Bob Prittie Metrotown 20th Anniversary Celebration
On Saturday, October 1, the Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch will open its doors for 20 hours of activity, including performances, contests, crafts, film screenings and more in celebration of the branch's 20th anniversary. The library will be open from 7am to 10pm, with movies in the program room until 3am.
The Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch opened in 1991 and is named after former Burnaby teacher, MP, alderman, mayor and library board member Robert "Bob" Prittie.
Please join us in celebrating the 20th anniversary of Burnaby's biggest and busiest branch!
Contests
We'll be running three contest in the weeks leading up to our anniversary celebration on October 1. Enter now for your chance to win cash and other prizes! Winners will be announced at our prize ceremony, Saturday, October 1, at 4pm in the Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch foyer.
Twitter Countdown
We'll be counting down the days to our anniversary celebration with a 20-day Twitter-based trivia contest.
Learn more >>
Your Favourite Book Moment
Draw, paint, crayon, photoshop or photograph your favourite book moment for a chance at a $100 prize.
Learn more >>
Chinese Readers' Favourites
Tell us your favourite Chinese classic novel, kung-fu novel, author and the one book that has influenced you the most.
Learn more >>
Schedule of events
We'll be offering 20 hours of continuous programming in celebration of the Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch's 20th anniversary. Join us for Tai Chi, cupcakes, games, music, movies and more!
| Event | Location | Time |
| Community breakfast Join us for a light breakfast of coffee and muffins as we begin the day's celebrations. | Branch foyer | 7am |
| Burnaby's longest birthday card Add your personal greeting to Burnaby's looooongest birthday card. All languages welcome! | Branch foyer | 8am to 8pm |
| Tai Chi & Chinese dance demo The Civic Square Tai Chi group will share Tai Chi movements, Chinese folk dance, Asian line dancing and Chinese opera. This event takes place in Civic Square, weather permitting. Join us in the foyer if it's raining. | Civic Square | 9am to 10am |
| E-book clinic Learn about downloadable e-books at BPL! Visit our e-book table for a demonstration of Library to Go, with bestselling and classic e-books and audiobooks you can download at home or on the go. | Second floor | 9am to 11am |
| Home Library Service display Learn about Home Library Service's free delivery service of print and audiobooks to eligible Burnaby residents. | Branch foyer | 9am to 9pm |
| Cake search Can you find all 20 slices of cake hidden in the library? Pick up a checklist from the children's desk or information desk on the first floor, or from the reference desk on the second floor. | Branch foyer | 9am to 9pm |
| Puppet show A fun-filled 50-minute puppet show for children ages four and up. Free tickets are available at the children's desk starting at 9am. A limited number of tickets are available per show. | Program room | 10am & 12pm |
| Formal remarks Join Mayor Derek Corrigan, Library Board Chair Mondee Redman, dignitaries and special guests as we formally mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch. | Branch foyer | 11am |
| Community partner displays Visit with BPL's valued community partners as they share information about their programs and services. | First floor reading lounge | 11am to 4pm |
| Comic postcards Express yourself artistically and then communicate your creative ideas when you mail the postcard off to a special someone. Presented by the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. | First floor | 12pm to 4pm |
| Tempos Youth Choir Tempos Youth Choir is comprised mainly of blind/visually impaired youth, teens and young adults living in the Lower Mainland, and will perform a variety of songs. | Branch foyer | 1pm |
| Games & crafts (weather permitting) Join us to celebrate and play! We will have stations to create paper kites, birthday noise makers and crowns – plus parachute games and birthday bubbles. Presented by City of Burnaby Parks & Recreation. | Civic Square | 1pm to 4pm |
| 20 stories, 20 years Listen to 20 of our favourite picture books from the past 20 years – we'll read one or two every half hour. | Children's | 1pm to 9pm |
| Silk Road Music "China Speaks Your Language" musical performance by Silk Road Music Silk Road Duo, Qiu Xia He and Andre Thibault will take the audience on a worldwide journey of musical traditions to explore different cultures with musical instruments from around the world. | Program room | 2pm & 3pm |
| Prize ceremony We'll announce the prize winners for the "Your Favourite Book Moment" and "Chinese Readers' Favourites" contests. | Branch foyer | 4pm |
| Cupcakes & coffee Join us after the prize ceremony for cupcakes and beverages to celebrate our 20th birthday. | Branch foyer | 4:30pm |
| Chinese painting demonstration Nancy Chen, a well known art instructor and artist, will be conducting an introduction and demonstration of Chinese watercolour painting in both English and Chinese. | Program room | 4:30pm to 5:30pm |
| Gaming for teens Teens! Join us for Wii video games, board games, contests and snacks. For teens in grade 8 or older. | Program room | 8pm to 10pm |
| Film noir See the villians get their due at the library in this film noir double bill of Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock) and The Stranger (Orson Welles). Coming after 10pm? The rest of the library will be closed – use the program room entrance on the east side of the building, off Civic Square. | Program room | 10pm to 3am |