Discover Sooke

I received a call at 9pm, Sunday night asking me if I could attend the last minute, impromptu wedding ceremony for Karen and Francis, and would I please be able to capture their love on video?

From the words of Karen herself, this is her story.

“Thank you everyone for your best wishes.! Wow! What an exciting wedding day!

Yes this was very fast I was doing my first valentine’s delivery on Saturday morning and picking up Francis’s tuxedo for his advertising valentine’s day at A Sea of Bloom flower shop when I had this crazy idea to ask him to marry me on valentine’s day. I proposed on Sunday afternoon and we were married Valentine’s morning and wow the flower shop was buzzing all day long. It was a really wonderful day !

Thank you so much to all who attended and all that made this happen so fast. Kari for organizing everything so quickly (she was AWESOME!) Frederique for the wonderful food and the decorations , Sinclair for the sparkling wines, Karen M. for the perfect dress for a valentine’s day wedding! Ralph for the venue, Brenda for officiating the wedding before she flew of to costa rica, Jason for taking videos, Levi for the music, Deb for the delicious cake, Marjorie and John for the pretty song for our dance, Brian my brother who called the local television station, and the chefs at the sooke harbour house for our dinner last night! You guys helped make this happen for us and that is the SWEETEST Valentine’s gift for Francis and I. Thank you so much everyone!

Much Love to you all!

Karen from Sea of Bloom Floral Designs

For more information on the Sooke Region, please visit the official Discover Sooke website.

Filed under: Latest News on February 16th, 2011 | No Comments »

Sushi on the Sea

seats available for our Sushi Buffet Saturday February 12, 2011 for both the 6:00 and 8:00 sittings

$25 per person

Live music

Licensed event

Win Chocolates for your sweetie

Reservations required

250 642 6669

Filed under: Upcoming Events on February 9th, 2011 | No Comments »

Discover Sooke was sent this video from Island Vacation Homes here in Sooke – Port Renfrew, BC and it shows some amazing surf just 30 minutes west of Sooke in Jordan River, a known mecca for surfing. If you look at some of these waves, especially a few near the end of this video, they look to be at least 8-9 feet high. Amazing conditions and now we know why Vancouver Island has been known has a surfing destination over the years.

Thank you, Rob Martin for sending us this video. As always, Discover Sooke welcomes photo and video submissions of the Sooke area, just be sure to send us an email with the link to the media.

Don’t forget to check out the official Discover Sooke website for all your Sooke area information.

Filed under: Latest News on February 9th, 2011 | No Comments »

What: Look out for the Sooke Soirée! It’s coming up quickly: Friday January 28^th with doors opening at 7pm at the Sooke Harbour House.

Who it’s for: The main audience is women and their friends and champions… though it can benefit any existing or aspiring entrepreneur. This can be you. She can be your mother, your daughter, your sister or your aunt. She may not have told you of her aspirations (it’s sometimes safer to keep these things to ourselves), so please pass this along to her regardless.

What you pay, and what you get: Advance tickets are $50 (+hst; $65 at the door).

Half of it is immediately returned to the ticket holder in the form of a gift certificate from the Women’s Enterprise Centre (WEC). The WEC puts on courses for women entrepreneurs, and this gift certificate can be used towards any of their courses over the next year. And of course the certificate is transferrable, so even if you’re not a “she”, it makes for an incredibly thoughtful gift come Valentine ’s Day! Two birds; one ticket!

The remaining $25 goes towards giving each attendee a copy of The Three Strategies of the Unstoppable Woman, a presentation designed to deliver concrete strategies, and appetizers from the five-star kitchen of the Sooke Harbour House.  And there are over 10 door prizes ranging in value from $25 to $200+.

This is an incredible deal. Similar events in Victoria shadow in comparison. For example, Bridges (an incredibly worthy organization) is hosting an International Women’s Day Lunch for the exact same price ($50), and the attendees receive a catered lunch and have the opportunity to listen to a keynote speech.

At the Sooke Soirée, half of your ticket cost is immediately returned to you. Plus you get a book. Plus you get a keynote. Plus you get complementary appetizers from a five-star kitchen.

Where to buy: Tickets can be purchased using cash or cheque at This Stick and the Sooke Harbour House. HST is extra (add $6 for the government’s cut). Or, you can use your credit card at the website, www.theThreeStrategies.com.

If you want more information check out the website, or call Britt the author of The Three Strategies of the Unstoppable Woman directly at 250-642-2645.

Who to tell: Please forward this information along to 10 other women who may benefit from the Sooke Soirée.

Filed under: Upcoming Events on January 24th, 2011 | No Comments »

Tonight, January 14th at 6pm, the television show “Untamed Gourmet” will air a feature on Sooke Harbour House. I believe this program will air on APTN for cable subscribers.

Vancouver Island Dungeness Crab

Air Date: January 14, 2011 6:00pm

Details: Sinclair Philip’s Sooke Harbour House, on Vancouver Island, features an edible landscape of over 200 herbs, greens, flowers, and vegetables. Chef Robin Jackson and restaurateur/forager Sinclair Philip search the area’s seashore, forests, and rivers for salmon, crab, crayfish, seaweed, and mushrooms.

For more information on the Sooke Region, please visit the official DiscoverSooke website.

Filed under: Latest News on January 14th, 2011 | No Comments »

This is for everyone to come out and sing — see below for a sample of the kinds of songs we’ll sing. (also see attached Poster).  Fun for the whole family.

It’s going to be lively.  It’s going to be fun. Maybe even nostalgic — think about singing around a campfire when you went to camp, or singing around a piano at home.

Our goal is for this email to reach all of the people who sing along to their favorite CDs, or to songs on the radio, or who sing in the shower — this is your chance and their chance to come and sing.  Please help us realize that goal.

You may be surprised to learn which of your friends love to sing!  They may be surprised to find out that you sing in the shower!

Old Favorites and Folk Songs, such as:

Danny Boy

It’s A Long Way to Tipperary

Loch Lomond

Puff, the Magic Dagon

Songs from Musicals and Movies, such as:

Edelweiss

Get Me to the Church on Time

Getting to Know You

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning

Other Popular Songs, such as:

Goodnight, Irene

You’ll Never Walk Alone

2:30 pm

Admission is by donation (suggested donation of $5 -10), with proceeds going to a good cause — the Sooke Community Choir, which, like all arts organizations, is looking for ways to give more to the community by doing fun events like this.

Filed under: Upcoming Events on January 6th, 2011 | No Comments »

Okay, so I’m a little late on a review here, the Lazy Gecko has been open for a few weeks and I’m not getting around to trying it out and giving it a review, but I can blame the Christmas holidays on this one.

My buddy, Ron Larson, called me up today and wanted to know if I’d like to head out for a bite to eat and catch up. We tossed around restaurant ideas and then remembered that this new place had opened up, so of course that was what we chose.

I arrived just as they were opening up (11:30am) and they were putting on a fresh pot of coffee for us, a nice dark roast.

I glanced over at the menu board and scanned the list of items that they offered. The items are standard fare that you would expect at a Mexican eatery plus a few things I hadn’t thought of, like pizza by the slice and pulled pork sandwich, which they said was a top choice offering. They also suggested the soft tacos was a hit.

I opted for 2 soft tacos and rice, you can choose corn or flour tortilla’s, which was under $10 and Ron grabbed the Steak Burrito, also under $10.

Our order came out quite quickly, which would be great for the people who are on a working lunch break and really fresh.

I was impressed with the taste and quality and think this is a wonderful place. The flavours and menu are different from the existing choices in the Sooke Region and I hope they do well.  The amount of food was perfect. Ron was in agreement and his food looked really great.

I will be going back and most likely very soon. The overall experience was positive and I hope our locals and tourists support this business.

You can check out their website at http://www.thelazygecko.ca

For more information on the Sooke Region, please visit the official Discover Sooke website.

Filed under: Discover Sooke Raves, Latest News on January 4th, 2011 | No Comments »

You are invited to join us for our New Year’s Eve Dinner – Dance Celebration at Sooke Harbour House. Join us as we welcome in 2011!

December 31^st, at 8 pm, we will be serving a delicious 5 course dinner followed by dancing to Victoria’s best live jazz band, “LustLife” including  a toast at midnight. Tickets are $169 per person excluding alcohol, tax and gratuities. OR Come at 10pm and dance the night away for $59.00 per person, excluding alcohol, tax and gratuities, including a toast at midnight.

Tickets are on sale now! Call 250-642-3421

Filed under: Upcoming Events on December 27th, 2010 | No Comments »

As I offer this service free to all new businesses in Sooke if they contact us, I’m going to be making use of my policy for myself and my latest venture.

Most who know me realize that my hobby and passion has always been shooting photos, mainly landscape photos, but since recent events, like the loss of a few close family members and the birth of my daughter, having photos and videos of special family members are meaning more and more to us each day.

What does this all mean? It means that I’m focusing on a new photographic journey and that is capturing you and your family using natural light in comfortable and special places.

My photography style is untraditional; this means no stiff poses or cheesy smiles. My preference is to shoot using natural light – not only is it the most flattering, but it also allows me to work on-location, either in your home or at a favourite spot. This means you can be yourself, and being comfortable is essential in capturing your uniqueness and organic beauty. In family photo shoots, a familiar setting allows natural group dynamics to emerge and photos portray “real” moments that are meaningful to you. As you will see in my portfolio, my photos are moving and honest, and express what makes relationships of all kind unique.

van der Valk Photography is located in Sooke, B.C. on Vancouver Island and primarily serves Victoria and surrounding area. Contact me today to discuss how to capture and create lasting memories.

View my portfolio and website at www.vandervalk.ca

Filed under: Latest News on December 9th, 2010 | No Comments »

On November the 28th, after the Santa Clause parade in Sooke, people walked down the path in Ed MacGregor Park to see the 3rd annual Sail Past. 8 boats took part in this festive event, all lit up with Christmas lights. The local Canadian Coast Guard Aux. was on hand with Santa standing in the back of their boat, ho -ho- ho’ing all the way.

With free hot chocolate and Christmas Caroles being sung, this was a fun event with many different colours of lights sparkling off the calm ocean waters.

Don’t forget to enter your boat in next year for a chance to win the best decorated boat.

For more information on the Sooke Region, please visit the official Discover Sooke website.

Filed under: Latest News on December 4th, 2010 | No Comments »