The 64th annual Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair is already upon us! One of Surrey’s most popular attractions returns this year with a wide array of activities and events for the entire long weekend.

Festivities begin Thursday with the always-fun Bed Races, zooming down 176A St in Historic Cloverdale at 6pm. Also on the 20th is the ever popular 54-40, rocking out at the Agriplex for $25.

Friday is the Chili Cook Off at Clover Square Village, from 4:30pm to 7:30pm, at Hwy 10 and 177B St. In addition to the food, there’s live entertainment on site, featuring finalists from BC Junior Talent Search.

The Rodeo and Country Fair open on Friday and run till Monday, at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds near 60th Ave and 176 St. The Country Fair features:

• the Fraser Valley’s largest midway
• an assortment of free outdoor entertainment
• the Agri-Zone and Art Zone, showcasing local horticulture, livestock, and artisans
• the Kidz Zone, with children’s rides and entertainment
• a huge Trades Show
• and, for the first time ever, the Desi Mela festival, a mix of Bhangra performers and South Asian cuisine, will be showcased live on site

Rodeo tickets range from $15 to $25, while the Country Fair costs $10 (kids 7 and under are free!). Special tip: buy your admission tickets at London Drugs and save $2!

Saturday is the ever-popular Rodeo Parade, which begins its procession at 10am along Historic Cloverdale’s Main St. But come early, as the Cloverdale Lions are hosting a pancake breakfast at Hawthorne Square across from the Clova Theatre, from 8am to 10am.

Getting into the rodeo spirit, the Clova Theatre is holding a unique vaudeville act – Susie Francis and the Versatiles – at 1:30pm on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for $5. The live show is the opening act to Shrek Forever After, playing for the next two weeks at the locally-owned theatre.

Last year, the Rodeo brought in over 80,000 visitors to the community and generated an estimated $5 million in economic activity.

Previous keynote speakers include Tony Blair in 2009, and Rudy Giuliani in 2008.

Earth Hour is coming to Surrey! The global event, in which the world turns off its non-essential lights to raise awareness for, and take action on, climate change, is held on March 27th. The City will be holding a free gathering with live entertainment, hot chocolate, and other activities between 7:30 and 9:30pm at the Central City Plaza. Lights go off at 8:30pm and people will be encouraged to light up candles for the next hour. Congrats to the City on this one.

An exhibition of the finalists will occur at 6pm, this Thursday February 5th, at SFU Surrey. At 7pm, there will also be an “Urbanizing the Suburbs” panel with Lisa Rochon, from the Globe and Mail, and architects Bing Thom and Trevor Boddy.

The winners will be announced February 24th at 11am at SFU Surrey.

To shift the conversation back to the community, a panel titled “Where Do We Go From Here” will be hosted on March 29th at Kwantlen University’s Surrey campus.

The City of Surrey, an official partner with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, will play host to the biggest games-time celebration south of the Fraser. The Surrey 2010 Celebration Site is a 13 day FREE winter festival featuring live entertainment, live Games broadcasts, arts performances and on site activities.

The Surrey 2010 Celebration Site is situated at Holland Park, a 24 acre urban oasis in the heart of the Surrey’s business district. It will offer the opportunity to share the Olympic spirit with the community while watching live Games coverage on four massive video screens. The screens will be located throughout the site, including indoors under a 30,000 square foot mega tent. Visitors will also enjoy an array of international food vendors and global entertainment that will celebrate Surrey’s cultural diversity.

“The 2010 games is an opportunity to think globally, show your community spirit and create a lasting legacy for our community,” says Mayor Dianne Watts.

The Celebration Site will also host world renowned talent on two stages including Sam Roberts, 54-40, Randy Bachman, Tokyo Police Club, WinterSleep, Hot Hot Heat, Serena Ryder, Jully Black, KS Makhan, Dan Mangan, Doc Walker, Irish Descendants, Alex Cuba, Jim Byrnes & the Sojourners, Hey Rosetta, Five Alarm Funk, and Delhi 2 Dublin.

Canada’s RCMP Musical Ride will also be a permanent fixture onsite to dazzle spectators with two daily choreographed equestrian performances.

Guests to the Surrey 2010 Celebration Site can also participate in FREE on-site activities such as mingling with the 2010 mascots, zipping down one of the runs at the Sliding Zone, gliding around the outdoor Skating Rink and tossing a few rocks at the Curling Zone.

[via Surrey 2010]

On November 2nd, 2009, the City of Surrey will launch an international design competition known as TownShift. Following in the footsteps of FormShift, a similar competition in Vancouver, TownShift will challenge planners, designers, and the general public to transform suburban Surrey into a vibrant urban city.

The competition is designed to enforce the notion of placemaking and develop urban identity for the long established 5 town centres of Surrey: Guildford, Newton, Fleetwood, Cloverdale, and Semiahmoo.

City Centre is not being included, as it has already gone through an extensive design process and its future is a lot clearer than that of the smaller town centres.

Further goals of the competition include enhancing public consultation and captivating the public’s attention, improving and promoting Surrey’s brand during 2010, and aid in clarifying the character and potential of the town centres.

Look for more details, including contest rules, November 2nd, when the website goes live.

August 1 – Annie
August 8 – Mamma Mia
August 15 – The Lion King
August 22 – Hannah Montana: The Movie

To commemorate the occasion, TransLink is hosting a grand celebration event on June 14th that includes a Fun Run, live entertainment, and an official bridge ribbon cutting ceremony. The bridge will also be toll free for the first month.

The Golden Ears Bridge is a new tolled crossing connecting Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows with Surrey and Langley. The P3 project consisted of the 6 lane cable stayed bridge, and a new 14 km road network connecting to the crossing. That includes an upgraded section of 96th Ave in Surrey. More pictures after the jump.

All the photos below were taken by Hairy Potter on flickr.