Raspberry Social at Otter Co-op on Canada Day 2012

Another free event on Canada Day is the raspberry social at the Otter Co-op at 3600 - 248th Street, approximately on the corner of the Fraser Highway and 248th. This is Sunday July 1 2012 between noon and 3pm. Free raspberry shortcake and a beverage. They have their brand pop and juice, coffee, and tea. There is live band providing entertainment and a vintage truck display.

The best thing is the event is held under the huge canopy in front of the store so if its raining you can stay reasonably dry.

Blueberry Social at Otter Co-op on BC Day, Monday August 1 2011

If you're looking for something to do on Monday's BC Day holiday, you might consider a drive out to the other side of Langley. The Otter Co-op is on 248th Street, just a little south of the Fraser Highway, so if you're driving up the Fraser Highway towards Aldergrove, turn right at 248th Street and their parking lot is a bit up on the left hand side. If you're driving east along 16th Avenue, when you get to the 4way stop at 248th Street, hang a left and drive north until you see it on the left.

I've never known the Otter Co-op to have a blueberry social but I've been to their raspberry social on Canada Day a few times. They set up in front of the store with tables and chair and guests get raspberry shortcake and a beverage. Free! Couldn't ask for better! They have a band set up to enterain the guests and on Canada Day the old truck museum in Coquitlam brings over some trucks for the guests to admire.

All I know is their blueberry social will have a band. I don't know about vintage vehicles. Its from noon to 3pm on Monday August 1.

Oh the beverages are their generic brand water, pop, juice. I think they also had coffee available.

Canada Day free pancake breakfast and raspberry social

Ah yes, never miss an opportunity for free pancakes!

Kraus Berry Farms in Aldergrove is one of my favorite places to buy fresh berries. We go there several times during the summer to buy freshly picked strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. We snack on them on the drive home and still manage to get home with many intact. Their berries are so big, sweet, and juicy. The Kraus farms also has a bakery selling pies and shortcake featuring their berries and sell preserves. They also serve sandwiches and milkshakes. And if you like farm animals, there is a petting zoo to visit.

On July 1 from 9am to 1pm Kraus Berry Barms is celebrating Canada Day with a free pancake breakfast served with their own berry syrup. They're located at 6179 - 248th Street.

And when you're finished at Kraus's farm, head south on 248th Street to the Otter Coop located just south of the Fraser Highway. Between noon and 3pm on Canada Day they're holding a strawberry/raspberry social featuring raspberry shortcake and there will be live music.

Time it right and you can fit in both activities.

And then don't forget to come back to Cloverdale for the Canada Day celebrations at the Millenium Park located at the corner of 64th Avenue and 176th Street. Traffic in that area is going to be a mess after the 10pm fireworks show is finished. If you can walk or take transit that's the best plan. 100,000 people showed up last year and parking is at a premium.

Otter Co-op staff dinner and awards

Last night we attended the Otter Co-op's staff dinner and awards night held at Newland's Golf Course in Langley.

Of course, the only interesting thing is that neither of us work for the Otter Co-op.

Party crashers!

The Otter Co-op is a grocery store, hardware store, clothing, feed store, and has some gas stations. The main store is on 248th Street, the Otter area of Langley, close to Aldergrove. They recently amalgamated with the Consumer's Co-op, a hardware and feed store in Pitt Meadows. Here's where we come in. Kerry is on the board of directors at Consumer's. However he is soon to be out of a job when the amalgamation process is complete at the end of April.

It was a very nice meal and my tablemates were all happy to be the one of the first tables called up to the buffet. Never any doubt in my mind. Whatever table I sit at generally gets called quickly to the buffet. Great food, lots of vegetarian choices.

There were a lot of prizes available, lots of small items, so it looked like everyone's ticket would get drawed at least once. On our first round to the prize table I claimed a night light, spot light, flashlight thing. The prize numbers were held for awhile as the Co-op started to recognize longevity awards: 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, 25 years, 30 years, and one employee for 35 years of service. This kind of dragged on for awhile. But we were entertained by the ballroom on the other side of the wall with music playing. We enjoyed not Glenn Miller's rendition of In The Mood, then the little bird song. Gee, I don't even know the English name to that song. I used to hear it all the time when I was living in Spain courtesy of Maria Jesus and her accordeon:

Pajaritos por aqui
Pajarits por alla
Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep

The English translation is roughly: little birdies over here, little birdies over there, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp.

And then everyone does the little birdie dance.

Afterwards I heard Staying Alive. Sounded like a good party going on over there. Should have maybe joined them. But we were there for the duration listening to all the longevity service awards. Some of them didn't even show up for the banquet.

And then more prizes were drawn, so we got in on the second round and got a new shirt for Kerry. The evening was dragging on at this point. Got out of there at 11pm. I'm not even sure how they could have sped up the process other than recognizing the people while everyone was eating.

Our last meal. Unless of course Kerry runs for the board of directors at the Otter Co-op.