As we ring in the new year, we often look back as we move forward. Thanks to the late, great Chuck Davis for his History of Metropolitan Vancouver, and the City of Vancouver Archives, we can take note of some major events and milestones that happened 100 years ago in Vancouver:
Vancouver in 1916
February 14, 1916 The first trans-Canada telephone call was placed. It was between Vancouver and Montreal. The circuit ran 6,763 kilometres through Buffalo, Chicago, Omaha, Salt Lake City and Portland, Oregon. Not until 1932 was a telephone line for an all-Canada connection completed.
May 4, 1916 The first convocation for conferring of degrees was held by UBC.
May 16, 1916 The new post office opened up on Main Street. Postal Station C is known today as Heritage Hall.
Photo of the postal station in 1917. Archives# CVA 99-356. Photographer: Stuart Thomson
June 2, 1916 The Buzzer began publishing. Today it’s still a resource for riding transit in the Lower Mainland.
July 1916 The spectacular second Hotel Vancouver opened. It was closed in May of 1939 when the present Hotel Vancouver opened and demolished in 1949.
Photo of the second Hotel Vancouver in 1920. Archives# CVA 371-884. Canadian Photo Company.
Also in 1916…
Vancouver aldermen voted to open civic offices to women.
The first grain elevator was built in Vancouver.
The Vancouver Shakespeare Society was formed.
Fred Deeley, Sr. acquired the Harley-Davidson franchise here, becoming its second oldest dealership.
West Vancouver began its municipal bus service, which would become known as the “Blue Buses”.
Stanley Park’s Lost Lagoon became landlocked, an artificial lake created by construction of a causeway. It got its curious name (now inaccurate) from poet Pauline Johnson, who remarked how the lagoon disappeared at low tide.
Photo from 1898, before Lost Lagoon was created/landlocked. Archives #St Pk P225
Industrial construction began on Granville Island. At the time it was 36 acres in size, 10 feet above highwater mark.
Construction began on the Pantages Theatre on Hastings Street. It was finished in 1917 (in 2011 it was demolished).
The UBC Botanical Garden was established, the oldest university botanical garden in Canada, today featuring 70 acres of plants from around the world, set in a coastal forest, including 400 species of rhododendron.
Though I’ve seen The Nutcracker every year for quite a few years now (and twice this month) it was only after watching Alberta Ballet’s rendition on Tuesday night (presented by BC Ballet), that I think I fully understood the ballet. There was a clarity and crispness to the dancers’ moves in how they communicated the surreal story of a young girl named Klara who gets a doll and watches as the world changes around her.
Alberta Ballet’s The Nutcracker, Presented by Ballet BC
There wasn’t a superfluous moment in Edmund Stripe’s choreography which helped keep the this ballet, which has a tendency to be made overly complicated, lucid. However, having said that, Stripe was able maintain the dreamlike and magical nature of the ballet. From the way the Snow Queen fluttered across stage en pointe to the gorgeously angular movements of the wolf dancer, to the crawling of the mice across the floor, there was an elegance, magic, and cohesion that I’ve never witnessed before in another version of the The Nutcracker.
When watching past performances, my attention usually wanes by the time The Sugar Plum Fairy and Her Cavalier arrive. But Luna Sasaki and Garrett Groat totally blew me away and kept me memorized every moment they were on stage. As did The Nutcracker/Karl, played by Nicolas Pelletier who, for me, embodied (and looked like) what The Nutcracker ought to–athletic, elegant, and very handsome (when his mask came out, there were a couple gasps of delight in the audience).
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s enhanced the ballet, and this particular aspect of the performance was such a treat for me (because I’m a huge fan) and really added to the spirit and collaboration and coming together of the season by being part of Alberta Ballet’s The Nutcracker, presented by BC Ballet.
The last performance of The Nutcracker is today at 2:00pm and a few tickets are still available.
We’re saying goodbye to 2015 and ringing in 2016 with the annual Polar Bear Swim followed by theatrical productions, fundraisers, and dining events throughout January. This event list is updated several times a week so check back often and submit your events (for FREE) via the contact form.
January Events in Metro Vancouver
Jump to: Monday, January 4 to Sunday, January 10, 2016
Jump to: Monday, January 11 to Sunday, January 17, 2016
Jump to: Monday, January 18 to Sunday, January 24, 2016
Jump to: Monday, January 25 to Sunday, January 31, 2016
Multi-Day Events
Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green below.
Friday, January 1, 2016
Polar Bear Swims: Vancouver, White Rock, North Vancouver
Bipolar Swim, Ambleside Beach, West Vancouver
Gateway Theatre Presents: The Wizard of Oz
Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge
Bright Nights Christmas Train in Stanley Park
Enchanted Nights at the Bloedel Conservatory
Pacific Theatre Presents: A Christmas Carol on the Air
Skating at Robson Square Ice Rink
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Tree Chip-In, Surrey
Coquitlam 125: Active Coquitlam
Nat Bailey Farmers Market
Gateway Theatre Presents: The Wizard of Oz
Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge
Bright Nights Christmas Train in Stanley Park
Enchanted Nights at the Bloedel Conservatory
Pacific Theatre Presents: A Christmas Carol on the Air
Skating at Robson Square Ice Rink
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Mount Pleasant Tree Chipping
Ten Ten Tapas: Lincoln on Alto Sax
Hastings Park Farmers Market
Gateway Theatre Presents: The Wizard of Oz
Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge
Enchanted Nights at the Bloedel Conservatory
Skating at Robson Square Ice Rink
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There has been a 4.9 magnitude earthquake in Metro Vancouver tonight. It struck 23km north of Victoria and has been felt all around BC’s south coast. The National Tsunami Warning Center confirms there is no tsunami danger.
This quake at 11:39pm follows another that measured 4.4 and struck several hours earlier near San Bernardino, California. [Source: News1130]
No damage has been reported but SkyTrain and Canada Line systems in Vancouver are shutting down so that crews can perform maintenance checks.
Earthquake in Metro Vancouver
In Downtown Vancouver, we experienced a rolling shake in our house. Online, many are reporting of much more of an impact in their area, from the feeling of an explosion to much more intense shaking.
https://twitter.com/ElEhYouAreEh/status/682114465710510080
https://twitter.com/nlpaiva/status/682114834905731072
https://twitter.com/wordcakes/status/682114145437650944
Information on what to do in the event of an earthquake is available online through the City of Vancouver. The city offers free planning workshops several times a month.
You can also follow EmergencyInfoBC on Twitter and make sure your 72 hour emergency preparedness kit is ready.
Update 12:20am: Natural Resources Canada says magnitude 4.3; US Geo Survey says 4.9. Still no reports of any damage. BC Hydro says there is no damage to transmission or distribution systems, and no power outages due to the earthquake.
It was in 1920 that Peter Pantages created the Polar Bear Swim Club in Vancouver and the brisk ocean dip has been a New Year’s Day tradition for the last 96 years.
Peter Pantages on a snowy Vancouver beach in 1927. Archives# CVA 99-1786.
Polar Bear Swim Vancouver
The Vancouver Polar Bear Swim takes place at 2:30pm on the first day of each new year. Costumes and the Peter Pantages Memorial 100 yard swim race are the highlights of this event. To be a club member you must register before the swim, it’s free. Prizes are drawn from all registrations. Register in front of the English Bay Bathhouse between 12:30pm and 2:30pm on January 1. The Greater Vancouver Food Bank will be accepting donations of non-perishable food or cash.
Around the 1950s, the participation was approximately 250 to 300 swimmers. Today, anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 swimmers participate (record to-date 2,550 in 2014) and 5,000 to 10,000 spectators come out to cheer them on.
Polar Bear Swim White Rock
The 46th annual Polar Bear Swim in White Rock will take place January 1, 2016 and will feature music, coffee, hot chocolate and hot dog vendors. Onsite registration opens at 11:00am, and swim begins at 12:00pm. Participants are encouraged to dress in costumes, and gather for the noon plunge at the legendary “white rock” just east of the White Rock Pier.
Polar Bear Swim North Vancouver
Deep Cove Panorama Park hosts the annual Penguin Plunge on January 1st from 12:30pm to 3:00pm, with the plunge promptly taking place at 2:00pm. Enjoy live music, food and refreshments. Registration is free but donations are accepted, supporting North Shore Rescue.
