If you've been waiting for the weather to get nice before you venture outdoors, well, may I recommend investing in some good rain gear instead?
Looks like we're in for another week of spring showers. But there's so much fun stuff happening in the city that I'm sure we can all ignore Mother Nature's mood swings and just enjoy life despite her best efforts to the contrary.
Check out some highlights of this week's happenings:
For weather watchers: April showers
Oh look, more April showers! The blossoms had better be bountiful in May after this month. In any case, it looks like we're in for some more wet weather, according to the Weather Network's forecast for New West. As I type, Sunday night is expected to be rainy, and Monday is expected to kick off cloudy with showers, with a total of five to 10 mm of rain. Tuesday again calls for cloudy skies with showers, while Wednesday gets upgraded to "a few showers," with one to three millimetres of rain both days. Thursday? You guessed it, cloudy with showers, and another millimetre or so of rain.
Daily highs are expected to reach 10 to 11 C throughout the week, but we could still see overnight temperatures dip as low as 2 C tonight and Monday.
For performance lovers: Theatre and comedy
- Laughter on the 23rd Floor: Yes, you still have time to catch the Vagabond Players' run of Neil Simon's comedy Laughter on the 23rd Floor. It's on at the Bernie Legge Theatre in Queen's Park until April 29. Get tickets and information online.
- Does This Taste Funny?: Actor and stand-up comic Ali Hassan brings his stand-up tour to the Anvil Theatre on Wednesday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 plus service charges; buy online.
- Welcome to the Family: Mike Marino, billed as "New Jersey's Bad Boy of Comedy," brings his show to the Anvil Theatre on Friday, April 21 starting at 7 p.m. He's joined by Maria Manna singing Clooney (that's Rosemary, not George), Sinatra, Martin and more. Tickets are $51.50; buy online.
For art lovers: Queen's Park, New Media galleries
- I Heart New West: Don't forget to stop by the New West Artists' exhibition at the I Heart New West space in Columbia Square (Unit 103-7810th St.). The exhibition is on until April 30.
- Gallery at Queen's Park: Experience Vladimir Kolosov's Travel Into Subconscious, running until Sunday, April 30 at the Arts Council of New Westminster gallery in Centennial Lodge. The gallery is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's free, but donations are always accepted. You can find all the details at the gallery website.
- Plaskett Gallery: Stop in to the gallery at Massey Theatre (735 Eighth Ave.) for A Mysterious Attraction, featuring work by Pierre Leichner, Edzy Edzed and Bill Westwell. It runs until May 9 in the Plaskett and North Wing galleries.
- New Media Gallery: If you haven't yet been down to the New Media Gallery (third floor at Anvil Centre, 777 Columbia St.), the fascinating aBIOTIC exhibition continues until the end of the month. The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with evening openings on Thursdays until 8 p.m.
For the word nerds: Write On! contest
The Royal City Literary Arts Society has extended the deadline for its annual Write On! contest, which gives you a chance to win cash prizes for your best poetry, fiction and non-fiction. You now have until midnight on May 1 to enter. Get all the details at the RCLAS website.
For city hall watchers: Have your say on New West's budget
Council is scheduled to meet on Monday, April 17, when there's a special meeting set for 6 p.m. to offer feedback on the budget and hear a report on the city's five-year financial plan. You can find all the meeting details, agenda and information about attending at the City of New Westminster website.
For school board watchers: Committee meetings Tuesday
If you follow the School District 40 board proceedings, you have a week off this week. After last week's education and operations committee meetings — which covered capital projects updates, a delay in construction of the Queen Elizabeth Elementary School expansion, safety upgrades at New Westminster Secondary School, a report on staff absences and more — there's a week off before a full board meeting, set for Tuesday, April 25 at 7 p.m. You can attend in person at the board office (811 Ontario St.) or online via Zoom. You can find links and agenda packages at the SD40 website.
Got a New Westminster happening you'd like to share? Email Julie MacLellan.
Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
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