One of the best things about living in the Greater Vancouver area is that it’s not hard to find a beautiful location for a quick day trip or weekend getaway. Setting out on Highway 1’s eastbound lanes you’ll find yourself in the lush Fraser Valley surrounded by meandering rivers and streams, scenic pastures, and wildlife within 90 minutes. In the Harrison Mills, Harrison, and Agassiz area at this time of year you can enjoy the Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival, golfing at Sandpiper, the Circle Farm Tour, and a steamy soak in the Harrison Hot Springs mineral pools.
Dining in Harrison
I was recently a guest at Rowena’s Inn on the River for two nights in early November and during that time I enjoyed two very delightful dinners.
River’s Edge Restaurant
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Coming in from the rain, my sister and I enjoyed both lunch and dinner next to the fireplace at River’s Edge. Heavy timber, granite-topped tables, and exposed wood give the dining room a very cozy feel that fits right in with its surroundings. At lunch we enjoyed their “famous seafood chowder” and found it worthy of the designation. Fresh and creamy without being too rich, it was served with fresh rolls and we paired it with a BC Pinot Gris.
Returning for dinner, my sister ordered the escargot (as recommended by Cassandra from Good Life Vancouver) and I went with the beet salad that was generously served with Farmhouse Natural Cheese, a wonderful farm and cheese shop I’ve visited a few times before on the Slow Food Cycle Tour and Circle Farm Tour in Agassiz.
For dinner, my halibut was topped with a deliciously crunchy and savoury hazelnut pesto made with the harvest from another one of my previous Circle Farm Tour stops, Canadian Hazelnut. Nine times out of ten, I will order the halibut if I see it on a local menu and I was not disappointed at River’s Edge. It was a very unique preparation and the lemoncello beurre blanc — lemoncello being another one of my favourite things — really set it apart.
The Copper Room at Harrison Hot Springs Resort
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I have been to the Copper Room three times since my first visit n 2010 and this classic just seems to get better every time. Live music from The Jones Boys, impressive dance moves (rumba, cha cha, fox trot) on the illuminated dance floor in the centre of the room, and couples celebrating anniversaries numbered 1 to 65 always make experiences in this legendary dining room memorable. This time around I was impressed by their update menu, which I believe has had a makeover since the last time I was in.
I ordered a wonderfully fragrant salad with tomatoes, basil, buffalo mozzarella, and avocado while my sister had the melt-in-your mouth bison carpaccio. For dinner I honed in on the bison tenderloin, which was served with a heap of seasoned potatoes and roasted vegetables. Cooked beautifully, it was juicy, tender, and lean. When the dessert menu came around we were reluctant but we figured, as the band played and our wine glasses were topped up, we should round out the night in style. We ordered the Baked Alaska to share, with crisp and fluffy meringue on the outside and nostalgic neapolitan ice cream on the inside.
Until recently, there was a strict dress code for The Copper Room and although they have relaxed that rule, it still feels nice to get a little dolled up for dinner and dancing as the band plays Sinatra and Buddy Holly.
Our server Pavel at The Copper Room also served us lunch at River’s Edge the day before. He was very friendly, helpful, and it was nice to see a familiar face at dinner. There a sense of community pride on each of the menus and it resonated with the staff that not only served up local fare, but generous smiles and hospitality. These two restaurants (about 20 minutes away, just across the Harrison River) compliment any trip to the Fraser Valley with warmth, charm, and regional flavours.
Langley Events Centre is hosting a Holiday Festival on Ice on December 6th with some of the world’s best figure skaters and Canadian jazz singer Holly Cole.
This festive, musical celebration will take place the Langley Events Centre (7888 – 200th St) on Friday, December 6, 2013 at 7:00pm. Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster starting at $49 (plus tax/fee).
The confirmed cast includes:
Kurt Browning
Elvis Stojko
Joannie Rochette
Jeffrey Buttle
Kimmie Meissner
Sinead & John Kerr
Shawn Sawyer
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Four-time World Champion
Two-time Olympic Medalist
2010 Olympic Medalist; World Silver Medalist
Olympic Medalist; World Champion
World Champion
Seven-time British Dance Champions; European Medalists
Canadian Silver Medalist
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Holly Cole will perform Christmas music while these talented skaters take to the ice. Cole has been a mainstay in the Canadian music industry for the last two decades. She recently performed to sold out crowds for three straight nights at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. During that event, Cole was presented as the 15th winner of the Ella Fitzgerald Award which is given to a jazz singer of significant talent who has had a major impact and influence in the international scene.
Holiday Festival on Ice Contest
Thanks to the Langley Events Centre, I have a unique prize up for grabs that includes two tickets to the event (value $49 each) and two Meet and Greet passes (value $69 each) to meet all of the skaters and Holly Cole at the show. 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 Tuesday, December 3, 2013. Follow the Langley Events Centre on Twitter and Facebook for more information about the Holiday Festival on Ice, National Lacrosse League, and other events.
For decades the North Shore mountains have been a playground for locals and visitors, especially during ski season. Grouse Mountain had one of the first double chairlifts in the world when it was constructed in 1949, Mount Seymour has been enjoyed since 1938, and Mount Strachan & Black Mountain make up the popular Cypress Mountain Ski Area that was in the spotlight during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Thanks to the City of Vancouver Archives, we can catch glimpses of what skiing (and ski equipment) on the North Shore has looked like over the years.
Archive Photos of Skiing
The Vancouver tree lighting celebration presented by Amacon is coming up on Friday, December 6th with free evening of fun for the whole family.
Vancouver Tree Lighting
Where: Jack Poole Plaza, Vancouver Convention Centre
When: Friday, December 6, 2013 from 5:30pm to 7:00pm
Admission: Free public event
Join host Steve Darling from Global TV for an evening of entertainment including the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, Showstoppers, BC Lions and Felions, Santa and his elves, and more. Enjoy complimentary hot chocolate and cookies supplied by Tableau Bistro Bar and Homer St Cafe and Bar.
This year when you support local charities by purchasing a bulb on the tree you’ll also be entered into a prize draw. Purchase 5 bulbs for $5 or 15 for $10.
Benefitting charities include the CKNW Orphans’ Fund, the Trevor Linden Foundation, Sarah McLachlan School of Music, BC Lions Courage for Kids, Honour House Society, Canada Company, Empty Stocking Fund, and Lasting M.A.G.I.C. Society. In the last six years the Vancouver Tree Lighting Celebration has raised over $650,000 for local causes.
I sunk into my own bed at around 7:15 this morning as the sun was beginning to brighten up the sky. I walked home from the Covenant House Sleep Out on West Pender at Hamilton because I somehow had the energy after only getting about 2.5 hours of sleep. Traffic lights changed for no one, steam rose up from vents on the sidewalk.
I kept thinking about the excruciatingly cold night I just spent in a concrete parking lot with 29 other executives and local media armed with with nothing more than a piece of cardboard and a sleeping bag each. I also thought about how the youth we were supporting through Covenant House’s crisis shelter wouldn’t be able to wake up from their cardboard beds and go home to their families like we were doing.
When the email from Covenant House came in just before 8:00am saying that we raised over $327,000 to keep their crisis shelter operating 24 hours a day for 1 month straight — servicing 54 youth — it made it all worthwhile.
Photo by Covenant House
Marty Staniforth, Senior Development Officer at Covenant House, told us earlier in the evening that this would be the worst event we’ve ever attended — it was meant to be uncomfortable — and he was right in that regard. However, prior to heading out at 10:00pm, we spent some time at Covenant House speaking with some of their youth and touring their facility. We learned about their various levels of care such as the Crisis Shelter, Drop in Centre, Street Outreach, and Rights of Passage.
“Many of the kids have lived with violence or the threat of violence for much of their young lives. Feeling safe is a right we all have but one these kids have not enjoyed.”
We split off into groups and spoke with youth clients who volunteered their time to tell us their stories. It was encouraging to meet kids who went from being homeless, to the crisis shelter all the way through to Rights of Passage, Covenant House’s program that prepares them for the bigger world.
Those in Rights of Passage actually pay (an affordable) rent and get full access to programs provided that they have a job or they are in school. They end up learning basics like grocery shopping and budgeting, and once they are through the program (6 months to 2 years) they are supported when they eventually move out, even welcomed to return for the weekly communal dinners. The care just keeps going to ensure the youth become self-sufficient, gainfully employed, successful individuals.
Once we saw Covenant House’s work in action, and met some very brave and persevering individuals, we picked up our scraps of cardboard and went outside to the parking lot just off the alley. While we were settling in for the night one of the youth we met in the hallways came outside and walked over to a small group of us sitting toward the back of the lot. She had blankets in her arms and asked us to take them. She wanted to make sure that we would be warm and comfortable throughout the night. I was floored. Covenant House’s care and compassion is contagious.
Photo by Covenant House
Throughout the night I smelled car fluids from the ground below me, used a scarf as a pillow, heard random shouts and passing conversations, and watched the moon cross the sky as puffs of my own breath clouded my view. Every now and then adjustments needed to be made when the cold pierced through my sleeping bag or a body part turned to pins and needles. It was uncomfortable, it was freezing, and I already want to sign up again next year.
Over 600 participants around North America slept out for their local Covenant House last night. Raising over $3 million. Vancouver had 5% of the participants but raised 10% of the funds.
A big THANK YOU to the Covenant House staff who watched over us all night and shared their passion for their work.
