Amy Marie Visits: Sidney, Vancouver Island

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Sidney Folk & Fiddle Festival

 The highlight of our port of call in Sidney was the opportunity to attend day 1 of the Sidney Folk and Fiddle Festival at the Mary Winspear Community Centre.  As the name suggests, it was a celebration of Canadian Folk and Blue Grass artists.  We were fortunate to see the following performances:

  • Jake Vaadeland & The Sturgeon River Boys:  Jake Vaadeland’s style was a blend of Bluegrass and 50’s rockabilly.  is song Retro Man was one of my favorites. 
  • Stephen Fearing:  He could be the “Pete Seeger” of Canada.  He spoke to social issues and connected with listeners on a visceral level.
  • The Fretless:  This has to be the highest energy string quartet group I’ve ever heard.  Their music really fires you up.  I played cello for 10 years, and saw bow techniques that were completely new to me.  A singer name Madeleine Roger joined them for several songs.


Jake Vaadeland and the Sturgeon River Boys



Stephen Fearing



The Fretless


Sidney – The Town 

Sidney has grown significantly since my last visit.  It has evolved into a charming seaside community.  Victoria International Airport is in Sidney.  The town is still closely linked to its maritime heritage.  For boaters there are several excellent chandleries, boat yards, and marinas.  We stayed in the Port of Sidney as it is close to downtown.  This made shopping and re-provisioning easy.  Grocery stores, hardware stores, pharmacies and a plethora of restaurants and bakeries were located within easy walking distance.  We even found a good thrift store.  This was an opportunity to replenish our DVD collection.  Nothing like a good Arnold Schwarzenegger movie on a cold rainy night!


Downtown Sidney



A retail alley in Sidney



Some Bakery treats!


Port of Sidney

The marina has all the desired amenities.  There is power, WiFi, and water at each slip.  The pump out worked, with a little coaxing.  Fuel is also available.  The restrooms, showers and laundry were all clean and well lit.  The showers were coin operated and cost $3.  The time seemed to be unlimited.  The laundry was also coin operated.  Garbage bins were easily accessible.  Electric bike rentals were available on the dock near the office. 

I will definitely visit Sidney again.  We felt we only scratched the surface of what was available.  We were fortunate to get day of event tickets to the festival at the Mary Winspear Community Centre.  Now that we know it is there, we will check their calendar in advance and plan our next visit to coincide with another performance.  It is an active venue with a rich and full calendar.


Port of Sidney

    Track Logs

Location: Sidney, BC, Canada

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 14, 2023 at 8:34 AM

    Looks like you are enjoying your stops in Canada. Safe travels! Great to see the blogs again. Jean

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mike and Beth's AdventuresJune 19, 2023 at 4:42 PM

    Hi Jean, As you know, Canadians are very gracious hosts. British Columbia has so many corners to explore. I'm convinced you could spend a lifetime in this area and still not enjoy it all!

    ReplyDelete

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