An alternative to the 93rd annual Vancouver Polar Bear Swim is the Penguin Plunge in North Vancouver. Presented by Deep Cove Outdoor and Deep Cove Kayak & Canoe, this frosty affair takes place at Panorama Park in Deep Cove on New Year’s Day.
To participate, register at Panorama Park on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 starting at 12:30pm and the plunge will take place promptly at 2:00pm. Enter the costume contest (judged at 1:30pm) and collect pledges for your plunge. Proceeds from plunge pledges support Seymour Art Gallery. Gary Comeau and The Voodoo Allstars will play live music in the park and refreshments will be served. Enjoy the first day of the year with the beautiful sights and sounds of the North Shore and support the community.
Vancouver has a modest selection of family-friendly options for New Year’s Eve so that you can celebrate the last day of 2012 with the kiddies.
Robson Square Ice Rink
On New Year’s Eve the popular outdoor rink will host a family-friendly evening of entertainment, live music, and more. They will have two early countdowns: one at 7:00pm and one at 9:00pm. Live shows start at 4:00pm (with Magical and Holiday Performers, Rumba Calzada, The Freshest DJs) and activities run until 10:30pm. The ice rink will be open regular hours on New Year’s Day as well, from 9:00am until 9:00pm. Skating is always free but there is a fee if you need rentals.
Mount Seymour SnowPlay Park
Head up to Mount Seymour from 6:00pm to 9:00pm on New Year’s Eve to enjoy a celebration for the whole family at the SnowPlay Park. WE Vancouver writes: tubing and tobogganing, live big band music, free s’mores and apple cider, and free party hats, sparklers and blowhorns for an early NYE countdown at 9:00pm. Family First Night is one of Vancouver’s only family friendly New Year’s Eve events. The Snowplay area opens for the event at 5pm and will run till 9pm when they’ll have the NYE countdown.
Bright Nights in Stanley Park
The festive holiday train and millions of lights will be glowing on New Year’s Eve from 3:00pm to 11:00pm. Admission is by donation and tickets for the train can be purchased in advance or at the ticket booth on-site.
On-going holiday events that are open New Year’s Eve include Burnaby Heritage Christmas (free), the VanDusen Festival of Lights, and the Jewel Box of Light at Bloedel Conservatory.
Outside Vancouver
yoyomama is a great resource for family-friendly events in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley (I reviewed their On The Go Kids app a few months ago). Here are a few more events that they have listed:
The Great Escape New Year’s Eve Family Bash
Monday, December 31st from 6:00pm to 9:30pm
The Great Escape (#105-20645 Langley Bypass, Langley)
Laser tag, mini golf, food specials, door prizes and an early countdown at 9:00pm.
Whistler Presents: New Year’s Eve Celebrations
Monday, December 31st from 6:00pm to Midnight at Whistler Village Square
Live music, workshops, street entertainment, storytelling, arts and crafts, and a fireworks show visible from histler Olympic Plaza, Village Square and Skiers Plaza. Skate on the ice rink at Whistler Olympic plaza and check out the thrilling Fire and Ice skiing show at 7:30pm. Some events that are ages 13+ require tickets.
Check out the yoyomama On The Go Kids app for iPhone and iPad for more event information each month. If you know of more events throughout the month of January (for all ages, families, and more) please feel free to send them my way for feature in my monthly event post.
12,000 people packed the floor of BC Place last night for CONTACT Festival — the largest electronic dance concert to hit Western Canada. With DJs Chris Lake and Alesso, Lazy Rich, Nero, and Deadmau5 Unhooked (sans his signature mau5 head). John Biehler was there to snap photos of all the multi-coloured glowstick action for Miss604.
View more of John Biehler‘s photos in his set on Flickr.
Guest contributor John Biehler shares some insights about 3d printing — one of the biggest technology stories to develop over the last year — and the local 3d604 group.
You’ve probably heard about 3d printing recently in the news. Every week there seems to be another story or segment about it. But what actually is 3d printing?
Also known as additive manufacturing, 3d printing is the technique of creating physical objects from digital models.
Think of it as a hot glue gun that moves. Replace the glue with a plastic material and you have the basic premise. It moves via a system of motors and gears that typically move along rails or rods up, down, left or right.
The object is made by ‘drawing’ with the melting plastic, one layer at a time. Once a complete layer has been ‘drawn’, the platform moves down and then the next layer is drawn on top of the previous one, building something out of nothing. Each layer can be as small as 100 microns (0.1 of a millimeter) – sometimes even smaller.
Hobbyist 3d printers use a plastic filament, not unlike (although quite different than) what you see on the bottom of a weed whacker. It is either ABS or PLA plastic. ABS is the same type of plastic used for LEGOs. PLA is a corn starch based plastic that is biodegradable. Industrial machines are capable of using metals, resins, ceramics and even organic material to print with.
I first got into 3d printing a couple of years ago after hearing about what MakerBot was developing and eventually bought my first kit. You had to assemble the printer yourself and it took me about 20 hours of soldering, wiring and a ton of nuts and bolts to do so.
Since then, I’ve added to my collection of 3d printers (I’m now up to 3) including my recent purchase of a MakerBot Replicator 2 which now comes fully assembled.
I’ve made everything from toys and gifts to custom camera mounts for helicopters and electronics enclosures with my 3d printers. I’ve even printed the parts for other 3d printers on my 3d printer – you can make about 60-70% of a 3d printer from plastic parts. You still need to add motors, bolts, screws, electronics, etc.
My Christmas tree for the last couple of years has had almost entirely 3d printed ornaments on it.
We can also use an Xbox Kinect as a 3d scanner to scan people and 3d print them.
When I first started out, I didn’t know anyone else locally that was doing 3d printing. I eventually found some people who were building their own printers and we eventually formed a 3d printing club (called 3D604.org) that has grown to over 50 members locally. We typically meet twice a month to talk about our printers, show off our latest projects and occasionally have build days where we work on getting someone’s printer up and running. We also regularly bring our printers out to special events to showcase the technology. We had 17 printers going at this year’s MakerFaire at the PNE in the summer.
If you’d like to know more about 3d printing, check out our Google Group which has our upcoming meeting dates and times. We typically meet at a restaurant in Langley as we have members from Chilliwack to North Vancouver and it’s reasonably central and transit accessible (a few even carpool to the meetings). We welcome new members and you don’t have to have a printer to be a member…we’ll answer any questions you have about choosing a printer for yourself or can arrange to print your 3d objects if you’d like. I also have an extensive set of posts about my adventures in 3d printing over at my blog as well.
The Vancouver Polar Bear Swim will have its 93rd run on New Year’s Day, Tuesday, January 1, 2013. This free event is open to the entire community and all those brave enough to splash in the waters of English Bay on the first day of the year.
Peter Pantages & Miss E Robinson in English Bay Dec 1927 – Archives Item #CVA 99-1787
Around the 1950s, the participation was approximately 250 to 300 swimmers, and six lifeguards and one supervisor were used for safety supervision. Today, anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 swimmers participate (record to-date 2,246 in 2011) and 5,000 to 10,000 spectators making it necessary for the Park Board to construct a fenced enclosure for the swimmers. – Vancouver Polar Bear Club
Arrive by 12:30pm to register as a Vancouver Polar Bear Swim Club member and receive your badge — and the chance to win prizes. You may also register by clipping out the coupon in The Province and presenting it at the registration desk. The swim will then begin at 2:30pm, setting out from the beach in front of the bath house at English Bay.
Wear a costumes and compete in the Peter Pantages Memorial 100 yard swim race or just come out to watch and enjoy the fun. Donations of non-perishable food or cash are accepted by the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
