 annually to good causes. Their next meeting is March 6, at 6 p.m. for coffee and 7 p.m. for the meeting, at Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney.
Brentood Bay’s Ready to Play
Organizers are looking for ideas and volunteers for the June 1 Brentwood Bay Festival and Music in the Park, the seven Wednesday performances in July and August.
The music events, entering a 26th season, are looking to book with a vision of diversity equality and inclusion.
Send band submissions and interest in the Festival to brentwoodbayinfo@gmail.com.
LifeRing Set to Help at Three Locations
It’s secular, it’s non-judgmental and it’s anonymous, three appealing factors for folks seeking a way out of addiction. LifeRing Canada provides free forums offering support and advice, though donations are welcome.
Interested parties can join others who have achieved abstinence or are still seeking it Mondays at noon at Sidney’s Work BC location, 9860 Third Street; 7 p.m. Thursdays at Recovery Addiction Services, 1125 Pembroke Street; and Fridays, 7 p.m. at Saanich Neighbourhood Place, 3100 Tillicum Road.
Sidney CAO Signing Off After 25 Years
Randy Humble, public servant, is leaving the town in late June after a 12-year run as Chief Administrative Officer.
Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith said Humble’s “exceptional leadership has created a great team … and has helped Sidney blossom into the lively seaside community we enjoy today.”
Humble spearheaded zoning bylaws which fostered a vibrant, walkable downtown, an effort that in 2013 was cited in the Gold Award by the Planning Institute of BC.
Seabreeze Sending Out Aromatic Gusts
Sidney’s latest culinary addition has brightened up the former Boondock’s location on Fifth Street and added another new option to the town’s dining scene.
The Vietnamese restaurant was bustling on its second weekend of operation, with diners digging into healthy fare at decent prices.
The Grilled Spring Rolls were a crunchy and spirited start while two giant Vegetable Pho bowls offered a fragrant broth with big wheels of carrot and super-fresh broccoli. There was plenty left for a next-day lunch.
100,000 Bowls of Soup Later …
That’s the tally organizers of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church expect to reach soon from their weekly Neighbours Lunch.
The weekly event has served the Sidney community for more than 20 years with 98,949 bowls and countless buns consumed each Wednesday at noon.
Last year 114 Christmas turkey dinners were served, making the total 2,274 turkey dinners served over the past 20 years. Neighbours Lunch also prepares soup for the Friends of St. Andrew’s, the other church outreach program. It takes nourishment to the streets twice a week to feed those in need. That added up to 839 bowls of soup.
