This August, bloggers from across the country were invited to Ottawa to experience the new Ford Fiesta courtesy of Ford Canada. The group was a fun and diverse mix of writers, from lifestyle and food to parent blogging, that hailed from Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Montreal. We were gathered together to drive Fiestas for a full-day challenge that would take us from Parliament Hill to rolling prairie hills about 45 minutes outside of town.
Following breakfast, teams met in the parking lot of the Hilton Lac Leamy to pick out their cars and made their way to a nearby lot for some closed-course driving. I partnered up with Marc Smith, also from Vancouver, who recently research some of his “30 Day Adventures” in Ottawa so we had no problem navigating the streets of our nation’s capital.
Marc and I took one of the few manual transmission Fiestas, since we were both comfortable driving standard, and then we hit the track for some shifting, swerving, and handling (you can find his humorous videos on Instagram). Once all teams completed their closed-course trial runs, the colourful line of Fiestas left the lot and took the the streets. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
Historically, the month of September has had its share of milestones and events in Vancouver. Everything from the disastrous “Great Fire” in New Westminster to the opening of Rogers Arena in 1995, the formation of The Vancouver Board of Trade in 1887, and the dedication of the steam-clock in Gastown on September 24, 1977. Today’s collection of images from the Vancouver Public Library and City of Vancouver Archives is a roundup of historic scenes from around the region throughout many Septembers past.
September 1898
On September 10th British Columbia’s first capital and the oldest city in western Canada, New Westminster, was devastated by fire.
1898: Columbia Street. Archives# Out P365. Photographer: Thompson.
Archives# Out P1041.2 & Out P363. Photographer: Thompson.
September 1901
The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visit Vancouver.
1901: The Duke and Duchess in a carriage pulled by eight horses. Archives# CVA 677-983.
Photographer: Philip Timms.
1901: Crowd gathered at Hastings and Cambie for the Duke and Duchess. Archives# CVA 677-979. Photographer: Philip Timms.
September 1909
There was a line-up down Granville to purchase lots in the Shaughnessy neighbourhood from the CPR. In the photo below, the CPR station is on the site of our current Waterfront Station.
1909: Archives# CVA 677-526. Photographer: Philip T. Timms.
September 1912
The Duke and Duchess of Connaught visited Vancouver. It was tradition to build an arch to welcome distinguished guests to town and the photo below is of a Lumbermen’s Arch at Pender and Hamilton. Side note: This was before a permanent Lumberman’s Arch was erected in Stanley Park.
1912: Vancouver City Mounted Police. Archives# CVA 677-502. Photographer: W.J. Eggett.
September 1925
The Harding Memorial was unveiled in Stanley Park. He had a special place in locals’ hearts as he was the first sitting President to come to Vancouver (in 1923).
1925: Copyright photo by the Gowen-Sutton Company Limited. Archives# CVA 677-280.
Registration is now open for the ClearlyContacts.ca Grouse Grind Mountain Run, now in its 23rd year, happening on Sunday, September 15th with two run categories.
Considered to be the annual showcase event of the Grouse Grind season, the ClearlyContacts.ca Grouse Grind Challenge draws hundreds of participants each year and has become the ultimate fitness bragging right for outdoor enthusiasts on the west coast. From elite mountain runners to leisurely hikers, the event is inclusive of every age and fitness level with an emphasis on personal goal setting and achievement.
Grouse Grind Mountain Run
The first run category is the Grouse Grind Mountain Run for elite athletes who can race the clock and do the Grouse Grind in 45 minutes or less.
Qualifying times: 45 minutes (men) and 55 minutes (women). As a special benefit for Grouse’s longest-serving Grinders, participants who are aged 65 or older do not require a specific qualifying time to participate in the Grouse Grind Mountain Run.
The cash purse up for grabs is a shared total of $5,000. Top overall finishers (1st, 2nd and 3rd placed overall male and female finishers) will be awarded $1400, $700, $400 respectively. Top male and female finishers (1st, 2nd and 3rd) in each age category will receive medals.
Grouse Grind Mountain Challenge
The second run option is the Grouse Grind Mountain Challenge for casual Grouse Grinders. There’s no need to race the clock with the latter as the idea is to simply complete the whole run, raising funds for Grind for Kids as a team or solo participant.
Course Details
- Length: 3 kilometres (1.86 miles)
- Elevation gain: 853 metres (2,800 feet)
- Base: 274 metres (900 feet) above sea level
- Summit: 1,127 metres (3,700 feet)
- Total stairs: 2,830
- Fastest-ever official time: 23:48held by Sebastian Salas, five-time reigning Grouse Grind Mountain Run champion (2008-12)
- Average time: The ClearlyContacts.ca Grouse Grind Challenge takes approximately 1.5 hours to complete, with two hours recommended for novice hikers.
- Participants: Hikers range in age from children to seniors with an equal male/female split.
All racers won’t want to miss the ClearlyContacts.ca Grouse Grind Challenge after-party at the top. $5 of each registration will go to BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Contest
To get the word out about the event I have an Annual Local’s Pass (year-round membership) for Grouse Mountain to give away. The Annual Local’s Pass provides great year-round value with access to our Skyride, a world of adventure and amazing benefits. All our passes now feature a dollar value pre-loading capability. Don’t let forgetting cash get between you and your post-Grind snack again.
Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post naming your favourite thing to do at Grouse Mountain – or what you would like to do with your pass should you win (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, September 12, 2013. Follow Grouse Mountain on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates.
Note! This contest is open to locals only as they are the only ones who can use valid Annual Local’s Passes.
Update The winner is @pool88!
Everyone’s always looking for something to do for a family outing, activity with friends, or a date night and I love providing information that can help locals and visitors plan their leisure time in the city. While I have been doing a monthly event list for years, I thought I would try something new and offer a specific short-list of things to do over the weekends. I’ll try this for a few Fridays and see how it takes off but you can still always reference the full monthly event list at any time.
Things To Do in Vancouver This Weekend
Saturday, September 7, 2013
West End Fest
Wesbrook Village Festival
Fleetwood Family Festival
Fresh St Market Grilled Cheese Competition
Langley Cruise-In
Walking Tour: Grandview, West of Commercial
Salsa Cruise
Portobello West Fall Market
Stanley Park’s Secrets Historical Walking Tour
Luxury & Supercar Weekend
Vancouver Chinatown Night Market
Trout Lake Farmers Market
West End Farmers Market
Kerrisdale Village Farmers Market
Vancouver Latin American Film Festival
MexicoFest
Vancouver Fringe Festival
Sunday, September 8, 2013
VPL’s Stanley Park 125 History Exhibition
Vancouver Canadians Championship Playoff Game
Coho Festival in West Vancouver
Mountain View Cemetery Bike Tour
Big Brother Canada Casting Call at Metrotown
Bugs Galore at Richmond Nature Park
The n Games at Elm Park
The Awesome Race
Rhythm of Life: The Run and Walk for Everyone
Free All Ages Evaporators Concert
Feast of Fields
Polish Culture Festival in Lynn Valley
Portobello West Fall Market
Luxury & Supercar Weekend
Vancouver Chinatown Night Market (final of season)
Kitsilano Farmers Market
Mt Pleasant Farmers Market
MexicoFest
Vancouver Fringe Festival
One event not on the list is the opening of The Disney Store at the newly-renovated Guildford Town Centre in Surrey. On Saturday, September 7, 2013 there will be a grand opening ceremony at 10:00am where the first 500 guests will receive a free gift. From 12:00pm until 4:00pm there will be a meet and greet with Disney characters at Centre Court. You can also still enter to win a $50 Guildford Town Centre gift card in my contest before 3:00pm today.
September Events in Metro Vancouver
Be sure to bookmark and share the full monthly event list for reference and feel free to send in your event for listing at no charge.
The Vancouver Canadians won their THIRD STRAIGHT championship! Way to go Vancouver!
The Vancouver Canadians are headed to the Northwest League Championship for the third year in a row after defeating the Everett Aquasox 11-4 on Wednesday.
The C’s have won the Northwest League Championship title for the last two years, every year since they became the Short Season A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The first game of the final series of the summer will be played in Boise, Idaho tonight. The second game of the playoff with Boise will take place on Sunday, September 8th at 1:05pm in Vancouver at Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium.
If a third game is needed to crown this year’s champ, it will take place Monday in Vancouver at 7:05pm. Tickets are on sale now by calling (604) 872-5232, by visiting the Nat Bailey Stadium Box Office (4601 Ontario St) or online.
Let’s make sure to pack the ‘Nat on Sunday and cheer on our team! Tonight’s game in Boise can be heard on Team1410 Sports Radio.
Update
On Friday night the C’s lost 0-5 to Boise in Idaho but they bounced back in Vancouver on Sunday to win 4-2 and force a third and final game. Monday night at Nat Bailey Stadium the Vancouver Canadians won their THIRD STRAIGHT championship. Congratulations to the C’s!!
