Once again, music will fill the streets of New Westminster with a line-up of lower mainland indie bands of various stylistic stripes courtesy of Uptown Live. The event will also feature food carts, and family events for everyone’s enjoyment, starting at 1:00 on Saturday May 25th after the Key West Ford Hyack International Parade.

A pilot project by Royal City Writers pairs volunteer writers with residents of Cliff Block’s transitional housing. Over the course of eight weeks, volunteers are conversing with residents, recording their words, and putting their stories into print. The project was built on the idea that storytelling forges powerful connections within communities, and our intention is to give voice to those stories that might otherwise go untold.

There is deep love and long standing commitment for community theatre in New Westminster. The Vagabond Players, formed in 1937 and the longest-running community theatre group in BC, have continued to present engaging productions over years in the Bernie Legge Theatre, a cozy playhouse nestled in Queens Park. Operated completely by volunteers, the Vagabond Players present four or five productions each season and you are just in time to catch their next show, Dear Santa, by Norm Foster.

Did you know that New Westminster hosts an annual documentary film festival? The second annual New West DocFest is coming up this weekend, October 19 & 20, at Douglas College’s Laura C. Muir Theatre.

New West is in the midst of a civic renaissance of sorts. After years of slow growth, the city is adding a more diverse and interesting culinary component to its reputation as an affordable city with great quality of life, good transportation, loads of amenities and a strong sense of community. While the depth of offerings is still developing, people are now moving to, coming to and staying in New West because of its food offering. What would the impact be if New West added a dynamic public art component to its urban fabric – reclaiming vacant spaces and knitting a sense of surprise into our public spaces?

Nothing says summer like movies al fresco, plus the price (free!) can’t be beat. Lots of different groups will be hosting outdoor movie screenings in New Westminster this summer. Here’s a list!

River Market will step back in time to reinvent a Royal Columbian Hospital tradition: the Country Fair fundraiser. From 1943 to 1969 RCH volunteers invited residents to the “Come One, Come All to Country Fair” held at the City Market in New Westminster. During this year’s Canada Day long weekend, River Market will host an updated version of the Country Fair in a four-day fundraising extravaganza celebrating RCH’s history and contribution to New Westminster.

We’re set to have music in the streets of our city with Uptown Live, an event to take place on multiple stages in uptown New Westminster on May 26, from 12PM to 5PM.

Early music fans — no, scratch that — all music fans have a great chance to hear some beautiful ballads this weekend in New Westminster. Nancy Rahn, music director of the Lyric Singers, invites those with adventurous ears to join her all-female chamber choir for Madrigalia, a night of Italian, French and English ballads in the intimate confines of the Royal City’s Holy Trinity Church. Besides the accomplished vocals of the Lyric Singers, listeners will be treated to some rare musical accompaniment.
“We’ve got a recorder consort playing replicas of Renaissance …

The Naramata area is on my to-do list of getaway weekends. I’ve not been there as an adult, but the reviews my fellow wine-loving friends bring back tell me I’m totally missing out.
From Discover Naramata: “founded in 1907 as a prime agricultural area, Naramata was also known in its early years as a cultural centre. People from across the Okanagan would arrive by boat for concerts, plays, operas and regattas. Paddlewheelers regularly stopped at the local wharf carrying freight and passengers up and down Okanagan Lake. In 1914, Naramata received …

This exciting poetry event is part of Lit Fest New West, an event created to celebrate the literary arts in our community. There are a lot of parts to Lit Fest New West, including workshops, readings, and a mixed media exhibition of works inspired by words at the Arts Council Gallery in Queen’s Park. Check out the Arts Council website for a complete itinerary.
I think most of us remember the opening of the 2010 Olympics and Shane Koyczan’s We Are More:

Although this wasn’t my first experience with a poetry slam, this …

New Westminster author Colleen Cross is hosting a book launch event for her debut novel on Friday, February 27 from 6-9pm at the Heritage Grill (back room). I recently sat down with New Westminster author Colleen Cross to chat about Exit Strategy, Book #1 in the Katerina Carter suspense series.

Christmas music is at the top of many minds, given that seasonal favourites seem to follow us wherever we go – work, school, the mall, and on and on. So, what I thought I’d do is list of some favourite Christmas anthems that, perhaps, you’ve never heard (or haven’t heard quite as often), as opposed to the ones you’re tired of.

The day Shelley Rothenberger came to sketch my portrait, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Like most of the subjects of the New West Artists Perfect Strangers show, I had never sat for a painter before. I was one of 25 New Westminster citizens, chosen to represent a broad cross-section of people, including the mayor, a local historian, and a barista. Each subject was randomly paired with a member of New West Artists, an upstart artist-run group supporting both career artists and emerging talent.

British Columbia tot pop stars Bobs & Lolo are coming to New Westminster for a free concert to kick off Royal City Centre’s Christmas activities this year.

New Westminster author and nominee for the Governor General’s Literary Award JJ Lee will talk about his new book The Measure of a Man at the New Westminster Public Library on Thursday, December 1 at 7 pm.

Halloween is just around the corner, so here’s a handy dandy list of events for everyone (and we do mean everyone) in the family. The pets in your life will be snout over tail for the Petrifying Pooch Parade, the horror fan will scream with joy for the Haunted Hall and you can even get a chance to PUMP yourself up with a Halloween workout!

Local author JJ Lee’s new book, “Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit” is so much more than its title suggests.

Movies capture our imaginations, and take us to another world. But, sometimes that world can look strangely familiar, especially living here in New Westminster: A myriad of films and TV series have been filmed here in New West.

On October 21 and 22, New Westminster will be the place to be for documentary film, with the launch of the first annual New West Doc Fest at Douglas College. A fundraiser to help with the cost of running this festival is coming up on September 28th at Heritage Grill.

If you are an avid reader like me, then you might be on the look out for a Book Club to join. I love the two book clubs that I belong to. They challenge me to read books I would have never have read before, ever. If you are interested there are a few book clubs around town.

Today’s topic is suggested by my neighbour Sloane, who emailed this suggestion: I had an idea for the next New West Wed: Summer Festivals! Which one is your favourite and why. I know there are ads in the newspaper and stuff but I always feel like I miss the smaller ones. And maybe someone might have a reason that would convince me to try others?

In New West, we certainly know how to celebrate! This year there are two days of Easter fun! There is, of course, the annual Antique Car and Easter Parade on Sunday, but with the re-opening of the River Market this year, there are now festivities on Saturday for everyone to enjoy, especially if family lunches and dinners take you out of the action in Queen’s Park on Sunday.

I must admit that I only vaguely recall hearing about Lit Fest New West before.  When I saw that the 3rd annual event is coming up on Friday, April 15th and Saturday, April 16th I was a little embarrassed that I hadn’t attended previously.  Being an avid reader, sometimes writer, and long time New West resident it seems like the kind of thing that should have been on my radar!
So, reading the blurb on the Arts Council website I immediately added it into my iPhone calendar so as not to miss this …

Bloom Art Studio at River Market is a safe place for kids to get messy – without driving parents crazy. At home, I like to craft with the kids, but I’m always a little leery of anything truly messy. It’s fun, but I always worry about the cleanup. In a space like Bloom, the kids are free to play with colour and form in a space that’s designed to handle mess.