Surrey Fusion Festival 2011: It’s On

Comments 2 by Rebecca Bollwitt

The skies broke open and showered the Lower Mainland with rain this morning and while that stopped the Whitecaps from playing their game at Empire Field, out in Surrey the Fusion Festival was a go.

Surrey Fusion Fest 2011

Surrey Fusion Fest 2011 Surrey Fusion Fest 2011

Surrey Fusion Fest 2011 Surrey Fusion Fest 2011

Surrey Fusion Fest 2011 Surrey Fusion Fest 2011

Each year dozens of pavilions line Holland Park and the tents – filled with cultural displays, merchandise, music, and food – serve as shade from the sun. On a day like today, the tents were used as shelter but many braved the elements with nothing but Gore-Tex, a hat, or an umbrella.

Surrey Fusion Fest 2011

The rain stopped every now and then giving a nice reprieve and the sun has been playing hide-and-seek all day. Luckily, there isn’t too much mud on the grass (it’s draining fairly well, I would say) and people are still coming out to experience this free annual festival filled with activities for all ages.

Surrey Fusion Fest 2011

Leading up to the evening’s concerts, Warren Dean Flandez is on at 6:30pm tonight, Bombino at 7:30pm, Dirty Radio is on the celebration stage at 7:30pm as well, and Bedouin Soundclash will round out the evening starting at 8:45pm.

Surrey Fusion Fest 2011

Tomorrow, explore the all-new (this year) Flavours of Surrey area that has even more food and local artisans along with the cooking demo stage. Top Chef Canada winner Dale MacKay will be on at 5:30pm and today, Vikram Vij drew the morning’s largest crowd.

Surrey Fusion Fest 2011

Jay Sean will close out the entire festival starting at 9:00pm Sunday night on the main stage. There’s still time to check out tonight’s line-up at Holland Park in Surrey and don’t shy away from coming out tomorrow if the weather stays the same. There’s no shortage of food and pavilions to browse.

Surrey Fusion Fest 2011

Tips:

  • Come hungry. Make sure you bring cash to purchase some food tickets (1 ticket = $1, and many things are priced for 1, 3, or 5 tickets). There are also ATMs on site.
  • Take transit. Holland Park is between Central City and King George SkyTrain stations.
  • Bring a chair if you don’t want to sit on the wet grass. There are some areas in front of the Celebration Stage for example that are stone, chairs are allowed there too.
  • Check out the activities for kids. Make a craft, play in the Toddler Zone, get a free balloon or beach ball, mingle with mascots.
  • Surrey Fusion Fest 2011

    We hope to see you at Fusion Festival tonight or throughout the day tomorrow. Miss604.com is proud to sponsor this event for the 4th year in a row.

    Update The evening concerts drew crowds who danced through the intermittent rain.

    Surrey Fusion Fest 2011
    Kytami

    Surrey Fusion Fest 2011
    Warren Dean Flandez

    Surrey Fusion Fest 2011
    Bombino

    Surrey Fusion Fest 2011: Dirty Radio
    Dirty Radio

    Surrey Fusion Fest 2011: Dirty Radio Surrey Fusion Fest 2011: Dirty Radio

    Surrey Fusion Fest 2011: Dirty Radio

    Surrey Fusion Fest 2011: Bedouin Soundclash
    Bedouin Soundclash

    Surrey Fusion Fest 2011: Bedouin Soundclash

    Surrey Fusion Fest 2011: Bedouin Soundclash Surrey Fusion Fest 2011: Bedouin Soundclash

    Surrey Fusion Fest 2011: Bedouin Soundclash

    Update July 17, 2011 John and I are heading back to Surrey today for another round at the pavilions (I’m set on having jollof rice from Ghana, cannoli from Italy, and chorizo tacos from Mexico) and great music. We’ll have more photos and updates from this FREE community festival posted throughout the day.

    All photos in this post are by John Bollwitt and can be found on Flickr.

    Kokanee Crankworx 2011

    Comments 52 by Rebecca Bollwitt

    Kokanee Crankworx starts today in Whistler and will run clear through next weekend. It’s the nation’s ultimate mountain biking event with the Whistler Mountain Bike Park taking centre stage for all the action.

    kokanee sasquatch
    Be on the lookout for the
    Kokanee-stealing sasquatch

    Kokanee Crankworx has become the authoritative free ride festival, a supercharged magnet for the world’s best riders, the definitive domestication of dirt in the service of epic endurance, supreme flow, monster air and gravity-fuelled mountain biking. The best mountain bike athletes in the world know that when gravity beckons, you simply say, yes mistress.

    This weekend opens up with a concert series, then there’s the Kokanee Aftershock nightly DJ series, the Deep Summer Photo Challenge, Red Bull Joyride at Night, and parties across the village. A full schedule of concerts, competitions, and events can be found online and all of these activities are free (except for a few parties and events in the evening, where noted on the website).

    From the Dual Slalom, Canadian Open Downhill, and Teva Best Trick Showdown, to the Canadian Cheese Rolling Championships – there will be no shortage of action over the next ten days.

    Kokanee will also be presenting a silent disco (tickets $10, Kokanee prizes) July 22nd and the official wrap-up party at Garibaldi Lift Co on July 23rd. I have a prize pack to give away to a reader and their mountain biking friend of choice. The prize pack includes:

    2 one day Bike Park vouchers
    2 passes for the Kokanee VIP Deck on Saturday July 23rd

    Here’s how to enter to win the prize pack:

  • Leave a comment on this post naming your favourite place to ride your bike (1 entry)
  • Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
  • I entered to win a @kokanee @crankworx VIP prize pack from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/5FH0v

    I will draw one winner at 10:00am Tuesday July 19, 2011. The bike park passes will be couriered to the winner this week and the Kokanee VIP passes can be picked up at the Pan Pacific in Whistler. Must be 19 years of age or older to enter and win. No purchase necessary. Please enjoy responsibly.

    Update Lindsay C (@kitslove) is the winner!

    SHOREfest 2011

    Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

    The Celebration of Light fireworks got a boost of early evening entertainment last year with SHOREfest and it’s back and even bigger this summer.

    Celebration of Light 2010: Spain

    Over each of the three fireworks nights SHOREfest (presented by Shore 104FM) will host 23 bands on 3 music stages in English Bay and in Kitsilano.

    The Rogue Stage
    Located in Vanier Park by the Maritime Museum performers will be Leeroy Stagger, Kevin Kane (of Grapes of Wrath), The Sojourners, and more.

    YVR Community Stage
    This will be between the Kits Pool and Kits Beach along the walkway with Ryan McAllister, Billy the Kid, Prairie Dance Club, and more.

    The Keg Lounge on the Bathhouse Rooftop at English Bay
    The English Bay stage will host Steven Page, Wide Mouth Mason, and more.

    All of these performances are free to the public July 30th, August 3rd and August 6th before the fireworks. View the full line-up online, bring a picnic, and be entertained while you stake out your fireworks-viewing spot for the evening. The English Bay stage will have reserved bleacher seating and you can enter to win a spot in my latest fireworks contest. I already have my winner for the first night but the second night’s contest is now open. I’ll also have a bleacher seat giveaway for the last fireworks night in a few weeks.

    Langley Circle Farm Tour

    Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

    My first Circle Farm Tour was two years ago in Harrison Mills and Agassiz and yesterday I was able to complete another thanks to Tourism Langley.

    Krause Berry Farm

    The concept behind the Circle Farm Tour is simple; it’s a self-guided road map with around a dozen locations for you to visit. What all of the stops have in common is that they are “farm-gate vendors, open air markets, charming eateries, heritage sites, fairs, and other special events.” We made eight stops yesterday so I’ve featured five below and there are fourteen stops in total on the tour. The wineries (yes, there are wineries in Langley and have been there for ten years) will be covered separately. Find hours of operation, u-pick, and tour hours listed on each individual website.

    Fort Langley National Historic Site
    Our day started out at Fort Langley with some refreshment in the Full Barrel Café followed by a tour and a stop off at the blacksmith’s for a demonstration. I haven’t been to Fort Langley since I was in school and I found it really fascinating to learn new history and honestly, I could watch the blacksmith make tools from the fire all day. Fort Langley is the “Birthplace of BC” as that is where Sir James Douglas read the proclamation that deemed this territory the Crown Colony of British Columbia.

    Fort Langley

    Fort Langley Fort Langley
    Fort Langley

    Fort Langley

    The whole area is lovely. Antique shops, the diner, the book store/coffee shop, artisans and crafters, and the rising river. I used to spend days on end visiting with a childhood friend in Fort Langley and we rarely ran out of ideas for activities.
    Location: (The Fort) 23433 Mavis Ave
    Website, Twitter

    Driediger Farms
    Families are welcome at this family u-pick, fruit stand, and farm market. Take home fresh baked pies, preserves, honey, and the season’s best berry offerings. We stayed in the vehicle for this one as Rhonda Driediger told us about the farm’s history, production, and current happenings and in particular, the weather. “Not all rain is bad, not all sun is good,” she said with a smile. They’ve been having a great year for berries and in fact there are even more this summer than last, they’re just late. Rhonda was a great source of information and I learned about ever-bearing berries, the importance of pollination, and even a crafty way to grow rhubarb in old tires in your garden.

    Driedeger Farms will also be hosting the 3rd Annual Sustainable Food Fair as a part of Langley Eats Local on August 6th.
    Location: 23823 72nd Ave
    Website, Facebook

    Driediger Farms

    Erikson’s Daylily Gardens
    While we didn’t get out of the vehicle and tour the gardens, we did chat with Pam Erikson who operates the garden with her husband (aside from them both having full time jobs). “You do it because you love it,” she told our group. “And I have the hands to prove it!” Their specialty is producing hybrids found nowhere else in the world (and she’s come up with some pretty interesting name for her flower varieties, including “Crotchless Panties”). Pam and Tom have over 3,000 types of daylillies on their property and they’ve come up with 62 exclusive hybrid varieties themselves. The nursery and gardens are open daily throughout July with peak for the flowers happening within the next 2 weeks.
    Location: 24642 51 Ave
    Website, Twitter

    J.D. Farms Specialty Turkey Store
    Walking into the J.D. Farms store was like standing in front of the oven at Christmas time right when it’s opened up to reveal a finished turkey. The aromas are unreal and offer a warm hug as soon as you walk in. You can pick up lunch (eat-in or take-out) from the deli counter, grab frozen sausages or stuffings, fresh turkey pepperoni (no preservatives), and all the fixings which are mostly supplied by other farms in the valley. You can find their local farm specialty turkeys in shops from Abbotsford to West Vancouver. Owner Jack Froese is also running for Mayor of Langley Township this fall.
    Location: 24726 52nd Ave
    Website, Twitter, Facebook

    JD Farms Turkey JD Farms Turkey
    JD Farms Turkey JD Farms Turkey

    Krause Berry Farms
    This is one u-pick berry farm that has it all. A market, café, goats for petting, a tractor playground for kids, and of course produce. Strawberries (try them in a “Mile High Custard Pie”), raspberries (available soon), blueberries (in August), green beans, and sweet corn. “We’ve got the best sweet corn in the valley, ” said owner Alf Krause who also took us around on a hayride. “Our focus is what we grow”. Pretty much everything that Krause grows can be found in a pie, in a doughnut, in fudge, in lemonade a smoothie or tea, and in their market.

    Krause Berry Farm

    Sandee Krause Alf Krause on the Tractor
    Krause Berry Farm Krause Berry Farm
    Krause Berry Farm

    Krause Berry Farm Fresh Blueberry Doughnuts
    Pies Krause Berry Farm
    Mile High Custard Pie

    Over the last 38 years, Alf and Sandee Krause have successfully reached their goal of making Krause a destination – a place you can visit even if you’re not picking or buying berries – and they’re not done growing. As for the “Mile High Custard Pies”, they make between 200 and 300 of them on their busiest days but you can also pre-order. This Sunday (July 17th) they’ll be hosting Farmers’ Feast as local farms and wineries join together at Krause with free samples, face painting, pony rides and more.
    Location: 6179 248th St
    Website, Twitter

    It’s important to note that all of these locations are free to visit (aside from the Fort at Fort Langley) and that these are home-grown businesses (often attached to the owners’ homes themselves).

    Part of the Langley Circle Farm Tour Map

    Download a Circle Farm Tour map (or take some notes on the website) and create your own tour as you explore the best in local berries, produce, gardens, and farm experiences. Langley is the closest Circle Farm Tour to Vancouver, just 45 minutes East down Highway 1.

    Other self-guided Circle Farm Tours in our region aside from Harrison Mills & Agassiz and Langley are Pitt Meadows & Maple Ridge, Chilliwack, and Abbotsford. All of my Circle Farm Tour posts can be found under the “Circle-Farm-Tour” tag.

    Related post: Where to Pick Strawberries.

    YVR at 80

    Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

    Vancouver International Airport (“YVR”) turns 80 this year and on top of their free “Take off Fridays” they are hosting a celebration Friday July 22 and Saturday July 23, 2011 from 10:00am to 3:00pm.


    1940 – Airport administration building. Archives Item#: CVA 586-171. Photographer: Don Coltman

    80 Memorable Moments Photo Gallery
    On Level 3 of the Main Terminal, explore a photographic history of YVR’s 80 years. The gallery will run from the Domestic Terminal food court to the International Terminal’s Spirit of HaidaGwaii, The Jade Canoe sculpture.

    In-Terminal Entertainment
    The Main Terminal will be buzzing, thanks to family-style entertainment provided by live DJs, magicians, face-painters, balloon twisters and YVR’s own Green Coat volunteers distributing 80th Anniversary giveaways. YVR’s shops and restaurants will be getting into the spirit, offering lunch specials and product sampling.


    1948 – Woodward’s truck parked by a Trans-Canada Air Lines plane at the airport.
    Archives Item#: CVA 1184-3392. Photographer: Jack Lindsay

    Airside Ballet
    In a display of coordination, timing and sheer equipment size, YVR’s unique airfield firefighting emergency trucks will showcase a ballet like you’ve never seen before. Visible from the public observation area (Domestic Terminal) at 11:00am both days.

    Vintage Aircraft Display and Flypast
    At YVR’s South Terminal – the original location of the airport when it opened in 1931 – visitors will find an impressive collection of vintage aircraft parked on the south side apron. The South Terminal parking lot will offer the best views of these vintage beauties. Check back soon for details on the vintage aircraft flypast. This will take place at the old South Terminal, and a shuttle will be setup to take visitors over.


    1960s – VPL Accession Number: 41254. Photographe/Studio: Province Newspaper

    80th Anniversary Grand Prize
    Once you’ve arrived at YVR, be sure to pick up an 80th anniversary commemorative brochure from one of our Customer Care counters or Green Coat volunteers for more details and a ballot to enter to win an 80th anniversary Grand Prize: a two-night stay in a Deluxe room at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport and $200 YVR bucks to spend at any YVR retailer. Ballots must be deposited at the South Terminal Building.

    Aside from being a part of our region’s history, YVR has also been a part of my own past (and present). We would dress up and head to the old terminal to pick up my Oma and Opa when they returned from weeks in Germany, my family welcomed my sister back from her backpacking trip across Europe, and I boarded my first plane at YVR in 1995 on a school trip to France. We’d pile into our family van, get some take-out, and sit out under the runway watching the planes land. An enthusiastic, “Whoa!” from all of us would greet with each approaching jet.

    YVR Observation Area

    The 80th anniversary celebration is a great time to get out and explore this important collection of buildings that see goodbyes, welcomes, laughter, hugs, and tears every day. It’s also one of the most award-winning airports in the world so it’s something we can all be proud of. YVR has also been looking for a storyteller that will live at the airport for 80 days. The deadline to enter by submitting a video is July 18th. You can enjoy the public observation area any time you visit.