Just got news from the City of Port Moody that the Canadian and British figure skating teams that are practicing at the Port Moody Recreation Complex will be holding a couple of open practices. Here’s the info…
The Canadian, Great Britain and US Olympic figure skating teams will be fine tuning their routines at Port Moody’s arena as they prepare for the Winter Games. While these training sessions are closed to the public, both Canada and Great Britain are offering one free public viewing.
Canada
Date: Friday February 12
Time: 10am – 12:45 pm
Location: Port Moody Recreation Complex – Ice Arena 2, 300 Ioco Road
Details: multiple viewing sessions, each of 30-40 minutes duration
Caution: due to limited spectator capacity, be prepared for a lengthy wait
Cost: Free
Great Britain
Date: Tuesday February 16
Time: 4:30-6:00 pm
Location: Port Moody Recreation Complex – Ice Arena 2, 300 Ioco Road
Details: multiple viewing sessions, each of 30-40 minutes duration
Caution: due to limited spectator capacity, be prepared for a lengthy wait
Cost: Free
-Canada and Great Britain are each offering one free session as a special gift to the Port Moody community.
-These two viewings are strictly practice sessions. They are not performances, but will include athletes working on parts of their programs and conferring with coaches.
-Since this is not a performance, there are no tickets sales or advance seating available. All seating will be first come, first served and limited to the upper spectator area – there is no access to rink side or athletes.
-Due to limited seating capacity, staff will accommodate as many people as they can, in shifts of 30-40 minutes duration.
-The public should come prepared for lengthy waiting and the possibility that not all spectators are accommodated.
-No photographs or video are allowed during the viewings.
-For safety and security, we ask our visitors to respect these policies while enjoying the chance to view athletes in their preparation for the Winter Games.
The Festival du Bois has been a staple of the Maillardville social calendar for 21 years. Normally held in early March, this year the festival is doing something a little different. The event has been moved up to welcome locals and visitors alike during the Winter Games, and rebranded as Francophone Village 2010.
The events run this Saturday, February 13th and Sunday, February 14th in Mackin Park, 1046 Brunette Avenue, across the Lougheed Highway from Ikea.
From the press release…
Located in the heart of BC’s largest francophone community, Francophone Village 2010 promises something for the whole family to enjoy. Under the roofs of the massive Grand Chapiteau (Main Tent), Petit Chapiteau (Children’s Tent) or the popular Tente des Ateliers (Workshop Tent), audiences can listen, sing along and even dance to a vibrant and eclectic range of non-stop music, storytelling and other entertainment. Visitors can sample delicious treats like tourtière, maple taffy on snow, maple sugar pie and poutine from on-site vendors, learn fascinating facts about the history of Maillardville, join in games and revel in the warm and welcoming atmosphere that is a hallmark of the festival.
Music will be heard throughout the day under the three tents, with evening headlining concerts. Headlining the Saturday evening concert will be Alpha Yaya Diallo with his Juno Award-winning African and World Music, and Swing, with their modern take on traditional fiddle music. Here’s a video of Alpha Yaya Diallo.
Sunday evening will be the music and storytelling of Jocelyn Bérubé and Dominique Breau. Now the entire performance is in French, so if your French is as good as mine, you’d probably enjoy the earlier musical performances a little more.
Place des Arts is joining in the festivities with an exhibit by André Michel that pays homage to Hudson Bay blankets.
The entire schedule of events can be found at The Village Francophonie schedule.
For more information, visit the event website at www.village2010.com
The Olympics are now only 2 weeks away, and the Olympic Torch is winding its way across the province towards Vancouver. On its route towards its final destination, the flame will pass through all 5 municipalities in the V3H in the early morning on Thursday, February 11. This is a momentous occasion, and there are many special events being held to commemorate it.
The flame will travel across the Burrard Inlet to Belcarra in the very early morning hours, and then travel on to Anmore. The Village of Anmore will welcome the Olympic Torch with a Torch Relay Celebration and Pancake Breakfast. From approximately 6-6:15am (I told you it was very early!) the flame will travel along Sunnyside Road, from the convenience store to the elementary school. At 7am, a pancake breakfast will be held at Anmore Elementary School. All are welcome and the event is free, but registration is required to guarantee space. Finally, at 9am a special assembly will be held at Anmore Elementary for school children and community members.
From Anmore the Torch will travel to Port Moody. It will start at the intersection of Ioco and April Roads, and travel east on Ioco to Knowle Street, stopping for one minute at City Hall sometime between 6:30 and 7:30am. Everyone is invited to come to City Hall to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and cheer on the Torchbearers. The Torch will then travel through Newport Village onto Ungless Way and on to Guildford Way and into Coquitlam.
If you are not an early riser, Port Moody will be holding some events later in the day. A Free Family Skate runs from 4:30-5:30pm at the rec centre. There will be lots of family entertainment including face painting, and light refreshments. Then the Minnesota Twin Cities Northern Lights Junior Hockey Team takes on the Port Moody Black Panthers in the free Canada vs USA Friendly Match at 6pm. There will be tons of prizes and give-aways at the game, and of course some great hockey.
The Torch will travel through Coquitlam towards Port Coquitlam, where the Torch Run Relay will pass through Leigh Square sometime between 7:30-9:30am. Wear red, and enjoy the pancake breakfast. Or if that’s a touch early for you, attend the Spirit Week Kick off at Leigh Square from 6-8pm. There will be a Community Dinner, more entertainment including Fire Dancers and a screened replay of the Torch Relay.
From Port Coquitlam the Torch will make its way towards Coquitlam’s Mackin Park, where Coquitlam’s Community Celebration will take place from 8-10am. There will be entertainment, a visit from Olympic athletes, a chance to win Olympic street banners and, of course, the chance to witness the arrival of the Olympic flame in Coquitlam. This event is free, and you are welcome to stop by at any time. Olympian Chris Wilson will light the cauldron at Mackin Park for the celebration.
The fun will continue at Mackin Park throughout the afternoon with Celebrate Coquitlam. This event runs from 12-10pm and features musical entertainment, children’s activities and and evening show. The event is free up until 8pm, when the evening show featuring the Time Benders starts. Other performers include Les Jammers, Norden the Magician, Shin Myung, Khac Chi Bamboo, Andrew Allen and the ever-fabulous Bobs & Lolo. Place des Arts will be getting in on the fun, too, with Celebrate Place des Arts from 12-4pm. You can experience local art and have something light to eat at the Local Flavour Café.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so seize this chance to get out and see the Olympic Torch as it passes through our community!
And, even if you don’t take the chance, keep in mind that there will be rolling road closures as the Torch makes its way through our region. If you need to get someplace, your best bet is to steer well clear of the Torch route on the morning of February 11, if at all possible.
The City of Port Moody is searching for residents aged 21 and older to volunteer as Port Moody Parking Ambassadors during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. If you are selected, you could win a chance to purchase Olympic event tickets.
The City of Port Moody is a Community Contributor partner with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In that role, the city will provide additional parking for the West Coast Express from February 12 to 28, 2010. In order to facilitate a memorable experience for visitors, they are seeking volunteer parking ambassadors that will meet, greet, answer questions and provide a welcoming atmosphere.
As a Community Contributor partner, the City has access to some 2010 Olympic Winter Games event tickets at face value. These tickets will be made available for purchase by our volunteer parking ambassadors. A limited number of tickets are available, so volunteer names will be entered into a draw, and randomly selected individuals will receive the opportunity to purchase 1 pair of tickets to pre-selected Olympic events. While participation in the ticket purchase opportunity is optional, this is a great chance to represent your community and take part in the Olympic experience at the same time.
The tickets are non-transferrable and, once purchased, must be accepted as awarded and are subject to the ticket rules, regulations and conditions of the ticket issuer. Staff of the City of Port Moody and relatives of staff are ineligible for this ticket draw. You can join the volunteer parking ambassador team by submitting your completed application by 12 noon on December 18, 2009. In order to apply, download an application and submit it to:
Parking Ambassador Program
c/o C. Lefebvre & J. Roemer
300 Ioco Rd, Port Moody, BC V3H 2V7
You can also fax your completed application to 604.469.4560
For further information, contact the Director of Community Services at 604.469.4542. And good luck!
The countdown is on to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler. To celebrate BC GamesTown 2010 is running a contest to celebrate communities that are getting into the spirit.
Port Moody is taking part, and has already been awarded a Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Collateral Prize Pack. At the July 14 Council Meeting Iain Black presented Council with the award for participating in the GamesTown 2010 contest. The prize is an incentive for Port Moody residents to tell the world how local individuals and organizations are making a difference in supporting sport, healthy living, sustainable development, and the Olympic spirit. Mayor Joe Trasolini says “with the recent win, Port Moody is now in the running for the Gold Medal Prize of $100,000 which the City plans to use towards upgrading a healthy living or sport facility – if we can rally enough people’s support and win.”
So, how can residents help Port Moody go for the gold? Submit stories, pictures and videos about all the great initiatives that they, family, friends and, of course, the City are doing to make Port Moody worthy of the GamesTown 2010 title. To submit your entries, or see what other people have submitted, visit Port Moody’s GamesTown 2010 page.
But residents of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam shouldn’t feel left out. Coquitlam’s Gamestown 2010 page is very active, with tons of entries. They even have their own Twitter account, @Coquitlam2010. And Port Coquitlam has a GamesTown page, too. The contest is far from over, so take a moment and make a submission on behalf of your community.
