“Why does the media only report the bad news?”
If you’ve ever asked that question, you’re not alone. We hear it regularly — and that’s one of the reasons why we’ve decided to run a monthly roundup of New Westminster good-news stories at the end of each month.
Sometimes, what with all the talk about crime and crisis, the feel-good tales can fly under the radar.
So here, for your weekend reading pleasure, are 10 stories you might have missed in April that will go some way to assuring you that, indeed, there are good-news stories being told in our community.
1. What’s that? New Westminster’s favourite chocolate shop is expanding into new premises and teaming up with a chocolate-maker to offer a chocolate kitchen? Check out the latest from Peter Jorgensen and Katey Wright at Origins Chocolate Bar.
2. Two words: Puppy. Yoga. Yes, you can now bend, stretch and cuddle in the company of canines. Check out what Sea2Sky Wellness Club and Wonderpup Academy are up to.
3. Hey, what about the cats? Not to worry, we have a two-for-one deal on cat stories this month. One is the return of BenBen, the Saddest Cat on the Internet, as he celebrated his adoptaversary at Bosley’s. The other featured Groove Cat Books & Records, marking Independent Bookstore Day and holding a fundraiser for the New West animal shelter — under the watchful eye of Luna the shop kitty.
4. Lacrosse and lager — it’s got to be the quintessential New Westminster collab as the Salmonbellies Senior A Lacrosse Club team up with Steel & Oak Brewing Co. on a partnership of “municipal significance.”
5. Shall we dance? Musical theatre fans in New West are singing their way to Massey Theatre for the opening of Royal City Musical Theatre’s Crazy For You — which opened April 27 after a three-year COVID delay. Catch our interview with star Todd Talbot (and get your tickets already!).
6. Australian cappuccino and home-baked treats? Yes, please. For all you coffee-lovers out there, we took a peek inside the newly opened Delicia Café and Bakery and talked to operators Kasra (Kevin) Sharifi and Mehrnaz Pakbonyan.
7. It’s been a Royal City tradition for more than 60 years, and it returned in style this month with the first live gala in three years. We speak, of course, of the Hyack Ambassador gala and the Miss New Westminster title, which was bestowed upon Jadyn Gibson for 2023.
8. A new art installation at Anvil Centre is shining a spotlight on untold stories from New Westminster’s history. Check out this interview with artist and photographer Rebecca Bair on her journey through the archives looking for stories of Blackness in the city’s past.
9. They arrived from Ukraine a year ago, fleeing war in their homeland. Now they’ve found new lives — and new hope — right here in New West. Check out our interviews with photographer Olena Zaprii and with two hairstylists from Kyiv, Yuliia Shyshkina and Nataliia Udovyehenko.
10. Plant a Row-Grow a Row is back, and it’s kicking off the season with a garden party Sunday. Check out our interview with founder Claude LeDoux about the program that encourages gardeners to share their harvest with two local non-profit organizations.
💌 Got another good-news story to share? Drop us a line and let us know.
Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
Email Julie, [email protected]
