Whit’s on this weekend?

If you fancy a grand night of entertainment, why not head along for some music from Liam & Friends at Kirkwall Royal British Legion on Saturday night?

Orkney VR

June 30, 2018

There are only around four or five virtual reality arcades in Scotland — and the next one is about to open for the summer holidays in Stromness.

The pop-up arcade, which runs throughout July and August, is the idea of Zach Shiner, 14, from Stromness.

Zach and his family visited an arcade on the south coast of England earlier this year. It was based in a leisure centre at a caravan park and was, according to the operator, fully booked.

Virtual Reality, known as VR, involves placing a headset over your eyes and ears. This provides a 360-degree, three dimensional image, which means that, as you turn your head, the image gives the impression that you can look behind you, up, down or any direction.

Surround-sound headphones also give a three-dimensional soundscape. These all combine to give a feeling of movement, flight or speed.

With the help of his family, Zach has brought a professional-quality VR rig to Orkney, based around the HTC Vive Pro headset, as used in many commercial arcades.

For July and August, this will be based in the Stromness Library.

Fossil Centre Anniversary

July 1, 2018 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

The Fossil and Heritage Centre in Burray will be celebrating 25 years since it first opened, this Sunday.

There will be free entry to the museum, and you can check out the new garden display from 12pm onwards.

Woodwick House in Evie will be hosting a Music Sunday event, this weekend.

Enjoy tea with Opus 4 String Quartet from 2-5pm.

Swandro Dig

July 1, 2018

The rescue excavation of a Neolithic chambered tomb in Rousay is now open for the summer for visitors to take a peek at what archaeologists are doing.

Why not take advantage of their Special Swandro Sundays? Every Sunday there will be a free bus from the pier the road above the site. There will also be local history re-enactors on-site.

For further details, you can check out www.swandro.co.uk

Ivan Drever

July 1, 2018 8:00 pm

Local folk legend, Ivan Drever, will be returning for a special summer gig at The Reel, Kirkwall, this Sunday.

If you fancy a wee tune, this should be a grand event to head for a Sunday session.

The title of this exhibition at the Northlight Gallery, Stromness, by Ian Collins is borrowed from the poet GM Hopkins, who coined the term inscape to describe the unique and essential  nature of an object or experience — perhaps as revealed by close or prolonged observation at a particular moment.

Most of the  photographs on show are from Orkney or mainland Scotland. The images are presented ‘as seen’ and have not been subjected to digital enhancement.

Several of the photographs were shown in the solo exhibition Transient and Unexpected Beauty at the MacRobert Arts Centre, University of Stirling during March and April 2018

A photographic essay about the remains of the WWII  communication centre of HMS Proserpine at Lyness will also be on display.

If you fancy a bargain, this weekend, Firth Community Association will be hosting a 50/50 Sale in the hall until Monday.

Plant Sale

July 1, 2018 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

It’s not too late to get started on all that gardening you’ve been planning!

Marengo Community Garden in St Margaret’s Hope will be hosting an afternoon of cream teas and a plant sale, this Sunday, between 2.30pm and 4.30pm at the Marengo Centre.

Floral Exhibition

July 1, 2018

This Saturday and Sunday will see an Art & Floral Exhibition go on display at the Holm Church.

There will also be cream teas between 2pm and 5pm, as well as songs of praise from local artists at 7pm on Sunday.

The exhibition itself will continue through to Wednesday, July 4.