Well, New West, hard as it may be to believe, May starts tomorrow.
What with all those April showers, we should be enjoying some glorious flowers this month. Along with that, we're also seeing community events coming to life, Royal City Musical Theatre returning to the stage and an abundance of art exhibitions around town — plus the perhaps less exciting but nonetheless critical School District 40 budget discussions.
Some highlights:
For weather watchers: More spring weather ahead
This is being written in advance, so hopefully we did indeed have the Saturday that we hoped for, with hot and sunny weather. Unfortunately, it looks like the week won't start off that way, since the Weather Network is calling for tomorrow to be cloudy with showers and a high of just 16 C. But we should see mainly sunny skies and higher temperatures after that, with Tuesday projected to hit a high of 22 C (feels like 24 C). Bring it on!
For everyone: Community events
- New West Farmers Market: Don't miss the regular Thursday market from 3 to 7 p.m. in Tipperary Park, next to city hall. You can find produce, prepared foods, food trucks, artisans, live music and more — get the vendor list and details at the New West Farmers Market website.
- Red Dress Day: Honour the memory and lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people on Friday, May 5. Spirit of the Children Society and the City of New Westminster invite the community to join in a ceremony at Hyack Square at 3 p.m., and you can find community displays around the city. Check out the city's Red Dress Day information.
- Community garage sale: Yes, it's the 18th annual Massey Victory Heights garage sale on Saturday, May 6 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Get a list of participating addresses at the Massey Victory Heights neighbourhood website.
For performance lovers: Music and theatre
- Crazy For You: Royal City Musical Theatre continues its run of the long-awaited, much-anticipated musical, packed full of Gershwin tunes and all kinds of talent. You can get a sneak peek in this interview with star Todd Talbot, or just go right ahead and book your tickets online.
- Huu Bac Quintet: Composer and multi-instrumentalist Huu Bac Quach founded his quintet in Montreal, combining his Vietnamese and Chinese heritages with jazz music. You can hear the dialogue between Asian, North and South American cultures in this concert at the Anvil Theatre, Saturday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $35 to $45, plus service charges; buy online.
For art lovers: Take your pick of gallery exhibitions
- Gallery at Queen's Park: Catch Romance and Roses, a new exhibition of work by Marney-Rose Edge, running May 3 to 28 at the Arts Council of New Westminster gallery in Centennial Lodge. The gallery is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's free, but donations are always accepted. You can find all the details at the gallery website.
- The Eternal Dance: Artists Clarissa Banos and Dan Santa Cruz Siglos "explore the space between the sun, the moon and the stars in the universe, and its vital role in the creation of life," as a gallery write-up says. They're showing their work in an exhibition at the Anvil Centre's Community Art Gallery, running until May 24. Stop in to the gallery on the third floor at Anvil Centre (777 Columbia St.) to check it out. It's free and open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
- Plaskett Gallery: Stop in to the gallery at Massey Theatre (735 Eighth Ave.) for A Mysterious Attraction, featuring work by Pierre Leichner, Edzy Edzed and Bill Westwell. It runs until May 9 in the Plaskett and North Wing galleries.
For city hall watchers: No council meeting Monday
It's a quiet week for city council watchers; there's no regular meeting scheduled for Monday. There's a meeting of the sustainable transportation task force at 9 a.m. in Meeting Room G in city hall, but otherwise, you'll be waiting until Monday, May 8 for the full menu of meetings. You can find all the meeting details, agenda and information about attending at the City of New Westminster website.
For school board watchers: Board meeting Tuesday
It's a big week for the education watchers, with regular committee meetings on Tuesday, May 2. Education committee meets in person at New Westminster Secondary School starting at 3:30 p.m., and the operations committee meets at 7 p.m. at the school board office (811 Ontario St.) and via Zoom. The big item on the agenda will be the superintendent's budget recommendations for 2023-24, where we'll get a preview of what direction the district is taking for the new year. You can attend in person at the board office (811 Ontario St.) or online via Zoom. You can find links and agenda packages at the SD40 website.
Got a New Westminster happening you'd like to share? Email Julie MacLellan.
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