Update: January 5, 2009 – it was on this day in history that the Denman Arena hosted its first professional hockey game [VancouverHistory – h/t VancouverBOT]. In honor of this, I’m promoting this blog post from April 2008 to the front page of my website.
Mixing my new parks series with the staple history tidbits, a quick note about the former site of one of Canada’s first indoor ice rinks.
Now the home of Devonian Harbour Park, and one of the Sculpture Biennale pieces, Denman Arena on the corner of Georgia and Denman was a fixture and tribute to hockey on Canada’s west coast.
… [Denman Arena] was built at a cost of $300,000 in 1911 and held 10,500 people, making it one of the world’s largest arenas when it was built. It burned down in 1936 after an explosion at an adjacent Coal Harbour shed. [wiki]
It was also home to the Stanley Cup when the Vancouver Millionaires reigned in 1915. Knowing all of this makes ask why there’s no monument or plaque dedicated to this historical structure somewhere in the park. The only evidence of the arena’s existence is in a tiny display box at the entrance to the West End Community Centre ice rink.
I wonder what it would take to make more of a permanent dedication a reality in memory of this important piece of Vancouver, Canadian, and World hockey history. Although with the recent seasons experienced by our professional NHL team in this town, one wonders if this would be a stinging tribute or subtle encouraging reminder.
Update: Since this post was published, many information signs and placards have been placed around Stanley Park and the Coal Harbour area. I was delighted to find one dedicated to the Denman Arena, just off Georgia Street, this past summer.
Over on Payments on Rails my recaps are rather industry/company specific so as a blogger on Miss604.com I would like to elaborate and touch on a few other points, particularly those presented by Tim Bray.
Many of Tim’s tips include things I already strive to achieve on my blog every day, which includes knowledge I love to pass on to my blogging padawan.
Social media tools like blogs and Twitter are part of the new culture of contribution which is good for business as it encourages the flow of information and communication. Whether you’re a diary blogger, corporate blogger, developer of projects of websites, here are Tim’s words of advice:
Listen: Take advantage of community-based sites to know what’s going on, “so you’re not fighting with one hand tied behind your back.” Wouldn’t you feel reluctant to go to a website where it doesn’t seem like anyone’s listening?
Don’t Lecture: Give examples, have a conversation, open the conversation.
Be intense: There are millions of voices out there on the web, unless you are passionate and care about what you’re writing, posting, photographing – nobody is going to notice.
Be human: Don’t have an eleven step editorial process ie. if you’ve ever been in an organization that needs to put out a press release. You may have experienced that it could take 2 weeks for 2 page release and “then you end up with something no human being would have ever written…. or now would want to read.”
Correct yourself: It’s okay to admit you’re wrong and fallible, you’ll increase your reach and effectiveness by being intensely human and if you screw up, admit it and correct it.
Be brief: “A lot of us, when we write, have a lot of mental static that gets tossed in. Almost all our works can be improved by shortening them.” Noting Flickr’s new video system only allows 90 second clips is brilliant, the same with Twitter’s character limit. Tim also quoted Blaise Pascal: “The present letter is a very long one, simply because I had no leisure to make it shorter.”
Update often: With of all your projects for the “short attention span generation” have something new to bring people back and keep them interested in what you have to say. This applies to content AND software, “release early, release often,” and take an agile approach.
LINK: Link from your community, corporate website etc. if you put something on your piece of the web and don’t link anywhere else, “then you’re saying you know everything – and you’re wrong and your audience will know this,” suggests Tim. He says make people happy by sending them away ie. you only spend maybe 3 seconds on the Google home page but it’s the page you may visit most in a day.
Balance hubris and humanity: “The desire to talk to the world, and the ability to shut up and listen. Write something great today, and do it again tomorrow.” – Tim Bray
I know, that wasn’t brief at all eh? I have to say I couldn’t agree more with the points Tim articulated and as Colleen said this weekend, “join the conversation.” Whether it’s with your website, blog, clients, customers, employees and your team at work.
Speaking of work, one final assertion by Tim was: “Don’t stay in a lousy job.” If you can do great things, in whatever capacity – be a part of something that will enable you to be great. Don’t. Be. Bored.
Welcome to a new series on Miss604, inspired by springtime and the urge to leave the house and get out in this great region of ours – rain or shine. Over the next little while some guest bloggers and I will feature some well- and little-known green spaces throughout the city, how to get there, what to do, what they can offer and any extras we might find useful to someone wanting to go out and explore.
How to get there by Transit:Bus from downtown, #7 Nanaimo (East then Sounthbound, get off at East 17th). Bus from Nanaimo Skytrain, #7 Dunbar/Downtown (Northbound) or Skytrain to Nanaimo and walk north about 5-6 blocks on Nanaimo and take E17th to access the park.
Features and selling points:Trout Lake Community Centre (including playground, pottery studio, fitness centre, games room, sauna, snack bar, gym, whirlpool ice rink), festivals (such as the Illuminares lantern festival), dog off-leash areas, covered picnic centre, and swimming in the summer.
History: “The land was the site of one of Vancouver’s most important features in the late 1800s – the Hastings Sawmill. Trout Lake, a natural peat bog forming the largest feature on the park, was the important water source for the mill which was owned by John Hendry, a prominent individual due to his influence in developing the region’s forest industry.” – Source Vancouver Parks. You can also read a more detailed history of the prominent and successful lumberman within this biography.
Notes: No, there are no trout in Trout Lake but what it lacks in fish it makes up for in sheer size. Last Saturday I was out there with John’s work softball team (they call it baseball but really, it’s softball says John). Runners, bikers, joggers, picnic goers and dog walkers were all out on this sunny afternoon amidst the grass fields, baseball diamonds, tennis courts, marshy brush, and giant oak trees. The park will be getting a facelift for 2010 including a new ice rink at the community centre.
Last weekend John and I headed into the park to get a little muddy and explore some trails that have been refurbished. I wrote my blog post and included some photos from my iPhone. Well, John’s just getting around to posting his photos (he’s a pretty busy guy, ya know) and they were great so here’s a quick follow up photo post.
Bionic Hollow Treet – Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr
What’s going on tonight? A lot actually but my husband and I will be taking a night off and having some time to ourselves. The dishes have piled up, and there are projects that need some attention but we haven’t been able to have any actual down time together in a while. However, if it weren’t Bollwitt Night, there are some other things going on around town worth noting:
First, Happy Birthday to Alexa who is a Guitar Hero master personified and design guru over at Strutta. She’s celebrating with some of the usual suspects so I fully expect documentation of the fun times and debauchery to show up on Jaiku or Flickr tomorrow morning.
Second, tomorrow is Dingo’s birthday. She’s such a kind person with so much wisdom and spirit. I’m really glad to have been able to get to know her at unconferences and through the blogosphere in the last few years.
STRANGER: A photography exhibit of strangers and unfamiliar landscapes. The work is a diverse mix of the abstract, the dreamlike, and the street.
Photographers: John Goldsmith, Marc L’Esperance and Lung Liu
Dates: Opening Night: Friday April 11, 2008, 6:30-8:30pm Exhibit: April 10 – April 26, 2008 Restaurant Hours: Thursday – Saturday, 6-10pm
Location:Radha Gallery | 728 Main Street Vancouver
Opening night features a live acoustic jazz duet by Shannon Thue and Joel Kerr. Food & drinks are available for purchase. [Facebook event] [Website]
John’s works are pretty amazing and capture a candid side of Vancouver few others can pull off. You can preview the show here, swing by tonight, or anytime before April 26th.
