At the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre in Osoyoos, while you take a break from lake recreation and wine touring, you can enjoy very important history lesson. The beautifully designed Desert Cultural Centre is where you’ll hear about the Okanagan people, their land, and the importance of Spotted Lake.
Photographer Michael Schmidt contacted the ONA to get permission to enter the land to take this photo up close
Chances are if you’ve driven the Crowsnest Highway 3 from Vancouver to the South Okanagan, you’ve passed by Spotted Lake just west of the town of Osoyoos, before the big hill that leads you down to the lake.
This important landmark on the edge of the Similkameen Valley is considered one of the most sacred lakes by local First Nations. It is said to have 365 rings, one for each day of the year, with colours ranging from blue to green to yellow appear, depending on the mineral makeup of each individual spot and the level of evaporation throughout warmer seasons.
Spotted Lake is known to the First Nations People of the Osoyoos area as Kliluk, and it is a sacred site that has been considered a revered place of healing for centuries. The belief is that each of the different circles holds its own unique medicinal and healing properties.
During World War I, minerals from the lake were used to create ammunition. The minerals were harvested or mined by Chinese labourers, who drew up to one ton of salt from the surface of the lake each day. It is said that prior to the pillaging of these minerals, the lake displayed an even greater variety of colours and an even greater artistic beauty. The salt extracted from the lake was shipped to eastern Canadian munitions factories. [Source]
The land surrounding the lake was privately owned for 40 years, but in 2001 the federal government acquired it for the benefit and uses of the Okanagan Nation. This ensures that this historically important land can be protected from development, so that future generations of the Okanagan Nation will continue to benefit, as did their ancestors. It also ensures that future visitors will still be able to view this incredible natural phenomenon. [Source]
The lake is on land owned by the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) and it cannot be visited without ONA permission. There is, however, a small pullout beside the highway that affords one of the best views of the lake. [Source]
According to one reviewer on Trip Advisor, you can also get a good look at the lake by driving up neighbouring Mount Kobau. The lake is visible on the way up and the 5km Testalinden Trail circles the summit and leads to Testalinden Lake where more amazing views await.
For more information, visit the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre where the Osoyoos Indian Band interprets the Aboriginal culture of the Okanagan Nation. Follow the centre on Twitter and Facebook.
The 13th annual Richmond Maritime Festival is serving up a salty stew of music, artists and wooden boats this weekend. The free, family festival, presented by Port of Vancouver, attracts more than 40,000 visitors to the Britannia Shipyards on the Steveston waterfront each summer.
Richmond Maritime Festival
Dates: Saturday, August 6th & Sunday, August 7th Time: 11:00am to 8:00pm on Saturday, 11:00am to 5:00pm on Sunday Where: Britannia Shipyards (5180 Westwater Dr, Richmond) Admission: Free!
Richmond Maritime Festival visitors will be entertained by loads of live music, roving performers, visual artists, stilt walkers, puppets, storytellers and dancers. A quirky cast of sea creatures and characters, including mermaids, pirates, wharf rats and more, will be found wandering the festively-decorated site or inhabiting its nooks and crannies.
Kids of all ages can also entertain themselves with a wide variety of arts and crafts activities and demonstrations from knitting a tree cosy to building your own wooden ship. There’s also a fleet of food trucks to fuel your creative appetites.
This year’s festival highlights include wooden boat displays coordinated by the Britannia Heritage Shipyard Society throughout the site, as well as a free Saturday night concert on the YVR Community Stage featuring The Matinee and the Myrtle Family Band.
Britannia Heritage Shipyards National Historic Site’s 190-metre long dock will be animated with a flotilla of beautiful and historic boats and ships available for viewing and boarding. Visitors can also tour Britannia’s many historic buildings spread across the scenic 3.5 hectare waterfront site.
Follow the Richmond Maritime Festival (and Fun Richmond) on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information.
Miss604 is a proud sponsor of the 2016 Richmond Maritime Festival
A staple of summer in Vancouver, for more than a century, is The Fair at the PNE. This season, there are many ways to save on your admission which includes access to The SuperDogs, Dueling Pianos, Dinosaurs Alive: A Jurassic Experience, the Kidz Discovery Farm, the summer concert series, and much more!
Days to Save at the PNE
Day: Heroes Opening Weekend August 20th & August 21st
Time: 11:00am to 10:30pm
Deal: Free gate admission for First Responders and a guest. Promotion is valid for current and retired police, RCMP, ambulance workers, firefighters, military, search & rescue and coast guards plus one guest. First Responder must present a valid First Responders service card at the gates. Guest does not require a service card.
Day: Opening Day August 20th
Time: 11:00am to 12:00pm
Deal: Free entry for Pokemon Go players showing their Pokemon Go app on their phone at the gates.
Day: Tuesdays, August 23rd & 30th
Time: 11:00am to 1:00pm
Deal: Free gate admission for for all guests. Re-entrance hand stamps will only be given after 1:00pm. Guests are welcome to re-enter the gates prior to 1:00pm without hand stamp. Presented by Port of Vancouver.
Day: Wild Ride Wednesdays, August 24th & 31st
Time: 11:00am to 1:00pm
Deal: Purchase 2 Ride Passes for the price of 1. Only available onsite on the day of the promotion. Does not apply to ride coupons or complimentary passes.
Day: Seniors’ Day Thursday, August 25th
Time: 11:00am to 10:30pm
Deal: Seniors 65+ receive free gate admission. Presented by Retirement Concepts.
Day:Vancity Member Day Thursday, September 1st
Time: 11:00am to 10:30pm
Deal: Vancity members and a guest each receive $5 gate admission.
Special Offers
Pinwheel Deals: A Fair-wide coupon book offering over $350 in savings. $2 at any Guest Services location.
After Dark Gate Pass: After 9:00pm nightly, purchase a Fair Gate Pass for just $5.* A savings of $12.
Twilight Ride Pass, presented by 94.5 Virgin Radio: After 5:00pm Tuesday through Thursday, purchase a Fair Ride Pass for just $29.75.* A savings of $15.
Online/Retailer Savings: Save up to $12 when you purchase your Fair Gate or Ride passes online or at the following Lower Mainland retailers: 7-Eleven, Safeway, Overwaitea, Save-On-Foods, PriceSmart, Urban Fare.
Retail passes will be available in August. *Available only onsite during The Fair.
The 2016 Fair will run from August 20th until September 5th, and will be closed on August 22nd and 29th. Open 11:00am until late. Follow the Fair at the PNE on Facebook and Twitter. All prices stated are those provided at the time of publishing and could be subject to changes, fees.
It’s time for The Cinematheque’s annual summer celebration of the giddy, gloomy, seductive glories of Film Noir! This year’s Noir season includes nine vintage noir gems, five of which The Cinematheque has never screened before (Kiss of Death, Johnny O’Clock, Thieves Highway, The Reckless Moment, and Underworld U.S.A.).
Film Noir at The Cinematheque
Celebrating one of Golden-Age Hollywood’s richest and most creative periods, Film Noir picks up the shiny rock of the American Dream, turns it over, and finds underneath a grubby American nightmare.
Opening Night Party
Broads + Bruisers Courtyard Wingding
Thursday, August 4, 2016 doors at 6:00pm
Enjoy vinyl jazz by DJs Cam Dales & Scott W, complimentary Whiskey Hazelnut ice cream from Ernest Ice Cream, and cash bar – plus screenings of The Killers (7:00pm) and Kiss of Death (9:05pm). Entry included with a single or double bill ticket for the evening.
The Films
The Killers (1946)
Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner star in noir luminary Robert Siodmak’s Hemingway adaptation, one of film noir’s defining works. “Film noir at its most expressive” (Chicago Reader). Opening night, August 4th at 7:00pm; Friday, August 5th 8:25pm; Wednesday, August 10th 6:30pm.
Kiss of Death (1947)
Henry Hathaway’s nasty New York-shot noir is famed for iconic tough guy Richard Widmark’s sensational screen debut. “Tense, terrifying … with an unusually authentic seamy atmosphere” (Pauline Kael). Thursday, August 4th 9:05pm; Saturday, August 6th 6:30pm; Monday, August 8th 8:25pm.
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews reunite with director Otto Preminger for this deliciously hard-boiled noir penned by Ben Hecht. “A maximum of suspense and swiftly-paced action” (Variety). Friday, August 5th 6:30pm; Saturday, August 6th 8:30pm; Sunday, August 7th 6:30pm.
Johnny O’Clock (1947)
Screenwriter Robert Rossen’s directorial debut is a hard-boiled noir thriller replete with seedy atmosphere, complex plotting, and moody visuals. “A smart whodunit, with attention to scripting, casting and camerawork lifting it above the average” (Variety). Sunday, August 7th 8:25pm; Monday, August 8th 6:30pm; Thursday, August 11th 8:45pm.
Thieves’ Highway (1949)
A California trucker seeks revenge in this high-octane, hard-as-nails (and underrated) noir from American neo-realist Jules Dassin. “Slots sleazy eroticism and rigorous action seamlessly together” (Time Out). Wednesday, August 10th 8:35pm; Friday, August 12th 6:45pm; Sunday, August 14th 8:25pm.
The Big Sleep (1946)
35mm PRINT! A big-budget noir with big-time pedigree: a Faulkner script, based on a Chandler novel, directed by Hawks, with Bogart and Bacall! “No screen couple, before or since, had as much chemistry as Bogart and Bacall” (The Guardian). Thursday, August 11th 6:30pm; Friday, August 12th 8:40pm; Saturday, August 13th 6:45pm; Monday, August 15th 8:40pm.
The Reckless Moment (1944)
35mm PRINT! Mise-en-scène virtuoso and master romanticist Max Ophüls directs Joan Bennett and James Mason in a superb noir melodrama. “One of the director’s most perverse stories of doomed love … Ophüls spins a network of fine irony out of the lurid material” (Chicago Reader). Saturday, August 13th 9:00pm; Sunday, August 14th 6:45pm; Thursday, August 18th 6:30pm.
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Alfred Hitchcock’s favourite Hitchcock film (and one of ours) is this disturbing noir drama peering into the dark heart of small-town America. “One of Hitchcock’s finest films of the ’40s … [A] memorable gem.” (Time Out). Monday, August 15th 6:30pm; Thursday, August 18th 8:10pm; Friday, August 19th 6:30pm.
Underworld U.S.A. (1953)
Cliff Robertson is a pitiless anti-hero in pulp-fiction primitivist Sam Fuller’s ruthless, relentless revenge noir. “Arguably Fuller’s most efficient, brutal, and unsentimental film.” (Senses of Cinema). Friday, August 19th 8:40pm; Sunday, August 21st 6:30pm; Monday, August 22nd 8:35pm.
Tickets
$11 Adult; $9 Senior/Student; $14 Adult Double Bill; $12 Senior/Student Double Bill. Films are restricted to 18+ unless otherwise indicated. A $3 annual membership is required.
The Cinematheque is located at 1131 Howe St in Vancouver. Follow on Twitter, Facebook, and the tag #FilmNoir2016 for more information.
The latest advertising from PNE Playland encourages us to “Stay fun, Vancouver!” and after 97 years, Playland definitely knows all about fun in Vancouver.
Our local amusement park is now open daily where you can enjoy swinging on Canada’s most extreme pendulum ride, The Beast, soaring above the clouds on the Atmosfear, twisting and turning on Playland’s iconic Wooden Roller Coaster and many more rides!
Spend a fun day out with the whole family playing midway games, putting at mini golf, hanging at the Kids Playce, and of course enjoying those irresistible mini donuts.
PlayPasses are now available for promotional rates in Lower Mainland at 7-Eleven, Safeway, Save-on-Foods, PriceSmart Foods and Urban Fare stores. Playland is open daily from 10:00am to 7:00pm.
Win Playland Passes
I have a 4-pack of Playland passes to give away, here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment naming your favourite Playland ride, past or present (1 entry)
RT to enter to win 4 Playland passes from @pne_playland @Miss604 http://bit.ly/2aJmz8q
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, August 8, 2016. Follow along on Facebook and Twitter for updates and the latest news from The Fair at the PNE and Playland.
