Cloverdale Canada Day Party July 1, 2013

The City of Surrey and Cloverdale host Canada Day celebrations at the Millennium Park on the corner of 176th Street and 64th Avenue. It's a free event from 10am to about 10:30pm or whenever the fireworks end. There will be entertainers and singers all day, amusement park rides, about 50 exhibitors/vendors, and food concessions.

The headline act, musical group Platinum Blonde, will take to the stage at 9pm, the last act of the night. When they're done the fireworks show starts.

For more information about the Canada Day celebrations, check their website http://www.surrey.ca/canadaday/default.aspx

Now on to the stuff people really want to know about - where to park and how to get around Cloverdale, or this busy intersection, especially once the fireworks have ended!

Free parking at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. Enter off 60th Avenue at 177B Street. They open up the racetrack for cars to park there. Limited parking next door at Greenaway Park, about 20 spots, but by this time its a fair hike to get to the Millennium Park.

Don't think about parking at the old Cloverdale Mall on the corner of the Cloverdale Bypass between 57th and 58th Avenues. They're building there, or will be. So far only ground work done. There's a big fence around the property. Off 58th Avenue there's about 30 parking lots in 2 different areas that aren't fenced off.

Most people find parking spots on the streets, usually in the subdivision between 60th and 64th Avenues, and 168th and 176th Streets. In other words the area directly across the street and west of the Cloverdale Fairgrounds and Millennium Park.

The parking lot at Lord Tweedsmuir High School, on 180th Street, just north of 60th Avenue, is open and there are lots of places to park here. Mostly people park here in the evening to catch the fireworks show. The school's football field on the hill overlooking the park and fairgrounds, is prime viewing for the fireworks.

Whatever you do, do not park in the Cloverdale Crossing Mall, on the other side of the street from the Millennium Park on 60th Avenue. They have signs up saying no event parking and security guards on duty. They are watching people who park and if they leave the property they call in tow trucks. Don't take a chance.

Getting out of Cloverdale is a bit of a nightmare. Likewise for traffic who have no intention of taking part in Canada Day festivities and are just in the unfortunate position of driving along 176th Street after 10pm. Last year the police shut down 176th Street and/or the Cloverdale Bypass (depends which part of the road you're on what its called) between Highway 10 (56th Avenue) and 64th Avenue. Likewise they shut down 57th Avenue, 58th Avenue, and 60th Avenue for any traffic planning to drive down one of those streets and turn onto the Cloverdale Bypass or 176th Street. That was a smart move because two years ago they only shut it down at 58th Avenue and traffic ended up in subdivision hell, going in circles, and ending up at a police blockade and going back the way they came from.

The streets are shut down because 100,000 people are leaving Millennium Park and pedestrians are all over the road. Safety issues.

So don't try to do anything smart driving around the subdivisions west of 176th Street thinking you'll beat the crowds of traffic and get out of Cloverdale faster. 20,000 other drivers are thinking the same thing. There are cul-de-sacs, dead ends, and streets that curve and wind in these subdivisions, and don't get you where you want to go.

My best suggestion is wherever you are head east like you're going to Langley and get yourself at least to 184th Street and away from the mass bedlam of tens of thousands of drivers. From 184th you can turn north and get yourself to the Fraser Highway which will get you back to 176th Street, or a better plan is to drive south. Highway 10 won't be too bad an option, but if you're going to South Surrey or planning to catch Highway 99, drive down 184th Street to 32nd Avenue and from there turn west. People aren't thinking of taking the scenic route and going up to 184th, but its only 8 blocks or so out of the way. Going a couple of kilometres out of your way and getting out of Cloverdale instead of trying to stick within a couple of blocks of Cloverdale and snake through car-jammed streets of the subdivisions where everyone is looking for a fast way out, will get you home faster.

Now what about traffic that just happens to be on 176th Street at that time of night and are surprised by the roads shut down. If you are driving north on 176th, which is really the Cloverdale Bypass at that section, at Highway 10/56th Avenue the road will be blocked by the police. Turn left and drive to 168th Street. Don't be tempted to turn down 60th or 64th Avenue. Bad choice. The police are waiting and will turn you back where you came from. Try to stay on 168th as long as you can. If you're heading for Highway 1, I'd recommend staying on 168th until at least 80th Avenue or 88th Avenue and then turning right to get back to 176th Street.

Or when you hit Highway 10, you can turn right and go up to 184th Street. Turn left and follow 184th to either the Fraser Highway or stay on it a little longer until it dead ends at 80th Avenue, then turn left and make your way back to 176th Street.

Hope my information helps! Stay safe. Pack your patience if you stay at the Millennium Park until the fireworks end. It takes a long time to move all that traffic out of the Cloverdale area.

Largest Human Peace Sign in Cloverdale at Millenium Park

I just heard on the news that they are trying to create the largest human peace sign at Cloverdale's Millenium Park today at 1:30pm.

The Millenium Park is located on the corner of 176th Street and 64th Avenue. The best place to look for a parking spot is to go to 62nd Avenue, reached off 176th Street, and there are parking lots on this street including down past the Agriplex at the end of the street.

The news said they were asking for people to arrive by noon so they can start setting up.

Another Haunted House and Pumpkin Patches

I was driving down Highway 10 heading back into Cloverdale and I noticed a sign saying that Capella's farm is open from now until Halloween offering hayrides, pumpkins, and a haunted house. The hours are 9am to 6pm. Its still light outside at 6pm. I'm not sure what fun a haunted house will be in the daylight! They are located on 160th Street a couple of blocks south off Highway 10, cross the railway tracks and Colebrook Road and they're the first farm on the left (east) side of the road.

There is a pumpkin patch on 20th Avenue I think its called the Hazelmere pumpkin patch, about a block east off 184th Street. Their signs say they're open on weekends in October. However today for the first time in many years I decided to ride my horse up into that area and noticed they were open, this would be around 3pm Thursday. They have hay rides - a tractor pulling a wagon with some bales of hay on it - to their pumpkin patch and also have a petting zoo. I noticed goats but there were probably some other small farm animals too. A few cars were parked there and some kids moving around the field. I heard one of the patrons ask them about their hours and the woman said during the week it depends on the weather if they open for a few hours. It was a sunny afternoon. Friday its supposed to rain so maybe not open. Its supposed to rain all weekend so I'm not sure how that will go over. Wear gum boots!

I noticed pumpkins at Country Bob's produce - corner of 64th Avenue and 156th Street - for $2.99 each and also $2.99 at the Cloverdale supermarket on the corner of 176th Street and 58th Avenue.

Cloverdale Farm Market on the corner of Highway 10 and 168th Street has a corn maze set up in the parking lot and patrons go in to collect a pumpkin. I believe the admission is $5 and includes a pumpkin.

Outdoor Skating

Yesterday I saw 2 makeshift outside skating rinks. The first one I passed was on the Serpentine Fenn on the King George Highway next to Art Knapps. This was actually a real pain. I was heading north and traffic was crawling bumper to bumper from the Highway 99 ramp to Colebrook Road turn off. Cars were parked all up and down the highway on both sides of the highway with people dashing across the traffic.

The second spot wasn't so bad. Best described as the Bose farm its on 64th Avenue at the bottom of the hill heading up towards 168th Street. The field was flooded and people were skating on it. The cars parked at the side of the road weren't as much of a hazard as they were at Serpentine Fenn on King George Highway.

When I was younger we used to ice skate on the ice at Fry's Corner. The fields flooded over and froze and people parked at the side of the road on 176th Street or Fraser Highway. When I was attending Cloverdale Junior High they chartered some school buses and took a bunch of us down there to go skating. Of course ice skating on fields is not too dangerous. Well there might be some debris like swamp grass or trees or sticks or logs to keep an eye on but if the ice is thin the worst thing that will happen is you'll fall through and maby get wet up to your ankle or shin. Uncomfortable but not life threatening.

Today when I drove by Serpentine Fenn its a little warmer today and I can see water gathering on the ice as it melts. Again this area is not going to cause death if you sink through the ice unless you're only about a foot tall. There were a few people out there skating. Even last night when I drove past there was a couple of cars parked there with the headlights on and I saw 2 people skating.

I no longer own ice skates and I doubt that I would be enticed enough to skate at night but somebody must be out there having a good time.

Bylaw officers working 64th Avenue

Over the past few months, on the odd occasion I've received a local newspaper, there are letters written to the editor from people who live on 64th Avenue. I believe from people who live in the condos that are located approximately in the 164 block, across from where the old Bose farm used to be. Their complaints are the large trucks that roar down 64th Avenue. They can't enjoy spending summer days on their patios due to the noise.

These people have a point. There is a no trucks exceeding 10,000 kg (I think, I could have the weight wrong) on 64th Avenue between Fraser Highway and 152 Street. I've seen the sign thousands of times just after I cross the Fraser Highway heading west on 64th. But because I don't drive a big rig, I don't pay much attention to the weight limit. Those trucks should not be speeding along 64th. They should be on Highway 10 or other designated truck routes.

Their complaints to city hall are relatively ignored. They are told there aren't enough bylaw officers to catch the trucks and they're busy doing other things. They were told to take photos of the offending trucks and then sue them in court. What kind of response is that? Yep, our tax dollars are hard at work in Surrey.

This afternoon we were driving east bound on 64th Avenue heading into Langley. Just after the Cloverdale Crossing Mall, across from the skateboard park, we saw two SUV's with emergency lights flashing and a large truck hauling heavy machinery pulled to the side of the road, right about where it begins to be 2 lanes coming up to the mall. At first we thought it was the Department of Highways doing a safety check, but as we got closer we saw the SUV's belonged to the City of Surrey Bylaw Enforcement. I knew right away they were pulling over large trucks and ticketing them for being on a route that has a maximum weight limit for trucks. And just then we see a truck cresting the hill from 180th Street. I watched in my rear view mirror. Yep, a bylaw officer ran on to the street, and signaled the trucker to pull over. Got him!

Caving in to resident complaints? On Wednesday, December 9, our tax dollars were indeed hard at work in Cloverdale. But whoever they caught today was probably only a drop in the bucket.