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South Asian Seniors: Group Birthday Celebration

Vedic Senior Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian senior members to attend the group birthday celebration of 20 senior members born between October 23 and January 6 on Saturday, January 6 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Shanti Niketan Hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple, 8321 140^th Street, Surrey. There will be snacks and drinks along with live entertainment. There will be a cake and vegetarian lunch with dessert. Registration is required for non-members. Contact Surendra Handa, coordinator, at 604-507-9945 for registration.

Bright Nights Christmas Train

The Bright Nights Christmas Train is celebrating the 20-year partnership between the Vancouver Park Board and the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund. The attraction features displays with more than three million lights, train decorations, entertainment, and Santa Claus. A quarter of a million people enjoy this seasonal attraction each year. The matinee and evening Bright Nights train runs until Saturday, January 6. Advance tickets are available at ticketleader.ca or by calling 604-252-3700. Same-day tickets are available at the Stanley Park Railway Plaza starting at 10 a.m. daily. A portion of each day’s tickets is set aside for on-site sells. Special live shows and visuals will be performed by Mortal Coil Performance Society. Donations in bins at the front gate and partial proceeds from train admissions support the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund. Donations are also accepted for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

VanDusen Festival of Lights

The 33^rd annual VanDusen Festival of Lights (FOL) until Sunday, January 7. More than 15 acres of the Garden decorated with millions of lights. FOL includes the Dancing Lights show on Livingstone Lake, indoor Festival Stage with entertainment, licensed fireside lounge, and the Air France carousel. A wide selection of food trucks will be on site. FOL will be partnering with Make-A-Wish Foundation for the 17^th consecutive year. Donations in the candle grotto and sales of glow star necklaces help make children’s wishes come true. To save money and skip the lineup, buy tickets online. More information: vandusenfestivaloflights.ca. People who buy tickets for FOL also will also receive a free ticket to Holiday Heights at Bloedel – Arctic Oasis, which runs until January 7. More information at vancouver.ca/holidayheights

Tree Chipping and Bottle Drive at Surrey School

North Surrey Secondary School (96^th Avenue and 160^th Street) will be hosting a tree chipping and a bottle drive on Saturday, January 6 and Sunday, January 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both days. Donations will benefit the school’s 2018 Dry Grad fundraising committee. “Dry Grad” is a parent subcommittee of the school PAC that organizes an event that occurs after the school dinner and dance for the grads. Parents work together to provide the graduates with an evening filled with fun and entertainment in a safe, drug and alcohol free, parent supervised environment.

Richmond: Recycle Christmas Tree

Richmond residents can recycle their Christmas tree to help support fire prevention, reduce waste and turn waste into resources. The City of Richmond offers multiple tree recycling options – remove all tinsel and decorations before recycling. * Residents with curbside Green Cart collection may cut up, bundle the pieces and place it at the curbside on their regular collection day.  The tree should be cut and bundled to a maximum size of three feet by two feet and four inches in diameter. * The City’s Recycling Depot, located at 5555 Lynas Lane, accepts trees between 9 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. from Wednesday to Sunday. Note the depot is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and statutory holidays. * Drop off at Ecowaste Industries, which is located at 15111 Williams Road.  For hours of operation, call 604-277-1410 or visit www.ecowaste.com. * You can also keep the holiday spirit going by bringing your tree as well as a donation to the Richmond Firefighters Association’s annual Christmas tree chipping event.  Firefighters will be accepting trees from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, January 6 and Sunday, January 7 at Garry Point Park.  For more information, visit www.richmond.ca/recycle, call 604-276-4010 or email garbageandrecycling@richmond.ca.

2018 Motorcycle Show – Vancouver

Dates: January 19-21. Location: Tradex – Fraser Valley Trade & Exhibition Centre, Abbotsford. Hours: Friday 12-9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: Adults $15; Juniors (6-14) $12; Seniors (65+) $11; Children (5 and under) Free with adult purchase; Family Pass $40 (2 adult & 2 junior passes). SHE Rides Night ½ price ladies only after 5 p.m. on Friday Night. Free parking for all motorcycles. To buy tickets, visit: Vancouver Motorcycle Show at http://www.vancouvermotorcycleshow.ca. Tickets can also be purchased on site during event days.

English Conversation Circle

MOSAIC: Facilitator: Jane Shim. Topics: Federal and provincial government * Illness and medical care * Banking * Library and post office * Work * Food. Language requirement: Minimum English Level 3. Wednesdays, January 10 – February 14, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Contact: MOSAIC at 304-2730. Commercial Drive, Vancouver. Shaima: 604-438-8214. sjaff@mosaicbc.org

George Mackie Library, Delta      

At 8440 112^th Street, Delta. Tuesday, January 16, 7-8:30 p.m.: Get Ready for Tax Season! Various strategies and tax tips will be reviewed that could be implemented prior to the end of the year in order to minimize income taxes.  Topics will include the selling of investments with accrued losses to offset capital gains realized in the year or the previous three years; advantages of contributing to an RRSP and TFSA; and, paying certain expenses before year end to maximize tax deductions and credits.  In addition, tax tips for business owners will be discussed. * Get together over tea and cake on Wednesday, January 17 from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. and become more familiar with the one thing we will all experience one day – death!  Come to the Death Café and be ready to talk or listen about death.  All beliefs will be honoured and no agenda will be forced upon you. All are welcome, at no cost.

Punjabi Language Celebration

Punjabi Language Education Association’s (PLEA) 15th Annual International Mother Language Day on Saturday, January 20 at North Delta Recreation Centre, 11415 84^th Avenue, Delta. Doors open 1:30 p.m.; Function 2-4 p.m. * Discussions: Recent survey done in the Surrey’s elementary schools and ongoing efforts to promote Punjabi language education. Garry Thind from the Surrey School Board will be present. * Guest Speakers: Jag Khosa will share his experiences about the usefulness of Punjabi in his community work. Dr. Sadhu Singh will talk about the richness of Punjabi language. Sukhwant Hundal will shed light on the importance of Punjabi Wikipedia on the Internet.  * Special Honour:  PLEA will honour Gian Singh Thind for his contribution to Punjabi language in Canada. Two local teachers will be honoured for their dedication to promoting Punjabi schools. Young Punjabi learners will share poetry, songs and ideas. PLEA invites everyone to come and be part of the annual celebration of their mother tongue Punjabi. Free event. Refreshments served. For more information, contact: Balwant Sanghera at 604-836-8976, Sadhu Binning at 604-437-9014, Parvinder Dhariwal at 778-838-1121 or Paul Binning at 778-889-8255.

Travelling Exhibition of Indian Art

Surrey Art Gallery (13750 – 88^th Avenue) is the only stop in Canada for you to see the travelling exhibition Many Visions, Many Versions: Art from Indigenous Communities in India that runs from January 20 to March 25. Curator’s talk and opening reception: January 20, 6:30−9 p.m.

This collection of boldly coloured and vibrantly patterned paintings features the work of 24 contemporary artists from four major indigenous artistic traditions in India: the Gond and Warli communities of Central India, the Mithila region of Bihar, and the narrative scroll painters of West Bengal. Free admission.

5^th Annual Delta Idol Competition

Delta Parks, Recreation & Culture is currently accepting auditions for the 5^th Annual Delta Idol Competition – Delta Idol 2018. Auditions are currently being accepted until Sunday, January 21. Live event: Friday, February 23 at Tsawwassen Arts Centre, 1172 56^th Street, Tsawwassen. If you have a passion and talent for singing, auditions, 2018. Full contest rules and audition submission information can be found at delta.ca/events. The contest is open to Delta residents 12-18 years of age. Interested in attending as an audience member? Tickets go on sale January 2. Call 604-943-9437 to purchase in advance, $11 each.

(For more events, please visit the “Events” section of our website voiceonline.com)