British Columbia Magazine

~~~Update: August 5, 2008 ~~~

This promotion proved to be spectacularly popular, and has completely sold out. Sorry if you missed it!

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If you need a reason to visit Victoria this summer–besides the historic buildings, manicured gardens, and seaside trails–Tourism Victoria has an enticing offer.

Use their reservation system to book at least two nights’ accommodation in Victoria in August, and get your ferry ride for FREE. That’s a return trip to and from Tsawwassen for two adults and one undersized vehicle–a savings of about $70 each way.

“With the price of fuel well above last year’s levels, we understand what many consumers are dealing with and want to be a small part of the solution that will allow them to experience this amazing destination,” commented Tourism Victoria president Robert Gialloreto in a press release.

There’s some fine print, of course–visit Tourism Victoria’s website for all the details–but it seems a solid deal. My only criticism is that the bargain applies only to those travelling with a vehicle. Walk-on passengers opting for a more eco-conscious trip to the capital city are excluded.

I caught an interview on CBC Radio last week with Karina Perkins, marketing manager for Mayfair Shopping Centre in Victoria. She was talking with the host about an endangered species in British Columbia–the drive-in movie theatre.

As writer Daniel Wood reported in “Sunset theatre” in our Summer 2007 issue, outdoor movie theatres are a dying cultural institution. They had their heyday in B.C. in the late 1950s. Today, only three B.C. drive-ins remain: in Enderby, Langley, and Prince George.

For the month of July, Mayfair Shopping Centre has been hosting a revival of sorts, projecting ’50s flicks and nostalgic pre-show promos onto a three-storey-high inflatable screen in their parking lot. “It’s totally ’50s,” enthused Perkins, before admitting to the CBC host that she’s actually too young to have experienced the real thing.

I, on the other hand, have many fond drive-in memories. I remember going with my family in the late ’60s, cozying under a scratchy red-plaid car blanket and enjoying greasy popcorn in the darkness. I went as a teenager, too, and remember my dad’s frown as I headed out the door. “Passion pit!” he’d mutter.

Victoria’s last drive-in, the Tillicum Outdoor Theatre, closed in 1979. But local residents can enjoy an outdoor flick at Mayfair’s final drive-in evening. The mall will screen the Elvis classic Jailhouse Rock on Wednesday, July 30, at 9 p.m. The movie is free, but parking is by pass only, available at the shopping centre’s Concierge Desk.

Bring the family, or snuggle up with your sweetheart. Just don’t forget the car blanket.

For more information about the Mayfair Drive-In event, click here.

Do you have any memories of B.C. drive-in movie theatres? We’d love to hear from you. Post a comment here, or e-mail editor@bcmag.ca

My new 2008 calendar, British Columbia, 150 Years, was like a book I didn’t want to put down. So I didn’t: I just downloaded it to my desktop. And you can, too.

The Canadian Encyclopedia and the Historica Foundation have produced this attractive calendar to commemorate British Columbia’s sesquicentennial—it has been 150 years since B.C. was named a Crown colony in 1858. Each two-page monthly layout includes intriguing images and historical trivia. Daily squares profile the fascinating people, politics, events, scandals, science, and discoveries that helped shape this province.

Originally distributed in print format to 200,000 students across the province, British Columbia, 150 Years is now available online only. Download the calendar—absolutely free—to view on your computer desktop, or to print it out on 8.5” X 11” pages. 

Of course, British Columbia Magazine will also be celebrating B.C.’s sesquicentennial. Look for a dramatic 18-page “visual history” of the past 150 years in our Summer 2008 issue—the largest and most fascinating collection of archival images we’ve ever published—plus a mix of colourful characters and tales from the 1858 Fraser Gold Rush that started it all.