Canucks Canadian Forces Appreciation Night 2010

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

Canadian Armed Forces Night at Rogers Arena will be November 21st when the Vancouver Canucks take on the Phoenix Coyotes. Season ticket holders are being asked to donate their tickets for this game so that members of the Canadian Armed Forces can enjoy a night of Canucks hockey.

IS2010-3031-09
Photo: Corporal Shilo Adamson, Canadian Forces Combat Camera © 2010 DND-MDN Canada

As the November 12th deadline is quickly approaching, the best way to donate tickets is to drop them off at the Rogers Arena Box Office at Gate 10 between 9:30am and 5:00pm tomorrow. Charitable tax receipts will be issued in February 2011 for donations equal to the value of the tickets.

Last year Miss604.com readers stepped up and spread the word resulting in the attendance of 312 Canadian Forces members from Vancouver, Victoria, Comox, Aldergrove, Chilliwack and more at the Canucks game.

If you or your company have season tickets that they can give up for this one particular game, it would be a great token of appreciation for the men and women who serve this country. Thank you in advance for your generosity and please help spread the word in any way you can.

Christmas at Hycroft 2010

Comments 2 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Founded in 1907, the University Women’s Club hosts a variety of events including Christmas at Hycroft. This highly-anticipated holiday affair, now in its 38th year, will take place November 18th until the 21st.

Fireplaces will be adorned with evergreen bows, crystal garlands will sparkle, and blue ribbon will abound as a part of this year’s Winter Wonderland theme. Local non-profits have been invited to setup in one of Hycroft mansion’s many rooms to showcase their organizations, while crafts and and culinary creations will be available for purchase from area artisans.

Christmas at Hycroft also includes a silent auction, cafe, raffles, and a special showing in the art gallery upstairs. Santa himself will be making an appearance on Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 5-11, and children 5 and under are free. There is also a family rate of $25 for two adults and three children.

This is a very affordable way to not only get into the holiday spirit and have a head-start on your Christmas shopping, but to learn more about the University Women’s Club and their stunning home, Hycroft (which I will soon profile in a history piece).

Remembrance Day 2010 in Vancouver

Comments 2 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Remembrance Day will be observed in Vancouver tomorrow with ceremonies in several locations. The following list was published by the City of Vancouver:

Remembrance
Photo credit: Feggy Art on Flickr

Victory Square (West Hastings at Cambie Streets): Vancouver’s largest Remembrance Day ceremony at the cenotaph. Gather at 10 am. Program begins with mounting of the guard and Vancouver Bach Youth Choir. Ceremony continues through till 11:30 am followed by a march past along Hastings Street. Organized by the Vancouver Remembrance Day Committee.

C.R.A.B. Park at Portside: A twenty-one gun salute is set off adjacent to the park beginning at 11:02am. One round is fired every minute from three 105mm Howitzers by members of the 15th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery.

Memorial South Park (near main entrance on 41st Avenue at Windsor Street): A parade begins at John Oliver Secondary School at 10:00 am, followed by a memorial service at the cenotaph at 10:30 am. Organized by the South Vancouver Veteran’s Council.

Grandview Park: Due to park reconstruction this service will be located at a temporary cenotaph at the outdoor plaza at Britannia Community Centre, 1661 Napier Street. Service begins at 10:30am, parade begins at 11:15 heading south on Commercial Drive and past a temporary reviewing stand near Grandview Park cenotaph. Organized by Royal Canadian Legion #179

Japanese Monument at Stanley Park (near the Stanley Park Pavilion): Gather at 10:40 am. Sponsored by the Japanese Canadian War Memorial Society.

Canada Place The CTV broadcast from 10:30am until 11:30am on November 11th will be shown on the big screen outside of Canada Place.

Observances outside of Vancouver

New Westminster A ceremony will take place at the Royal Westminster Regiment Armoury in New Westminster.

Tri-Cities You can find of list of Tri-Cities events on The V3H.

Burnaby Royal Canadian Legion Branches #148 and #44, Confederation Park Cenotaph (Willingdon Avenue and Penzance Drive), and The Royal Canadian Legion Branch #83, Bonsor Park Cenotaph.

Surrey The ceremony will be at the Cenotaph next door to the Surrey Museum.

North Shore A full list of ceremonies and events are available courtesy of the North Shore News.

Although my parents were not born in Canada, and their families fought against each other in both World Wars, Canada is my home. I have a deep respect and humbling admiration for the men and women who fought, supported, freed, and sacrificed so that we could live in the Canada we have today. Lest we forget those who served and continue to serve.

Vancouver Theatre’s Holiday Line-Up 2010

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

Last year I rounded up a list of performances from a wide variety of Vancouver theatre companies. Looking at the updates on Twitter, the flyers in stores and restaurants, and the press releases in my inbox, I’m getting excited about several upcoming productions. I absolutely love a night out at the theatre in Vancouver (no matter the size or location around town) so here’s a quick preview of what’s on stage this holiday season.

Arts Club - Holidays 2010
(Right) Kirsten Robek and Bob Frazer in It’s a Wonderful Life
(Left) Brian Linds in The Patron Saint of Stanley Park. Photos by David Cooper.

Arts Club Theatre Company – @TheArtsClub
It’s a Wonderful Life – November 18th until January 2nd, 2011
The Patron Saint of Stanley Park – November 25th until December 26th, 2010
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas – December 4th until January 2nd, 2011

Ballet BC – @BalletBC
The Nutcracker – December 29th until January 1st, 2011

Capilano University
The Hobbit – Various dates November 18th until November 27th, 2010

Carousel Theatre – @CarouselTheatre
Seussical the Musical – December 4th until January 1st, 2011

Langara College – Studio 58
The Secret in the Wings – November 18th until December 5th, 2010

Gateway Theatre – @Gateway_Theatre
Annie – December 9th until December 21st, 2010

Pacific Theatre – @PacificTheatre
Christmas on the Air – December 10th until January 1st, 2011

Theatre UBC – @TheatreUBC
Jade in the Coal – November 25th until December 24th, 2010

The Cultch
The Cultch presents The Christmas Carol Project – December 17th until December 18th, 2010

Vancouver Playhouse – @VanPlayhouse
Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter – November 27th until December 23rd, 2010
Vancouver International Children’s Festival Holiday Celebration – December 12th, 2010

The arts funding cuts are still very real so supporting these programs is as important as ever. Many of these performances have ticket prices under $20 so they could definitely lead to an affordable (and entertaining) night on the town.

Should you have any additional shows that you would like to see highlighted on this list, please feel free to leave a note in the comments.

Touring the Thompson Okanagan: Kamloops BC Wildlife Park

Comments 1 by John Biehler

The following photo essay was experienced and contributed by John Biehler exclusively for Miss604.com. This month John was a guest of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) to experience the region and see what the area has to offer.

Our final stop of the Thompson Okanagan tour was the BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops and it was quite possibly my favorite part of the trip.

BC Wildlife Park

BC Wildlife Park

With over 50 hectares of animals, the Wildlife Park is the largest breeding facility for burrowing owls in North America and is a member of the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of BC. It features over 65 species of wildlife including timber wolves, moose, cougars, grizzly bears – all of them indigenous to BC aside from a few camels that they adopted years ago.

BC Wildlife Park BC Wildlife Park

BC Wildlife Park

Aside from its conservation projects, the Wildlife Park serves as a rehabilitation centre and rescue centre for injured animals, as well as an education centre for kids camps and schools. The Park also hosts events including their 13th Annual Wildlights Celebration this December.

BC Wildlife Park BC Wildlife Park

BC Wildlife Park

Definitely the highlight of the park was getting up close with Shardik the 35 year old grizzly bear. I kept waiting for him to talk to me in a cartoon bear voice. I mean just look at his face:

BC Wildlife Park

Getting to feed him grapes, apples and pears was a little disconcerting at first but he was such a gentle animal, it didn’t take long for us to relax around him.

BC Wildlife Park

I’ve visited other zoos and always left with a feeling of sadness. That was not the case here as the park has so much space and such a well thought-out care program provided by some very passionate people working behind the scenes. It’s hard not to leave the place with a big smile on your face after spending an afternoon with the animals.

Related posts from the trip: Kelowna’s Hotel Eldorado, Wine: Quail’s Gate & Tantalus, Beer: Tree Brewing, Noble Pig, Frick and Frack

John is an avid photographer, gadget geek and traveller. You can find him on Twitter and at johnbiehler.com where he discusses photography and all sorts of technology. All photos in this post were taken by John.

Disclosure: Activities, services and dining experiences during the trip were compliments of Thompson-Okanagan Tourism.