Category Archives: Vancouver Area Adventures

BC Highland Games this Saturday June 26 in Coquitlam

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BC Highland Games this Saturday June 26 in Coquitlam

Here is the Scottish Express message, that has taken the
torch from Ron MacLeod, to send out news emails about events in the Scottish-Canadian diaspora in the Vancouver area.  

—————
This
Saturday, June 26, 2010 marks the gathering of everyone that loves
anything
Scottish at the BC Highland Games.   It’s a day to come and listen to
the
best piping and drumming, marvel at the dancing, stroll through the
exhibits,
have a bite to eat and immerse yourself in Scottish charm, goodwill and
fun!!  more details below

The BC Highland Games

Saturday June 26, 2010,  Percy Perry Stadium, Coquitlam

http://www.bchighlandgames.com

15 Piping
bands including the World Champion Simon Fraser University Band

220
Highland Dancing Competitors

30 Heavy
Event Competitors (these are the caber tossers)

30 Venders
(with all sorts of food and items galore with a Scottish twist)

21 Scottish
Clans and Societies

Plenty of
rides and activities for the children

And 16
Haggis

Yes, again
this year those mythical Haggis will be hiding throughout the stadium
grounds
for the wildest hunt you have ever seen. 
Spot enough and you become an Official Haggis Hunter!  They are elusive,
fast, and can usually
be found lurking around Tartan.

Highland
Games are about competition and we are happy to report some of the best
dancers, drummers, pipers and throwers are back to defend their titles. 
The caliber of sport is exhilarating!

Our
entertainment this year includes the Jocelyn Petit Band and Blackthorn. 
Both will be playing on the main
stage.  They are the best of our
local talent and showcase our deep talent pool here in BC.

The Beer
Tent, British Car Show, Whisky Tasting, Sword Dancing, Cultural Tent and
even a
second Beer Tent are back!!

Italian Day on Commercial Drive

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Everybody's Italian on Commercial Drive for Italian Days.

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I saw this fellow singing and playing electronic accordion.  I want one!

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Wonderful singing in Italian from Italian operas – I want to bring my accordion and return next year with some Asian Canadian musician friends and perform our repertoire of Italian songs and arias.  We could call ourselves Ital-Asians Romanza!

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Mike Lombardi, Vancouver School Trustee and Library Board – with some of the volunteers from the Italian Cultural Centre.  I once played O Solo Mio on my accordion for Mike.  He loved it!

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One of my favorite places on the Drive for gelato and coffees.

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There was a pasta eating contest.  This little fellow got great mouthfuls… but he didn't win.

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Outside the Portuguese Club, they paid special attention to the bbq herring.

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But the line-up was longer for the bbq roasted half-chickens – check out this video.


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Not everybody is DNA-Italian – but the Asian restaurants, Greek places, and even the Caribbean restaurants all go in the action.  Here is a DJ and sound system blasting reggae tunes.

Gung Haggis dragon boat team places 5th overall at Lotus Sports Club's “Bill Alley Memorial” dragon boat regatta

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Gung Haggis dragon boat team goes to Burnaby and places 5th in the top final at the Bill Alley Memorial Dragon Boat Regatta.

2010_May_Lotus_Races 003 by you.
Gung Haggis dragon boat team gets ready for their first race of the season, as they paddled to the start line.   photo T.Wong

It was an exciting day of dragon boat racing, as the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team opened their race season at the Lotus Sports Club's Bill Alley Memorial Dragon Boat Regatta, Saturday, May 1st, 2010, at the Barnet Marine Park in Burnaby.

Weather threatened rain in the morning, but sunny periods turned to full sunshine by mid afternoon.  Winds and tides picked up in the afternoon to make racing more challenging.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team won both of their first heats to advance to the top division final – The Bill Alley Division, above the gold, silver, bronze and jade divisions.  This was the first time the Gung Haggis team has advanced to the top division.  As well, the team competed in the Mixed Adult A Challenge race.  Gung Haggis came 5th in both race finals.

Great racing, and Great team work!
Everybody worked well together off and on the water.

Lots of challenges for today's weather, waves, and new team mates. 

2010_May_Lotus_Races 002 by you.
Gung Haggis paddlers line up for the first race of the day!
See more pictures: click here

Congratulations to our ROOKIES!
you havenow been baptized by the waves of Barnet Marine Park.
Jennifer, Gena, Adam, Evan Resnick, Evan Pownall.
Great racing – all of you!

Thank you to our steers people Dave and Steven – keeping us on track as usual.

Thank
you to our captains Jim and Steven – making the line-ups, getting us
into the top 5, and the wonderful leadership on and off the boat.

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“One finger lift to the sky” – Gung Haggis paddlers lift rookie lead stroke Jennifer up into the air, in a Gung Haggis dragon boat team tradition. – photo D.Martin

Special thank yous to our paddlers who helped with the
dragon parade, and the lion dance.  Over $300 was raised for the Lotus
Juniors “Bill Alley Memorial scholarship fund.”  I did know Bill – who
was one of the founding members of Lotus Club.  A few years ago, he was
hit by a car on Barnett Hwy.  His widow Barb helped us load the boats. 

We are grateful and appreciate our long time friendship with
Lotus Sports Club.  Steven's uncle and brother were founding members. 
Dave Samis is a club member and has brought Nancy, Debbie, Walter and
Christine to paddle outrigger canoes with Lotus.  My first dragon boat
coach in 1993, is Grace Morrisette – one of the race organizers.

Grace and Jane – event organizers sent us this message.

Todd Wong and Gung Haggis – we want you to know that it was very
special to have your dragon dance and the
torch passing at our event this
year.
 
Our junior
teams had a lot of fun
participating in the dragon dance and
they would also like you to know how much they appreciated your contribution to
their scholarship fund.
 
You are a
very wonderful group of paddling friends and we wish you much success in
your races this year,
 
Grace and Jane


2010 BC Book Prizes: Fred Wah wins Poetry Prize

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2010_April_BC_BookPrizesGala 004 by you.
Fellow nominees for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize: Larissa Lai for “Automaton Diaries” and Fred Wah for “Is A Door”.  Fred will be interviewing Larissa Lai for an upcoming issue of Ricepaper magazine.  Fred was the eventual winner of the poetry prize!  The banners of each prize hangs in the background.

It
was great to attend the 2010 BC Book Prizes. Very happy to see my
friends Fred Wah and Larissa Lai nominated for Dorothy Livesay Poetry
Prize – Fred won! and Charles Demers was nominated for Hubert Evans
Non-Fiction Prize.

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My pals!  Fred Wah with Cara Ng and Charles Demers – who was nominated for the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize.  Charlie was going around saying I was responsible for his expected niece/nephew.  In actual fact, Cara's brother met his wife on the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.  Fate took its course as they fell in love, married last year, and are expecting a baby this year.  I am still trying to recruit Charlie and Cara and Fred to the dragon boat team.  We will have the “most literary” and “most poetical” dragon boat team in Canada!

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas and Masako Fukawa &
Stanley Fukawa, and Dal Ric…hards
nominated for Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award. Great to make new
friends with many of the authors such as Ian Weir, Lori Culbert, Ehor
Boyanowsky.  

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Todd Wong, Masako Fukawa &
Stanley Fukawa – authors of  “Spirit of the Nikkei Fleet: BC’s Japanese Canadian Fishermen”, and Ann-Marie Metten.  Ann-Marie and I are the executive director and president of Historic Joy Kogawa House Society.  We invited Masako and Stanley to come do a reading at Joy's childhood home.

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Terry Glavin, last year's winner of the Lieutanant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence, accepts for Stan Persky, the 2010 winner!  Shirley Yew, president of the West Coast Book Prize Society and Lt. Gov. Steven Point present the award.

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Ian Weir, author of Daniel O'Thunder – nominated for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, chats with Charles Demers nominated for non-fiction.

And always great to spend some time with Shelagh Rogers!

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Shelagh Rogers emceed the BC Book Prizes Gala at Government House.  I emceed the BC Book Prizes Soiree back on April 7th, in Vancouver.  Shelagh is a great supporter of Historic Joy Kogawa House and the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.  I hope soon to have a Gung Haggis dinner in Nanaimo or Gabriola Dinner with Shelagh as my co-host!

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And of course there was dessert!

BC Book Prizes
www.bcbookprizes.ca

Starting the Easter weekend in Vernon: Visiting Betty McChan and Helmut's Sausage Kitchen

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Here I am, back in Vernon, or more specifically Coldstream for the 2009 Easter weekend.  My girlfriend Deb and I drove up yesterday to spend some time with her parents and their border collie dogs.

It was a long tiring trip through the light rain, light snow on the Coquihalla and Connector highways.  Thankfully, there wasn't a snow storm.  We didn't get the big windstorm that hit Vancouver, but there were moderate winds pushing the car along the highways.  Lots of Canadian content on the cd player including Michael Buble's “Live at Madison Square Garden”, Bruce Cockburn's live solo album “Slice O Life” and Gordon Lightfoot's “Gord's Gold.”  After hearing that Lightfoot had re-written his lyrics of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, I have decided to write new lyrics to his classic “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” to include a Chinese-Canadian perspective.  Maybe I will call it Chinese-Canadian Railroad Trilogy or Chinese-Canadian Railroad Tragedy… we will see how it pans out.

One of the first things I did upon arriving at “The In-Laws” was to pet all the doggies greeting our arrival.  Val literally jumps on me, trying to lick my face, while the younger dog Tess simply brings me a pine cone to throw for her.  Finally, she has somebody to throw pine cones for her again.  Definitely a “fetchit” dog! 

Next I walk down to private dock that sits on Kalamalka Lake.  It's a beautiful lake, nicknamed the “Lake of Many Colours”.  I am hoping to do some paddling this weekend in canoe or kayak.  But now, it's time to socialize, catch up on news, then have a great dinner. 

After dinner, we fall asleep watching Disney's “The Princess and the Frog” .  Darn – I had really been looking forward to the movie, with its portrayal of jazzy cajun spiced New Orleans, and its inaugural debut of African-American characters and culture.  Maybe it is too politically correctly sanitized, or stereotypically traditional, or maybe my sense of disbelief cannot be suspended.  A talking firefly that survives multiple hits, and never becomes bug splat?

Saturday, I wake up to the heavy splashing of white capped waves on Kalamalka Lake.  No kayaking today.  I joke that maybe I could take a kayak out and surf the waves to Alexander's Pub, and somebody could come pick me up.  No takers.  Chances of being cold and wet are high, and I dislike the combination terribly.

There are no dim sum restaurants in Vernon.  Too bad…. but I have a wonderful lunch date with Betty “McChan” and her husband Don.  Betty is a former Canadian National Highland Dance Champion…. and she is Chinese-Canadian.  The picture I saw of her, was an archival copy of Chinatown News from the late 1950's.  I first met Betty in 2006 when she came to Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.  This past New Year's was the first time we visisted in Vernon.  We have a wonderful chat about Gung Haggis Fat Choy, local Vernon Viper hockey, Larry Kwong the first Chinese Canadian to play in the NHL, dim sum, tai chi, and whether or not Betty will borrow, hire or purchase a Chinese Lion dance costume. 

For our first visit to Betty's place, just after New Year's, she had made a wonderful classic Cantonese style Won Ton soup.  This time it was her husband Don in the kitchen.  He made a delicious omelette with a side dish of corned beef hash brown potatoes.  Spontaneously, I asked if he had ever made a haggis hash.  He hadn't, but he liked the idea.  I told him about the a capella group The No Shit Shirleys who had performed at the 2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner, and how whenever the group performs their version of Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower) they tell the story about haggis-fried rice that they had at the dinner.  They thought it was soooo delicious.  Betty and Don had attended that dinner and they thought The Shirleys were wonderful performers, and the fried rice was good too!

On my way back to my Vernon home-base, I spot the Vernon Sausage Company, and it's delicatessen Helmut's Sausage Kitchen.  I have tasted some of Oyama Sausage at Salt Tasting Room in Vancouver, and decide to purchase some local tastes for tonight's appetizer plate.  I select a few slices of the Soppressata salami, Prosciutto Westphalia,
Bauern schinken (a cured beef), 1 slice of the huge corned beef, and 6 slices each of the Helmut's
Farmer Salami and the Kirsch-Salami.  I also pick some cheeses: Provolone,
Smoked Gruyere, and Smoked Gouda.  The meats only cost me $3.12… wow!  It's a wonderful cured meat and cheese platter.  Everybody is complimentary.  And much cheaper than going to Salt Restaurant, but without the incredible comfits and sauces that they match to their platters.  I eat so much that I don't have as much room for the wonderful turkey dinner we have. 

Hmmm…. did I use the word “wonderful” too many times.  I like my visits to Vernon.

Todd Wong appearance on CTV Canada AM for Sunday Feb 14th

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Todd will be on Canada AM
on CTV, Sunday morning

– must be there at 5am so Toronto people can see
a brief interview between 8 and 9am.. I will do the interview at Robson Square, which is part of the the BC Canada Pavillion.

Then will do an interview and
filming at Chinese New Year parade with ZDF tv from Germany.  We will meet at 8:30am, as the parade starts at 9:30am in Vancouver Chinatown.

Now….Must get
ready to attend the Women's hockey Canada vs Slovakia today at 5pm

Gung Haggis dragon boat team paddle on Sunday Feb 7th

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Gung Haggis dragon boat team paddles False Creek and takes in pre-Olympic sight-seeing.

We have a dragon boat team of keeners…. who wanted to paddle in February.  It was our first paddling practice since early November, when we had a few practices after paddling in the Ft. Langley Cranberry Festival Canoe Regatta.  Fifteen people jumped into the dragon boat for 11am practice on Sunday Feb 7th,

And… I think… I really needed to paddle to get myself warmed up for paddling in the dragon boat flotilla that will accompany the Olympic Torch Relay on Feb 12th, for when Gold medalist Olympian Hugh Fisher will pass off the Olympic Torch from a dragon boat to Olympian Kamini Jain in a voyageur canoe.

I only paddled for half the practice. if
that… I also coached some of the paddlers a bit for some 1-on-1 coaching  for only half the
time.   I steered for the remaining half, after switching with Stephen Wong, who started off steering for the team.

The team met at the parking lot for False
Creek Yacht Club for 11am, then had a quick warm-up, then headed to the
boat for 11:15am, headed over to Alder Bay to pick up Debbie, then back to
FC Yacht Club to pick up a paddler named Tony who arrived late after his morning meeting.  Next we paddled towards and past the Burrard St. Bridge to show
paddlers where the lights are for the from the
nightly spectacular light show.

I pointed out where the boat launch for the Burrard Marina is, where dragon boat paddlers for the flotilla that will accompany the Olympic Torch Relay will organize.

Next we paddled Eastward to Granville Island to identify the Ferry dock at West Side of Granville Island,
where the torch will be handed to torchbearer Olympian Hugh Fisher.  We looked over at the bright yellow building, formerly known as Bridges Restaurant, that is now being transformed into the Swiss Pavillion.  At the North end of the Granville St. Bridge is a floating hotel lodge that has been towed down from Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) that is normally lodged at Langara Island.

We took a little stretch, then switched sides.  I took a turn at steering, and let veteran paddlers Stephen Wong take his turn for paddling.  Just East of Granville Island is the Spruce Harbour Marina, where nearby, is the area where Hugh will pass the torch to Kamini
Jain in the middle of False Creek.    Hugh will be in the dragon boat, and pass the torch to Kamini in the voyageur canoe.  There are great viewing areas from both the North and South sides of False Creek, so it is perfect for cameras and television crews to set up for a unique photo opportunity.

We spotted the big black
pontoon floats that are being used for security to block off the boat
traffic in the East Bay, that are positioned along Cambie St. Bridge.  We paddled along beside it and waved to the officers in the Police Boat, guarding the perimeter, that includes the Olympic Village.

Next we paddled near the Yaletown ferry dock, where
Kamini will hand the torch to a runner, after she climbs out of the voyageur canoe.   The torch will then proceed up the streets towards Georgia Street, where it will arrive at the First Nations Aboriginal Pavillion where there will be a blessing ceremony.  This will be one of the final stops of the Olympic Torch before it travels to the Opening Ceremonies about 2 blocks down the street to BC Place Stadium, later in the evening.

It was a good paddle, and our paddlers were happy and pleased that I would be a part of the dragon boat flotilla accompanying the Olympic Torch Relay.  But most of all, the paddlers were all happy to be paddling again, and in friendly company.  Many times I heard somebody say, “I'm just here for the social aspects” as we paddled back to FC Yacht
Club…. by about 12:30pm.

The next plan was to have lunch.  I promised that I would treat everybody to dim sum lunch, if they came paddling.

We were at Floata Restaurant for dim sum,
at 1pm, at least my car was.  Other people got re-routed by traffic
diversions.  By the time they arrived, there were lots of dim sum selections on the table.  Haw-gow shrimp dumplings, Siu-mai pork dumplings, Lo-bak-goh pan-fried turnip cake.  We also tried a special appetizer plate that included jelly fish,  crispy pork skin and bbq pork.  There was also shanghai style dumpling with shrimp meat and green vegetable, steamed pork bun, sliced-almond covered shrimp balls, fish cakes, and more!  I also ordered house special chow mein with crispy noodles, and Geurng-chow-ngor-hah flat rice noodles with sliced beef.

This was Katie's first time having dim sum in Vancouver.  She's originally from Ontario, and only been in Vancouver almost a year…. and somehow never found her way to dim sum yet.

Georgia pronounced that the meal was “heaven”

GREAT LUNCH!!!  and we finished off with Chinese egg tarts for dessert.

Olympic Torch to be carried by dragon boat in its final journey to Opening Ceremonies

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Dragon boat to carry the Olympic Torch!

The last day of the Olympic Torch Relay Feb 12th will feature Dragon Boats and Canoes as Olympic gold medalist Hugh Fisher, from a dragonboat, will hand off the torch to Kamini Jain, in a voyageur canoe, in the middle of False Creek.   This event will take place on February 12th in Vancouver BC.  Details and exact times will be released soon.


Fisher won Olympic Gold and Bronze with Kayak partner Alwyn Morris at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.  Kamini Jain competed in K-1 single kayak events in 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games.  Fisher is one of the founders of the False Creek Racing Canoe Club which has helped to shape dragon boat racing in Canada and also influence it's development in North America. 

Kamini is the current head coach of the FCRCC, and took the Mixed team to gold and silver in Sydney Australia for the 2007 IDBF World Championships.  FCRCC-cored Premier Mixed: 2nd at 500m (by 0.51 secs!), 4th at 200, 1st at 2K

It's going to be exciting as 6 dragon boats (20 paddlers) and 6 outrigger canoes (6 paddlers) make up the escort flotilla, that will accompany the torch bearing boats.  It will bring back memories of the torch first arriving in Canada after landing at the airfield, and then arriving to BC's Provincial Legislature Building in Victoria, carried by First Nations cedar canoes.

And I will be one of the paddlers in the flotilla!  Yippee! 

2009_June 060 by you.

Here's the Gung Haggis Fat Choy
dragon boat team at the 2009 Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival.  One
of these BuK boats will probably be used to transport the Olympic Torch
in the final legs of the relay to the Opening Ceremonies at BC Place
Stadium.

The six dragon boats and outrigger canoes will be paddled by False Creek Racing Canoe Club, and some other clubs.  I think I will be on a boat where paddlers from different teams have been invited to participate.  I am very excited at being invited. 

Back in the summer, I did a video audition to be a torch bearer for the City of Vancouver, as two library workers would be included amongst the selected workers from police, firemen, city workers and parks workers.  Sadly, I wasn't chosen – but I know our library workers are deserving and wonderful people, especially my friend Judy Caldwell, who is a librarian, and dragon boater.  Judy is one of the founders of the Abreast in a Boat dragon boat team of breast cancer survivors, and we were both awarded the 2008 BC Community Achievement Award.

I've been involved with dragon boats in Vancouver for many years.  I attended the first dragon boat races on False Creek in 1986 during Expo 86.  I joined my first team in 1993.  Soon I was coaching other teams, and competed in Victoria races in 1997 and San Francisco in 1999.  I was invited to join the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival Race Committee in 2000.  In 2003 I helped to found the Vancouver International Taiwanese Dragon Boat Race, as board member of the CCC Dragon Boat Association.  The Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team has been active since 2002, and dedicated to promoting multiculturalism through dragon boat paddling.  We have put Taiwanese dragon boats into the St. Patrick's Day parade in 2004 and 2005.  The team has been filmed for tv documentaries for French, German and Canadian television, and also for an upcoming documentary movie.



This is one of my favorite pictures of the Gung Haggis team, at the 2007 Vancouver International Taiwanese Dragon Boat race!  Imagine holdin the Olympic Torch from the head of the dragon – but these Taiwanese boats won't be used for the Olympic Torch Relay.

Here is information about viewing the Olympic Torch on False Creek from the False Creek Racing Canoe Club Website:

After covering 45,000 Km across Canada, the Olympic flame will be crossing the waters of False Creek on its final
journey to BC Place for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter
Olympics …

… the next-to-last leg of the Torch Relay, on February 12th, will be from Granville Island to Yaletown!

That a final-day leg is on the water – really, it's a bit odd when you think in terms of Winter in Canada
– is a recognition of the importance which paddle sports have in many
parts of Canada, especially in & around Vancouver and the Lower
Mainland … even in Winter!

That the
leg is on False Creek is recognition of how many people see the Creek
as the central hub of their training & racing & simple
recreational-paddling activites – not just FCRRC, but all the other
clubs & groups & individuals using it too.

And too, of
how much the Creek has changed since it was primarily a very
unfriendly-to-recreation beehive of industrial activities, before Expo 86 –
when the first Dragon Boat events took place there.

Key details (there might be more to come a bit later in the week – stay tuned):

  • on February 12th, departing from the FC Ferry dock at
    the West end of Granville Island, the Torch will be carried in a Dragon
    Boat and a Voyageur Canoe to the Yaletown dock at the Quayside Marina.  Full details & map here, and in the Vancouver2010 Interactive map (go to Day 106 & select Vancouver)
  • Kamini Jain, FCRCC's Head Coach, and Hugh Fisher, one of FCRCC's founders, both of whom have competed in paddling events at the Summer Olympics for Canada, have been honoured by being chosen as Torch Bearers for the False Creek leg

So let's all get out to watch the Torch's voyage, and cheer Kamini & Hugh.

  • Suggested viewing points are Granville Island, the Granville Street
    Bridge, the Seawall either side of David Lam Park and the Cambie Street
    Bridge
  • Eager to absorb all the Olympic spirit of the final day?  Come down
    to Granville Island earlier, and follow the torch as it makes its way
    through the streets before crossing the water (see the map for full
    details of the two days – 105 & 106 – that the Torch is in
    the city)

Two cautions:

  • Boat traffic (including canoes, kayaks, etc.) will be extremely restricted
    during this time!

… taking out your own boat (or one of the Club's OCs or Marathons or K/C-1s) to view the Torch Relay will
likely result in being turned away and missing the view you can get
from on-land viewpoints

  • Make sure you allow yourself lots of time to get there, and don't plan on parking on or anywhere near GI either (see News item for more on those topics)

For more information on the Torch Relay and other Olympic events visit vancouver2010.com

http://www.fcrcc.com/events/olympic-torch-relay

http://www.canadianoutrigger.com/messsubj.cfm?pid=2721

http://www.vancouver2010.com/more-2010-information/olympic-torch-relay/olympic-torch-relay-interactive-map/

http://www.vancouver2010.com/more-2010-information/olympic-torch-relay/stories-from-the-road/day-106—alternative-modes-of-transportation-in-vancouver_236610kB.html

Winter Solstice in Vancouver – Devon is fire-tossing at the Roundhouse

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Winter Solstice at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens + Roundhouse + elsewhere

I usually help organize a team social for attending the Winter Solstice events at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens – but this year I must attend AGM and Christmas Party at Joy Kogawa House.
Check out my past stories about attending Winter Solstice events here:
http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog?cmd=search&keywords=winter+solstice

Check out the official Winter Solstice events here:
http://www.secretlantern.org/
Event organizer Naomi Singer is an incredible arts advocate and organizer.  She was one of my fellow award recipients for the BC Community Achievement Award in 2008.

My friend Devon Cooke is performing “Fire tossing” at the Round House Community Centre.  Devon loves being involved in many cultural activities and also paddles on the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.

Lantern
processions start from Emery Barnes Park and Vancouver Aquatic Centre,
and should arrive at the Round House's Train tracks turnable area
beside Davie St. around 6:30ish…

There will be a lantern procession from Strathcona Community Centre to
Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens at 6pm.  Admission to the Gardens is by
Donation.  There will be lots of lanterns everywhere and FREE music.
Also check out the Round House Community Centre.
There is free music, events and the candlelight labrynth.

http://www.secretlantern.org/

Todd Wong writes “Chinatown” section in new “Vancouver, Victoria & Whistler Colourguide”

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New Colourguide for Vancouver, Victoria & Whistler now available
Todd Wong writes section on Chinatown.

2009_November 007 by you.

In the mail I received a package today….
a book!
a travel guide book…
Colourguide for Vancouver, Victoria & Whistler

I wrote the section on Vancouver Chinatown.  The book is edited by Gail Buente, my coworker friend at the Vancouver Library.  Back in May I sent her my final draft which she edited.  The book has just been released now in November in time for the anticipated visitors for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.  Maybe some of them will find their way into Vancouver Chinatown.

2009_November 008 by you.

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