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Let's swing into Beacon Avenue, and savour the aura of this century-old community. It's located on the Saanich Peninsula (saanich is a Salish Indian word meaning 'fertile soil'). The community grew from a donation of 500 acres in 1891, although the area had been farmed since the Hudson's Bay Company sold off parcels of land (for a dollar an acre) back in 1858.
A hundred years later Sanscha Hall (on your right) was built, and today is home to everything from aerobics to Zen classes. Each summer it's home to the Community Arts Council's ARTISANS Show, the largest juried art show of its kind on the Island. (See also the Sidney calendar box.) In the decade the Council has operated, it has encouraged creativity in many forms - sponsoring public concerts and public art.
Speaking of public art, further down Beacon Avenue look on your left for Resthaven Road, where a large mural depicts a Salish canoe landing through the surf. Note the expressions of the occupants, as they race towards the safety of the village, to escape the on-coming storm. Created by local native artist Chris ("Ice Bear") Johnson, it is one of several three-dimensional public works you should look out for.
Over the years, the town has flourished and declined, depending on the price of lumber, fish and hops (for the beer industry). In 1952 it was formally incorporated as the Town of Sidney, and today is home to a thriving retail sector serving the greater peninsula area. There's also a modern boat building community serving the West Coast, and a dynamic hi-tech industry that serves the world.
Park on one of the side streets. We need to stroll, enjoying the broad, bricked sidewalks with their tubs of flowers and trees, and the comfortable benches, placed along Beacon Avenue, encouraging you to sit and watch the passing scene.
At Fourth Street, the old Sidney Post Office of the 1930's stands, one of the few remaining examples of that architectural style. Today, the façade has been saved, while the interior is expanded and renovated. One of the new tenants is no stranger to sweet-toothed locals. Founded in 1885, Victoria's Rogers Chocolates offers a banquet of chocoholic delights that easily explain the company's success for over a century. Don't leave the Island without them!
Crossing Fourth Street we come to the wonderful window displays of the Village Gallery. For over 30 years this art centre has provided supplies and framing to the vigorous surrounding arts community, and in return profiled pictures, prints and posters to visitors. Owners Judith Bowen and Frank Malerby are sure to tell you that browsers are very welcome.
Now on seawards again but, before crossing Third Street, let's take a right along Third. A few paces will bring into view another of Chris Johnson's murals. This one depicts the Sidney waterfront at the turn of the century. Considerable research went into creating the image, and it is both artistically pleasing and historically correct. The Saanich Canning Co., Ltd. and Copeland & Wright buildings really existed, just as shown. And the young boy in dungarees who hangs half in and half out of the picture? He might have been your grandfather. Not quite as long in the community (since 1968), Notaries Public Laurie Salvador & Susan Davis on Second Street have been serving the town and will shortly add another partner when Lisa Ehrlich qualifies.
At First Street, let's take a short swing to the right to another bold mural, this one on the side of Sidney Super Foods. Also created in 3-D by artist Chris Johnson, this colossal painting celebrates the science of the sea, from Captain Vancouver's tiny 3-masted vessel, HMS Discovery which charted the West Coast channels in the 1790's, to the marine engineers of the federal Institute of Ocean Sciences located nearby.
At the foot of the Avenue stands the beacon itself, mounted in a stone pyramid. A navigational aid in times gone by, today it recognizes Sidney's ties to the sea. Off to our right, the brick-locked sea walk curves past a statue of a scuba diver. The offshore is a popular destination for aqua sports. Clear water, prolific marine life and an artificial reef formed by the 366 foot sunken destroyer HMCS Mackenzie all add to the attraction. Beyond the statue, the Fishing Pier extends out to sea. This recent addition allows visitors to enjoy panoramic views of Georgia Strait. On the bench at the pier, Victoria sculptor Nathan Scott's bronze of a fisherman inspecting his tackle box, promises another day's good sport. Why not pose for a photo? They say touching him brings you good luck ... and not just at fishing!
Back at the beacon, we should wander out along the old federal wharf to the Satellite Fish Shop, home of daily fresh seafood. In 1894, the Victoria & Sidney "Cordwood Express" began running lumber from the Sidney Sawmill to a growing Victoria. It soon became obvious that a steamship link to the Gulf Islands and City of Vancouver would be an asset too, so the wharf was added. These days, the jetty hosts visiting cruise ships and the Sidney Spit Ferry out to the best white sand beaches in the straits. It's also home to marine operator Liz Madro's SeaQuest Adventures. She runs high speed boats to watch orca and gray whale in the straits, and rents kayaks to explore the local islands.
If it's a summer Sunday afternoon, we should stop at the Centennial Bandstand to listen to the Community Arts Council sponsored concert - always popular, always crowded, and every week a different genre, from jazz to dixie to classical. Then let's head north along the sea walk to the Scratch Patch, a unique gemstone garden, where you can fill an empty collector's bag with semi-precious gems - amethysts, tigereyes, jaspers and more. Or pan for gold, collect shells, or learn to excavate fossils with a hammer and chisel. Inside, gift shop Mineral World was described on CBC Radio as "one of Canada's ten must-see stores", offering a huge selection of gems and jewelry.
Feeling hungry? Well, there're plenty of places to eat at the waterfront, including the Breakwater Deli or the Portside Café with views of the boats in the harbour, or RumRunner Pub and the Newport Waterfront Restaurant. Try the ales from local micro-breweries. Later, we should walk out along the clean docks of Port Sidney Marina, home to 325 vessels. Manager Wayne Pullen will tell you the marina offers a full complement of boating facilities. And Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand have been seen there too, although not together!
If you'd like a waterfront tour, take a Starship Cruise, glass covered and heated. Owner Barb Watson will drop you at one of the waterfront pubs and collect you later. You get a completely different feel for the town when you glide past the beaches and pull into hidden wharves.
Now let's follow Seaport Place to the red building back on the corner of Beacon Avenue. The Sidney Museum houses two collections, and Curator Sherry Eastholm and the volunteer staff will be pleased tell you all about them. There are historical exhibits from pioneer days, and there's that perennial family favourite -- the whale collection. Orca, gray whale and other marine mammals are featured. Entry is by donation.
Back on Beacon Avenue, let's head uptown past Sidney's tallest building, shaped like a ferry. At street level, the House Dressing Co. is where owner Julie Szegedi Cove can show us round a stylish collection of decorating ideas from fabric to furniture, both modern and antique. Bright colours and elegant combinations provide great new themes for your home. Next door, the spacious Peninsula Gallery features original works and reprints of some of Western Canada's best known artists, such as Bateman and Benson. Owner Larry Hanlan, originally from Australia, enjoys discussing the art and lifestyles of the painters and sculptors he exhibits.
Crossing Second Street, it's time to let the kid in all of us run loose (a little bit) in Buddies' Toys, the best source of presents for the young. Just up from there, pause outside True Value Hardware, and look at the building. Yes, it's a World War II Quonset hut, later used as the Sidney cinema for many years. Ex-servicemen still come in occasionally to reminisce about the time they watched Jimmy Stewart or John Wayne in the smoke-filled dark. Incidentally, the store rents bicycles, and Sidney is the start of a newly completed cycle route along the old "Cordwood Express" right-of-way into Victoria (30km/20m of flat country riding).
Time for a short diversion off Beacon Avenue again .. this time along Third Street. First is Diana Courtnier's Starting Point, an on-line computer café where visitors can download their email. In contrast, The Haunted Bookshop next door smells of fine leather volumes and old maps. It's obvious from the moment you enter that owners Adrian Batterbury and Odean Long love print, and have accumulated an exceptional collection of rare volumes and serious books, quite unexpected in a town as small as Sidney.
Back on Beacon again, we pass the Royal Bank and the Beacon Barber (yes, there are still men's barber shops on the main street in this town) before we have to turn in at The Candy Man, where the sight of people eating ice cream in freshly-made Belgian waffle cones simply demands a stop! A fixture for almost three decades, the store gets very busy on hot summer days, and for good reason.
With all the bookstores in town (and some you' ve not yet seen), you won't be surprised to learn that Sidney-by-the-Sea is Canada's only BookTown … a community celebrating the diversity and numbers of its bookshops. The energy behind this concept is Christine & Clive Tanner and sons, whose flagship store is Tanners - a bookstore and more and the adjoining Childrens' Bookstore. Inside is the largest magazine and newspaper selection on the Island, a well-stocked travel and map room, cards, calendars, a book ordering service, and books .. lots and lots of books. The store is always busy, yet for 15 years Clarence, the store cat, slept undisturbed in some of the busiest spots, as people stepped over or around him. Actually a stray, Clarence adopted the Tanners in 1984, and became more famous than his owners (one of whom had been a Yukon cabinet minister and a Victoria MLA). Clarence even had a comic strip that ran for years in the local newspaper. He died in 1998, over 20 years old. Look for Clarence's portrait near the door.
On Beacon Avenue again, look in at the fine jewelry displayed in Christine Laurent Jewellers on the corner of Fourth and Beacon. Two-term Mayor of Sidney Marie Rosko also owns Sweet Talk & Lace, a lady's lingerie store in the same block. Just as she has been committed to public service for many years, so you'll find her friendly staff are dedicated to giving the best customer service, together with a great selection of merchandise in both stores. Between these two, step up into Patricia's Yarn Cabin, a yarn & needlework store where Patricia Landry has provided materials, advice, patterns and classes for almost a decade. Ask about her new crocheted and knitted bead bags as well.
At the traffic lights at Fifth, take a side trip into Nicole Guldner's Art Gallery. It's filled with oil paintings in the European tradition. Knowledgeable at buying and selling, Nicole is also a qualified art restorer, and much of her time is spent cleaning and repairing works of art.
On Beacon Avenue again for the final block of our walkabout, we pass Ray's Barber Shop. Note what it says in the window: No spitting. No swearing. No guns allowed. Finally, Beacon Books & Collectables is another member of BookTown. Inside, shelf after shelf of used books stretch away, enticing the browser to search for that elusive mystery or paperback novel, at bargain prices.
Almost any time of the year is a good time to visit this small town with a warm heart. Stroll its quiet streets, browse its old and modern shops, visit its many harbours, pubs and restaurants. Visit some of the many artists' studios in the area. Go birding in the coves, or just sit along main street like people used to do, watching the world go by. There's something for everyone.
And to think, you almost missed it by driving past on the highway …
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