Royal City Rotary Online Auction + Tallest Tin Soldier

Issue #143

Author

Carla McNeil
February 16, 2025

  Inside this New West Spotlight Newsletter…

 🌧️ New West Weather - Rain

 Rain Riddle - 👊 You will never beat a thunderstorm in a competition. 🥊 
 
 (Answer at the bottom of the newsletter)

🗓️ New West Events - Variety

🕵️‍♂️ New West Local News - Royal City Rotary Online Auction + Tallest Tin Soldier

 😀 Viral Meme

 📰 Advertise with New West Spotlight - Buy One, Get One Free

Local New Westminster Weather

Historical Records for today - Record high 12.2 2017 - Record low -1.4 2023

We’ve got two free tickets to the New West Rotary Club Bevies & Bites event on February 22, 2025. It’s super quick and easy to enter the draw!

Check out all of our local New Westminster Events

February 16, 2025

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Day Weekend – Registration Opens at 10:00 AM

💘 Love is in the Air! – 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

🍩 B2B + Donuts – 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM

⛸️ Public Skate – 1:15 PM to 2:45 PM

🧘 Yang Tai Chi 24 form – 2:00 PM

🎨 BYOB Paint Night – 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

🎶 OPM NIGHT 2.0 – 6:30 PM

🏈 Sunday and Monday Night Football – at the Terminal Pub

💰️ Heart of the Matter online AUCTION (Feb 15 to Mar 09) – Royal City Rotary Club

February 17, 2025

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Day Weekend – Registration Opens at 10:00 AM

👨‍👩‍👦 Spectrum Strong Parents – 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

🧘 Peace, Be Still Monday Meditation – 10:30 AM to 11:15 AM

👶 Mom + Baby Meet Up at Cove Indoor Play – 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Day Island Vibes – 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM

💘 Love is in the Air! – 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

🍦 Family Day Ice Cream Sundae Party – 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM

🧩 Puzzle Mondays at Steel and Oak – Starts at 5:00 PM

🧵 Needle Felting Workshop – 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

🎙️ Begbie's Open Mic – 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

🏈 Sunday and Monday Night Football – at the Terminal Pub

February 18, 2025

🗣️ English Conversation Circles – Tuesday Mornings – 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

📖 Storytime (3-5 years) – 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM

💃 Weekly Bellydance Classes with Katarina and Juliana – 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM

🗣️ English Conversation Circles – Tuesday Afternoons – 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM

💻️ Tech Café – 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

📚️ Young Readers Book Club (9-12 years) – 3:45 PM to 4:45 PM

🎨 Acrylic Pouring – 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

🍺 🎲 Beer and Board Games – 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM

👮 Police Board Meeting – 6:00 PM

🎷 Jazz at the Anvil: Frazey Ford – 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

❓️ Trivia Tuesdays at Howe Sound New West – 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

🧘 Yang Tai Chi 24 form – 5:00 PM

🎭️ Road House Comedy – 8:00 PM

💰️ Heart of the Matter online AUCTION (Feb 15 to Mar 09) – Royal City Rotary Club

2025 ONLINE AUCTION IS LIVE!!!

The eagerly awaited annual fundraiser has arrived! With more than 500+ gifts to bid on, grab a cuppa and prepare to enjoy your shopping adventure… There is something for everyone no matter what your budget!

When you sign up as a bidder, you will be given a bid number and taken through the registration process on your way to the actual auction item location.

When you get there, you will see a menu button at the top. Tapping this button will give you the auction categories in a popup box and you can go straight to the categories/items you most want to see, OR you can simply scroll down through all the items. You will notice that one of the categories is “Just Added”. Throughout the auction, we will be adding new items that come in and you will want to check this category out to make sure you don’t miss anything! We hope you take the opportunity to check back in as many times as you want.

Please forward this auction invite to all your friends, family, co-workers, and business networks. The more bidders – the more benefit to the projects – and the more happy shoppers! There is truly something for everyone and items that fit any budget. The lowest item is worth $15! Come and see what we have “in-store”! And enjoy!

Thank you so much for participating in this wonderful charity event. The funds raised will go to needy people in our communities and beyond. Because volunteers do all of the work, all of the money raised will go to our charitable projects.

Happy treasure hunting - and thanks so much for your support for “To the Heart of the Matter”!

A crowd of around 400 gathered on New Westminster’s waterfront on February 14 to witness the long-anticipated opening of a time capsule hidden inside the World’s Largest Tin Soldier. The event drew in former contributors, curious residents, and even those who helped build the iconic landmark 24 years ago.

The capsule, sealed inside the 32-foot, 10,000-pound tin soldier since February 14, 2001, contained an eclectic mix of items, including a cassette tape, books, Valentines, a poem by former poet laureate Don Benson, mementos from local organizations, and a copy of The Record newspaper from that same day in 2001.

As items were revealed, excitement rippled through the crowd, with some attendees stepping forward to get a closer look. Acting Mayor Jaimie McEvoy reassured those unable to see that the capsule’s contents would be displayed at the Fraser River Discovery Centre later in the evening.

For some, the event turned personal. Alysia Ker, who attended with her husband and young son, suspected her mother had contributed to the time capsule—and she was right. Her mother, Karen Baker-MacGrotty, had placed two sealed letters inside, one for Alysia and one for her brother. Another attendee, Kate Barber, had submitted childhood photos and a letter when she was seven, unaware that her own mother had also included a letter for her.

Tony Hardie, a welder who worked on the tin soldier’s construction, traveled from Vancouver Island to witness the opening. He recalled the challenges of assembling the massive figure, including needing a fire department ladder to detach the crane that lifted its head into place. Hardie contributed a CD-ROM filled with photos documenting the soldier’s fabrication, while his daughter, who was just four years old at the time, had placed a Valentine’s card for him inside the capsule.

Originally commissioned by the Simon Fraser Society for Community Living, now known as Kinsight, the tin soldier was unveiled in 2000 and later moved to Westminster Quay. Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, it remains a beloved community symbol.

As the event wrapped up, a Coast Salish welcome figure was projected onto the tin soldier—a reimagining of the landmark by Kwantlen artist Brandon Gabriel. The celebration also included activities at the Fraser River Discovery Centre, community booths, and a reading of Tall Tale – The True Story of the World’s Largest Tin Soldier by author Tiffany Stone.

For residents of New Westminster, the time capsule opening was more than just a glimpse into the past—it was a reminder of the tin soldier’s lasting legacy as a cherished piece of the city’s history.

⛈️ Rain Joke of the Day 🌧️ 

👊 You will never beat a thunderstorm in a competition. 🥊 

 🌧️They are always the raining champion. 🌧️ 

Groan O' Meter

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