Well there's not too much going on in Cloverdale during December 2010 other than the Santa Claus Parade. The Santa Parade of Lights is on Sunday December 5 on 176th Street starting at 5:30pm. The parade starts in the fairgrounds, makes its way down 176A street to 58A Avenue then along 176th Street down mainstreet Cloverdale. Once it hits Highway 10 they double back on the Cloverdale Bypass and return to the fairgrounds or they go home. Its kind of interesting watching the trucks blend in with the regular traffic. For more information check out the web page here.
On Saturday December 11 the Cloverdale Legion is holding a pancake breakfast from 8am to 11:30am. $4.50 gets pancakes, sausage, eggs, coffee, tea, and orange juice. On Sunday December 12, the Legion is having breakfast with Santa, same price same menu. 9am to 11:30am.
Don't forget to stop by Potter's on the corner of 192 Street and 48th Avenue to wander around their Christmas store. Or stop by at night to admire their lights.
Showing posts with label Potter's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Potter's. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thursday, October 1, 2009
What's happening in Cloverdale in October 2009
Hmm, I was expecting to find all sorts of haunted houses put on by school groups or businesses to raise money for charity in the spirit of Halloween fun, but I've come up short. One of the best haunted houses I went to was a few years ago held at the Heppell's farm on 184th Street and it was put on by students at Lord Tweedsmuir. I believe it was to raise money for the school band's trip, so we went to support them. It was actually a haunted barn and the students did an excellent job of decorating and putting themselves in costumes and acting. But as all kids do, they grew up and graduated, and moved on.... Usually I see some haunted houses signs while driving around. One of the local high schools, and I'm not sure if it was Lord Tweedsmuir or Earl Marriott had a haunted house at a farm on 192 Street near 32nd Avenue last year. And whichever school it was, the other one had a haunted house on 24th Avenue, somewhere around 182 Street. If I see around this month I'll post them later. Usually there are fireworks at the Cloverdale Athletic Park on Halloween night around 7:30. I haven't seen any notices of it yet this year. Will update if I find out for sure.
October 3, Saturday - The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is having a Light the Night walk held at the Millenium Park on 176th Street and 64th Avenue starting at 5:30. For more information http://www.lightthenight.ca/bc/
October 16 - 31 - One has to go a little out of Cloverdale for this one but Potter's Nursery in the Newton area is hosting its annual Potter's House of Horrors each night from Oct 16 - 31 between 6pm and 10pm at 12530 72nd Avenue. Tickets cost $13 each. Between 6pm and 7pm, family hour tickets are $10 each. During this hour the actors and noise levels are toned down to make it less scary. No refunds if anyone decides to exit early!
Hazelmere Pumpkin Patch located at 18507 20 Avenue is open on weekends from 10am to 5pm to pick pumpkins. A tractor pulling a hay wagon takes you out to the field to choose a pumpkin. There is also a small petting zoo.
October 17, Saturday - The Cloverdale Legion located at 17567 57 Avenue is hosting Oktoberfest starting at 5pm. Sausages, potatoes, sauerkraut, veggies and dessert for $9.50.
October 31, Saturday - Halloween! Every year Cloverdale hosts a parade on the Saturday nearest Halloween, and this is one of few years that they hit it on the button. The parade starts at 2pm. There is more information on registering children here http://www.cloverdalebia.com/cgi-bin/itsmy/go.exe?page=13&domain=1&webdir=cloverdale
October 3, Saturday - The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is having a Light the Night walk held at the Millenium Park on 176th Street and 64th Avenue starting at 5:30. For more information http://www.lightthenight.ca/bc/
October 16 - 31 - One has to go a little out of Cloverdale for this one but Potter's Nursery in the Newton area is hosting its annual Potter's House of Horrors each night from Oct 16 - 31 between 6pm and 10pm at 12530 72nd Avenue. Tickets cost $13 each. Between 6pm and 7pm, family hour tickets are $10 each. During this hour the actors and noise levels are toned down to make it less scary. No refunds if anyone decides to exit early!
Hazelmere Pumpkin Patch located at 18507 20 Avenue is open on weekends from 10am to 5pm to pick pumpkins. A tractor pulling a hay wagon takes you out to the field to choose a pumpkin. There is also a small petting zoo.
October 17, Saturday - The Cloverdale Legion located at 17567 57 Avenue is hosting Oktoberfest starting at 5pm. Sausages, potatoes, sauerkraut, veggies and dessert for $9.50.
October 31, Saturday - Halloween! Every year Cloverdale hosts a parade on the Saturday nearest Halloween, and this is one of few years that they hit it on the button. The parade starts at 2pm. There is more information on registering children here http://www.cloverdalebia.com/cgi-bin/itsmy/go.exe?page=13&domain=1&webdir=cloverdale
Monday, August 3, 2009
White Rock's Torchlight Parade
We've been going to White Rock's Torchlight Parade for most of the past 20 years. It is held on the August long weekend as part of the sea festival celebrations, either on Saturday or Sunday night. This weekend it was held on Saturday night, starts around 9pm. The premise is most of the floats are decorated with lights of some sort, so viewed best when its dark out.
The Torchlight Parade has the reputation of being one of the worst parades around. It is so bad that we are compelled to go just to see how bad it will be. Can it be worse than last year?
When my parents owned a house on Columbia Avenue there was a walkway on the other side of their next door neighbor's house that went to Marine Drive. It came out on the crest of the hill that separates White Rock's east and west beaches. This is a good spot to watch the parade with not too many people. Mostly locals who walk here because there is no parking for anybody driving in. The best part of setting up in this location was the house on Marine Drive across the street where the residents came out on the sundeck and yelled insults at the parade entries. This was a high entertainment value. One year some friends came with us and their son was about 12 years old at the time. He got in the spirit of the hecklers across the street and also started insulting the entries, much to his mother's chagrine. I thought it was pretty funny.
So what makes this parade so bad? Mostly its the timing. The parade will start, usually with a motorbike cop, followed by the parade marshall in whatever vehicle they're in. Then there's about a 5 minute wait till the next parade entry comes along. Then a few minutes later the next entry. Most of the front of the parade consists of one car after another with unknown people in them. There are signs on the doors of most of these cars saying who is inside. But its dark out. No one operating the vehicle thought to light up the sign, so its too dark for the spectators to read the sign.
Sometimes its hard to tell when the parade has ended. Just when you think its over because there hasn't been a float come past in over 5 minutes, another one is spotted coming along.
These days we park at a friend's house near the west beach and walk down, so we're right in the thick of the crowd.
Last Saturday night's parade was no different from what we've come to expect. The motobike cop, the parade marshall, and then a huge wait. Ah, we finally spot it way down the block and it reached us 5 minutes later. A float entered by BMO. My gosh, I wonder if this is typical of the service one can expect from this financial institution. I think I'll keep my business elsewhere. Even my father got into the heckling spirit by yelling at them to speed it up. He commented they need parade volunteers with whips going along the route to keep things going. So it was the usual see an entry, wait a few minutes, see another. Every now and then 4 or 5 entries bunched up together and moved along.
This is the first year the Vancouver Police Mounted squad weren't there on their horses. Also there was no fire truck spraying the crowds with water. I'm guessing due to the police and fire games happening in town right now that they were busy with that event instead.
I must say that Potter's garden centre had a great float. It was a hearse with a werewolf on top of the roof pulling a creepy version of Cinderella's carriage. They were advertising their upcoming haunted house this October at their 72nd Avenue location. Really well done.
Overall this year's parade was much worse than others I've seen with way fewer entries. It was also over a lot faster than past parades, lasting less than an hour.
The Torchlight Parade has the reputation of being one of the worst parades around. It is so bad that we are compelled to go just to see how bad it will be. Can it be worse than last year?
When my parents owned a house on Columbia Avenue there was a walkway on the other side of their next door neighbor's house that went to Marine Drive. It came out on the crest of the hill that separates White Rock's east and west beaches. This is a good spot to watch the parade with not too many people. Mostly locals who walk here because there is no parking for anybody driving in. The best part of setting up in this location was the house on Marine Drive across the street where the residents came out on the sundeck and yelled insults at the parade entries. This was a high entertainment value. One year some friends came with us and their son was about 12 years old at the time. He got in the spirit of the hecklers across the street and also started insulting the entries, much to his mother's chagrine. I thought it was pretty funny.
So what makes this parade so bad? Mostly its the timing. The parade will start, usually with a motorbike cop, followed by the parade marshall in whatever vehicle they're in. Then there's about a 5 minute wait till the next parade entry comes along. Then a few minutes later the next entry. Most of the front of the parade consists of one car after another with unknown people in them. There are signs on the doors of most of these cars saying who is inside. But its dark out. No one operating the vehicle thought to light up the sign, so its too dark for the spectators to read the sign.
Sometimes its hard to tell when the parade has ended. Just when you think its over because there hasn't been a float come past in over 5 minutes, another one is spotted coming along.
These days we park at a friend's house near the west beach and walk down, so we're right in the thick of the crowd.
Last Saturday night's parade was no different from what we've come to expect. The motobike cop, the parade marshall, and then a huge wait. Ah, we finally spot it way down the block and it reached us 5 minutes later. A float entered by BMO. My gosh, I wonder if this is typical of the service one can expect from this financial institution. I think I'll keep my business elsewhere. Even my father got into the heckling spirit by yelling at them to speed it up. He commented they need parade volunteers with whips going along the route to keep things going. So it was the usual see an entry, wait a few minutes, see another. Every now and then 4 or 5 entries bunched up together and moved along.
This is the first year the Vancouver Police Mounted squad weren't there on their horses. Also there was no fire truck spraying the crowds with water. I'm guessing due to the police and fire games happening in town right now that they were busy with that event instead.
I must say that Potter's garden centre had a great float. It was a hearse with a werewolf on top of the roof pulling a creepy version of Cinderella's carriage. They were advertising their upcoming haunted house this October at their 72nd Avenue location. Really well done.
Overall this year's parade was much worse than others I've seen with way fewer entries. It was also over a lot faster than past parades, lasting less than an hour.
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