Bucky Gunts Wins Emmy for Vancouver 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremony

Comments 4 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Bucky Gunts collected an Emmy Award this evening for his direction of the opening ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games for NBC.

The biggest event this town’s ever seen took place just six month ago and for many it’s a very fond memory that will live with them forever.

To celebrate, you can revisit the entire production thanks to YouTube.

While NBC’s coverage was slightly different than CTV’s (ie. no close-ups of the fiddlers) it’s still nice to hear Vancouver 2010 getting recognition in some way on an international stage.

Buses Return to Granville Street This September

Comments 6 by Rebecca Bollwitt

As of September 7th, trolley buses will be returning to their Granville Street routes that have been inactive for almost half a decade.

Vancouver Translink Photos - Buses lined up northbound on Granville
Photo credit: Roland on Flickr

The affected bus routes are: 4, 6, 7, 10, 15, 16, 17, 20, and 50 [download a PDF map here]. Note, the 5 will continue to be re-routed (via Smithe, Burrard, Pender) as there Robson Square redevelopment will still be underway.

Granville Mall
Photo credit: Sean_Marshall on Flickr

The bus-only lane on Seymour will be also removed so all traffic may have full use of the street. Since Granville will be maintaining a pedestrian-only feel certain days of the week, night buses will continue to run along Seymour (North) and Howe (South) on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays after 9:00pm. Translink says they will be posting signs on the bus stops during their weekend detours.


Granville 1946 – Vancouver Archives Item# CVA 586-4619 Photographer: Don Coltman

Trolley buses have traveled down Granville since for 100 years so it will be great to see them return. However, looking at some of the comment on The Buzzer Blog, many have become accustomed to the Seymour re-route.

Fair Trade Soccer Match in Surrey

Comments 2 by Rebecca Bollwitt

This weekend the Vancouver Whitecaps are participating in a “Fair Trade Soccer Match” in Surrey alongside local refugee youths from the Surrey Food Bank and the Whalley Soccer Association all-stars.

Soccer Ball
Photo credit: jbelluch on Flickr

When:
Saturday August 28, 2010, opening ceremony 2:15pm with the game starting at 2:30pm (40-minute halves).

Where:
Tom Binnie Park (10665 135 street), 300m south of Gateway Skytrain station [Google Map]

Cost:
Free for everyone. There are 500 seats and then standing room will be available.

There will be exhibits from KidSport Canada, Surrey Food Bank, City of Surrey, Umoja Operations Compassion Society, Vancouver Whitecaps, Social Conscience, Fair Trade Vancouver, Engineers Without Borders.

The event will also be using a Fair Trade certified soccer ball supplied by Social Conscience, the sole importer of Fair Trade certified sporting equipment in Metro Vancouver.

For more information you can check out the Facebook event listing.

Olympic Banners on Sale Now

Comments 2 by Rebecca Bollwitt

The banners that lined the streets and bridges of Vancouver during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games are now up for sale.

A few months ago there was an application process for local non-profits to register so that they could benefit from the sale of these items.

You can now purchase the banners (signed by John Furlong) from the Vancouver 2010 online store with proceeds going to the Fab Shop‘s new Tradeworks Training Society.

About Tradeworks:
“Based in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver BC, Tradeworks Training Society helps foster sustainable independence by providing job-related skills training, counseling, and work opportunities. Tradeworks Training Society has been offering training and employment programs in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver since 1994. Each program is centered in the belief that mutual respect is key to any relationship, and that a hand up is more lasting than a hand out.”

Over 800 pairs of banners have been donated for the fundraising sale. Some items are already out of stock but it looks like there is a quite a selection left starting at $149.

Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup 2010

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, led by the Vancouver Aquarium, takes place this September on beaches and waterfronts across Canada.

Sign up to volunteer to cover a stretch of beach in the Vancouver area or lead your own cleanup campaign if a location you see an open location yet to be covered. You can host a public or private cleanup for your group of friends or co-workers.

Shoreline Cleanups
Cleanups in our region

To bring awareness to this effort, there is a Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup display at English Bay today until 7:00pm. It’s a sculpture made entirely from waste materials that show up on our beaches. Over 160,000kg of waste was recovered during the cleanup in Canada last year.

Stop by, take a look, get pretty grossed out, and donate some time to help with the cleanup this fall. Bear in mind you don’t just have to choose from Vancouver beaches, options include everywhere from West Vancouver to White Rock, along the river or lakefronts in Chilliwack.