I remember walking through the Othello Tunnels as a child, splashing through puddles in my gumboots and squeezing my father’s hand when bats would flutter by. The Othello Tunnels, a part of Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park, are a fun walk through local history with many great photo opportunities.
Othello Tunnels
In the early 1900s, the Canadian Pacific Railway decided a route was necessary to link the Kootenay Region with the BC coast by rail. The railway was built over three mountain ranges. In the Coquihalla Gorge – the river cut a 300 foot deep channel of solid granite. A straight line of tunnels were built through it which are known now as the Othello Tunnels. There are spectacular viewing opportunities available on the trail, through the tunnels and on the bridges. This park highlights the Kettle Valley Railway grade that passes through the canyon and 5 tunnels which were built in 1914. [BC Parks]
Fans of the Bard will appreciate some of the nearby hiking trail names — like Lear, Jessica, Portia, Iago, Romeo & Juliet, and of course Othello — as engineer Andrew McCullough was an avid reader of Shakespearean literature. Pop by the next time you’re visiting Hope, BC or traveling up the Fraser Canyon. The Provincial Park is 1h 45m from Vancouver and just minutes outside of Hope.
Note: The tunnels are closed during the winter months due to unstable conditions, falling rocks and ice. They will re-open for the May Long Weekend.
Check out the #Photos604 tag on Instagram for more information and follow @Miss604 for my own Pacific Northwest & inspired photos.
The Little Mountain Shop on Main Street presents Versatile, a fresh and cleverly-curated gallery event that will pop-up this month and again in December.
Art and Design Show on Main Street
What: Versatile Gallery
Where: The Little Mountain Shop (4386 Main St, Vancouver)
Opening Reception: Friday, November 25th at 7:00pm to 10:00pm
Exhibition: Friday, November 25th to 27th at 11:00am; December 2nd to 4th from 10:00am to 8:00pm
Versatile plays host to both established and emerging artists, designers and makers predominately from the Sea to Sky region. It will be Vancouver’s premiere opportunity to see this as yet un-taped vein of talent who are debuting in the city, as well as select established artists who will be presenting new collections for the event, said Versatile founder and curator Stewart Hughes.
Nine artists and makers will participate in a show including Meghan McCrone (pottery); Vanessa Stark (painter mixed medium); Valerie Nagy (dress maker); Diana Watters (contemporary graphic cross stitch); Lan Yao (painter); Caroline Miller (jeweler); MaryMary (street artist/stencil artist/screen printer) and Amanda Jane Green (jeweler).
“This is an opportunity to get ahead of the curve with some of these artists,” said Squamish-based Hughes, who makes art under the moniker of MaryMary. “There is a momentum amongst this group, that points to a bright future.”
Versatile was born out of the frustration the Welsh native said he felt seeing talent simply not getting a broader platform. “All this great work I was seeing I felt needed to get out into the hands of collectors and people who simply enjoy incredible art and design,” said Hughes.
“There are a lot of talented people bubbling just under the surface with no real exposure. The purpose of their work was falling short, because too few people were seeing it.”
Located in the popular Little Mountain neighbourhood, between Riley Park and Mt. Pleasant at 28th and Main, Little Mountain Pop-Up is a beautiful storefront that can be used for retail, gallery exhibits, yoga classes, and small events. Check out their calendar for upcoming events and pop-ups.
District Main is opening its doors to host a glittering holiday party for the Main Street community, and beyond, featuring the new solo exhibition “Precious Elements” by luxury hotel artist Lisa Penz. Step into a swanky winter wonderland (heated patio), sip on some signature cocktails and dance the night away.
Main Street Holiday Art Party
Artist: Lisa Penz
Where: District Main (4453 Main St, Vancouver)
When: Friday, December 2nd, 2016 6:30pm to 10:00pm
Admission: None
This special evening will feature a collection of Lisa Penz’s evocative contemporary paintings that celebrate colour while challenging the artist’s spacial issues.
Duality is the crux of some of these select works which highlight a “Reversible” feature—where the Collector gets to decide themselves if landscape or portrait format works best for their space; Lisa has designed them to work both ways.
With a background in graphic design and brand strategy, Penz constantly strives to capture a sense of balance through striking colour combinations, in order to elicit an uplifting mindset so that you may realize your own strengths. Often inspired by holistic consumer experience and Animation-themes, Disney Parks play a significant influence in her work.
“Precious Elements” will be on display at District Main until January 2nd (for District Main residents) and doors will only be open to the public on December 2nd during the Main Street Holiday Art Party.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is coming to the Waterfront Theatre this Christmas to delight families with the wit, warmth and music of the beloved Peanuts special. Join Charlie Brown on his quirky journey as he tries to direct the school Christmas pageant. With some help from his friends and a ragged little tree, Charlie Brown discovers the true meaning of the season.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
“Carousel’s production of A Charlie Brown Christmas will feature a wonderful jazz trio, Snoopy will be brought to life through magical and hilarious puppetry, and a stellar cast led by funnyman Andrew Cownden will sing, dance and capture your hearts,” says Carole Higgins, Artistic Director. “The performance will also feature a musical medley of some of the many different traditions around the world that celebrate the month of December.”
Andrew Cownden as Charlie Brown.
Photo by Tim Matheson.
Recommended for age 3+ and their families, with special All Ages performances for the whole family. Performances run November 27-December 28, 2016.
Tickets
Tickets are $35 for adults, $29 for students & seniors, $18 for young people (ages 3-18). Discounted subscription rates available when booking for two or more plays. Book online or by calling (604) 685-6217.
A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz, based on the television special by Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson. Stage Adaptation by Eric Schaeffer. By Special Arrangement with Arthur Whitelaw and Ruby Persson.
Win Tickets
I have the opportunity to give away a pair of tickets to the opening performance on November 27th at 2:00pm. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Like, comment on, or share this post on Facebook (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Follow Carousel Theatre on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook for more information and show details. The Waterfront Theatre is located on Granville Island at 1412 Cartwright St, Vancouver.
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, November 21, 2016. Winning tickets cannot be exchanged for another date. If the selected winner cannot attend, a new winner will be drawn.
Update The winner is Maribel Moroni!
If you’ve ever been on a road trip through the Fraser Canyon then you’ve been past Spuzzum, the notoriously tiny town along Highway 1 that you can literally miss if you blink. Just past Spuzzum, 3.4km up the road to be exact, you’ll find Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park, and one of the most Instagram-worthy photo locations in the canyon.
Alexandra Bridge
Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park is 2 hours east of Vancouver on Highway 1. The Alexandra Bridge you see today was built in 1926, when the Cariboo Wagon Road was upgraded for automobiles. Author Michael Kluckner sheds some light on its history:
“The old (actually, the second) Alexandra Bridge, unused by vehicles since 1964, provides the last physical evidence of the scale of highways and bridges in the Fraser Canyon – indeed, on the Trans Canada highway in BC – in the 1950s and before. The bridge is accessible by a path, which is in fact the old highway, that winds down the hillside from the modern highway just east of the new Alexandra Bridge and almost within sight of the Alexandra Lodge.
It is alarmingly narrow and, with its open-weave metal decking, not an experience for anyone prone to vertigo. The concrete in the towers is badly spalled and the cables are rusty but so far adequately strong. It will probably fall down soon and be declared unsafe, perhaps in that order, for no government has seen fit to pay attention to it by restoring it as a tourist attraction and perhaps tying it in with some of the surrounding historic trails and places like the lodge. As is the case throughout the Fraser Canyon, it has looked very shabby since the opening of the Coquihalla highway (#5) in 1986.”
The third Alexandra Bridge, which is currently in use, sits in view from the old Alexandra Suspension Bridge. You can access the old, insta-famous bridge by way of a trail from the provincial park’s parking lot.
Check out the #Photos604 tag on Instagram for more information and follow @Miss604 for my own Pacific Northwest & inspired photos.
