This holiday weekend, it's all about celebrating your history with Canada Day and the Golden Spike Days Festival. So get outside and see all that the Tri-Cities has to offer.
TODAY: Friday, July 1
GOLDEN SPIKE DAYS
All weekend long! The Golden Spike Days festival commemorates the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway line and its arrival at Port Moody in the late 1880s. This year is the 35th annual Golden Spike celebration with events at Port Moody's Rocky Point Park from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday expected to draw upwards of 30,000 visitors. Activities include panning for gold, bouncy castles, a petting zoo, craft-making, bike stunt shows, food and beverage vendors and boat tours of the inlet. Entertainment includes classic rock band, Prism, as well as Sweeney Todd and Dustin Bentall. Several local bands, musicians and dancers will also perform throughout the festival. For more information, visit goldenspike.ca.
ALL ABOARD FOR FUN
The Port Moody Station Museum hosts a free party to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the arrival of the first trans-Canada passenger train to Port Moody. Model trains, Morse telegraphs and costumed heritage actors will all be on site from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Port Moody Station Museum (2734 Murray Street). Plenty of other rail-themed family-friendly activities are planned including the Golden Spike scavenger hunt. For more information, contact the museum at 604-939-1648 or [email protected].
BURN FUND BBQ
Support the BC Burn Fund and celebrate Canada Day while enjoying a salmon barbecue with the Port Coquitlam firefighters from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Castle Park (2252 Castle Cres., Port Coquitlam). After the barbecue there will be a fireworks display set off by the fire fighters starting at dusk. All money raised from the barbecue will be donated to the BC Professional Firefighters Burn Fund, to provide life-enriching services to burn survivors in the province. For the early birds, Canada Day celebrations will begin in Castle Park at noon with children's activities, a community talent show and musical acts. A free shuttle bus iw;; run between Castle Park and the West Coast Express parking lot on Kingsway Avenue every half-hour from 11:30 a.m. to midnight.
COQUITLAM CELEBRATES
Join your neighbours in a Canada Day celebration at Lafarge Lake and the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam). From noon to 11 p.m. there will be festivities, food and entertainment outside and in the Evergreen theatre, topped off with a fireworks display at 10:30 p.m. Admission to everything is free and a bicycle valet will be provided by Cap's Westwood Cycle. For more information, visit coquitlam.ca.
Saturday, July 2
ANIMAL ART
Artists Raymond Chiu and Silvina Lanusse explore the human-animal connection through their paintings on display starting today at Leigh Square Community Arts Village (1100-2253 Leigh Square Pl., Port Coquitlam). As always, the exhibition is free to check out, with hours today from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Leigh Sqaure at 604-927-8400.
Sunday, July 3
SPIKE RUN
The Golden Spike Days Inlet Run is a 5 km and 10 km run or walk leaving at 9 a.m. from Port Moody city hall (100 Newport Drive). Registration is required to participate and can be done either online at events.runningroom.com or at 8 a.m. at Port Moody city hall. Cost to participate in either the 5-km or 10-km event is $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and youths and all participants will receive food, water and a medal after the race. All proceeds will go to the Golden Spike Days Society.
FARM MARKET
Every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Coquitlam Farmers Market is on in the parking lot of the Dogwood Pavilion (624 Poirier St., Coquitlam). Crafts, goodies, local produce and beverages are available all morning. For more information, visit makebakegrow.com.
CREATIVE CAFE
Minnekhada Lodge is hosting a Creative Cafe open house and art workshops from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Minnekhada Park (4455 Oliver Rd., Coquitlam). This by-donation all ages event will teach attendees about experimental textile painting and showcase some of the works already created for the Minnekhada Art in the Park Festival on Aug. 6 and 7. For more information, contact Minnekhada Lodge at 604-432-6352.
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