Grouse Mountain is as much a summer playground as it is a snowy winter destination. The Grouse Grind tests endurance, performances at the peak entertain, ziplines thrill, the resident grizzly bears awake from their cold season slumber, and the views of the South Coast mesmerize. For today’s roundup of photos from the Vancouver Archives, I have focused on photos of snow-free activities on Grouse Mountain from days gone by.

1929 – The road up Grouse Mountain. Archives item# CVA 99-2041 & CVA 99-2042.
Photographer: Stuart Thomson.

Continue reading »

The weather is always a hot topic in Vancouver, from rainbows and flash hail storms to general comments on the sunshine or the rain. It’s been a gorgeous week of sunshine in Vancouver and leading up to the long weekend, I think that’s something that locals can definitely get used to.

Oakley Canada would like to help out by providing eyewear for one Miss604 reader who will win one of the four pairs of sunglasses listed below.

Overtime (Women)
1. Strong, graceful and resilient, Overtim(TM) was inspired by those who kick butt with style. The bold square frames with sculpted stems bring out the stylish side of any athlete and with expanded peripheral vision you can enjoy a broader view. Overtime(TM) is available with Oakley authentic prescription lenses. Value: $150

Radar Edge (Women)
2. Oakley Radar Edge gives athletes an extra edge over the competition. The latest addition to the popular toric shield series has a more rounded frame for even better coverage. With a simple silhouette and vibrant color palette (think Shortcake and Mellow Yellow), Oakley Radar Edge is as beautiful as it is hard working. Value: $200

Radarlock (Men)
3. This eyewear lets athletes take full advantage of Oakley’s wide array of performance lenses, thanks to an ingenious invention called Switchlock(TM) Technology that makes lens changing fast and hassle-free. All lenses are optimized with the unrivaled clarity and impact resistance of High Definition Optics (HDO). Value: $270

Racing Jacket (Men)
4. With Oakley Switchlock(TM) Technology, Racing Jacket(R) takes all the clarity, convenience and comfort of Oakley Jawbone(TM) and cranks up style with icons you can change whenever the mood strikes you. Includes retaining strap, two sets of lenses (one for bright light and one for low light), and High Definition Optics (HDO). Value: $270

Here’s how you can enter to win your choice of one of these styles:

• Leave a comment naming your favourite place to soak up the sun in Vancouver (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 10:00am on Monday, May 21, 2012. The winner will receive one set of sunglasses from the selections listed above. Remember to be sun smart! Wear sunscreen and eyewear when you get outside this weekend.

Vancouver Craft Beer Week is just days away and tickets to the multitude of events are going fast. One such event is the Biercraft Belgian Showcase, at the Biercraft location of your choice.

What: Biercraft Belgian Showcase
When: Monday, May 21, 2012 from 6:00pm to closing
Where Biercraft at 3305 Cambie or 1191 Commercial Drive.

They’ll be pouring over 50 Belgian-style beers including Rochefort, St. Bernardus, and Delirium Tremens along with North American styles from Green Flash, Townsite, and Driftwood. Hors d’oeuvres will be served with helpings of poutine, all inclusive.

Tickets for events at both locations are still available for $75.

Miss604.com is a proud sponsor once again of Vancouver Craft Beer Week. Please enjoy responsibly and plan a safe ride home from all of the events.

I have a new addition to my collection of Vancouver books filled with historical photographs, stories, and information. Vanishing Vancouver: The Last 25 Years by Michael Kluckner has just arrived in stores and I’m looking forward to flipping through the pages, illustrated with archival photographs and Kluckner’s signature watercolours.

Vanishing Vancouver: The Last 25 Years by Michael Kluckner

Chapters include:

• Landmark City: successes and failures on the downtown peninsula
• The Working Harbour: a chapter on the evolution of the port
• The Vancouver Shop: changes in design of buildings and tenants in the city’s retail districts
• The Vancouver House: the evolution of house design in the past 125 years; which ones have held up best
• The Vancouver Apartment: the evolution of apartments over the last century
• The Planted City: urban and sustainable agriculture and changing fashions in gardens
• Legacies & Memories: examining how places and buildings link to tell stories
• Drawing a Line in the Mud: the yin and yang of Vancouver; trying to keep the historic layers on the landscape

This is a follow up to the Kluckner’s first Vanishing Vancouver book that was published in 1990 and looked at the changing landscape of the city up until Expo86.

Vanishing Vancouver: The Last 25 Years by Michael Kluckner

The book will lead me into my summer reading season with sessions taking place on my balcony under the shade of an evergreen. I love Frances Bula‘s quote on the back cover: “This latest volume in Michael Kluckner’s long elegy for Vancouver is a treasure for city-lovers like me, with its new collection of visual record of our city before glass.”

You can meet up with Michael Kluckner at a Vancouver Heritage Foundation event this Wednesday, May 16, 2012 from 7:30pm to 9:00pm. He will give a lecture about this year’s upcoming Heritage House Tour. Tickets are available online for $12. You can also meet the author at a free lecture May 14th at the Museum of Vancouver and May 26th at Hager Books for a signing.

Vanishing Vancouver: The Last 25 Years, published by Whitecap Books, is in stores now.

The Lindt Chocolates boutique at Queensborough landing in New Westminster is hosting an exclusive VIP event this week. Olympic Gold Medalists and World Champions, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir will be in attendance along with a select audience to celebrate Skate Canada’s finale which is coming to Vancouver.

VIP guests will be invited to come meet Tessa and Scott, tour the boutique, and learn how to make Lindor chocolate truffles. If you would like to attend simply RSVP in the comments section of this post. The first 25 Miss604 readers will gain entry (for themselves plus a guest) to the exclusive party on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 4:00pm.

On a related note, I have been fortunate enough to visit Lindt and Sprungli in Kilchberg, Switzerland, East of Zurich. I heard about the history of the company, shopped in their mega holiday store, and learned how to do a proper chocolate tasting.

The Lindt boutique in New Westminster is located at 805 Boyd Street, at Queensborough Landing. The VIP event will run from 4:00pm to 5:00pm as guests get time to sample chocolates with Virtue & Moir.

When we reach 25 RSVPs on this post I will leave a comment as a cut-off point and follow up with the guests. Any comments after the cut-off will be on the waiting list in case there’s a cancellation.

The Surrey Children’s Festival returns to Bear Creek Park Thursday May 24, 2012 to Saturday, May 26, 2012. Packed with arts activities, food, and entertaining performances, it’s a fun way for kids to round out the school year.

The Arts Centre Main Stage & Studio Theatre will be indoors and the Leap Frog Stage and Community Spirit Stage are outside in the park.

There will be roving performers, activity tents, and a line-up of acts like À la belle étoile, Objects in Motion, Mini-Masterpieces, Li Liu, Chinese Acrobat, A Flock of Flyers, and more.

Hours are Thursday and Friday from 9:00am to 2:30pm, and Saturday from 10:30am to 7:30pm. Site entrance is free every day with upgrade ticket options for shows and activities.

School groups can get show tickets for $8 per child (includes arts activity wristband), while parents with children (outside of school) can get show tickets for $10 (includes arts activity wristband). For just the arts activities, wristbands are $4 (and free for supervising adults). Children 3 years and younger are free every day and family packs of tickets are available. Tickets are available in person at the Surrey Arts Centre box office, by phone (604) 501-5566, or online.

Miss604.com is a proud sponsor of the Surrey Children’s Festival and other major City of Surrey events throughout the year.

The BC Water & Waste Association presents Drinking Water Week from May 13th to May 19th across BC. It’s a province-wide initiative to raise awareness about how we get our drinking water in BC.

Photo credit: Matzuda on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

From the organizers: “We want British Columbians to learn more about their water and what they can do to protect it, and to celebrate the people and processes that bring clean water to our taps.”

Throughout the week there will be plant and watershed tours, community events, open houses, and more. Here are just a few of the events:

City of Vancouver Drinking Water Week Proclamation
When: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 from 1:30pm to 3:30pm
Where: City of Vancouver Council Chambers, 453 West 12th, Vancouver
What: The City of Vancouver will have an official proclamation of Drinking Water Week. The public is invited to attend and learn more about Drinking Water Week and how they can get involved.

City of Chilliwack Water Presentation
When: Wednesday, May 16 2012 from 10:30am to 11:30am
Where: City Hall, 8550 Young Road, Chilliwack
What: The City of Chilliwack is celebrating Drinking Water Week with a free educational presentation. Learn about the city’s high-quality drinking water, the water cycle, where it comes from and how to protect and conserve it.

City of Kamloops Water Taste Tests
When: Wednesday, May 16 2012 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Where: Tournament Capital Centre
What: The City of Kamloops will hold water taste tests along with giveaways to help residents save water in and around their homes.

All residents of BC and the Yukon can take the Community Water Challenge and pledge actions online. When you complete the steps, you will be entered to win a getaway with Helijet and the Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver.

Find Drinking Water Week on Facebook and Twitter for more water conservation tips, information, and event listings.

I began the Vancouver Icons series over a year ago to occasionally showcase photos of statues, buildings, and landmarks that we see everyday. They’re spotted in locally-filmed television shows and movies, and there are countless photos shared online. A perfect example is today’s feature subject, the Vancouver Public Library’s Central Branch.

Photo credit: FreeRishad – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Photo credit: CogitoErgoShoot & {e u g e n e} – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Photo credit: veronique_m & kennymatic & dahliaphoto – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Located at 350 West Georgia, the Central Branch is a meeting place, courtyard coffee spot, and hub of community and library activities. The current building opened in 1995 and the library moved over from its previous location at Burrard and Robson, where it had been since 1957. Prior to that, it was at the Carnegie library building on Main and Hastings, since 1903.

Photo credit: Pat Z & Cherish Bryck Photography & joannbc – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Photo credit: susan gittins & Jeffery Simpson – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Photo credit: dahliaphoto & just_jeanette – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Photo credit: Matzuda – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Other Vancouver Icons posts include: Victory Square, Digital Orca, The Crab Sculpture, Girl in Wetsuit, The Sun Tower, The Hotel Vancouver, The Gassy Jack Statue, The Marine Building, and The Angel of Victory. Should you have a suggestion for the Vancouver Icons series please feel free to leave a note in the comments. It should be a thing, statue, or place that is very visible and recognizable to the public.