West End
Hopefully the only rain Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Pride 2012 will see during the next 10 days or so will be of the male variety.
There are dozens of Pride events, both official and with partners, taking place now through Aug. 6, but the highlight of each season is the parade, which this year starts at noon Aug. 5.
New to the Pride Parade this year is an addition to the memorial float, also known as the reflection float. Leading up to the parade memorial ribbons will be available at kiosks at all official Pride events for friends and family to write the name of a loved one who passed away. Those ribbons will be attached to a float to give it a rainbow hue.
Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Pride Society president Tim Richards says the idea for the ribbons came after staff and volunteers decided the minute of silence called for during the parade wasnt working.
Its hard for a float with loud music to all of a sudden turn it off at just the right moment, he says. This way people can reflect along the parade route.
Social media will also play a bigger role in the parade. Spectators can vote on their favourite floats as they pass by and post pictures and videos to votepride.ca.
This years parade grand marshals include long-time volunteer, fundraiser and community leader Bill Munroe, whom rumour has it, will be dressed as the Queen and will ride along the parade route in a horse-drawn carriage. Transgendered beauty contestant Jenna Talackova is also a grand marshal. Talackova recently fought for the right to participate in the Miss Universe Canada competition as a transgendered woman. This years posthumous grand marshal is community leader David Holtzman, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack earlier this year.
The Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Pride Parade route this year travels along Robson Street to Denman, turns onto Beach Avenue and ends at Sunset Beach for the annual Pride Festival.
There are dozens of Pride events taking place during the next week or so, including the Terry Wallace Memorial Breakfast, Aug. 4. For a schedule consult a Pride Guide found throughout the city or visit vancouverpride.ca.
South Hill
For those of you planning to strip down for the parade, registered holistic nutritionist Susan Kamachi is talking about carbs, Aug. 2 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Eastside Fitness, 5854 Fraser St.
Are carbohydrates your downfall? (Guilty as charged.)
Do you typically plateau while trying to lose weight? (Yes again.)
Kamachi will be discussing Dr. Natasha Turner's book The Carbohydrate Sensitivity Program. Admission is free.
Hastings Sunrise
In the Wednesday edition of this column I wrote about the free nature walk being led by Nature Vancouver's Istvan Orosi for the Hastings Park Conservancy at 9 a.m. this Saturday, July 28. The information I received listed the meeting place as at the northeast corner of the Hastings Park Sanctuary, east of Playland, when in fact its west of Playland. The walk will last about two hours, rain or shine. Bring binoculars if you have them, but please leave your dogs at home.
Twitter: sthomas10
