Author Archives: Todd

3 Days of Accordion Noir Festival – playing circles, films, concerts + more

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Accordions, Accordions & more accordions at Accordion Noir Festival – Sept 10,11 & 12.
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Accordions “Squeeze Box Circle” is led by Rowan Lipkovits (front right with big red accordion) at Spartacus Books.  Usually the 1st Thursday of the month – this session was Sept 10th as a special part of the Accordion Noir Festival. Out-of-towners came from Lasqueti Island BC, and Bellingham WA.  I didn't bring my big Titano accordion – but I did play somebody else's Faoro accordion.

Terry Fox Run Sept 13th – Todd Wong will be Terry's Team member cancer survivor at Richmond BC

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Terry Fox Run on Sunday, September 13th.

Todd Wong is Terry's Team member for Richmond run site

Terry's Team member Todd Wong, Doug
Alward (Terry Fox's best friend who accompanied him on the Marathon of
Hope) and Terry Fleming (Terry's high school basketball coach), meet at
the 2007 Terry Fox Hometown Run in Coquitlam – photo D. Martin

Every year I speak at a Terry Fox Run site, and elementary schools.  This year I am speaking at the Richmond BC run site.
Garry Pt. Park
9am registration
10am race start

There will be some welcome messages, speeches by dignitaries, bagpiper Noel Chalmers and Taiko drummers!
Here's the message from Richmond run site organizer John Young:

Terry Fox  Community Run/Walk – Garry Point Park – Sunday, September 13 – 10 AM
There is no  pre-registration for this fun event, simply make an on site donation for you and your family.  There will be Terry Fox T-shirts for sale, stickers,  ribbons, certificates and tattoos for the kids.  You can walk or run a 10  Km, 5 Km or 1 Km route or you can simply stay at the park and enjoy the  snacks, music and fun.  There will be a timing clock at the finish line for your personal challenge.  The Richmond Sea Cadet Band, McNair Cheerleaders, Tara Taiko Drummers and Noel Chalmers and his bagpipes will be there to entertain you.  This year our guest speaker, Dr. Andrew Weng, is a senior scientist from The Terry Fox Lab in Vancouver.  Parking is free and plentiful.  Please join us at Garry Point Park on Sunday, September 13,  10 AM for the Terry Fox Run.

It was in 1993, when Darrell Fox, Terry's younger brother, asked me to become a Terry's Team member.  He had heard me speaking about Terry on the radio, when I was interviewed after receiving the SFU Terry Fox Gold Medal.

Since that time, I have spoken at and participated in Terry Fox Runs at Vancouver Stanley Park, Burnaby Central Park, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, North Delta, Richmond, and even in Kelowna BC and in Beijing China!

I have helped to organize Terry Fox events at Simon Fraser University, when we started the inaugural SFU Terry Fox Day and a Terry Fox Run.  Incredibly, a Terry Fox Run had never happened at SFU before. Terry's Family attended the ceremonies and a trophy case featuring Terry's SFU tshirt were unveiled.

Here's a newspaper article featuring Noel Chalmers and his wife Kathleen.

Memory of Terry's run still powerful

Kelowna.com – ‎Sep 11, 2009‎
He has been piping the official start of Richmond's Terry Fox Run for six years now. “I pipe the official party up the hill to start the race and then I …


Noel Chalmers leads the platform party for the 2007 Terry Fox Richmond Run site: Councilor Sue Halsy Brant, singer Jack McIntosh and Terry's Team member Todd Wong

There is now a Movement to rename YVR after Terry Fox

Click here to see my blog articles on past Terry Fox Runs and Terry Fox events:
http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog?cmd=search&keywords=terry+fox%2C+todd

such as:

2nd Annual Accordion Noir Festival happens this weekend Sept 11,12,13

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ACCORDIONS TAKE OVER VANCOUVER for ONE WEEKEND.
It's the 2nd Annual Accordion Noir Festival
September 11,12,13

Poster

Here is information from Rowan Lipkovits

Exhaustive information about all three festival days should be up at , but to summarize:

*
Friday night, Sept 11th, Geoff Berner will be a guest on the Accordion
Noir radio show at CFRO 102.7 fm from 9:30 through 10:30 pm. 

Meanwhile, up Main street at Cafe Montmartre (4362 Main Street), Rowan
will be hosting a varied program of virtuous squeezebox players in
small groups from 8 pm through closing time (after midnight), featuring
the ivory-tickling of Joanna Chapman-Smith, Barbara Adler, Dawn Zoe,
Tina Tew, Andy Fielding, with Mezamazing and the Creaking Planks
closing things out.  By donation.

* Saturday, Sept 12th, at 4
pm, an accordion parade will be departing (weather permitting) from the
southeast corner of Grandview Park (Commercial Drive at Charles Street)
to squeeze along the seven blocks to the day's venue, the WISE Hall
(1882 Adanac Street at Victoria Drive).

45-minute workshops begin at
4:15 pm, starting with an accordion repair and maintenance session led
by Rickey Mann, then an accordion composing session led by Andy
Fielding, and closing with an accordion history talk by Bruce Triggs of
Accordion Noir! 

An accordion film festival of sorts should get
underway around 6:30 pm, and close to 8 pm, we should be beginning the
main evening performances: Story from the Maritimes, Jason Webley of
Washington State (though he does spend a lot of time touring in Russia)
and Vancouver's own Geoff Berner. 

The evening promises further
surprises and special guests, but you'll just have to come out to know
for sure what they're going to be!  All-day tickets for Saturday will
be $20 at the door, or $15 for just the closing concert portion.

Foo's Ho Ho is open again… and only Chinese restaurant serving old-style Cantonese food

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Foo's Ho Ho Restaurant is a landmark in Vancouver Chinatown… and open again!

Where can you get good old-style Cantonese food in
Vancouver?  Today, there are many styles of Chinese food from Hong
Kong, Beijing, Hunan, Shanghai, even Vietnamese, Cambodian, Korean and
Japanese.  The new immigrants that speak mandarin now out-number the
Cantonese speaking pioneer immigrants and their descendants.

Many many years ago, all the best restaurants in
Chintown all had neon lights.  The Ho Ho Restaurant at the corner of
Pender and Columbia St. had a long tall vertical neon sign that
featured a hot steaming bowl of rice

hoho_old.jpg image by flytrap_canada
The Ho Ho Rstaurant displayed a wonderful neon sign from the 50's to the 60's

.  Keith McKellar's book “Neon Eulogy: Vancouver Cafe and Street” writes and interesting description of the Ho Ho Restaurant. 
photo courtesy of Christian Dahlberg www.vancouverneon.com/

Back in the 1950's, 60's and 70's… Vancouver Chinatown was the place
to go for late night eats, Chinese banquets, and you could see the 5th
Dimension, The Platters and many other great performers at the Marco
Polo Restaurant and Night Club – which was across the street from the
former Ho Ho Restaurant.

I grew up during the late 60's and 70's.  Our family used to sit in the
upstairs window booth seat, where we could look outside at all the
pedestrians.  I remember buying Bruce Lee posters from the many stores
on Pender St.  Sadly, this era of Chinatown is now long gone.  Ethnic
Chinese have moved out to the suburbs and the restaurants and stores
followed them.  New immigrants no longer came to Strathcona or
Chinatown as the first stop, many move straight to Richmond, Coquitlam,
Shaughnessey and even North Vancouver.

Times
changed, and restaurants closed.  The Ho Inn had a fire.  Foo's
Restaurant closed.  The Ho Ho closed. I remember sitting in the The
Marco Polo when owner Victor Louie was closing down and offering my dad
some of pictures on the wall.  My father was a sign writer, and he used
to do all the show cards and other signwork for The Marco Polo.

Awhile
back James Sam, known as “Sam” re-opened the Ho Ho Restaurant site,
renaming it Foo's Ho Ho in recognition of these by-gone restaurants. 
Sam had formerly worked at WK Gardens, Marco Polo
and Best Wun Tun House.  Foo's Ho Ho became the place to go when you
wanted old-style Cantonese cuisine, or to reminesce about the good old
days of Vancouver Chinatown.

I have had many memorable visits to Foo's Ho Ho:

But in July 2009, it was announced that chef Sam was
in the hospital with cancer, and that Foo's Ho Ho would soon close.  My
friend Jim Wong-Chu organized a dinner for a “last night dinner” at
Foo's Ho Ho, and invited lots of our friends who enjoy Chinese Canadian
history, and its food.

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see my July 12th blog story:

Foo's Ho Ho Restaurant to close in Vancouver Chinatown: It's the end of an era for Cantonese restaurants

It
was a great dinner, and good to see old friends and talk about the
foods and dishes that we love to eat. Sam's wife Joanne was in the
kitchen cooking up many of Sam's signature dishes for us.

A week later, Chef Sam, of Foo's Ho Ho, passes on the the Great Kitchen in the Heavens. A memorial was held for Sam on July 30.  After a grieving period, Joanne decided to re-open.

On
August 20th, we were back at Foo's Ho Ho
Restaurant.  Jim Wong-Chu invited some friends to again talk about
food, and how we can highlight it's connections to Vancouver Chinese
history.  The dinner was attended by: Col. Howe Lee and Judy Maxwell of
the Chinese Canadian Military Museum; my mother's cousin Gary Lee –
who's interview for the CBC documentary Generations: The Chan Legacy
had been filmed at Foo's Ho Ho; media artist Ray Mah – who had designed
the Saltwater City logos for the 1986 exhibition; and Dr. Jan Walls.

We hope to have more dinners to highlight the food and Vancouver Chinatown history.  Stay tuned…

Oh… but what did we eat?

Feast your eyes on these pictures!

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Free soup that comes with our meal: meat and melon with vegetables

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Special order: Garlic Chicken!

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My favorite: Chicken stuffed with sticky rice

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Egg Foo Yung, a trade

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Bitter Melon with Beef and black bean sauce

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Another favorite!  Curried potato slices with beef.

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Taro with pork

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Tofu and Fish!

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Dr. Jan Walls, our chef Joanne, and Jim Wong-Chu

See my pictures:
August Dinner at Foo's Ho Ho

August Dinner at Foo's Ho Ho

Gung Haggis dragon boat team races inaugural Last Gasp regatta and posts big leads!

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Gung Haggis dragon boat team posts two big 1st place finishes in Vancouver's inaugural Last Gasp dragon boat
regatta.

The Dragon boat racing season isn't quite over.  With the cancellation of the 6 year old 2009 Vancouver International Taiwanese Dragon Boat Race, held in conjunction with the Taiwanese Cultural Festival, the new Last Gasp regatta found it's place on the Vancouver Labour Day weekend.

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Gung Haggis team after the 2nd race, first 500m race of the day – photo T. Wong

10 person dragon boats were incorporated into the race grid alongside traditional 20 person dragon boats.  The race format featured one 200m. sprint + two 500m races with an optional 1000m. race.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy team was a competitive 3rd place (by 1/2 sec)
in first race, a 200m sprint.  Facing tough competition from Starbucks Waverunners and Phat Phish who came 1st by 2 seconds, Gung Haggis was slow off the start, but picked it up for a strong finish.  Finishing so close to more traditionally stronger teams was a big boost to the confidence of our paddlers.

For our 2nd race, I sat off the boat, as a 10 person crew needed a steers.  We had brought in former Gung Haggis paddlers/drummer Julie – so she drummed our regular races.  Steven Wong and I shared steering duties, so he took over for the 2nd race.

Our
2nd race had a strong lead from the start.  After the first very tight race, it was hard to believe that Gung Haggis had such a big lead.  Our team kept up the pressure, calling power series and a strong finish. 

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Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team crosses the finish line in our 2nd race. – photo T. Wong

The final races, were ranked in order of combined times from the first two races.  We ended up in the D division, even though we were just .23 seconds slower than one of the teams going into C division. But that's racing.  We would have liked to have raced our friends The Pirates from Chilliwack. 

For our D Final race, we were lined up beside Aquarius Aqua Divas – a women's made up of paddlers from Shaggin' Dragons and Speediatrics.  I've known their drummer Guen since about 2006, and Charlene from 1999.  Also lined up beside us was Twisted Hips – a rookie team that was developed from the Paddlers Up public paddling program, that we helped start up back in 2006.

From the start, we took a slight lead.  The team paddled steadily.  We could feel the surge of the boat with each stroke.  I could hear veteran paddlers Tony and Dan calling “Backs Push” – keeping the backs strong and steady.  By the mid-point we had a comfortable lead, so Julie didn't call any more power series. 

“Finish Now” yelled Julie. And the team dug their paddles deeper.  “More” I called from the 4th seat.  And we all paddled harder.   We crossed the finish line, as Julie yelled “More!”  Next she called “Let it run” and we collapsed in fatigue, turning our heads to see the other boats approaching and crossing the finish line, following us by 5 seconds.  Our final race time was 2:25, very close to the 2:24 times of the C final above us.

There were 5 finals altogether. In the A Division Final Race –  A and B had four teams racing.  C, D and E had 3 teams racing. We were happy that our final time beat two teams in C and B divisions.

Masters
of D'Zone prevailed, with the addition of our paddler Gayle, who used
to paddle with them many years ago.  Gayle is the strongest and most
experienced woman paddler on our team, and we feel very fortunate that
she likes us and paddles with us for two years in a row now.  We
nicknamed her “The Goddess”.

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Gung Haggis team passes under the Science World dock after their 2nd race of the day. – photo T. Wong

Gung Haggis did NOT race 10 person boats… just 20 person boats + 1000m race.

I also steered a 10 person boat for the joint Banana Fusion / Race Face / Dragon Z team –  We came 1st. for their final Mens team heat.  The 10 person boats also raced heats for womens and mixed as well.

This was my first time in a 10 person boat.  It is  very sensitive.  I needed to brace and balance a lot.  It would have been fun to do a barrel race in them!!!!

Our 1000
m was fun. We had a good start and caught up to the team ahead of us at
the turn. But… they slowed down spiking the turn – where I steered
a wider course to keep our speed up – trying to cut behind them, as
they turned out…. BUT THEY SLOWED DOWN TO MUCH. I told our team “Slow
Down” I clipped the outside of their stern… I should have yelled
“BACKS HOLD!” We got forced to go outside around the ADD (Shaggin
Dragons/Speediatrics) team…. Damn.  we will have to practice turning maneuvers with multiple boats as we prepare for the UBC Day of the Long Boats (Sep 27) and Ft. Langley Cranberry Festival Regatta (Oct 12).

If
I made the turn, we would have sling-shotted past the 3rd starting
boat, and quickly caught the 2nd starting boat. 1st starting O2P was
left behind on the first straightaway. 5th starting Strathcona Storm
came behind us on the turn, caught up, and powered to the finish.

I am Very proud
of our team's performance and that they are all wonderful good-hearted people who like being friends!

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Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team – Last Gasp edition:
l-r Dan, Sean John, Todd (front), Jim, Christine, Nancy, Joe (back), Stephen W., Tzhe, Walter, Carly (front), Raphel, Julie (almost hidden), Stephen M (back), Marion, Danielle, Karen, Devon (back), Debbie (front), Steve (back), Hillary, Tony, Georgia, Michael, Marshall – photo D. Martin

Final dragon boat races for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy team Saturday Sept 5th @ Science World/False Creek

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It's the final dragon boat regatta of the 2009 season in Vancouver

Last Gasp dragon boat regatta Sep 5 Saturday @ Science World/False Creek
This will be the first public dragon boat race in Canada that features 10 person dragon boats.  These boats were first used in Vancouver for the World Police and Fire Games in August.

The Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team started their racing season with practices in the last week of February, the first race on May 2 in Burnaby's Barnet Marine Park, the Dragon Zone regatta on June 7th, and the Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival on June 20 and 21st. 

We entered the Richmond Festival for our first time, and came 4th in the A division.  We traveled to Vernon for July 25/26, as it is our favorite race of the year on beautiful Kalamalka Lake.

We will next enter the UBC Day of the Long Boats and the Ft. Langley Cranberry Festival Regatta, to race in voyageur canoes.

But first…. we have to race Saturday Sep 5th at the Last Gasp regata.
Dragon Zone beside Science World, at Creekside Park, Vancouver BC.

Please come cheer us on!

Here's the message from our magnificient manager Tzhe Lam:

'ello Gung Haggis,

I have finally received the race grid from Dragon Zone and it looks like the first races of the day start at 9am.

Our
first race of the Day will be at 9:55am so we will need to marshall at
9:35 if they are on time which means I would like everyone to be at
Dragon Zone at 9am at the very latest.

This is so that we have
enough time to setup tents and get organized as well as make sure we
get the final roster into the Officials so that we can race.

If you have not signed the roster yet make sure you arrive early so that you can do so.
Also bring me your $20 race fee if you have not yet paid me!!!

Our second race will be between 12pm and 12:45pm depending on our placing in our first race

Race 3 will be most like between 2:15 and 3pm  depending on our times

Race 4 1000m will be between 3:20pm – 4:20pm again determined by overall time.

These are rough estimates of time and can and will change on race day depending how quick/slow they get the races out.

As always bring food and drink of your choice to the event. Preferably something that won't make you sick while paddling.

Fans and supporters are welcome.

Tzhe

Saturday Strathcona Walking tour will reveal Jimi Hendrix Connections.

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James Johnstone, House Historian is leading walking tours in Strathcona, and will reveal Jimi Hendrix connections to Vancouver.

Here's the message from James Johnstone, House Historian.

Hello,
 
In doing some extra research to prepare for my upcoming walking
tours of Strathcona this Saturday I stumbled on a new Hendrix family
connection to Strathcona. Everyone knows about 827 East Georgia, the
house where Nora Hendrix lived for a number of decades in the 1940s and
1950s but this evening while researching something totally unrelated to
the Hogan's Alley I found another house where Ross and Nora Hendrix
lived in 1911. This second, or should I say first Strathcona Hendrix
home, will be revealed on the tour.
 
Departures are at 10am and 2pm from the Heatley Block on the SW
corner of East Hastings and Heatley Avenue. Parking is ample and free
on Hastings and nearby.
 
Cost is $15 per person
for those who can't make it this Saturday, these tours will be
offered periodically on a request basis whenever there is a minimm of 6
people wanting to go on a tour.
 
Yours in history,
 
James Johnstone
703 Hawks Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6A 3J2
CANADA 604-254-4666
www.homehistoryresearch.com

Strathcona neighborhood has lots of history – My grandmother and great-grandmother lived here

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Vancouver’s Strathcona neighborhood is one of the oldest and most historied.

And yet… there are houses and buildings being demolished or threatened – like the Heatley Block

My grandmother, my great-grandmother and my great-great-grandfather all lived in Strathcona.  And while the Chinese United Church is no longer here, because the buildings were demolished to make way for townhouses, some of the houses are still very well preserved!

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There are many many historic houses in Strathcona. Heritage markers are placed in front of the buildings such as this one.  Below is a picture of the Jane Wilks House – which my grandmother lived in. 

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This is the Jane Wilks House at 732 Princess Ave.  My friend James Johnstone, house historian, recently discovered that former BC Premier David Barrett’s parents lived here.  My grandmother lived here from WW2 to about 1957.

 

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My mother’s family previously lived at 627 Pender St. from 1928 to 1944

 

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The Wilder Snail is a very funky grocery store with a coffee shop.

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Across the street is this very contemporary style town house development, with very post-modern Smart Cars in front.  What a contrast from the early 1900’s when my granduncles Art and Gordon started the first Chinese Canadian taxi service. 

See more of my Strathcona pictures + Strathcona Community Gardens:

Strathcona Community Gardens and Neighborhood

Strathcona Community Gardens…

Last Kilts Night of Summer – Sep 03 @ Doolin's Irish Pub

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LAST KILTS NIGHT of Summer
September 03
Doolin's Irish Pub

Kilts Night at Doolin's has been a tradition since January 1st, 2005. 
That's when Terry “Bear” Varga and I joined Raphael at Doolin's Irish
Pub, when we discovered that the Atlantic Trap and Gill was closed on
New Year's Day.  Kilts Night had been the first Saturday of the month
for awhile… long before me, anyways.

Now we meet at:
Doolin's Irish Pub
Nelson & Granville St.

8:00pm to Midnight
Wear yer Kilt to receive a Free Pint of Guinness

I have 3 kilts + 1 mini-kilt  available for 4 people wanting
a FREE PINT of GUINNESS

9:00pm
LIVE Music w' Halifax Wharf Rats.

The August Kilts Night was GREAT!
We were also invaded by the World Police & Fire Games
What happens when Kilts meet Police athletes from around the world?
We met Spanish female pentathletes and Norwegian male hockey players + a Pub Crawl “from the Troller to the Raven”.

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Raphael, Todd and Stuart with Spanish pentathletes for World Police & Fire Games
http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/_archives/2009/8/7/4281303.html

http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/_archives/2009/5/8/4179568.html

2 more concerts of Enchanted evenings at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Gardens – featuring Silk Road and Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble

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The final 3 Enchanted Evenings concerts at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Gardens all feature musicians that have performed at past Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinners.

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Silk Road duo Qiu Xia and Andrew performed last year with African dancer Jackie Esombe and percussionist Pepe Danza – photo T. Wong

Last week celtic ensemble Blackthorn performed August 21.  This Friday Aug. 28, Erhu specialist Ji-Rong Huang artistic director of Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble takes stage.  On Sept 4, Silk Road Music performs as a quartet, led by Qiu Xia He and Andre Thibault.

Qiu Xia and Andre have performed many times at Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinners since 2004.  Silk Road Music Ensemble was featured in the 2004 CBC television performance special “Gung Haggis Fat Choy”.

Blackthorn and Ji-Rong both came to the 2008 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner.  Blackthorn has an incredible repertoire of Celtic songs that they kept pulling out of their hats.  Ji-Rong and I performed 2 songs on accordion and erhu – Galloping Horse and Hungarian Dance No. 5 – which he also plays solo.

Summer Concert Series

Doors open at 7:00pm, and all shows begin at 7:30pm

Tickets $18 for non-members,

$15 for Garden Society Members

 

VANCOUVER CHINESE MUSIC ENSEMBLE- August 28

A rich showcase of traditional Chinese instruments

 

 

SILK ROAD- September 4

World Music with a Chinese flair

 

 

Tickets and info, contact 604.662.3207 ext. 208 or

email assistant@vancouverchinesegarden.com

reservations are recommended