Slaying the BRICKYARD beast.

If you've ever cycled around Gabriola, you'll be familiar with Brickyard hill, if you rode up it, you'll know the hill that I'm talking about.  In honor of this hill, Islanders have created one of the toughest 10km road races in Canada, The BRICKYARD BEAST, quite the sunday morning challenge. 
It is fun(!?!) and a well planned event, there is a strict code of silence while climbing the beast (until you catch your breathe) and a great station at the Gabriola Golf Course, where you can enjoy a simple cool down as the Island kids spray you with their water guns.  When you get to the finish line, you'll be greeted by spectators and  you can soak up some community spirit at the Commons, where there is an after party- complete with pizza and music.
There is still time to register, so throw on those runners, stick on a smile and head to the hill - I'll see you there, on my second beast slayer run, if I'm not talking - I'm just trying to get my breathe!

Submitted by Tina.

12 Days of Christmas

A collective of 12 artists got together this year to do a Christmas exchange, as a result they have created a very special 12 days of Christmas Package that will be up for Silent Auction at the Craft Fair at the Commons, December 3. The surprise - the 12 gifts are wrapped, they range in items from ornaments, card collections – but that’s all I’m giving up!

This silent auction item will have 12 gifts for you to open, each made by a local artisan. What a great way to lead up to Christmas, as a Christmas gift, or maybe it will complete all the shopping you had to do – all while raising money for PHC. Artists who have contributed to this Christmas Package include; Karen Aaker, Tina Lynch, Julie Sperber, Diana Bonder, Randi Lynch, Brenda Reid, Mariko McCrae, Christy Wilson, Lindsay Godfrey-Stocking, Jane Reddington, Jennifer Lynch, Tammy Hudgeon.
Hope you have as much fun bidding as we all have in creating & sharing!

Easter on Gabriola Island

The Easter Bunny has already been around and made his deliveries on Gabriola, the kids have found all the packages of seeds he hid for them and we've just finished dying a batch of hard boiled eggs. Now we have just enough time to visit a friend for lunch before we go to the Commons for the free community Easter egg hunt that starts at 1. Hundreds of kids will come with baskets in hand and will carefully search the grounds for thousands of pieces of candies. The Easter Egg hunt is sponsored by the Gabriola Rod, Gun & Conservation Club.

It's starting to feel like fall on Gabriola

Well the weather has definitely become a bit cooler in the last week and the kids are back in school, so it's beginning to feel like fall. Yesterday, we went to the Fall Fair which was held at the Commons. Despite the weather it was a very well attended event, with lots of local vegetables, music and good food. My daughter is in Miss Mara's dance class, so we went and watched them perform in the rain. Janet from Three Gate Farms had some fleece and was set up so that you could do some felting at her booth, she sells beautiful fleece and may even have a felting course coming up.

Gabriola Home and Garden Tour

On Sunday June 27th People for a Healthy Community are hosting the 12th Annual Gabriola Home and Garden Tour. This self guided tour of island homes and gardens has been a great success in the past and this year looks to be even better. Ten outstanding homes and gardens are being opened to the public for viewing. The weather has been excellent for gardens and everything is in full bloom. See ideas for decorating, green building and spectacular coastal living.

The tour starts at 10:00 am and goes until 5:00pm. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on Gabriola at Artworks, Lockwood Garden, Wheelbarrel Nursery and the Wild Rose Garden Centre. Tickets are also available in Nanaimo at Buckerfields at Southgate and Dig This on Metral Drive. Gabriola is one of the Gulf Islands that boasts scenery, views and wildlife. Check ferry schedules at http://www.bcferries.com/ and make a day of it.

Tickets are also available on June 27th at PHC locate on the lower level of the Commons, 675 North Road on Gabriola. Drop by and see our community gardens, displays and information about People for a Healthy Community along with sales of art cards and light snacks.

A blind auction for a beautiful giclee print of “His Garden” by artist Sylvie Milman as well as framed photo by Liz McKnight and a painting by award winning artist Jeff Molloy will be available for viewing at various sights on the tour.

This is a fund raising event to benefit the programs and services offered on Gabriola Island by People for a Healthy Community (PHC). PHC is a non profit organization that provides social services to Gabriolans in need. PHC operates the food bank, soup socials, community gardens, children’s grief programs, housing advocacy, a Christmas bureau, emergency funding and a holiday Spirit Feast.

Easter on Gabriola

I spent last night with a group of Gabriola moms carefully using a kistka and hot wax on eggs to make each of my kids a Ukrainian Easter Egg (Pysanky). Lesley Standerwick comes from a Ukrainian background and set up her house as a Psyanky work space, she had laid out all the materials and had jars of beautiful dyes set up for us. This was the first time I had dipped Easter eggs in anything other than food coloring, and I'm excited to be giving these to the kids on Easter- maybe it will be a new family tradition.
I'm now full tilt in the Easter spirit, and getting the kids ready for the free community Easter Egg Hunt. For the past 10 years, Coast Realty (Gabriola) has been organizing and running this event, helping the Easter bunny hide as much as 10,000 sweets in the grass. This year the Rod, Gun & Conservation club will be hosting and organizing the event. It will be held at the Gabriola Commons and will start at 1pm sharp, the big change is that it will be held on SUNDAY instead of Saturday. Hope to see you with your basket full on April 4th !

Be our Dinner Guest ! and raise money for the Gabriola Commons

The Commons has organized "Community Dinners" to fundraise some money. We've chosen to host a dinner, if you want to be a "diner" I've attached a few of the menu's that I know about below as well as info about the events. We'd love to see you at our house ! Apparently they are filling up, call Heide to reserve a spot.

*Commons Community Dinners. Join us for a delicious meal, an opportunity to share ideas, to give feedback to The Commons, and to help us raise money in a new and different way. Send all questions, offers and reservations to Heide, 250-247-7384 or heidebrown@shaw.ca.
For potential diners:
1.Choose the Dinner Party you'd like to attend. Suggested donation to the Commons for this memorable experience is $30 per person. 2.Contact Heide to make your reservation. 3.Bring your own beverage. 4.Enjoy the meal and company.

Here's a list of the dinners that I know of:

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CHRISTINE

French salmon dinner. May 1, at 6:00

MENU Fondue Parmesan Caesar Salad Salmon Mousse Quiche Creme Caramel
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NAOMI

Saturday, March 6th Time: 6:30

MENU Hot apple cider Filo wrapped chard/nettle Winter squash soup Lasagna Fresh focacia bread Salad Rhubard/blackberry pie

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TINA LYNCH

Friday, March 12 Time: 6:30

SEAFOOD MENU Prawn appy Salmon & Crab dinner Cheese Cake dessert

See you at the Fall Fair…

Gabriola’s annual fall fair, is set to take place on 20 September 2009 at the Gabriola Commons, from noon to 3:00. There will be something for everyone this year, from the local musicians, 4-H displays, demonstrations, a petting zoo, quilting bee, & so much more…

For those with a green thumb, there will be competition for ribbons in the agricultural categories & with the summer we’ve been having there’s sure to be some spectacular displays! The scarecrow contest, a competition, that the Lynch family won in it’s first year, is sure to be fierce – we still proudly display our scarecrow in mom’s garden, it’s the perfect perching place for the birds, it’s supposed to scare off!

If your interested in entering into the competitions, entry forms are available on island at Raven Feed, Wild Rose Garden Centre & Wheelbarrow Nursery. (Entries will be accepted on Sunday morning, competition day, from 9:00am to 10:30 am.

Come and find out what’s taking the place of the “recycle” fashion show! See you at the fair…