Cloverdale Starbucks Brick Yard Station Official Opening Thursday May 31 2012

I stopped by Starbucks at the new Brick Yard Station tonight after being informed it was families and friends between 4pm and 7pm. For a donation to a local school - and here I apologize because I forgot which one - drinks and food were on the house.

Rob, one of the co-owners of Newmac's was on hand to provide music.

We found out that Janet, a former co-worker of Kerry's, is the manager of this location and we chatted with her for a few minutes.

So after a couple of days of soft openings Starbucks will open at 5am on Thursday May 31 and will be open during regular operating hours from now forward.

Starbucks in Brick Yard Station Open

On Tuesday morning we drove by Cloverdale's Brickyard Station and the Starbucks on the corner of the Cloverdale Bypass and 57th Avenue had the papers off the windows and people were inside.

I saw people inside earlier this evening and walked my dogs over around 9pm for a look.

The sign on the Starbucks window says their hours are 5am to 10pm Monday to Friday but they were already closed.

My first thought was I hope this isn't being run by the people who ran Rico Burrito and rarely open for business!

I'm sure it might have just been a test day today or soft opening and that's why they closed early. Or at least I hope that's why!

Saturday hours are 6am to 10pm. Sunday Starbucks closes at 9pm but I forgot what time it said it opens. Doesn't matter. By the time I roll out of bed they'll probably already be open!

Musa Publishing Memorial Day Blog Hop and Contest

Welcome to the Musa Publishing Memorial Day Blog Hop!

Although this is not a holiday we celebrate in Canada, it is recognized in the United States this year on Monday, May 28, 2012. I would like to thank all the military forces in Canada, the USA, and all other countries for their participation in peace keeping duties in other parts of the world where civil unrest exists.

I never met my mother's father. My grandfather passed away before I was born. He was a doctor and he served in the British Army in World War One. He rode a horse onto the battlefield to assist wounded soldiers and he lost a leg in the war. He didn't pass on his riding skills to my mother who was always scared of horses and didn't want to get too close to them.

However I have loved horses ever since I was a little girl and have owned horses for most of my life - the advantage of growing up in Cloverdale when it was still a rural community and our neighbor across the road on 182 Street owned 10 acres where I kept my first horse Duchess.

I watched the racetrack get started in Cloverdale for Standardbred racehorses. The track was first called the Cloverdale Raceway and is now known as Fraser Downs Racetrack and Casino. I was very interested in Standardbreds as a riding horse, not as a racehorse, and in 1982 I purchased my first Standardbred - a wonderful gelding named Mark. He was the best horse I ever owned. Quiet, loving, well behaved, and always willing to hit the trails.

Here's a picture I took of Mark just after I bought him. He was lying down in the field so I brought his grain out to him so he could have breakfast in bed.

In fact I liked this picture so much I commissioned a charcoal drawing of it.

And here is Mark a few years later getting ready to go for a ride.

A few years after Mark passed away another Standardbred came into my life rather by accident. I was at an auction house in Langley and couldn't bear to let this poor Standardbred end up in the hands of a meat buyer so I shelled out $50 and took Lucky home with me. That was nearly 10 years ago and my big boy is still doing great. Another wonderful trail horse Lucky is the first horse I've ever owned who actually looks out for his rider and makes sure to give trees a wide berth so his rider never bangs a leg on to them.

Here's Lucky a few months after I bought him.

And here I am with Lucky at a Standardbred horse show in 2008.

I always liked reading books with horses in them. Romances, mysteries, comedies, ranchers, cowboys, horse racing books - I read as many as I could get hold of. I never was able to find a romance that had Standardbred horses so I decided I should write one.

My romantic mystery novel Ringer was recently published with Musa Publishing as an electronic book. My ebook is available in formats for all ereaders, including iPads, or as a PDF document to read on a computer.

A horse who is a dead ringer for a missing racehorse. A missing cousin whose body was never found. An attempted murder. Is anything what it seems? Holly Thompson is drawn into the middle of ths puzzle when she rescues sexy horse trainer Matt Winter and flees with him and the look-a-like horse.

Holly and Matt follow the clues from British Columbia to Matt's home in Oregon to a horserace in California, trying to find who is behind the horse-swapping scheme. Matt didn't count on losing his heart to a feisty woman who can saddle her own horse and hotwire a truck. And Holly has done the unthinkable: fallen in love with a horseman, something she vowed she'd never do. Is Matt a wealthy racehorse owner or just another backstretch con artist, cheating on horses and women? And will he ride to her rescue when they unravel the mystery of the ringer?

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Ringer, please click here to go to D. Renee Bagby's blog for a sneak peek. There is a warning that you will be entering an adult content site because it contains first chapters and cover photos of romance novels that range from sweet to wild and hot. The first chapter of Ringer does not contain any adult content.

I am holding a contest over the Memorial Day long weekend for a lucky reader to win a copy of my ebook Ringer. You can enter my contest two ways:

1. Leave a comment on my Memorial Day Blog Hop. If you are the winner I'll need a way to contact you so if your Blogger profile doesn't include a link to your email or if you are posting anonymously, please leave your name and contact email in the comments section.

2. You can friend me on Facebook. On the right hand side of this page, scroll up a little until you see a photo of Lucky near the bottom of my archived articles. There is my Facebook badge. Click on that or click here. I will have to accept your friend request and then you can leave a message on my wall asking to be entered into the ebook contest.

Deadline for contest entries is midnight Monday May 28, 2012. I will be drawing a winner on Tuesday May 29, 2012. Good luck!

If you'd like to purchase a copy of Ringer, it is available through Musa Publishing and other online booksellers including iTunes and Amazon.

Ringer is also available to check out at your local library in the United States and Canada. If your library doesn't have a copy yet, ask your librarian to order one through their Overdrive system so they can add Ringer to their ebook collection.

Other Musa Publishing authors are holding contests this weekend for free copies of their ebooks. Continue on the blog hop by clicking the link below and choosing another blog to visit.

Thank you for stopping by!

http://musapublishingbloghops.blogspot.ca/2012/05/welcome-to-musa-memorial-day-hop.html

Playing at the Clova from May 25 to May 31 2012

Playing at the Clova this week starting Friday May 25th until the 31st is:

7pm - The Avengers

Show lets out at 9:23pm. I guess because its such a long movie the Clova is not running a second show this coming week. Admission is $8 or $15 if there are 2 in your group. Add $4 for each extra person.

Photos of Cloverdale Rodeo Parade 2012

Playing at the Clova from May 18 2012 to May 24 2012

Playing this week at the Clova:

7pm - The Five-Year Engagement

9:20pm - The Cabin In The Woods

Last show lets out around 10:30pm. Admission is $8 or $15 for 2 people. Add $4 for each extra person in your group.

Note this long weekend the Clova will not be showing matinees.

Cloverdale Fairgrounds Setting Up for May Long Weekend

I was at Clover Crossing Mall a couple of days ago and a couple of young men were walking in my direction. One of them asked me where the 7-11 was. I told them it was 4 blocks away on the corner of 60th Avenue. One fellow asked if that was on the other side of the fairgrounds and I said yes. Then he said he knew they'd walked the wrong way. He said they were with the carnival and setting up. It was really hot on Monday, my car said 27C. They looked like they needed slurpees so I suggested if that was what they were looking for they should try the Chevron gas station on the corner because I thought they might have a machine. They thanked me for the tip and said all they knew was 7-11.

Its kind of a tough life for people who work for West Coast Amusements constantly on the move, setting up midway rides and gaming booths, taking them down, and then moving to the next town.

West Coast Amusements used to be set up and ready to go for the Cloverdale Rodeo by Friday night. That was pretty much teenagers flocking there and going on the rides. Back in those days there used to be free admission to get onto the fairgrounds. However the fall fair in September did charge for fairgrounds admission. Now that's they've cancelled the fall fair and combined the two events for the May long weekend, they charge admission to the fairgrounds.

I really enjoyed going on the rides when I was younger. I still do! I liked the tilt a whirl and the octopus. I like rides that spin! Unfortunately Kerry can not take spinning rides so I don't usually go on them any more. He likes the ferris wheel and I went on that with him but he decided it would be fun to rock the coach we were in and really got it swinging. I've seen too many news stories about people falling out of ferris wheels and I wasn't too happy about that so I skip the ferris wheel now too.

Admission to the Cloverdale fairgrounds is $12 but tickets can be purchased at London Drugs for $10.

Cloverdale has Fast Traffic Lights

With the Cloverdale Rodeo Weekend just a few days away this means increased pedestrian traffic especially following the parade on Saturday morning as people make their way back to their cars.

The busiest pedestrian crossing during the Cloverdale rodeo and fair is the corner of 60th Avenue and 176th Street and also 60th Avenue and 177B Street. It is also important to note that this area will be heavily frequented by jaywalkers, almost a physical impossibility to the huge amount of vehicle traffic on 60th, there just aren't any breaks.

There are also a lot of people who will press the pedestrian signal at 176th Street and 62nd Avenue.

Following the parade on Saturday morning the pedestrian traffic is also huge on 58th Avenue and the Cloverdale Bypass, not so much the rest of the weekend.

Nobody walks in Cloverdale so the traffic lights are pretty quick. I'm a fairly fast walker especially with a couple of dogs in a big hurry to get home. When I cross the lights on the Cloverdale Bypass at 57th, 58th, or 176th and 60th Avenue I never get to the midway point before the hand starts flashing. It seems once I cross the street and get 5 metres or so from the curb the light has changed and traffic is moving again. There are 2 lanes of traffic in each direction plus left hand turn lanes and right hand turn lanes, meaning there is about 8 lanes of road to cross.

During the Cloverdale Rodeo weekend it never ceases to amaze me how people seem to think they have a sense of entitlement when it comes to crossing the street and that the whole world should wait for them while they casually saunter across, possibly making it halfway before the light changes on them. Some of the biggest culprits are teenagers. The ones who are too lazy to lift their feet off the ground and are shuffling along feet never leaving the road. Also parents with children. You people need to move it a little faster. If the hand is flashing red when you reach the curb don't even think of crossing the street unless you're planning to do it at a run.

A lot of drivers aren't looking out for pedestrians, especially the ones making right hand turns. I've had a few near misses by drivers who choose not to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk who have the light to walk. Year round.

A couple of years ago we were coming back from the fairgrounds and crossing 176th street at 60th Avenue. There were several of us standing there waiting for the light. It changed, we got the light to walk and the signals at this intersection chirp when pedestrians have activated the walk sign. As we all step off the curb I see a car in the right hand turn lane preparing to go north down 176th Street and he ain't stopping even though pedestrians are in the crosswalk. I screamed "stop" so everyone would stop walking and not get mowed down by the car. The driver kept going but pulled over to the curb a little ahead at the bus stop. Hopefully one of his passengers in the car chewed him out and he was rattled enough to stop. There are a lot of bad drivers already in Cloverdale and the rodeo brings out bad drivers from other parts of the Lower Mainland.

So word of wise to pedestrians in Cloverdale this May long weekend. Push the button to get the walk signal. When the light changes move it across the street at a good pace and you'll be OK. Before you step off the curb, look over your left shoulder and make sure no car is planning to barge into the crosswalk.

Have a safe weekend!

Cloverdale Pancake Breakfasts on Rodeo Weekend May 2012

There are a few groups around Cloverdale serving up pancake breakfasts either on the day of the Cloverdale Rodeo Parade or on all days the rodeo/fair is on. Here is a rundown:

Cloverdale Legion 17567 - 57th Avenue - on Friday May 18 (8am to 11:30am), Saturday May 19 7:30am to noon), Sunday May 20 (8am to 11:30am), and Monday (8am to 11:30am) - serving pancakes, sausages, eggs, coffee, tea, and orange juice/drink for $4.50. Good place to park and leave your car and walk to the parade route on Saturday if you get here early enough.

Cloverdale Lions Club - Hawthorne Square (east side of 176th Street halfway between 57th and 58th Avenues) from 8am to 10am same place they set up every year. I can not find a price or what else they might be serving besides pancakes.

Cloverdale United Church, 17585 - 58A Avenue - offering pancakes, sausages on Saturday April 19 from 8am to 10am. Looking for $5 donations for breakfast.

Cloverdale Reformed Church, 17473 - 60th Avenue - the morning before the parade on Saturday May 19. I had confirmation they are once again offering a free rodeo breakfast - pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee, tea, juices. I don't have the hours but if its the same as past years the breakfast is served between 8am and 9:30am. If you want to park your car here for the day there is a fee, but at this time I don't know what it is. I know the fairgrounds charges $10 to park so I can't imagine the church is charging any more than that. This is a really good breakfast. We try to come here every year. There is no charge to park and eat breakfast and leave again in your car.

Cloverdale Rodeo Parade Saturday May 19 2012

The Cloverdale Rodeo Parade will be on Saturday May 19, 2012.

The route looks pretty much the same as it has been in the past. The parade entries will be setting up on the Avenues between 176A and 177B Streets. So that will be everything between 56A Avenue and 58A Avenue. The parade begins on 177B Street and will go south to Highway 10 where half the lanes have been blocked to traffic and the westbound lanes are where the parade goes up to 176th Street when the parade turns north and continues through downtown Cloverdale. At 58A Avenue the parade turns east to 176A Street and then turns north heading back towards 60th Avenue and the fairgrounds. Now that is usually where the parade peters out as soon as they hit 176A Street a lot of them pack it in and disperse. Well who can blame them. They'll be walking past where they parked their cars in their set up area!

Most popular place to watch the parade is on 176th Street between Highway 10 and 58A Avenue. Come early to get a good spot. After 9am take what you can get! Not only should you arrive early to get a good spot to watch the parade but its next to impossible to find a parking spot around Cloverdale if you arrive after 8:30am. Most of the streets have been shut down and most of the public parking spots are taken. Check out my post here for where to look for parking spots around Cloverdale for the parade and rodeo. The best place to try for a spot to watch the parade is on the east side of 176th Street if its going to be a hot day because the buildings will block out the sun behind you. If you stand on the west side (where Mason's Furniture, Twins Pizza, Hawthorne Square, etc) you will be squinting into the sun. Hawthorne Square area is quite popular to find a spot to watch the parade if you get there early enough because a band will be playing music in that area.

It almost always rains during the long weekend in May and if its raining on Saturday morning it should be easier to find a good spot to watch the parade!

Cloverdale Chili Cook Off

Cloverdale will be hosting a pre-rodeo event - the chili cook off - on Friday May 18 2012 in the Clover Square Village on the corner of Highway 10 and 177B Street.

Several groups will be cooking up batches of chili and offering samples. Testing is free but they ask you to vote for the group you thought cooked the best chili. You can also fill out an entry form and win prizes donated by Cloverdale merchants. If you enter the draw you have to be there when they draw to win a prize or you are out of luck so plan on sticking around to about 7pm to see if you're a lucky winner.

Between 4:30pm and 6:30pm there will also be live music. Parking may be a bit tricky because much of the parking lot is taken over by the groups setting up for the chili cook off. Try entering on the west side of the mall where the old Rogers Video used to be next to the Clydesdale Inn. There is parking behing the mall, behind where IGA is.

If you think you have a recipe that has what it takes to win, here is the entry form http://www.cloverdale.bc.ca/chamber/2012%20Chili%20Cook%20off%20app.pdf

This is kind of a pre-rodeo kick off event. The fairgrounds will be open from 4pm to midnight if you want to head over there and enjoy the midway rides. Admission to the fairgrounds is $12.

Admission to the chili cook off is free. And free to test the chili. The groups provide little paper cups and spoons.

Cloverdale Bed Races Thursday May 17 2012

Come down to Cloverdale on Thursday night between 6pm and 8pm to catch the bed races. They're held on 176A Street between 57th and 58th Avenues.

There are several teams in different categories and usually a team is comprised of 4 people pushing the bed and one person riding on top hanging on. Using the term bed is not entirely accurate. Its pretty much a bed frame with modified wheels so it can be pushed down the street. Years ago when the races first started there'd be a mattress and maybe even the bed made up and the rider was often dressed in their pyjamas. As the races became more popular the racing beds were modified to be lighter and easier to push.

Before the bed races there is a kid's bike parade that starts at 5pm.

Garbage not picked up in Cloverdale

For some reason the garbage truck didn't come to our Cloverdale neighborhood today. The recyling and garden waste had no problem picking up today but it is now 7:30pm and I guess the garbage truck has no interest in returning. None of the streets around here had their garbage picked up. There was road work going on near our house but on the other side and the other trucks had no problem getting around this neighborhood.



***Update Saturday morning May 12**** I guess some of the homeowners in the neighborhood must have phoned in to complain. At 8:50am my garbage was picked up and the truck is going down our street now.***

Pre-Rodeo Party on the Hill Saturday May 12 2012

The Clayton Crossing Shopping Centre and the Hillcrest Village Shopping Centre (Fraser Highway and 188th Street) are hosting a pre-rodeo event again this year.

Saturday May 12 between 11am and 3pm.

Here's the info from the Cloverdale Business Improvement Association's website:

Tis the season to get Western and just before the May long weekend, the
Cloverdale Business Improvement Association, the Cloverdale District Chamber of
Commerce and a number of local Cloverdale businesses get together to celebrate a
number of Pre-Rodeo events. The first event to kick off the festivities is the
“Pre-Rodeo Party on the Hill” held on Sat. May 12th from 11am – 3pm. This
second annual event is held at the Hillcrest Village Shopping Centre and at
Clayton Crossing Shopping Centre located at 188th Street and Fraser Highway.
They will have two great bands playing throughout the event, Underfire and
Appaloosa. There will also be 4 bouncy castles, face painters, a petting zoo,
balloon artists, a coloring contest, kid games, BBQs and other great food
options and so much more. The Cloverdale Food Bank will also be set up at the
event to receive any non perishable food items. They hope you and your family
can come out and be a part of all the fun and to find out more about the event
call: 604-538-7588.

Mother's Day Brunch at Cloverdale Legion Sunday May 13 2012

The Cloverdale Legion (17567 - 57th Ave.) is hosting a Mother's Day brunch on Sunday May 13 2012 from 10am to 1pm. Cost is $12.50 for adults or $9 for children.

I copied the menu from their web page:

French toast and fruit toppings, eggs benedict, poached eggs, sausages, bacon,
hash browns, scrambled eggs and fixings, fruit and cheese platters, sliced meat
platter, potato salad, caesar salad, shrimp cocktails, croissants, coffee, tea
and juice. .

Cloverdale getting pre-rodeo spruce up

Its that time of year when Cloverdale gets some attention in preparation for the May long weekend when the rodeo comes to town. The City of Surrey has sent maintenance to mow the grass growing alongside the city boulevards on the Cloverdale Bypass and 57th Avenue along the block where the Legion is and the old Cloverdale Mall parking lot. Plus the big grassy area on 58th and the bypass, closing in on where the ambulance station is has been mowed. It looks like the maintenance crew isn't doing anything more on 57th Avenue alongside the old Cloverdale Mall parking lot. They mowed/trimmed the grass between the sidewalk and the street but they didn't clean up the broken glass on the sidewalk. Also the grass and juniper bushes between the sidewalk and the parking lot only got one swipe with a lawnmower. It looks pretty messy.

Today I see the street sweeper making the rounds of Cloverdale streets. Then that'll be it for another year!

So far the hanging plants haven't showed up on 176th Street. It'll be nice if they're up in time for the rodeo. Fortunately so far the water hasn't been turned on, a problem they had before, which meant they either had to put some hanging plants up to be watered or turn the automatic timer off because the only thing being watered was the sidewalk and any unfortunate pedestrians who may have been standing nearby!

Rodeo Paintings on Cloverdale Shops

Here are some photos around downtown Cloverdale where the shopkeepers have hired a painter to decorate their windows to celebrate the Cloverdale Rodeo. Photos taken from iPhone with dog yanking on the leash and some of these windows have glare and a couple of them are mirror images so you can see the cars on the street! At least this gives some idea of how some shopkeepers are getting into the rodeo spirit.

Cloverdale Legion Pancake Breakfast Saturday May 12 2012

Pancake breakfast at the Cloverdale Legion this Saturday May 12 2012. Cost is $4.50 and includes pancakes, eggs, sausages, coffee, tea, and orange juice/drink. 8am to 11:30am. Legion is across the street from the firehall. 17567 57th Avenue.

Playing at the Clova from May 11 2012 to May 17 2012

Playing this week at the Clova from Friday May 2012 until May 17th:

7pm - The Lucky One

8:55pm - Safe

Last show lets out around 10:30pm. Admission is $8 or $15 for 2 people. Add $4 for each extra person in your party.

Parking around Cloverdale during Rodeo and Parade

I thought this year I would tackle where to park your car if driving to Cloverdale to attend the rodeo/fair or the parade.

To start off with - the City of Surrey has fast moving parking bylaw enforcement officers who work 24 hours. The company who gets the contract with Surrey keeps getting it renewed because they bring in LOTS of money, well over the quota. The parking enforcement officers congregate in Cloverdale during the long weekend in May because it is a windfall for them. I see cars with parking tickets on their windshields everywhere! This is a good place to remind everyone if they see "no parking" signs, don't be tempted to park there because you see a lot of other cars parked there. If you see signs that say 15 minute parking or 2 hour parking, don't think that does not apply on a holiday weekend. Don't park too close to stop signs or fire hydrants or otherwise park illegally. Saving $10 on parking at the fairgrounds will cost you a $40 ticket or whatever the city charges for parking infractions.

If you are coming into Cloverdale for the rodeo parade on Saturday May 19 2012 you need to arrive in the 176th Street area no later than 8:30am. The streets are closed off around that time and besides all the parking spots will be taken. Look for temporary "no parking" signs. They will be roughly everywhere between 176th Street and 177B Street and all the side streets from 58A Avenue and Highway 10. This is either the parade route or where the parade entries are setting up.

If you arrive early enough before the streets are closed down, head to the public parking lots on 176A Street. One is close to 57th Avenue, behind the Clover Inn and the Clova Theatre, the other is down on the corner of 58A Avenue, across the street from the bowling alley. Not lots of parking. Maybe 100 spots between the two lots. The other option is the old Cloverdale Mall. Enter on 57th Avenue between the Cloverdale Bypass and 176th Street, closer to the Legion. There are still spots available. I guess at least 100 cars can find parking here if you're early enough that is.

The other parking is in an alley behind 176th Street. Access is from 56A Avenue or if you're on 57th Avenue, its behind the Cloverdale firehall. There is parking there for about 40 cars.

The next option is the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. There is room for hundreds of cars to park. When the lot is full they send them up a roadway above the racetrack and Stetson Bowl and they also park cars on the racetrack. Parking cost $10 in 2011. I'm not sure if its going up this year.

For free parking the best place is to look on residential streets. The above streets that I mentioned that are closed on Saturday morning for the parade route and set up have lots of parking. The next best place to find parking is on residential streets between 176th Street and 172nd Street and 60th Avenue and 64th Avenue. This place will be jam packed with cars once the fair and rodeo starts. Not so much during the parade because its farther to walk.

Getting back to the parade, its almost impossible to find a parking spot on 60th Avenue mostly due to no parking signs but the further you get away from 176th Street the more likely a spot can be found. Also south of 60th Avenue in the residential area there might be some parking spots. Stay away from 57th Avenue south of the Cloverdale Bypass. Its no parking on the street anymore since they changed it after the new strip mall Brick Yard Station went in. I'd also recommend not looking for a place to park on 58th Avenue west of the Cloverdale Bypass. Its currently under road work and putting in new water lines. These are union workers. They're not working on Saturday. But all their machinery, the pipes, their trailers, etc are all on the side of the road where people would normally be able to park their cars.

Some residents offer paid parking on their driveways for a few bucks less than the fairgrounds charges. Also the local churches offer parking in their lots for a couple of bucks less than what the fairgrounds charges. Check the United Church on the corner of the Cloverdale Bypass and 58th Avenue, Cloverdale Reformed Church on 60th Avenue in the 174 block.

Riding a motorbike? I don't know for sure this year but in past years motorbikes park for free near the ticket booth on 62nd Avenue. This is a restricted area during the rodeo weekend so you need to have a rodeo pass or a license at Fraser Downs racetrack to get down this road. But there has always been free parking in the past if you're riding a motorbike in a small dirt lot near the barn area. Might be worth checking out.

Oh another warning. Do not even think about parking your car at Clover Crossing on 64th Avenue and 176th Street and walking over to the fairgrounds. This is 2 hour parking for customers only. The mall hires security during the rodeo weekend to keep an eye on the cars and that people who are parking there are going into one of the stores there. If you go into Tim Hortons or McDonalds, buy something, go out the other door and head to the fairgrounds, you'll probably still get caught and might not have a car waiting for you when you return. I usually avoid this whole area due to traffic but a couple of years ago I had to stop at PriceSmart or London Drugs for something. I had my dog in the car, windows open of course, and parked near one of the security guards. My dog kept barking at him and he moved away but clearly I was heading into the store to buy something real quick. I think he might have been on to me if I'd left the dog in the car parked there for a few hours.

I can't stress enough not to park where you shouldn't be parking with those fast moving bylaws officers on the prowl. And arriving early to look for free parking if you want to see the parade.

Cloverdale Window Painting on Local Pub

Many of Cloverdale's merchants have signs painted on their windows to promote the Cloverdale rodeo. I don't know who the painter is. Back in the 70's it was a friend of the people who lived across the street from us and I don't recall what he charged per window. $50 or so. He lived on Vancouver Island and he'd show up in Cloverdale in his van and at nights park it in our friend's driveway. Whoever is painting the windows these days is continuing in the fun cartoon like caricatures of cowboys and horses.

There's a pub on the corner of 58A Avenue and 176A Street. It has a rodeo sign on it but the word "live" is spelled "lvie". I doubt the typo was intentional. Even if the artist didn't catch the typo I would have thought the proprietor would have noticed and asked the artist to fix it. I don't know. Maybe he got a reduced rate to leave it as is. At any rate it was picture worthy. Fortunately I had my phone with me and snapped a pic.

Forklift Showdown in Cloverdale this Saturday May 5 2012

The BC Championship Forklift Rally is being held at the Cloverdale Agriplex on Saturday May 5 2012 from 10am to 3pm. Admission for spectators is free. To get there you have to be on 176th Street just north of the fairgrounds. Turn east on 62nd Avenue and drive down a block or so to the red barn on the left side of the road. Says Agriplex on it and there's a parking lot beside it. The right side of the road belongs to the racetrack and there will be several barns and a lot of horse trailers in the parking lot. Don't park there! For more information http://forkliftrally.com/