Every May the Queen’s Park area of New Westminster residents host a community garage sale and it’s one of the events that I really look forward to, but it’s probably not for the reasons you’d think.

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In New West, hanging baskets are a traditional Mother’s Day present. After all, why buy a bouquet when you can give flowers that will last all season long? Once again, the Kiwanis Club of New Westminster will be holding their annual hanging basket sale on the day before Mother’s Day (Saturday, May 11) from 10am – 3pm in the parking lot of the Terminal Pub. This year, there will also be cherry tomatoes for sale – and a contest to see who can get the best yield from their cherry tomato plant.

Amid rainshowers and spring flowers, I’m starting to see orange election signs sprouting in my neighbourhood, with shades of red, blue, green (and more) soon to follow I’m sure. Yes, it’s election time again in B.C. and New Westminster candidates will soon be stepping up their door-knocking, robocalling and energetic presence at local events. For our part, we are collaborating with New Westminster Environmental Partners and NEXT New West to organize a unique event for voters: an All-Candidates Jane’s Walk starting at 5:30pm on May 4.

This Saturday, April 13, River Market is hosting “Spring Cleaning for the Mind, Body & Soul,” a health & wellness fair featuring New Westminster businesses and organizations.

New West has a thriving culture of entrepreneurship, but I haven’t seen it celebrated and encouraged as much as I’d like. Hopefully that’s about to change. On Tuesday, March 26, Jen and I are hosting LAUNCH! New Westminster, a free, informal mixer for local business owners and ‘someday’ entrepreneurs to network with each other, learn more about City and Provincial initiatives to support small businesses, and share their thoughts and ideas on the subject.

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.

Over the weekend I attended two sold-out events that are potentially significant bellwethers for the future of our town. The first, a $175-a-plate business and networking luncheon, was a clear signal that New Westminster is open for business. The second, a $30-per-ticket gala celebrating young entrepreneurs and community organizers, showed that the next generation of leaders are already making an impact on this city.

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.

This weekend is a hugely busy weekend in the Royal City – there is so much to do! And we’ve had such great weather that it is a perfect time to get out and about. Here are our top three picks for Saturday family activities.

The Network Hub at River Market is hosting the 3rd Annual Freelancer Unconference this Saturday September 15. And we have two tickets to giveaway!

The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is taking place in New Westminster Sunday, September 23rd. Take part!

Join the Massey Victory Heights Residents’ Association on Sunday September 9 at the Westburnco Reservoir Park on Churchill Avenue from 1-4 for a Annual Family Picnic. BYO-Blanket and picnic, or enjoy free hot dogs. Watch a show: The New Westminster Police Department’s K9 Unit will be putting on a demonstration, and there will be a martial arts demonstration too! For the kids, check out Bell E Buttons balloon clown, the bouncy castle, and races! Check out info from New Westminster Fire Deparment, the Arts COuncil, and the Hyack Festival Association.
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13th Annual Doggy Fun Days coming up August 26 12-3pm

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!

New at this year’s Key West Ford Show & Shine on Sunday, July 8: food truck favourites Japadog, Re-Up BBQ and Chronic Tacos, mini spa services from West Coast College of Massage Therapy, and a pet lounge for dogs.

Opinion polling in New Westminster is pretty clear: New Westminster does not want a six-lane replacement to the Pattullo Bridge. TransLink’s public consultation in our community, however, has assumed six lanes as a given. Clearly, New West and TransLink are not seeing eye to eye. New Westminsterites concerned about air quality, livability, pedestrian safety and environmental impacts of increasing traffic through our already congested city have organized a rally for the whole family in response to TransLink’s Pattullo Bridge Open House at Sapperton Pensioner’s Hall this Saturday, June 23.

Despite Junuary’s gloomy skies, summer is here, and festival season is underway. Over the next few months, it’s party time in New Westminster, with outdoor events in every neighbourhood in the city. One event that is very close to my heart is the West End’s big neighbourhood party, Summerfest In Grimston Park. The third annual Summerfest celebration will be held on Saturday, July 14 from 2pm-midnight.

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.

This Saturday, June 16, the new Westminster Pier Park will open with a celebration from 11 am to 3 pm. There will be lots of fun, family-friendly activities, food and live music. The upcoming event makes me marvel at how lucky we are in New Westminster when it comes to outdoor play areas. The new Pier Park will feature two playgrounds, a concession, washrooms and playing fields, all in a beautiful waterfront setting. But it’s just the latest addition to many fantastic playgrounds around the city.

Photo by Dennis Sylvester Hurd.
The long awaited Westminster Pier Park opens Saturday June 16 with festivities from 11-3.

Boardgame geeks are a special group of people. They’re incredibly diverse but they all share a passion for sitting around a table and trying out the latest releases a group member has brought back from a gaming expo. And once a year they get together in New Westminster to game, socialize, and raise money for Team Diabetes members who are fundraising for either a full or half marathon.

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 …

In my ignorant pre-gardening days, I extended my politically correct Canadian sensitivity training to the world of flora and fauna. I admired the spunk of dandelions growing in the crack between the sidewalk and the curb, the beauty of the morning glories twining in the hedge and the hardiness of blackberry bushes crowding parked cars in the back lane. I felt guilty pulling weeds. After all, didn’t they have just as much right to life as any other plant?