The 59th Annual Squamish Days Logger Sports Festival is coming up July 28th to August 1st, packing 5 days full of fun for the whole family. It’s one of the largest lumberjack competitions in North America and one of the longest running community festivals in BC!
Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival
The festival offers ticketed events as well as free events throughout the community:
Thursday Night Kettle Boil (Free)
Friday’s World Championship Chair Carve (Free)
Friday Night Wacky Bed Races (Free)
Saturday Children’s Sports (Free)
Saturday Night Axe Throw Invitational (Free)
Sunday Festival Parade (Free)
Monday Picnic in the Park w/ Live Local Music (Free)
Then there’s the Saturday Loggers Stomp Dance, Sunday Pancake Breakfast, Sunday 8KRun & Flashback Mile, Rotary Beef BBQ and of course the international competition at the Al McIntosh Loggers Sports Grounds. This year’s special guest is Shae Emery former CFL linebacker & founder of Wellmen.
Loggers sports competitions are true sporting events with competitors requiring strength, skill and stamina. The participants, like any athletes, must train and work diligently to reach the level of skill required to win any of the events. Cash prizes are awarded to the top competitors in each event. Each participant competes in one of three classes: novice, intermediate or open. Two victories move a competitor in novice or intermediate up to the next class.
Competitions include: Axe Throwing, birling, butcher block chop, chokeman’s race, hand bucking, obstacle pole bucking, speed bucking, springboard chop, team relay, standing block chop, tree climbing, tree falling, tree topping, and the underhand chop.
Win A Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival Prize Pack
As a sponsor of this event, I am thrilled to offer up an amazing Sea to Sky experience courtesy of the Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival. The getaway prize pack includes:
Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment naming a Squamish Days event (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Follow Squamish Days on Facebook and Twitter for more information. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Sunday, June 19, 2016. Some restrictions may apply. Dates cannot be exchanged on timely prize items.
Update The winner is Kirsten!
This post has been contributed by Michael Murray, Communications Volunteer with the Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”). I have been following SPES since I moved into the West End over a decade ago and I have been a member for four years. I wanted to offer the team an opportunity to share their news, events, and work so I have created “SPES Saturday” where they contribute and share stories with my audience once a month.
Salmonberries in Stanley Park
A Wild Treat
If you’ve been out and about the last few weeks, then you’ve surely noticed the vibrant orange, yellow or red hues of Salmonberries lining the trials and walkways of Stanley Park. Often overshadowed by its more famous cousin the raspberry, salmonberries or Rubus specatibilis play an important role in the Park ecosystem providing sustenance for many songbirds and other animals alike.
Salmonberry in Stanley Park. Photo by Michael Schmidt.
The plant is native to the west coast of North America growing from the California coast to Alaska and prefers damp soil often growing along streams or marshy areas such the trails around Beaver Lake. The salmonberry bush is supported by long thin perennial stalks that go from green to rusty brown. The bright pink flowers and distinctively serrated green leaves make them easy to spot amongst the other foliage in Stanley Park.
Swainson’s thrush. Photo by
Matt Reinbold, Bismarck, Wikia Commons.
Vancouver’s recent rains and warm weather have caused an explosion of these colourful berries. This is good news for the Swainson’s thrushes (Catharus ustulatus) which count the berries as an important part of their diet.
These tiny songbirds can be spotted darting from bush to bush gorging on berries as they go. These migratory songbirds visit the Park during the spring and summer months and can be recognized by their characteristic upward spiraling song. Click here to hear for yourself.
The tasty berries are definitely fit for human consumption and have been used by west coast indigenous cultures for centuries. The leaves were used to line baskets, the red pigments as dye, and the leaves dried and made into astringent teas. It is said the berries resemble the colour of salmon roe and that’s how they came to be named. Next time you’re out exploring the Park be sure to keep an eye out for these wild treats, but please leave them on the bushes for Stanley Park’s birds.
Throughout the month of June, two of the city’s favourite local attractions are teaming up to offer a special combo admission pass. You can experience both VanDusen Botanical Garden and Bloedel Conservatory and save up to $11 for families and $6 for individuals.
VanDusen Garden and Bloedel Conservatory Combo Pack
Find your way through a hedge maze, spot local wildlife, discover over 7,000 different plants from around the world, and enjoy a family picnic at VanDusen. Then, head to the tropical Bloedel Conservatory and discover exotic birds and plants inside the lush dome located at the top of Queen Elizabeth Park.
Purchase you combo pass by June 30, 2016 and enjoy a visit to VanDusen Botanical Garden and Bloedel Conservatory anytime in June, July or August. You can visit both on the same day or different days. Bring your electronic or paper receipt to our admissions desks.
Family combo passes are valid for 1 family (up to 2 adults and their children 18 years and under) admission to VanDusen Botanical Garden and 1 family admission to Bloedel Conservatory. No refunds are available for combo passes. There is a maximum of 1 combo pass (individual or family) purchase per person.
Follow VanDusen on Facebook for more information about hours, location, and special events.
Free outdoor movies are a summertime tradition in Vancouver, set in beautiful locations like Second Beach in Stanley Park. Every Tuesday, from July 5th to August 23rd, you can plan your date night, friends night, and night out watching some of your favourite movies as the sun sets by the ocean.
Free Outdoor Movies in Vancouver
Stanley Park 2016
These are family friendly events (no smoking, no alcohol), and you can bring your own blanket or lawn chair. Follow Fresh Air Cinema on Facebook for all of these listings and more throughout BC.
Make Calgary your home base this summer as you explore some of Southern Alberta’s captivating attractions and destinations. Enjoy the city’s vibrant event and festival scene, emerging culinary offerings (read about the amazing lunch Keira and I had a Ten Foot Henry), and soak up some culture at the brand new Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre. Venture out on foot, by bike (keep Mike Morrison’s awesome cycle guide handy) and prep the car for a road trip as you branch out to some amazing day trip destinations all within just 90 minutes of town.
Day Trips from Calgary
The Cowboy Trail
Alberta’s rich western heritage can be found all along the Cowboy Trail, a 700km route along Highway 22 that spans from Mayerthorpe at the north end (just west of Edmonton) and winds south on Cardston (west of Lethbridge). The trail is situated where the Rockies meet the prairie, following a historic route where cattle were once driven from Alberta all the way to Montana by ranchers of the past. Antiques, unique shops, tasty treats, and very friendly faces will greet you along the way.
Destination: Water Valley
Distance: 58 min (77.0 km) from Calgary
The 4 way stop in Water Valley, the tiny town with a big heart, leads to family-run businesses, a historic saloon, a community events centre in an old restored church, and year-round events like the Celtic-Folk Festival, Water Valley Days, Art Shows and our picturesque Water Valley Rodeo. There’s a golf course, antique boutique, and library too.
If you decide to stay the night, I recommend Back to Nature Retreat, where I had a wonderful B&B experience this spring.
Destination: Cochrane
Distance: 32 min (36.2 km) from Calgary
Steeped in western history and complimented with a quaint downtown core (with unique shops, boutiques, and awesome ice cream), Cochrane is home to provincial parks, a street market, festivals, and the Historic Cochrane Ranche Site. This is the location of Alberta’s first large scale livestock operation in 1881, with a 136 acre public park with picnic tables, two fire pits, and an outdoor stage.
Discover something new in a place filled with history. I spent some quality time in the Shoe Closet on 1st Street West where I fell in love with the soft and plush Naketano hoodies on display.
Destination: Black Diamond
Distance: 49 min (66.3 km) from Calgary
“I’m not a chef, I just really like food!” laughed Erin Neale, founder of The Westwood when I stopped in for lunch a few weeks ago. She and partner Chad Kendrick are known for founding the popular Treeline Outdoors adventure supply company and they recently opened up a road-side food counter in Black Diamond that serves up bison burgers, deep fried avocado, fish tacos, fried mac & cheese balls, and some of the most mouth watering creations you’d find at a busy downtown city food truck — but in the heart of cowboy country. Erin brings big city taste to the valley and uses the most of her location to constantly dream up dishes. Neighbours are always dropping off crops (from strawberries or asparagus, to organic farm fresh eggs) and the Westwood uses it all.
Keep heading south to Longview to pick up some of the world’s best jerky!
Rocky Mountain Route
Destination: Canmore
Distance: 1 h 13 min (104.3 km) from Calgary
Explore Canmore, a bustling town nestled between rocky peaks and glacier-fed rivers. Streets filled with art galleries, restaurants, and cafes, and outdoor adventure awaiting around every corner. From canoeing, caving, and climbing, to unreal helicopter tours above the valley (and the Rocky Mountains), world class spa facilities, and a local brewery that offers tours (and tastings).
Behold the Badlands
Destination: Drumheller
Distance: 1 h 27 min (135.1 km) from Calgary
Heading east, you’ll leave the towering mountains behind and slip into an ancient world, filled with dust, dirt, fossils, and fascinating history. Drumheller is the Dinosaur Capital of the World, home to the world’s largest dinosaur, is home to the world’s largest displays of dinosaurs — basically this valley in the Badlands is your dinosaur destination!
Young or old, you’ll have your mind blown by the vast, unique beauty of this region that is filled with captivating attractions like Dinosaur Provincial Park, Atlas Coal Mine, and Royal Tyrrell Museum, hikes in the Badlands.
To plan your day trip from Calgary, check out visiting Travel Alberta’s website and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
