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As a child, there was no scent as intoxicating as that of old and well-loved books at the Comox library. There were were a few favourites that I would read over and over again – such as The Balloon Tree by Phoebe Gilman – but there was never a book I’d turn away. For as long as I can remember, my mom instilled in me a love of reading, an appreciation that I’ll forever be grateful for.

Photo: justmakeit on Flickr

Even 20 years later, no electronic reading device can replace the sensation of a perfectly worn book in my hands. While I’ve certainly graduated from Gilman to the likes of Hemingway and Burgess, my love of reading is much the same.

Each September, Raise-A-Reader Day campaigns to promote literacy in British Columbia while raising funds to ensure that every child in our province has a strong start. The first year I lived in Vancouver, I was practically accosted by Premier Campbell and left flustered and embarrassed because I had no cash on me to donate. Since then, I’ve proudly supported this fundamental cause (and made sure I always carry cash on Raise-A-Reader Day).

To help celebrate this annual event, you tell me:

What were your favourite books as a child?

What are your favourite books today?

The 100-mile diet movement is certainly nothing new and nowhere is that diet easier to adhere to than on Vancouver Island. Anything and everything your body needs to stay healthy is all within your fingertips from artisan cheese and organic greens to fresh dairy products and tasty grains.

Launched in 2001, the Cowichan Green Community (CGC) is dedicated to “promote environmental sustainability in the Cowichan Valley with a focus on cultivating a strong and vibrant local food system” – a commitment the group takes very seriously. With a home base in Duncan, the CGC encourages nourished living through community events, workshops and various campaigns and projects.

The Eat Local! Eat Fresh! Fundraising Feast celebrates the culinary abundance our Island has to offer, featuring food that is entirely locally sourced and excitedly prepared by a show-stopping catering team. With vino offerings from Cherry Point Vineyards and True Grain Bread on hand to tempt with mouth-watering desserts, the event promises to please every palate.

This feast-for-all happens Friday, September 30th at Alderlea Farm‘s brand new cafe found at 3390 Glenora Road in Duncan [map]. Apart from the savoury eats, the evening also features a silent auction, live entertainment and door prizes.

Tickets are $50 for CGC members and $60 for non-members with 100% of the proceeds to benefit CGC’s continuing initiatives, including the Farm To School lunch program. Tickets can be purchased at the Cowichan Green Community at 181 Station Street in Duncan [map]. Find them on Twitter for the latest updates.

Sometimes writing an Island Profile installment comes easily and sometimes the task presents a challenge. This week I mulled over some possible choices before deciding on Nanoose Bay. I thought that there has got to be more to this seaside community than a gas station, a grocery store and a handful of schools. And, as it turns out, I was right.

Photo: Fabio in BC on Flickr

If you’ve ever set foot on Vancouver Island, you’ve likely been to or through Nanoose Bay – and probably without even knowing it. It’s another one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it places, a community that wraps around the aforementioned bay on the east coast of Vancouver Island, about half way between Nanaimo and Parksville.

Map: Google Maps

Though the name refers largely to the large bay of water off Georgia Strait, the Nanoose Peninsula is an area home to approximately 5,000 residents. And further, it’s said that the community’s name is derived from a First Nations word meaning “pushing forward” in relation to the shape of the bay. [source] Though it’s no longer home to any major industries and is primarily a residential community, it wasn’t always that way.

Photo: Carol Sill on Flickr

From 1912 to 1942, Joe and Max McKercher established a modern sawmill that would eventually come to be known as Straits Lumber Company. Perched on the western shores of the bay, the sawmill’s chief customer was Japan, exporting BC lumber across the Pacific Ocean.

Photo: Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Vancouver Island by T.W. Paterson and Garnet Basque, Heritage House Publishing Co. Ltd.

A small town called Red Gap set up shop on the west side of the train tracks – tracks that are still in existence today – including a company store, a post office, a school, homes and boarding houses. Richard P. Wallace, pictured below with his wife at their Nanoose Bay home in 1913, was the town’s Justice of the Peace.

Workers were brought in from India, Japan and China, but they were housed separate and apart from each other. However, following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, the necessity for export dried up and the mill dwindled until shutting down permanently in 1943. It was, at one time, the largest sawmill in the entire Pacific Northwest.

Photo: Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Vancouver Island by T.W. Paterson and Garnet Basque, Heritage House Publishing Co. Ltd.

Today this ghost town and the former mill site sits empty, nothing more than the pilings on which the mill stood. Highway 19 slices through what was once Red Gap, marked only by the rest stop on the southbound side of the highway as seen below. [source]

Photo: Ken Walker on Wikipedia

Across the water from former Red Gap townsite sits the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental Test Range, pictured below. Since the mid-1960s, Canadian and American military forces have jointly tested torpedoes, sonar equipment and other maritime warfare instruments in the depths of Nanoose Bay. Interestingly enough, this testing site sits on what was once known as Powder Point – also a ghost town.

An aggressive attempt at the gun powder and explosives industry, Powder Point had limited success as such and all production ceased in 1925. However, a prominent home found today at the corner of Northwest Bay Road and Powder Point Road is a remnant of the Giant Powder Company.

Photo: Len not Lenny on Flickr

Photo: West Coast Birding on Flickr

Today Nanoose Bay is a community that’s both sleepy and tranquil. It’s home to retirees, young families and those who wish to be close enough to nature while enjoying the conveniences of being close to city life. The community of Nanoose Bay stretches beyond the bay itself and along the shoreline almost to Parksville. What isn’t touched by water is largely dotted by farmland.

Photo: freedryk on Flickr

A fantastic hub for recreation and vacation opportunities, particularly boating and kayaking, Nanoose Bay is marked by charm and character that is distinctly its own. The giant gnome is an ironic icon that can be seen while driving south to Nanoose Bay from Parksville and once marked the spot for a mini golf park and small amusement park. Mountain biking, golfing, hiking and clam digging are also popular regional activities.

Photo: Occasional_Traveller on Flickr

Photo: miss604 on Flickr

Nanoose Bay is undoubtedly a surprising getaway from the everyday and, as I’ve quickly discovered, much more than meets the eye. Pacific Shores Resort & Spa is an anchor for the local tourism industry, also featuring scrumptious fare at The Landing West Coast Grill. If the food and accommodation isn’t enticing enough, the views certainly will be.

Photo: Carol Sill on Flickr

Photo: timichango on Flickr

Nanoose Bay is located approximately 15 km south of Parksville and 20 km north of Nanaimo on Highway 19. For more information about the area or to plan your trip to the area, please visit Oceanside Tourism online.

Do you have a Vancouver Island-based business or group you’d like featured in Island Profile? Is there a community you’d like to learn more about that hasn’t been covered yet? Please feel free to contact me with your ideas!

There are few seasons that are as steeped in annual tradition as autumn is. We celebrate abundance as we watch leaves falling off trees in anticipation of brand new blossoms. Nowhere is this celebration more enjoyable than at the cornucopia of pumpkin patches, corn mazes and orchards across Vancouver Island.

Photo: Awen Photography on Flickr

I’m beside myself with excitement to take my 18-month old niece on her first trip to a pumpkin patch next weekend. Now that she’s walking, it’s time she has her first pair of rubber boots to mark the event! While we plan on staying within the Comox Valley to do so, here’s a quick round-up of the Island’s best seasonal farms that are worth the trip.

Hudson’s Farm

3205 Island Highway, Campbell River – (250) 830-1133
Seasonal vegetables and a hearty pumpkin patch are a draw to this north Island farm.

Shamrock Farm

2276 Anderton Road, Comox – (250) 339-1671 [website]
Sustainable and organic farm growing apples, pumpkins, lavender and garlic. Open daily during October from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Watrin Orchard

1507 Philmonte Road, Comox – (250) 339 7784
Uncertified organic orchard featuring over 15 apple varieties plus juice, jelly and other seasonal fruit such as pears and plums.

Farmer Bill’s Country Market

7666 Pacific Rim Highway, Port Alberni (250) 723-7700 [website]
Hay rides, farm tours, a hay bale maze, farm animals, a pumpkin patch and u-pick pumpkins are only a fraction of the fun you’ll find at Farmer Bill’s. (Please note that Farmer Bill’s is located west of Port Alberni en route to Sproat Lake.)

Yawning Acres

1949 Cedar Road, Nanaimo – (250) 713-6304 [website]
A spooktacular display of pumpkins are the highlight of this acreage featuring hay rides, a pumpkin patch and steaming hot chocolate.

McNab’s Corn Maze

4613 Yellow Point Road, Ladysmith – (250) 245-0666
Extensive pumpkin patch and corn maze with hay rides and pick-your-own pumpkins.

Abby Lane Farm

7233 Mays Road, Duncan – (250) 709-5405 [website]
Horse-drawn wagon rides, pumpkin patch plus u-pick pumpkins, farm tours, covered picnic area and a pumpkin-smashing catapult!

Providence Farm

1843 Tzouhalem Road, Duncan – (250) 746-4204 [website]
Therapeutic community farm with a pumpkin patch; also features seasonal fruits and vegetables, herbs and farm fresh eggs.

Oldfield Orchard & Bakery

6286 Oldfield Road, Saanichton (250) 652-1579 [website]
Apples, pears and squash are all in season right now, but make sure you taste some of their fruit pies and jellies in the farm’s bakery!

Vantreight Farms

8277 Central Saanich Road, Saanichton – (250) 652-7777 [website]
Fresh pumpkins, seasonal produce, farm market and specialized school tours.

Galey Farms

4150 Blenkinsop Road, Victoria – (250) 477-5713 [website]
Close to downtown Victoria, Galey Farms features a farm train, 6 acre corn maze, old western town, pumpkin patch, petting farm and a Halloween haunted house in October.

Photo: Old Itch on Flickr

A few things to remember before heading out:

• Farms are likely to be very muddy this time of year, so gumboots are a must!
• While some farms listed feature free admission, most produce – and particularly pumpkins – are sold on a cash-only basis, so leave your debit card at home.
• Call ahead before bringing your family’s canine companion along. A few farms won’t allow dogs on the premises.

There’s a party coming to Qualicum Beach and you’re all invited…

Had it not been for the amazingly selfless people at Furever After Small Dog Rescue and their tireless work, I can’t imagine what life would be like for many of Vancouver Island’s homeless canines. When Jordy went into foster care with Furever After, he had a list of issues and anxiety problems a mile long. Through love and rehabilitation, he was finally ready to come home with me, so it’s a cause that’s close to my heart. Jordy was just one of dozens of dogs Furever After helps out on a yearly basis.

Jordy before, in foster care (January 2009):

Jordy after (September 2010):

To say that the right care has made a world of difference would be understating it. Furever After is based out of the Qualicum Beach area and utilizes foster homes at various locations across Vancouver Island. The organization is entirely volunteer-run and the majority of expenses (including hefty dental and veterinary fees) end up coming out-of-pocket for the volunteers.

Each year Furever After holds their Fall Fiesta in an attempt to generate some much-needed funds to keep the organization running. A large part of this comes from the silent auction, and as such, Furever After needs your help. If you have any of the following to donate for the silent auction, your generosity is hugely appreciated:

• Gift certificates from Vancouver Island-based businesses
• Original artwork/photography
• Handmade goods such as knitted scarves, mittens or tea cozies
• Vouchers for services from Vancouver Island-based businesses
• Bottles of wine
• Gift baskets
• New children’s toys
• Unused dog items such as leashes, dishes, toys and harnesses

If you can help out, please send an e-mail to Furever After or contact me and I’ll make sure your donations get to the right people.

If you wish to attend the Furever After Fall Fiesta, this year’s event will be held on Saturday, November 6th at Eaglecrest Golf Club in Qualicum Beach. Aside from the silent auction, the evening includes a fabulous buffet dinner, games and tons of prizes. Tickets are $35 with 100% of the proceeds to benefit the dogs. You can purchase yours at Qualicum Wine Making at 135 West First Avenue in Qualicum Beach.

Another September 12th has come and gone and with it the Province-wide BC SPCA Paws For A Cause fundraising campaign. Communities all across British Columbia held events encouraging creatures with four-legs and their human companions to raise funds for local SPCA animal shelters.

While the final tallies aren’t in yet, 96% of the $1 million dollar goal was reached! With Saltspring Island and Port Alberni still to hold their events in the coming weeks, the BC-SPCA is confident that they’ll reach the million dollar mark.

Photo: KayVee.INC on Flickr

I am both thrilled and humbled that, through the generosity of my family, friends and readers, I was able to generate maximum dollars to contribute to the Comox Valley SPCA. My goal was to raise $1,000 and I hit that number like a bullseye!

To all who donated, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing kindness to those who don’t have voices.

Unfortunately, the Comox Valley shelter raised only 45% of their $15,000 goal in 2010, so it’s my endeavour to kick-start things for 2011′s walk in a bigger and better way! If you have any interesting fundraising ideas I could try next year, please contact me directly or leave a comment below.

The last time I was in Tofino, my mom and I stopped in at Sobo on a rainy night for a toasty dinner and red wine. I ordered their Pizza Margherita, assuming I’d take home at least half the pizza leftover for the next day’s lunch.

I was wrong.

I ate all eight slices.

In one sitting.

I’m not sure if I was simply famished or if their Pizza Margherita was just that good, but either way, I made it my mission to duplicate the pizza in my own kitchen. While it’s unlikely that my version is half as good as Sobo’s creation, I like to think that I can serve up some slices of deliciousness all on my own.

I present to you all my own recipe for Pizza Margherita (with a little bit of input from Martha Stewart with the pizza dough). For the dough, you’ll need:

• 1 1/4-ounce envelope of dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water
• 5-5 1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus a bit extra for dusting)
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• extra virgin olive oil, for bowl

I’m a big fan of using proper ingredients and encourage you to avoid cutting corners. Doing things the right way will hopefully ensure the most explosive grand finale for your taste buds. For example, table salt might suffice, but sea salt contains a higher mineral content, meaning it will be more flavourful. I like to get fancy and kick things up a notch by instead using sel de mer.

Start by dissolving the yeast in the warm water for five minutes; stir in the salt and three cups of flour.

Once blended, add the remaining flour until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl.

Though the dough will still be very sticky, dump it out onto your floured countertop, roll up your sleeves and start kneading. Kneading is probably the single most important step in making any bread products at home. You’ll need to put knuckles-to-dough for a solid 10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and much less sticky. It should look something like this when you’re done…

Lightly grease a large metal boil with extra virgin olive oil, place the kneaded dough in the bowl and then flip it to ensure that oil is on the bottom and the top. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let the dough rise. This should take a minimum of three hours. It should look like this when it’s finished rising…

If I’m making this recipe on a weekday, I whip up the dough on my lunch break so that I’m ready to rock-and-roll at dinnertime.

Once the dough has risen sufficiently, separate it into four equally-sized balls, dust them with flour and let the dough stand for another 20-30 minutes. At this point, pre-heat the oven to 500ºF/260ºC and place a baking stone on the bottom rack of the oven. The baking stone must be heated for about an hour before the pizza can bake.

Originating in Naples, the Pizza Margherita is said to resemble the Italian flag with red tomatoes, white cheese and green basil [source]. Though you can use whichever ingredients you wish with this pizza dough recipe, I like to keep things traditional. I prefer tomato paste over sauce because it’s got a thicker consistency and stronger flavour. On top of that, I like to use oregano, vine tomatoes, organic basil, soft mozzarella and shredded parmesan.

Turn the oven heat down to 450ºF/232ºC. Stretch the dough ball, smother with tomato paste and dust with oregano. Sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella and parmesan, arrange the tomato slices and basil and toss it in the oven. Baking the pizza will take between 10-15 minutes, dependent on how hot your oven gets.

Et voila! Bon appetit! Or, as Queen Margherita of Savoy might have said, “mangi bene!”

For the second year in a row, Comox Valley and Campbell River residents will have the opportunity to lend a helping hand to their local food bank in a simple way that gets everyone involved. Sponsored by the Investors Group, the mayors of both communities have challenged residents to some “friendly rivalry”.

Photo:Bread for the World on Flickr

On Friday, September 24th, Comox Valley residents should check their copy of the Comox Valley Record for a paper bag that can be filled with non-perishable items. Similarly, the Campbell River Mirror will be distributing these paper bags. Once you’ve stuffed the bag full, leave it on your street curb on your regular recycling pick-up day – volunteers will be out to collect the bags.

Check Facebook for more information on Harvest the Valley or Harvest the River and how you can help your local food bank.

New York City has long been known for its exciting, innovative and cutting edge theatre scene. It’s the springboard for aspiring thespians in Broadway, off-Broadway and silver screen productions. Starting next week, Dirty Manhattan and Kenneth Lonergan – the screenwriter of films such as Gangs Of New York and Analyze This – is bringing first-rate NYC theatre entertainment to the West Coast.

Lobby Hero – described as “tight, intense and a roller coast of power struggles” – follows a Manhattan doorman named Jeff as he gets tangled up in a murder investigation. Showing nightly at 8:00 p.m. from September 30 to October 16, Lobby Hero runs exclusively at the Havana Theatre at 1212 Commercial Drive. Tickets are going for $20 each but I have a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky reader for opening night, Thursday, September 30th! You’ve got two chances to win:

• Leave a comment below (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
  
  RT to win tickets to see Lobby Hero at the Havana Theatre from @keiraanne http://tinyurl.com/24your6

I’ll draw the winner at 6:00 p.m. this Friday. To find out more about Lobby Hero or to buy tickets, please visit the official website.

Bumping into a movie set on the streets of downtown Vancouver is usually a given on any day of the week. In recent years, Greater Vancouver has quickly become one of Hollywood’s favourite places to film silver screen blockbusters. However, because of its gorgeous scenery, characteristic architecture and the warmth of its small towns, Vancouver Island has also provided the backdrop for many well-known films.

This week’s Island Profile takes a look at a few of those movies while hopefully inducing a few “huh- I had no idea that was on the Island!” moments along the way.

Insomnia (2002)

Photo: Warner Bros.

With dense forests and countless fishing boats, it’s easy to mistake Port Alberni for Alaska, but that’s just what the producers of Insomnia were hoping we’d do. Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank brought their star power to the mid-Island town in this cat-and-mouse drama. Though we’re made to believe it’s in and around Alaska, there’s no mistaking Argyle Street and the nearby Catalyst Mill.

Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)

Photo: Warner Bros.

While much of this adaption of Jean M. Auel’s novel was shot in the Canadian Rockies, the lush forest of Cathedral Grove at MacMillan Provincial Park provided the setting for Clan of the Cave Bear. Daryl Hannah plays a young Cro-Magnon woman, Ayla, who’s taken in by a group of Neanderthals after being separated from her family during an earthquake. Though it was largely considered to be a box office flop, the movie is made watchable if only for the incredible cinematography.

Final Destination 2 (2003)

Photo: New Line Cinema

The string of Final Destination films have gained notoriety for their grotesque opening sequences, usually depicting a horrific premonition. The Jubilee Parkway just outside of Campbell River was transformed into a roadway of destruction after a logging truck was the catalyst for an accident of nightmare-ish proportions in the second installation in this series.

Bird on a Wire (1990)

On-Set Photo: Trew Audio

One of my personal favourite films follows Rick (Mel Gibson) and Marianne (Goldie Hawn) as ex-lovers on the lam through Detroit and Wisconsin. The Gastown and financial district neighbourhoods in Vancouver stood in for much of Detroit, but Rick and Marianne’s escape to Wisconsin by ferry was shot through the Southern Gulf Islands on the Tsawwassen-to-Victoria route. And further, their infamous motorbike getaway in what was supposed to be downtown Racine was actually shot throughout Victoria’s Market Square, the Johnson Street Bridge and Chinatown – including Fan Tan Alley.

Trapped (2002)

Photo: Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures

The Comox Valley was buzzing when word came that Charlize Theron would be in town to shoot a thriller. It was hard to miss the Comox Glacier in the background during the opening scenes along the Goose Spit road. This kidnapping drama culminated in a climactic ending on the Inland Island Highway standing in for a Washington State highway.

One Week (2008)

Photo: Mongrel Media

This Canadiana favourite chronicles Ben (played by BC native Joshua Jackson) on his motorcycle journey across Canada with a desire to eventually dip his toes in the Pacific Ocean. Ben trip ends in the aptly-named One Week when he reaches the western shores, surfboard under his arm. The beaches in Tofino are incomparable in beauty to any other stretches of sand around the globe, and the film’s images of Tofino’s misty shores provide an almost sensory experience on the screen.

The above-named films are just handful of those filmed on Vancouver Island. In fact, the Vancouver Island North Film Commission (VINFC) puts that number well over 200! Some of those include:

• Twilight series (Long Beach – Incinerator Rock, Nanaimo River – Flat Rocks)
• The Scarlet Letter (White River Provincial Park, Myra Falls, Oyster River)
• Scary Movie 3 (Gabriola Island)
• White Chicks (Victoria, The Fairmont Empress Hotel)
• X-Men: Origins (Colwood – Hatley Castle)
• The 13th Warrior (Campbell River – Elk Bay, Elk Falls Park)

In addition, popular series such as Smallville and The X-Files have also been filmed on location on the south Island. The VINFC has created an interactive map that allows you to take a detailed film location tour.

Know of another film or series that was shot on Vancouver Island? Please feel free to leave a comment below and fill us in!