MAY LONG WEEKEND is almost here! What are your plans? The weather is supposed to be 21-22 and partly cloudy for Saturday and Sunday. then on Monday it might rain.

The Fort Langley Beer + Food festival is happening on Saturday 12pm-6pm. This event is 19+ and tickets are available at www.fortlangley.beer  23433 Mavis Ave.

There is a grand opening event at Everything Wine Abbotsford.  If you like wine check out this new location and enjoy wine and light snacks. Doors open at 10am 1828 McCallum Rd

The Cloverdale Rodeo is this weekend! Starting tonight with the 42^nd Annual Bed Races starting at 5:45-7pm with skateboard demos, decorated bike parade and the bed races starting at 6:15pm

The 22^nd Annual Cloverdale Chili Cook-off is tomorrow starting at 4:30-6:30pm, not only do you get to taste some yummy chili, there will be bouncy castles (maybe before all that chili), face painting and entertainment at the Clover Square Village Mall at 17700 HWY #10

On Saturday the 73^rd annual Cloverdale Rodeo Parade is starting at 10am. I love a good ol’ fashioned parade, don’t you?

There is so much to do this weekend! A lot of the Farmers Markets have opened for the season, which is your favourite? 

Don't forget to tell us what your plans are!! And we love pictures of yummy foods (wink), and all the fun activities that you all do! 

-Alyson UA

Social Media Marketing

·         There will be brunches Galore this weekend for Mother’s Day, but if you’re looking for something a little bit     different here’s a copulation of events this weekend.

·         The Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival will be in Abbotsford this Saturday 11am-6pm. There will be live music, and Magician Wes Barker, face painting, photo booth, AND TWENTY FOOD TRUCK including Tacofino! OH YA!  This event is being held at Thunderbird Memorial Square (right next to City Hall)

·         There is a Vintage Spring Market on May 10 (4pm-9pm) and May 11^th (10am-5pm) at 46050 Higginson Rd Chilliwack (Higginson Heritage Homestead). Admission is $5 children and parking are free

·         Opening day of the Yarrow Farm Market is on Friday 4pm-8pm, located at 4380 Kehler St. Chilliwack

·         The Hard Rock Casino is hosting a Mother’s Day Brunch. Doors open at 11am and brunch will be served at 11:30 until 2pm. Adults: $29.99 and children: $15.99. Tickets need to be booked in advance

·         Lepp Farm Market is hosting a Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet! Adults $34.99 and children (12 and under) $17.99, and children under 5 are free! Not only do they have a variety of tasty treats, they also have an omelet station! Woot WOOT!

-Alyson UA

Social Media Marketing

My Grandfather and his family migrated to Abbotsford from Manitoba in the early 1940’s, they had been a part of a Mennonite Colony that had fled Russia in 1925. Our history is rich in Abbotsford, and Abbotsford has a rich history. From its first mill and its ties to the CP Railway to being known as the Berry capital of Canada. A while back I wrote a couple of short posts about Abbotsford’s Mill Lake history, one of my most favorite places in Abbotsford, and I felt that it deserved its own blog post. So here it is.

In the late 1800's Mill Lake's first mill produced over 50,000 railway ties for the Canadian Pacific Railway, which was promised to British Columbia to get the colony to join the confederation in 1871, which they did (YEAH). The lake was originally named Bais Lake, after a pioneer farmer. Later it was named Abbotsford Lake due to the proximity of the small village of Abbotsford, however, that name did not last long and soon after it was named Mill Lake.

Did you know, the Japanese water lilies that float on the lake today were brought over from Japan by the homesick wives of the mill workers in the early 1900's? Many of the workers were Japanese, Chinese and South Asian during the late 1800’s and 1900’s. The Abbotsford Timber and Trading Company, that was established in 1912 nine years after the Tretheway brothers purchased the mill on Mill Lake, donated building materials for Abbotsford's first Sikh Temple. The lumber was carried by Sikh men, by hand, from the lake to the temple location on South Fraser Way where it still stands and is one of Canada’s oldest Sikh Temple.

The mill closed down in 1934 due to the Great Depression and a severe depletion of the forests in the area, which caused frequent flooding. The Abbotsford Lions Club purchased the site, and with the help of the District of Matsqui, they removed the old mill equipment and started to develop the park into what it is today.

Mill Lake is full of trout and is apart of the “fishing in the city” program designated by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, there is an outdoor pool, splash park, and some great playgrounds for the kids. The easy walking trails around the lake let you really take in the beauty of it. The lake is home of the Western Painted Turtle, which is an endangered list, a pair of resident bald eagles, cheeky squirrels, and ducks, lots of ducks.

·         Most of this information was researched on http://boulevardgroup.ca

-Alyson Whittle UA

Social Media Marketing