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Kitsilano Showboat launches 77th summer season with special Canada Day program

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Taraneh

Founded in 1935, the Kits Showboat Society began as a neighbourhood project that aimed to give a stage to local entertainers. In 2012, 77 years after the Showboat launched, entertainers still give performances on warm summer evenings. The Kitsilano Showboat stage is situated behind the historic outdoor Kitsilano Swimming Pool on Kits Beach. You’ve probably walked by and heard live music or been offered a free yoga class. There’s always something happening down there.

Summer shows in 2012 take place at 7pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays now through August 17.

Kitsilano Showboat’s Canada Day Program

On Canada Day, July 1, the Kits Showboat has a special, free and family-friendly b-day program that starts with cake at 3pm. Children’s entertainer Max Tell will tell tales while Whistles the Clown performs magic trix and twists his famous balloon animals. The festivities end with Bob Liley’s Sanctuary All Stars Swing band at 7:15pm, giving viewers ample time to make their way to fireworks viewing picnic areas.

Kitsilano Pool will remain open one extra week

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Taraneh

Don’t pack away that swimsuit yet. Thanks to the installment of summer weather in September, the Kits pool will remain open one extra week until September 18. If you’ve never been, even the Vancouver Park Board describes Kits Pool as a “happening place.”

Here’s their blurb on the pool’s long (get it?) history:

“Kitsilano Pool, Vancouver’s largest draw & fill salt water pool was opened at the water’s edge in 1931 and became an instant success. It was replaced in 1979 by an oceanside tank (about 150 meters at its outer most edge) which sports salt water and is heated.”

Kitsilano Pool, North end of Yew Street, Vancouver.ca/parks

Bad behaviour at the Kits Pool?

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Taraneh

The Vancouver Sun reports that swimmer Rebecca Sharp nearly gave birth 32 weeks into her pregnancy after being head-butted in the stomach at the Kitsilano Pool. Sharp is now calling for a crackdown on bad swimming behaviour.

“What happened last year was that a guy was in front of me and he got to the end … and he just did a tumble turn straight back,” she said. “He went straight into my stomach.”

Sharp said she was helped out of the pool and taken to a lifeguarding station where she waited for an ambulance to arrive, soaking wet and cold from the breeze.

“I was in a lot of pain,” she said, adding that she began having contractions.

She was taken to hospital, where a midwife was called just in case Sharp began to give birth.
“Eventually everything subsided,” she said.

“The baby was born on time and I had a girl; she’s wonderful.”

Obviously, swimming isn’t a contact sport. To Sharp, the rules for lane swimming are pretty simple. She compares it to driving saying:

“You give way, and then you move across and then you swim back the other way.”

Appropriate pool etiquette w/length swimming

So what is appropriate pool etiquette with length swimming? According to Sean Healy, the supervisor of aquatic services at the Vancouver Park Board, lifeguards are well aware that poor lane choice can lead to problems, and they work hard to correct bad behaviour in the pool.

The rules are simple: If slower swimmers are repeatedly passed, it’s appropriate for them to move down a level. In the case where faster swimmers are constantly passing people, they should move up a level.

Traffic at Kits Pool

When I’m at Kits Pool, the lifeguards seem very interactive and aware of lane traffic. Perhaps, if swimming is like driving, then the occasional merging incident is both unfortunate and  inevitable.  But maybe you’ve had a different experience? And it never hurts to brush up  manners.

At last, the summer sun is out. What are some common pool rules that need reinforcing?

The five best places to watch fireworks in Kits

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Taraneh

Rookie fireworks can leave you underwhelmed, but Vancouver’s annual Celebration of Light which started two decades ago is the real deal. Seven tons of fireworks are set to blast across Vancouver skyline over three nights, starting this Saturday, July 30.

This year’s Celebration is presented by SHORE 104.3, and is titled the “Battle Of Champions” with three feisty nations duking it out for the title. The line-up is: China (July 30), Spain (August 3) and Canada (August 6).

Given that China is the country with the first documented use of fireworks in the 7th century, there should be enough rambunctious pyrotechnics at Saturday’s light show to get the most jaded skygazer’s heart thumping.

But there’s more happening than the basic boom and shimmer. Each night, SHORE 104.3 will simulcast the accompanying fireworks soundtrack beginning at 10:00pm. If you prefer live music, drop by a SHOREfest stage location (listed below) and check out the bands. There will be three stages–two of which are in Kits.

Here are the details you need to see the Celebration of Light:

FIVE BEST SPOTS TO WATCH IN KITS

1) 104.3 SHOREfest at The Rogue Stage by the Maritime Museum. This stage will feature Leeroy Stagger, Kevin Kane (of Grapes of Wrath), The Sojourners and more, starting at 7:00 pm.

2) YVR Community Stage in Kitsilano featuring the SHORE 104.3 Song Search 2011 Top 10 & 2010 Song Search winner Zaac Pick. Stage located between Kits Pool and Kits Beach along the concrete walkway, music starting at 7:00 pm.

3) Vanier Park has a clear line to the sky over English Bay without the blowing sand.

4) Hadden Park is a sweet little nook with a view.

5) Kits Point has plenty of runway space to spread a blanket and break out the snacks.

WHEN IT’S GOING DOWN

Saturday, July 30 | Time: 10 to 10:25 pm
 |  Country: China
 | Theme: “China Storm”

Wednesday, August 3 | Time: 10 to 10:25 pm
 |  Country: Spain | 
Theme: “Odyssey”

Saturday, August 6 | Time: 10 to 10:25 pm | 
Country: Canada | 
Theme: “Then and Now”

Want to add a spot to our list? Email me: Taraneh [at] Kitsilano [dot] ca. And stay tuned. In our next couple of posts we’ll break Celebration of Light essentials like how they pick the winner and  transport —bus times, closed roads and parking.

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