ARBUTUS RIDGE
The Arbutus Ridge Community Association will hold its inaugural meeting May 30 at the Arbutus Village Recreation Centre. Registration for the new society will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a panel discussion with representatives from other neighbourhood associations. The panel will focus on how residents' associations can effectively represent their members at city hall. With neighbourhood heavyweights from Dunbar, Kits Point and Mount Pleasant in attendance, there is sure to be no shortage of community clout. If the residents of Arbutus Ridge are to make their voices heard at 12th and Cambie, they will certainly need the strength of a lion and the cunning of a fox.
CITYWIDE
If the nice weather and promise of new bike lanes aren't enough incentive to pull the old two-wheeler out of the garage, here's one more: Bike to Work week. The annual celebration of pedal power kicks off on Monday, May 28. HUB, formerly the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition, will have more than 50 stations set up along bike routes and will offer snacks, maps and free bike repairs to new and seasoned commuters. Commuters can also register at biketoworkmetrovan.ca to enter contests and track their progress. HUB reckons that participants prevented close to 72 tonnes of greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere last time around and hopes to increase that figure by 15 per cent. Bike to Work week ends June 1, but HUB says some participants find themselves becoming lifelong bike commuters. "What we've learned to expect is most of the new riders who start cycling during Bike to Work week will keep riding when the week is over," wrote HUB's Erin O'Melinn in a release.
UBC
Are you a University of B.C. alum? Nostalgic for another 99 ride all the way out to Point Grey? UBC's alumni weekend starts May 26 and will feature a number of mostly free events for former students. Admission to UBC's best museums will be free, among them the MOA and Botanical Gardens. Alumni can also take a tour of the new Centre for Interactive Research in Sustainability, the greenest building in North America. And UBC will offer a number of drop-in discussions on timely topics like violence in hockey. Hint: if you hear anything about "Starting an Evolution," that's code for "open your wallet."
LOCARNO BEACH
The Vancouver Hospice Society is holding its annual fundraiser, Hike for Hospice, on Sunday morning, May 27. The family friendly, four-kilometre walk starts at the foot of Trimble Street and finishes at the other end of Locarno Beach, where firefighters from 19B shift will show off their fire truck and equipment. The Hospice Society is asking for a $25 donation to help fund its operations. The society has built a six-bed centre at 4615 Granville, which it expects to open as soon as 2013. The walk starts at 9: 45 a.m.
