Harold, as the star projector at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre is nicknamed, is semi-retiring.
Harold joined the Space Centre in March 1967 after being built at the Carl Zeiss Jena factory in East Germany. During the projectors time at the Space Centre, Harold, named after a character from a popular cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, was used for the presentation of more than 75,000 shows.
This summer, the planetarium will undergo the installation of a full-dome digital projection system adopted by other planetariums across Canada. And just like the dozens of seasoned reporters who left the Vancouver Sun and Province last week, Harold will be replaced by a Colorspace system with six video projectors.
During the projectors tenure at the Space Centre, Harold played host to a number of dignitaries and celebrities, including His Royal Highness Prince Philip in 1970, as well as Margaret Trudeau and her sons, and Star Treks William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.
Harold will take a mini-break when the planetarium shuts down for renovations July 3 to 5 and will be back in action July 6 as the sole presenter of planetarium shows up until the projectors departure July 28. The dates in July will be the last opportunity to witness Harolds Solar System; Sky Tonight; Night Watch; Mansions in the Sun; and Electric Company Theatres You Are Very Star. Visit spacecentre.ca for show times. Just like many of those journalists who left the Sun and Province last week, Harold has his own Twitter account, @harold_hrmsc, to keep fans updated on the projectors activities. Harolds Space Centre colleagues invite the projectors fans to send well wishes via Twitter or regular mail and each message will receive a personalized response. Send mail to: Harold, H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, 1100 Chestnut St., Vancouver, BC, Canada, Earth, V6J 3J.
Volunteers needed
The park boards Trans and Gender-Variant Inclusion Working Group is looking for members to provide recommendations on parks and recreation facilities, programming, training, and policy in order to create safe, inclusive and welcoming spaces for transgender and gender-variant users. The working group will report their findings and final recommendations to the park board in April 2014.
The group was the idea of Vision Vancouver commissioner Trevor Loke, who brought forward the motion in May.
Loke says there are systematic barriers for individuals whose gender identity doesnt conform to traditional spaces and programs. He notes the park board has already taken steps to increase universal access to public spaces, some of which are gender neutral.
The groups goal is to provide a report to the park board detailing how Vancouver can become the worlds most inclusive jurisdiction for trans and gender-variant communities. The final report will be shared with the Vancouver School Board and city council for information.
Interested individuals must submit a resume and cover letter to: [email protected]. The deadline to apply is July 15 at 4 p.m.
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