May Days lets Whistlerites enjoy their world class town Pique Passport guide a key to success A three-day celebration initiated by the Whistler Merchants Association will be hard to avoid the weekend of May 21-23, because more than 70 Whistler Merchants are coming together with the community to promote the area’s unique services. And if you’re lucky and efficient, you may go home the winner of a season’s pass on Whistler-Blackcomb. The hectic weekend of activity begins Saturday and involves all aspects of the business community, from Function Junction to Nesters Square. A key point of this weekend is the Pique May Days Passport. The passport will enable holders to travel free on Whistler’s transit system, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., in order to collect stamps from all eight areas in the valley where businesses are participating. Once that is achieved, the holder of the passport is eligible for a grand prize package including a Whistler-Blackcomb season’s pass, three month membership at the Whistler Creek Athletic Club, $200 Saatchi & Saatchi Fine Jewellery gift certificate, $150 Grocery Store gift certificate and a basket of fine goods from Spa at The Chateau Whistler Resort. It should be easy to collect stamps from at least one merchant in each of the eight areas participating in May Days activities, because each area will have events planned for people of all ages. Those areas include Function Junction, Whistler Creekside, Whistler Village, Village Centre, Town Plaza, Marketplace, the Upper Village and Nesters Mall. For those interested in the developments planned for the Creekside area, Intrawest will be holding an open house in conjunction with the Creekside Merchants at Dusty’s, at the base of Whistler Mountain. The open house will include displays and presentations by Intrawest, the RMOW and BC Rail with respect to future development in the area. Live entertainment on Dusty’s patio and a fund-raising barbecue are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday between noon and 5 p.m. The skiers plaza in Whistler Village will also have its fair share of activity on the weekend with the Whistler Off Road Cycling Association engraving bikes and giving quick spring check-ups. The plaza will also be the location of the Whistler Activity Trade Fair on Saturday at 11 a.m. This fair will give residents an opportunity to see what Whistler offers in the summer time as far as adventures and tours go, and will give those in attendance a chance to win an adventure of their own. Over at the Mainstage in the Village Square, the dog days of Whistler get under way with the Puppy Zone and Day Care and Adventure Centre hosting the Crazy Dog Trick Contest and Best Bark Contest. Registration for the event is at 1 p.m. and prizes will be awarded to the "Top Dog." Nesters Square and Wild Willies will chip in their own May Days special with a weekend carnival including in-store specials, barbecues and entertainment all day Saturday and Sunday. One of the most interesting events scheduled for the May Days weekend has the Whistler Fire Department Extrication Team displaying its award-winning talent at Whistler’s Marketplace Saturday at noon. Rescue technicians will demonstrate the safest and fastest techniques in recovering people from car accident scenes. The fire department in now fund-raising for an upcoming conference, called the International Auto Extrication and Learning Symposium in Coral Gables, Florida this fall. So after the demonstration, pull your car up for a good wash by some rugged individuals. Another car wash Sunday at the Marketplace will have the Whistler Secondary School’s Grade 11s scrubbing away to fund a graduation trip to Mexico next year. A total of $6,000 in cash and prizes will be handed out during May Days in Whistler. Look in the May 21 issue of Pique for the Passport Guide detailing participating merchants, live music performances and information on all the prizes up for grabs.
