Announcing our 2011 Photo Contest Winners!

After judging this morning by staff, we are excited to announce our photo contest winners! There was a shortage of Teen entries, so extra prizes have been awarded in both the Child and Adult categories.

Child:

1^st – Rachel Gill - “Log Hook”

2^nd – Isaac Adams - “Samson”

3^rd – Isaac Adams - “Logging Truck”

4^th – Alex Meikle - “At the Throttles”

5^th – Alex Meikle - “Miniature Wheels”

6^th – Rachel Gill - “Maple Trees”

Teen:

1^st – Joanna Adams - “Somenos Trestle”

Adult:

1^st – John Fairfield - “The Trestle”

2^nd – Kelly Bannister - “Wow, Marsh Monsters!”

3^rd – Christine Roome - “Cousins Watching for the Train”

4^th – Felipe Baloran Jr. - Eccentricity of Woods”

5^th – John Farifield - “Filing Shop”

Prizes will be awarded as follows in each category:

First Place - $50.00

Second Place - $35.00

Third Place - $20.00

Fourth Place - $10.00

Winners will also receive an individual membership for the 2012 season.

Congratulations to everyone!

Coopers Hawks Spotted

Photo from: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/coopers_hawk/id

Two Coopers Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) have been spotted at the Centre over the past few weeks. Early in the morning they can be heard quite loudly as they cry while flying over the forest. Coopers Hawks are a forest bird. They are very acrobatic as they swerve between tree trunks and through the underbrush.

Their feather patterns are a distinctive speckling and striping. Dark markings on a light base colour on their underside. We are hoping our two are a breeding pair and they might be setting up our grounds as a future nesting site. They might have some territorial competition from the Eagles though... so we will see how that plays out!

The End is Near...

Summer is nearly over and the children head back to school in just a few days! One more week for you parents to fill with activities. Why not bring them by the Centre for a final hurrah on Samson, before he goes into hibernation for the fall?

The apples are ripening and ready to be picked, so bring a bag or a basket and fill up on some fresh fruit. Walk the forest trails and try to spot some new birds. Come take a look at our reconstructed logging camp - The new exhibit is almost ready!

The concession is still fully stocked with ice cream and other goodies. So come splurge on a sugar fix, and lick up your ice cream cone while cruising around the site. There is nothing better than Udder Guys Ice Cream!

We hope to see you in our final weeks of summer, and into the fall as well! Don't forget about our spooktacular sensation on the halloween weekend, and our annual Christmas Express event as well!

Day Two of the 2011 Antique Truck Show

Day Two of the truck show was pretty awesome. Not only was the temperature -slightly- lower, but we had a blast and visitors had a great time checking out the big rigs and smaller trucks.

Here are some photos, an artistic take, on the second day of the truck show.

Front end detail from the Diamond T Logging Truck. - Photo by Marcie Callewaert

Fargo Pickup Truck - Photo by Marcie Callewaert

Samson coming up the track towards Alderlea Station - Photo by Marcie Callewaert

We hope to see you next year for the next Antique Truck Show. Please feel free to register pre 1980's vehicles of your own! We love seeing new pieces of machinery in our show, and the visitors love it as well!

Day One of the 2011 Antique Truck Show

Day one of our truck show was a relative success with sunny skies, shiny trucks and a good crowd of folks out for the show!
More parades, hay rides and summer fun will be happening today with our second - and last - day of the Antique Vehicle Show! Steam rides on Samson, our 101 year old steam locomotive will be taking place every half hour starting at 11am with a lunch break at 1pm.

Truck on display at the Truck Show! - Photo by Marcie Callewaert

Trucks rolled in all morning in a large variety of shapes and sizes - as well as colours! There are a number of large vintage logging trucks - some of the earliest ones on the road too! These early logging trucks would have carried no more than one or three logs at a time! Not only were the logs just that big, but the trucks were too small to carry much more!

One of the earliest logging trucks - Only able to carry one to three logs at a time! Photo by Marcie Callewaert

Some of these trucks come from the Centre's collection of antique vehicles and many others have been brought to the show from businesses and private owners.

Detailing on a very large logging truck! - Photo by Marcie Callewaert

Duncan's first fire truck is on display in the field. It's minute size compared to some of the other nearby fire trucks is quite surprising! Hoses are piled in the back and a glowing red paint shimmers in the sun!

Hoses coiled in the back of Duncan's first fire truck - Photo by Marcie Callewaert

Honeymoon Bay Fire Truck - Photo By Marcie Callewaert

Steam vehicles are on display and being driven around our site by some wonderfully dedicated volunteers. The Mann Steam Wagon and Steam Roller are best buddies and they greet their big friend Samson at every opportunity.

The Mann Steam Wagon and Steam Roller steam up early in the morning. - Photo by Marcie Callewaert

New Activity at the BCFDC!

I think these two are needing some faces! Come out and fill them in for us! We would love to see your hilarious expressions - Post them on our facebook wall!

http://www.facebook.com/BCFDC

Antique Truck Show - Today!

See history in action at the BC Forest Discovery Centre's Antique Truck show in August.  Many rare trucks will be parading around the museum's 100-acre grounds during the antique truck show in August, giving visitors an opportunity to see the trucks operate.  Spend the day at the museum enjoying the truck parades (at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm both days) and riding Samson, the 1910 steam locomotive.  Have a picnic lunch from the concession, enjoy the indoor and outdoor exihbits, and take a walk on the forest and marsh trails.  A fun weekend for families and classic truck enthusiasts alike!

BCFDC Collection - Logging crummy. Used to take men to work in the forest and home at night to the camp - like a school bus! Photo by Marcie Callewaert

Honeymoon Bay Fire Truck - Photo by Marcie Callewaert

White Logging Truck - Photo by Marcie Callewaert

The new crossing guard beside the school house - Entrance to the Truck Show field! - Photo by Marcie Callewaert