Canada Day long weekend will be filled with more than celebrations on July 1st as Carnaval del Sol returns June 30th. Thousands will gather downtown for this free festival that celebrates Latin American arts and culture.
Photo credit:
Michael Kwan on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool.
From 10:00am until 10:00pm on Saturday June 30th, 2012 you can enjoy activities, music, dance, and food on Granville from Smithe to Hastings. Take salsa and zumba lessons, watch a street soccer tournament, make some arts and crafts, and much more. Granville will be closed to vehicles and become a giant pedestrian-only celebration zone.
Satellite Events
What: Inspiring Latino Award Ceremony. Vancouver’s first regional awards ceremony to recognize contributions of distinguished members of the Latin American community.
When: Thursday, June 28th, 2012 6:00pm to 12:00am
Where: CBC Vancouver – 700 Hamilton Street (Studio 700)
What: Mini World Cup Street Soccer Tournament. Teams can sign up to participate and represent a country in this preliminary event. The championship will take place during Carnaval del Sol the following Saturday.
When: Sunday, June 24th, 2012 10:00am to 6:00pm
Where: Granville from Robson to Georgia
Carnaval del Sol is a production of Latincouver. Follow them on Twitter or Facebook for more information and news throughout the year.
The Arts Club Theatre Company is lacing up their rollerskates in their latest production of Xanadu. This upbeat disco-dancing musical is based on the 1980 Universal Pictures Film that was adapted from the book by Douglas Carter Beane (To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar; The Little Dog Who Laughed).
Marlie Collins and Gaelan Beatty in Arts
Club’s XANADU. Photo by David Cooper
Take a magical ride to a world where fantasy, romance, and shiny satin jumpsuits reign! A beautiful Greek muse descends from Mount Olympus in an impenetrable disguise of leg warmers and an Aussie accent to help mortal Sonny realize the greatest artistic achievement of all time: to open a roller disco! Featuring the cult classics “Suddenly” and “Xanadu,” this musical is “Magic” on roller skates!
This “outlandishly zany spoof” stars Marlie Collins (in Olivia Newton-John’s role from the film) Gaelan Beatty as Sonny. Xanadu will run from June 21, 2012 until August 4, 2012 at the Granville Island Stage.
The Arts Club has offered up a prize for one Miss604 reader that includes two tickets to opening night (June 27th) and a $100 gift card for dinner at The Sandbar on Granville Island. The Sandbar has been consistently voted one of the best patios in Vancouver and they host a variety of events, have live music, brunch on Father’s Day, and are currently hosting their own Pacific Salmon Run Contest.
Here’s how you can enter to win this prize pack:
- Leave a comment on this post naming your favourite disco-style tune (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter
I will draw one winner at random from all entries next Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at 1:00pm.
Update The winner is Jennifer!
Vancouver event planner Marc Smith recently made a career change and has taken on a bold challenge while he realigns his professional goals. He’s decided to create 30 Day Adventures, a blogging initiative that has him experiencing a new adventure around Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley daily from June 1st to July 1st.
Langley Wineries
While this is Marc’s first time writing blog posts every single day (complete with photos and video), he’s no stranger to social media. He’s actively looking for adventures to complete and document this month and has been welcoming suggestions online. My idea was to do a local wine tour so Marc made a few calls and we set out for Langley yesterday morning.
Vista D’Oro
Stop 1: Vista D’Oro Winery
Location: 346 208th St, Langley
Our Host: Lee Murphy, Owner
Highlights: Samples in the farmgate shop and tasting room, fresh scones and preserves on the patio, property tour, spotting barn owls.
Find them on: Twitter & Facebook
Neck of the Woods
Stop 2: Neck of the Woods Winery
Location: 3033 232nd St, Langley
Our Host: Trent Blackwell, Owner
Highlights: Sparkling wine upon arrival, production tour, tastings paired with cheese and chocolates, learning about their large portfolio of wines.
Find them on: Twitter & Facebook
Township 7
Stop 3: Township 7 Vineyards
Location: 21152 16th Ave at 212th St, Langley
Our Host: Cindy Murphy, Retail Manager
Highlights: Learning about Township’s many events and how they are the official wine of the Calgary Stampede. Cottonwood fluff floated around us like snowflakes on the wind and we ended the day at the picnic table on the lawn chatting with the ladies from Stimuli Magazine who stopped by for a visit.
Find them on: Twitter & Facebook
Each winery was a completely different experience but there was one common thread — they all care deeply about the community and their craft. At the end of the day Marc and I jested about returning to Vista D’Oro with marshmallows to roast on the fire pit we spotted on the 10-acre property. With rolling pastures and views of majestic Golden Ears, we took a day to escape the city and enjoy the country.
The rest of my photos from the day are available on my Flickr set. If you have a suggestion for Marc, submit it online as he still has a few weeks to go in his 30 Day Adventures campaign.
This morning there were reports that a beached whale had been found on East Beach in White Rock (Grey or Humpback). Vancouver Aquarium rescue staff are on their way to the scene.
Neil Morrison from CFOX first tweeted about the sighting and news teams from various outlets have confirmed. Global BC has posted an aerial view photo on Twitter (right).
News 1130 passed on the confirmation at 7:05am: “Fisheries and Oceans confirms a beached humpback whale about 8 to 10 metres long and in poor condition has washed up on White Rock Beach.”
CKNW posted at 7:10am: “#Breaking: #DFO confirm fishing gear caught mouth of beached humpback whale. #RCMP cut it but there are indications the whale has passed.” They will have Aquarium staff on air at 7:40am to talk about the situation and other morning news channels are providing helicopter footage.
The tide is still on its way out. According to Tide Times, it will be at its lowest at 8:17am and high again at 2:27pm.
Crowds are growing along the mud flats where the whale is stuck but it’s still uncertain what the public can do to help — especially if the whale lost its struggle. Hopefully that’s not the case but perhaps we can find out what to do or how to act if something like this happens in the future.
Update 7:45am: More reports are confirming that the whale did not make it. CTV’s Brent Shearer posted a very close-up photo of the mammal with the caption: “Beached #whale in white rock. A tangle of fishing gear lies nearby.”
Update 7:50am: “It’s certainly dead and has been for a few hours,” says Dr. Martin Haulena from the Vancouver Aquarium who is on the scene. He’s speaking to Global BC‘s morning news team.
“This whale hasn’t eaten for quite some time so those ropes have been on there for weeks to months at least.” The Vancouver Aquarium is curious about where the gear (nets, lines, ropes) was originally stuck on the whale since it appears to have been removed this morning. They’re hoping some early photos were captured so that they can put a bit of this puzzle together and learn more about what happened to this humpback.
Update 1:20pm: The Vancouver Aquarium has posted an update on their blog.
Humpback whales are making a comeback in their numbers along the West Coast of British Columbia. Although still considered an at-risk species due to the over-hunting that ended in the 1960s, the population is now doing better.
A humpback whale sighting had been reported to Vancouver Aquarium’s B.C. Cetaceans Sighting Network from the Tsawwassen ferry last week. Staff will now try to identify the whale that was spotted to see if it is the same whale that washed up this morning. DNA samples were taken from the animal by the Aquarium for further testing.
The Vancouver Aquarium says you can report your sighting to 1-866-I-SAW-ONE, www.wildwhales.org or [email protected]. If you see a stranded animal, please call the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre at 604-258-SEAL (7325) for immediate assistance.
There have been a few whale sightings around our shores in recent history, the most publicized was when a Grey Whale swam into False Creek in 2010.
Canada Place will once again host a free Canada Day celebration spanning from its iconic sails to Jack Poole Plaza and Harbour Green Park in Coal Harbour.
The Waterfront Party will run from 10:00am to 6:00pm with activities and entertainment, and will followed up by a Canada Day Parade at 7:00pm and fireworks starting at 10:30pm.
There will be 3 entertainment stages featuring acts like The Bond Street, The Funky Mamas, Marcus Mosely Gospel Choir, Leela Gilday, Dr Strangelove, Alex Cuba, the legendary Dal Richards Orchestra, and Spirit of the West. These shows will be complimented by roaming musical acts and performers.
Throughout the day families are invited to discover Canadian Army, Navy, and Airforce displays, witness a citizenship ceremony, check out the Great Canadian Art Experience, visit the Northwest Territories Dome, and enjoy activities all along Canada Place Way. The celebration will be about all of Canada, from coast to coast — to coast.
Download the free Canada Place app for your iPhone or Android to have all the information you need for Canada Day in the palm of your hand. You can also follow Canada Place on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
