Following the finale of the 23rd annual Honda Celebration of Light fireworks festival this past weekend, the Canadian team blew the lid off the competition. Calgary-based Fireworks Spectacular wowed the crowds at English Bay on day two of the three-night event, beating out teams from the United Kingdom and Thailand. Thanks to our warm weather and clear skies, organizers estimate more than 1.2 million fireworks fans from the city and beyond attended during the competition.
New this year was the 2013 Concord Pacifics Seawall Challenge, which took place on the first day of the event. More than 20 teams competed for a chance to donate $5,000 to the school of their choice for after-school programs and/or equipment. Team Wolf Pack won the competition, receiving the top prize of $1,500 cash and the chance to designate $5,000 to Chief Maquinna elementary school on East Second Avenue.
ONE ON ONE
Despite the fact the park boards OneCard is not being accepted at all of the citys community centres, the passes are available at all 23 locations. That said, more than 30,000 Vancouver residents have signed up for the card in the first month since its launch. The card is free, but you still have to pay for programs and classes. The card was included as one of the items included in the proposed joint-management agreement under negotiation between the park board and some of the citys community centre associations. If that agreement is ratified, all of the citys community centres should be accepting the card by this September.
The community centre associations had already agreed to accept all memberships as universal so theres a lot of discussion as to whether the OneCard was necessary. Meanwhile, the OneCard can be loaded with 10-visit pass or Flexipass options, and includes a built-in 50 per cent Leisure Access Program subsidy for qualified residents with financial barriers. The cards have been most popular at Hillcrest (6,088), the Aquatic Centre and outdoor pools (5,439), Killarney (2,578), Renfrew (2,238) and Kitsilano (1,644). If residents sign up for the OneCard before Sept. 30, they will receive three free drop-in visits to use across the city.
IF YOU SPRINKLE
Just a reminder lawn-watering restrictions are in effect until Sept. 30 and those who ignore the rules could face $100 fines. Visit vancouver.ca for more information.
sthomas@vancourier.com
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