This week’s park series profile features Confederation Park in Burnaby, a hidden gem that is full of facilities and activities for families.
How to get there
Head north on Willingdon from Hastings to find the park located at 240 Willingdon Avenue. You can take the C1 community shuttle from Kootenay Loop to get there by transit, or walk in two blocks from Hastings.
View Larger Map
Features
There is a waterpark, a playground, the Eileen Dailly Leisure Pool (indoor) and Fitness Centre, soccer pitch, lacrosse box, lawnbowling, skate park, dog-friendly loop trail, and a track. The area has some steep hills that provide views of Burrard Inlet, 5.5km of walking trails, and there is an enclosure within the park for off-leash dogs. Beach access can be found across Penzance Dr.
You’ll also find the Burnaby Central Railway within the park, a fully operational miniature railway that offers rides daily from 11:00am to 5:00pm for $2.50.
Photo credit:
wasme on Flickr
Events
Next month the train will become a Halloween attraction, remaining open October 30th and 31st.
Confederation Park is one of Burnaby’s largest and is definitely worth exploring with the family. From the picnic area to the playground and miniature train, there’s plenty to do on fall afternoon.
Photo credit:
wasme on Flickr
Should you have a suggestion for the next park series profile, or if you would like to write and contribute your own, please feel free to contact me.
The CIBC Run for the Cure is coming up Sunday, October 3rd.
What The CIBC Run for the Cure, benefiting the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
When Sunday, October 3rd at 9:00am (opening ceremonies)
Where Concord Pacific Place, Vancouver
How Register in advance for the 5km run, walk or 1km kid run
The cause is very important to my husband and I so we have made sure to be involved somehow over the last five years. Each year the event is so positive and inspirational, with teammates and family members donning their pinkest outfits, feather boas, and face paint.
Concord Pacific Place will be hopping with exhibitor tents, refreshments, and a main stage where there will be opening and closing remarks. There’s still time to register on your own or with a team but if you can’t make it out, help spread the word or come down along the route and cheer on the participants as they go by.
BC Place’s iconic roof has been deflated in exchange for a massive cable-supported cloth retractable roof that will forever change the Vancouver skyline. Even though the marshmallow-like roof is no longer being used, you can now purchase a slice in support of the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame, which was a resident of the stadium since 1992, has been displaced during the construction so they are selling pieces of the old BC Place roof to help raise funds for their own renovations.
I have put together a list of some of the major events that were held at BC Place over the years, under the Teflon-coated fiberglass roof:
1983 – The BC Lions play their first game at BC Place
1983 – The Whitecaps play their first game at BC Place
1984 – Pope John Paul II’s “Celebration of Life” tour
1986 – Prince Charles and Princess Diana opened Expo86
1998 – NFL exhibition game (Seahawks vs 49ers)
2010 – The opening and closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympics and Paralympics
1983, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1999, and 2005 Grey Cup games
It was also home to annual events such as the RV and Boat shows, was a post-Sun Run meeting place, and hosted concerts from Pink Floyd to U2.
The Hall of Fame will supply the dome-shaped roof piece framed in a shadowbox surrounded by historic sporting images. They will also include a commemorative plaque on the front and a card on the back with the history of BC Place and details pertaining to the roof.
There are only 999 pieces available in this format and it looks like they’re going for about $295. For information about ordering (including delivery options) you can visit their eStore.
The inaugural Fresh! Fraser Valley is taking place this coming Saturday, September 25th. Co-founded by Kristi Ferguson (Fraser Valley Pulse) and Danielle Knowles (Red Pencil Editing Services) the single-day event aims to bring together the Fraser Valley community with home-grown businesses and shops.
“There is really two sides to Fresh!,” Ferguson told me by email. “The first is the showcase of locally owned, independent businesses (we have folks from White Rock to Chilliwack exhibiting). These are true “mom ‘n pop” type ventures.”
The other side focuses on the development of local business with over a dozen 20-minute sessions. The talks will be on everything from intellectual property law to social media for business to how and why to hire a virtual assistant. Ferguson says, “Anyone in business will find value in these quick, exciting workshops. Not just independent business owners – realtors and anyone who uses the internet for work will find some great tips and tricks from these Fraser Valley professionals.”
Where Ramada Plaza & Conference Centre, Abbotsford
When September 25, 2010 from 9:00am – 5:00pm
How The showcase is free to attend and workshops are $10 individually. You can purchase a full day pass for $50.
“The ultimate goal is ‘shop local’,” added Ferguson. “Everyone is invited to attend. The public especially, other local business owners, visitors to the valley etc. There will be lots to sample, discover and buy!”
Apple Day in Surrey won’t be in honor of iPads, iPods, and iMacs; rather, the one-day festival will celebrate the fall harvest September 25th at the Historic Stewart Farm.
Apple Day will include samples, cider press demonstrations, orchard tours, honey tastings, and more. Suggested admission (as it is by donation) is $5 for adults, $3.75 for students, $2.50 for children and students, and kids 5 and under are free.
The Historic Stewart Farm is right along Crescent Road in Surrey (on your way to Crescent Beach from the highway). It dates back to 1890 and features a furnished farmhouse, pole barn with agricultural tools and machinery, boathouse, threshing shed, root cellar, and heritage gardens and orchard. Staff and volunteers in Victorian costume provide tours of the house & grounds.
If you haven’t taken the family to the Stewart Farm, I’d say Apple Day would be a great time to check it out.
