New Westminster 150 Heritage Trolley Tour

It’s New Westminster’s 150th anniversary so they’re celebrating with events and activities throughout the year. Yesterday while out and about for my third annual Sapperton Days adventure I found out about a heritage trolley tour taking place next weekend.

Six trolleys will be running around town on Saturday, June 20th and you can hop on/hop off at any of the designated stops from 11:00am until 4:00pm. You’ll be able to explore various places of significance in Western Canada’s oldest city and the first capital of BC. Here’s what you can look forward to at each stop, as outlined in The Record.

Hyack Square (Columbia and Eighth streets)
The Downtown New Westminster Business Improvement Society is holding its Royal Tea, and city official say this will be the hub of activity throughout the day. Quick tidbit, the word hyack means hurry or ‘quickly, quickly‘ in the Chinook trade language.

Uptown (Sixth and Sixth)
Family fair with games, food, and entertainment outside Royal City Centre shopping mall.

12th Street (at Seventh Avenue)
A costumed conductor will welcome people to 12th Street, where they can enjoy cancan dancers, clowns, face painting and live music.

Arts Council of New Westminster (in Queen’s Park)
At the Arts Council enjoy entertainment and an art exhibit about the city’s art history. People are also invited to take a short guided walking tour of some of the heritage homes of the Queen’s Park neighbourhood (the first of three tours starts at noon).

Quayside (Inn at the Quay or Reliance Court on Quayside Drive)
Celebrate National Aboriginal Day (June 21) at the centre and listen to Musqueam First Nation storyteller Larry Grant. There is no admission charge to the centre for trolley tour participants.

Sapperton Plaza (East Columbia and Knox streets)
Entertainment and an open house at Knox Presbyterian Church.

Queensborough (Port Royal Community Garden)
Enjoy a garden party at the Port Royal Community Garden. People can enjoy cold beverages and “delicious savouries” and hear about the benefits of gardening in a community setting and pick up some helpful gardening tips.

New Westminster Museum and Archives (302 Royal Ave)
Enjoy the museum’s current exhibition, The Birth of the Royal City, which explores the first decade of New Westminster’s life as the first city west of the Great Lakes.

Irving House
Storytelling and music will take place from 11:00am – 3:00pm at historic (and rumoured to be haunted) Irving House off Royal Avenue.

There will be about 30 minutes to explore each stop before moving on to the next. Only about 1,000 tickets are available from New Westminster Scotiabank locations or the Parks and Recreation Administration Office. They’re $10 for a family of four or $5 (per adult) / $2 (seniors and youth) and also include a 15-minute boat ride by Paddlewheeler Riverboat Tours, from the Quay to Queensborough.