Thursday the 31st of May and a beautiful day in the Tri-Cities.

I live in Port Coquitlam, actually I moved here in November of 2011 when I bought a condo on the South side of Port Coquitlam. It’s always nice to do a show in Coquitlam because it’s only a hop, skip and a jump away from me which makes for a great commute!

Today’s show was for a 6 year old girl and all of her friends. Kids birthday parties are so much fun to perform for and I never get tired of them. It’s nice to do the corporate and adult work too but I still take children’s parties as I love them so much and it is (after all) how I got started in this business over 20 years ago.

Did you know?

The Coast Salish people were the first to live in this area, and archaeology confirms continuous occupation of the territory for at least 9,000 years. The name Kwikwetlem is said to be derived from a Coast Salish term meaning “red fish up the river”.^[4]

Explorer Simon Fraser came through the region in 1808, and in the 1860s Europeans gradually started settling the area. Coquitlam began as a “place-in-between” with the construction of North Road in the mid-19th century to provide Royal Engineers in New Westminster access to the year-round port facilities in Port Moody.^[5]

The young municipality got its first boost in 1889 when Frank Ross and James McLaren opened what would become Fraser Mills, a $350,000, then state-of-the-art lumber mill on the north bank of the Fraser River. The District of Coquitlam was incorporated in 1891. By 1908, a mill town of 20 houses, a store, post office, hospital, office block, barber shop, and pool hall had grown around the mill. A mill manager’s residence was built that would later become Place des Arts.^[6]

Over the next two years, several contingents of French Canadian mill workers arrived from Quebec, and Maillardville was born. Named for Father Edmond Maillard, a young Oblate from France, it became the largest Francophone centre west of Manitoba. Maillardville’s past is recognized today in street names, the Francophone education system and French immersion programs, French-language guides and scouts, and celebrations such as Festival du Bois.^[5][7]

Following World War II, Coquitlam and the rest of the Lower Mainland experienced substantial population growth that continues today. The opening of Lougheed Highway in 1953 made the city more accessible and set the stage for residential growth. In 1971, Coquitlam and Fraser Mills were amalgamated, which gave the city a larger industrial base. The mill closed in 2001, and is now rezoned into a residential area

Believe it or believe it not I have lived in British Columbia for 14 years now and had never performed in Britannia Beach until this show…WOW!

It’s funny because I have driven through Britannia Beach many times on my way up the Sea to Sky Highway on my way to Squamish or Wistler but had never stopped into Britannia Beach to take a look. I mean I have stopped at the gift shop and art gallery on the main road from time to time and I have even got fish and chips washed down with hot chocolate, but I had never driven off the road and into the community of Britannia Beach. Well, let me tell you, it’s one pretty cool place.

Today’s show was at a private residence on Lower Crescent for a family and their friends. It was a great show and the hour went by in no time at all. They have a great view from up there of the Bay and the mining museum.

Now for more interesting historical facts for your next newspaper crossword puzzle, this time on Britannia Beach…

Britannia Beach took its name from the nearby Britannia Range of mountains, which form the east wall of the mountainous shore of Howe Sound south of Britannia Beach. About 1859 Royal Navy hydrographer Captain Richards of HMS Plumper named the range of mountains for HMS Britannia, the third of a series of vessels to bear that name. The Britannia was never in these waters.^[2][3]

Britannia Beach by Howe Sound

A copper discovery on Britannia Mountain by Dr. A. A. Forbes in 1888 led to the development of the Britannia Mine. In 1899, a mining engineer named George Robinson was able to convince financial backers that the property had great potential. For several years, companies were formed, merged and dissolved in efforts to raise capital. The Britannia Mining and Smelting Company, a branch of the Howe Sound Company, finally commenced mining in the early 1900s, and owned the site for the next sixty years. The first ore was shipped to the Crofton Smelter on Vancouver Island in 1904, and the mine achieved full production in 1905.

A town had grown up around the mine and a Post Office opened on January 1, 1907 where it was named after the nearby mine.

In 1912, John Wedderburn Dunbar Moodie was authorized to upgrade the operation and increase production from the mine. Improvements in the mineral separation processes stimulated plans for a new mill (No. 2), which was completed in 1916 and was capable of producing 2000 tons of ore per day. The onset of World War I increased the demand for copper and the price rose sharply.

On March 21, 1915, an avalanche destroyed the Jane Camp. Sixty men, women and children were killed and it was a terrible blow to the tiny community.^[4] Construction began immediately on a new, safer town at the 2,200-foot (670 m) level above the Britannia Beach site. This portion of the community became known as the “Town site” or “Mount Sheer”.

Today I had a private party in West Vancouver, BC.

It’s not my first time performing in West Van, I am always on the North Shore performing for one event or another. The party was great as always and everyone (including me) had a great time.

Now for some interesting history trivia about West Van for your next pub quiz…

The Municipality of West Vancouver was incorporated on March 15, 1912, after separating from the District of North Vancouver. The first municipal election was held on April 6, 1912. In November 1938, the Lions’ Gate Bridge was opened to traffic, allowing extensive growth of the semi-populated community, previously only accessible by ferry. Some homes in West Vancouver date back to the 1920s and 30s, though most of the currently existing dwellings were built in the 1970s and 80s, and mostly in British Pacific Properties’ developments.

On Monday the 21st of May I was performing for an event at the Dhaliwal Banquet Hall in Surrey, British Columbia.

The Dhaliwal Banquet Hall facility is ideal for weddings, corporate gatherings and other special occasions. They try to customize each event thereby creating an impeccable reputation for their clients.

The performance was for about 150 people and the whole event was a lot of fun and a great success!

If your looking for a venue in Surrey to hold your next special event, wedding or birthday party then give the folks at Dhaliwal Banquet Hall a call and tell them Matthew Johnson from MagicShow2Go sent you.

This was another beautiful day to be in Vancouver, I love this city we live in, it’s totally amazing!

I started my day at a birthday party in West Vancouver for a 4 year old boy and all of his little friends. It was a great show and I had lots and lots of fun hanging out with them all and performing my show.

After the show in West Vancouver it was time to reset the show and head off to Vancouver to the brand new, revamped Trout Lake Community Centre on Victoria Drive.

BOY did this place ever get an overhaul!!! The old communtiy centre is long gone and  in its place stands the brand new community centre in all of it’s glimering and gleeming glory. It’s the first time I have performed in this new facility and funnily enough not my last as I have another show coming up next month in the same venue

My second show was for a mixed audience of adults and kids in celebration of a 7th birthday party. It was a BIG turnout and a lot of fun.

If this is your first time visiting my site, www.magicshow2go.com then a heart welcome to you. If you are looking for fantastic entertainment for your next special event whether it be for adults or kids then you have certainly come to the right place.

My name is Matthew Johnson and I welcome you to drop me an email or call today at 604 788 9046 so that I can help you make your next special event the best it can possibly be!

Happy Mothers Day to all you mom’s out there! I hope you all got treated like queens for the day and got huge bunches of flowers and lots of hugs

I had my annual show for the Mother’s Day celebrations in Lions Park, Port Coquitlam.

I have been doing this event for the city of Port Coquitlam for a good 6 years now at least. It’s always fun even though the weather can sometimes be a little hit and miss. Let’s just say that this year it was certainly a BIG HIT! The weather was absolutely gorgeous and I understand a bit of a record for this date in the year…hmmm, wonder if that’s true?

Thanks again to everyone at the city of Port Coquitlam for inviting me back, it’s always a great time!

Saturday the 12th of May was a beautiful day in sunny Vancouver. I truly love this city when the sun is out, actually I truly love this city no matter the weather but in the sun it really shines!

Today I had a show at the False Creek Community Centre on Granville Island. Granville Island is a funky place with lots of cool shopping, eating and fun to be had. I had never performed at the False Creek Community Centre before which is quite surprising as I have performed at most community centres in the 14 years that I have lived in Vancouver. Hmmmm, a first for me

The False Creek Community Centre is a great venue if you are looking for a place to host a private party, birthday party or other special event. The staff are awesome and they make you feel right at home. If you are hosting a children’s birthday party there is lots of room for the kids to run around in a safe, kid friendly enviroment.

Todays show was for a little boy who turned 7, his mom had this to say about my show in a text to me after the show:

“Thanks so much Matthew. You were amazing, so talented and I could not be happier with how great my son’s birthday was. I’m a very happy mommy and I am telling everybody about you. You are AWESOME!”

I think that message says it all really Another happy customer and that’s what my business is all about, bringing happiness to people! Feels great.

I have lost count of how many times I have blogged about this wonderful facility. I love performing at Kerrisadle Community Centre and the staff at this facility are amazing. If you are looking for a great venue to host your birthday party and you live in the area then you should give them a call at 604 257 8100 and tell them Matthew at MagicShow2Go sent you.

Todays show was a little shorter. I was requested to do a 30 minute show and 15 minutes of balloon twisting as opposed to the regular 45 minute show.

I do have to admit that the feel of a 30 minute show felt pretty good and seemed to move along at a quicker pace that certainly worked for the children at the party.

A BIG hello to the Little Owls Preschool at Kerrisdale who I perform for every year, they are such a cute little group

Hillcrest Community Centre  (formely Riley Park Community Centre) is an amazing venue to perform in. It houses an amazing swimming/aquatic centre and also an amazing library (have I said amazing enough?)

It’s housed right next door to Nat Bailey Stadium. Nat Bailey Stadium was originally built in 1951 as Capilano Stadium, it was renamed Nat Bailey Stadium in 1978 to honour the work of Vancouver restaurateur Nat Bailey and his tireless effort to promote baseball in Vancouver. There’s a little more pub quiz knowledge for you

My show was for a 5th birthday party and for all of the birthday boys friends and family. We all had a blast in this amazing venue.

On the evening of May 2nd I was booked to perform an hour and a half of strolling close up magic for the Emplyee 20 year recognition evening of Maple Ridge Secondary teachers.

It was great fun entertaining all of the teachers at this event and I would like to say a BIG thanks to Lena Frend and all of the teaching staff on hand for making me feel so welcome, it was a great evening.

I would also like to extend a BIG thank you to the grade 11 and grade 12 students who prepared the food for the evening. The students from the culinary class there did an incredible job. I have performed at many events all over the world and in many hotels and the food that these students made ranked up there with some of the best I have had!

Thanks Maple Ridge Secondary for a great time and I hope to see you all again soon.