CENTRAL SAANICH — On Aug. 24, Woodwynn Farms and the Close to Home Society will host a community celebration featuring world class local music, food and fun to raise funds and awareness for their work to combat homelessness and create a therapeutic community for people ready to transition away from street life.
Believe in People: A Summer Celebration at Woodwynn Farms is a daytime festival with musical entertainment, activities, refreshments and fun.
This is the second year Woodwynn Farms has hosted this event and many additions and improvements to the festival are planned, including an impressive line-up of musical and culinary talent.
World-renowned musician Daniel Lapp is the artistic director for the event’s entertainment on the main stage. Confirmed performers include Neil Osborne, indie-folk powerhouse Fish and Bird, a newly formed trio featuring Daniel Lapp, Adrian Dolan and Adam Dobres, as well as Folkestra, the B.C. Fiddle Orchestra and others.
A large shade tent will provide a comfortable and cool area for the crowd to enjoy the music from blankets on the grassy field.
Roving performers, including master puppeteer Timothy Gosley, will provide visual entertainment and fun for all ages.
There will be tons of fun for kids including a bouncy castle, children’s entertainment, crafts, face-painting, pony rides and a hay maze. Chefs Jamie Martineau and Gianfranco Mosca are teaming up to create a menu of delicious meal options using farm fresh ingredients.
The return of the annual KD Cookoff will also happen during the festival and Woodwynn Farms’ own Tim Summers will compete to defend the 2012 title of Best KD. He will go spoon to spoon with local cooks and well known chefs, including Janice Mansfield (Real Food Made Easy), Randy Hollands (Paprika, Stage Wine Bar) Aaron Hall (host of Delicious on SHAW TV) and Indian food specialist Laxmi McLagan in a contest to transform the ubiquitous boxed pasta into a culinary masterpiece.
“This event is such a terrific opportunity for the public to see more of our Woodwynn project, and to celebrate our volunteers’ accomplishments. The quality of artistic programming, the chefs and artists and many talented people who have stepped forward to support the event, as well as the tireless hours the committee has put in, speaks volumes about how our community feels about the work we are doing here at Woodwynn,” said Woodwynn Farms Executive Director Richard Leblanc.
The festival is Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 7789 West Saanich Road. Tickets are $10 each (13 and up) or $20 for a family, available at www.woodwynnfarms.org.
— Submitted