And what makes Burnaby’s trails unique is they’ll take you to the top of Burnaby Mountain, along the mighty Fraser River, through the middle of a busy city, across ocean beaches and around Burnaby Lake.

With such variety, picking a great trail ride, run or walk becomes a personal choice. Here’s some information to help you make a decision.

Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area

The mountain, water and city views from high atop Burnaby Mountain make this 1,423-acre park popular for locals and visitors alike. Make sure you bring your camera – you’ll want to capture the beauty of this park.

Simon Fraser University, located on top of Burnaby Mountain, transferred 820 acres of university land to the City of Burnaby in 1995 for inclusion in the conservation area. Since then the city has worked on plans to allow use by cyclists, runners, walkers and horseback riders. At the same time, key environmental areas are protected.

Over recent years, Burnaby Mountain has becoming increasingly popular with mountain bikers because they offer a technical challenge as well as demanding climbing and downhill tracts.

Lower areas of the mountain, below the BC Hydro power lines, aren’t as steep but there are a number of challenging technical trails.

Share the trails with courtesy. Runners and walkers use them as well so give others lots of room and advanced warning when approaching from behind. It’s best to dismount and walk your bike if you encounter a rider and a horse.

Trails are marked and a trail map can be found on the northeast end of the utility road located under the hydro line. Most bikers enter the trail system from the end of North Road.

For trail runners, Burnaby Mountain offers a fitness test best left for those not discouraged by long hill climbs and switchbacks. Be prepared to get muddy when conditions are wet and don’t be surprised if you find yourself climbing through the clouds, especially in the late fall and winter. Expect cooler temperatures the higher you climb.

Hikers and walkers will also find the mountain a great place to explore. Many trails are found on the north and east sides of the mountain but a unique feature of the conservation area is found on the southwest side. Centennial Pavilion (located off Centennial Way) is a good place to start your walk.

Beside the pavilion you’ll find acclaimed Horizons Restaurant, the Centennial Rose Garden, majestic B.C. coast native totem poles and the Kamui Mintara (playground of the gods) sculptures. The large sculpture was created by Ainu sculptors (Japan’s aboriginal people) to commemorate 25 years of goodwill between sister cities Burnaby and Kushiro, Japan.

The Trans Canada Trail runs through this park area and travels along the north side of the mountain.

How to get there: Go along Lougheed Highway and turn north on Gaglardi Way, right on Burnaby Mountain Parkway and left on Centennial Way.

Burnaby Lake Regional Park

Burnaby Lake is the most popular park of the many administered by the Greater Vancouver Regional District, with more annual visitors than any other.

The trails, which go around the lake, are restricted to walkers and runners. About 10 kilometres (six miles) in length, a lap around the lake is a favourite among runners. Much of the trail is rebuilt with the wood chip surface being replaced by gravel.

Wood chip equestrian trails can be found on the south side of the lake.

The lake itself was dug out by a glacier 12,000 years ago. At the turn of the last century it was important to local industry and its shores were dotted with saw mills. It is now considered an important wildlife sanctuary with over 100 bird species visiting or calling the lake home, including osprey, great blue herons, bald eagles and belted kingfishers as well as beavers and turtles.

A viewing tower provides a bird’s eye view for spotting wildlife. Or you can canoe the lake and get a close-up view of busy beavers, diving ducks and turtles feeding in the marsh. Don’t miss the north shore, which includes Warner Loat Park and the Nature House. The House is open weekends in the summer and provides interpretive nature classes and displays. On the south shore visit the Wildlife Rescue facility, which houses a wildlife habitat garden.

Interpretive nature classes are run out of the Nature House at the foot of Piper Avenue. The lake is primarily fed by Still Creek and water flows out through the Brunette River.

How to get there: Take the Trans Canada Highway. Exit at Kensington Avenue North to Sprott Street and Sperling Avenue.

Barnet Marine Park

Due north of Burnaby Mountain lies Barnet Marine Park, located on the spectacular Barnet Inlet. This linear park is a favourite of water lovers as on can swim in the ocean, explore the shoreline or just bask in the sun.

Picnic tables and barbeques are scattered under shady trees and a concession stand, change rooms and outdoor showers are available in summer. If you like to be on the water, launch your canoe, kayak or sailing dinghy. You can even try your luck at crabbing!

Just across the water, large freighters are at work and pleasure craft navigate the choppy waters. At high tide, the water can rise 14 feet, making the marine traffic appear closer than it really is.

A mill town at the turn of the century, this park still has remnants of its early days. The remains of the mill’s scrap burner juts out into the water, resembling a small castle.

In mid-December merry makers gather at Barnet Marine Park to watch the flotilla of Christmas Carol Ships sail by. A huge, cheery bonfire makes this a popular vantage point for this Lower Mainland custom

Last April, Burnaby named a trail in this park after former Mayor Doug Drummond, who was instrumental in creating the park. The trail, now named Drummond’s Walk, west of Thluck-Way-Tun Creek and adjacent to Texaco Drive, is one of Drummond’s favourite places to walk dog.

Drummond’s Walk is marked by a gateway featuring three tapered, metal masts topped by three birds, a bald eagle, a cormorant and raven, sculpted in welded, galvanized steel by artist Sandra Bilawich. At its base is a band of beach rocks set in concrete representing Drummond’s habit of collecting rocks from each beach he visits.

How to get there: Travel east on Hastings street and continue on as it turns into Barnet Highway; stay left and follow the signs for the park.

B.C. Parkway

Cyclists commuting to Vancouver and New Westminster love the B.C. Parkway because it offers a car-free route. It’s also a great trip for families on bikes or just walking. Trails are paved in most sections.

The parkway runs along the Expo SkyTrain line for 19 kilometres (11.8 miles) from Westminster Quay to False Creek in Vancouver and is separated for cyclists and pedestrians. The Highland Park line is an extension running from Buller to Edmonds.

The linear path is dotted with playgrounds and gardens while greenspace surrounds it.

The parkway offers a unique view of the city and is an easily traveled route suitable for families.

Central Park

Burnaby’s western end of the B.C. Parkway crosses through Central Park. Towering douglas fir, hemlock, poplar and maple trees can be found in this urban forest that boasts a 8.5-kilometre web of well-marked wooded trails criss-crossing the park.

As trails are mostly flat, the park is popular with families who have strollers to push. Children enjoy the playground and the ducks and geese that gather near the two ponds.

Some of the stops along the way are a pitch and putt golf course, tennis courts, gardens, playgrounds, an outdoor pool, baseball diamonds, playing fields and Swangard Stadium. There’s also a horseshoe pitching area, lawn bowling green and two ponds that are home to ducks and geese.

The century-old park is just minutes from the Metrotown shopping area and is easily accessed by car from Kingsway and Boundary Road.

How to get there: Central Park is easy to get to by public transit or car. On transit, take SkyTrain to Patterson station and cross the street to the park. Imperial, Patterson or Kingsway will get you there by car.

Fraser Foreshore Park

By gradually buying up industrial land along the Fraser River, Burnaby has been able to build the Fraser Foreshore Park, a linear park on the city’s south edge.

The park currently runs from Boundary Road to the Big Bend area along the river. The long-term plan to is to continue to buy up land and convert it into park. Fraser Foreshore may eventually extend eastward as far as the New Westminster border.

The current eastern edge of the park, near the Canadian National Railway crossing of the Fraser River, is becoming an important environmental area. Off-channel habitat for young salmon has already been built in the secluded area.

The park’s trail stretches from Boundary Road to the railway corridor. Two spurs connect with the park and travel north for a short distance.

How to get there: From Marine Way in South Burnaby, turn south down to the very end of Byrne Road.

Robert Burnaby Park

A park of tall trees and deep ravines. Many of the trails here are on hills, so expect to do a bit of climbing. The effort is worth it however, as Robert Burnaby Park has many quiet corners and creekside spots to rest. Other features include an outdoor pool, a disc golf course, tennis courts and a picnic area. There’s an off-leash area for dogs at the north end of the park.

How to get there: Follow Canada Way to 16th Avenue, turn northeast and then left on 1st Street, Robert Burnaby Park is not accessible from Highway 1.

Scenic Trail

Spend an afternoon or evening ambling along this chain of trails that affords close-up views of Burrard Inlet. Begin at Kensington Park and head west to Boundary Rd., then continue north to the wooded Penzance Nature Trail. The trail wraps around Kensington Park. The eastern section wraps around Capitol Hill to end up back at Kensington Park.;

It was 1859, when New Westminster was selected as the first capital of the new colony of British Columbia and officially named by Queen Victoria, after her favourite part of London. And although the legislature was later moved to Victoria, New Westminster retained its “Royal City” moniker.

That same year, Robert Burnaby led a survey party with local aboriginal guides to explore the wilderness surrounding Burnaby Lake in 1859. Burnaby was the private secretary to Colonel R.C. Moody of the Royal Engineers who founded New Westminster. Today, the lake, and of course the city, are named in his honour.

New Westminster’s history is filled firsts. In addition to being B.C.’s first capital, it was the first city in Western Canada and a year after its founding it became the first city to have an elected municipal government.

The fortunes of the city have ebbed and flowed since those early days. In the 1800s, primary resources such as lumber and fishing dominated the economy, but those gave way to heavy industry and manufacturing in the first half of the 1900s, which then gave way to retail from the mid 1950s to the ’70s. Today the health care sector, followed by the manufacturing and educational service sectors have the highest concentration of jobs in New Westminster.

New Westminster, with a population of nearly 59,000, is roughly 15 square kilometres and is in the centre of the Lower Mainland along the north banks of the Fraser River with views of the Golden Ears Mountains, Mount Baker and the Fraser River estuary. The spectacular view from all areas of the city make urban life here very special.

Royal City residents often describe the city as having the feeling of a small town with an identity all its own and a pride in what it has. It is not just a suburb of a larger community, but has traditions and character that set it apart. May Day, the Ancient and Honourable Hyack Anvil Battery Salute, Hyack Festival, and FraserFest, are known throughout the area.

The Royal City also has an array of beautiful homes and buildings, heritage and modern, which speak of a continuing enthusiasm for architecture and design.

New Westminster’s neighborhoods supply attractions of their own. They thrive on their own local history with connections that cross the community: Queensborough with its ethnic roots and strong association with fishing and the river; Sapperton with the former B.C. Penitentiary, brewery and hospital; Downtown with its founding importance and drive to reclaim its vitality; Queen’s Park with its commanding collection of fine homes; the West End, later in developing but now embracing its own unique identity; Uptown, deriving its initial impetus from a Woodward’s store; and Kelvin, Brow of the Hill, Brunette, Connaught Heights, Glenbrook … they all have stories of their own.

In Burnaby, the earliest pioneers settled in around 1850 and Burnaby developed very slowly until 1887, when the Canadian Pacific Railway was extended into Vancouver from Port Moody.

Travel between the new port city and the old capital city led to construction of the country’s first interurban electric tramline in 1891 (today’s SkyTrain Expo line follows the same route). The tramline opened the area to farming and settlement, and local residents banded together to form the new Municipality of Burnaby on Sept. 24, 1892.

By 1892, Burnaby had its first park along with a store, post office, two schools and a church. Within five years, the population in South Burnaby had grown to 400. The opening of the Barnet Mill in North Burnaby in 1900 started a second settlement within the municipality.

By 1930, Burnaby had shed its early agricultural beginnings and had grown to become the third largest municipality in B.C. In 1992, Burnaby celebrated its 100th anniversary by becoming the City of Burnaby.

Today, Burnaby is B.C.’s third-largest city with a population of more than 205,000 and covers an area of 85.6 square kilometres (38.07 square miles). It has evolved from a predominantly suburban, bedroom community to an urban centre in its own right serving as a regional focus for a variety of business, recreation and education activities. ;

Robert Burnaby led a survey party with local aboriginal guides to explore the wilderness surrounding Burnaby Lake in 1859. Today, the lake is named in his honour.

The earliest pioneers settled around 1850 and Burnaby developed very slowly until 1887, when the Canadian Pacific Railway was extended into Vancouver from Port Moody.

Travel between the new port city and the old capital city led to construction of the country’s first interurban electric tramline in 1891 (today’s SkyTrain Expo line follows the same route). The tramline opened the area to farming and settlement, and local residents banded together to form the new Municipality of Burnaby on Sept. 24, 1892.

By 1892, Burnaby had its first park along with a store, post office, two schools and a church. Within five years, the population in South Burnaby had grown to 400. The opening of the Barnet Mill in North Burnaby in 1900 started a second settlement within the municipality.

By 1930, Burnaby had shed its early agricultural beginnings and had grown to become the third largest municipality in B.C. In 1992, Burnaby celebrated its 100th anniversary by becoming the City of Burnaby.

Today, Burnaby remains B.C.’s third-largest city with a population of more than 205,000 residents and covers an area of 85.6 square kilometres (38.07 square miles). It has evolved from a predominantly suburban, bedroom community to an urban centre in its own right serving as a regional focus for a variety of business, recreation and education activities.;

NewsLeader

Anyone wanting to experience the joys of rail travel without leaving their own city can do just that at Burnaby Central Railway adjacent to Confederation Park.

That’s where the 160 members of the B.C. Society of Model Engineers operates their scale model railway, one-eighth of full size. They offer rides to the public on weekends and holidays, on its 6.5-acre, city-owned site.

The society was established in 1928 and in 1975 started offering rides at Heritage Village Museum as it was then called. But they didn’t have space there to expand so in 1993, they opened up at their current location which previously served as a works yard.

Society members brought in 8,500 truckloads of fill excavated from the Cassiar tunnel project and built their railway, complete with bridges, tunnels and a station. The track itself stretches more than three kilometres.

It’s the largest miniature railway of its kind in Canada and one of the largest in North America that’s open to the public.

“Kids of all ages love these trains,” said the society’s Lindsay McDonnell. Of the more than 30,000 riders a year, many are repeat customers and more than half are adults.

Society members not only like trains, they like designing, building and operating them. And they’re sticklers for detail. Trains are built to within 1/1,000 of an inch to scale and are modelled after real-life trains.

In contrast, the trains operated at the Stanley Park miniature railway are simply “old style,” not to scale, McDonnell explained.

Members either build and run their own trains or ones owned and maintained by the society itself. The types of model trains they use run the gamut, from steam trains, to a currently-under-construction model TGV, a French bullet train.

The trains don’t necessarily operate exactly like their full-size counterparts. For instance, the steam trains produce their steam using propane, not coal, with at least one member’s “steam train” running on electric power, although it can emit plumes of steam on demand.

Proceeds from the rides help pay for the upkeep and operation of the railway. At speeds of more than 10 kilometres an hour, the trains can pull up to 30 passengers, with a typical ride lasting 10 to 15 minutes.

Burnaby Central Railway is located at 120 North Willingdon Avenue, at Penzance Drive. For more information call 604-291-0922 or visit www.bcsme.org.

NewsLeader

If you walk the streets, graveyards and parks of New Westminster, you’re walking through history. Especially if you have local historians Archie and Dale Miller at your side.

There may be no better place in the Lower Mainland to go on a historical walking tour, says Archie. The province’s original capital city, established in 1859, has a rich history that details the emergence of the city and B.C.

You can read about history in textbooks but on a walking tour you almost get to live it, said Moore. “All you need is your imagination.”

Take, for example, Queen’s Park. It was dedicated as a park in 1888 when it was transferred over to the city from the province. It soon became home to one of the most prominent fairs in Western Canada.

With streetcars stopping right outside its gates, thousands flocked to the fair. It boasted some of the top commercial exhibitors of the day – such as Singer and Edison. In 1905 the park was home to the Dominion Exhibition, further enhancing its dominance over other fairs offered in neighbouring cities.

“It was a bustling, busy fair,” said Miller. People from New West, Vancouver and all of the surrounding towns would flock to it by the thousands. Because of the fair’s notoriety, it was high on the list of exhibitors that travelled the Western Canada and West Coast circuits of fairs and exhibitions.

The fair was focussed around large buildings erected within the 75.5 acre park, like the agricultural, women’s and industrial buildings. Another added to the inventory was the 1909 Fisheries Building, which still stands and has been reincarnated as the Vagabond Theatre.

The spinoff from hosting the fairs was similar to Vancouver holding Expo in 1986. “It had the same sort of affect,” said Miller of the economic impact.

Queen’s Park’s heyday ended in 1929 when a great fire destroyed all of the major buildings. As bad luck would have it, it was to be one of the most notable fairs ever, with British Member of Parliament and future Prime Minister Winston Churchill opening it.

The fire levelled the site but the fair still went on, with exhibits housed in giant tents. Churchill attended and made the opening speech, crediting the resiliency of the people.

It was to be the last fair. After that, Vancouver became the most important fair in the province.

Fire had also reduced the city’s downtown to rubble more than 30 years earlier. The citizen’s of the day rebuilt after the 1898 fire. No one died in the fire and neither did the spirit of the community, points out Miller.

Successful businessman James Cunningham was one of those. He ran a hardware store, owned a warehouse and other buildings and seemed to have the business world by the tail. Just prior to the fire, Cunningham announced he was selling everything and moving to Vancouver, where there was a larger market for his wares.

The fire changed his plans, destroying all of his businesses.

Not long after the disaster, he made another announcement. He would rebuild in New Westminster. Cunningham’s Hardware on Columbia Street became a fixture in the Royal City and the tools and materials he sold played a role in rebuilding the community.

A tour of Columbia Street today still has much to say about the city’s past, says Miller. Some of the more interesting features were the theatres and entertainment venues, which became important gathering areas for the community. Not only could one see a movie and watch a play, but they were also places to hear speeches, travelogues and other presentations.

Today the Paramount (originally the Edison and built in 1905) and the Raymond Burr (Originally known as the Columbia when it was built in 1927) theatres are the only ones left on the street.

“That theatre,” says Miller of the Burr, “if it could only talk.

“If you went to the back of the stage, there would probably be a lot of ghosts around.”

Speaking of ghosts, people are bound to run into a few if they take in one of the many cemetery tours offered in New Westminster.

Established as one of the earliest cemeteries in the Lower Mainland, the Fraser Cemetery tells stories about famous figures, original founders, crime, war and other aspects of the past.

Some of the more important graves are those of the Royal Engineers, who arrived in 1858 from England. Under Col. Richard Moody, the Columbia Detachment of the Royal Engineers played an crucial role in making sure British Columbia was not annexed by the Americans and remained a British colony. Their job was to survey and build townships and roads. They also constructed government and public buildings.

When the detachment was disbanded in 1863 many stayed and continued to build the community. Today there are as many as 20 grave markers for the Royal Engineers in the cemetery.

Grace decided to build a large country estate with her husband Henry Tracy Ceperley, virtually in the middle of forest and strawberry fields, on the shore of the majestic Deer Lake in Burnaby. The year was 1909. And now, 96 years later, the beautiful “Fairacres” estate that Grace built, still sits as the heritage home of the Burnaby Art Gallery.

Buying property in Deer Lake was very uncommon to most wealthy citizens in Shaughnessy, since Burnaby was an agricultural centre rather than a residential one. However that changed quickly once Fairacres was built in 1911.

“[Grace] was the first to recognize its potential of being a place of beautiful estates,” said Jim Wolf, heritage planner for the City of Burnaby. “So it really changed the perception of what Deer Lake and Burnaby could be.”

Henry Ceperley, one of the top real estate and insurance agents in the province at the time, was also very wealthy. However, Wolf said the estate was paid for with Grace’s money.

“Grace was like, queen of Fairacres,” said Wolf. “It was hers and everything about it really had that woman’s touch of beauty.”

Grace spent $150,000 on the English-style country estate that was designed by English-trained Vancouver architect, R. P. S. Twizell. Half of the 20 acre estate was landscaped, with gardens, fine lawns and rockeries, housing a number of outbuildings as well including a root house, steam plant, chauffeur’s cottage and garage and stables building.

The architecture of the building was, and still is, an impressive site. The mansion was a three-storey structure with characteristics of an English home with a West Coast influence. It was built primarily with stucco and stone, finished with Tudor half-timbering. There was attention to detail in the fireplace, doorways, windows and light fixtures. Grace even had a tower made, with walls made of glass, built to house her tropical and domestic bird collection.

“The Arts and Crafts style that [Twizell] conceived at Fairacres is really quite wonderful and sort of unprecedented because it’s just so high class in all of its appointments,” said Wolf.

After Grace died in 1917 at their Shaughnessy home, Henry leased the mansion but eventually sold the estate with proceeds going to the construction of Ceperley Playground in Stanley Park, as Grace wrote in her will.

A number of families bought and lived in the home from 1922 to 1939.

The next occupants became a community of Benedictine monks, who turned the building into a seminary to train young men for priesthood. In 1954, the Canadian Temple of the Universal Foundation of More Abundant Life, a religious organization who believed in communal living, moved in. The Municipality of Burnaby started to purchase some acres of the estate starting in the 1960s and eventually bought the whole estate for about $160,000 in 1966 as the city’s first heritage conservation project. In 1999, Burnaby council embarked on a half million dollars restoration of the house that restored the house back to its original 1909 configuration.

“There has been a big commitment on the part of the city to not only preserve what’s there but restore it’s beauty,” said Wolf.

The Burnaby Art Gallery officially opened in 1967 as a Canadian Centennial project and today lies as one of the hearts of Burnaby’s art community along with the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts and the Burnaby Village Museum.

It was designated heritage property in 1992 and will stay an important part of Burnaby history for as long as it stays standing in the picturesque location of Deer Lake Park.

The homes surrounding Deer Lake were built between 1904 and 1935 and were developed by their owners with an idealized view of the English countryside in mind. The landscapes designed as part of many of these gracious old homes remain integral to the experience of the lakeshore setting, and convey a special sense of history to the park visitor.

This tour, developed by the City of Burnaby’s Heritage Program, highlights some of the history and the protected heritage buildings of Deer Lake Park. More of the heritage and natural beauty of the park remain to be discovered by wandering the many trails surrounding the lake shore.

Visiting all of the buildings on the tour may take between 60 and 90 minutes.

Each historic property is marked on the map with an assigned number to locate the text.

The tour starts at the Shadbolt Centre and Burnaby Village Museum on Deer Lake Avenue.

1. Edwin W. and Mary Bateman House “Elworth”

(Burnaby Village Museum)

Behind the fence of the city’s museum, you can see “Elworth,” the only original building constructed on this site.

Edwin W. Bateman came to B.C. as the Canadian Pacific railway’s right-of-way and tax agent in 1910. In 1920, Edwin and Mary Bateman purchased land in the “Deer Lake Crescent” subdivision and began to develop a country retreat which they called “Elworth.”

Completed in 1922, the house was designed by Vancouver architect Enoch Evans and is a classic example of a romantic revival cottage. It incorporates the overall form of an arts and crafts bungalow, but includes classic revival features such as Ionic verandah columns, shutters and a symmetrical facade.

The City of Burnaby purchased this property in 1970 for use as part of Deer Lake Park. It became the focal point for the creation of Heritage Village which opened in 1971.

(Check the open hours at the entrance gate to visit the museum or take a ride on the restored Centennial Carousel.)

2. Robert F. and Bessie Anderson House

6450 Deer Lake Avenue

In 1912, shortly after New Westminster hardware merchant R.F. Anderson purchased his lots in the “Deer Lake Crescent” subdivision, local newspapers noted that “his new $10,000 mansion was well on its way to completion.”

Local architect Frank W. Macey’s signature style is evident through the use of unique English arts and crafts design elements.

After World War I, Anderson sold the house and many different owners came and went. In 1939, the house was purchased by the Benedictine Monks for use as part of the Seminary of Christ the King.

In 1971, the house was purchased by the City of Burnaby as part of the arts centre and, in 1992, was designated as a heritage site.

3. William J. and Mary Mathers Mansion “Altnadene”

6490 Deer Lake Avenue

William J. Mathers was the New Westminster manager for the Brackman-Ker Milling Company. He purchased the first two lots of the “Deer Lake Crescent” subdivision and in 1912 built this magnificent Romanesque revival-styled home designed by architect F.W. Macey for a reported cost of $13,000.

During World War I, the mansion was used in part as a convalescent home for soldiers wounded on the battle front.

After the death of W.J. Mathers in 1929, the estate was rented and finally sold. In 1939, the Benedictine Monks converted the mansion into the Seminary of Christ the King which operated until 1953.

In 1971, Burnaby purchased the building for use as part of the arts centre and designated it a heritage site in 1992.

(For historic photographs and more information, see the interpretive sign at the rear entrance of the house.)

4. Henry T. and Grace Ceperley Estate “Fairacres”

6344 Deer Lake Avenue

Henry and Grace Ceperley were the first property owners to decide to build a high-class country residence at Deer Lake.

Henry Ceperley was a local pioneer, having arrived in Vancouver in 1886 and started a real estate and insurance firm which became the largest in B.C.

Grace Ceperley received a large inheritance from her brother-in-law, A.G. Ferguson, and used it to build “Fairacres.” She purchased the strawberry farm from George Clayton in 1909 with the intention of building a retirement home.

Designed by English architect R.P.S. Twizell, the English arts-and-crafts-styled mansion and estate cost more than $150,000 in 1911.

When Grace Ceperley died in 1917, her will stated that the proceeds from the sale of the estate were to be used to build Ceperley Playground in Stanley Park.

In 1939, the local Catholic Diocese funded a group of five Benedictine monks to establish a Priory in B.C. and “Fairacres” was purchased and used for this purpose.

This property was acquired in 1966 by the City of Burnaby for use as a civic art gallery and designated a heritage property in 1992.

(Tour the estate using the interpretive signs to learn more about the mansion, garage and stables, chauffeur’s cottage, steam plant and root house.)

5. Thomas O. and Frances Townley Mansion “Deerholme”

6110 Price Street

“Deerholme” was built in 1913 by Vancouver’s 1901 mayor, Colonel Thomas Owen Townley, and his wife Frances.

The house was designed by their son Fred Laughton Townley, who had just returned from the University of Pennsylvania where he had received a degree in architecture.

The mansion’s design reflects his training as it is based on the Gregorian revival style, popular with Americans proud of their Colonial roots.

The Townley’s enjoyed the estate until 1920 when they rented the house to the Cunningham family before selling the property to the Vancouver Anglican College.

The college held the building until 1940, when it was again sold and was owned by various owners until being purchased by the City in 1979.

The house remains leased as a private residence until future park expansion is completed.

6. Frederick J. and Alice Hart Estate “Avalon”

6664 Deer Lake Avenue

“Avalon,” now in use as the Hart House Restaurant, was built by local real estate agent F.J. Hart.

Born on Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland, Hart came to New Westminster in 1890. He purchased the site in 1904 as a summer retreat for his family.

In 1912, Mr. Hart decided to build an estate and he chose the talented Burnaby architect Frank W. Macey to design his mansion.

The British Columbian newspaper noted that F.J. Hart’s “beautiful home … will be one of the handsomest in Burnaby when completed, costing it is estimated, nearly $50,000.”

The home is designed in the tudor revival style and features a massive tower with mock battlements, corbeled chimneys, cobblestone foundations and decorative half-timbering.

In 1917, Montague and Ethel More moved into the home they named Rosedale Gardens and developed a beautiful farm, planting many of the specimen trees and shrubs visible today.

Purchased by the City of Burnaby in 1979, the building was designated a heritage site in 1992,

Take the time to visit or dine at the Hart House Restaurant and see the many historic photos of the house on display in the public rooms.

7. Drs. Blythe A. and Violet Eagles Estate

5655 Sperling Avenue

Constructed in 1929, this estate was developed for more than 60 years by Dr Blythe Eagles and Dr. Violet Eagles.

The property featured a magical 1.6-acre garden designed by Frank E. Buck, a pioneer Canadian horticulturalist who planned and landscaped the grounds of the University of B.C. The Eagles had an impressive garden rockery, trellis work and beautiful perennial gardens.

A heritage value assessment of the Eagles Estate Heritage Garden revealed that it is a highly-significant garden in B.C. based on its historic, artistic and cultural significance.

A new volunteer program has been initiated by The Land Conservancy of B.C. (TLC) to restore the garden to its former glory.

Take time to admire the gardens and visit that house to view interpretive displays during open hours and get more information about this restoration project.

8. Dr. William and Ruth Baldwin House

6543.6572 Deer Lake Drive

Dr. William and Ruth Baldwin purchased this Deer Lake property in 1959 and chose their close personal friend, architect Arthur Erickson, to design a waterfront home in 1965.

The design of the Baldwin home is an early example of Erickson’s famous design aesthetic which demonstrates his vision of “site, light and cadence.”

A small portion of the site was devoted to a reflecting pond in typical Japanese style, an Erickson trademark.

As one of a rare group of early surviving modernist structures – in original condition – from one of Canada’s most globally prominent and respected architects, it poses significant heritage value.

Acquired by the city, this home and garden were designated as the first modern heritage site in Burnaby in 2002. This home is available for lease as a guest house by the The Land Conservancy of B.C.. Call 604-733-2313 for more information.

For more information on Burnaby’s Heritage Program, call the planning department at 604-294-7400 or visit the City’s website www.city.burnaby.bc.ca;

But atop Burnaby Mountain is a collection of carved poles unlike any other in B.C.

Named Playground of the Gods, this exhibition was created by Nuburi Toko, a renowned sculptor of the Ainu people, and his son Shusei Toko. The Ainu are Japan’s aboriginal people who inhabited the northern island of Hokkaido.

The poles tell an Ainu story of people, gods and creatures living together on the Earth in peace and harmony.

These sculptures commemorate 25 years of goodwill between the Sister Cities of Kushiro, Japan and the City of Burnaby.

The large sculpture of bound poles symbolizes the strong ties between the Ainu people and their gods. On Earth, many of the gods assume the shapes and spirits of animals such as the bear, orca and owl.

There is a strong connection to the sea for the Ainu, and the orca is their god of the sea. According to Ainu mythology, the orca chases other whales to the ocean’s shores, thereby providing food to the people.

Three pairs of poles located along the lower lawn represent the orca. The pair to the far left symbolizes the adult male and female orca and the next pair to the right represents a young boy and girl orca.

The post-and-beam structure is called Whole Ocean. On top of the piece is the orca, with a carved hole to represent its heart. The tall single pole to the right of Whole Ocean represents the tree god.

The poles with the animals on top represent the Ainu gods and the smaller poles represent the people.

The owl god lives in the lower part of the heavens, and looks after the people and their villages.;

With recreation facilities in every corner of the city, its convenient too. Here’s a list of what Burnaby has to offer.

- Bonsor Recreation Complex – 6550 Bonsor Avenue, 604-439-1860. One of the city’s largest and most varied recreation complexes, it sports a swimming pool, leisure pool, sauna, whirlpool, racquet courts, gymnasium, weight room, fine arts and dance studios, seniors’ lounge and activity rooms, cafe and pro shop. They offer fitness and swimming classes, meeting/activity/party room rentals, and a banquet hall (capacity 300). Like many Burnaby facilities, its wheelchair accessible with handicap washrooms, elevators, aquatic wheelchairs and an aquatic pool lift.

- Cameron Recreation Complex – 9523 Cameron Street, 604-421-5225. Here you’ll find indoor tennis and racquet courts, a weight room, fitness classes, gymnasium, indoor cycling studio, refreshment counter, pro shop, seniors’ lounge/activity room, meeting/activity/party room rentals, library, and a banquet hall (capacity 200).

- Eileen Dailly Leisure Pool & Fitness Centre – 240 Willingdon Avenue, Phone: 604.298.7946. Located in Central Valley, this centre has a swimming pool, water slide, leisure pool, children’s water play area, sauna, whirlpool, steam room, weight room, fitness classes, cafe and meeting/activity/party room rentals. There are also washrooms, change rooms, a zero-entry pool, aquatic wheelchairs and personal transfer lift for the disabled.

- Eastburn Community Centre – 7435 Edmonds Street, Phone: 604.525.5361. It has a weight room, games room, gymnasium, meeting/activity room rentals and banquet hall (capacity 140).

- Willingdon Community Centre – 1491 Carleton Avenue, Phone: 604.299.1446. Features a weight room, cardio room, games room, fitness classes, meeting/ activity/party room rentals and banquet hall (capacity 120).

- Burnaby South Fitness & Leisure Centre – 5455 Rumble Street, Phone: 604.433.1166. Patrons have access to a 200-metre indoor track, gymnasium, weight room, dance/fitness room and multipurpose room. It’s located within Burnaby South Secondary School.

- C.G. Brown Memorial Pool – 3702 Kensington Avenue, Phone: 604.299.9374. You can use the swimming pool, water slide, sauna, whirlpool, leisure pool and weight room. It also has an aquatic pool lift and aquatic wheelchair.

- Harry Jerome Sports Centre – 7564 Barnet Hwy

Phone: 604.291.2007, Home to North America’s only indoor velodrome, there are also ndoor volleyball courts, multi-purpose gym space and a meeting room.

- Bill Copeland Sports Centre – 3676 Kensington Avenue, Phone: 604.291.1261. There are twin ice arenas – one with 2,000-seat spectator capacity – that are used for ice skating & other ice sports during the fall and winter. The facilities are home to in-line skating and hockey and lacrosse during the spring and summer. There’s also meeting/activity/party room rentals, food service. The facility has 73,000 square feet of space available for conventions, trade shows, concerts and banquets.

- Kensington Complex – 6159 Curtis Street, Phone: 604.299.8354. There’s ice skating and other ice sports during the fall and winter, in-line skating and lacrosse in the spring and summer. Also boasts a snack bar, and meeting/activity/party room rentals.

Mother’s Day

Make a card for Mother, try out the freshly-baked cookies in the Farmhouse and stay on for the 4pm prize draw. The Ice Cream Parlour has special treats at special prices.

Footlight Theatre Vaudeville Show

From Father’s Day until Labour Day weekend, September 1, the Footlight Theatre Company performs its Vaudeville Varieties show every Sunday and holiday Monday in Brookfield Hall at 1, 2, 3, and 4pm.

May 22-24

Victoria Day

Celebrate the Queen’s birthday, with Queen Victoria herself! Attend the Queen’s Levee and learn how to curtsy and bow before a monarch. The 78th Fraser Highlanders do a cannon salute and pipe in the Royal Parade. Entertainers, dancers, puppets, crafts, story time and more… fun for the entire family.

Collectors’ Weekend

This event highlights the treasures of collectors and collector groups from the community. Antique cars, garden tools, cigarette cards, advertising collectibles, lace, beaded purses, compacts, teddy bears, clocks, WWI military items, and even corsets will be displayed this year. Wedding and christening gown preservation will be explained and telegraph demonstrations will take place. The “RE Living History Society” will also be setting up a full 1860s encampment in the Carousel Meadow. Also enjoy the large display of operating model trains.

July 1

Canada Day

Free admission for all on this national celebration day. Come meet the Mayor and political representatives, enjoy the free birthday cake and the entertainers! Crafts, games and fun for the whole family.

July 31-August 2

BC Day Weekend Multicultural Festival

This festival highlights BC’s cultural diversity. Groups and individuals from the Japanese, Middle Eastern, Indian, Scottish, Filipino, Chilean, Ukrainian, Spanish and Korean communities are on site to display their crafts and costumes or to perform their traditional songs and dances. The Ice Cream Parlour offers a menu of multicultural treats. Come celebrate our diversity.

August 15

Teddy Bear Day

Teddy Bear artists and collectors set up wonderful displays that are sure to have kids of all ages smiling. Children can even get their sick bear looked after at the Teddy Bear Clinic. Kids who participate in the Teddy Bear Prowl Parade with their own favourite stuffed animal get a free carousel ride.

September 6

Labour Day Fair

Three days of old-fashioned fall fair, with entertainers, dancers and musicians. Participate in the Baking, Jams, Preserves, Floral and Fruit and Vegetable Competitions. Join in the watermelon-eating contests and (fake) cow-milking demonstrations, come build a scarecrow and visit the bunnies and chicks! The antique cars, quilters, fortune tellers, organ grinder, master gardeners, face painters and reptile handlers all join in the daily parade.

Burnaby Village Museum and Carousel is located 6501 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby. For information call 604-293-6501.;