April is one of the most significant months in Vancouver history since it was incorporated on April 6th in 1886. Here are a few more interesting moments in our city’s story that occurred this month, sourced from The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver.
April in Vancouver History
April 2, 1920 The Japanese-Canadian War Memorial, designed by Vancouver architect James Benzie, was installed at Stanley Park. Chuck Davis writes: “It commemorates Japanese-Canadians who fought in World War I. It’s there to this day, a handsome structure surrounded by flowering cherry trees. A Japanese-Canadian entrepreneur, Koichiro Sanmiya, sold war bonds to raise the money for the memorial.”
April 5, 1917 Women were awarded the right to vote in BC (unless they were of Asian decent or Indigenous, that didn’t happen for many more decades).
1886: City Hall and 1st Council. Photograph taken in September, after the City of Vancouver was incorporated on April 6, 1886. Archives# CVA 1477-419.
April 6, 1886 The City of Vancouver was incorporated.
April 7, 1993 The Friends of the City Archives group was founded.
April 16, 1913 Bob Brown (“Mr. Baseball”) opened Athletic Park stadium at West 6th and Hemlock. Babe Ruth once played there in an exhibition game.
April 11, 1865 The first telegraph message in the area was sent from Moody’s Mill on the North Shore to New Westminster. It was followed, three days later, by the first telegraph message from the ‘outside world’ telling of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
April 13, 1950 The Ridge Theatre opened on Vancouver’s Arbutus Street, it met its demise in the fall of 2013.
April 2, 1977 The Orpheum reopened and became the home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. It was bought by the City of Vancouver in 1974 before it could be gutted and turned into a multiplex theatre. It was closed in 1975 for a complete renovation and restoration, and was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1979.
1946. Archives #CVA 1184-2290. Photographer: Jack Lindsay.
April 2, 1978 The Vancouver Park Board voted to rename Capilano Stadium after Nat Bailey.
April 29, 1875 Mabel Ellen Boultbee was born at Moodyville on the North Shore. She was the first white child born on Burrard Inlet.
April 30, 1792 The HMS Discovery, Captain Vancouver’s ship, entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Sources: Vancouver History. Related Posts: January 1st in Vancouver History, February in Vancouver History, March in Vancouver History, July in Vancouver History, August in Vancouver History, September, October in Vancouver History, November in Vancouver History, December in Vancouver History.
The Vancouver South African Film Festival (“VSAFF”) takes place this Saturday and Sunday, introducing and showcasing South African film to local audiences.
What: 4th Vancouver South African Film Festival
When: April 5 & 6, all day
Where: Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodward’s
Tickets: Available online
Vancouver South African Film Festival Highlights
This year’s gala film is Soft Vengeance (Saturday, April 5th at 7:30pm). This documentary is about Albie Sachs, a lawyer, writer, art lover and freedom fighter, set against the dramatic events leading to the overthrow of the apartheid regime in South Africa. Shining a spotlight on Albie’s story provides a prism through which to view the challenges faced by those unable to tolerate a society founded on principles of slavery and disempowerment of South Africa’s majority black population. Albie, who was appointed as a judge on Mandela’s first Constitutional Court in 1994, will be in attendance for a Q&A session.
The Creators (Saturday, April 5th at 5:30pm) has won awards at the National Geographic All Roads Film Fest, the World Music Independent Film Fest and the Rosebud International Film Fest. A graffiti artist, a budding opera star, a breakdance activist, two Xhosa Afro-blues artists, a spoken word performer who works in a prison, and a radical black/white duo from Soweto and Pretoria – each charts a course that both shines the light on today’s South African questions and presents unique artistic answers.
The VSAFF gala will take place in Gastown at Fluevog Shoes following the gala film, Soft Vengeance. Tickets for the gala film and party are limited. The $90 full festival pass also gets you into the party. Check out the full festival lineup online.
Win Tickets to the VSAFF
I have the opportunity to give away a pair of tickets to any of the VSAFF film features. 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 11:00am on Thursday, April 3, 2014.
The Vancouver South African Film Festival also raises funds for Education without Borders, which works with township schools in South Africa and to date the festival has contributed $55,000 thanks to your support. Follow the VSAFF on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Update The winner is Jae!
During the month of April I will be featuring a Cherry Blossom Photo of the Day, sourced from the Miss604 Flickr Pool and/or the #Photos604 tag on Instagram. You can barely walk a full block in the city without encountering a photographer capturing this pink blooms — or stopping yourself — so it’s the perfect time to start this series. Enjoy!
This photo is a great depiction of Vancouver right now, in early April. One side of a sun-soaked street has cherry blossoms bursting while the other hasn’t quite caught up.
View more photography posts on Miss604 along with the Vancouver Photos of the Week.
The annual Surrey Vaisakhi Parade is taking place on April 19th, bringing together over 200,000 people in the community and beyond to celebrate one of the most important days in the Sikh calendar, the creation of the Khalsa.
Photo courtesy of the Surrey Vaisakhi Parade
This is one of the the world’s largest Vaisakhi parades of its kind outside of India and will feature live music, performances, lively floats, along with food and drink compliments of local residents and businesses. We’re so fortunate to live in a region where people of all cultures and religions are invited to participate in the celebrations of others. This will be a joyous day filled with great food and atmosphere.
Surrey Vaisakhi Parade Route
The Surrey Vaisakhi Parade is scheduled to begin at approximately 9:30am on April 19, 2014 at the Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar, at 12885 85th Avenue.
It will travel along 85th to 128th and turn south, traveling down 128th Street until turning left onto 76th Ave. Looping along 76th until it turns into 75th, joining up with 124th Street. Heading north up 124th to 82nd Avenue until arriving back at 128th and returning north to 85th. The parade will conclude where it began, at Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar, at approximately 4:00pm.
Road closures will be in place from 7:30am until 5:00pm. More information is available online.
