The 72 year old Ovaltine Cafe is one of the most recognizable diners in Vancouver, but not necessarily because of its (reasonably-priced) food or its Yelp reviews. Its iconic neon signs, installed in 1948 and 1943 by Wallace Neon, and old school look make it a prime filming location, from Da Vinci’s Inquest and The X-Files to I, Robot, Fringe, Almost Human, and Supernatural. Located at 251 East Hastings, it’s a neighbourhood institution that serves up $3.95 breakfasts and plenty of memories. As such, The Ovaltine Cafe is today’s Vancouver Icons photo feature:
Historian John Atkin worries about the Ovaltine’s chances for survival with scant customers and low-priced fare. Diminished evening hours mean customers no longer see neon reflected down the long counter, but he doesn’t want the cafe “hipsterized” and serving craft beer. “What I like about it is it sits in the neighbourhood, it’s a reminder of what the neighbourhood was like in its heyday and yet it’s still here and it’s not trying to be anything. It’s just the Ovaltine,” he said. [Source: Vancouver Courier]
Previous Vancouver Icons posts: The English Bay Slide, Freezing Water #7, Cleveland Dam, Heritage Hall, School of Theology Building at UBC, Gate to the Northwest Passage, St Paul’s Hospital, Capilano Lake, Stawamus Chief, Nine O’Clock Gun, Malkin Bowl, Search, Vancouver Rowing Club, Echoes, Point Atkinson Lighthouse, English Bay Inukshuk, Hollow Tree, Hotel Europe, Lions Gate Bridge Lions, LightShed, Granville Bridge, 217.5 Arc x 13′, Canoe Bridge, Vancouver Block, Bloedel Conservatory, Centennial Rocket, Canada Place, Old Courthouse/Vancouver Art Gallery, Dominion Building, Science World, Gastown Steam Clock, SFU Burnaby, Commodore Lanes, Siwash Rock, Kitsilano Pool, White Rock Pier, Main Post Office, Planetarium Building, Lord Stanley Statue, Vancouver Library Central Branch, Victory Square, Digital Orca, The Crab Sculpture, Girl in Wetsuit, The Sun Tower, The Hotel Vancouver, The Gassy Jack Statue, The Marine Building, and The Angel of Victory. Should you have a suggestion for the Vancouver Icons series please feel free to leave a note in the comments. It should be a thing, statue, or place that is very visible and recognizable to the public.
The BC Sports Hall of Fame is gearing up to celebrate its 2014 inductees at the annual 46th Annual Banquet of Champions, taking place September 25th at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
Miss604 is a proud media partner of this event and I am honoured to shine the spotlight on the Class of 2014.
2014 Inductees
The British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame has selected ten individuals and one team for induction as part of its 2014 class.
“The 2014 Class of Inductees to be honoured by the BC Sports Hall of Fame showcases the best of the best in BC sport,” said Marion Lay, Honoured Member and chair of the Selection Committee. “Our selection committee did an outstanding job of sifting through 115 nominations; we thank them and the members of the public who take the time to submit nominations.”
Induction recognizes excellence in sport, contribution to sport and the impact on sport in British Columbia, in the categories of athlete, builder, team, pioneer, media, and W.A.C. Bennett.
In the athlete category, five athletes: Greg Athans (freestyle skiing), Sarah Burke (freestyle skiing), Lars Hansen (basketball), Scott Niedermayer (ice hockey), Joanne Sargent (basketball).
In the builder category: Bob Nicholson (ice hockey) and Dr. Jack Taunton (sports medicine) have been selected. Selected for induction in the pioneer category is Robert Powell (tennis) and in the W.A.C. Bennett category, Erwin Swangard. The 1978 Doc’s Blues Women’s Softball Team has been selected for induction in the team category and Paul Carson has been selected for induction in the media category.
The 2014 Inductees will be formally inducted to the BC Sports Hall of Fame at the 46th Annual Banquet of Champions presented by Canadian Direct Insurance at the Vancouver Convention Centre on September 25, 2014.
Attendance at the Banquet of Champions makes it possible for the BC Sports Hall of Fame to educate, encourage and inspire the youth of our province to be motivated and healthy citizens. By preserving and protecting BC’s sport heritage collection, we have unique tools and stories to share through our HERO IN YOU® Youth Education Programs.
Limited tickets are still available, click here to purchase.
The BC Sports Hall of Fame is open daily at Gate A of BC Place from 10:00am-5:00pm. Go there. Experience. Be proud. Be inspired. For more information follow the Hall on Twitter and Facebook.
Turning Point Ensemble is a dynamic group of some of Canada’s most exceptional musicians. Vancouver’s premiere chamber orchestra presents three innovative concerts for its 2014/20145 season that are in keeping with the core mandate and strengths of the Turning Point Ensemble presenting bold, distinctive music of the 20th composer/conductor Owen Underhill, Artistic Director.
Photo courtesy of Turning Point Ensemble
Imaginary Worlds
Date: Friday, September 19th at 8:00pm
Location: Vancouver Playhouse at 600 Dunsmuir, Vancouver
The season launches with a colourful and engaging concert, with an exciting collection of works that evoke imaginary worlds and remembered worlds. Experience the range of works that include a Viennese Kaiser Waltz (Strauss/Schoenberg), folk music of Korean street markets (Unsuk Chin), Vancouver’s early Chinatown (arranged Mark Armanini), the melancholy world of Canadian composer Claude Vivier, and the premiere of Le jour ma nuit by Tajik/Canadian composer Farangis Nurulla-Khoja.
Carnival
Date: Friday, March 13, 2015 & Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 8:00pm
Location: SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, Vancouver
A chamber arrangement of Saint-Saëns’ playful Carnival of the Animals is the centre piece of “Carnival” with a program which includes Paul Hindemith’s brilliant Kammermusik Nr. 3 for cello and ten instruments (soloist Ari Barnes), a premiere from Vancouver’s Jocelyn Morlock, and Debussy’s iconic Prelude for the Afternoon of a Faun.
Masque Early and New: A Musical Time Capsule
Date: Friday, April 17, 2015 at 7:30pm & Sunday, April 19, 2015 at 2:30pm
Location: The Telus Studio at The Chan Centre
Connecting music across the centuries with contemporary works that reference and reinterpret music of the past including Britten’s Lachrymae (Marcus Takizawa, viola), a new work from genre-transcending jazz artist Tony Wilson, Bradshaw Pack’s Piano Inclinato di Galileo, an arrangement of the 14th composer Ockeghem by Birtwistle, and Peter Maxwell Davies’ Seven in Nomine.
Tickets
Experience innovative music, new works, exquisite musicianship, stellar concerts, and intriguing programs with Turning Point Ensemble. Season subscriptions are on sale now for $105 (adults), $99 (seniors), $30 (students). Individual show tickets are currently on sale for the first production, Imaginary Worlds.
Enter to Win
For the second year, Turning Point Ensemble has offered up a season subscription to one lucky Miss604 reader to enjoy contemporary music and a fabulous night out in Vancouver throughout the year. The prize include a pair of tickets to each of their 2014/2015 shows. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on September 13th. Follow Turning Point Ensemble on Facebook and Twitter for more information about performances.
Update The winner is Bob Strain!
September in Vancouver means festival season of a different kind has begun. Gone are the dusty outdoor concerts and here are the red carpet galas, opening nights, and theatre showcases. Headlining this season are the Vancouver International Film Festival (“VIFF”) and the Vancouver Fringe Festival.
I have listed the Fringe Festival each day but I have included individual listings for shows that have personally emailed me with info. As a proud media partner of VIFF, I will also be adding listings once they come available after the schedule is released September 4th.
While this month also leads us into family fun like corn mazes and harvests on the farm, The Province has a great list of day camps for kids who are out of school during the teachers’ strike.
As always, should you have an event you would like to include on the event list, please feel free to send details my way.
September Events in Metro Vancouver
Jump to: Monday, September 1st to Sunday, September 7th, 2014
Jump to: Monday, September 8th to Sunday, September 14th, 2014
Jump to: Monday, September 15th to Sunday, September 21st, 2014
Jump to: Monday, September 22nd to Tuesday, September 30th, 2014
Multi-Day Events
Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green below.
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In a little while, my weekly photo collections will be filled with grey clouds, boots in puddles, umbrellas at crosswalks, and leaves that have tumbled to the ground as they give up on the season. Until that time, which won’t be anytime soon, please enjoy these glimpses of summer around Metro Vancouver and beyond, thanks to those who have shared their photos with the Miss604 Flickr Pool and #Photos604 on Instagram:
Vancouver Photos of the Week
As always, please click through on these images to view more work from the photographers and feel free to share your own photos with the Miss604 Flickr Pool or with the tag #Photos604 on Instagram. View all photo collections here.
![Chinatown [1996-06-10, #11]](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/186/487398327_86b8f6bd86_z.jpg)
