Beyond Canada Day in the Tri-Cities

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This is a busy week in the V3H! We have Canada Day and the Golden Spike Days Festival, which we’ve already filled you in on. But the fun doesn’t stop there! Read on for even more ways to get out and enjoy the summer.

What: Family Fun Nights at the Mall
When: Wednesday, June 30 from 6-9pm
Where: Coquitlam Centre Mall [map]
The skinny: Children aged 3 to 10 and their parents are invited to join Tri-City Librarians at Coquitlam Centre Mall for Family Fun Nights on the last Wednesday of each month. Imagine, play and learn through stories, songs, arts and more. No registration is required – please drop in. Meet on the Lower level in front of London Drugs and the Toy Jungle.
More info: 604.464.1414 or 604.937.4142

What: Nazareth
When: Friday, July 2 at 8pm
Where: Red Robinson Show Theatre [map]
The skinny: The Scottish rock & roll band Nazareth began in the early 60s as The Shadettes with Dan McCafferty on vocals, Pete Agnew on bass and Darrell Sweet on drums but after the addition of lead guitarist Manny Charlton in 1968, the guys decided they needed a name change and found it in the first line of the song “The Weight” by The Band – “I pulled into Nazareth.” Their first hit was “Broken Down Angel” from their 1973 album, Razamanaz. The current line-up is McCafferty and Agnew along with lead guitarist, Jimmy Murrison and Agnew’s son, Lee Agnew on drums. Fans and music critics alike describe the current line-up as a mature yet very refreshing experience.
More info: 280.4444

What: Live @ Leigh Square
When: Saturday, July 3 and every Saturday after through the summer from 1:30-3:30pm
Where: Leigh Square [map]
The skinny: Bring your lawn chair or picnic blanket and enjoy some wonderful Saturday afternoon entertainment provided by local talent. All shows are free and are performed at the Leigh Square Bandshell in downtown Port Coquitlam.
More info: 604.927.8440 or chuiy@portcoquitlam.ca

What: Johnny Rivers
When: Saturday, July 3 at 8pm
Where: Red Robinson Show Theatre [map]
The skinny: Legendary solo superstar, known for his rousing vocals and soulful guitar leads is finally coming back to Vancouver. Johnny Rivers has done it all – 17 gold records, 28 chart hits, 2 Grammy Awards, more than 30 million albums sold. Johnny Rivers has just released new album – “Shadows on the Moon”. This album is an emotional journey into the world of Johnny Rivers which marks a complete departure from any of his previous work.
More info: 280.4444

What: Music in the Park
When: Sunday, July 4 and every Sunday after through the summer from 2-4pm
Where: Lions Park [map]
The skinny: Bring your lawn chair, a picnic and the entire family to Lions Park this summer! Music in the Park is a series of free concerts held in Lions Park. Free parking, shade trees, picnic tables and a large playground make Lions Park a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon. You can also enjoy the original artwork of local artists provided by the Art Focus Artists’ Association.
More info: 604.927.8440 or chuiy@portcoquitlam.ca

What: The Great Smartini Magic Show
When: Monday, July 5 from 3-4pm
Where: Terry Fox Library [map]
The skinny: What could be better than magic, music and monkeys? This year’s Summer Reading Club rocks with The Great Smartini and his trusty side kick Coconut the Talking Chimp. You’d have to be bananas to miss this kind of zany magical fun. This high-energy show also features the magical talents of 11-year-old Hannah Christensen. Come prepared to have big fun at this family friendly event.
More info: 604.927.7999

What: Spirit Lunches at Spirit Square
When: Tuesday, July 6 and every Tuesday after through the summer from 12-1pm
Where: Coquitlam Spirit Square [map]
The skinny: Looking for something to do over lunch? Drop by Spirit Square for free workshops all summer long. Try salsa dancing, traditional African drumming, or just enjoy the show.
More info: 604.927.6952 or spiritsquare@coquitlam.ca

What: Outdoor Pool Theme Swim
When: Wednesday, July 7 and every Wednesday after through the summer from 1-3pm
Where: Centennial Pool at Aggie Park [map]
The skinny: Bring your lawn chair, a picnic and the entire family down to Centennial Pool for a fun-filled Wednesday afternoon. On cloudy or rainy days, the swim will take place at Hyde Creek Recreation Centre. Call first to confirm this theme swim is happening!
More info: 604.927.7946 or parksrec@portcoquitlam.ca

What: Spirit of Family at Spirit Square
When: Wednesday, July 7 and every Wednesday after through the summer from 5-7pm
Where: Coquitlam Spirit Square [map]
The skinny: Celebrate the Spirit of Family this summer at Spirit Square. Bring your family for a fun night of activities and entertainment for all ages, including crafts and play time. All activities are weather permitting and subject to change.
More info: 604.927.6952 or spiritsquare@coquitlam.ca

Have a great week, and happy Canada Day! Eh.

Golden Spike Days Festival comes to Port Moody this week

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The largest community event in Port Moody is back for a 34th year. The Golden Spike Days Festival will take place in Rocky Point Park from Thursday, July 1st to Sunday, July 4th. TheV3H.com is a proud media partner of the festival for our second year.

The Golden Spike Days Festival was created to commemorate the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway line and its arrival at the Port Moody Station, the western terminus; with the last spike driven on November 7, 1885. The Golden Spike Days Festival is one of the oldest and longest running family events in British Columbia. The festival will attract upwards of 40,000 attendees, and will feature live entertainment, events, activites, competitions, food, and of course, Can-Can Dancers.

HOURS OF OPERATION
Thursday, July 1st – 11am to 11pm
Friday, July 2nd – 11am to 11pm
Saturday, July 3rd – 11 am to 11 pm
Sunday, July 4th – 11am to 6 pm

Admission is by donation

There were some bumps on the road to putting on the festival this year. With the changes in arts funding from the BC government, the Festival hosted a fundraising event in January. In February, the federal government kicked in some cash, and through corporate and community contributions, the Festival is on again this year. None of this means that the festival doesn’t need the financial and volunteer support of the entire community, so make sure you throw some extra money in the donation box this year to make sure we have a festival for years to come. We had a great time at last year’s festival, and I can’t wait for this year’s edition.

You want entertainment? You’ve got entertainment. Here’s the lineup…

Thursday, July 1st

12:00 – 12:15: Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
12:15 – 12:30: Spike Driving Competition
12:30 – 01:00: Caulfield School Of Dance
01:00 – 01:45: CANADA DAY CELEBRATION
01:45 – 02:45: Blaming Taylor
02:45 – 03:00: Tony Prophet
03:00 – 04:00: Charlotte Diamond
04:00 – 05:00: Elsa Sainas Band
05:00 – 05:15: Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
05:15 – 06:00: FESTIVAL OPENING CEREMONY
06:00 – 07:00: The Faceplants
07:00 – 07:45: David ‘Boxcar’ Gates
07:45 – 08:00: Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
08:00 – 09:00: Randy Oxford Band
09:00 – 11:00: Current Swell

Friday, July 2nd

12:00 – 12:45: Tony Prophet
12:45 – 01:00: Spike Driving Competition
01:00 – 01:45: The Inlet Big Band
01:45 – 02:00: Hot Salsa Dance Zone Company
02:00 – 02:45: Spike Driving Competition
02:15 – 03:00: The Transients
03:00 – 04:00: The Lazy Susans
04:00 – 04:15: Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
06:00 – 08:00: Naden Band
08:00 – 09:00: Highrise Lonesome
09:00 – 11:00: Barney Bentall & Band

Saturday, July 3rd

12:00 – 12:30: Tony Prophet
12:30 – 12:45: Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
12:45 – 01:00: Spike Driving Competition
01:00 – 01:30: Diamond Country Dancers
01:30 – 02:00: Encore Dance Academy
02:00 – 02:45: Cassandra Bangel
02:45 – 03:00: Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
03:00 – 04:00: Port Moody Idol Semi-Finals
04:00 – 05:00: Rod Boss, Magician
05:00 – 05:45: Chimpanzebras
05:45 – 06:00: Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
06:00 – 07:00: In Harms Way
07:00 – 08:00: Mud Dog Band
08:00 – 09:00: Red Hot Blues Sisters
09:00 – 09:15: Can Can Dancers
09:15 – 11:00: Wide Mouth Mason

Sunday, July 4th

12:00 – 12:15: Can Can Dancers
12:15 – 12:30: Tony Prophet
12:30 – 01:15: C.A.P.A Dance and Drama School
01:15 – 02:15: Port Moody Idol Finals
02:15 – 03:00: Nikki Werner Band
03:00 – 04:00: Arsen Shomakhov Band
04:00 – 04:15: Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
04:15 – 06:00: Lee Aaron

For performer bios, check out the Festival website. You can get a downloadable, printable, handsome looking PDF guide to the entertainment and attractions here.

Tell us what your favourite Golden Spike memory is, either here in the comments or on theV3H Facebook Page. My favourite has to be last year when my daughter Hannah went once with her grandparents, once with us, and both times came home with a picture with the Can Can Dancers. To this day, when anyone asks her what she wants to be when she grows up, the answer is “Can Can Dancer.”

See you there, I’ll be the guy with theV3H.com video camera and the lemonade with the real lemon in it.

Canada Day in the Tri-Cities

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Canada Day is less than a week away here in the V3H. But never fear! We have tracked down plenty of ways to celebrate our nation’s big 143 on Thursday, July 1.

Anmore’s Canada Day Celebrations are running from 3-5pm at Spirit Park [map]. There will be food, music and games, and a whole lot of love for Canada. For more information call 604.469.9877.

Canada Day in Coquitlam happens from 12:30-10:30pm at Lafarge Lake and Evergreen Cultural Centre [map]. There will be lots of high-energy entertainment on the Coquitlam Stage, including Delhi 2 Dublin and Bobs & Lolo. The Cultural Stage highlights the amazing cultural talent right in our own backyard, and the Evergreen Stage will have family-friendly entertainment including Kellie Haines. You can eat at Taste of Coquitlam, with food from some great Coquitlam residents, you can shop at the Artisan Market, you can create art at the Arts Activities and you can have some fun at Adventure Village. And then at dusk look over Lafarge Lake for the Light Up the Night finale! For more information call 604.927.6978.

There’s lots happening on Canada Day in Port Coquitlam. From 8-11:30am you can catch the Lions Club Pancake Breakfast and the 9th Annual Fishing Derby for kids 12 and under at Lions Park [map]. And then from noon until dusk the action moves to Castle Park [map]. Following the Opening Ceremonies, the Community Showcase, Children’s Activities and International Bazaar run from 12:30-5:30pm. The fabulous Firefighter’s Salmon Barbecue starts at 4pm and Evening Entertainment is planned for 6-10pm. To wrap it all up, there will be fireworks at dusk. For more information call 604.927.7935.

Port Moody Station Museum is celebrating Canada Day with free fun from 11am to 4pm [map]. Win a prize for finding the golden spike in the popular Golden Spike scavenger hunt. Watch old fashioned train comedy from the Three Stooges and Little Rascals. See the 1886 model train display in action then create your own train or take turns dressing as a train conductor and engineer. There’s even free Canada Day cake! For more information call 604.939.1648.

Top 5 Stories of 2009

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We are a few days into 2010 and the leftover turkey that has kept me napping throughout the holiday season has finally vacated our fridge. As we come out of the holiday season, it’s a fun time to look back at the year that was. From this website’s inception in April to the green Christmas we just enjoyed, it’s been a great first 9 months for us.

So without further ado, here are the top 5 stories of 2009, as voted by the number of pageviews.

5. Port Moody Outdoor Pools Open

While summer may seem like a long long time ago, the middle of June brought us some sunshine and the opening of the outdoor pools in Port Moody. Just remember, we’re only 6 months away from outdoor splashing once again.

4. Federal By-Election in New Westminster-Coquitlam

On November 9th, the Federal By-Election was held in the riding of New Westminster-Coquitlam. We published interviews with all the candidates in the weeks leading up to the election. When Diana Dilworth became a little hard to find by the local media, our interview with her became quite popular. In the end, Fin Donnelly parlayed his popularity as a Coquitlam councillor and his formidable river swimming skills to secure the riding for the NDP.

3. Christmas Lights in the V3H

One of the best things about Christmas are the light displays. When the days get short, there’s nothing better than seeing a street lit up with coloured festive lights. So with the help of my daughter Hannah, we set out to see as many houses as we could and make a multimedia map with pictures and video. The videos and map were a big hit, so much so that we also made a map for where to dispose of your Christmas trees. Look for more features like that in 2010.

2. Canada Day in and around the V3H

The biggest pageview day in the history of theV3H.com was Canada Day, when almost 1000 of you came by to find a Canada Day party. Needed some Canada Day fun? We had you covered.

1. White Pine Beach Closed to Swimming

On July 17th, Metro Vancouver announced a swimming advisory at White Pine Beach, due to higher than usual fecal coliform levels in the lake. The next morning, we put up a small post about the advisory. Over the next few days, 1,892 of you read the article and generated a sizeable comment stream. On July 21st, the advisory was taken down, but the article remained popular throughout the summer. Our theory is that there really hasn’t been a lot written about White Pine Beach online, so to this day when I Google “White Pine Beach”, our article is still near the top of the search results. Goes to show that when you’re writing online, you never really know what’s going to interest people until you see the results.

Thanks to all of you for your comments, suggestions, and for coming back and visiting again and again. In 2009 we welcomed 7,951 unique visitors and had over 20,000 pageviews. We couldn’t do it without you. If you like what you read here, consider joining our mailing list to get our brand of local coverage delivered to you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Thanks so much for a great 2009, and we look forward to meeting more of you and making more connections in 2010.

Canada Day In and Around the V3H

canadaday

canadaday

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!

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