Tall Ships tickets selling briskly
Sales of the Richmond Tall Ships 2002 boarding passes have been better than expected, according to the chair of the event's coordinating committee.
Janice Podmore said it looks like the goal of selling half of the tickets prior to the event is achievable.
Only about 50,000 boarding passes will be available for the five-day Tall Ships festival, from Aug. 8 to 12.
But sales will be capped at some point prior to the event to ensure some are still available for tourists and visitors.
For those who want to rub elbows with local dignitaries, corporate heads and ship captains and crews, Podmore said 500 Admiral's Club tickets will soon be available.
Unlike the regular passes, which sell for $10 in advance, or $15 during the event, the Admiral's Club passes are $50 each. The special passes, which go on sale on June 7 (at Ticketmaster), entitle the holder to priority boarding and access to special VIP areas.
Podmore said the event aims to generate enough revenues to cover city costs and is thus far on target.
A merchandising program will begin in July, when sales will begin on Tall Ships T-shirts, vests, mugs and other souvenirs.
Local author featured in literary review
Richmond writer Zoe Landale is being featured in a special 30-year retrospective edition of Event, the literary magazine of Douglas College.
Her creative non-fiction piece, "Remembering Karen," is part of an issue celebrating the magazine's 30th anniversary.
Landale has published four books: one non-fiction, two poetry and a novel. Her work has been published in major Canadian literary magazines as well as in mass market magazines such as Reader's Digest and Chatelaine. Her work has appeared in several dozen anthologies in Canada and the U.S. and has won significant awards including a national magazine award.
A launch of the 30-year retrospective issue is being held 7-10 p.m. Friday at Simon Fraser University's downtown campus.
For more information, see www.douglas.bc.ca.
Church getting facelift
Trinity Lutheran Church (7100 Granville) is undergoing a major facelift.
Members broke ground May 12 on a $2 million project that will replace the offices, sunday school and meeting hall with a single 18,400-square-foot building.
The previous buildings were getting too old and more room was needed for programs. Work should be finished by Dec. 14.
The A-frame main church building will remain. When it was built in 1964, the building garnered international acclaim for its design. Photographs were shown in the Montreal Museum of Modern Art and also a scale model was shown Expo '67.
Car rally for research
Richmond Lions Club will be hosting their second annual Car Rally for Diabetes Research on June 2. Bring the family out to drive back roads you've never seen before.
This year's event starts at Garry Point park in Steveston. Registration starts at 9 a.m. and cars will start leaving the lot at 9:30.
Cost is $20 if pre-registered, $25 on the day of the event. For more information, see www.richmondlionsclub.org or phone Kevin Gillett at 604-341-2171
Multifest returns June 9
Multifest, the annual celebration of cultural diversity and intercultural harmony, will be back this year after a year's absence.
Presented by the East Richmond Community Association, this year's event takes pace at King George Park (No. 5 Road and Cambie) from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 9.
The attractions will include multicultural entertainment, foods from various ethnic groups, displays, children's games and activities and much more.
For more festival information, call Rob 604-233-8399 or send an e-mail to
ryoneda@city.richmond.bc.ca.
Organizers are also on the lookout for volunteers. To help out, call 604-233-8399 or 604-233-8399.
Takes the cake
Steveston cake maker Dominique Jarry won three prizes at the International Cake and Confection Show in Surrey earlier this month.
Jarry won best of show, best of sugar work and best of chocolate work.
Library to honour dedicated donor
The Richmond Public Library is holding a public ceremony May 28 for its most dedicated supporter.
Kwok-Chu Lee is being honoured at the Brighouse branch after he announced another donation of $20,000 and 2,000 Chinese language books to the library.
"Mr. Lee has been one of the library's strongest and most esteemed library supporters over the years," Greg Buss, chief librarian, said.
"We are grateful not only for his enormous generosity but also for his spirit of community involvement and dedication to learning."
Since 1995 the well-known author (under the pen name Master Lam Chun), calligrapher and painter has donated more than $47,000 and 47,500 books. He has also presented 21 programs at the library on such topics as staying healthy, calligraphy and feng shui and done a couple of art exhibits of his work.
Lee's newest donation includes a variety of Chinese fiction and non-fiction books. The library's Chinese language collection now contains more than 72,000 books and is one of the largest of its kind in the country.
"With a Chinese Canadian population of nearly 40 per cent in Richmond, the Chinese language collection is extremely important," Buss said.
Mayor Malcolm Brodie and other dignitaries and community leaders are attending the May 28 ceremony which begins at 5:30 p.m.
Wholesaler gets duty free lease
Semiahmoo First Nation has accepted Richmond wholesaler Peter Raju's bid to lease and operate a department-store sized duty free shop near the Douglas border crossing.
"This is going to be very upscale...similar to what you'd find in an airport," Raju said. "The markets are changing. People are smoking and drinking less, so we need to go after a different market.
"You've got a lot of upscale tourists coming into Whistler and a huge influx of the Asian market here. We will be catering to that."
Peace Arch Duty Free Shop will be 32,000 square feet, five times bigger than the Heritage Duty Free building that used to occupy the site.
Raju, a duty free wholesaler since 1983, must be granted a duty free license from Canada Customs and Revenue Agency before the store can open.
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