Today’s collection of photographs from the City of Vancouver Archives is in honour of the quasquicentennial of one of our region’s most recognizable and popular tourist attractions. The Capilano Suspension Bridge, almost as old as the City of Vancouver itself, is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.
1905: Archives# Br P59.1 & 1920s: Archives# CVA 1477-1293.
Engineer George Grant MacKay, builder of the original Capilano Suspension Bridge, came to Vancouver from Scotland in 1888 after learning about the city at the 1883 Glasgow Exposition. When he was 12 years old, August Jack Khatsahlano, namesake of the Kitsilano neighbourhood, helped MacKay build the very first Capilano Suspension Bridge. This first span was made with hemp ropes and were anchored to buried cedar logs, one of which is still visible in the park today. In 1903, Bruno Stelzer commissioned engineer Harry Burgess to draw plans for a new wire bridge to replace the rope bridge. Find more history online »
Capilano Suspension Bridge 125th Anniversary
Throughout the next month or so, you can share your Capilano Suspension Bridge memories and stories by following and contributing to the tag #CapBridge125 on Facebook and Twitter.
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, including the Treetops Adventure and Cliffwalk, is currently open 8:30am until 8:00pm for the summer. BC Residents get special perks and deals on admission and you can enter to win a $20,000 dream wedding at the park as well.
Seven months ago I spent the night outside, in a back alley off Pender Street, with a sleeping bag on top of a piece of flattened cardboard. The sky was clear and the moon glowed as bright as the Harbour Centre lookout that I could see across the street. I slept about 30 minutes between sundown and sunrise. It was uncomfortable, bone-chillingly cold, and miserable… but it was also for a cause.
Photo by Covenant House
A group of local business leaders and media personalities took part in the annual Covenant House Sleep Out to raise funds and show support for the youth of Vancouver, some who end up sleeping on the street without the comforts of a sleeping bag and a flattened piece of cardboard.
Covenant House Vancouver exists for those young people for whom there is often no one else – young people who have either willingly fled physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse or those who have been forced from their homes. We understand that life changes are challenging and do everything in our power to ensure that young people succeed at whatever plan they have chosen for themselves. As long as genuine effort is demonstrated, so is our commitment.
We met a few Covenant House youth during our campaign and they all thought we were nuts, since we were doing this by choice. One even went to her room and brought down her own blankets, from her own bed, to cover us. This is the culture of caring that you will find at Covenant House.
Covenant House June Donation Matching
The sleepout also gave us all the opportunity to learn more about Covenant House and its various levels of care such as the Crisis Shelter, Drop in Centre, Street Outreach, and Rights of Passage.
This month, The Robert L. Conconi Foundation is going to match every donation Covenant House receives up to $150,000 so the impact of any donations received will be double throughout June 2014.
Bob Conconi is a self-made businessman who attributes much of his success to the stable upbringing and supportive family that allowed him to pursue his interest in business. As a father, Bob has a lot of empathy for the challenges faced by homeless and at-risk youth, and is honoured to be able to support Covenant House Vancouver. Bob and his family believe that the services and supports Covenant House provides young people give them the opportunity to develop into outstanding members of our community. Bob and his wife Diane founded The Robert L. Conconi Foundation in 2003 with the goal of helping others and creating opportunities for communities.
If you would like to support Covenant House, now is a great time as a gift of $25 instantly becomes $50 when you donate online. Follow Covenant House on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about their work in Vancouver and I’ll see you again in November when I do my second Covenant House Sleepout.
There are many milestones being celebrated in Vancouver this year. We have the 40th anniversary of the Whitecaps, the 25th anniversary of Bard on the Beach, The Arts Club’s 50th anniversary, the 50th anniversary of the Stanley Park Train, and several more. Many of these organizations and businesses have also been online for a long time and I thought it would be fun to hop into the Wayback Machine at Archive.org to check out what some popular Vancouver websites looked like at least a decade ago.
Vancouver Websites Years Ago
Vancouver Art Gallery in December of 1996 (includes site visitor counter)
Canucks.com in July of 1997 (was the Orca Bay home page)
UBC in November of 1996 (not pictured here, the Guestbook at the bottom of the page. Remember those?)
Canada Place in June of 2000 (-5087 days 10 hours and 47 minutes Until Canada Day 2000!)
Museum of Anthropology in January of 1998
CKNW in May of 1999 (includes helpful instructions to “simply point and click on the buttons at the side or the links at the bottom of this page” to navigate)
Bard on the Beach in August of 2000 (complete with an animated GIF of a lightning bolt)
The Arts Club Theatre Company in August of 2000 (with popular Comic Sans font)
White Spot in March of 2000 (best viewed in Internet Explorer 5)
And to be fair, here’s the evolution of Miss604 since 2004:
I salute all of these businesses and entities for not only being online for 10 to 15 years, but for evolving their web presences and keeping up with the times. I look forward to seeing what the future of web design holds for all — and to see if other trends like the animated GIF will make a come back.
Latincouver, a cultural and business society that hosts diverse, inclusive, and festive events, is proud to present Latin America House this summer, where you’ll be able to watch all FIFA World Cup matches in Vancouver.
Where to Watch FIFA World Cup in Vancouver
Latin America House will show all FIFA World Cup games at Edgewater Casino on 3 huge theatre-sized screens. Those 19+ can enjoy a state of the art sound system, capacity for 420 soccer fans, prizes daily, drink specials for every match, and more.
Entrance is a $5 minimum donation and advanced tickets are available now. There is free parking and it’s also transit accessible from Stadium Station. The semi-final game on July 12th and Final game on July 13th are special events with live entertainment (special pricing applies), see the Facebook page for all the updates.
Latin American countries competing in the FIFA World Cup include: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Uruguay. All nationalities are welcome at Latin America House so be sure to represent by wearing your country’s colours and bringing flags.
Latin America Week in Vancouver
Miss604 is a proud media partner of Latin America Week in Vancouver and the Carnaval Del Sol, presenting the following events this summer: Latin America House – FIFA World Cup June 12 to July 13; Carnaval Del Sol July 5-6; Inspirational Latin Awards July 2; Canada Day Parade July 1; Tastes of Latin America June 28 to July 6, 2014.
The Women of Distinction Awards is the YWCA’s premier fundraising event and this year, the 31st annual awards ceremony honours 60 outstanding nominees and 12 category winners.
This event shines a spotlight on women whose achievements contribute to the well-being and future of our community and businesses and organizations that support the wellness and diverse needs of their employees. Funds raised through the event support YWCA programs and services across Metro Vancouver.
This is my 5th year as Social Media Sponsor of the awards ceremony and it’s always a highlight of the season. There are many inspirational stories, prizes and raffle items benefitting the YWCA (and the lucky winners), fantastic women whose talents are showcased, and a fun and friendly atmosphere.
John will once again be taking photos as I document the evening. Stay tuned to this blog post and my Twitter feed (@Miss604) for updates throughout the evening. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
