The bells will be ringing (and ringing and ringing) at Queens Avenue United Church in celebration of a United Church milestone.
Rev. Gary Paterson, moderator of the United Church, has invited congregations to celebrate the 90th birthday of the United Church by ringing their church bells 90 times. Queens Avenue United Church is joining with other United churches across Canada and will be ringing its carillon 90 times on Wednesday, June 10 at 10:30 a.m.
Residents chip in for cleaner neighbourhood
Paul Backman greatly appreciates the efforts of community members who aim to keep the city clean.
Backman, who lives around McBride Boulevard, recently spotted Kevin and Beth Wooley out removing the sharp bramble bushes that have been growing over the sidewalk between Queen’s Park Care Centre and Sixth Avenue.
“While chatting with these two, a few others had stopped and shared they often had stopped by with small clippers in an effort to save folks from getting a poke in the eye, etc.,” he said in an email to the Record. “I would like to say thank you and, if possible, have a thanks sent out to the citizens of our city that are out looking after all of us other folks that haven’t gotten the clippers out. My eyes etc. appreciate the efforts.”
New West lacrosse players vie for NLL title
Some New West boys will be vying for bragging rights (and a title too) in the National Lacrosse League’s championships.
Matt MacGrotty and Brett Mydskey are part of the Edmonton Rush squad that defeated the Calgary Roughnecks on May 23 in the western division final at the Calgary Saddledome.
The Edmonton Rush will be taking on east division champions Toronto Rock in the NLL Champions Cup Finals series that got underway on Saturday, May 30 and continues on Friday, June 5 and then on Saturday, June 13, if necessary.
New West native Kevin Crowley is part of the Rock squad.
Hyack Festival awards parade participants
The Hyack Festival Association handed out some hardware to participants in the 44th annual Hyack International Parade.
Each year, the association hands out awards in a number of categories. Here are this year’s winners:
• Clubs and association: first place – Seymour Artillery Historical association, which was founded in 1866 in New Westminster and was named after the province’s governor.
• Commercial entry: first place – Re/Max Advantage Realty
• Community International: First place – Tacoma Daffodil Festival; second place - Leavenworth Autumn Leaf Festival; and third place – Olympia Capital Lakefair.
• Community local: First place – White Rock Sea Festival; second place – War Amps; and third place – Penticton Peach Festival.
• Best overall float: White Rock Sea Festival.
• Best humour float: Marysville, Washington. (Marysville Strawberry Festival.)
• Canadian high school band: first place – Burnaby North Vikings Marching Band; second place – New Westminster Secondary School band.
• U.S. high school band: first place – Roosevelt High School, Seattle.
• Local band winner: First Kwantlen First Nations.
• Best drill unit: first place – Officers of the Honourable Guard.
• Best community group: first place – Kathleen Carlsen Dancers.
• Mascot winner: first place – Vancouver Giants Hockey Club.
If you missed the parade, you can check out the NWSS band, which is performing its year-end concert at Massey Theatre on June 9 at 7 p.m.
New shoes needed for Royal Lancer
Dave Gifford will need to invest in a new pair of shoes before next year’s May Day community heritage picnic.
Gifford, a member of the Royal Lancers, wasn’t scheduled to dance at the May 24 event but filled in after another lancer was injured (not dancing) and couldn’t take part. As Gifford joined the Lancers in the dances with the May Queen suites, he experienced some technical difficulties with his footwear.
“His shoe sole also came unglued during the second dance, but he managed to complete all four sets with it flapping on every step – three-quarters hanging off,” reports Karen Baker MacGrotty, one of the event’s organizers. “Everyone was laughing and having fun afterwards. The May Queen suites found it so comical too.”
Kathy (Gifford) Glassie, the city’s 1975 May Queen and the event’s MC, said it’s time for her brother to go shoe shopping and replace his 20-year-old lancer’s shoes.
New West firefighters rescue duckling
A mama duck was recently reunited with her little one thanks to local firefighters.
New West firefighters are accustomed to fighting fires and extricating people from cars, but they performed an unusual rescue near the Glenbrook fire hall on the weekend when they retrieved a duck from a storm sewer that drains into a pond behind the hall.
“One of the guys got off the rig. They heard the mother duck making quite the commotion and then they heard a little peep in the sewer,” said Fire Chief Tim Armstrong, noting they found a ducking in the storm drain. “One of the guys got down in there and coaxed the little duck to come to the end of the pipe and they got him out and reunited him with his mother. It was a duck rescue.”
Genesis Society has new leader
Robert Chesterman has been named the new executive director of the Westcoast Genesis Society.
David Brown, president of the society’s board of directors, said Chesterman was hired for the role and took the helm on April 11. The society operates two transitional housing facilities in New Westminster, assists adult male offenders and chronically homeless men to reintegrate successfully into the community.
“Robert managed social housing for more than two decades in Toronto for a major government housing agency and for several years filled a senior management role for the agency with responsibility for nearly 6,000 social housing units,” said an announcement about his appointment.
Andrew Boyd, founder and executive director of the Genesis Society, died on Jan. 14. He established the non-profit society in 2000.
Save the date
Saturday, June 20: the Queensborough Childrens’ Festival will take place at the Queensborough Community Centre and Ryall Park. It will feature fun for the whole family, including interactive play, entertainment, craft stations, food and more. It takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Do you have an item for Around Town? Email Theresa at [email protected].
