The community is invited to dive into the anniversary festivities at Canada Games Pool.
With 2013 marking the 40th anniversary of the pool, the city is set to celebrate the milestone on Saturday, Nov. 16 with a pool party.
“It’s quite a monumental event for us,” said Cidalia Martin, assistant manager of Canada Games Pool. “We have a whole slough of events.”
Face painting, a balloon artist, tattoos, bubbles and colouring, and goodie bags are among the fun offerings for kids. In the pool, a rope swing, mat walk, and giant whirlpool will ensure an afternoon of fun.
No party would be complete without treats, and the city has got that covered, with popcorn, cotton candy and birthday cake and cupcakes on the menu. The mayor and council will be on hand for a special cake cutting ceremony at 2:30 p.m.
Martin said it’s anticipated 600 people may attend the festivities so a massive four-by-eight foot cake has been ordered.
Entertainment will include divers from Dive B.C. (who will dive from the platforms, including the lofty 10-metre platform), as well as performances by breakdancers, and a birthday song performed by Canada Games’ Pool staff member Vanessa Lucarino.
Guests are also welcome to sign a giant wall-sized birthday card in the lobby and stroll down memory lane with a slide show about the facility’s history.
“We are going to have a slide show in the lobby area,” she said. “We have pictures and statistics and figures and Did You Know.”
When the pool opened 40 years ago, the neighbourhood around the site was vastly different, as the Justice Institute and many neighbouring residences had yet to be built.
“It was all blank land,” Martin said. “They are really neat pictures to see. We got some from our museum and archives.”
Knowing that the pool will need to be replaced or upgraded in the coming years, New Westminster city council has established a reserve account to help fund future needs. In 2010, a consultant proposed several options for the Canada Games Pool and Centennial Community Centre, with options ranging from $22 to $55 million.
The options ranged from doing a minimal upgrade to extend the life of the facility for five to 10 years to building a brand new facility that included a new 10-lane pool, a separate leisure pool, a 20,000 square foot fitness centre, new change rooms, multipurpose rooms, food concession and support spaces.
Canada Game’s Pool’s 40th anniversary celebrations take place on Saturday, Nov. 16 from 1 to 4 p.m. at 65 East Sixth Ave. The drop-in fee for the party is $2.
“With future things and plans, it is probably going to be our last hurrah,” Martin said. “It’s a big one for us.”
