Category Archives: Blog

Free Ukulele Lessons and Sing-a-longs at the 7th Annual Bees and Blueberries Festival

Cutie Circle volunteers will be holding free ukulele lessons and sing-a-longs at the 7th Annual Bees and Blueberries Festival in Pitt Meadows on August 18 and 19. Come celebrate the importance of bees and taking care of the environment! Admission is free or by donation to the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation for this family friendly event.

Bring your uke and sing with us. Learn to play a song on the ukulele in one minute! Participants taking part in our ukulele lessons will receive certificates of completion. Get your free stickers and/or hand stamped with a ukulele. Our Cuties will be on hand to share their ukulele passion and stories with you.

This post has been updated to include a video from the festival.

The Festival will be giving away some honey and fresh blueberries to early-birds! Be there or be square!

Learn more about bees by taking part in the free guided tours which include a live bee hive opening! Also come see what you can do to keep bees healthy and support our planet by heading over to the planting corner to take home your very own free bee-friendly flower. There will also be free pony rides, face painting, and a petting zoo if you want to connect with nature one step further.

Visit the main stage to enjoy a lineup of performers and local favourites, including Dilly the Clown and Juno-nominated children’s singer-songwriter Ginalina. Children entering grades 1 to 4 in September can enter the Sylvan Learning Centre’s spelling bee contest. Pie fans can register for the blueberry pie eating contest. Last but not least, be sure to stick around for a LIVE bee beard performance at the end of both days.

Festival Schedule

Saturday Floor Plan

Sunday Floor Plan

Directions

There will be onsite parking.

Cutie Circle’s 2018-2019 Calendar

Cuties’ Song Circle Dates for the 2018 – 2019 Season

Cutie Circle’s Regular Meeting Dates

We’ll be meeting from 2:00pm to 4:00pm on the following dates.

August 12, 2018
September 9, 2018
October 14, 2018
November 11, 2018
December 16, 2018 ** (moved back due to room availability)
January 13, 2019
February 10, 2019
March 10, 2019
April 14, 2019
May 12, 2019
June 9, 2019
July 14, 2019 (Cutie Circle’s 5th Year)

Complete Event Calendar

Venue Location – Address, Directions and Facility Map

The Evergreen Cultural Centre’s address is 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, BC.

We’ll be meeting in the Rehearsal Hall at the Evergreen Cultural Centre. As in the past, we will have free parking on Sundays and evenings.

DIRECTIONS

TransCanada Route
From Hwy# 1 take exit 44 and take Highway #7 NORTH (Lougheed) towards Coquitlam Town Centre. We are located just north of Coquitlam Shopping Centre at the corner of Guildford and Pinetree.

Barnet Route
From Barnet Hwy travel east through Port Moody, (along St Johns Street), and Coquitlam (along Barnet Hwy). Turn north (left) on Pinetree Way just east of Coquitlam Shopping Centre.

The Evergreen Cultural Centre is located on the northeast corner of Guildford Way and Pinetree Way, four blocks north of the Coquitlam Shopping Centre.

PARKING

Evergreen Cultural Centre has a north and south parking lot operated by the City of Coquitlam. Parking is free on Sundays and statutory holidays. Parking is also free in the designated 30-minute parking spaces.

North Lot (Studio Theatre/Art Gallery/Box Ofﬁce)
Travelling northbound on Pinetree Way, turn right at the traffic control signal at Town Centre Boulevard. Travelling southbound on Pinetree Way, turn left at the traffic control signal at Town Centre Boulevard.

South Lot (Rehearsal Hall)
NEW – note that there is no longer access to our south lot (backstage lot) from Guildford. Access to the lot via the North Lot and then via the driveway on the west side of the building.

NEW LOT – there is a new City of Coquitlam PAID parking lot located at the SE corner of Pinetree and Guildford. Parking is free after 6pm and on Sundays and statutory holidays.

TRANSIT

Beginning December 2, 2016, patrons will be able to travel to the Evergreen Cultural Centre on the Evergreen Skytrain Line extension. We are located immediately adjacent to the Lafarge Lake – Douglas station at the north end of the Evergreen Line.

For more information and a transit schedules, please visit the Translink website.

ACCESSIBILITY

Evergreen Cultural Centre is an entirely wheelchair accessible facility. There are three wheelchair parking spaces next to the drop off area and in close proximity to the centre.

Facility Map

Once you arrive at the Evergreen Cultural Centre, refer to this Facility Map for finding the parking lot, the ramps, the Rehearsal Hall and the Studio Theatre. (Click the image below for a larger version.) The doors to the facility will be opened 15 minutes before our meeting time.

Canada Day Outdoor Ukulele Jam, Parade and Free Lessons in Coquitlam

Cuties are ready to celebrate Canada Day on July 1 with ukulele players of all ages at the City of Coquitlam’s big birthday bash! Join us between noon and 6pm for some singing and strumming! We thank the City of Coquitlam for hosting this family friendly event once again!

For the first time, Cuties will attempt to build a ukulele float to partake in the Coquitlam Celebrates Canada Day Parade this year! Come help us decorate our float.

1. Canada Day Parade (11:40 am to 12:30 pm)

Assemble at 11:40 a.m. at the gravel lot adjacent to the tennis courts.
The procession starts at 12 noon.

2. Outdoor Ukulele Jam (1 to 4 pm)

Our outdoor ukulele jam starts at 1pm. Bring your songbooks, a chair and your music stand. Come with a song to perform! Meet new friends and sing your heart out on Canada Day!

3. Free Ukulele Lessons (Noon to 6 pm)

We will be giving free ukulele lessons from noon to 6pm to all guests wanting to try their hands at a fun and happy instrument.

Students earn certificates for participating in the ukulele lessons! Come also for some mini ukulele bumper stickers and the multi-colour ukulele hand stamps, too!

Learn to play “O Canada” on the ukulele with us!

Our booth will be located on the Community Drive. Look for the tent with lots of ukuleles, flower leis, music stands and happy smiles!

See the map below for the Community drive where our tent is located.

“Named one of the top 20 festivals in Metro Vancouver by Business in Vancouver, this is a free community festival with live music and entertainment, food, beverages, family activities and fireworks.”

— City of Coquitlam’s Celebrate Canada Day’s webpage

Event Parking

Limited parking will be available. We encourage you to walk, bike, carpool or take transit to the event site. A free bike valet (11:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.) will be available to keep your bike safe and secure during the day. Check out the site map for location. CloseRide the SkyTrain to the Lafarge Lake-Douglas station, it’s located right beside Town Centre Park and is a short walk from the event site.

A free shuttle bus will run from 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. between Town Centre Park and Glen Eagle Secondary School. View the parking map for a list of free public parking in the area.

See you all there!

2017 Ukulele Extravaganza at Coquitlam Multicultural Fair

Our dear friends, Gary Cyr, Jerry Santa Cruz and Glen Towns, will be leading us and playing drums and bass respectively during our performance on July 15 as a part of the Multicultural Fair at Spirit Square in Coquitlam. Our presentation is coined “Ukulele Extravaganza”.

If you would like to participate but have not signed up yet, complete the form below to let us know as the more the merrier!

Here’s a clip filmed at last year’s performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlkszXu5ma4

The Fair starts at 11 am and there will be “a variety of live entertainment, music and dance.” There will be activities for kids as well as adults. Visitors can try their hand at wood carving and arts and crafts.

Like last year, we will also have a booth to give mini ukulele tutorials and to just hang out with other aspiring ukulele players over an outdoor jam. To sign up for the volunteer table, please use the same form below.

Free Admission and Raffle Draw

Admission to attend the event is free and there will be a concession with a barbecue lunch and other food available for purchase. There will also be door prizes and raffle draws. We are also contributing a couple of prizes for the event.

Performance

Date: Saturday, July 15, 2017
Time: Check-in by 1:40pm. Be ready to go on stage by 1:50pm.
Location: Glen Pine Pavilion, 1200 Glen Pine Court, Coquitlam, BC
Attire: Hawaiian-themed outfits (e.g., leis, grass-skirts, etc.) or Cutie t-shirts
Accessories: Bring an uke, a music stand and songbooks.
Parking: Available under the Glen Pine Pavilion, access from Glen Drive. Outdoor parking, access from Burlington St., plus the City of Coquitlam staff parking are beinig made available for this event across the street on Burlington St. with additional street parking around the area. See also Glen Pine’s Parking Information page.

Photo Credit: Terry Wilson

Free Ukulele Mini-Lessons at Our Outreach Booth and Outdoor Jams

Our outreach booth is our home base to hang out during the performances. We will have a few colour ukes to show visitors how to play (or for us to have a jam)! Earn a certificate for complete your ukulele lesson!

We will have a hand-stamp station for kids to stamp their hands. We will also have some free stickers to give away!

Time: 11:00am – 2:30pm (We’ll be setting up our table around 9:00am.)
Location: Glen Pine Pavilion, 1200 Glen Pine Court, Coquitlam, BC
Wi-Fi: Wireless devices should be able to pick up wi-fi signal from the Glen Pine Freenet.

Map:

Sign Up for Performance and/or Ukulele Mini-Tutorial Assistant on July 15

Cutie Circle Celebrates Three Years of Ukulele Fun

The Coquitlam Ukulele Tiny Instrument Enthusiasts (Cutie) Circle will be hosting a ukulele birthday bash on Sunday, July 9, to celebrate its third birthday!!!!

There will be cake, a couple of prizes and lots of strumming and singing with friends! First-time visitors are welcome to join us for free this weekend! We’ll be bringing a few extra ukuleles for brand new players to try out at the Circle!

Come between 2 and 4pm this Sunday to the Rehearsal Hall at the Evergreen Cultural Centre.

Let us celebrate this milestone with family and friends who have supported us the last three years to put on ukulele workshops, concerts, community outreach for newcomers to Canada, ukulele documentary film screenings, and the Fraser Valley Regional Library’s Uke ‘N Play public ukulele lending initiative, just to name a few.

We are especially grateful to the many participants of our free 7-Week Ukulele Workshop Series for Absolute Beginners who have gone on to spreading joy by volunteering their time to host ukulele circles in their own communities and workplace including in Pitt Meadows, Port Moody, Vancouver and soon in Maple Ridge this September.

As we look ahead to the coming season, we invite you to be a part of our community outreach at the City of Coquitlam’s Multicultural Day on July 15, 2017 at the Glen Pine Pavilion. We’ll be performing on stage and giving our very popular, free mini-lessons on the ukulele to the public.

We’ll also be celebrating Culture Days with ukulele activities fit for the entire family on September 30 at the Michael Wright Art Gallery, in the Gathering Place at Leigh Square in Port Coquitlam and on October 1 at the Pinetree Community Centre in Coquitlam.

We would like to thank the Cities of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, especially the folks at the Evergreen Cultural Centre and Leigh Square, for the support we receive and look forward to many more happy times shared at these outstanding venues.

As we contemplate the amount of ukulele fun we have had, we send our gratitude to our mentors, including Azo Bell, Jim D’Ville, Manitoba Hal, Kimo Hussey, Zanuck Lindsey, Ralph Shaw, and Jake Shimabukuro. We are thankful to our friends and local ukulele leaders, Gary Cyr, Braden Deans, and Ron Usher who have generously lent their hands from the very start to make sure the Cutie Circle would thrive! We finally thank all the Cuties who volunteered and/or participated in ukulele activities of all manners. Your enthusiasm inspires us daily to spread the ukulele spirit and passion to a larger audience! Thank you for your friendship!

See you all at the Birthday Bash!

Cutie Circle’s 2017-2018 Calendar