The Museum of Vancouver presents MOV-ie in the Park August 23rd at Vanier Park.
Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)
An aging master chef with three single daughters, elaborate Sunday dinners and sisters with complicated love lives, family dysfunction and food.
The event is free to the public so bring a blanket, ride your bike (free bike valet on-site) and enjoy the show. The movie will start at at 9:00pm.
Follow @MuseumofVan on Twitter for news and updates.
Other free outdoor movies in Metro Vancouver that are still happening this summer include: Holland Park in Surrey, Yaletown, Coquitlam Centre, and Burnaby.
August, 2016:There will be a family event (plus camping) at Aldergrove Regional Park on August 13th
August 11, 2015: The Perseid Meteor Shower will peak on Tuesday, August 11, 2015. Even though the peak occurs overnight Aug. 11 to Aug. 13, the meteors will be showering until Aug. 24. This is the time frame that Earth is passing through the debris trail left by comet Swift-Tuttle. As our planet moves through its dust shower, comet particles will collide with our atmosphere, burn up and create flashes of light that will be visible right across the skies of Northern Hemisphere. [CBC]
August 11, 2014: The Perseid Meteor Shower will peak on Tuesday, August 12, 2014. It will compete with the Supermoon, which will shine 14% brighter this week.
August 10, 2012: The Perseid Meteor Shower will be visible this weekend. Look for it in the early morning hours after midnight on August 12 until dawn, and during the same period on August 13 per the Space Centre.
Where to Watch the Meteor Shower in Metro Vancouver
The skies will be lit up tonight and tomorrow night with the Perseid meteor shower. Most visible at night and away from the flood of city lights, about 100 meteors per hour can be seen streaking across the sky during the shower’s peak. NASA astronomers say that will be just after 10:00pm Thursday, per CBC BC. Other sources say the most active time will be from 2:00am until 4:00am Friday.
With effects, the Perseid Meteor Shower, August 2009. Photo:
Adcuz on Flickr
The Province reports that one of the best viewing areas will be in the Fraser Valley as hundreds of people gather each year at Aldergrove Lake Park. An H.R. MacMillan Space Centre representative also told The Province that Dark Sky Park in Abbotsford would be a great place to catch the meteor shower as well.
I looked up “Dark Sky Park” to discover that it’s a nickname given to McDonald Park as it has officially been declared free of light pollution.
I’d have to agreed that out in the valley you will have a darker sky that will make the meteors easier to spot. However I would also recommend heading to the Sunshine Coast (although the last ferry back is at 9:40pm) or even heading up the Sea to Sky a bit to perhaps Porteau Cove (about 45 minutes from downtown). A friend of mine will be heading out to Cultus Lake where she says the stars are the brightest around.
A little closer to home you can try Cypress Mountain to get you above the city lights or Iona Beach although lights from air traffic at YVR might be distracting. You may also be able to spot some stars from Barnet Marine Park or Belcarra as they are tucked beside the Burrard Inlet, facing a “quieter” side of the North Shore.
If you do happen to spot the meteor shower and are able to take photos, consider adding them to the Miss604 group on Flickr. I’ll update this post on Friday with shots that are contributed.
Update Here’s a shot that’s been added to the Flickr group from last night’s meteor shower:
Keep the photos coming if you have them and I’ll include them in this post, thanks!
This year I finally got John out on the water to try kayaking and since he did so well, I decided to sign us up for the annual Kayak for a Cure happening August 29th.
Kayak for a Cure is a North America-wide campaign that gets folks out on the water in support of the American or Canadian Cancer Societies. The Vancouver event will of course support the Canadian Cancer Society as participants fund-raise for their own campaigns.
The route will take participants from Jericho Beach to Stanley Park where there will be a beach BBQ following the paddle. Space is limited but I believe there is still room to signup for the Vancouver event.
Aboriginal Tourism BC presents Klahowya Village in Stanley Park until September 12, 2010.
Occupying the space around the miniature railway and children’s farmyard, Klahowya Village involves artisans (wood carving, weaving, bark biting), interpretive tours, activities, food, crafts, entertainment, and the Spirit Catcher Train.
One of the artisans on site is Todd DeVries who does cedar bark weaving. His pieces are for sale and you’ll see him working on elaborate hats and baskets at behind his display. Along another path you can spot birch bark biting by Pat Bruderer. This is an ancient and now rare technique of creating art and telling stories by biting designs into thing strips of birch bark.
If you head to the village before August 24th (when the piece is being installed in the lagoon) you can catch Master Carver Richard Krentz working on a raven carving. Decorated with giant mussel shells, and abalone shells yet to be added, this piece represents transformation. Later this month it will be installed permanently in the lagoon near the children’s farmyard for all to enjoy.
For kids there’s a storytelling circle, crafts, and of course the miniature railway that has been transformed into the Spirit Catch Train. Train rides (that last just under 15 minutes and have a narration) are $7.50 for adults and $5 for kids and seniors.
Kids can also grab a “passport” at the entrance to the village so that they can visit locations throughout and collect stamps.
Cultural tours run on the hour from 11:00am until 5:00pm and there are dance performances every day at 12:00pm, 2:00pm and 4:00pm. Mike led my tour this morning and he was so friendly and helpful. He shared stories and explained the significance of common natural elements in the park — from ferns to giant cedars.
All of the wood used in the village is from the storm of 2006 that wiped out tens of thousands of trees in Stanley Park. The fallen trees and debris has been re-purposed as material for carvings, artwork, and display/way-finding signage.
Admission to the village is entirely free but you’ll want to bring some cash to purchase treats from the Feast House including bannock (savory or sweet), buffalo chili, and aboriginal tacos (bannock with buffalo chili). I had some bannock this morning and it was delightfully tasty. The aroma wafted from the Feast House, across the village, and mixed with that of fresh cedar carvings.
It’s such a great way to spend an afternoon in Stanley Park — learning about local and natural history from a culture that is over 800 generations strong. Klahowya Village is open daily from 10:00am until 6:00pm until September.
Contest
If you would like to win tickets to ride the Spirit Catcher Train please leave a comment on this post. I’ll draw one winner Wednesday August 18th, and another Wednesday August 25th. Each will receive a family pack (which is 4 tickets).
Update The winner August 18th is Janet. I’ll draw another from all entries next week.
Update The second winner is cindy quach.
Update The completed raven statue is being unveiled Friday August 27th at 12:30pm.
Update May, 2011: The village and Spirit Catcher Train have returned for 2011.
May 16 to September 11, 2011
Open daily from 10am to 6pm
Village Admission:
Adults $5
Senior/Child $3 per person
Free for Children under 2 years of age
Combo Price (Village & Train):
Adults $14 ($1 discount)
Senior/Child $10 ($1 discount)
Free for children under 2 years of age
Family Pack for 4 or more:
20% overall discount on the above options
The Chinatown Festival this weekend will be celebrating the 125th anniversary of Vancouver’s Chinatown. Given that the City of Vancouver is only 124, it’s important to get to know this historic community.
500 block of Carrall near Pender. 1900s. Archives item# CVA 677-580
Background and history:
“Vancouver’s Chinatown is a community with a long history. The first Chinese immigrants to British Columbia arrived in 1858 from California where they had worked for more than a decade. From California, they followed the stream of fortune seekers that came to BC searching for gold. When the gold rush ended many of those that had traveled up the coast found work stringing telegraph wires or working in canneries. The building of the Canadian Pacific Railway sparked the next large influx of immigrants as 17,000 Chinese came to Canada between 1881 and 1885.” – City of Vancouver
“Between 1890-1920, early Chinese immigrants settled in what was known as Shanghai Alley and Canton Alley. By 1890, Shanghai Alley was home to more than 1,000 Chinese residents. Much of the community’s activities and entertainment evolved around a 500 seat Chinese theatre built in 1898. Canton Alley was created in 1904 as a Chinese style courtyard surrounded by two parallel rows of buildings running South from Pender Street. The Alleys were the convergence of vibrant nightlife, opera music, shopping, political and cultural activities.” – Vancouver’s Chinatown
VJ Day parade down Pender in Chinatown. August 14, 1945. Archives item# CVA 586-3965
Tidbits from VancouverHistory.ca:
In 1889, the oldest building in Chinatown (the Wing Sang Company building at 51-67 East Pender) was built
In 1960, Donna Yee was named Miss Chinatown in the first beauty contest ever held in a Canadian Chinese community
In 1971, Gastown and Chinatown neighborhoods were designated historic sites
In 1980, the first phase of the Chinese Cultural Centre in Vancouver’s Chinatown opened
1986, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden opened
Located at 8 West Pender, the Sam Kee Building is the narrowest commercial building in the world
Vancouver’s Chinatown is ranked within the “cleanest” Chinatowns in the world
It has also been ranked one of the world’s 8 “most colourful” Chinatowns
If you’re able to make it down to Chinatown this weekend for the festival, for the summer night market, or any other time during the year it’s definitely worth exploring.
