Today’s Archives Photo of the Day is from the 400 block of Homer Street. While it’s not a century-old image, I still find it rather curious and amusing.

Year: 1974
Vancouver Archives item#: CVA 778-194

Browsing the Vancouver Archives online photograph database I kept coming across old advertisements from around Vancouver. Posters, billboards, and painted cars. I thought it would be fun to do a roundup including commercials of our city’s past.

1946, Archives Item#: CVA 1184-2346

1948, Photographer: Jack Lindsay, Archives Item#: CVA 1184-3139

1934, PhotographeR: Stuart Thomson, Archives Item#: CVA 99-4672

1935, Photographer: Stuart Thomson, Archives Item#: CVA 99-4726

1945, Photographer: Don Coltman, Archives Item#: CVA 586-4089

Should you have any suggestions or ideas for an archives photo theme, please feel free to drop a note in the comments.

Last night Team Spain dazzled a crowd of 500,000 at English Bay. The largest waterfront fireworks display of its kind in North America has made an impression in the photography realm as the Celebration of Light was featured today on the Flickr Blog.

We went down early to catch ShoreFest (free beach concert series) prior to taking our seats on top of the Bath House.

While News1130 reports that people weren’t as impressed as they were with Team USA’s performance, I definitely saw some fireworks that I had never previously experienced. They were big, bright, golden, and some went up, went down, then floated back up like ghosts.

Photo credit: @kumii on Flickr

Photo credit: bryanh on Flickr

Photo credit: gwacdotca on Flickr

Photo credit: Tom Wiebe on Flickr

Photo credit: neil.fisher on Flickr

Photo credit: zzinger on Flickr

Photo credit: Tom Wiebe on Flickr

Should you take any photos of the Celebration of Light fireworks on Wednesday (by Team Mexico) please feel free to add them to the Miss604 Flickr group.

Reminder: You still have until July 27th to enter to win prime viewing area seats for the fireworks finale. This includes two seats on top of the English Bay Bathhouse and a BBQ meal.

Dancing in the Street is a free dance lesson, dance class, and dance party happening right on Granville Street this Sunday, July 25th.

Photo credit: Ed Bierman on Flickr

At 2:00pm you can head down to Granville Street between Robson and Georgia (where it is closed to traffic) for a complimentary beginner salsa lesson from Martinez Dance Company. After the lesson there will be non-stop dancing in the street until 6:00pm. You can dance in the street, on the sidewalk, and wherever else you can find the room to bust a move.

This is the first event in the series which will continue with more salsa August 15th & 29th then swing dancing (with Company B Jazz Band) August 8th and 22nd.

The Caribbean Days Festival takes place Saturday July 24th and Sunday July 25th at Waterfront Park in North Vancouver. While out at the Surrey Fusion Festival we came across a family friend manning the Trinidad & Tobago booth. She said we had better put Caribbean Days in our calendar since it’s the biggest event of the year for BC’s Trinidad & Tobago Cultural Society.

Photo credit: Alastair Moore & visual grover on Flickr

Multicultural Street Parade
FREE: The Caribbean Days Festival kicks off in style with a parade through North Vancouver starting at 10:00am Saturday. It begins at Victoria Park (Keith Road & Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver) then winds around the park on the West side. It then turns South on Lonsdale and heads down to Esplanade. It will turn West and arrive at Waterfront Park about 1.5 hours later. You can find a route map online.

Festival in the Park
FREE: The main event for Caribbean Days is the Festival in the Park with live entertainment, crafts, activities, dancing, a community market and an international food fair. Main stage concerts will begin at 10:00am each day.

Waterfront Party
Simmering at sunset the Waterfront Party will keep the energy flowing from 7:00pm until 1:00am over at the Lonsdale Quay. Featuring Moses Revolution, Phase III Steel Band, DJ Carl Sound Vibes, and DJ Kizum there will be live music and dancing all night long. Tickets are $39 and are available online.

Children’s Carnival Parade
FREE: A special parade just for kids rounds out the weekend on Sunday at 1:00pm. The parade will stay within Waterfront Park and congregate on the South side of the stage. Children are encouraged to dress up in Carnival costumes.

Even though the event is family-friendly there is still a beer garden for those of legal drinking age (and I hear it’s where you’ll find a ton of fun in the sunshine). You can take the SeaBus over or one of the numerous North Vancouver buses that head toward the Lonsdale Quay.