Things to Do in Anacortes

1961 was the year Ham the Chimp rocketed into space aboard the Mercury-Redstone 2. Down on the track at Western Speedway, Eldon Rasmussen blew past the competition at the Western Canada stock-car championship, cementing a trajectory that led him to the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. The 4/10-mile oval has now seen more than a half-century of motorcars screech across its pavement, which currently hosts races for approximately 12 classes, including hornets, mini figure-eight tough trucks, stock cars, and rebellious shopping carts.

The eight-month season opens in April and hosts traditional races on Saturday nights that are occasionally bookended on Friday or Sunday by drag racing. Under an open sky filled with drivers ejected from their seats, up to 3,000 fans can watch themed races, demolition derbies, and other special events from the bleachers or head underneath for a slice of Ali Baba Pizza from the concessions counter.

When it comes to winter sports, Mt. Seymour doesn’t discriminate. Skiers can speed down slopes that see more than 1,000cm of snow in an average year, then zip back to the top of the runs on a quad chair lift that reduces travel time from 12 minutes to 4 minutes. Elsewhere, Seymour Park dares snowboarders to tackle the 30 trick features of its well-lit terrain. Soar across two jumps and grind on a 30' single rail.

On scenic Salt Spring Island, the Raw on the Rawk Festival invites visitors to partake in fresh morsels from a variety of raw-food vendors, attend intriguing lectures, and learn from experts during interactive workshops. Influential speakers include Preet Marwaha, owner of Organic Lives and instructor at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition¬¬; co-creator of Raw Vegan Frederic Patenaude; raw-food chefs; and the Jolly Green Giant’s first cousin. Between lectures, festival-goers can participate in yoga sessions, taste-test plant-based foods from a plethora of raw vendors, and gather tips and techniques on sustaining raw-food diets. The festival concludes on Sunday morning with a vegan brunch, during which guests enjoy plant-based foods while mingling with newfound friends.

An evening at The Giggle Dam begins as a typical night out, until a zany cast member delivers your appetizer. That's because the theatre treats the dinner and performance portions of its shows as one and the same; rather than only using printed menus, the cast sings the dinner selections to the audience, and rather than postponing the entertainment, the entrée delivery is part of the show. Every plate of the four-course meal—which features rotating dishes such as roast beef and gravy, salmon, and vegetarian pasta—is crafted by award-winning chef Pieter Van Meenen, who incorporates seasonal ingredients and fresh techniques in each of his inventive creations. As the audience dines, the actors float around the room and converse with every table while hamming it up with their impressions and gags.

Once the actors are familiar with the audience members' names, hometowns, and shampoo preferences, they hit the stage and engage the audience in an outrageous and politically incorrect original musical comedy show accompanied by an eight-piece band. Every performance is a Giggle Dam original written by the members of the diverse cast who all bring something different to the table, whether it's singing in musical theatre, touring with a rock band, or performing in burlesque shows. The Giggle Dam cast pulls from these experiences to create shows full of laughs, music, and willing audience participation. To keep things fresh, the company swaps out the shows four times a year, premiering a new display every three months to feature more vibrant characters, catchy songs, and side-splitting laughs.

The non-profit Burnaby Canoe and Kayak's nationally certified coaches impart paddling techniques to all ages and skill levels on peaceful Burnaby Lake. The lake is nestled in a wildlife sanctuary where birdwatchers often glimpse great blue herons, belted kingfishers, and airplanes and the scenic North Shore Mountains peer over its waters.

The organization's fleet—one of the largest in Canada—even encompasses the War Canoe, a uniquely Canadian boat that holds 15 paddlers. Students can hone their skills during drop-in sessions or during more structured summer camps and sprint programs, where members develop strength, endurance, and technique.

On September 9, 1979, more than 100,000 Whitecaps fans lined Robson Street to salute their hometown club. That day, the Whitecaps returned home after becoming Vancouver's first professional sports team to win a major North American championship: they had just defeated the Tampa Bay Rowdies to claim the North American Soccer League title.

Since that first one, the franchise has won six additional titles–including four in a row from 1988–1991 while playing as the 86ers in the Canadian Soccer League. In fact, the club competed under that 86ers moniker until 2000. That year, spurred by public support and an unexplainable 'Caps logo beamed into the night sky, it re-emerged under its original Whitecaps identity. Today, the 21st-century incarnation of the club continues to battle for its first championship as part of Major League Soccer, where it began play in 2011.