Open House at Fraser Downs Barn Area September 13, 2014

Fraser Downs barn area will be hosting an open house on Saturday, September 13, 2014 from 9:30am to 2pm. There will be barn tours and opportunities to pat a horse and talk to the people who work in the backstretch. There will be cart rides and a BBQ and they usually have contests going on to win small prizes like baseball caps or other Fraser Downs merchandise.


Saturday is forecast to be a nice day so come out and meet some Standardbred racehorses and the people who love the horse racing industry.


The barn area is at 17740 62nd Avenue. You get to it off 176th Street, turn at the lights and drive almost all the way down the road. Its better to park across the street in the big parking lot next to the red Agriplex barn instead of trying to find a spot in the backstretch parking lot.

Fraser Downs Barn Tours and Open House August 10, 2013

Fraser Downs is having an open house in the barn area on Saturday, August 10, 2013 from 9:30am to 2pm.

The backstretch area is located at 17740 - 62 Ave in Cloverdale. Take 176th Street, turn east down 62nd Avenue. There's traffic lights there and the Cloverdale Rec Centre is on the corner. Drive down until you see the red barns on the right side of the road. The left side is also a red barn, the Agriplex, and has nothing to do with Fraser Downs, but its probably easier to park in their parking lot and walk across the street.

The open house has tours of the barn area given by some of the people who work with the Standardbred racehorses. There is a free lunch as well.

Even though it says the open house/barn tours start at 9:30am I would say arrive later on. They are holding qualifying races on Saturday morning for the coming racing season that starts on August 17 and I don't think they'll be finished that early. The barn area will be a fluster of activity with horse, sulky, driver teams going back and forth to the track and the various barn workers getting their work done. The barn tours won't start until its safe for people to be moving around those areas. We've arrived as late as 11am in the past and the barn tours were just getting ready to start. Take a tour and learn what goes into getting a horse ready to race.

As for the free lunch, last year it was hot dogs on a BBQ. Previous years its been put together your own sandwiches and salads. No notice what the lunch will be this year.

Barn Tours and Open House at Fraser Downs Saturday August 11, 2012

Come to the backstretch of Fraser Downs for a free tour of the barn area and lunch on Saturday, August 11, 2012

Barn tours start around 10:30am and you get to meet some of the trainers and racehorses while following your guide around the backstretch. They are running qualifying races for the Standardbred horses in the morning and if they're late the start time for the tours will be delayed.

Lunch will be served from 11:30am to 1:30pm. I hear they will be barbecuing hamburgers.

Open house ends at 2pm.

Best way to get to the backstretch is head down 176th Street to 62nd Avenue and drive east. There are traffic lights there and the rec centre is on the corner and the red barn to the Agriplex is down the road. The best place to park is in the parking lot next to the Agriplex. The parking lot for the barn area across the street is probably already full of cars of the backstretch employees. Just walk across the street and sign up for a tour and enter to win prizes.

My Article in Current Issue of Horse-Canada Magazine

If anyone picks up the current issue of Horse-Canada magazine (July/August 2012) there is a nice feature story I wrote about geocaching on horseback, complete with photos taken in Pitt Meadows, Campbell Valley Park in Langley, and at Fraser Downs racetrack.

New Year's Eve in Cloverdale?

What is there to do in New Year's Eve in Cloverdale?

Not too much.

The last big Cloverdale New Year's event was on the Millenium, a party at the fairgrounds. 50,000 people expected but the reality was closer to 5,000.

Fraser Downs is hosting a buffet from 7pm to 9pm and a live DJ from 10pm to 1am. That kind of leaves an hour in there to kill. Casino anyone? There is a hockey game on, though times not specified, but it will be on their big screen TVs. Cost is $39.95. Reservations required. Phone 604-575-5603. Fraser Downs is located in the fairgrounds off 60th Avenue and the lights at 177B Street.

The Cloverdale Legion (17567 57th Ave) is holding a New Year's Eve dinner and dance beginning at 7pm. Tickets are $50 and are on sale at the bar in the legion.

Horse racing tonight

Fraser Downs racetrack is starting up again for the season after 6 months off. Tonight, October 7 2011, the first race starts at 7pm and the last race winds up around 10pm.

There is no racing on Saturday but the Standardbreds will be running again on Sunday October 9.

Barn Tour at Fraser Downs this Saturday September 24 2011

If you like horses and Standardbred racing you might be interested in the open house at the Fraser Downs backstretch this Saturday September 24 2011. Address is 17740 62 Avenue. You get there from 176th Street. Turn east bound on 62nd Avenue and follow it along till nearly the end. There is a parking lot at the backstretch on the right hand side. That said it is usually packed full of cars and horse trailers from the people who work in the barn. Might be easier to park across the street at the Agriplex parking lot.

Barn tours start at 10:30am. Or thereabouts. They were late starting the tours last year because they waited until the qualifying races had finished when there'd be less horse and sulky traffic jams around the barns. I'm not sure what time the last tour goes, maybe noon or one. They close the backstretch at 2pm so to be safe you want to be there no later than noon to get on a tour. They have about 15 people or so in a tour and several backstretch employees leading the tours.

There is a lunch between 11:30am and 1:30pm. Last year it was sandwiches that you put together yourself, salads, pickles, and cake. Very nicely done and easily set up for the guests and backstretch workers to help themselves and enjoy.

BCLocalNews.com - Horsemen step up pressure to extend racing season at Fraser Downs

Just thought I'd share this link for anyone who is not aware that the horseracing at Fraser Downs was cut back to 6 months of the year. I rarely go to the races, less often than once a year, so I would hardly call myself a supporter of the racetrack, but I thought this was important enough to mention and if anyone is in any of the local stores that have the petition to sign it and help out. Its the job loss that concerns me plus what might happen to all the horses. Many of these people have been working in the racing industry for most of their lives. They have no other job skills and would likely have a very difficult time finding a job anywhere except for some high turnover minimum wage type jobs. Hopefully things will get better for these people soon. BCLocalNews.com - Horsemen step up pressure to extend racing season at Fraser Downs

What's happening in Cloverdale during January 2011

Slow start to the year in Cloverdale. I really can't find too much going on.

Saturday, January 1 - Fraser Downs 35th birthday celebrations. I can't find out what the festivities are but apparently some are planned during the afternoon. Racing usually starts at 1pm.

Sunday, January 2 - Need to get rid of your Christmas tree? Clayton Secondary is having a tree chipping day 9am to 4pm. 7003 - 188th Street. This is a fundraising event but no mention how much of a donation they're looking for to chip that tree.

Saturday, January 8 - 8am to 11am pancake breakfast at the Canadian Legion 17567 - 57th Avenue. $4.50 per person for pancakes, sausages, eggs, coffee, tea, and juice

What's happening in Cloverdale during October 2010

A few things going on around Cloverdale this month:

October 1 - horseracing returns to Fraser Downs. Schedule is a little dicey. 25 dates allotted by the racing commission for the next 3 months, racing mostly Friday nights and Sunday afternoons until year end. Best to check the Fraser Downs website for post times. www.fraserdowns.com

October 9, Saturday - 8am to 11:30am - pancake breakfast at the Cloverdale Legion, 17567 57 Ave. Cost is $4.50 for pancakes, eggs, sausage, and coffee and orange juice/drink.

October 15 to 17 - Friday to Sunday the Woodworking and Tool Show returns to Cloverdale. Admission is $10. Supposedly its being held in one of the halls, either Shannon or McKay building where the flea market is held if you believe their website. I wondered if this meant the flea market was cancelled but when I checked the fairgrounds website it shows the flea market is on as usual and the woodworking show is in the Agriplex off 62nd Avenue, a couple of blocks east of 176th Street. Oddly enough this show has been held at the Abbotsford Agriplex for the past couple of years and prior to that it was in Cloverdale. When we visited the show in Abbotsford the exhibitors said they didn't like the Cloverdale Agriplex due to the dirt floor and difficulty setting up their displays and tools. Oh well. Its probably cheaper than Abbotsford. So beware if you go. Start with the 62nd Avenue barn and if its empty head over to the fairgrounds and see if its in one of the halls.

October 16, Saturday - 11am to 3pm - Darts Hill garden and plant sale. There are tours at 11am and 1:30pm. See their website for more info. www.dartshill.ca

October 30, Saturday - 2pm. Cloverdale's annual Halloween Costume Parade. Stars at the Surrey Museum and then the group walks to participating Cloverdale merchants for trick or treating. Get there at 12:30 for pumpkin decorating. 17710 - 56A Avenue.

Travis Tritt Cloverdale concert cancelled

I forgot to update but I read in the paper a couple of weeks ago that Travis Tritt cancelled the September 24 concert at Fraser Downs. Scheduling conflict. Apparently he had something else he'd rather do that day. He wanted to postpone the concert until later in the year.

OK, it might be one thing to reschedule an outdoor concert in Hawaii or Florida for later in the year. But how many people want to attend an outdoor concert in Canada in November or December?

Anyway, don't head to Fraser Downs on September 24 if you're hoping to hear some country music.

What's happening in Cloverdale September 2010

In a nutshell, not too much is going on around Cloverdale in September.

September 11, Saturday - pancake breakfast at the Cloverdale Legion. $4.50 gets you pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee, tea, and orange juice. The Legion is located on 57th Avenue between 176th Street and the Cloverdale Bypass, across from the firehall. 8am to 11:30am.

September 18, Saturday - Soap Box Derby. 8:30am to 2:30pm. This is held on 60th Avenue, on the hill above Greenaway Park. It used to start around 181A Street, come down 60th, through the flat section around 180th Street, then down the hill by Greenaway Park, ending before 177B Street. So expect traffic to be detoured away from 60th for a few hours. Check their website for more information. I didn't see the route on there.

September 18, Saturday - Like birds? Surrey Parks is hosting a free bird watching walk and talk at Hi Knoll Park, a little southeast of Cloverdale, between 9am and 11am. Meet at the parking lot on the north side of Colebrook Road. For those of you haven't walked around Hi Knoll Park there are several entrances. To get to this one drive east out of Cloverdale down Highway 10 and turn right (south) on 192 Street. Drive a couple of kilometres (you will drive over the train tracks and past the flats) to Colebrook Road and turn left. You'll see the parking lot about 3 blocks down the road.

September 19, Sunday - Terry Fox Run. Various locations around BC but in Cloverdale, the Legion is sponsoring it. 17567 - 57th Avenue. Registration begins at 9am. Donations gratefully accepted. For more infomation see the Terry Fox website.

September 24, Friday - Are you a country music fan? Come out to Fraser Downs and hear Travis Tritt. Concert to be held on the racetrack's infield, so hope for good weather. The concert starts at 6pm but there are several opening acts so it will likely be well into the evening before Travis comes onstage. Tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster for $77.50.

Troubling news for horsepeople at Fraser Downs

The first interesting piece of news at the end of July is that General Manager Chuck Keeling announced his resignation effective October 1, 2010. For those who are not familiar with the history of Fraser Downs, Keeling's grandfather Jim Keeling Sr was the one who founded the racetrack at Cloverdale in 1976 - back in the days when it was known as Cloverdale Raceway. In the early 90's his son and Chuck's father, Jim Keeling Jr, took over the management duties. In 1996 he died rather tragically in a boating accident and his son Chuck took over running the racetrack. Huge shoes to fit for a young man in his mid-20's. Chuck has not announced what his new venture is other than to say it is nothing related to horse racing or gaming.

On Friday, August 13 2010, a newsletter was issued on the BC Harness Racing website. You can read it here.

Bottom line is the number of racing days at Fraser Downs has been cut from 37 days to 23 days. Racing was supposed to resume on October 1 but has now been postponed to October 15. All race days for 2011 have been cancelled, but there might still be racing next year, dates to be determined.

This is not good news for the horse owners and trainers and other persons who work in the backstretch of Fraser Downs. That is practically no income at all.

Awhile ago I posted about Fraser Downs moving into the 2000's. I was at the city hall meeting where the racetrack staff and backstretch people were all for a casino opening in Fraser Downs with slot machines. I went to the meeting out of curiosity. Bottom line is it didn't matter to me one way or the other. I've been to Reno and Las Vegas several times over the years. I did not oppose a casino opening at the racetrack.

The incredible thing was the horsepeople's attitude to this. Slot machines were good. It would save their racing industry. They'd be able to share in the slots revenue and the purses. Some sort of racetrack propaganda they were all blindly believing as several horsemen and women took the microphone to address the council.

I shook my head. I sympathized with them and for their jobs and way of life but they weren't seeing the bigger picture. These are not businessmen used to the corporate world. Well there might be a couple of semi-retired corporate types who got into horse racing as hobbyists, but we're not talking the majority of the backstretch folk, many of whom have not worked any other jobs. Corporate business people are used to meetings, contracts, budgets, crunching numbers, speaking with advisors, etc. Not so on the racetrack where gossip runs rampant and the scuttlebut clearly was that the slots would be a good thing.

I doubted it. I figured the casino would bring in a new clientele who lived closer to Fraser Downs than other casinos and would come to Cloverdale instead of driving into Newton, Coquitlam, Richmond, etc. The corporate busines people running Fraser Downs would be checking their spreadsheets and seeing that slots revenue was good and the wagering on the horse races not so good because they are two different business run under Fraser Downs. I knew the slots revenue would carry the horse racing along for awhile but eventually someone crunching numbers would see that the horse racing venture just wasn't that profitable.

I think this is just the first step.

Prepare for a mass exodus of horsemen to Ontario.

What's happening in Cloverdale in June 2010

There are a few things happening around Cloverdale this month.

June 5, Saturday from 3pm to 11pm - Celtic Fest held on the corner of 184th Street and 44th Avenue. Celtic and folk bands, guitar workshops, etc. This is by donation or bring something for the food bank. For more information see their web page. http://www.celticfest2010.atbhost.net/

June 5, Saturday 6pm - Lobsterfest held in Shannon Hall at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds, corner of 176th Street and 60th Avenue. All you can eat lobster for $80. See their web page for more info. http://www.lobsterfest2010.ca/

June 12, Saturday 6pm - Rock n Racing fundraiser for Surrey Memorial Hospital at the Fraser Downs racetrack. Horse racing starts at 6pm and the live music at 9pm. Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased from guest services at the track. 60th Avenue and 177B Street.

June 12, Saturday 7pm to 7am - Relay For Life at the Millenium Park, southeast corner of 176th Street and 64th Avenue. 12 hour fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society. For more information see their website. http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=330220

June 22, Tuesday 6pm to 9pm - art show at Darts Hill Garden northeast corner of 16th Avenue and 170th Street.

Future of Cloverdale grandstand

These days the Cloverdale grandstand in the fairgrounds is a far cry from the grandstand that I knew as a kid. Today it is the home of Fraser Downs Racetrack and Casino. The casino came into being in late 2003 after the racetrack and many of the backstretch workers petitioned city hall to allow slot machines to help revive the sagging racing industry. Over the next two years the grandstand was revamped into the casino that stands on the fairgrounds today.

But how much life is left in it?

Although the casino has helped the racing keep its head above water, the reality is that wagering is down 10% from the past year and customers have found other venues for sporting entertainment. Purses are dropping, there are fewer race nights, and horse owners are earning less. Many are getting out of the business or relocating to other racetracks where they have a better chance of earning a living.

I've heard that Fraser Downs wants to open a show theatre on the grounds, similar to the Red Robinson theatre in Coquitlam or the River Rock in Richmond. The entertainers that frequent these theatres usually do both of them over a few day period, such as Kenny Rogers, The Beach Boys, and Air Supply. They would need to build the theatre on part of the racetrack ground. Probably be a bigger money earner that the end result between the wagers currently placed and the purse money paid out to the racehorse owners.

There are also grumblings from the provincial government in charge of gaming in BC about combining Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing onto the same racetrack because both breeds run about 6 months of the year, during the opposite months. Thoroughbreds race April to October, while Standardbreds race October to April. Sometimes with a few cross over weekends. The government said this will likely occur within the next 2 years. Between the racetracks in Cloverdale and Vancouver, the government prefers Vancouver - Hastings Park located on the PNE grounds.

More surprisingly the government says if all the horse racing is moved to Hastings Park, then the slot machines at Cloverdale will be relocated to the Great Canadian Casino's other location in Surrey.

So that leaves Fraser Downs Racetrack and Casino without horse racing and without slot machines. What else is left there? No one's going to convince me they'll still build a show theatre without an attached casino to draw patrons in.

Were all the upgrades to the original grandstand worth it for what could very well be less than ten years of actual use? I haven't heard any news on what the fate of the old grandstand will be if the Standardbreds move to Hastings and the slots are moved to the other casino.

Fraser Downs moves into the 2000's.

On New Year's Eve 1999 there was a bring in the millenium event at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. It was marketed as an event for the whole family. Various tents and exhibits were set up around the fairgrounds and there was horse racing on the track that was advertised as the last horse races anywhere in the world for the century. Admission was $5 or maybe $10, I don't really recall. We bought tickets and it was good for in and out privleges. We only lived a couple of blocks from the fairgrounds so we went home to have something to eat and came back again. Attendance was projected to be 50,000 but only 5,000 tickets were sold.

Kind of the same thing that was happening at the Fraser Downs racetrack. Attendance was down which meant less patrons purchasing wager tickets which ultimately meant less purse money available to the horse owners and trainers. Many of them headed to other tracks in Canada. The problem with that is the tracks in Ontario have a lot of competition. Good horses, good trainers, and good drivers are already established there and its hard for a newcomer to compete, no matter how successful they were in Cloverdale. Many stables headed into Alberta during the summer months where there was a chance to make money but most of them returned to Cloverdale. The winning purse money might be low but a stable with decent horses could earn pretty good money here.

The grumblings continued about wanting to put slot machines into the grandstand and turn it into a casino. Of course everyone connected to the racetrack wanted the slot machines, but there was continued resistance from some City of Surrey elected officials and some locals.

In late 2003 the City of Surrey mayor and council held a meeting at city hall to vote on putting in slot machines at the racetrack in Cloverdale. We went down to city hall to observe and the place was a circus, standing room only. There was a sign up sheet in the lobby for anyone who wanted to address council and members of the audience in the public and a lot of people had signed up to speak.

A former politician had given a copy of his speech to my father so I'd had a peek at it beforehand, but he didn't read it, doing the old politician trick of having someone else read it and have them look like an idiot. A neighbor of ours in Dogwood Gardens read it and it was hilarious. He really made a fool out of himself. Another man in the crowd stood up to say his objection was the casino would bring in more patrons and they would all be litterbugs and throw garbage all over and the children walking to school would trip over it. That brought a lot of laughs. Didn't their parents ever teach them they should watch where they're walking? To make a long story short and what we all know today, council approved the slot machines and casino and the racetrack managed to get some temporary slots installed almost immediately.

The grandstand underwent another renovation as Fraser Downs underwent the task of turning the old building into a casino that would attract a new clientele. For the most part they succeeded. The new grandstand is much more appealing than the one that existed in the 80's. The only thing I fault it with is that there is really no place for patrons who want to sit down and watch the horse races. Now one can argue that there are all kinds of places where people can watch the racing such as the Clubhouse or Homestretch restaurants, both of which you have to shell out some money if you want to sit in these sections and watch the racing. The only place to watch the horse racing for free are outside at track level either in front of the grandstand or alongside the parking lot fences, and this might not be desirable depending on the weather. Or there is a pub style restaurant on the ground floor near the racetrack's finish line. There are a couple of betting windows here. We tried to come one night and have a meal here but most of the tables were full of people. It was unknown whether patrons sit down at a table and wait for one of the few servers to come over and take an order or to go up to the counter and place an order and no one would stop and answer us, so we ended up leaving and going out for sushi.

The Fraser Downs casino does seem to be successful, judging by the full parking lots on weekends and lots of cars in the lot the rest of the week. But has the extra income from the casino really helped the horse race purses and winnings the owners can expect? Shortly after the casino opened it appeared the purses did increase but since then it appears that while some class of races have increased, most have stayed the same. The scuttlebuck from casino employees is that the slots revenue is carrying the racing and that wagering has not significantly increased with the inception of the casino. Although the casino is doing the well, the clientele do not appear to be overly interested in horse racing.

Interesting times as Fraser Downs enters a new decade.

Cloverdale Raceway becomes Fraser Downs

I decided its about time to continue where I left off on the Cloverdale Raceway and the grandstand in the 80's.

As Cloverdale Raceway entered the 1990's, attendance was diminishing and racing was down to 3 times a week - Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday - between October and April. On statutory holidays there would be afternoon racing if the holiday fell on a week day. There were also a couple of extra nights racing starting in September and occasionally into late April or early May. During the summer months the Standardbred horses raced at Sandown Raceway, near the ferry terminal at Sidney on Vancouver Island, about a half hour drive from Victoria.

Patrons were no longer flocking to Cloverdale on racenights they way they had been in the early 80's. People were finding other forms of entertainment with slot machines and tables opening around the Lower Mainland. Cloverdale Raceway stopped charging for parking in the fairgrounds parking lot and stopped charging admission into the grandstand in an effort to boost attendance by making it more consumer friendly and accessible. The grandstand underwent more renovations and The Clubhouse became a well known dining experience, whether or not a patron was interested in horse racing, with an outstanding buffet.

In 1996 the name changed from Cloverdale Raceway to Fraser Downs. Racing nights had their ups and downs, anywhere from two nights to four nights a week. The racetrack had trouble keeping quality horses, trainers, and drivers due to low purses. Anyone with talent and a good stable of horses headed to other Canadian racetracks with higher purses where they had a better chance of earning a decent living.

Throughout the late nineties the racetrack management attempted to get interest to install slot machines in the grandstand, believing this would be the only solution to saving the racetrack, but mostly their efforts fell on deaf ears. Horse owners and their stables headed east, purses remained low in Cloverdale, and the remaining horse people stuck it out hoping things would get better.

Loose horses

“Cheryl, your horse is loose!”

Those words can strike terror into the heart of any horse owner. In this instance, I was fifteen years old and my mother had woken my up. I’ve never got out of bed and dressed so fast in my life. I ran into the garage, grabbed a bucket of oats and my lead shank and raced down the driveway, where I stopped. I could see my Quarter horse, Duchess, safely in the field across the street. And yes, there was a time when 182 Street on the hill above Cloverdale had several small hobby farms. Unfortunately we didn’t have a field and barn but our good friends the Scott’s let me keep my horse on their property. A quick glance at the field below where I kept Duchess and I could see the pony that lived in that pasture was accounted for. Then I saw the third horse, grazing at the side of the road by the field. I was carrying a bucket of oats and a lead shank so I walked down the street, approached the horse, gave him some oats and snapped on the shank. I led him to our back yard and put him in, not quite sure what to do next. Mother phoned the police department to report we’d caught a stray horse, only to be frustrated by a rude officer who kept repeating: “Phone the pound, ma’am, phone the pound.” She finally slammed the phone down on him and phoned the pound. They said they could pick up the horse, but it would cost the owner big bucks when they claimed him. Not wanting to cause someone financial problems, Mother told them we could keep the horse in our back yard, and passed the phone over to me to give the description. I was pretty sure the horse was a runaway from the local Standardbred track (now known as Fraser Downs) that had recently opened a mile from our home. I gave the clerk all the details on the horse. A couple of hours later the frantic owners phoned and we gave them our address. They were extremely grateful when they picked up the horse, which was indeed a racetrack escapee. This was the first in a long string of Standardbreds that I frequently caught over the next few years. My horse was probably the closest horse living to the racetrack, so they may have naturally gravitated in our direction.

One night I was driving home down 184th Street, nearing 24th Avenue and an oncoming car was flashing his high beams at me. I thought I saw something in its headlights and stopped my car. Sure enough two horses were galloping ahead of the car. I figured the owner could use a hand, pulled a U-turn and came up alongside him with my hazard lights flashing. An oncoming car cresting the hill forced me to pull behind the car trailing the horses. The car continued down the hill toward 16th Avenue, but I was positive I’d seen the horses turn right down 20th Avenue, which led to 176th Street a mile ahead. Just to be sure I turned right and caught up with them a block ahead. Carefully I pulled around them and got in front, slowing my car until I was able to bring them both to a stop. I got out of my car and approached them, but they ran down the nearest driveway. I got a hold of one horse’s halter. I knew a family who lived on acreage about a block away and figured I could lead the horse there and hope the other horse would follow. But it was not to be. The other horse bolted and the one I was holding yanked out of my grasp, and they both galloped down the road, fortunately headed back to 184th and not to the much busier 176th. I hopped back in the car and pursued them, but clearly I was not going to be able to catch them singlehandedly. I pulled out my cell phone, ready to dial 911 for assistance. These horses had to get off the street, for their own safety and the safety of any drivers who might not see them in the dark. As I approached 20th and 184th I saw several people on the street. I blocked my car behind the horses and two men managed to grab them and lead them onto the property on the corner. They’d heard the hooves pounding on pavement a few minutes earlier and had come out to investigate. With the horses safe, I turned for home, but at the first stop sign I noticed a man on the sidewalk. I rolled down the window and asked if he was looking for two horses. Fortunately he was and I told them they were safe and gave him directions where he could find them.

Cloverdale has grown significantly in the past 30 years. There are no small hobby farms housing horses. And the racetrack has fences around the barn areas making it less likely for Standardbreds to escape the fairgrounds. The days of catching loose horses roaming around town are over.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band performs at Fraser Downs

Last night the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band performed at Fraser Downs in Cloverdale. Tickets were $43. I live a few blocks away from the fairgrounds and I heard them loud and clear at my house. Saved myself some money. Heard the music but didn't get the visual. Nice evening, nice concert.

We'll do this all over again when the rodeo comes to town next month. Not the Nitty Gritty band, but the music and rodeo announcers can be heard for a good mile around.

Looking forward to the one weekend of the year that transforms Cloverdale from being a sleepy little town to welcoming crowds of rodeo, parade, and fair goers.

Looking forward to it.

My Small Town - Cloverdale, British Columbia

Growing up I used to hear the term one horse town and I figured that pretty much described where I lived and I owned that horse.

Cloverdale, British Columbia was a small community part of the district of Surrey, about 30 miles from the big city of Vancouver. The main street was about 4 blocks long, part of the Pacific Highway, and big semi trucks rattled through town, using this route to get to the US/Canada truck crossing at the border.

Cloverdale Elementary School was about one mile from out house and a huge hill, Broadway Road, was part of my walk to and from school each day. One mile is a long way for a six year old girl to walk, but walk I did both ways for the seven years I went there, rain or shine, and mostly rain in this part of the country. I sometimes rode my bike, but pushing it up that huge hill was exhausting.

I remember a lot of snow when I was a kid and we’d all go to Broadway with our sleds and toboggans. No car was going to attempt that hill in the snow and icy conditions. Especially not confronted with a couple of dozen kids careening down the hill. But again, only one or two trips down and the walk back up in the snow was enough to call it quits. And the local cow fields would flood over in the fall and freeze in the winter and we’d all go ice skating out there. The worst thing that could happen if the ice was too thin and we’d break through standing ankle or shin deep in water.

Friday after school was my favourite time and I’d accompany my mother grocery shopping at the Co-op. This was a two story building with groceries on the first floor and a flight of stairs up the second floor for the hardware and clothing. And the building behind was the Co-op’s feed store where I’d buy oats for my horses when I got a little older.

A typical little sixties town with assorted stores: a five and dime, a couple of clothing stores, a couple of shoe stores, a jewellery store, a delicatessen, a few diners, the Clover Inn with a restaurant and lounge, and the Clova Theatre where we often went on Saturday matinees. Dann’s bicycle and appliance store is still operating in Cloverdale, for over fifty years. The Clova is still running too. The five and dime has long since closed as have most of the other business, many replaced by antique stores for awhile, and now assorted other businesses, many that don’t stick around too long. The bowling alley, Clover Lanes, has been there as long as I can remember. In the late 60’s or early 70’s Aaron’s Pizza opened just off the main street. Kind of a competition to the Shakey’s Pizza parlours with its picnic tables and casual dining. Aaron’s is still there, but the picnic tables have been replaced by family seating and they still serve pizzas along with pastas and other meals.

Cloverdale was always known for its rodeo held on the long weekend in May. For a time it was the 2nd largest rodeo in Canada, behind the Calgary Stampede, then it became the 3rd largest. I’m not sure what its status is now. It lost its ranking with the pro circuit because it no longer allows some events, particularly those that deal with tying calves. But every long weekend in May Cloverdale was transformed from a sleepy little town to a whoop hollering party town carnival. It was a good weekend to get out of town.

And then in 1975 the harness horse racing came to town, using the fairgrounds, and Cloverdale no longer was known as a one horse town with hundreds of Standardbreds calling it home. Horse racing was huge back in the 1980’s. Cars lined way out of town on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights. And the horses also raced on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. These days with so many casinos around and other entertainment venues horse racing has dwindled to 7 or 8 months a year on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The racetrack even converted over to a casino, Fraser Downs its now known as. The casino is the main form of revenue.

When I was growing up and a new neighbour moved in the neighbors would all come over with baking and to introduce themselves. When I was going to school I knew almost everybody and their brothers and sisters too, if not by face, then by name. Walking down the main street of Cloverdale always meant banging into someone I knew.

But nobody does that anymore. Cloverdale outgrew itself. But the small town atmosphere still kind of remains. This is home to Smallville and often the TV cameras and crew will have part of a street blocked off for filming. Likewise with other movie and TV projects that want a small town look. A few years ago in August Coca Cola filmed a commercial here that was a snowy Christmas theme and they trucked in snow to the streets and sidewalks. Several semi trucks decked out in Christmas lights are featured driving through town and a boy is racing across the fields yelling the Santa trucks are coming.

And maybe they’ll be back someday. Or maybe they'll find a real small town out there....