Yesterday I had the chance to check out what happens behind the scenes at the City of Vancouver Archives. Located in Kitsilano (between the Planetarium and the current Bard on the Beach tents) the Archives are pretty well hidden in their green-roofed building (aka the bunker). However, they have an accessible public research area filled with over a century’s worth of material, and also have one of the best views in town.
I asked Chris Mathieson from the Vancouver Police Museum to join me on the tour since he’s in the business of local history (and I think he enjoys this stuff even more than me). It was interesting to hear about different archival methods and the preservation of things like art, glass negatives, film, tape, and documents.
I got to read from the first-ever recorded City Council Minutes for the City of Vancouver, and unravel a street banner to see what would have been hanging above Cambie during my birth year. The banner ended up featuring a Len Norris drawing — you can read about Norris in this blog post, features some of his work.
Throughout the archives it’s amazing to see the data collected over the years, from as far back as the exploration of the region. The City’s first Archivist, Major J.S. Matthews, was appointed in 1933 and throughout his lifetime he gathered hundreds of thousands of photographs and an unimaginable wealth of other information that he collected personally or that was donated by individuals or businesses over the years. You can read about Major Matthews in the book The Man Who Saved Vancouver.
Quite a few of the Archives’ photos are available to browse online, and on-location. I went through a handful of binders during my visit and I could have flagged several dozen images that I’d love to have in my home. Luckily, many of them are available for purchase as prints or digital copies.
Prospect Point
I saw some amazing photos from James Crookall which have yet to be scanned, but you can view a few of his images on the Archives site already. In the preservation room there were also some stunning hand-painted movie posters that once hung at the Orpheum.
I could seriously spend hours browsing the Archives and I was really happy to get the opportunity to check out what they’re all about, what they offer, and learn about exciting upcoming projects (2010-related). The City of Vancouver Archives are located at 1150 Chestnut Street and the reading room is open to the public from 9:00-5:00pm Monday to Friday.
… and if you’re ever wondering what to get me for my birthday, pretty much anything on their ‘what’s for sale‘ site will do.
Zinedine Zidane‘s postponed charity soccer tour Zidane and Friends will now be happening July 12 at Swangard Stadium.
He was originally scheduled to play alongside international soccer pals on July 4th however he sustained an injury on Canada Day. Returning this Sunday, the match will see local soccer stars take on Zidane’s team and will raise funds for UNICEF and other causes. Tickets start at $30 and are available online.
It just so happens that I have two four-packs of tickets to give away to Miss604.com readers to share with their friends and family. Please leave a comment on this post if you are interested in attending and I’ll draw two winners 24 hours from now, on Friday July 10th.
Update:The contest is now close and with the help of Raul, I did a draw for the two four-packs of tickets. Alan and Geraldine are the winners, congratulations!
Update: I was able to go as well, here are a few photos from this evening’s game…
Blogathon is officially up, running, and accepting donations. Here is some background information about this global charity event.
Since 2000, Blogathon has happened once a year and for 2009 it’s July 25th from 6:00am until July 26th at 6:00am. I first heard about Blogathon in 2006 from Barbara and Alanah. I followed their 24-hour campaigns, pledged, and then participated in 2007. The idea is for participating bloggers to publish posts every 30 minutes for 24 hours straight. Along the way they are encouraged to collect pledges (using the Blogathon.org pledge system) in order to raise funds for the non-profit of their choice.
In 2008 the Blogathon site was on hiatus so in its spirit I created Blogathon Vancouver. I hosted a wiki, a site, promoted the bloggers, and also ran my own campaign. I was joined by 11 local bloggers, such as Duane and Raul that I met up with during the campaign, and together (for each of our causes) we raised over $10,000 in a single 24-hour period.
For 2009, the official Blogathon website is back up and running (thanks to a small army of wonderfully dedicated volunteers). I’m happy that I could expand this event in Vancouver and that people like Duane have moved it out in to the Fraser Valley and beyond. I’m thankful for all of the support the event has received so far, and that I could get Kontent Creative to make some special website badges and banners.
I was hoping to promote and support the other area bloggers again this year but despite my best efforts, there are so many that are taking the ball and running that I’m not sure I will be able to do this. This is certainly a good thing since I love seeing bloggers using their sites and publishing powers for a good cause. Feel free to head over to the Blogathon website to view a complete list of participants from around the globe.
As for my personal campaign, you can be assured that come July 25th I’ll have 24 hours of fun, entertaining, and informative content pouring out on Miss604.com. I will also have some great prizes to give away during that time including something for whomever makes the highest personal donation to my campaign. I will also be hosting a 24-hour tweetup at Workspace during the Blogathon so that any participants can use it as a home base and we can get some visitors in to keep things exciting.
My cause once again this year is the Union Gospel Mission located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to help make a difference by supporting their work.
It was recently announced that the winner of season six of the hit reality cooking series, Hell’s Kitchen (featuring Chef Gordon Ramsay), will receive the coveted Head Chef position at Whistler’s Araxi restaurant.
I was fortunate enough to be able to interview Araxi’s Executive Chef James Walt, who also started up Yaletown’s Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar.
Located in scenic Whistler, BC the show should shine a welcoming spotlight on the region, which is not only co-host to the 2010 Winter Games, but is also becoming a thriving culinary hot spot.
“Obviously it’s a ski town but we have a really good food scene here as well,” noted Walt. “We have a hundred restaurants and—Araxi in particular—we draw 70% of our produce from the Pemberton Valley, which is just behind us.”
Walt also noted that Chef Ramsay was “blown away” with the diversity of fresh, local ingredients in the area. “He didn’t expect we’d have this kind of product. The oceans are not far away, then we have the Fraser Valley, the Okanagan, and he did not expect what we had in our wines from BC.” — Read more in my weekly E!Online article
As a bonus for Miss604 readers, I also asked Chef Walt what was his favourite dish to prepare.
“We have an incredible beef that’s coming from 20 miles away at Pemberton Meadows,” said Walt. “I do two preparations, I roast the fillets then I take the blade and I make a braised croquette of beef to go with it – it’s a capsule of beautiful warm stew and then this really nicely warm fillet. That’s probably one of my favourite dishes right now.”
Looking at Araxi’s menu you’ll find numerous local delights such as Qualicum Beach Scallops, Paradise Valley Pork, and Spinach + Ricotta Gnocchi (with BC Hazelnuts). Watch for the restaurant and the region to be highlighted throughout the season of Hell’s Kitchen which begins July 21st.
Ever since I first played mini golf at Playland as a child I’ve been a fan of astroturf greens and rotating windmills. I’m a golfer as well however I’ve probably played more mini golf courses across North America than actual courses. From West Edmonton Mall down to Wonderland Castle Fun Park in the Fraser Valley it’s always a good time with friends.
When you’re in the Parksville area on Vancouver Island the one staple of every trip is a cruise around the 18 holes at Paradise Fun Park. It’s been a personal favourite over the last decade and I think my first car still has score cards from Paradise sitting in the glove box (wherever it may be resting now). As it turns out my partner in crime on the Girls Getaway, the lovely Ms Keira-Anne, also grew up with fond memories of Paradise and even knows the family that runs it all. With all of this in mind when we had some free time, it was a no-brainer to get into the car and head over for a round of putt-putt.
Right on the main highway, adjacent to a campground resort, you’ll see its towering castle and giant shoe — you know, where the old woman lives with all her kids (although they actually host birthday parties in there). Paradise offers two separate courses, the Turf n’ Surf and Treasure Island as well as bumper boats and a full amusement centre arcade (featuring kid-favourite, Whack-a-Mole).
The place was buzzing even at 8:00pm on a Thursday night so be prepared to wait a bit after each hole. We decided to do the Treasure Island course, which turned out to be lucky since Keira scored a hole-in-one right on top of the pirate ship. It’s also located further away from the main door so it seems to be less crowded then the Turf n Surf course.
Mini golf can’t really be compared to a world-class spa resort, nor acres of old growth forest, however it is a timeless classic when it comes to good ol’ fun times.
Side note: There is a new mini golf course in Parksville near Tigh-Na-Mara called Riptide Lagoon. If you’ve played the course at Cultus Lake it looks like a similar design style.
This week will feature a series of posts about our Girls Island Getaway adventures. My photos will be available on Flickr and you can also read Keira’s posts over on her site.
