Although many people will be heading out camping this May long weekend, an equally large amount will be staying withen the city limits to work on their yards, catch up on work, etc. Ourselves included. To honour those who are not getting away and want to make the most of their family’s “staycation” check out our 5 places you can explore with your family which are all withen half an hour of Kamloops!

There you go, 5 places around Kamloops perfect for mini-adventures for kids. So get out and EXPLORE KAMLOOPS!

Also if you’re a fan of this fancy-shmancy layout style make sure to leave a message over on our Facebook page and we’ll try to do it more often!

It is finally camping season in British Colombia! We have 5 “life hacks” you can use while camping in our beautiful province. If you would like to suggest more camping life hacks or tips and tricks head on over to our Facebook page and post on our wall!

1. A headlamp wrapped around a 4L milk jug full of water (with the light pointing in) will create ambient light for your tent rather than just illuminating specific areas.
2. Old tic-tac containers make for perfect mini spice containers for your pack or trailer. Small, stackable and cheap!
3. Can’t avoid setting up your table or tent near an ant hill and worried about them causing an issue? Place fresh cucumber peel between your tent and the hill or near their point of entry. Ants will avoid the area like the plague without you causing them any real harm.
4. Bring and store plastic grocery bags in an old lysol or clorox wipes container to use as garbage bags. This makes it easy to pull out what bags you need to keep your site clean without the clutter of a bunch of loose bags.
5. Want to keep your toilet paper clean, dry and bug free? Store rolls in old coffee tins. Whether you use the plastic or metal tins, you will have an airtight seal perfect for keeping the elements out.

If you’ve been reading Exploring Kamloops for any length of time you will know 3 things about us. We love Farms and Farmers markets, we love events and ‘days’, and we REALLY love Tranquille Farm Fresh as seen in our story about their historic tour, corn maze and farmers market! So we are excited to tell you about 2 awesome events going on there this long weekend!

Heavy Horse Teams May 17th to 18th

On May 17th and 18th Tranquille Farm Fresh will host 6 teams of horses who will be ploughing and seeding the farms fields with ancient and heritage grains including Emmer, Khorasan, and Red Fife. Emmer and Khorasan are ancient non modified grains originating in the far-east while Red Fife wheat is a non-modified Canadian heritage grain from the 1890s.

Other activities at Tranquille Farm Fresh on the 17th and 18th are Scarecrow building, and the chance to take a closer look at some vintage vehicles. The Bellringer Espresso Bus and Edesia food carts will be there selling the noms.

A $5 dollar parking fee per vehicle will be charged to cover expenses. For more information check out their website!

- AND -

Volunteer Day May 18th to 19th

From 9am to 5pm May 18th and 19th, Tranquille Farm Fresh will be holding a volunteer day. Come out for an hour, or come out for the day and help restore this piece of Kamloops history.

Assistance is needed with some carpentry, building a sandbox, moving heavy items, cleaning around buildings and the cleaning up the grounds. Please bring your work gloves and appropriate footwear. There will be a pot-luck on Sunday afternoon as a thank you, bring your lawn chair!

For more information check out the Tranquille Farm Fresh website!

Victoria Day, a federal Canadian public holiday (also known as Fête de la Reine in French) is celebrated on the last Monday before May 25th, in honour of Queen Victoria’s Birthday.

Queen Victoria was mostly of German descent with her first language being German. She also spoke English, French and Hindustani. She married Prince Albert of Germany on February 10, 1940. He was her first cousin and was one of the only socially acceptable suitors in the world without even a slightly lower social status. Victoria and Albert had nine children and most of them married into Europe’s royal family. Queen Victoria is still known as the Grandmother of Europe. The current monarch, Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Phillip are both great-great grandchildren of Queen Victoria.

In 1854 on the Queen’s 35th birthday, a group of Canadian’s gathered in front of Government House to “give cheers to their queen.” Other areas and colonies across Canada adopted the day as an unofficial patriotic holiday over the following 50 years marking the day with picnics, fireworks and gun salutes.

Upon the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, May 24th was made by law to be known as Victoria Day, a date to remember the late queen who had become the “Mother of Confederation”. Queen Victoria had reigned for a staggering sixty three years. After decades of the day being moved and changed, by order-in-council and statutory amendment, the Monday before May 25th was proclaimed as the Victoria Day date which we celebrate to this day.

Across Canada, Victoria Day serves as the unofficial marker of the end of winter, and the beginning of summer. Alternative and slang names for Victoria Day are May Two-Four (after the two-four of beer usually consumed on this day) and Firecracker Day in Ontario.

Here are 5 fun facts about Queen Victoria you can use to sound cultured this May Long weekend!

• She was named after her mother as well Alexander I, the Emperor of Russia.
• She went by the nickname “Drina” while growing up.
• Victoria’s favorite pet growing up was her dog, a King Charles spaniel named Dash.
• Prince Edward Island in Canada was named after Victoria’s father.
• Victoria was told she would someday be queen when she was thirteen years old. She remarked “I will be good.”

*May or may not be true depending upon how much faith you have in a Google search to produce reliable sources.

Here are our top 4 picks for events to explore this weekend! If you do check out any of these or you have an event for us to check out for next week, make sure you head over to our Twitter or Facebook page and send us a message!

The Vintage Car Club at Tranquille Farm Fresh

The Kamloops branch of the Vintage Car Club will be out at Tranquille Farm Fresh showing off their awesome classic cars. This event will be taking place on Saturday the 11th of May and is open to the public. The Kamloops Vintage Car Club features around 100 members with vehicles dating from the early 1900′s to the 1970′s. Annually, the Kamloops chapter hosts the always popular Easter Parade  that brings in visitors from all around the Okanagan area.

The Bellringer Espresso Bus and Edesia catering will be on site for anyone looking to make it a lunch date and there will be an information booth set up for anyone who wants to learn more about Tranquille Farm Fresh and the awesome things they do. If you’re looking for hanging baskets or bedding plants, Everyone’s Eden will be at the event with a selection of their goods.

We’re huge fans of Tranquille Farm Fresh and have featured them a lot on Exploring Kamloops, talking about their Fall Family Corn Maze, their MUST-SEE Historic Tour, and their Farm Fresh Farmers Market that will be starting again this year in June.

Mother’s Day Weekend at The Pond Country Market

Does your mom love to garden? Is she Pinterest happy? Shop local and bring her to The Pond Country Market, the perfect garden/trinket/awesomeness shop located in Barnhartvale. With everything from hanging baskets, non GMO vegetable plans, unique garden and home decore, as well as some cool antique pieces and local artisans there is something for any mom. We are addicted to visiting The Pond Country Market to scope supplies for our Pinterest-inspired products and are never disappointed. If you do check out The Pond Country Market, be sure to take a stroll to the literal pond on the property and say hi to the two dapper ducks who call it home! For more information check out The Pond Country Market’s Facebook Page

Mining Day At The Big Little Science Centre

This FREE event is the perfect way to spend a Saturday out with you’re little miner. Learn how to pan for gold from Yukon Dan and get an up close and personal look at some of the heavy equipment needed to mine today. New Gold will have their heavy equipment simulator onsite for anyone who wants to know what it feels like to drive those beasts, and a Highland Valley Copper Booth will be accepting dead and expired batteries for recycling. The Paddlewheelers Lions Club will be on site selling hotdogs and hamburgers for anyone that wants to make a day of it! To Find out more information check out the Big Little Science Centre’s website.

Celebrate All Moms With BC Wildlife Park

The BC Wildlife Park is holding their annual Mother’s Day celebration! Bring your mom to spend the day with all the great animal moms. Uncle Chris the clown will be on hand to provide the laughs and there will be bouncy castles and paintball target shooting to tire everyone out for some quiet nap time later on. There will of course be the park’s miniature train, petting barn and face-painting by donation, as well as food specials at the onsite cafe. For more information on the Mother’s Day celebration at the BC Wildlife Park be sure to check out their site!

Riverside Park is located next to the Interior Savings Centre and the banks of the Thompson River. Due to its central location in the city, Riverside Park is one of the more popular destinations for people looking for fun in the sun and the water. In addition to swimming in the river, children can play in the Variety Kids Centennial Water Park which is an awesome splashed with sprinklers, water guns and cannons.

For those young and old looking to do a little more than splash splashing in the river, Riverside Park    is a hot spot for all kinds of water sports including kayaking, stand up paddling, tubing, boating, wakeboarding and water skiing. Sometimes you can even sneak a peak at the dragon boat team out their practicing.

With the temperature on the rise in Kamloops as we head full-on in the summer months, make sure you check out all the fun you can have in the River at Riverside Park. If you’re new to water sports or just want more information on the equipment you need to keep safe and kick-ass than go and talk to the people at True Outdoors. In addition to selling some pretty awesome exploring gear, the staff are True Outdoors are adventurers at heart and can give you personal reviews and tips on most of the things they sell.

This Sunday the 12th of May is Mother’s Day and to celebrate we have 5 things you can do in Kamloops while exploring with your mom that is a little bit different than the standard brunch, flowers or spa! Not that we think any mom would turn down a bit of pampering and yummy treats as well.

Explore An Inner-city Green Space

Skip the fancy restaurants and Mother’s Day brunches and make mom a healthy and delicious picnic to enjoy at RIverside Park. At the heart of the city, there is plenty of lush green grass to sit on and the large stoic trees that cover most of the green-space provide an abundance of cooling shade. There is a park to keep younger children entertained and a beautiful beach if you want to cool off.

Explore The Water

Kamloops is literally the point where the waters meet. The rivers that run through the city offer a great opportunity to have some fun with mom in the water. You can keep it light with a simple trip to any of the cities’ beaches or try something a bit more exciting like stand up paddling! Check out True Outdoors in Kamloops for more information on stand up paddling and other water sports, you can sometimes find them at Riverside Park offering demos as well!

Explore The Hills

We’re surrounded by some of Canada’s more beautiful hills with some of the most scenic outlooks you could hope for. Why not take your mom on a hike through one of the hundreds (maybe thousands) of trails that wind through our hills. An absolutely amazing resource for those looking to explore Kamloops’ hills is http://www.kamloopstrails.net/, there you can find a break down of difficulty, walking time, route maps and directions.

Explore History

If your mom happened to grow up in Kamloops, or near here why not take her to one of her favourite places as a child. If you can’t make it there in person, why not take a “picture trip”. Perfect to do with just your family or make an event of it and invite guests to bring over a few of their family photo albums to sit down together and share stories. As an added treat why not take mom to the Kamloops Museum or on a Self-Guided Heritage Walking Tour.

Explore While Giving Back

Spend the day with mom giving back to the community. This can be by doing anything from picking up garbage at a local park, gathering much-needed supplies for the Kamloops SPCA, help an elderly neighbour with yard work, or if your looking to commit to something a bit bigger, sign up for a long term volunteer position with your mom at any of these great causes http://www.volunteerkamloops.org.

Wondering what to explore this weekend? We have something for your Saturday and Sunday this week!

BC SPCA Annual Open House at the Kamloops SPCA Saturday May 4th

Come out the Kamloops SPCA and enjoy an afternoon of animal education, face painting, crafts, a food truck all in support of our amazing SPCA. This is an event for the whole family and a great way to introduce your kids the importance of animal care and well-being! Read More

Juniper Ridge Community Garage Sale 2013 Sunday May 5th

It is finally here. This Sunday is the annual Juniper Ridge MASSIVE community garage sale. There will be over 500 vendors, thousands of people and general garage sale awesomness. This is a must-see-once-in-your-life event for every Kamloopsian and the highlight of any Pinteresters season if you’re looking for good deals project materials. Read More

This Saturday from 11am to 3pm the Kamloops branch of the SPCA will be hosting their annual open house. The open house is presented by Hill’s® Science Diet® and is to increase the community’s awareness about what the SPCA does for animals in need, and how we can help. This event is all ages and a great chance to teach your little-ones about the importance of animal care and well-being!

The Kamloops SPCA open house will have a trainer on hand to answer any questions you may have about your pet like ‘Why does my dog stare at the wall?’ or ‘I think my rabbit is plotting to take over the world, how do I stop him?’… Just me? ok well I am sure they can help you with whatever questions you may have instead. There will also be face painting, pet photos, a craft fair and a food truck.

The Kamloops SPCA is located at 1211 Eighth St. on the way out to Westsyde. It is a bit tricky to get to as there is no formal front entrance to the car park and the road has a huge concrete divider, you need to go one street up and come through the alley way.

As this whole event is about celebrating animals and Kamloops pets, we’d love to see yours! If you’re on Twitter use the hashtag #KamloopsPets or if you’re on Facebook, add the photo to our wall!

The Juniper Ridge Community Garage Sale is this Sunday, May 5th 2013. You know we’re huge fans of a good garage sale, and this is the premiere event of the garage sale season in Kamloops.

The Juniper Ridge Yard Sale has over 500 participants and draws in thousands of people looking for a bargin from all over the Okanagan. Because of the sheer size of this event, you can generally find anything from cloths, furniture, kitchen goods to home electronics, kids stuff and even kitted-out muscle cars and motorbikes.

As Kamloops’ weather is slated to be a scorching 26° this Sunday, and Juniper Ridge is known for is massive and numerous hills, here are some things to remember to get the most our of your Garage Sale experience! There is also a map below if you’re not sure where Juniper Ridge is.

Be Prepared To Walk

Parking is at a premium as this is a residential area.  Often you will be forced to either park at the top or bottom of the main hill and walk. If you’re planning on (or just happen to) purchasing anything big or particularly hefty, this can be a bit of a nuisance. One system we’ve found to get around this is carpooling with a group of friends. This way there are multiple drivers who can take turns walking back to the vehicle and move it further up/down the hill preventing you from a HUGE hike back at the end of the day as well as giving you a chance to unload your goodies.

Plan for the Weather

This means water, sunscreen, breathable clothing and a hat. For those who have small children in tow, a wagon or stroller is honestly your best friend here. If you must your 4-legged friend with you, make sure you bring a dish and supplies for them. However this is not a great event to bring dogs to, there are SO MANY people, dangerous obstacles and it’s far TOO HOT to leave them in the vehicle (Don’t even think about it, you know better than to leave your pets in your car in Kamloops.), but also it is going to be so hot the pavement alone will be very hard on their tender tootsies.

Be Inspired, Be Green

Because of the sheer size of this event and the selection of goodies you will find, it is hard not be inspired to make, update, DIY, replace, or just covet something to put in your home. Buying second hand has a clear sustainable advantage: It rescues goods that might otherwise have ended up in the trash plus it can also save you some money. If you’re stuck for ideas, there is always good-ole Pinterest! As if you needed an excuse to go on there.

Have Fun

Don’t forget to enjoy yourself. This is a great Kamloops event, and an amazing chance to meet new people in the community and explore where you live!

If you are planning on attending the Juniper Ridge community Yard Sale, make sure you tweet us the photos of your finds! We love to see what other people get.

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