Lower Mainland Events

Parks Canada Turns 100

Posted by cassandra on

Parks Canada’s 100th birthday party transforms downtown Vancouver into a portal to Canada’s protected places

Celebrations include artist K’naan and Olympic Gold Medalist Maelle Ricker

On Parks Day, July 16th, Parks Canada will be celebrating its 100th birthday with a major event at Brockton Point in Stanley Park, including a free evening concert with rap artist K’naan, and family activities throughout the afternoon designed to give urbanites a taste of Canada’s wilderness and heritage.

With an increasing number of Canadians living in urban centres, fewer Canadians are in touch with their national parks and historic sites. The downtown celebration is an opportunity for more Vancouverites to experience Canada’s incredible protected places and hone outdoor skills like camping, hiking, surfing and climbing without leaving the city.

The celebrations will kick off at noon with free family activities delivered in partnership with BC Parks, also celebrating their 100th birthday this year. Vancouverites can drop by the Parks Canada Visitor Centre, meet historic characters and park rangers, play in the Kids Zone with mascots Parka the Beaver and Gerry the Moose, meet Olympic Gold Medalist and park enthusiast Maelle Ricker, sing and dance with Beaver Tales Theatre, and enjoy free birthday cake.

At 4pm, the celebrations will take a musical turn, with a free concert featuring Saskatoon’s rock band, the Sheepdogs, Virgin Radio’s “Best of BC” artist Kate Morgan, and Juno-award winning rap artist K’naan.

The celebrations will coincide with similar Parks Day celebrations across Canada, including major events in Toronto and Montreal.

Established in 1911, Parks Canada is the world’s oldest national park system. Today, Parks Canada manages 167 national historic sites including Fort Langley National Historic Site, 42 national parks including Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, and 4 national marine conservation areas. It is one of the most extensive networks of protected national heritage places in the world.

For more information visit www.parkscanada.gc.ca/vancouver

Parks Day 2011

Schedules

Main Stage: 12 noon – 8:30 pm

12:00 – 12:45 pm Brass Quintet
1:00 – 1:45 pm Opening Ceremony with special guest Maelle Ricker (in collaboration with BC Parks)
1:40 – 2:00 pm Brass Quintet – Birthday song
2:15 – 2:30 pm Mascots: Parka the Beaver (Parks Canada), Jerry the Moose (BC Parks), Bee-Bop the Beluga (Vancouver Aquarium)
2:30 – 3:00 pm Beaver Tales Theatre
4:00 – 8:30 pm Concert

Amphitheatre: 12 noon – 4 pm

12:00 – 12:20 pm Performance by the Musqueam Nation
12:25 – 12:55 pm Beaver Tales Theatre
1:45 – 2:45 pm FREE Centennial Cake
2:00 – 2:20 pm Performance by the Squamish Nation
2:30 – 2:45 pm Performance by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation
3:00 – 3:15 pm Mascots: Parka the Beaver (Parks Canada), Jerry the Moose (BC Parks), Bee-Bop the Beluga (Vancouver Aquarium)
3:30 – 4:00 pm Nuu-chah-nulth story telling

Ongoing Program Description

Welcome Centre

  • Plan your family’s summer holiday to any of Canada’s treasured places—our country’s national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas—, watch inspirational HD footage, and capture your Parks Day moment at our photo booth.
  • Parks Canada experts will offer you the most up-to-date travel information, the hottest Parks Canada memorabilia, and Parks Day’s event schedule.

Parks Canada Zone

  • Check out a replica picturesque of Fisgard Lighthouse, the first lighthouse on the west coast. Head back into Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site’s history to discover its past and try on some military costumes.
  • Discover the vibrant history of fishing on the west coast of Canada with the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site! Hear stories from the coast, check out fishing artifacts and make some Cannery crafts.
  • Explore some of the Prairies’ finest places from your own backyard.  Learn about dark sky preserves, Metis culture, become a new recruit for the North West Mounted Police, and put yourself in a prisoner’s shoes!
  • Discover BC’s incredible history! Fort Langley National Historic Site, the birthplace of BC, will share bucket-making demonstrations, and the lifestyles and costumes of early traders.
  • Explore the lives of orcas and other marine mammals living in the Salish Sea. Build a whale, discover the jewels of Gulf Islands and try geocaching from Gulf Islands National Park Reserve staff.
  • See a sea urchin up-close, learn about the history of First Nations on Vancouver Island’s west coast, and connect with the wild carnivores of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
  • This part of the zone is so hot it’s on fire! Meet Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks fire experts to find out about the important role that fire plays in natural areas of BC’s interior, and try your hand at lifting fire-fighting gear. Learn about the bizarre fossils found in Yoho National Park’s Burgess Shale.
  • Weave together the past and present and make your own cedar bracelets under the expert instruction of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve staff.
  • Learn about some of the rare and endangered plants and animals found in BC. Try a Species at Risk scavenger hunt, make a Great Blue Heron hat, see real specimens, and connect with species at risk biologists.

Learn To Zone

  • What are the “dos and don’ts” of camping? What is a fly, anyway? Then Learn to Camp and find out how to set-up your campsite, including pitching a tent, to maximize your camping experience.
  • Get vertical and Learn to Climb! Try your hand at rock climbing under the instruction and supervision of trained experts at the portable Parks Day climbing wall.
  • Combine cool technology with some sleuthing skills, and you have Learn to Geocache where the basics of using a GPS unit will lead you to a secret cache at Brockton Point.
  • Planning a day hike or backpacking adventure but don’t know where to start?  Join one of Parks Canada’s interpreters and Learn to Hike, with essential skills and tips on what to pack to make your hiking trip safe and enjoyable.
  • Get to know the marine trails of Coastal BC! Learn to Kayak sessions will introduce you to kayaking equipment and safety precautions to navigate our coastal waters, along with the next steps to get out on the water.
  • Surf’s up at Brockton Point! Learn to Surf on dryland and “fetch” some surfing basics, including lingo, skills, ocean safety and etiquette.
  • Go Fish! Learn to Fish, identify different freshwater fish, and cast a line.
  • How do you seek cover at a campsite in torrential rain? BC Parks experts will teach you with Learn to Set-up a Tarp basics.
  • Whose footprint is that? Try your hand at identifying the tracks and trails of different animals found around BC with Learn to ID Tracks and Trails.
  • Stay safe in bear country! Learn to Be Bear Aware will teach you how to prevent a bear encounter and prepare you with what to do if you see one.

BC Parks Zone

  • Check out a BC Parks campsite and provincial parks in BC.

Papiyek House

  • Join ambassadors and artisans from the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations as they share their art and culture.

Kids Zone

  • Make a one-of-a kind, west coast art to take home using rubber fish, sea stars, and actual cedar boughs from Vancouver Island with Fish and Plant Printing.

  • Get outside and fly free with Kite-Making! Decorate your own kite that you can use the next time you go to a park to play.

  • Explore some of BC’s national parks and national historic sites right in Stanley Park with our Obstacle Courses.  Hike the West Coast Trail, Island Hop in the Gulf Island National Park Reserve, sort fish for the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site, Barrel Roll for Fort Langley National Historic Site, and get the chance to help save a special Species At Risk. 

  • Plus colouring, free tattoos, and maybe a Mascot or two will drop by and say hi!

Photo Stations

  • Can’t get to our special places? Then let us bring them to your doorstep with our Photo Stations. Take a souvenir snapshot in front of some of our national treasures, including Banff National Park, Fort Anne National Historic Site—Canada’s oldest national historic site, and more and Fathom Five National Marine Park.