The City of Port Moody has issued an update about the Moody Street Overpass. They are going to a counterflow system during the morning and evening rush as they work on fixing it.
Starting Monday June 29, single-lane counterflow traffic will be implemented across the damaged Moody St Overpass. From 5am to 12pm (noon) there will be single lane westbound traffic only into Vancouver. From 12pm (noon) to 5am there will be single lane eastbound traffic only from Vancouver into Port Moody.
Pedestrians are permitted on the Moody St Overpass. Please follow the designated walking path.
Events such as the Canada Day Celebrations and Golden Spike Days Festival will go ahead as per usual, and attendees are encouraged to walk, bike, or take transit. It’s probably best just to avoid driving in the area until the work has been completed.
Tense moments this week as a garbage truck slammed into the Moody Street Overpass, taking a sizable chunk of the bridge out and creating traffic gridlock throughout Port Moody. Luckily nobody was hurt, but this critical road link is leaving a lot of people and events scrambling to put new plans into action.
On Friday, the single eastbound lane was reopened to pedestrians and cars, but this still leaves the Golden Spike Days Festival feeling a little antsy.
Mandy Ellis, the Assistant Coordinator of the Festival sent out this notice on Thursday…
Please note that due to the temporary closure of overpass, festival-goers are encouraged more than ever to bike or walk to the Spike. But not to worry, the show will go on!
A shuttle bus is still available for commuters parking at Moody Elementary School, among the other locations listed on our website. Also, attendees can park at Inlet Park.
A bike check will be available at the main gate for cyclists (thanks to sponsor Secret Cycles), with great prizes to be won including a brand new Kona mountain bike valued at $445.00.
Here is the link to the Golden Spike Days Website where you can find the information about parking and shuttle buses that will be running.
Map of Parking Facilities and Shuttle Bus Routes
Parking will be available at Inlet Park on Friday, July 3 to Sunday, July 5th, and the West Coast Express station will have parking on Saturday and Sunday.
Hopefully the overpass will be open before next weekend, but even if it doesn’t, the organizers have great contingency plans in place and fun will be had by all. Can’t wait!
Update on Tuesday, June 30th: With the overpass running as a one-lane counterflow bridge, the Festival has made arrangements for a second shuttle bus to ferry festival goers from the different parking lots available on the shuttle bus route.
Welcome! This post outlines local Canada Day activities for 2009. For a 2010 event listing, visit Canada Day in the Tri-Cities 2010. And happy Canada Day!
Wednesday July 1 is Canada’s 142nd birthday, and there is a lot going on in and around the V3H in honour of the occasion.
Port Moody’s Canada Day celebration takes place from 12-5pm at Rocky Point Park [map]. There will be hot dogs, cake and live entertainment. And lots and lots of games, including wiffle ball. Need we say more?
The Port Moody Station Museum will also be hosting Canada Day festivities from 10:30am to 4:30pm [map]. There will be cake and Canadian treats, as well as crafts and games for the kids. Given its proximity to Rocky Point Park you could probably hit both events and really fill yourself up on cake – not that we here at TheV3H.com endorse that sort of behaviour. 
Of course, Port Moody isn’t the only community hosting Canada Day festivities. Coquitlam’s party will be running from 10am to 6pm at Lafarge Lake [map]. There will be live performers including Bobs & LoLo, an artisan market and a chance to ride in an authentic First Nations canoe. If you’re hungry local restaurants such as Pasta Polo and The Marble Slab Creamery are participating in a Taste of Coquitlam. But we’re pretty sure we had your kids at Bobs & LoLo.
The really happening place to be on Canada Day, though, is Port Coquitlam. From 8 to 11:30am there will be a fishing derby at Lions Park [map]. Kids 12 and under will have a chance to test their fishing skills, and breakfast will be provided on-site by the Lions Club. Then from 12pm until dusk the real party will be happening at Castle Park [map]. There will be parking restrictions in effect, so park in the West Coast Express lot on Kingsway and take the free shuttle. There will be musical entertainment and an international bazaar. But the capper to the day will be the grand finale fireworks. Who doesn’t love fireworks?
There are certainly lots of choices so get out, eat some cake, and celebrate Canada!
Dust off your kilt, one of the biggest events of the year in the Tri-Cities happens this weekend.
The BC Highland Games and Scottish Festival goes this Saturday, June 27th at Percy Perry Stadium at Town Centre Park.
The Event celebrates all things Scottish, including
- Highland Dancing
- The “Throwing Heavy Things” competition
- Scottish Food (don’t worry, it’s not all haggis)
- Bagpipes, Bagpipes, and More Bagpipes (here’s a sample from the SFU Pipe Band last year)
Events run all day, the Opening Ceremonies go at noon, tickets are…
- Adults – $13.00
- Seniors/Students – $9.00
- Children 6-12 – $3.00
- Under 6 – Free
For More Information, visit the website at www.bchighlandgames.com
Nothing goes together quite like food on the grill and parks. This Thursday, the Howe Sound Rehabilitation Services Society is hosting the annual BBQ in the Park for Brain Injury Awareness and Prevention. This will take place as part of Brain Injury Awareness Month. The skinny…
Thursday, June 25th, 11am – 3pm at Blue Mountain Park, 975 King Albert Avenue in Coquitlam.
Events include…
- Live musical entertainment, featuring “ABBA Again”
- Kids activities
- Raffle Prizes
- The Pedalheads will be teaching safe bike riding
- Tim Horton’s Community Cruiser with complimentary Tim Bits and coffee
Kids are encouraged to bring a bicycle and helmet, the event is free to the public with proceeds from the food and raffle tickets going towards the Howe Sound Rehabilitation Services Society. For more information call 604-936-9944, or visit their website at www.howesound.net
This Sunday June 21 is Father’s Day. And there are lots of fun events going on in and around the V3H to celebrate Dad, or just give us all a chance to get out and have some fun to kick off summer.
June 19-21 is BC’s Family Fishing Weekend. A local event will be running on Saturday from 9am to 2pm at Lafarge Lake in Coquitlam in honour of the weekend. The event is free, and no fishing licenses are required to participate. In addition to fishing in the fully-stocked lake, there will be lessons, displays, and prizes, as well as hot dogs and beverages.
On Sunday the Port Moody Station Museum will be running ‘A Tie for Dad‘ between 11am and 4pm. Dads can enjoy free cookies and lemonade, and there will be crafts and activities for the kids. For $10 you can have your name stamped on a copper plaque and attached to a railroad tie. The museum is located at 2734 Murray Street in Port Moody.
On June 21 a Saint-Jean-Baptiste celebration will be held at Mackin Park in Maillardville. Saint-Jean-Baptiste, or St. John the Baptist, is the patron saint of French Canada and celebrations are held on or around his feast day of June 24. The event in Coquitlam is free. Bring a picnic or enjoy hot dogs, dessert, games, face painting, and music. The Olympic mascots Sumi, Miga, and Quatchi are even rumoured to be stopping by. It’s a great chance to start the season with a little joie de vivre!
If you’re heading to the Port Moody Library to pick up a book or two, or if you haven’t paid your property taxes in years and need to make good before the upcoming tax sale, you’ll find yourself in the Port Moody Civic Centre. While they say you can’t fight city hall, you can enjoy the awesome rotating art exhibits that grace the main lobby, extending from the library to the Inlet Theatre.
Children's Art Festival in the Port Moody Civic Centre
The Port Moody Civic Centre Gallery will play host to the Children’s Art Festival from Thursday, June 25 to Monday, June 29th. 40 children will be taking part and 100 paintings will be on display.
The young art students will be doing live demonstrations on Saturday the 27th from 2pm – 5pm.
Local artist and event organizer Evelia Espinosa said, “The purpose of this art show is to let out their enthusiasm and dedication with oil, acrylic and watercolor painting, as well as to encourage them to continue painting.”
This year as part of the Festival, there will be a display of 25 paintings at the Terry Fox Library in Port Coquitlam, these will be on display from July 2nd to July 31st.
For more information, contact Evelia Espinosa at evelia_espinosa_v@hotmail.com
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Nothing says summertime like trying to walk across a hot parking lot in bare feet after enjoying an afternoon at the local outdoor pool.
This week, the two outdoor pools in Port Moody throw their doors open for the season.
Westhill Pool
Westhill Pool is in Weshill Park, 203 Westhill Place, Port Moody (map)
Westhill’s public swim times from June 15th to June 28th are…
- Monday: 3pm – 5pm, 6pm – 8pm
- Tuesday: 3pm – 5pm, 6pm – 8pm
- Wednesday and Thursday closed
- Friday: 3pm – 5pm, 6pm – 8pm
- Saturday and Sunday: 1pm – 5pm, 6pm – 8pm
On the days that Westhill is open, lap swimming is setup from 6pm – 8pm
Rocky Point Pool is in Rocky Point Park, 2800 Murray Street, Port Moody (map)
Rocky Point’s public swim times from June 17th to June 28th are…
- Monday and Tuesday: Closed
- Wednesday to Friday: 3pm – 5pm, 6pm-8pm
- Saturday and Sunday: 1pm – 5pm, 6pm – 8pm
Rocky Point also has lap swim available from 6pm – 8pm.
After June 29th and through the rest of the summer, both pools are open from 1pm – 5pm, 6pm – 8pm everyday.
Here you can download the Aquatics schedule in PDF form from the City of Port Moody. This has the information about the pubic swim times, any closures that are happening on particular days, as well as swimming lessons that are available at both pools.
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There’s a lot going on in and around the V3H this Saturday and Sunday. It promises to be an action-packed couple of days in our neck of the woods. So if you’re looking for something to do this weekend you’ve come to the right place. 
The Suter Brook Village Country Fair kicks off the weekend on Saturday. The fair runs from 11am until 3pm in Suter Brook Village, at the corner of Murray St. and Ioco Rd. in Port Moody [map]. Admission is free, although donations are encouraged and proceeds will go to the SHARE Society. There will be a barbecue, pony rides, a bouncy castle, giant slide, and more.
The 20th Annual Teddy Bear Picnic will happen on Sunday June 14 in Coquitlam. The Teddy Bear Picnic Parade starts at 10am, and runs from from Coquitlam Centre to Town Centre Park. The picnic itself runs from 11am until 4:30 pm at Town Centre Park. Admission is $3.00 per person (children under 3 are free) and wrist bands can be purchased in advance at City Centre Aquatic Complex, Chimo Pool, Pinetree Community Centre and Club Aviva. There are tons of activities for the kids, some great performers, and the ever popular teddy bear clinic. So remember to bring your stuffed friend along for the day!
A little farther afield a celebration marking the completion of the Golden Ears Bridge, which links Pitt Meadows and Langley, will take place on Sunday June 14. The bridge will open to traffic on June 16, so this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get out and play on the bridge deck. A fun run, sponsored by the Running Room, is going from 8:30 to 10:00. Entry fee is $15, and you can sign up at any Running Room location. Once the runners are clear the bridge deck will open to pedestrians from 11am until 4pm. There are some great performers slated including Rick Tippe, Dehli 2 Dublin and the Langley Ukelele Ensemble. Some other highlights include the ribbon cutting at 1pm and a variety of contests for the chance to win an “I Made History on the Golden Ears Bridge” button. There is no parking, so visitors are asked to park in one of several free lots and ride one of the shuttles to the bridge.
There are clearly no shortage of options for family fun this weekend, so get out and enjoy yourself!
When most people think of touring around to look at historical buildings, it’s an activity we usually associate with a trip to Europe or the Middle East. What we sometimes forget is the breadth of the history that surrounds us everyday here in the Tri-Cities. For people like Bob Hare, history is all around us, if we just know where to look.
The Port Moody Arts Centre
I came across Bob’s photos on Flickr, and started digging through the pictues of local heritage sites and the text that he’s culled from different sources that tell the stories of the buildings he has photographed throughout BC. I had to contact him and learn more about this incredible resource he’s sharing with all of us.
Jolly Olde Bookstore on Murray Street
Bob is an environmental consultant, part of his work is researching the history of sites to find out what businesses have operated there. This led to curiosity about the heritage churches of downtown Vancouver. It all began with a photo of Christ Church Cathedral on Burrard in the fall of 2006. Thousands of photos later Bob is still going strong.
“My favourite historical sites in the Tri-Cities would be Riverview hospital grounds,” Bob says. “There are several heritage buildings there including 3 large buildings with interesting architectural features. The old City hall in Pomo (now the Port Moody Arts Centre) is also a great old building that people can see everyday.”
Original Building at Riverview, opened in 1913
While most owners of heritage buildings are more than happy that people come by to admire, I asked Bob about the recent privacy concerns of the owner of a Port Moody heritage home, and what can be done so we can all enjoy heritage buildings while coexisting with homeowners.
“I agree with her that people should absolutely not walk on other people’s property without permission,” he said. “That’s an invasion of privacy. I personally don’t go on private residences. I always take photos from the street and if I cant get a good shot, I just don’t take the shot. Also, I take the photo and then leave. I don’t hang around – that might bother some people.”
Royal Bank Building - 1914
When asked what we can do to celebrate and preserve our historical sites, Bob said, “What they can do is take photos like what I’m doing to make the public aware of such sites and the importance of the sites.”
Port Moody Old Mill Site
In the past photo collections like these might be found in archives or tucked in corners of museums. With today’s digital cameras and the Web, we can all enjoy and benefit from the work of guys like Bob Hare, who in all sorts of ways work to keep the history of BC alive.
Once again, you can see his constantly evolving collection of pictures on Flickr.
www.flickr.com/photos/bobkh/sets/
If you are sharing photos on Flickr and have pictures of the Tri-Cities that you’d like to share, join our Flickr group and contribute to the photo collection we are building. Or just check it out at…
