The National Flag of Canada Day is coming up February 15th and while it’s an occasion that could slip past many, there’s a very good reason to pay attention this year. Canada Place, who usually celebrates “Flag Day” with a ceremony along and themed birthday cake, is hosting the Canadian Flag Photo Contest.
The Contest
Snap a photo of the Canadian flag (or submit a file photo that you own) and upload it to the Canadian Flag Photo Contest page on Facebook. They’re looking for your most creative shot including those taken of our red and white maple leafed icon abroad. Entries are being accepted January 25th until February 9th and then there will be a public voting period from February 10th until the 15th. The the top three photos will be profiled and the winner will be announced February 15th, 2011.
The Prize
The winner will be a VIP guest at Canada Place’s Canada Day celebrations July 1st, 2011. This will include a best seats in the house for the evening fireworks show, gourmet hors d’Å“uvres & cocktails. The winner will also get a stay for two at the luxurious Pan Pacific Hotel right upstairs from the party. To top it off, you’ll be able to see your winning photo on the giant outdoor screen at Canada Place throughout all of Canada Day (where over 100,000 people will walk by).
With so much red and white waving around last year during the Olympics, and with so many patriots at home and overseas, this is your chance to win a great prize and show some national pride.
The official Vancouver 125 anniversary year campaign kicked off last week and everyone from the Parks Board to Vancouver Archives is participating or organizing celebratory campaigns of their own. This includes CBC Vancouver who has launched an iPhone application called “Vancouver 125” featuring archived video footage (synced with Google Map locations) of significant, televised moments in our city’s history.
“This free mobile app allows you to experience Vancouver’s history through the CBC Archives. From Vancouver’s first major protests and riots, to royal visits, to Olympic celebrations. The videos stretch back to Vancouver’s incorporation 125 years ago, and take you to the present day. Use the Map to show where the events took place, and explore your history.”
It would be great if the information they provided on the site that promotes the app would also be included in the application (things like podcast audio and images). Also, there are only a handful of listings but since this is version 1.0, I hope they will continue expand the listings throughout the year. Since I’m a sucker for the Miracle Mile footage I’m pretty pleased with it so far, I just hope they add a few more gems.
You can check it our for yourself by downloading the CBC Vancouver 125 for free from the app store.
Yesterday I came across a post on The Buzzer Blog (via Vancouver is Awesome) that featured photos of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s ride on the SkyTrain during Expo 86. It was December 11th, 1985 that SkyTrain took its first run through the tunnels at Waterfront Station and throughout 2011, Translink will be celebrating SkyTrain’s 25th anniversary.
At the time, service only ran from Waterfront Station to New Westminster station. Two years later, construction began on the SkyBridge, Columbia Station, and Scott Road Station in Surrey. My family would cross over the Pattullo from Surrey to New Westminster every week and we would look out the window to check in on the bridge’s progress each time we passed. It would then be seven more years until the SkyTrain line expanded further into Surrey, with Gateway, Surrey Central, and the King George terminus station opening up in 1994.
In 2009, it was fun to be on the maiden voyage of the new class of Sea Bus as well as on a preview trip of the Canada Line. Looking at proposed expansions and light rail options for Metro Vancouver in the foreseeable future, it will be interesting to see how the transit landscape changes in yet another 25 years.
It was great to once again experience another side of Granville Island (outside of the market and theatres). I didn’t get to try my hand at making a glass flower but I’ll be back soon to give it a whirl. The rest of my photos can be found on Flickr.
This morning it was announced that the Rosewood Hotel Georgia will officially open its doors on Saturday May 7th 2011, exactly 84 years to the day that the hotel first opened its doors in 1927. While it has been under construction and major renovations for the last few years, it was still an icon during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics with its larger-than-life 15-storey Canadian flag wrap.
1930 – Hotel Georgia. Photographer: Leonard Frank. Vancouver Archives Item #Hot P2
Over the last century the Hotel Georgia hosted everything from Board of Trade meetings to guest like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and the Rolling Stones. However it was not only accommodation for dignitaries and Hollywood’s glitz and glamour crowd; the pub was also a favourite hangout for UBC students who even protested its closing in 1962.
The new Rosewood Hotel Georgia will feature close to 10,000 square feet of deluxe banquet and meeting facilities, the Rosewood Spa, a fitness centre, and a 54’ indoor salt water lap pool. There will be 155 rooms and two Penthouse Suites, the Lord Stanley Suite and the signature Rosewood Suite, both featuring a private rooftop terrace complete with city skyline views, outdoor hot tub and fireplace.
Hotel Georgia writing room VPL Accession #: 26310
Chef David Hawksworth will also open the 2,800 square foot ‘Hawksworth’ Restaurant including a seated bar and lounge area and a first floor private dining room, overlooking the Art Gallery.
With TripAdvisor recently announcing the “Top 10 Luxury Hotels in Canada” and 8 of them being in BC, it sounds like the Rosewood Hotel Georgia is poised to fit right back into the legacy of luxury accommodation that it created in Vancouver.
For more history, check out The Hotel Georgia: A Vancouver Tradition by Sean Rossiter that was published in 1998.
My weekly history series has been rebranded for “Vancouver 125” with a focus on specific dates, landmarks, and events throughout Vancouver’s history. This series is dedicated to the tremendous life and work of Chuck Davis.