In the midst of all the Olympic excitement there are two special days being recognized in Vancouver on February 14th. The first is the Chinese New Year Celebration, and the next is Valentine’s Day. Here’s a quick roundup of events taking place on Sunday that you can enjoy.

Photo credit: darwinbell on Flickr

Richmond O Zone
When: February 14th from 12:00pm (concerts & fireworks)
Where: Richmond O Zone – Minoru Park
Cost: Free
More info: Richmond O Zone

Chinese New Year at Plaza of Nations
When: February 14th from 3:00pm (120 different shopping, food & drink vendors)
Where: Edgewater Casino Celebration Village (Plaza of Nations)
Cost: Free
More info: Edgewater Casino

Chinese New Year Parade
When: February 14th from 9:30am until 11:00am (Year of the Tiger festivities)
Where: Starting at Millennium Gate at Pender St and onto Chinatown
Cost: Free
More info: Chinese Benevolent Association or About

LiveCity Yaletown
When: February 14th from 6:00pm (featuring Silk Road)
Where: LiveCity Yaletown – David Lam Park
Cost: Free
More info: LiveCity

Valentine’s Day at House of Switzerland Canada
When: February 14th from 11:45am until 1:00pm (chocolate contest)
Where: House of Switzerland Canada – Bridges Restaurant on Granville Island
Cost: Free
More info: House of Switzerland

Molson Canadian Hockey House
When: February 14th from 8:00pm until 9:00pm (concerts & events)
Where: Molson Canadian Hockey House at Concord Pacific
Cost: Will require a pass for the Hockey House
More info: Molson Canadian Hockey House

Mountain View Cemetery
When: February 14th at 2:00 pm (with a lantern walk at 4:00pm)
Where: Mountain View Cemetery – 5455 Fraser Street
Cost: Free
More info: Mountainview Cemetery

LunarFest 2010 Lantern-Making and Lantern Procession
When: February 14th from 12:00pm until 8:00pm (lantern procession at 7:15pm)
Where: Granville Pedestrian Corridor (between Georgia & Robson)
Cost: Free

Surrey House – Chinese Parade
When: February 13th from 12:00pm (thanks to Gary for the tip)
Where: Surrey’s Celebration Site – Holland Park
Cost: Free
More info: Surrey 2010

If you have a community event you would like to highlight on this list, please feel free to leave information in the comments or contact me.

Atlantic Canada House located at the Arts Club’s Revue Stage and the Backstage Lounge on Granville Island is already full of music, food, and great beer — and it hasn’t even officially opened.

I stopped by today on a media tour and we were greeted with trays of lobster brioche, PEI mussels, oysters, and two kinds of chowder.

The Once was playing on stage and they profiled all of the acts from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador that will be entertaining the masses.

Concerts at Atlantic Canada House
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Since we had a bit of sticker shock at another pavilion this week ($9 for a Guinness in a plastic cup) I made sure to ask about their pints. With a wide selection of East Coast ales at $5.75, they seem to have done things right.

The Atlantic Canada House is licensed and admission is free (although evening shows at the Backstage Lounge are 19+). Find them on Twitter @ACH2010 and stop by one night to take part in a legendary kitchen party. I’ll be heading over again and will bring my wooden spoons with me.

Price: Free
Hours: Feb 13 – 28, 2010 from 11:00am
Read more: Vancouver 2010 Pavilions and Hospitality Houses and all posts in my tag: pavilions.

CentrePlace Manitoba, the Manitoba pavilion during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, is located inside LiveCity Downtown, next to Canada’s pavilion.

The building is beautiful and provides plenty of interactive information about Manitoba.

When you enter CentrePlace Manitoba, a rotating column of televisions portray the province through each one of its seasons.

Around the back is a profile of Canada’s Museum of Human Rights which will be complete in 2012. This is the first national museum outside of Ontario and seeing as how French rights, womens’ rights and labour rights were all fought for an established in Manitoba, it is a fitting home for this museum. However, they assured us that this is not a “museum of despair” but more “an ascension from darkness to light” and the future of human rights in Canada.

The Manitoba representative summed up the province in just a few words, “bears, belugas and big surprises.” Check out the pavilion if you can – it doesn’t offer up food or beverages but you can catch Games coverage on the LiveCity screens outside the steps. It’s a great place to learn more about Manitoba, “the centre of North America” and all of its activities throughout the four seasons.

Price: Free
Hours: Feb 13 – 27, 11:00am – 12:30am, Feb 28, 11:00am – 2:30pm
Read more: They also have a blog which even has a post from our tour this morning (you may be able to spot me in one of their photos). See also Vancouver 2010 Pavilions and Hospitality Houses and all posts in my tag: pavilions.

Vectorial Elevation is illuminating the night sky, sending beams of light across English Bay and Vanier Park. When I first wrote about the free public outdoor light show I added a poll to my site where 77% of readers agreed that they are all for this display.

Photo credit: fredericklin on Flickr

Walking home at night lately it just reminds me that something BIG is about to happen in Vancouver. As those beams stretch to the highest of clouds, I can feel the City’s excitement growing as my own hopes for Vancouver 2010 come even closer to being a reality.

All that being said, quite simply it’s a really cool light show. Many have photographed Vectorial Elevation so far as it paints the sky with public-submitted designs and I’m happy to report that many great photographers have added their images to the Miss604 Flickr Group. This is a quick snapshot of what Vancouver looks like at night lately and please remember to click through to the photographers’ Flickr sites to view more of their great work.

Photo credit: stepharie on Flickr

Photo credit: kennymatic on Flickr

Photo credit: susangittins on Flickr

Photo credit: cgrabig on Flickr

Photo credit: gusf on Flickr

Photo credit: psquared on Flickr

Photo credit: gwacdotca on Flickr

Any and all are welcome to join the Miss604 Flickr Group and add photos that are relevant to Vancouver, BC. I often look there for images to use in posts or showcase entries such as this.

With just a few days left in the 45,000 kilometer Olympic Torch Relay, I had the opportunity to ride along with the caravan in my hometown of Surrey, BC.

I sat shotgun as Art Lewis from Chevrolet drove his pickup truck behind the music-blasting, energy-bumping cavalcade of celebration the precedes the passing of the flame from torch to torch. Art’s been on the road every day of the relay and will round out the trip as the Olympic flame reaches its cauldron in Vancouver on Friday.

The crew of 220 that makes up the torch relay consists of dancers, artists, drivers, technicians, and the spirited folks who have run alongside the trucks and torchbearers from St John’s to Surrey.

Art, along with his associate Serge St. Louie have been in charge of keeping all of these vehicles in tip top shape for their cross-country journey. If they didn’t have enough on their plate already, they have also been posting updates to Twitter over the last few months @GM_ArtandSerge. They have some amazing stories from the road, and Twitpics to accompany some.

The caravan starts with a bus of torchbearers who get dropped off at their specific locations. Behind the bus comes the RBC and Coca-Cola trucks, which have names like “Twonie”, “Happy 1” and “Happy 2”. An emcee with a microphone announces each torchbearer as the Coca-Cola dance crews hop off their vehicles and pump up the crowd with Top 40 music hits.

They pass through town handing out products and flags to spectators in anticipation of the flame which follows precisely 10 minutes behind this procession.

My time on the relay started out at 112th and 72nd Avenue in Delta and stretched up to Old Yale Road and 104th Avenue in Surrey. The communities rallied on the sidewalks, in driveways, and on front lawns. Entire schools (we must have passed at least half a dozen) were standing road-side with homemade signs, torches and flags.

Art said that even though they’ve been at this for several months on end it’s still emotional. “We’re at Day 103 and it never gets tired,” although I’m guessing Art, who works tirelessly to keep this entire fleet on the road, was probably really tired when he shared that with me.

“You get a perma-smile doing this,” he added, with a smile of course. After my hour-long cruise down the torch relay route I knew exactly what he was talking about.

Children chanted “Go Canada Go” while veterans showed off their Calgary ’88 pin collections. Families waved Canadian flags in unison while high school students took cellphone photos for Facebook profiles.

Torchbearers hit the ground greeted by friends, family and fans at the side of the road. There were smiles, bear-hugs, and even a few tears.

Riding along the relay this morning in my hometown (and right past my grandmother’s house) I could barely hold back tears of pride. Here I was, just a passenger in a support vehicle yet I got to be a part of something so amazing. So many people in my hometown came together, bursting with cheer, pride, and spirit all truly hoping and believing that Canada will shine in 2010.

I originally wrote this for BC Living Magazine.