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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — Sponsored by ZenSeekers Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
Almost everyone I have spoke to about my day of hiking in Vernon (documented in this ZenSeekers post) was surprised about how many awesome trail options there were! I learned so much when John and I set out for the day with Ingrid Neumann from the Ribbons of Green Trails Society, and we had so much fun taking in the panoramic views all around.
Ingrid at Middleton Mtn Trail/Farnsworth Nature Reserve
Hikes in Vernon
“Back in 2005, maybe a bit before then, I went on a hike with the outdoors club, one of the groups that rambles and hikes around here,” Ingrid told me as we climbed the steps at Middleton Mountain. “The tour leader had checked it out before and got permission from the private landowners to make sure we could walk there.” She pointed to a spot at Kal Beach where her hike began that day, then drew a path in the air with her finger to show the route past Mud Lake.
Ingrid at Middleton Mtn Trail – Farnsworth Nature Reserve
“It was on private land, through cactus and all that and I just said: ‘This has to be a real trail. I am just going to make it happen.’” So she went to the District of Coldstream, the Regional District of North Okanagan, and the City of Vernon. It took years of consultations, presentations, research and reports, but she did in fact make it happen.
Remnants of the canal on the Grey Canal Trail in Vernon
This is just one of the trails we hiked in Vernon but from here, we could see dozens more including the route of the Grey Canal. The Canal once supplied water to the largest irrigation district in BC, from the lakes in the highlands to the ranches and orchards in the valley. The Grey Canal Trail is almost complete, just a few sections of private land remain, but one day this historic infrastructure route will be one epic trail.
Grey Canal Trail, Turtle Mountain looking back at Middleton Mountain
From gravel mountain trails to lush orchards and forests
These trails are definitely selfie worthy! Thanks for spending the day with us, Ingrid!
In my ZenSeekers post, I’ve got a list of the top 5 trails you should check out in Vernon plus trail etiquette and links to interactive maps. Follow ZenSeekers on Facebook and Instagram for more info and photos as well.
The Thanksgiving Long Weekend is here and so are the fall colours, cool and rainy evenings, and a really great lineup of festivals and activities around Metro Vancouver. Be sure to get your tickets for Eerie Illusions at Burnaby Village Museum later this month and check out these 10 things to do in Coquitlam in October. Find all of these events and more below:
Give Back Contest!
To give thanks to my loyal blog readers and social media followers this weekend I am giving away a $25 VISA gift card. You can use it as a gift, pay for your turkey dinner groceries, treat yourself to a cranberry or pumpkin-based beverage, it’s up to you.
Copy/paste the following text on Twitter (1 entry)
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a $25 VISA gift card from Miss604 #LongWeekend604 https://miss604.com/2021/10/thanksgiving-long-weekend-event-in-vancouver-2021.html” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 9:00pm on Monday, October 11, 2021.
The Fort Langley Cranberry Festival is one of the most popular events on the fall calendar. With beautiful seasonal scenery and delicious eats, this much-loved annual event, celebrates and recognizes the cranberry’s role in local history.
Fort Langley Cranberry Festival 2021
When: Saturday, October 9, 2021 rain or shine 10:00am to 4:00pm Where: Fort Langley, BC (9160 Glover Rd, Langley) Admission: Free, enjoy the village and support local business. RSVP on Facebook for info.
This year’s festival will be held on a smaller scale, with a reduced capacity, to ensure the health and safety of vendors and festival-goers. Festivities begin at 10:00am on the field located at the corner of Glover Road and Mary Avenue. Fresh local berries will be available again, at the Fort Langley Community Hall, along with the Lion’s Club Pancake Breakfast.
There will be over 60 market place vendors, 10 food trucks, kids activities, live music and craft beer. One of the highlights of the Cranberry Festival is always the outstanding selection of products from the 60+ market vendors. From jewelry, specialty foods, fresh local produce to hand-made crafts, there is something for everyone.
About BC Cranberries
The cranberry is one of only three commercially-grown fruits that are native to North America.
Traditionally, cranberries were popular trading commodities at Fort Langley as local First Nations used them for food, dyes, and medicine. In 1858, cranberries were valued more highly than salmon in these trades.
Of all the cranberries harvested in Canada every year, about 60% are grown for Massachusetts-based Ocean Spray, to which most BC cranberry growers belong as a cooperative — as a result 90% of BC cranberries are shipped to the USA.
Approximately 50% of BC’s crop is used to make sweetened dried cranberries, 40% is made into juice, 9% is sold whole frozen and 1% is sold fresh, according to the Government of BC.
The Cranberry Festival was started in 1995 to celebrate the annual harvest and the history of the cranberry in the area and Fort Langley’s earlier years.
Boarder X at the Museum of Vancouver, a traveling exhibition which opened on October 1st, reveals skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing as vehicles that challenge conformity and status quo.
Boarder X at the Museum of Vancouver – Images submitted
Boarder X at the Museum of Vancouver
When: On view at MOV until October 1, 2022. Where:Museum of Vancouver (1100 Chestnut St, Vancouver) Admission: Purchase online in advance or on site
Originally exhibited at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2016,Boarder X features work by contemporary artists from Indigenous nations across Canada including Amanda Strong, Bracken Hanuse Corlett, Jordan Bennett, Meagan Musseau, Roger Crait, Steven Davies, Mark Igloliorte, Mason Mashon, Meghann O’Brien, Colonialism Skateboards in collaboration with Kent Monkman, and Les Ramsay.
“A museum needs people to be relevant. The Boarder X exhibition provides a wonderful opportunity for MOV to connect with Indigenous, and other youth, within the city of Vancouver. We were so pleased to have the opportunity to include a mini half pipe in the gallery space, where we can use it year-round for community engagement and add another level of animation to the gallery space.” – Sharon Fortney, Curator of Indigenous Culture and Engagement, Museum of Vancouver
Included from the MOV collections are works by contemporary Indigenous artists K.C. Hall, Olivia George, Skokaylem Zac George, and Takeover Skateboarding as well as older works by unknown Indigenous artists.
The exhibition, which recently was recognized for outstanding achievement by the Canadian Museums Association (“CMA”), reflects cultural, political, environmental, and social perspectives related to the landscapes and territories we occupy. Examining contested spaces, political borders, hybrid identities, and traditional lands, the artwork draws parallels to urban areas prohibiting skateboarding, ski runs unwelcome to snowboarders, and surfers’ constant search for uncrowded waves.
Boarder X also showcases how art can be inclusive and transformative, by bridging the present – the passion that many Indigenous youth have for skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding – with the past, which weaves together paintings, carvings, photography, video and textiles that shine a spotlight on cultural, political, and environmental issues.
Through financial support from Vans Canada, MOV was able to build 2 quarter pipes within the exhibition space. This mini ramp with be activated throughout the year for workshops, and public engagement events. MOV is partnering with local community groups, Nations Skate Youth and Takeover Skateboarding, to create opportunities for public programming and youth involvement and engagement within the exhibition. Once the exhibition closes the 2 quarter pipes will be donated to a community group for ongoing use.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — Sponsored by Cerebral Palsy Association of BC Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
BC Place is one of over 15 BC landmarks lighting up green for World CP Day on October 6th. To find out just how that will happen, Cerebral Palsy Association of BC (“CPABC”) spokesperson Marco Pasqua and I met up with a member of the lighting team to see just exactly how that will work. Long story short: With a tap of an iPhone!
Setup on the False Creek Seawall across the water from the stadium, Lighting Programmer Stefan Zubovic with Eos Lightmedia explained the software, the programming, and how it all comes together.
“Everything you see that’s video or operational, our team handles,” says Zubovic. “That goes for the maintenance of the lighting controller to the programming of new shows, to any kind of assistance the stadium needs with troubleshooting. We also provide some advice on best practices. A lot of the actual physical work is handled by the internal, stadium staff.”
Marco Pasqua (CPABC Spokesperson) and Stefan Zubovic (Eos Lightmedia) flip the switch!
Much of the software Zubovic and the Eos team use is free and can be downloaded online. Of course they also have access to the stadium’s secure VPN that allows them to control the light from almost anywhere, with a connection of course.
Aside from solid colours, you may have seen the stadium light up with a Union Jack when Sir Paul McCartney was in town, and when I was at BC Place the other day for the Whitecaps match I noticed animated hearts. So how do they achieve that level of detail?
The stadium roof façade – known as the Northern Lights Display– uses 1,700 ‘ETFE’ panels, stacked four rows high, and 6,800 linear feet of energy-efficient LED lights to create customizable lighting displays. “They are basically four foot long LED lights that have four pixels in them so every foot you can control different colours,” says Zubovic.
Showing off the pixels and panels in a “fireworks” display
On Wednesday, BC Place will be green for World Cerebral Palsy Day. This is a global movement of people with cerebral palsy and their families, and the organizations that support them, in more than 60 countries. The day is an opportunity to celebrate, raise awareness and take action to ensure that people with CP have the same rights, access and opportunity as anyone else in their communities.
You can support CPABC’s programs, equipment, therapies, and financial assistance for those with CP living in BC by donating today. If you spot a BC landmark glowing green tonight, take a photo and share on social media with the tag #BC4CP and follow CPABC on Instagram for more info.
