Today is National Tree Day in Canada which is a part of National Forest Week. Communities across the country are hosting events today and this weekend to celebrate our coniferous and deciduous friends.
Surrey
National Tree Day Planting Party
On Saturday September 29th stop by Sullivan Park (62A Ave) for this free community event with face painting, activities, refreshments, and tree planting from 10:00am to 2:00pm.
Burnaby
Spirit Tree Festival
While I don’t believe it’s an official National Tree Day event, it is a Culture Days and Burnaby120 event, which is focused around a very special tree. The Spirit Tree (a very unique cedar) will be dedicated on Friday September 28th and free interactive workshops will follow on Saturday (9:00am to 4:00pm) and Sunday (10:00am to 3:00pm) at the Burnaby Arts Council (6584 Deer Lake Ave).
Maple Ridge
National Tree Day Celebration at the Summer Market
Join the Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association on Saturday September 29th at the Haney Farmers Market at Memorial Peace Park from 9:00am until 2:00pm. Face painting, entertainment, and even a tree cake.
Follow Tree Canada on Facebook and Twitter for more information about events in your community this week and throughout the year.
Red Truck Brewery will be hosting a groundbreaking ceremony of epic proportions tomorrow as they begin work on their new brewery. You have probably spotted the iconic red delivery truck as they deliver craft beer to dozens of purveyors around town. However, having outgrown their current location in North Vancouver, the groundbreaking ceremony in East Vancouver will involve hoisting then dropping a red truck from a crane.
In the beer drinking year of 2004 Red Truck began driving its’ 1946 Dodge Power Wagon through the streets of the lower mainland, delivering the freshest beer available to Vancouverites and their guests. From Keg 1, Dave ‘da Brewa’ Varga has been painstakingly brewing delicious Red Truck lager and ale as slowly as he can, always maintaining quality over quantity. Fortunately for the Red Truck Beer Company, Dave has been doing a fantastic job. So good in fact, we have to move from our brewery in North Vancouver to new digs on East 1st Ave, smack dab in the middle of the city in Brewery Creek.
When it’s complete, the new brewery will also have a 50’s style truck stop diner.
The truck drop event will take place from 2:46pm to 5:46pm on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 315 East 1st in Vancouver with the truck drop at 4:00pm. There will be live music, food, and of course some beer. You can RSVP for the event online and if you attend, tag your Tweets, Viddy videos, and photos on Instagram with #TruckDrop @RedTruckBeer to enter their social media contest.
World Rivers Day, celebrating everything from rushing waterways to tributaries, creeks, brooks, and estuaries is coming up on Sunday and communities across the province – from Kamloops to New Westminster are hosting events for our own BC Rivers Day.
Coquitlam
World Rivers Day in Coquitlam
Hosted at Coquitlam River Park (1190 Shaughnessy Street) on Sunday September 30th from 11:00am to 1:00pm. Explore the park and learn about local improvements to salmon runs. Tours are first-come first served and will run every half hour.
Port Coquitlam
Rivers and Trails Festival
Celebrate in multiple locations around Port Coquitlam this Sunday September 30th starting at Lions Park (2300 Lions Way) for displays, a river clean-up, nature-inspired art stations, and a pancake breakfast at 10:00am. Peace Park (1470 Kebet Way) will host activities starting at 12:00pm including family entertainment, crafts, barbecue , and river tours aboard the SS Native Paddlewheeler on the Pitt River (tickets $2). A shuttle service will be running between the two locations from 11:30am to 3:45pm.
Maple Ridge
BC Rivers Day at Kanaka Creek
Join the Kanaka Education and Environment Society for canoe tours and activities on Sunday September 30th from 11:00am to 3:00pm.
Burnaby
Burnaby 2012 Celebration at Guichon Creek
BCIT is getting a jump on festivities with their event on Wednesday, September 26th from 10:00am to 2:00pm. They will have a farmers market in the SW1 courtyard, fish release at 11:00am at Guichon Creek (west of BCIT’s East Gate), a Burnaby eco-sculpture exhibit, stream improvement information, environmental displays, live music and a barbecue. They’ll continue on Sunday, September 30th from 11:00am to 3:00pm with stream restoration activities.
New Westminster
RiverFest: Inspired by the Fraser
A free family event on Friday September 28th and Saturday 29th at Riverfront Park. They’ll have activities and entertainment including popular local acts like The Matinee, Washboard Union, and Headwater performing on Saturday. You can also book a Fraser River Harbour Tour on Saturday for $5 ($2 for kids) with proceeds benefitting the Fraser Alumni Association for leadership and maritime education programs for sea cadets.
Langley
Langley BC Rivers Day Festival
This free event will offer 35 interactive displays and activity booths at Williams Park (6595 238 St) on Sunday September 30th from 11:00am until 2:00pm. Enjoy the Stream Care Puppet Theatre, giant board games, on-site concession, family entertainment, and more.
Vancouver
A Poetic Walk in Stanley Park
The False Creek Watershed Society is hosting this walking tour on Saturday, September 29th at 10:00am along with 100,000 Poets for Change. The two hour stroll will feature poetry readings along the way.
World Rivers Day Renfrew Ravine
Evergreen BC, the Still Moon Arts Society, and the City of Vancouver host this event that will feature information about native plant species, water quality sampling, ravine trivia, and a short eco-history walk on Saturday September 29th from 1:30pm to 4:30pm.
North Vancouver
World Rivers Day at Lynnmouth Park
Evergreen BC invites you to join the Lynnmouth Park Rehabilitation Project on Sunday September 30th from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Meet up at 212 Brooksbank Ave to remove invasive blackberry and ivy and replace them with native plant species. Snacks and tools will be provided.
Britannia Mine
While it’s just a bit out of town, why not take a trip up the Sea to Sky to visit historic Britannia Mine for BC Rivers Day on Sunday September 30th from 10:00am to 3:00pm. Experiments will be running throughout the day along with demonstrations, trivia/quizzes, and a historical photo presentation.
Find a full list of events courtesy of the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC.
Last week Vancity launched the second round of their Good Money Mob in support of three local businesses. As their partner for this round, I selected Uprising Breads Bakery, CocoaNymph Chocolates & Confections, and Woodland Smokehouse & Commissary. The public can vote now on which business they would like to support through the Good Money Mob, meaning the business will get the support of Vancity and a “cash mob” from customers.
Today’s spotlight is CocoaNymph Chocolates and Confections. I stopped by the West 7th location (aka NymphEast) to check out their offerings of drinking chocolate, candied nuts, truffles, bars, and lunch items.
About CocoaNymph
- Location #1: NymphWest: 3739 West 10th Avenue (at Alma) open 11:00am to 7:00pm Monday to Saturday, 1:00pm to 5:00pm Sunday.
- Location #2: NymphEast: 4 West 7th Avenue (at Ontario) open 8:00am to 6:00pm Monday to Saturday.
NymphEast serves lunch from 10:00am to 4:00pm and carries an assortment of juices to compliment their impressive line up of drinking chocolate.
They frequently use natural, seasonal, and local ingredients in their tasty sweets. Avalon cream, Howe Sound Brewing’s beer for the Stout truffle, fresh valley strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and more.
Aside from the cafe and chocolate shop offerings, CocoaNymph also runs Chocolate Workshops several times a month — which are actually completely full until the end of October.
Contest
I have a $50 gift card available for CocoaNymph to give away today so that one lucky reader can get their fill of chocolate and confections made with local and natural ingredients. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post – enthusiasm for chocolate is encouraged! (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Follow CocoaNymph on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about them. I will draw one winner at random from all entries tomorrow morning at 9:00am, before the next Good Money Mob business spotlight and giveaway — and be sure to VOTE for the business you would like to see Good Money Mobbed!
Update The winner is @VisualHeart!
I love being a tourist in my hometown and exploring its corners on food tours, history tours, walking tours, and farm tours. One time of year when I go on the most tours is around Halloween. From Ghostly Walks in Victoria to Sins of the City at the Vancouver Police Museum, we’re coming up on a season of hauntingly good tours around Vancouver. Here are a few to consider:
Photo credit: Basedigital Images on Flickr
Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tours
With a stop at Mountain View Cemetery, the Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tour is one of the city’s most popular. Hop on a Vancouver Trolley for two and a half hours of history, spooky tales, and Halloween fun from October 19th to 31st. Tours depart daily at multiple times from Canada Place. More Information…»
Forbidden Vancouver Tour: Lost Souls of Gastown
Will Woods of the Forbidden Vancouver Tour is launching a spirited new walk for the Halloween season. He’ll share the tales of Gassy Jack, “Klondike Kate” Rockwell, and John Bray — three Lost Souls of Gastown on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights at 6:30pm starting October 4th. More Information…»
Haunted Cannery Tour
The 118 year old Gulf of Georgia Cannery is already a pretty creepy place with big old machinery and plenty of history. Now you can tour the old wooden worksite on October 27th and 28th for their themed “not so spooky” kids tours, haunted tours, and extra spooky tour (not recommended for kids). More Information…»
Creatures of the Night in Stanley Park
The Stanley Park Ecology Society is known for its super-informative and educational nature walks that take place year-round. Around Halloween, they add a bit of darkness for a “not too spooky” rendition of their Creatures of the Night tours October 5th through October 31st where you can learn about Stanley Park’s elusive nocturnal animals. More Information…»
Parade of Lost Souls Festival
Running from October 17th to 26th the Parade of Lost Souls Festival will host a series of workshops at Britannia Community Centre along with the Secret Souls Walk on October 27th at a secret location which is yet to be announced. You’ll want to follow the organizers at Public Dreams closely for details. More Information…»
Vancouver Heritage Foundation: West End Tours
The West End is a beautiful neighbourhood to explore in the fall and local historian John Atkin will be hosting walking tours on October 13th (West End Apartments) and October 27th (West End houses) from 10:00am to 12:00pm, setting out from Nelson and Thurlow. More Information…»
Heritage Vancouver: South East False Creek Walking Tour & Beer Tasting
Learn about the industrial history of South East False Creek on this walking tour hosted by Heritage Vancouver and guide Isaac Vanderhorst. Meet at the corner of West 1st and Crowe on October 13th at 1:00pm to take part (tickets usually sell out so make sure to book in advance). After an autumn afternoon stroll the tour will wrap up at Legacy Liquor Store for a beer tasting with snacks. More Information…»
And while they’re not exactly tours, there’s also the Zombie Combat Zone paintball experience, the Zombie Syndrome interactive theatre, the haunted garden, and Fright Nights at the PNE. Mountain View Cemetery usually has a few walking tours as well, which may be announced at a date following this post.
