For the most part I stayed away from the corner of 64th Avenue and 176th Street on Canada Day. I heard the speakers and singers but it was too muffled for me to hear what was being said or sung clearly.
We wandered over to the Millenium Park around 8:30pm. When we got to the corner of 176th Street and 60th Avenue there were several traffic control people assisting pedestrians on the crosswalks. Traffic was still going through in all directions.
When we walked past the bus stop near the senior's centre there was a notice on it that there would be no bus service on July 1 between 10pm and 11pm but I don't recall where it said it was being rerouted.
There were also traffic control flag people on the intersection at 62nd Avenue.
We got in and found a spot in the park - standing - shortly before Trooper came onstage.
Now I like Trooper. I bought their Hot Shots album back in 1979 or 1980 whenever it came out. I've heard them before at the Maple Ridge fairgrounds about 5 years ago. I remember when I was younger and they had paper signs posted on telephone poles around Cloverdale advertising they'd be playing a concert at Lord Tweedsmuir or in one of the community halls in the fairgrounds. These are local guys from White Rock and Langley.
On Canada Day they were off. It took the sound team about halfway through the first song to figure out the lead singer's microphone wasn't working. Then they got it sorted out. It might have been better to leave it as it was. That singer just was not good. Out of tune. Or maybe his vocal cords have changed as he got older and he's not the singer he used to be. Maybe the sound system wasn't so good in a park that size. I don't know. I was disappointed after really enjoying them before.
Of course they wait until near the end of their set to play their big songs. We had already moved well back in the park by 10pm so we could get a quick exit. They finally played The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car. Off, off, off. Very sad. Just when you think it can't get any worse they bring Mayor Diane Watts onstage to sing Raise A Little Hell with them. No thanks. Very bad. We left.
Now it gets interesting when we make our way back to 176th Street. Traffic has been stopped between 60th and 64th Avenues. There are police vehicles at both these intersections blocking any traffic from entering this area. Conceivably people can drive out again because a lot of people have parked their cars in parking spaces accessed from 62nd Avenue. The flag people at that intersection were not doing a good job. They would not let any pedestrians cross at the intersection, on the north side that is. All everyone did was go to the south side and push the button. Not that they really had to push the button seeing as how no traffic was coming down 176th.
We walked on and got to the bus stop. 2 men were sitting on the bench. We asked if they were waiting for a bus. They were. We pointed out that someone had ripped the reroute sign off the bus post and said there was no service until after 11pm. They thanked us and asked if we knew where they could catch the bus. I said to try the bus stop about a block south or they might have to go to 58th Avenue.
Interesting at 60th Avenue. Not only was traffic not allowed northbound on 176th Street but no traffic was allowed east on 60th Avenue from 176th Street to at least the lights on 177B Street. Maybe all the way to Greenaway Park to get past the fairgrounds. I'm not sure. All I could see was that 60th Avenue was closed for aways. Again presumably to keep traffic out of the area while cars and pedestrians were leaving the Canada Day celebrations.
The flag people were making all traffic on 176th Street turn west down 60th.
Around this time a police car with its lights and siren on goes flying past us from the Millenium Park and heading toward Highway 10. A few minutes later on our walk we see the police car has stopped at the lights at the interesection of the former Cloverdale Mall. Its a little confusing. It is now the Cloverdale Bypass and if you head west the avenue is 58A and if you head east the avenue is 58th. Bottom line now the cop has stopped all traffic from continuing north on the Bypass/176th Street and the cars have to turn either right into downtown Cloverdale or left into subdivision hell.
That was where we were walking. Interesting how many cars took the subdivision hell option. They screamed down 175th Street to the Catholic Church and then like a bunch of rats jumping off a sinking ship they all followed each other to the right which dead ends into an alley that goes out at 60th Avenue. The problem is you can not turn left onto 6oth because there is a cement median blocking the turn. The only option from the alley is to turn right on 60th and find yourself a few feet away from the lights at 60th and 176th Street. Remember? The intersection that is blocked off for traffic going north on 176th and blocked off east on 60th. All these subdivision hell bound cars could do was turn right back down 176th and the Cloverdale Bypass. Right back where they started from. Didn't gain a whole lot doing that did they?
Now the fireworks start. We sort of walked backwards on the way home and enjoyed them. The fireworks stopped just before we got home.
And there you have it. My assessment of the last couple hours of Surrey's Canada Day Celebrations. The most interesting part of the night was caused by the street closures around the fairgrounds.
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