Allusionist 212. Four Letter Words: Park

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Get in, winner: we're going on a field trip. We're spending the day in five of Vancouver's city parks with Justin McElroy, Municipal Affairs Reporter for the CBC and ranker of Vancouver's 243 parks at VancouverParkGuide.ca. Together we ponder: what IS a park? You think you know, then along comes a slab of concrete called a park to test your taxonomy.

Downpost you’ll find photos of the parks we visit - in order, CRAB Park at Portside, John Hendry Park A.K.A. Trout Lake, Guelph Park Dude Chilling Park, Sun Hop Park and Choklit Park.

We’re having a meetup in one of Vancouver's beach parks on 13 August - here is more information. Come along! And, for Four Letter Word season, in the Allusioverse we’re having a watchalong of the films Dick and Dicks: The Musical. Join the Double Dick/s watchalong by becoming an Allusioverse member at theallusionist.org/donate - we’ll also have a listening party for the live Radio 4 broadcast of my and Martin’s piece Souvenirs, which is airing 22 July at 4pm UK time.

Listen to the rest of Four Letter Word Season.

EXTRA MATERIALS:

• Justin McElroy’s rankings of the 243 city parks that existed in Vancouver at the time.

• ‘An Illustrated History and Record of the Parks System’ of Vancouver in 1972. 

• Dude Chilling Park.

• Michael Dennis’s Dude Chilling Reclining Figure sculpture.

• The Vancouver Park Board ‘accepts’ the famous Dude Chilling Park sign by artist Viktor Briestensky.

• The Memorial Stone in C.RA.B. Park is in honour of all people who have gone missing from or died in the Downtown Eastside, and in the years since its installation is associated with sex workers, some of whom are suspected murdered by serial killer Robert Pickton. 

• “Though the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples are the rightful stewards of C.R.A.B. park, the BC NDP, City of Vancouver and Vancouver Parks Board refuse to return C.R.A.B. park to these host nations. Instead, they have passed legislation to more strongly dictate who can use the park, specifically by attempting to push out unhoused Indigenous and non-Indigenous people who use the space.”

• History of parks in Canada.

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s official definition of national park.

• Another very tiny park in Vancouver is Pigeon Park. “Like the oft-maligned feathered denizens after which this tiny triangular park gets its name, Pigeon Park has a long history of suffering from both inattention and acrimony since its inception.”

• The poodle sculpture in Sun Hop Park.

• Slidey Slides Park.

• The world’s smallest park in Portland OR has been deposed by an even smaller park in Japan.

• Thanks to listener Tim, I learned that Elvis Costello and the Attractions filmed the video for ‘(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding’ in some of Vancouver's parks!

Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, regular relaxing livestreams with me and my collection of dictionaries, and the the charming and supportive Allusioverse Discord community, where we're watching the current seasons of Great British Sewing Bee and Bake Off: The Professionals.

YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
fipple, noun: the mouthpiece of a recorder or similar wind instrument which is blown endwise,
in which a thin channel cut through a block directs a stream of air against a sharp edge.
Origin 17th century: perhaps related to Icelandic flipi 'horse's lip'.

CREDITS:

• Justin McElroy is Municipal Affairs Reporter for the CBC and ranker of Vancouver's 243 parks at VancouverParkGuide.ca. Read all about his recent excursion that was considerably bigger than this one: visiting 52 countries in 52 weeks.

• This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

• Transportation and music are provided by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.

• Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, instagram.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social… Essentially: if I’m there, I’m there as @allusionistshow. 

Back in two weeks with a new episode - HZ.

C.R.A.B. Park at Portside: Justin McElroy stands in the rainy park while Helen waves a microphone in his face. Behind Justin is the port, with large cranes and stacks of shipping containers.

C.R.A.B. Park at Portside: over on the side of the park that isn’t the port is an expanse of grass, some trees, blue lampposts, a small playground, a grey beach and beyond the buildings of downtown Vancouver, perched atop one is the revolving restaurant.

C.R.A.B. Park at Portside: the park’s official green name sign from the parks board

John Hendry Park: Trout Lake, surrounded by trees. There’s a beach, but don’t go swimming!

The official parks board sign for Guelph Park. Who??

That’s better - the Dude Chilling Park sign, with a Justin McElroy being a dude chilling next to it.

the original Dude Chilling: the sculpture Reclining Figure by Michael Duncan, under trees in Guelph Park. It is a slightly larger than human size abstract figure, reclining in a sassy pose, one leg flung over the other. It looks like it is made of long bent logs, but the original wood has been replaced with a bronze version.

Sun Hop Park: big white poodle sculpture on a tall pillar

Sun Hop Park: the green sign with the name of the park, next to it the installation of giant red bendy straws, and behind it the bank

Sun Hop Park: the view from the nobby hump/hill, of Justin and Helen sitting on the low wall that surrounds it, talking into a microphone. Beyond them is the installation of giant red bendy straws.

Sun Hop Park: the installation of giant red bendy straws, like a tunnel made of giant red bendy straws.

Choklit Park: the top end of the park, with two different signs bearing the park’s name, surrounded by trees covered in pink blossom. Behind the trees is a view of the tall silvery buildings of downtown Vancouver.

Choklit Park: when the leaves aren’t obstructing the view, you can look across Vancouver to the mountains beyond, and see the buildings of downtown glint in the sunset.

Choklit Park: Helen and Justin record in the distance. Choklit Park says Trans Rights.

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