The Oak Bay Marina celebrates 55 years in the Oak Bay community this Saturday (Aug. 26) by inviting everyone to its inaugural Our Home Port Open House.
The event on Turkey Head Walkway at Oak Bay Marina, runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features boating skills demonstrations, kids activities, a barbecue, live music and demonstrations by local artists.
Overall, the idea is to meet the community at large, as well as create an opportunity for local residents to meet local businesses and fellow community members.
“Come down, enjoy the marina, meet some of our local community partners, the activities that they have to offer, such as Ocean River Sports, White Hall Rowing, and Oak Bay Sea Rescue,” said Oak Bay Marina’s Chief Operating Officer, Brook Castelsky, adding the goal is to offer variety for people of all ages.
As such, there will be lots of activities for kids, including a large bouncy castle and some kids crafts, along with several local artists doing demonstrations, such as carving and painting, including Chris Paul, the artist behind the Salish Sea steel sculpture at Turkey Head.
Proceeds from the barbecue go toward Oak Bay Sea Rescue Society for the purchase of a new rescue vessel. The Marina Restaurant also hosts a special fundraising dinner for the organization on Sept. 14.
Castelsky said “the bulk” of the event will be on the Turkey Head side of the Oak Bay Marina parking lot, which will connect down to the patio near the restaurant overlooking the water.
Besides live music, the painted piano will also be relocated closer to the restaurant, featuring a local pianist.
Though the marina has not done anything of this scale before, Castelsky is optimistic of the event’s overall reception.
“I see this growing in the future, so we’ll take away the experience and see what that grows into,” he said. “Going into next year and beyond, it may grow into two events, one celebrating the arts and one celebrating boating, we’ll see.”