What do you get when you combine students from grades 4-9, historical subjects and a public venue? It?s the South Vancouver Island Regional Heritage Fair. Held at the Clifford Carl Hall of the Royal British Columbia Museum on Friday, May 5, 2006, and open to the public from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, the event celebrates aspects of Canadian history, interpreted through the eyes of children.

The fair is sponsored by the Hallmark Society with funding from Historica Foundation and support from the Royal BC Museum and the Provincial Capital Commission. One project will be selected to represent the south Vancouver Island region at the National Fair, held this year in Halifax in early July. Other prizes including Laurier Lapierre medals, the HBC Explorer Award, and the Royal Bank of Canada Award for the best project with an aboriginal focus, are also available. New this year is the Capital Award sponsored by the Provincial Capital Commission which will be awarded to the best project which illustrates the idea of a "capital." A team of judges selected from the media, Ministry of Education, the Provincial Capital Commission, local educators, and heritage preservationists will be examining the projects and interviewing the student researchers to determine winners of the awards.

Awards will not be presented on the day of the fair but will be announced within a week of the fair. Students will receive their special awards at ceremonies at their schools where their achievements may be recognized by their peers.

Students will be divided into four groups and will explore history during the times when their projects are not being judged. Events this year include a scavenger hunt in the Royal BC Museum, an interactive workshop on Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History, and a tour of historic St. Ann's Academy.

The Historica Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to helping Canadians discover the fascinating stories that make our country unique. Through our education programs and authoritative resources we connect Canadians to our many histories. We invite you to discover your place in history at www.histori.ca.

For further information on the South Vancouver Island Regional Heritage Fair, contact Helen Edwards, Coordinator, at office@hallmarksociety.ca or 250-372-4755.

The Hallmark Society honours outstanding achievement in the field of heritage preservation, conservation, restoration and advocacy at its Annual Awards Night. This year's event is being held on Tuesday night, May 2. The evening will include a slide show of award winning projects, the presentation of awards and the presentation of heritage designation plaques by local municipalities. The event will be held at St. Ann's Academy Auditorium, 835 Humboldt Street at 8:00pm. Cost is $10 per person. Tickets may be purchased by contacting the Hallmark office at 382-4755.

The Victoria Historical Society meeting for Thursday, May 25, 2006, will feature Wendy Maggiora, Victoria Branch Archivist of the BC Registered Music Teachers Association, who will speak on "A Memorial of Past: Music Teachers in Victoria". The meeting will be at the James Bay New Horizons Centre, 234 Menzies Street at 7:30pm. Visitors are welcome.

This is the Society's last scheduled meeting before the summer.

BC Archives archivist Margaret Hutchison will talk about "Cartographic Treasures of the B.C. Archives" at the Friends of the BC Archives talk at 2 pm on Sunday, April 30, 2006, Newcombe Conference Hall, Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria.

The BC Archives map collection spans time from the 16th century to the present day. From beautiful leather-bound atlases containing the latest geographic explorations together with fanciful sea-beasts and sturdy sailing ships, to hand-drawn maps by circuit judges, urban area fire insurance plans, a watercolour drawing of our Capital City?s Beacon Hill Park, or a bicycling map published in the local newspaper, the collection covers all aspects of discovery, settlement, and growth of British Columbia. Join us as we browse through the map cabinets and unearth some provincial and local treasures.

For more information about this event contact Ron Greene, Secretary of the Friends of the B.C. Archives at 250-598-1835. This event is free for Friends of the Archives, $5.00 for non-members, payable at the door. Call in advance for information about handicap access.

The Victoria Historical Society on Thursday, April 27, 2006 will feature speaker Dr. John Lutz, Associate Professor of History at the University of Victoria, will speak on "The Chilcotin Smallpox War of 1864". The meeting will be at the James Bay New Horizons Centre, 234 Menzies Street, Victoria, at 7:30pm. Visitors are welcome.