The Surrey Night Market will be starting this weekend, Friday July 5, 2014 running Friday and Saturday nights ending August 30, 2014.
The Surrey Night Market will be held in Cloverdale on 62nd Avenue, accessed only from 176th Street, the north end of the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. Head towards the Agriplex, across the street from the backstretch of Fraser Downs.
There is lots of parking in the fairgrounds but no parking in the backstretch or the rec centre.
The Surrey Night Market will have lots of food vendors and other vendors. There will also be entertainers. The market is open from 6pm to 11pm and admission is $2.
For more information see their website. http://surreynightmarket.com/
Showing posts with label fairgrounds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fairgrounds. Show all posts
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Traffic in Cloverdale on Rodeo Weekend
Stay away from 60th Avenue in Cloverdale this weekend. Traffic nightmare! Cars are lined up both directions on 60th hoping to get into the fairgrounds to park. Cars are lined up all the way back to 176th Street, being held up by the majority of cars trying to get into the left hand turn lane at the 177B Street entrance into the fairgrounds. Bad luck for anyone who isn't planning to go to the fair or rodeo and wants to drive straight through towards Langley. Use another street!
I walked past the entrance by 177B Street at 2:30 and the parking lot was full. I watched the parking attendant pull a barricade across the driveway entrance and waving his arms at the traffic to continue along 60th. The cars in the left hand turn lane refused to believe him and the drivers stayed where they were causing a huge traffic jam behind them. Likewise cars on 177B Street who needed to turn left or right. Instead the drivers either stayed where they were backing up traffic behind or drove through the intersection anyway only to be greeted by the parking attendant telling them to turn up or down 60th.
All the street parking on 60th, west of 176 Street is all taken. Also Greenaway Park is full. The church near the corner of 176th Street and 64th Avenue is taking paying parking customers for $10 but it looked pretty full when I drove past at 11am.
All that's left is to find residential street parking around the fairgrounds. Make sure you are parked legally. The parking bylaw officers are out in full force because the Cloverdale Rodeo weekend is a huge cash cow for them. The driver of this car parked the wrong direction on the street and has been ticketed.
I walked past the entrance by 177B Street at 2:30 and the parking lot was full. I watched the parking attendant pull a barricade across the driveway entrance and waving his arms at the traffic to continue along 60th. The cars in the left hand turn lane refused to believe him and the drivers stayed where they were causing a huge traffic jam behind them. Likewise cars on 177B Street who needed to turn left or right. Instead the drivers either stayed where they were backing up traffic behind or drove through the intersection anyway only to be greeted by the parking attendant telling them to turn up or down 60th.
All the street parking on 60th, west of 176 Street is all taken. Also Greenaway Park is full. The church near the corner of 176th Street and 64th Avenue is taking paying parking customers for $10 but it looked pretty full when I drove past at 11am.
All that's left is to find residential street parking around the fairgrounds. Make sure you are parked legally. The parking bylaw officers are out in full force because the Cloverdale Rodeo weekend is a huge cash cow for them. The driver of this car parked the wrong direction on the street and has been ticketed.
Friday, June 15, 2012
2012 Ride To Conquer Cancer - Cloverdale stop
For anyone else wondering why tents and a stage are set up in the Cloverdale fairgrounds parking lot, it has to do with the Ride To Conquer Cancer 2012.
The tents were marked with different signs - media, medical, etc.
This stop is part of a 2 day event where cyclists are riding from Vancouver to Seattle.
For more information follow this link http://va12.conquercancer.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=va12_homepage
The tents were marked with different signs - media, medical, etc.
This stop is part of a 2 day event where cyclists are riding from Vancouver to Seattle.
For more information follow this link http://va12.conquercancer.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=va12_homepage
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
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!
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!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
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!
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.
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.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, April 26, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The old horse barns at the Cloverdale fairgrounds
There used to be a couple of horse barns in the east end of the parking lot at the Cloverdale fairgrounds. Partway inbetween the casino/grandstand and Greenaway Park.
People boarded horses in the stalls in the 60's and early 70's. All breeds of horses. There were two barns and one of them had an indoor arena. In fact if you look closely at the east end of the fairgrounds parking lot at some of the mounds where bushes and flowers have been planted, these are the foundations of the old horse barns. I guess they couldn't do too much else with them other than build them up and turn them into garden medians.
There used to be horse playdays held here on the weekends. At least once a month while I was growing up. Being horse crazy, I often walked down here to watch the games, wishing I had a horse and could enter the games. I guess by the time I got my first horse playdays were a thing of the past.
Once the Standardbred racehorses came to Cloverdale in the mid-70's, they were allotted the barns for stabling their horses. This was kind of the overflow barn. The majority of horses were stabled in the big red barns that are still standing in the backstretch area of the racetrack.
In December 1982 I came down to meet a racehorse whose career was ending and the owners wanted him to go to a good home. He was stabled in the overflow barns and that is where I met Mark. He'd had people sit on his back but wasn't really broke to saddle. It didn't matter. I fell in love with the gentle giant. The owners had a riding bridle they put on him and we led him to the dirt arena that was attached to the barn. The seller gave me a leg up and I rode him bareback around the arena. He was perfect. And two days later Mark Missile belonged to me and I moved him to his new boarding stable.
I don't remember exactly when the old barns were dismantled. They were still up and stabling Standardbred racehorses in the late 80's. They were down by the time the racetrack made renovations in the early 90's. I guess there wasn't much else they could do. There was no security in those barns. Anyone walking in from 60th Avenue had access to the barns and the horses inside. There are sick people out there who could potentially harm or steal a horse.
There is the Agriplex at the back of the racetrack, from 62nd Avenue, that is an indoor arena where horse shows and other events are held today. But unfortunately there is no stabling for horses. With the population growth around Cloverdale and many potential horse owners in the vicinity, a horse boarding operation would probably prove to be very profitable for the city.
People boarded horses in the stalls in the 60's and early 70's. All breeds of horses. There were two barns and one of them had an indoor arena. In fact if you look closely at the east end of the fairgrounds parking lot at some of the mounds where bushes and flowers have been planted, these are the foundations of the old horse barns. I guess they couldn't do too much else with them other than build them up and turn them into garden medians.
There used to be horse playdays held here on the weekends. At least once a month while I was growing up. Being horse crazy, I often walked down here to watch the games, wishing I had a horse and could enter the games. I guess by the time I got my first horse playdays were a thing of the past.
Once the Standardbred racehorses came to Cloverdale in the mid-70's, they were allotted the barns for stabling their horses. This was kind of the overflow barn. The majority of horses were stabled in the big red barns that are still standing in the backstretch area of the racetrack.
In December 1982 I came down to meet a racehorse whose career was ending and the owners wanted him to go to a good home. He was stabled in the overflow barns and that is where I met Mark. He'd had people sit on his back but wasn't really broke to saddle. It didn't matter. I fell in love with the gentle giant. The owners had a riding bridle they put on him and we led him to the dirt arena that was attached to the barn. The seller gave me a leg up and I rode him bareback around the arena. He was perfect. And two days later Mark Missile belonged to me and I moved him to his new boarding stable.
I don't remember exactly when the old barns were dismantled. They were still up and stabling Standardbred racehorses in the late 80's. They were down by the time the racetrack made renovations in the early 90's. I guess there wasn't much else they could do. There was no security in those barns. Anyone walking in from 60th Avenue had access to the barns and the horses inside. There are sick people out there who could potentially harm or steal a horse.
There is the Agriplex at the back of the racetrack, from 62nd Avenue, that is an indoor arena where horse shows and other events are held today. But unfortunately there is no stabling for horses. With the population growth around Cloverdale and many potential horse owners in the vicinity, a horse boarding operation would probably prove to be very profitable for the city.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
More about Cloverdale fairground's racetrack
When the grandstand at the Cloverdale fairgrounds transitioned into spectator seating for the Standardbred horse racing, changes came slowly. Most notably enclosing the structure, gating it in, so as to control paid admission into the grandstand. $2/person if memory serves correctly and back then racing was 5 times a week from mid-October to mid-April, during the off season for the Thoroughbred racing at Hastings Park in Vancouver.
By the mid-80's attendance was slacking off a bit. Other forms of entertainment were pulling racing aficionados away from the Cloverdale Raceway. I remember when traffic on racing nights was lined up down 176th Street to the Fraser Highway and sometimes even further north of the Fraser Highway. Bumper to bumper crawl into Cloverdale, trying to turn left onto 60th Avenue and the entrances to the fairgrounds. Back then there was no priority left hand turn lane signal.
Then in the mid-80's racing downsized to 4 times a week. I don't recall for sure, but I think it was Monday night racing that was bumped, leaving racing on Wednesday and Friday nights, and during the afternoons on Saturday and Sunday. Then the change was made from Wednesday night to Thursday night so that meant Standardbred racing was on 4 consecutive days.
Food service in the grandstand on racing nights consisted of a couple of hot dog and hamburger stands. There were a lot of wagering windows open where tellers took racer's bets.
There were a lot of horses still racing in Cloverdale even though the purses weren't all that great. There were several large horse barns in the backstretch area plus a couple of smaller horse barns closer to the grandstand on the parking lot side.
That left 6 months of the year when there was no racing at Cloverdale. During the off season Standardbreds shipping over to Sandown Park on Vancouver Island or over to one of the tracks in Alberta. There was also a couple of weekends of racing in mid-September, the fair meet, which was in conjunction with the now defunct fall fair that used to be held at the Cloverdale fairgrounds.
The Cloverdale racetrack headed into the 90's with a waning popularity.
By the mid-80's attendance was slacking off a bit. Other forms of entertainment were pulling racing aficionados away from the Cloverdale Raceway. I remember when traffic on racing nights was lined up down 176th Street to the Fraser Highway and sometimes even further north of the Fraser Highway. Bumper to bumper crawl into Cloverdale, trying to turn left onto 60th Avenue and the entrances to the fairgrounds. Back then there was no priority left hand turn lane signal.
Then in the mid-80's racing downsized to 4 times a week. I don't recall for sure, but I think it was Monday night racing that was bumped, leaving racing on Wednesday and Friday nights, and during the afternoons on Saturday and Sunday. Then the change was made from Wednesday night to Thursday night so that meant Standardbred racing was on 4 consecutive days.
Food service in the grandstand on racing nights consisted of a couple of hot dog and hamburger stands. There were a lot of wagering windows open where tellers took racer's bets.
There were a lot of horses still racing in Cloverdale even though the purses weren't all that great. There were several large horse barns in the backstretch area plus a couple of smaller horse barns closer to the grandstand on the parking lot side.
That left 6 months of the year when there was no racing at Cloverdale. During the off season Standardbreds shipping over to Sandown Park on Vancouver Island or over to one of the tracks in Alberta. There was also a couple of weekends of racing in mid-September, the fair meet, which was in conjunction with the now defunct fall fair that used to be held at the Cloverdale fairgrounds.
The Cloverdale racetrack headed into the 90's with a waning popularity.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
More on the Cloverdale fairgrounds grandstand
With a couple of recent posts about the grandstand at the Cloverdale fairgrounds and how we enjoyed playing there as kids, I got to thinking about when that grandstand became fully enclosed.
When I was growing up, the grandstand was covered with a roof on top, but overwise open to the elements. After the Standardbred horse racing started in the mid-70's, the grandstand remained open for a few years, but eventually was partly enclosed, leaving part of the grandstand open to the elements and where the smokers had to sit.
But when was it entirely enclosed? I really don't know for sure, but my guess is around 20 years ago. So say somewhere in the late 80's to early 90's.
I started thinking about that because of the recent updates on the news about the Olympic torch making its way around British Columbia. Back in early 1988 or maybe it was late 1987, another Olympic torch was making its way around BC on its way to the winter Olympics in Calgary. My mother was quite excited about it and was planning to go to the fairgrounds for a torch event while it passed through town. It didn't interest me, but I happened to be shopping at Willowbrook Mall a day or two beforehand, and some volunteers were selling candles with a handle to make it look like a torch, proceeds going to some Olympic event. The idea was that you'd be able to light your candle with the flame from the Olympic torch. They were $2 apiece so I bought one and gave it to Mother to take to the Cloverdale fairgrounds for the festivities.
So this is the only evidence I have that the grandstand was still not fully enclosed because Mother was outside while the Olympic torch came into the track area in front of the grandstand. Many in the crowd had the same candles that I'd bought for Mother and some were able to be lit from the torch. From there everyone in the grandstand passed the flame along from candle to candle until they were all lit. There's no way that would have happened if they'd been inside the enclosed section of the grandstand.
As for a repeat performance at the Cloverdale fairgrounds this year, I don't see it listed on the Olympic torch's route. The torch will be going through Cloverdale on Monday February 8, running along Highway 10 at approximately 2:30 in the afternoon and is supposed to stop briefly at the Surrey Museum.
When I was growing up, the grandstand was covered with a roof on top, but overwise open to the elements. After the Standardbred horse racing started in the mid-70's, the grandstand remained open for a few years, but eventually was partly enclosed, leaving part of the grandstand open to the elements and where the smokers had to sit.
But when was it entirely enclosed? I really don't know for sure, but my guess is around 20 years ago. So say somewhere in the late 80's to early 90's.
I started thinking about that because of the recent updates on the news about the Olympic torch making its way around British Columbia. Back in early 1988 or maybe it was late 1987, another Olympic torch was making its way around BC on its way to the winter Olympics in Calgary. My mother was quite excited about it and was planning to go to the fairgrounds for a torch event while it passed through town. It didn't interest me, but I happened to be shopping at Willowbrook Mall a day or two beforehand, and some volunteers were selling candles with a handle to make it look like a torch, proceeds going to some Olympic event. The idea was that you'd be able to light your candle with the flame from the Olympic torch. They were $2 apiece so I bought one and gave it to Mother to take to the Cloverdale fairgrounds for the festivities.
So this is the only evidence I have that the grandstand was still not fully enclosed because Mother was outside while the Olympic torch came into the track area in front of the grandstand. Many in the crowd had the same candles that I'd bought for Mother and some were able to be lit from the torch. From there everyone in the grandstand passed the flame along from candle to candle until they were all lit. There's no way that would have happened if they'd been inside the enclosed section of the grandstand.
As for a repeat performance at the Cloverdale fairgrounds this year, I don't see it listed on the Olympic torch's route. The torch will be going through Cloverdale on Monday February 8, running along Highway 10 at approximately 2:30 in the afternoon and is supposed to stop briefly at the Surrey Museum.
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