One thing that makes it tough to enjoy the games on an everyday basis is that pesky day job. Though when done for the day, everyone seems to bolt out the door at quitting time like it’s time for recess.
In the evening, Rebecca and I ventured back down to Granville Street and into the Commodore Ballroom once again. However, this night saw the same place that hosted Club Bud be transformed into the Manitoba Homecoming Social.
Even VANOC CEO John Furlong dropped in to say a few words and give a gift of appreciation to the Premiere of Manitoba, Greg Selinger.
And even though I’ve been able to get my hand on a lot of freebies during the games, nothing will compare to the fishing lure keychain they handed out at the front door. I had a lot of neighbors growing up who took many fishing trips directly north of Iowa and over the Canadian border, so this was all too fitting.
Now, from what I understand, these “socials” are something of a trademark to Manitoba. Kind of what seems like a hoedown to me, apparently it’s common to have cheese cubes, kielbasa, other sliced meats, rye bread, and mustard served on a table for all to enjoy. And this is what appeared around the venue for the duration of the night.
It might seem like I’m joking, but while hanging out and wondering if this is what they actually do in Manitoba and also wondering if anyone at the event was from that province, it turns out that we were surrounded by people from there. On top of that, a lot of them kept saying that “this is just like home,” somewhat confirming that, yes, this is what a Manitoba social is like.
So like any good social, they had some great musical acts that call Manitoba home.
Eagle and Hawk has a great first nation vibe to their music while applying a great rock layer to their music.
Inward Eye was fantastic and my favorite of the night. They rock, and they do it loud and hard. Green Day, Dropkick Murphy’s, and The Clash were the three bands that came to mind when I saw them on stage, but they are in their own right. Going to track down some of their music for sure.
Doc Walker is some brilliant country music coming out of Manitoba. I’m outspoken about my lack of enthusiasm for this genre, but these guys were pretty good on stage. That goes a long way in my book.
Keeping the night young to conserve energy for the remainder of the games, we ventured home through the crowds of Granville, many not giving a second thought to the cool, rainy night. It’s hard to keep a good party down, and apparently the same is true for Manitoba as it is for B.C.
See all my photos from this day in the Flickr set, Vancouver 2010: Day 13.