Oak Bay Tea Party

Last Sunday Fern posted a photo here of this beach (Willows Beach) at sunrise. Eight hours later this is what it looked like, crowded with spectators for the Air Show. Behind me when I took the above photo was the midway - cotton candy, hot dogs, French Fries, cold pop and ice cream and, because it's the Oak Bay Tea Party, you could also have a nice cup of tea. And after stuffing yourself with junk food, what could be more refreshing than to be thrown about at high speed on one of the many "rides" (below). My favourite ride this year was "The Zipper" because it produced the most screams per minute. Below is a video of the Zipper in action. It's not a long video but if you just want the high point there are some particularly full-throated screams at about 18 seconds.If you missed the midway at the Oak Bay Tea Party, don't despair. There's another local celebration this weekend with a parade and midway amongst other events - Esquimalt Buccaneer Days. The parade's on Saturday at 10 am but there are events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Click HERE to find out more.

Oak Bay Tea Party Parade 2011

What most of us think of as "Victoria" is actually a cluster of smaller entities that are so close together that they are indistinguishable except on paper. One of these is the city of Oak Bay. Oak Bay holds an annual celebration called the Oak Bay Tea Party, unlike its more famed namesake in Boston in that it is so named in honour of the especially tea-drinking, British nature of the city and has a Mad Hatter/Alice in Wonderland theme. It's a very much more neighbourhood style of event than the Victoria Day Parade and the marching bands are local. Below is a taste of the Lambrick Park Secondary School marching band in case you missed the parade. The Tea Party is a two day event that also includes a carnival midway, an air show and bathtub races. We'll see some more of it here later this week.

One That Got Away

Bumper Cars

Is there anything finer?Probably not, although some seem to prefer the Tilt-A-Whirl.Whatever your taste in inane childish thrills, you will find it at the Oak Bay Tea Party. If the midway rides are not enough, you can belly up to some fries and gravy and a slushie while you watch the bathtub races. And of course, since it's Oak Bay, there is also the Baron of Beef and Tetley's Tea option. Where else can you have a troop of Girl Guides serve you tea on the beach? It's all still happening today at Willows Beach in Oak Bay and it's all for the benefit of local charities. Don't miss this great local event.

Clown

A classic feature of any parade or fair is a clown. In this part of the world, clowns are most often provided by the Shrine Temple, a voluntary organization that supports children's charities. The clown above, who appeared in the Oak Bay Tea Party parade was, according to the International Shrine Clown Association, an "Auguste" type of clown:

His is the most comic face. His make-up is a flesh color (pink or reddish or tan) instead of white. His features (usually red or black) are exaggerated in size. The mouth is usually thickly outlined with white, which is often also used around the eyes. Outlining is very important. Gradual shading of colors is often used. He will usually have a ball nose, but there are many exceptions.

Clowns have been around for a long time. According to the International Clown Hall of Fame:

First known clown was a pygmy presiding as a court fool at the court of Pharaoh Dadkeri-Assi, Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty. In 1818 BC, one of China’s rulers, neglecting ancient religious rites, filled the court with clowns. His successors restored the rites, but also kept the clowns. One of China’s jesters, Yu Sze, is remembered as a national hero because he saved the lives of thousands of laborers when he kidded the Emperor Shih Huang–Ti out of having the enemy side of the Great Wall whitewashed in 300 BC.

The Midway

On the midway you will find thrills......and maybe that special someone...Oak Bay Tea Party, Willows Beach.

Norman Rockwell Moment - Oak Bay Tea Party

I captured this intent photographer while watching the Oak Bay Tea Party parade. This is an annual event that takes place in the Victoria community called Oak Bay. In a city that prides itself on being British, Oak Bay is the supreme bastion of the jolly olde tea-drinking set. The Oak Bay Tea Party has events over this entire weekend, including an air show and bathtub race today, so I'll be posting more photos soon. In the meantime, I trust all you photographers out there will enjoy this Norman Rockwell moment.