Walking into Stanley Park from Coal Harbour the Vancouver Rowing Club is the first structure you see, perched above the water between leafy trees that glow a fiery red in the fall and burst with blossoms in the spring.
The rowing club was formed in 1886 and the building we see today was opened in 1911 — 5 years before Lost Lagoon became a lake and was locked off from the open ocean. The Rowing Club fits perfectly into pictures of the park, where city and Seawall meet forest, so I’ve chosen it as today’s Vancouver Icons photo feature:
There is an extensive multi-part history section on the Vancouver Rowing Club’s website that tells of its beginnings and its legendary members over the years:
In 1910 the decision was made to erect a new clubhouse. Plans were made for “a reading room, reception hall, ballroom, gymnasium and accommodation for all racing boats, canoes and training quarters for the crews”. The Provincial Construction Company won the contract with a bid of $13,000.
The final cost was closer to $15,000, of which nearly $10,000 was raised through the sale of $100 Life Memberships. The new clubhouse was officially opened on September 9, 1911. This building was essentially what we have today, without the Trophy Lounge; which was added in 1936. In 1990 the VRC clubhouse received heritage designation from the Vancouver City Council.
![[View of Coal Harbour showing the Vancouver Rowing Club and the Denman Arena]](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5020/5457282678_6bf951120d_z.jpg)
1913: Archives Item# PAN NXVII.
1921: VPL# 21085. Photographer: Dominion Photo Co. & 1938: Archives Item# CVA 99-2114. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.
1913: Archives Item# Sp P102.1.
The Vancouver Rowing Club is home to field hockey, rowing, rugby, yachting, and social memberships. The social membership is offered to local joggers who would like to use the club’s member lounges and workout facilities.
Previous Vancouver Icons posts: 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 BMO Vancouver Marathon is fast-approaching this year as runners from the city and around the world take to the Seawall and the streets. With under 500 spots left space is quickly filling up for the marathon and associated races that include:
Races
FULL
Ranked a Top 10 Destination Marathon by Forbes for its stunning beauty and scenic route, ranked “most exotic” marathon by CNN, the BMO Vancouver Marathon leads runners on a 42.2 kilometre journey through parks, neighbourhoods and bustling city streets. Enjoy the fresh-air alongside natural beaches and breathe a sense of wonder at the backdrop of surrounding mountains.
Full Route
HALF
Run Vancouver’s premier urban Half-Marathon event featuring a fast downhill start with the most spectacular skyline and North Shore mountain views combined with a journey past the city’s eclectic iconic landmarks.
8KM
The 8KM route is a beautiful scenic course which begins in Vancouver’s very own famous Stanley Park, it will follow the last 8KM of the Vancouver Half Marathon, winding along the majestic cedar, hemlock, and fir trees, to an environment rich in tranquility, towards the exciting downtown Finish Line. Your 8KM Run experience does not end after your hard earned run; you are encouraged to enjoy the Street Festival along with your family and friends and watch the exciting arrival of the Half Marathon Elite athletes.
Half and 8KM Routes
KIDS
This year’s event will include a Kids 1-Mile Fun Run course presented by Saucony designed just for children on Saturday, May 4, 2013. Our West Coast, healthy lifestyle is rubbing off on the youngest of our population with many kids literally following in their parents’ footsteps. The run will be a great way to introduce kids ages 6-12 to the marathon event experience while also encouraging individual development and a healthy lifestyle.
Festival
Even if you’re not a runner, you can still enjoy the Street Festival on marathon weekend with food sampling, dancers, a Kids Zone, souvenir products and more on Hastings. This family-friendly street festival will last from 8:30am to 2:00pm on race day, Sunday, May 5, 2013. Runners can invite friends and family to watch them cross the Finish Line and enjoy the entertainment.
Contest
The BMO Vancouver Marathon has saved a special spot for one Miss604 reader this year in their new 8KM race AND they are going to include the following prize pack to give away to that reader as well:
- A pair of Saucony Running Shoes
- Running Jacket from Saucony
- Official BMO Vancouver Marathon Race t-shirt
- BMO Gloves for Race Day
- PowerBar energy products
Here’s how you can win your way into the 8KM race and collect the prize pack:
- Leave a comment naming your favourite BMO Vancouver Marathon event (of those listed above) (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, April 29, 2013. Follow the BMO Vancouver Marathon on Twitter and Facebook for more race and event information.
Update The winner is Kevin!
You may be familiar with Richmond’s Night Markets and the Chinatown Night Market but there’s another open-air twilight shopping experience available just across the inlet. The North Shore Night Market will be opening for its third season on Thursday, May 9th 2013 and it is ramping up to be their biggest season yet.
Presented by North Shore Green Markets the North Shore Night Market will be open Thursdays and Fridays starting Thursday, May 9th, 2013 through to Thursday, October 10th, 2013. Explore the market from 5:00pm to 10:00pm each week by browsing over 70 vendor booths selling local art, clothing, jewellery, food, and Canadian products. Play board games, listen to live music and watch dancers perform.
You can find all of these activities, food carts, and vendors at the Shipyards Plaza (138 Victory Ship Way, North Vancouver) which is easily accessible, located near the Lonsdale Quay and Seabus terminal.
Organizers say the objective of the markets is to develop a North Vancouver tourist and community evening event, showcasing Canadian made products, unique foods, art, and local entertainment.
Follow North Shore Green Markets on Facebook and Twitter for more information about the upcoming night market and other seasonal events in the Shipyards. North Shore Green Markets also host a farmers market every Wednesday from May to October at the Civic Plaza (141 West 14th St, North Vancouver).
I am proud to once again be the Social Media Sponsor of the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards (the Jessies) and as such, I will be featuring a local theatre company every Thursday.
The Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards are an annual awards ceremony and party produced by the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award Society to celebrate and promote the outstanding achievements of the Vancouver Professional Theatre Community. The Awards have been presented since 1982, originally by the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance, taken over in 1997 by the newly formed Society. Over 35 statues are awarded each year to outstanding theatre companies and artists.
The profiles will contain basic information about each company, as supplied by their team, and a list of their upcoming productions that you can check out in the coming season. Today’s feature company is: Boca del Lupo who is known for unique outdoor and indoor performances.
Photo credit: Karri North.
Boca del Lupo
Date Established: 1996
First Play Produced: Drained
Total number of plays/events produced: 41
Founders: Sherry Yoon & Jay Dodge
Artistic Director: Sherry Yoon
Artistic Producer : Jay Dodge
Mission Statement
Boca del Lupo’s mission is to create and present extraordinary experiences in unconventional spaces for intergenerational audiences.
On Now
PERFORMANCE ART TRAP by Radix
Presented by Boca del Lupo as part of the Micro Performance Series
May 1st to May 4th, 2013
Tickets on sale now
The Performance Art Traps offer metaphors for the trappings of life. The traps are giant custom-built cardboard boxes, propped up with a stick like a rudimentary rabbit trap. The ‘bait’ is a performer inside, with an empty chair for the ‘catch’ to sit in. With the victim seated, a nearby security guard pulls the stick and “whump!” the trap is released!
Coming Soon
ASK A TEENAGER by Mammalian Diving Reflex
Presented by Boca del Lupo as part of the Micro Performance Series
May 30th to June 2nd, 2013
Teenagers are famously complex and emotionally unstable. Their limbic systems are on overdrive, their hormones are running amok, they’re prone to staying up late, sleeping well past noon and taking crazy risks. It’s no accident. Scientists believe that teen brains are particularly alive, active and sensitive. Their behaviour is an evolutionary feature: it’s how they define and distinguish themselves; it’s how they get shit done. Teen brains are fast, risk-taking blobs that make creative and sometimes bizarre leaps and associations, giving them an adaptive edge. This is a scientific fact.
Boca del Lupo and Mammalian Diving Reflex invite you to submit your problems to info[at]bocadellupo.com and we’ll pass them on to our panel of teens. They’ll work on your problem with their highly adaptable brains and get back to you with their advice through our facebook page, on twitter and during live performances.
Follow
Stay up to date on the latest from Boca del Lupo by following them on Facebook and Twitter.
Yesterday the Vancouver Public Library gave media access to their rooftop green space at the Central Branch in downtown Vancouver. This 28,000 square foot “garden in the sky” served as the perfect stage for their strategic plan announcement that includes intentions to expand community spaces, create dynamic collaboration zones, and offer high-tech creation spaces for their nearly 350,000 active card holders across 22 locations.
From the sky, the green roof of the Central Branch looks like a river, which is part of the aesthetic that was created when the iconic building first opened in 1995. The rooftop garden is covered in native BC plants and grasses, along with a resident family of geese that spends its time meandering through the bushes overlooking Crosstown, Yaletown, False Creek and BC Place.
The Central Branch also has a north and south plaza, accessible from the 8th floor. In the long-term plan (2015 onward), these open-air courtyards and even the roof will become community spaces where patrons can step outside and enjoy library services in the sunshine. For now, they symbolize the mindset of the library, moving forward to serve the public and offer modern amenities.
Over the next three years the library has significant plans:
- Launch bold new ways to deliver service – when and where patrons want it:
- At the central library, for instance, library staff enabled by mobile technology will soon come to patrons (not the other way around) to help them where and when needed in the building.
Among other initiatives:
- Create new and re-energized community spaces – including new and redeveloped branches (Downtown Eastside/Strathcona, for instance, and Oakridge and Marpole);
- Continue planning for the long-awaited “garden in the sky” – access to the green space on the roof of the central library downtown – something originally planned, but not yet realized;
- Explore use of digital interfaces so VPL is a platform for community creativity and knowledge to showcase Vancouver’s history, stories and memory:
- A digital media space (3,000 square feet) dubbed VPL’s Inspiration Lab is planned to open at the central library in late 2014, and could potentially include a digital recording studio, video editing software and workstations, an interactive music lab and more;
- Re-engage users who may not have used the library for some time, and enhance access to library collections, staff expertise and VPL’s community space with nearly 2,300 more opening hours a year system-wide – equivalent to roughly 285 eight-hour opening days.
Chief Librarian, Sandra Singh says that VPL has an extensive network of fee-free public spaces across the city — 22 in all offering more than 500,000 square feet of space — but roughly half of its branches are still closed two days a week and many are closed in the evenings. You can read the full strategic plan outline on the Vancouver Public Library website and follow them on Twitter @VPL for news, special events and announcements, and information.
