After a disappointing 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers at BC Place this afternoon, the Whitecaps‘ saving grace came from an unlikely place — our Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders FC. We needed the 3-point finish at home but the second best result was for Seattle to defeat FC Dallas who we’ve been battling in the standings for the last few weeks. Seattle pulled through with a convincing 3-1 win which means the Whitecaps are going to the MLS playoffs.
The Whitecaps are the first Canadian team to ever make it to Major League Soccer‘s post-season (with Toronto FC and Montreal Impact missing the cut). While the news is great, the team feels they still need to step it up, especially when they face the LA Galaxy in their first playoff game November 1st.
The club still has a regular season game left in Salt Lake on Saturday, October 27th then it’s onto the playoffs. We start on the road so we need to cross our fingers that we get back to BC Place for a game in November as that will be a 1-shot playoff match. If we win in LA then we advance to a home-and-away aggregate-goal format semifinal.
This is great news for soccer — Major League Soccer — in Vancouver. With incredible fan atmosphere at games, affordable tickets, family nights and promotions, and community involvement, hopefully we’ll get even more locals out to support our team this fall and again in the spring.
Follow @WhitecapsFC on Twitter along with @WhitecapsMatch during the game for updates. I also have a Whitecaps list on Twitter with players, media, and organization members that you can follow.
This afternoon Krista Rand sent me a message on Twitter with a photo of the Orpheum sign coming down. Many panicked at the news that the iconic neon beacon on Granville was being removed however it has been determined that it’s all part of a master plan.
Since the Orpheum is run by the City of Vancouver, Heritage Vancouver wasn’t aware of the event but they posted on Twitter: “Will check – it’s a municipally designated structure though. This sign isn’t original to the 1927 bdlg.” They sent someone to check it out shortly after they were informed of this.
My first instinct was that it was being refurbished and that is somewhat the case. CFOX posted another image of the sign replacement on their Facebook account and one commenter said it’s just getting replaced (his buddy’s shop is working on the new piece). Vancouver City Councillor Heather Deal posted on her Twitter account as well: “Orpheum sign being replaced in time for 85th anniversary. Last bit of restoration project.”
1929 – VPL Accession Number: 11035. Photographer: Leonard Frank.
1959 – Granville. Archives #CVA 672-1. Photographer: BC Jennings.
So there is no need to worry. Krista Rand also confirmed (through people on the scene today) that it will be back up and running by next Saturday to restore a neon balance in our city’s entertainment district. For more Orpheum history, check out my feature blog post from 2010.
Growing up, my family would spend time together hiking at parks, on Sunday drives, or exploring historical sites and museums across the province. I love feeding my brain and learning about a place, an event, art, and science. Last weekend John and I went to Bellingham for the open house and grand re-opening of the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention (formerly the American Museum of Radio and Electricity). Given that John is a broadcast engineer, it was a trip we were both very excited to make.
Located on Bay Street just off Holly in downtown Bellingham, the SPARK Museum was packed that day. Free admission (although a donation jar was filling up quickly) and $5 to watch the SPARK Electrical Show with the MegaZapper — one of the largest Tesla coils in the country.
The show was sold out by the time we arrived so we made our way through the collections which were in chronological order:
SPARK has one of the world’s largest displays of early 18th and 19th century electrical inventions. From friction machines and coils to the first dial telephone and a theramin, there were so many pieces to look at — and touch. They also have a full replica of the Titanic’s radio room (with an original marconi wireless set) and more than 30,000 vacuum tubes on display.
We were also impressed to find a radio station broadcasting from inside the museum, although we shouldn’t have been that surprised. 102.3 KMRE community radio which has been operated by the museum since 2005.
There was a room for small experiments (like a fuzzy wall to which you can stick balloons using static) and the SPARK Lab upstairs is an educational space where children can take part in workshops. SPARK = Science-Powered Adventures for Real Kids. They can create steampunk and cyberpunk artwork, construct electronic kits, or deconstruct one electrical piece to make another — how cool is that? SPARK Labs are offered on Wednesdays and Saturday so that kids can learn hands-on about the fundamentals of electricity, using tools and safety.
The vision for the SPARK Museum began back in 1985 when Jonathan Winter put his collection of radio sets and spare parts, along with schematics, recordings, and vintage magazines into a space in Bellingham, naming it the Bellingham Antique Radio Museum.
Over the years, the Bellingham Antique Radio Museum functioned as a gathering place in the community, almost as if it were a radio shop of the 1930s. But it sold nothing. Instead, visitors were offered a unique, hands-on opportunity to visit an earlier time. They could handle vintage radios. They hooked them up, made them work, turned their knobs, and actually experienced the wonder of these and other examples of broadcast and entertainment technology from the early 20th century.
The Bellingham Antique Radio Museum then became a non-profit and John Jenkins, who had his own collection and shared a vision with Winters, signed on as Vice President and Co-Curator. The Bellingham Antique Radio Museum became the American Museum of Radio and Electricity and in 2011 the name was changed to the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention, in order to better reflect the museum’s broader electrical science mission.
You can see, hear, touch, feel, and experience the SPARK Museum for yourself Wednesdays to Sundays from 11:00am to 5:00pm or by appointment. Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children. It’s located at 1312 Bay Street in Bellingham, just 30 minutes south of the border crossing.
We were impressed with how extensive the collections were and that there were activities for kids (there were only a few “no touch” signs) especially the SPARK Lab, which I’d love to do myself. John’s eye were lit up like a kid in a candy store the entire time and every now and then he’d call me over to explain another radio component to me (like why old radios have so many knobs) or demonstrate an apparatus. While a lot of the jargon was lost on me, I was simply in awe of what these inventors and innovators created hundreds of years ago and how much their visions have impacted our lives today.
View all of our photos from the museum on Flickr in John’s set and my set.
Enjoying local craft beer is a positive trend that has caught on like wildfire in Vancouver. However if you’re unsure what to start sampling first, with such a wide selection of options from micro-breweries around the province, the winners of the BC Beer Awards would be a great place to start.
The BC Beer Awards took place on October 13th with an event at Chapel Arts in Vancouver with the “Best of Show” award going to Conrad Gmoser of Steamworks Brewing Company for the Steamworks Pilsner.
I was going to post some of our favourite brews from the list but once I started typing them out I realized that there were just too many. From Howe Sound to Townsite Brewing in Powell River, here are some of the province’s award-winning beers:
Lager/Pilsner – 22 Beers
1. Steamworks Pilsner – Conrad Gmoser of Steamworks Brewing Company
2. Beach Blonde Lager – Stefan Buhl of Tree Brewing Company
3. Kelowna Pilsner – Stefan Buhl of Tree Brewing Company
Special Lager – 8 Beers
1. Brewmaster’s Black – Stefan Tobler of Okanagan Spring Brewery
2. Hermann’s Dark Lager – Ralf Pittroff of Vancouver Island Brewery
3. Iron Plow Harvest Marzen – Ralf Pittroff of Vancouver Island Brewery
Wheat/Rye – 22 Beers
1. Belgian White – Dean Mcleod of Lighthouse Brewing Company
2. King Heffy Imperial Hefeweizen – Paul Wilson and Franco Corno of Howe Sound Brewing
3. White Bark Ale – Jason Meyer and Kevin Hearsum of Driftwood Brewing Company
Pale – 41 Beers
1. Red Racer Classic Pale Ale – Gary Lohin of Central City Brewing Company
2. Salt Spring ESB – Murray Hunter of Gulf Island Brewing
3. River Rock Bitter – Daniel Murphy of Canoe Brewpub
Porter/Brown – 24 Beers
1. Pow Town – Cedric Dauchot of Townsite Brewing Inc
2. Dark Chocolate Porter – Dean Mcleod of Lighthouse Brewing Company
3. Longboat Chocolate Porter – Matt Phillips of Phillips Brewing Company
Fruit – 15 Beers
1. Blackberry Festivale – Cedric Dauchot of Townsite Brewing Inc
2. 4 Way Fruit Ale – Paul Wilson and Franco Corno of Howe Sound Brewing
3. Seedspitter Watermelon Wit – Graham With of Parallel 49 Brewing Company
Stout – 14 Beers
1. Keepers Stout – Dean Mcleod of Lighthouse Brewing Company
2. Pothole Filler Imperial Stout – Paul Wilson and Franco Corno of Howe Sound Brewing
3. Singularity – Jason Meyer and Kevin Hearsum of Driftwood Brewing Company
IPA – 36 Beers
1. 5 Rings IPA – Derrick Franche of High Mountain Brewing Company
2. Central City Imperial IPA – Gary Lohin of Central City Brewing Company
3. Red Racer IPA – Gary Lohin of Central City Brewing Company
Specialty – 20 Beers
1. Smoke & Mirrors Imperial Smoked Ale – Kevin Emms of Coal Harbour Brewing
2. Serendipity #5 – Stefan Buhl of Tree Brewing Company
3. Schadenfreude Pumpkin Oktoberfest – Graham With of Parallel 49 Brewing Company
Strong – 7 Beers
1. Hermannator Ice Bock – Ralf Pittroff of Vancouver Island Brewery
2. Old Cellar Dweller 2012 – Jason Meyer and Kevin Hearsum of Driftwood Brewing Company
3. Bourbon Barrel Aged Thor’s Hammer – Gary Lohin of Central City Brewing Company
The full list is posted on the BC Beer Awards Facebook page. Many of these are available through the breweries, brewpubs, and local liquor stores.
Follow CAMRA Vancouver (Campaign for Real Ale) on Facebook and Twitter to find out more about craft beer events and promotions.
This weekend the Vancouver Farmers Markets Harvest Festival will mark the end of the summer market season in the West End with fall food activities for kids, a fall fruit pie competition, a squash beauty contest, and more.
The festival will take place Saturday, October 20, 2012 at the West End Market (1100 block of Comox) from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Pick up pumpkins, squash, root vegetables, and enjoy samples. Check it out as this market won’t return again until June of next year.
Photo credit:
[kam] on Flickr
A variety of fall and winter markets are just getting started this season which means you can still pick up a bounty of local ingredients in select locations.
Follow Vancouver Farmers Markets on Twitter for more information about this event and the new seasonal markets that will be opening up.
