What's Happening: Cultural Services In Delta

March, April & May 2023

On behalf of Delta Council and our Cultural Services team, thank you for subscribing to the brand new City of Delta Cultural Services Newsletter! We are thrilled to provide you with such rich offerings over the course of the year, and this newsletter is a phenomenal way to keep you updated on what's new in the world of Cultural Services in Delta.

For our inaugural edition, we would like to showcase some of the exciting events we have featured at our facilities over the coming months, on top of some of our unique drop-in activities, and fascinating historical pieces made available to us through our Delta Archives team.

Thank you for supporting arts, culture, and heritage in your community.

George V. Harvie

Mayor, City of Delta

Upcoming Events

There are lots of great programming options this Spring for both adults and children. Visit Delta.ca/CulturalServices to take a look. Bust a move in one of our dance classes, take in some great music, catch a play, or take a Historic Walk in downtown Ladner.

By no means are these the only events happening in Delta's Cultural facilities, but here are some highlights you won't want to miss.

UNBOUND Literary Festival - April 15, 10am-4pm, NDCA

You're invited to the second annual UNBOUND Literary Festival, celebrating all things poetry! This event is in partnership with Delta Literary Arts Society. Register for a workshop with award-winning writers or sign up for a 20-minute one-on-one poetry consultation with a Blue Pencil editor, haiku contest, and author's table meet and greet. Come back in the evening and enjoy a SLAM Poetry presentation.

Purchase Tickets

Zodiac Trio – Friday April 21, 7:30pm, NDCA

The City of Delta and Vancouver Chamber Music Society follow up the first successful concert with the Vancouver Cello Quartet by presenting Zodiac Trio. Their story begins in New York in 2006 when three young musicians from the Manhattan School of Music decided to join forces in an unconventional ensemble. Since then, they have spearheaded a career dedicated Kliment Krylovskiy on clarinet, Riko Higuma on piano, and Vanessa Mollard on violin. Purchase your tickets before they sell out!

Purchase Tickets

Youth Week – May 1-7

Celebrate your youth through a full docket of great youth events throughout Delta during Youth Week from May 1-7! Gain free access to Delta drop-in activities by using your Delta Youth Admission Pass! Full schedule to be posted at Delta.ca/Events.

Murder for Two Musical – May 11-13, NDCA

The City of Delta proudly presents Murder for Two, an exciting musical that promises laughs in an homage to old-fashioned murder mysteries! Join us for our very first in-house production. Tickets will go on sale shortly for matinee and evening performances. Tickets will be available at Delta.ca/CulturalServices.

International Migratory Birds Day Presentation – May 11, 6:30pm, Douglas J Husband Discovery Centre

Birds Canada will be speaking about the migratory birds of the Fraser Estuary Key Biodiversity Area! They will share stories on the history of some of the more abundant species, as well as provide insight on some of the rarer, lesser known species. Finally, you will learn how you can help conserve these extraordinary migratory birds.

Ladner Heritage Walk – May 27 & June 24, 1pm

Discover Delta through a guided Heritage Walk around downtown Ladner, led by a Delta Heritage Society member. Learn all about local heritage monuments, nature, and the diverse communities of Delta. The walk starts and ends at 4953 Chisholm Street, Ladner. Participants are encouraged to visit the Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre after the walk.

Spring Break Programming

Kids out of school? Need something to keep them busy? Check out our Cultural Services activities and programs and register today!

Drop-in Programs

Open Stage - March 31 & April 28, 7:30pm, NDCA; April 27, 7pm, TAC

Entertain or be entertained at our monthly Open Stage at the North Delta Centre for the Arts and Tsawwassen Arts Centre! Performing not your thing? Sit back and enjoy the show! Admission is $5.

Delta Ukulele Circle - April 1 & May 6, 2:30, NDCA

You are invited to join the Delta Ukulele Circle on the first Saturday of each month! Led by Gary Cyr, the Delta Ukulele Circle is an enthusiastic, welcoming, and supportive crowd with an appreciation for the ukulele.

Date Night at the Discovery Centre - April 11, 5-8pm, DJHDC

Looking for a free drop-in date activity? Join us at the Discovery Centre on the second Tuesday of the month for a gallery tour, a "getting to know you" scavenger hunt, hands-on crafts, and light refreshments. This evening is not strictly for couples! We encourage families and friends to participate and spend some quality time together.

Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre Updates

The Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre is an accessible, engaging, and interactive space where visitors can explore the histories that form Delta and its diverse communities. Learn by using the touchscreens in our galleries and creating new landforms in our sand table. Watch our water table demonstrate how the region of Delta was formed over 9000 years and use a wand to activate the animals in the habitat theatre. Visit and discover Delta today!

Updated Hours of Operation

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10am-5pm
Thursday, 10am-8pm
Saturday & Sunday, 12-5pm

Drop-in Programs

Thursday Heritage Nights, 5-8pm
Family-Friendly Sundays, 1-4pm

New to the Archives

We receive plenty of offers of material to the Archives in the form of photos, textual records, maps, plans, and more. Of note, over the course of the last few months, we have received records of the Tsawwassen Sun Festival, an album chronicling the construction of the Alex Fraser Bridge in North Delta, and accruals to the Shiu Family Fonds – records of a Chinese-Canadian family who lived at the Vancouver Wireless station at today’s Boundary Bay Airport. We are always looking for promising donations of photos or records that further our understanding of Delta’s heritage.

Heritage on Display

The Carlson Family and the Community of Annacis Island

Get a glimpse of everyday life in the small farming community of Annacis Island from 1909-1959 through photographs and oral histories held within the Carlson Family Fonds (Delta Archives 2021-035). Images and oral history excerpts courtesy of the Delta Heritage Society. Special thanks to Ann Pratt, Ed Wiken, and Rolf Floden.

Image: 2021-035-329 – Chris and Arnold Carlson working on the Carlson Family Farm, c. 1920s.

Frozen Fun: Ice Sports in Delta

From frozen sloughs to a World War II aircraft hangar, Delta residents used unique venues to enjoy ice sports. Images courtesy of the Delta Heritage Society.

Image: 1984-068-010 – People skating and playing ice hockey on the frozen Fraser River near the B & K warehouse in Ladner Harbour between 1926 and 1931. A paddlewheel boat is frozen in at the government wharf in the background.

Meet Our Cultural Services Team!

Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre Staff

From left to right: Michelle Taylor, Curator; Kendall Kloosterman, Education Coordinator; Lisa Doepker, Cultural Services Coordinator; Kevin Hicks, Collections Assistant; Robert Sullivan, Cultural Services Manager

North Delta Centre for the Arts Staff

Matt Tilby, Cultural Services Programmer

Tatty Mitchell, Theatre Technician

Anthony Medeiros, Theatre Technician

Tsawwassen Arts Centre Staff

Brooke Lemire, Cultural Services Programmer Tsawwassen and Ladner

Issues? Email culturalservices@delta.ca . Learn more at Delta.ca/CulturalServices or follow the City of Delta on social media: