Friday, Jan. 20
HOME STRETCH
The Coquitlam Express have had a rough go lately — a series of injuries have sidelined several players — but last week they posted a pair of morale-boosting wins. Cheer them on to more wins as the Express kick off a two-week stretch of home ice games, starting with the Langley Rivermen tonight at 7 p.m. (Buy a beer and hotdog and help raise funds for KidSport.) They’re back at the Poirier Sport & Leisure Complex Saturday night to face off against the Trail Smoke Eaters, along with an appearance by local Olympic athletes. Visit www.coquitlamexpress.ca for more information.
LOOKING
Stage 43 goes looking, and in the process puts on a heartwarming and humorous show about friendship, love and the joy of the unexpected. Canadian playwright Norm Foster penned the tale of singles Val, Andy, Nina and Matt, all middle-aged and looking for romance; when two agree to a blind date, the others are roped in for moral support and romance and contagious laughter result. The show runs at the Evergreen Cultural Centre tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m. Tickets are $22/$18/$15 (bundle of 10 or more) at www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca or 604-927-6555.
Saturday, Jan. 21
BANNER PAINTING
Local artists and Port Moody residents will be hard at work this weekend turning giant canvases into brightly coloured street banners that will go up this spring. Drop by the city hall Galleria from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today and tomorrow to see them in action; the completed banners will be on display from Jan. 23 to Feb. 1.
LIGHTS OUT
Did you know there are more than 100,000 lights crafted into amazing displays around Coquitlam’s Lafarge Lake at Town Centre Park? It’s an incredible sight, and this is the last weekend to check it out; tonight, the Coquitlam Heritage Society will be on hand to show off some local artifacts and host a craft-making session from 6 to 8 p.m. The free display goes dark after Sunday evening’s final show, so be sure to get out for a twinkling stroll around the lake.
Sunday, Jan. 22
CASK FESTIVAL
If you like good beer, the Tri-Cities Cask Festival Pro-Am will be a slice of heaven from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. More than 10 amateur brew clubs and two dozen craft breweries will be showcasing the best of their small-batch success at the Executive Plaza Hotel in Coquitlam. Tickets get you a souvenir tasting glass, 10 tokens for tastings, a custom burger and poutine and entry into many door prizes. Visit tricitiescaskfestival.com for full details.
FAMILY DAY
Gather the gang for an afternoon of creativity at Place des Arts from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tour the three new exhibits, then channel all that inspiration for Notes in Painting, a chance to paint to the sounds of live music performed by piano teacher Barry Tan at 2 and 2:30 p.m. Additional activities include making Rorschach blots using ink and paper (inspired by Bob Leier’s photography), designing a faux stained-glass window (similar to the Hfour exhibit) and using bottle caps and paint to make mini snowmen. Call 604-664-1636 to reserve a spot.
TALENT IN SPADES
See the work of exceptional young artists in the Emerging Talent exhibit opening this weekend at the Evergreen Cultural Centre. Curators have carefully chosen 70 pieces of art by graduating students in School District 43 for the 20th annual mixed-media show, with ceramics, paintings and multimedia works on display. The opening reception is today from 2 to 5 p.m. (opening remarks at 2:30 p.m. and a dance performance with the Telus Youth Mentor Project is at 4:30 p.m.) and the show closes Feb. 19, when the People’s Choice winner is announced. Visit www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca for more info.
