Sandra Allison opted to help people in need with a little help from her friends for her recent birthday bash.
The longtime New Westminster resident rented a hall, hired the Beatles tribute band Ticket to Ride and invited family and friends to help her celebrate her 50th birthday in style. Instead of gifts, she asked that guests bring a donation for the New Westminster Food Bank.
“I was shocked at the end of the night when I saw all the food there,” she said. “It’s great that we have this (food bank) for people.”
For the amount of money Allison spent on the food, hall rental and entertainment for the party, she could easily gone on a vacation. She preferred to celebrate with her daughter, mother, siblings and family and friends.
“It’s a milestone. I wanted to share this with my family and friends,” she said. “A friend wanted to go on a cruise. I said, ‘I am going to have a big party.’”
Wedding at the wharf
Coun. Jaimie McEvoyand wife Stacy Ashton recently honeymooned in France after tying the knot at a location much closer to home.
The longtime residents got married on Sept. 2 at Westminster Pier Park.
“It went fabulously,” McEvoy said. “It was great. We had it on the finger pier. It’s a great spot for a small wedding. We didn’t want a big wedding – it was lifelong friends and family.”
Some critics of the Westminster Pier Park project have dubbed the park, Wayne’s Wharf, after Mayor Wayne Wright.
“I said it’s not Wayne’s Wharf anymore,” McEvoy joked, “it’s Wedding Wharf.”
The couple met 10 years ago while they were both working on Burnaby-New Westminster MP Peter Julian’s campaign.
“It was actually Stacy’s idea. She loves the park. It was really great,” said McEvoy of the wedding’s scenic location. “Right at the moment we completed our vows a fish jumped out of the water and made a little splash.”
‘Profoundly sad’ for Royal City
The Oct. 10 fire that destroyed two significant heritage buildings on Columbia Street left many people reflecting on memories of the buildings’ pasts.
And it was no different for Burnaby-New Westminster MP Peter Julian, who called the fire a “profoundly sad day” for New Westminster. Julian’s family has a special connection to the historic corner of the downtown that went up in flames.
“My father worked at the Copp’s Shoe Store and he had his eye on this young woman who worked at the Sally store across the street, and of course, that was my mother,” he told The Record.“Like many people in New Westminster, I have a very strong emotional tie to the Copp’s store – it means a lot to me and my family.”
Tickets selling for PechaKucha
Tickets are selling fast for the final PechaKucha New West night of 2013.
More than 300 people attended the summer event at Westminster Pier Park, but this month’s event returns to the more intimate surroundings of River Market. Organizers Neal and Melinda Michaelsay they’ve assembled another “outstanding group of presenters” who will make for a fun night of culture and entertainment on Friday, Oct. 25.
The fun gets underway with drinks, music and eats at 6:30 p.m., with presentations starting at 7:30 p.m.
River Market vendors Re-Up BBQ and Longtail Kitchen will be staying open late until the presentations start.
Tickets are $7.50 and are available via Eventbrite. For more information about the speakers and a link to the tickets go to www.pechakucha.org/cit
ies/new-westminster.
– with files from Don Hauka
Do you have an item for Around Town? Send ideas to Theresa, [email protected], or find her on Twitter, @TheresaMcManus.
