Here's what's on in the Tri-Cities for Saturday, May 11, 2024:
May Days
Start the morning with a pancake breakfast — served by the 4th PoCo Scouts — to begin the 101st annual May Days festival in downtown Port Coquitlam. The meal is at 8 a.m. At 10 a.m. is the launch of the annual Kids Bike Race for registered participants while the Rotary May Day Parade is at 11 a.m. And, from noon to 8:30 p.m. is the Party in the Square at the Terry Fox Hometown Square, south of the Port Coquitlam Community Centre (2150 Wilson Ave.) with Side One headlining the event at 6:45 p.m. Food trucks and carnival rides will be on site. And don’t forget to browse the May Days Market along Wilson Avenue from noon to 6 p.m. to shop for local wares. To get to the downtown, walk, cycle or take transit, or hop on the free city shuttle that’s running from Minnekhada Middle, James Park Elementary, Mary Hill Elementary and Castle Park Elementary every 30 minutes from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. to get to the downtown core.
MORE: portcoquitlam.ca/maydays
Plant control
Help the Friends of Deboville Slough and the City of Coquitlam staff cut Japanese knotweed at an invasive plant control work party. Wear boots and bring water. Tools will be supplied but you can also bring your own clippers or loppers. Meet at the kiosk on the northern dike at the DeBoville Slough trailhead (4100 Cedar Dr., Coquitlam) at 9 a.m.
CALL: 778-230-1509
New community hub
Coquitlam’s Innovation Centre, next to the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam (1205 Pinetree Way), is now the Town Centre Park Community Centre. And from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., residents are invited to check out the renovated facility. The grand opening will include free family activities, arts and crafts and tours.
MORE: coquitlam.ca
Plant swap
Bring your healthy indoor plants, cuttings and bulbs to share and trade with others at the Coquitlam Public Library’s plant swap, on at the Poirier branch (575 Poirier St.) from 10 a.m. to noon.
REGISTER: coquitlam.libnet.info/event/10055200
Urban forest
Help the City of Coquitlam create its first Urban Forest Management Strategy. From 3 to 6 p.m., city staff will be at the Poirier branch of the Coquitlam Public Library (575 Poirier St., Coquitlam) to talk about the future of the tree canopy, forest, vegetation and soils in the municipality.
MORE: letstalkcoquitlam.ca/UrbanForest
Honey, flowers
Learn how to infuse seasonal dried flower blossoms into foods like honey, sugars and oils at a spring workshop hosted by the Coquitlam Heritage Society. The workshop from noon to 3 p.m. is suitable for ages 15 and up. The cost is $40.
REGISTER: coquitlamheritage.ca
Fraud prevention
Join Port Moody Police Staff/Sgt. Brad Sheridan for a talk about fraud prevention, at the Port Moody Public Library (inside Port Moody City Hall, 100 Newport Dr.) from 2 to 3 p.m.
REGISTER: calendar.portmoodylibrary.ca
Moon songs
How High The Moon is the title of the Coquitlam Chorale Society’s performance, happening at 2 p.m. at the King of Life Lutheran Church (1198 Falcon Dr., Coquitlam). The conductor is Justin Maller, drama teacher at Gleneagle Secondary School, while the pianist is Lorna Yeates. CJ Kumar and Mike Horntvedt appear on bass and drums with the Concordia vocal ensemble.
TICKETS: coquitlamchorale.com/performances
Love Letters
Grab a seat in the Inlet Theatre for one of two performances of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated play Love Letters by A.R. Gurney. Mike Arseneault, artistic director and founder of the IOCO Players Theatre, plays Andrew while Zoe Royer, a School District 43 trustee and entrepreneur, takes the role of Melissa. The shows are at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
MORE: ticketowl.io/iocoplayerstheatreportmoody
Heritage fashion
See the “garbage fashion” designed by Heritage Woods Secondary students in a show at 6 p.m. at the Port Moody high school (1300 David Ave.). Admission is $5 and proceeds from the event support BC Children’s Hospital.
MORE: sd43.bc.ca/school/heritagewoods
Legion music
Dance to the tunes at the Royal Canadian Legion branch 263 in Coquitlam (1025 Ridgeway Ave.) where Rhythm Street takes the stage from 7 to 11 p.m. Food service is available.
MORE: rclegion263.ca
En francais
Hear a spring concert from a francophone choir at a church in the French-Canadian enclave of Maillardville. Les Echos du Pacifique, under artistic director Marla Mayson, host a show at 7:30 p.m. at Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes (828 Laval Sq., Coquitlam) featuring songs from the French composers Gabriel Fauré, Francis Poulenc and Camille St Saens, as well as tunes from the American songbooks of Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin, two Japanese folk songs and a new, entrancing arrangement of Eden Ahbez’s “Nature Boy” sung in French.
TICKETS: lesechosdupacifique.bpt.me
Midsummer Night’s Dream
Watch young actors at Dr. Charles Best Secondary in Coquitlam (2525 Como Lake Ave.) play out the Shakespearean fantasy/comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the school gym. Directed by drama teacher Brad Case, the play starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15/$12 at the door.
CALL: 604-461-5581
Salsa time
Learn the basic Salsa, bachata and merengue moves with Salsa Dance Zone instructors Alberto Gonzalez and Teresa Szefler during a beginners’ lesson at 8 p.m. at Site B (3012 Murray St., Port Moody) then dance the night away to the Latin beats until midnight. Admission is $15. The event is for adults only.
MORE: salsadancezone.com
Did we miss an event? Send the details to [email protected] for inclusion in our monthly guide and in our daily Tri-Cities Today posting.
