We spent the early afternoon walking around the site of Surrey’s Canada Day celebrations.
There’s so much to see between the temporary maple leaf tattoos, stilt walking and gold panning, and that’s not even covering the midway or any of the two concert stages. Here’s the day in photos so far, captured by John.
You can view more photos in my Flickr set. We’re heading back on site now (after this quick pit stop to upload and blog) so we’ll have more coverage of the evening’s concerts later on.
We will have to navigate our way around the Capers parking lot party on Robson or the Robson Street celebrations at Bute, perhaps the Yaletown block party, or maybe even the festival at Canada Place – but once we hit that open road there’s no stopping til’ we land at the Cloverdale Millennium Amphitheatre.
Since it is such a long day we’re going to head out for the opening ceremonies around 1:30 but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t a lot to do this morning – especially when it comes to the kiddies. This free event begins at 10:00am and finishes up with fireworks at 11:00pm.
ON THE ROGERS FUSION STAGE
14:45 — Fresh Groove
16:30 — Elite Bhangra Dance Team
17:40 — Aliqua
18:40 — Halifax Wharf Rats
19:40 — WestStone Group presents Colette Trudeau
ON THE CHEVRON MAIN STAGE
10:00 — Site Opens (no earlybirds please)
11:00 — Mike Battie
11:45 — Bobs & Lolo
12:30 — Sam’s Rot’n Pot’n Pan Band
13:00 — Fresh Groove
13:30 — Opening Ceremonies
14:15 — Tribute to Quebec City 400 by Josee Allard
15:00 — Tracey Chamberlain
16:00 — Elise Estrada
17:00 — Five Alarm Funk
18:00 — Wil
19:00 — Rymes with Orange
20:00 — The Payolas
21:30 — Loverboy
23:00 — Fruiticana Fireworks
Parking is available at the Fraser Downs Race Track (enter off 60th Ave) and the 320 Surrey Central bus also cruises by there but be sure to check the holiday schedule.
We’ll be updating this post or creating others throughout the day to give you a taste of the atmosphere and good times in Surrey so stay tuned between trips to the BBQ or cooler for a nice cold one.
Nursing our bronzed (and slightly pink) skin after a full morning and afternoon at the beach, we sat down to hammer out some final touches on the updated Miss604.com WordPress theme.
Over the last week or so John has done the bulk of the leg work to give the site a fresh new look for the summer, adding in some fun elements, softening the look and feel and even managing (somehow) to get me away from my beloved Verdana font.
Hollering PHP language at each other from across the living room we hashed out the final details of this theme that was truly inspired by the lovely header and logo that Raincity Studios created for me this past year.
We hope to have another social media-related announcement coming this week, stay tuned.
It’s a pretty rare thing these days to have a sporting venue named after an actual person and not a car manufacturer, internet company or soft drink, but what makes Nat Bailey more than a baseball stadium and the namesake of a Pale Ale at White Spot?
1956 President of the Junior Chamber of Commerce presenting an award for the cleanest kitchen to Nat Bailey for the White Spot. VPL Number: 83008. Photographer: Vic Spooner.
In 1924 Nathaniel Bailey (originally of St Paul, Minnesota) drove around to local baseball games in Vancouver, selling peanuts and refreshments to the crowds. He, “transformed his 1918 Model T truck into a travelling lunch counter, parking every Sunday at Lookout Point on SW Marine Drive… …a dime for a hot dog, a nickel for an ice cream.” [VancouverHistory]
Four years later Bailey opened the first White Spot Barbecue with its main feature – the car hop service located at 67th and Granville. Nine years later he replaced it with the White Spot Restaurant and Drive-in.
Unfortunately in 1986 this original location burned down, “One of the city’s most beloved buildings, White Spot #1 was more than a restaurant to the people who had grown up with it. As it burned beyond repair, crowds stood on the street with tears in their eyes. Rush-hour traffic in south Vancouver came to a halt, and for a month afterwards, a solemn procession of cars passed through the deserted parking lot.” [WhiteSpotFAQ]
The Vancouver Mounties, who played at Capilano Stadium built in 1951 (on the edge of Queen Elizabeth Park) were sold to local businessmen in 1956, Nat Bailey being one of them. “The Mounties played in the Pacific Coast League from 1956 through 1962 as the relocated Oakland Oaks franchise, and from 1965 through 1969 when the Dallas Rangers moved back to Canada.” [wiki]
In 1978 Cap Stadium, with its new PCL team the Vancouver Canadians, was renamed in Nat’s honor after his passing that year.
As I started walking along the pier of Westminster Quay, the first thought that came to my mind was “I *have* to take photos here for Rebecca’s series on Metro Vancouver Park Series“. This park has just about everything – playground, beautiful urban views, and gorgeous river/forest views too.
Those who visited the area for Expo ’86 can relive the experience by taking a “dive” on the submarine from Highway ’86 in Quayside Park, or playing captain at the Expo Tugger near the Public Market. [Tourism New Westminster]
How to Get There The easiest way is Skytrain to New Westminster Station. The next easiest way is driving east along Marine Drive. There is a lot of heavy traffic (trailers and trucks) so public transit makes most sense. [Editor’s note: You can also take Hwy 1 to the Canada Way exit and ride that all the way down to the waterfront, or take the Brunette Exit and take Columbia. Coming from the East hang a right on Royal Ave from the Pattullo]
Fun Tidbits While there is a sign that clearly says this park is called “Quayside Park”, New Westminster’s parks page calls it “Waterfront Esplanade”
Water-based play features such as a submarine, a tugboat and a cargo net unite the theme. Benches were made to look like parts of an old dock and heritage monuments explain the City’s history and give the area a quaint feel. Flower beds and creative landscaping help to separate, but meet the needs of, bikers and strollers.[New Westminster Community Parks]
You can read more from Raul on his blog, Hummingbird604.
