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.

My friends at Family Place sent me this note I thought I’d share:
New Westminster Family Place is pleased to announce that we are opening a new program at 1170 – 8th Avenue (corner of 8th Avenue and 12th Street, on the main floor of the building that has Sprott Shaw upstairs).
This program will run every Friday morning from 9:30 – 11:30 starting April 1st.   Join us for fun and games, circle time and wonderful crafts.  Meet your neighbours and make some new friends.  For information call 604 520-3666.

My memory of growing up around Lord Kelvin school and Moody Park area in the ’50s was mostly of unrestricted roaming and fun, with groups of boys and girls from the post-war baby boom filling the neighbourhood houses. Younger kids would move through the back lanes, neighbourhood streets, over back fences and through yards and the neighbourhood streets in packs, older kids in groups of 4 or in pairs. This was all without supervision of course, at any age, but there was a curfew for children in the 50s.

Jarrah Hodge checks out the 65 Red Roses Benefit concert featuring Dan Mangan, Hannah Georgas, David Vertesi, and The Zolas.

Almost a decade ago, youth in New Westminster said they wanted a dedicated space of their own. The city had programs and special spaces for children and seniors, but little for teens. Middle schoolers and high schoolers said they felt out of place in public but adult-oriented spaces. They needed a place they could just hang out.

We often hear that New Westminster is a small town, not just in size but in style. And that can be both good and bad. This week, in the Moody Park Youth Centre’s campaign to win a $25,000 grant in an online contest, there was a whole lot of good going around.

Hey New West: our teens need your help. And all you have to do is visit a webpage and click a button.
The new Youth Centre at Moody Park is *thisclose* to winning $25,000 in the Kraft Celebration Tour contest. Up against only one other project in B.C. the youth centre campaign needs your votes to win. In addition to the money, the winning project will also get a live TSN SportsCentre broadcast in the community.
Take a moment please, and vote online during the 24-hour period the contest is open (from …