The Comox Valley Exhibition is celebrating 144 years!!

By Keith and Heather Nicol

Log rolling was part of the high energy Laughing Loggers show

     The Comox Valley Exhibition has something for just about everyone and this year features the RCMP Musical Ride. We had never been to the Exhibition since arriving in the Comox Valley 3.5 years ago so weren’t sure what to expect. And since we had not seen the RCMP Musical ride before this was a definite draw. We arrived about 2:15 pm on Friday and started by hearing some music by ‘Easy Street’ in the food court area while we got oriented.  We noted that there was a Laughing Loggers Show at 2:30 pm followed by a PWA wrestling show at 3:15 pm so headed for that section of the fair grounds. The loggers show featured some modifed chainsaws that would have made Tim Allen proud followed by a log rolling and a tree climbing competition. We normally don’t take in wrestling shows but we had to be impressed by the athletic ability of the ‘wrestlers’ and their air borne moves. 

We were impressed with the athletic ability of the 'wrestlers'

     Then we walked over to see the ‘Rock the Dock’ challenge where dogs were leaping into a swimming pool after their owners threw in a dog toy. At this stage in the competition dogs were getting a chance to practise the event. The finals are on Sunday afternoon and no doubt this will be a real crowd pleaser. 

Rock the Dock will be the place to be on Sunday for the finals

     There is also a kids area with lots of different activities for children. Nearby is the barn which includes various  livestock that were competing and the curling rink has been turned into a Home and Garden show. There is an art show by Joan Larson of the RCMP Musical Ride and a quilt show of a huge number of beautiful quilts . As well there is a competition for baking, vegetable growing and flower arranging .  There was one tomato the size of a small watermelon that impressed us.  On the grounds is also a heritage farm equipment display and over the next couple of days special events will be on  tap including an extreme zucchini race, a fun run for kids, a classic car show and much more.

   Our final event on Friday at 6:30pm was seeing the standing room only presentation by the RCMP and their Musical Ride. This musical precision show of horsemanship has a history of well over a hundred years and is very impressive and is a must see.  The 32 riders meet individually with the audience at the end of the show which adds a special touch. 

The RCMP Musical ride is a unique demonstration of syncro horsemanship

  The Comox Valley Exhibition runs until Sunday August 26 at the Exhibition Grounds in Courtenay. For more information and schedule of events  see: www.cvex.ca.   There is certainly lots to see and do. 

The RCMP Musical ride ends with the riders meeting the audience

Longlands Golf Course offers beginners and experts a relaxing round of golf

By Keith and Heather Nicol

The greens were "green" and in good shape

    Since we moved to the Comox Valley from Newfoundland 3.5 years ago we have enjoyed playing many of the golf courses in this area. But one that we hadn’t tried until Thursday, August 16 was Longlands Golf Course which offers a par 3 layout over 18 holes. This is a true par 3 since the longest hole is 160 yards and shortest is 83 yards. We were interested to see what the course was like given the hot dry summer we have had and we were impressed with the state of the greens and areas near the green. Some fairways were quite brown given the hot dry summer but overall the course was greener than we thought it might be. This is part due to the tall trees which line most fairways giving reasonable amounts of shade. But if you are playing well you shouldn’t be on the fairway too much since it is easy to reach all greens from the tee if your shots are straight.

Tall trees line the course

 We thought this course would appeal to a wide range of people from beginners and kids to better players wanting to work on their approach game. We saw several groups that included kids and in speaking to the staff they say they get quite a few groups of retired people since the 1049 yard length of the front nine and 1173 yard length of the back nine make for a manageable distance to walk for most people. It is also a forgiving course in that it has no sand traps and water is not much of a hazard. There are some ditches in places but they were mostly dry when we played. But many fairways are quite narrow and the large branches from the tall trees reach out into some fairways forcing you to hit very straight shots.  

Areas near the green were in good shape as well

 The greens are also small which means if you are on the green getting down in 2 putts is quite easy. The challenge though is hitting the green on your first shot. The other upside when we played was that the course was not that busy so we were never pressured from behind and never had to wait for anyone so we were finished 18 holes in less than 3 hours which included taking many pictures.  So if you haven’t played Longlands Golf Course in Comox give it a try. They have a restaurant with a nice outdoor seating area, a putting green and pull and power carts for rent. For more information see: www.longlandsgolf.com. 

Putting on the 18th green with the clubhouse and patio behind

Exploring Pt Holmes, Comox, BC at low tide

by Keith and Heather Nicol

Heather snorkeling off Pt Holmes

   Point Holmes is our go to place to head out sea kayaking since there is a boat launch there which allows you to launch a boat on just about any tide. Note that when the wind is from the southeast or south that this boat launch faces directly into any waves coming in from those directions. However since the summer wind is typically from the north or north west this ramp is ideal.  But this area is also interesting to explore at low tide since there are rocky outcrops that have created interesting tidal pools where you can find all kinds of varied marine life. We have found that it is a perfect place to see ochre sea stars which are slowly recovering from a large die off a few years ago. You can also see small fish, crabs, many varieties of colourful seaweed. 

Egg cast from the moon snail in 1 meter of water

Lately we have also been trying some snorkeling in this area as well. We have used shorty style wet suits since the water can be on the cool side.  We saw several egg casts of the moon snail which look like discarded pottery bowls.  They are quite striking to see on the ocean floor.   Over the last few days the low tide has been around 0.5 meters which means that if you swim out you can see organisms that would never be exposed to the air. So check out this area if you like exploring tidal pools and bring your snorkel and mask if you like snorkeling.  For those people that are new to the Comox Valley – Pt Holmes is located on Lazo Road and Southwind Road and there is a large parking lot with area for boat trailers on the non water side of the road. There are also several picnic tables and benches.  

Orche sea stars can be seen in the shallow water at low tide and in some tidal pools

 

Movin’ and Groovin’ at the Filberg Festival – Saturday, August 4

By Keith and Heather Nicol

    With basically a whole new line up of musicians we were looking forward to hearing a variety of music at the Filberg Festival in Comox on Saturday, August 4. This year the weather has turned out to be just right for the festival with sunny skies and temperatures that are pleasantly cooled by its seaside setting.  Our plan was to head down early and check out the artisans we didn’t see on Friday and to see catch the music at the 2 stages.  

There is an international flavour to the festival this year with this group from Mexico-Son de Madera

       With over 100 people displaying their wares it is overwhelming to try to see it all at once so we suggest getting a weekend pass to be able to leisurely return to check out those vendors that you want to buy something from.  Also if you get down early you can get better parking places closer to Filberg Park. The festival organizers do a commendable job of getting a variety of performers and the first group we saw was a group from Mexico- Son de Madera.  This group played at the Comox Rotary stage which we love since it offers both sun and shade depending on your preference.  We then caught Roy Forbes at the Peninsula Co-op stage and although he has been around for along time this was our first experience listening to him. He told us about his recent accident that left him legally blind – “I now get to wear sunglasses all the time” he told the audience with a chuckle. He sure is a great guitar player and song writer.  It was then back up to the Comox Rotory Stage where we saw our favourite t show so far- The “Paperboys” who wowed the standing room only crowd with their great variety of music from Irish fiddle tunes (our favourite) to Latin and Bluegrass. They even had us singing along and many people were up dancing. Don’t miss this group!  And there is lots more great music to come over the next couple of days. 

The Paperboys had people 'dancing in the street'

  Also a reminder that the money raised for from the Filberg Festival goes to restoring and improving Filberg Park and Lodge so come out and take in the great music and arts and crafts displays.  For more information on the Sunday , August 5 and Monday, August 6 line up of artists and performers at the Filberg Festival see: http://filbergfestival.com/   

The setting for the festival is first class with mountain and ocean views

 

The 2018 Filberg Festival in Comox has a something for everyone

By Keith and Heather Nicol

When we first moved to Courtenay, B.C. 3 years ago we took in the Filberg Festival and loved its combination of music and arts. And since it is a fundraiser for the lovely Filberg Heritage Lodge and Park, it means you are contributing to a good cause at the same time. At just $20 per day or $60 for a 4 day pass at the gate, it is one of the best deals in town. We usually try to get there for the 10:00 am opening on Friday but today we had to drop a friend at the airport. But we did get there in the early afternoon in time to see the R and B Allstars from Vancouver on the Comox Rotary Stage. The Filberg Festival organizers always seem to have a good variety of music and the 2018 Festival has over 20 musical acts performing over the 4 day festival!!

 

The R and B Allstars attracted a large crowd at the Comox Rotary Stge

But the festival is much more than just music. Overall, there are over 100 artisans from across Western Canada displaying all kinds of imaginative creations- including media ranging from metalwork, pottery, toys, woodcrafts, jewellery, paintings, glass, textiles and specialty foods.There are too many booths to see all at one time so we like to space it out and see them all over 3-4 days. And when you get hungry you have a choice of 16 different vendors.

Heather admires some of the glass work of Lisa Samphire

On Friday we loved the energy of the R and B Allstars and their 12 piece band produced a rich full sound. We also like the small Peninsula Coop stage which is down by the ocean and on this day we saw “West my Friend” and “Twin Kennedy”.  We liked the mix of mandolin, guitar and accordion that “West my Friend” featured and their brand of folk-style music. “Twin Kennedy” are 2 sisters from nearby Powell River who now make Nashville home. They are award winning song writers and are well worth checking out. The next few days will feature many other performers so be sure to check out the 2018 Filberg Festival.  For more information on the complete festival schedule see: filbergfestival.com 

 

Twin Kennedy put on a great show