Pumpkins are a hot commodity at this time of year, either for baking in pies and cooking up delicious treats, or using as centrepieces, decorations, and of course carving Jack O’Lanterns. Last year I wrote a Guide to Pumpkins in Metro Vancouver for Tourism Vancouver so this year I’m going to focus on specific locations. Next up: Ladner and Richmond.
Westham Island. Photo credit:
Ann Hung on Flickr
Pumpkin Patches in Ladner
Westham Island Herb Farm
Location: 4690 Kirkland Road, Delta
Hours: Open daily until October 31st from 9:00am to 5:00pm
Details: The patch offers carving pumpkins ranging in size from grapefruit to some over a hundred pounds, and a colourful assortment of pumpkin types ranging from Baby Boos to Big Max. There is also great variation in pumpkin colour including white, grey, orange, red and variegated along with ornamental gourds, cornstalks, miniature and full-sized hay bales and sweet sugar pumpkins for baking or cooking. Retrieve in the patch or buy from the retail area.
Richmond Country Farms. Photo credit:
Jack on Flickr
Pumpkin Patches in Richmond
Richmond Country Farms
Location: 12900 Steveston Highway, Richmond
Hours: Open Saturday and Sundays 10:00am to 4:30pm and Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 1:30pm. First come first served.
Details: Admission prices do apply and include professional entertainment, a live band, a wagon ride, a Pumpkin (child size only) with a carrying bag, a visit to the animal farm, and a Spartan apple to enjoy. Richmond Country Farms grows fruits and vegetables specializing in corn and pumpkins.
Find more pumpkin patch listings and useful info in the Miss604 archives and stay tuned for the next series of pumpkin patch listings by city.
FlyOver Canada, a fantastic flight simulation ride for all ages at Canada Place is hosting a Halloween-themed experience again this year, adding some spine-tingling entertainment to its popular, must-see attraction for Halloween.
Broomelda, the headmistress of the Haunted Witch Academy, will take aspiring witches and ghouls through a spooktacular adventure to test their bravery and see if they have what it takes to graduate from the World Famous Witch Academy.
This year, the spine-chilling experience begins with the Witch Academy Pre-Show and Haunted Hallway, and then concludes with the 8-minute ultimate broomstick ride –FlyOver Canada. Upon landing, you will be granted your very own Official Witch Academy Diploma – that is, if you survive.
The 30 minute experience (preshow, boarding zone, and the 8 minute Ultimate Flying Ride) will have you taking off into the giant dome screen with the latest in projection and ride technology creating a true flying experience complete with wind, scents, and mist. You’ll soar over the country from coast, to coast to coast.
Halloween FlyOver Canada shows will run every 15 to 20 minutes daily from October 10, 2014 to November 2, 2014. Admission for adults (18+) is $16.95 and children (17 years and under) is $9.95. Tickets are available in advance online. Children must be at least 102cm (40″) to enter.
Entrance times are every 15 to 20 minutes between 10:00am and 9:00pm daily. Witches and wizards of all ages are encouraged to dress up. Follow FlyOver Canada on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
What’s scarier than an amusement park at night? How about one that’s purposely trying to spook you with terrifying rides, attractions, and mysterious creatures roaming the grounds? Fright Nights return to Playland October 10th to November 1st with a new haunted house added to its lineup of frightful features.
It is said that cloaked men lurk through the abandoned Keepers Doll Factory searching for human sacrifices to harvest limbs from. Those who enter the Factory might leave with a few less parts and a few extra cracks than they came in with. This experience is not one for the faint of heart. But a new house is not the only feature to be excited for – or fearful of.
This latest attraction will be open along with six other haunted houses and thirteen rides. The world’s craziest two-man comedy circus show, the Monsters of Schlock, also return to put on their amazing stunt show while the Kinshira Performance Troupe will be mesmerizing guests with their fiery performance.
Fright Nights at Playland Hours and Admission
Fright Nights will be open October 10th to November 1st and closed on traditionally slower nights: October 13th, 14th, 15th, 20th, 21st, and 27th. Hours are 7:00pm to 11:00pm, 12:00pm, or 1:00am depending on the day. A full calendar is available online.
Guests will have the option to purchase a Fast Pass, which offers the same access as a regular gate pass PLUS access to an expedited line for each Haunted House. Guests will also be able to save $3 purchasing tickets at participating 7-Eleven locations or online.
Due to the overwhelming demand, Fright Nights is putting a cap on the number of tickets sold per day. Tickets must be purchased for a specific date. Event nights have limited availability and may sell out. Admission includes unlimited access to all seven haunted houses, shows and 13 rides. (There is an additional charge for the Revelation.) Parking is not included.
Warning! Definitely not recommended for ages 12 and under, seniors 65+, people with sensitivity to strobe lighting, people with high blood pressure, heart conditions, pregnant women or scaredy cats. Absolutely no guest costumes allowed.
Win Tickets
Enter to win a 4-pack of tickets to Fright Nights at Playland:
- Leave a comment with something that would scare you in a haunted house (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Follow Playland on Twitter and Facebook for more information about Fright Nights. I will draw one winner at random from all entries on Thursday, October 9, 2014 at 12:00pm.
Update The winner is Joanne!
Pumpkins are a hot commodity at this time of year, either for baking in pies and cooking up delicious treats, or using as centrepieces, decorations, and of course carving Jack O’Lanterns. Last year I wrote a Guide to Pumpkins in Metro Vancouver for Tourism Vancouver so this year I’m going to focus on specific locations, starting with pumpkin patches in Surrey.
Rondriso Farm photo credit
Ken Chow on Flickr
Pumpkin Patches in Surrey
Rondriso Farm
Location: 8390 172nd St, Surrey
Hours: Pumpkin patch is now open with hay wagon rides down to the patch from 10:00am to 6:00pm on weekends, holidays and professional days. Open 3:00pm to 6:00pm on weekdays for the last two weeks of October. Visitors can also see the cows and calves in the barn.
Details: Pre-picked pumpkins, mini-pumpkins, gourds, cornstalks and hay bales available for sale at the farm stand along with winter vegetables.
Boze Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch
Location: 64th and 156th St, Surrey
Hours: Open until October 13, 2014. Thursdays and Fridays 6:00pm to 8:00pm, Saturdays 12:00pm to 8:00pm, Sundays and holiday Mondays 12:00pm to 4:00pm.
Details: Admission fees apply for the corn maze. Orange or white, small, medium, large and very large pumpkins available for purchase.
Hazelmere Pumpkin Patch
Location: 18507 20th Ave, Surrey
Hours: Open every weekend in October, 10:00am to 5:00pm. Open late until 9:00pm on Saturday, October 18th and Saturday, October 25th for spooky nighttime fun.
Details: Admission is $4 per person and it includes hayride, petting zoo admission, and mini maze. Cash only for admission and for pumpkin purchases. Pumpkins are sold by size, $1 and up.
Art Knapp Plantland
Location: 4391 King George Blvd, Surrey
Hours: Open daily in October from 9:00am to 5:30pm. Seasonal train rides and mini golf run 9:00am to 4:00pm daily. Train rides take you to the pumpkin patch.
Port Kells Nurseries Pumpkin Patch
Location: 18730 88th Ave, Surrey
Hours: Open daily in October from 9:00am to 6:00pm
Details: Free admission, includes hayride, access to the chicken coop, haunted house, hay maze, and goat palace. Pumpkins available for purchase, and snacks are available for purchase in The Pumpkin Cafe. 80 pumpkin varieties, from ornamental gourds to carving pumpkins and some best for pumpkin pie. Every attempt is made to make the patch “mud free” and all paths are topped with woodchips for stroller and wheelchair access. Wagons are available for transporting the pumpkins and cloth bags are recommended for carrying pumpkins.
Find more pumpkin patch listings and useful info in the Miss604 archives and stay tuned for the next series of pumpkin patch listings by city.
The 10th annual Canuck Place Gift of Time Gala took place Saturday, September 27th at the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver. The black tie reception and dinner brought together community supporters, families, businesses, and friends in support of an amazing cause. As the Social Media Sponsor, I had the pleasure to attend the event and while following the program in person, I shared messages and photos from attendees using the tag #GOTGala on Twitter and Instagram.
Canuck Place Gift of Time Gala Wrap Up
365 days a year, Canuck Place Children’s Hospice (CPCH) cares for 560 children with life-threatening illnesses and the families who love them. One night a year, the Gift of Time Gala provides a fundraising boost through a live auction, silent auction, raffle, and various other generous donations. The event itself is very special and on Saturday, the first thing my sister and I saw when we entered the Westin Bayshore lobby were inspirational posters on easels, immediately setting the tone of the evening:
Life’s journey is who you are with and how you are with them. Hope. Light Love.
After registering and picking up an auction card, guests were served cocktails, provided with a TELUS photobooth opportunity, and the chance to browse sparkling jewels provided by Cavalier Jewellers before entering the main reception area. Once through the white curtains, silent auction items were laid out by category (for example technology, spa experiences, kids items, etc.) and ready for bids. Resident CPCH PADS dog Poppy Poppy, was also making the rounds, posing with guests and volunteers.
When it was time to enter the grand ballroom the doors opened and I gasped as I walked through to the space and was hit with a dreamy landscape. Simon Cooksley’s red event design was stunning with red Murano glass chandeliers, floral arrangements bursting with dahlias and roses, red candelabras, silver chairs, and sparkling accents.
This is the now. The moment you are in. Live it well with a loving heart.
The evening’s program kicked off with a performance from the MEI Screaming’ Eagles Marching Band and then the evening’s emcee, Global BC’s Chris Gailus, took over on stage.
The program alternated between dinner courses, performances including Alyssa Gutierrez and Affinity Dance, live auctions by Trevor Moravec of Ritchie Bros. Nebraska, silent auction updates and trips to the wine cellar to bid on tens of thousands of dollars worth of old and new world wines.
The evening’s speakers always provide insight, including Jill Schnarr, VP of Community Affairs at TELUS, who announced that over two decades, TELUS has given over $2.5 million over in support to Canuck Place. On Saturday, TELUS matched a $77,000 gift for a live auction item to fund medicine and minor equipment.
Every year a courageous family heads up on stage to tell their story and share their Canuck Place experience. This year it was the brave parents of Sam Treschow, who would have been 24 years old the following day. Jill and Michael Treschow started on the Canuck Place program when Sam was 7 years old. The Kelowna pair said that, “Canuck Place was a haven for our worst kind of fears. Not a haven from them, but for them.” They shared the full story of their journey with Sam at Canuck Place. “There’s a certain kind of gift in knowing life will be short – you want to pack in life and savour it.” What they loved most about Canuck Place was that their whole family was taken care of by the whole staff.
Other speakers included CPCH’s Medical Director, Dr. Hal Siden who said, “We never give up on providing comfort for the kids on our program.”
To say the evening is moving is an understatement. You can’t help but feel deep sorrow when families speak but then at the same time you get lifted up so high with so much love and hope that it is palpable.
As the evening came to a close, before the dance floor opened up, the live auction ramped up. Bids for experiences like a private dinner for 40 with Chef David Hawksworth or a suite at the 5 Seconds of Summer concert went for upwards of $16,000. By the end of the night, over $1 million was raised for Canuck Place.
Donations help fund respite care, medical care, pain and symptom management, meals, recreation therapy, education, art, counselling, music and play therapy for children with life-threatening illnesses and the families who love them. With these generous gifts, Canuck Place can provide care for newborns, children, and teens with respite days which is a large part of what they do. There are currently over 560 kids and families in the Canuck Place program.
You can support Canuck Place at any time through online donations, volunteer opportunities, or a wealth of other avenues. Follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information about their organization, their work with BC families (including a second provincial location, Canuck Place Children’s Hospice – Dave Lede House Abbotsford) and ways that you can get involved.
