Happy Tuesday, Surrey!
We hope you are all well fed after turkey weekend!
In this edition, we've rounded up all the latest news and updates for you. Take a moment to catch up on what's happening around town. From neighborhood happenings to community highlights, we've gathered everything you need to start your week feeling informed, connected, and ready for what's ahead.
Here’s what’s inside today’s edition:
Training Surrey’s next generation of Football Stars
Finalists Announced for Surrey’s Top Business Awards
Surrey man in B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame
Surrey’s Company Partners with Vancouver Canucks
15+ Local Events This Weekend (Markets, Comedy, & Family Fun!)
— Mark
News
Surrey’s Rashaun Simonise Trains the Next Generation of Football Stars
Surrey's Rashaun Simonise is seen during his pro football playing days. The former pro has started a training program for young football players called Wide Receiver University.Image via widereceiveruniversity.com
Surrey’s own Rashaun Simonise, a former NFL and CFL player, is helping young athletes reach their football dreams through his program Wide Receiver University (WRU). Based at Cloverdale Athletic Park with sessions across the Lower Mainland, WRU helps kids build skills, speed, and confidence on and off the field.
Simonise focuses on training wide receivers and defensive backs, using his experience as a UBC Thunderbirds coach to teach players what college recruiters are looking for. His goal is to give young athletes the early development they need to earn scholarships and succeed at higher levels of competition.
WRU offers group camps and one-on-one training for players as young as 9 years old, focusing on fun, discipline, and skill growth. Simonise also recently published a motivational book, Winning Mindset for Athletes, to help players strengthen their mental game.
🔑 Key Details:
Wide Receiver University (WRU) trains youth football players in Surrey and beyond.
Founded by former NFL/CFL player Rashaun Simonise, now a UBC coach.
Offers training for athletes ages 9+, plus a new book Winning Mindset for Athletes.
Community Digest
33 Finalists Announced for Surrey’s Top Business Awards
Jen Cowden, Clovies committee chair, addresses finalists and guests Oct. 8 at the Clova Theatre. Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce executive director Scott Wheatley is seen at left. The 10th annual Clovies will be awarded Nov. 5 at Northview.
The Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce has revealed 33 finalists for this year’s Clovies — Surrey’s most prestigious business awards. The winners will be announced at a gala on Nov. 5 at Northview Golf and Country Club in Cloverdale.
Now in its 10th year, the Clovies celebrate outstanding businesses in Cloverdale, Clayton, and Campbell Heights. Executive director Scott Wheatley said this year saw more nominations — and more new companies — than ever before.
The awards also include the Indigenous Business of the Year, which received a record number of nominations this year. Funds raised from the event support the Chamber’s programs and scholarships through the Cloverdale Rodeo Youth Initiative Foundation.
🔑 Key Details:
33 finalists announced for the 10th annual Clovies Awards.
Gala takes place Nov. 5 at Northview Golf and Country Club.
Funds raised support local business programs and youth scholarships.
Surrey’s Rob Pattee Honoured in B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame
Surrey resident Rob Pattee ran RPM Music Services, worked as an artist manager, agent, talent buyer and music educator for more than four decades prior to his death in September 2024. Photo: rpmmusicservices.com
Late Surrey music agent Rob Pattee has been named one of six Standing Ovations inductees in the 2025 B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame. Pattee, who passed away in 2024, is being recognized for his lifelong contributions to B.C.’s music and entertainment industry.
Over his 40-year career, Pattee helped launch the careers of major artists like Nickelback and Daniel Powter, and worked with many others, including Washboard Union, Wide Mouth Mason, and Karen Lee Batten. Known for his passion and mentorship, he ran RPM Music Services and was widely respected for his ear for talent.
The Hall of Fame also announced new StarWalk inductees, including Will Sasso, Tom Lavin, and the Harbour Dance Centre founders. Pattee’s recognition adds to Surrey’s growing list of creative professionals leaving a mark on Canada’s entertainment scene.
🔑 Key Details:
Surrey’s Rob Pattee named a 2025 Standing Ovations inductee.
Helped launch artists like Nickelback and Daniel Powter.
Worked in B.C.’s music industry for over 40 years.
Surrey’s Ellie King Returns to Stage in “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors”
Cast of "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors," staged by DRS Productions in Vancouver from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1, 2025.Contributed photo: Canna Zhou
Surrey’s own Ellie King, founder of the Royal Canadian Theatre Company, is back on stage — this time playing three male roles in a wild and witty version of Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors.
The fast-paced play, filled with pop-culture jokes and clever wordplay, runs Oct. 23–Nov. 1 at Vancouver’s Jericho Arts Centre. Directed by Mark Carter, it reimagines the classic vampire tale with a Gen Z twist — and plenty of laughs along the way.
Why it matters: King has long been a key figure in Surrey’s arts scene, and her latest performance continues to showcase local talent shining on the regional stage.
🔑 Key Details:
Ellie King plays three roles in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors.
Runs Oct. 23–Nov. 1 at Jericho Arts Centre, Vancouver.
Tickets: $23–$35 at dsrproductions.ticketspice.com
Surrey’s Safe Software Partners with Vancouver Canucks to Support B.C. Families
Giant cheque represents a $25,000 donation to Canucks for Kids Fund by Surrey-based Safe Software company on Oct. 6, 2025.Contributed photo
Surrey-based tech company Safe Software has teamed up with the Vancouver Canucks and the Canucks for Kids Fund for the 2025–26 NHL season. The partnership includes a $25,000 donation to support programs that help children and families across British Columbia through education, health, and wellness initiatives.
Founded in Surrey in 1993, Safe Software is best known for its FME data and AI platform, used around the world. CEO Don Murray says the company is proud to give back locally and support youth across the province.
Why it matters: It’s another example of a Surrey-grown success story making an impact — both in the tech industry and in the community.
🔑 Key Details:
$25,000 donated to the Canucks for Kids Fund.
Partnership announced Oct. 7 for the 2025–26 NHL season.
Safe Software, founded in Surrey, is expanding globally while investing in local causes.
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Exciting Events: October 14th - 17th
Events marked with ($) require a ticket in advance. Please search them up before going.
Sports🏒
Brooks Bandits vs Surrey Eagles | 7PM, Oct 17 ($)
Location: South Surrey Arena
Description: Regular Season Home Game #6
Community Fun🎆
Garden Work Parties | 10AM-12PM Oct. 14 (FREE)
Location: Darts Hill Garden Park
Description: Help care for Surrey's gardens by pruning, weeding, labeling, removing invasive plants and more!
Line Dancing | 7PM-9PM Oct. 14 ($)
Location: The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 240, Crescent Beach
Description: Anyone can join - no military background required. Support the legion.
Bear Creek Scream Train | Oct. 10-Nov. 2 ($)
Location: Bear Creek park
Description: DARE TO COME THROUGH THE HAUNTED FOREST WITH OUR CREEPY SCARY ACTORS! DON'T LET CHAINSAW CHARLIE GET YOU!
The Maze of Monsters at Guildford Town Centre | Oct 1-Oct 31 (FREE)
Location: Guildford Town Centre
Description: walk-thru experience featuring NEW spooky creatures and more haunted surprises. Caution! While family-friendly, the experience can be frightening for little boos and ghouls under the age of 5.
Cougar Creek House of Horrors | Oct 3-Nov 8 ($)
Location: 12530 72nd Ave
Description: B.C.’s premier adult horror experience, delivering five terrifying, immersive haunted houses in a single, nonstop nightmare. Navigate through five intricately themed indoor mazes... From the backwoods carnage of Abomination to the deranged clowns of Zycho Zerkus, in a single, nonstop nightmare.
Markets/Fairs🎡🎢🎠
Trades Expo | 9AM-2PM, Oct. 15-16 (FREE)
Location: Agriplex - 17763 62 Ave
Description: TRADES EXPO '25. Explore and try the Trades. Meet the trades people that do the jobs and ask your questions. Explore training providers and find employers. Join the ranks of the construction trades. Sustainable long-term careers.
Arts Nursery Scarecrow Festival & Pop Up Pumpkin Patch | Sept 20-Oct 31 ($)
Location: Art’s Nursery
Description: Family-friendly festival features over 60 imaginative scarecrow displays, from spooky classics to beloved characters like Cruella, the Peanuts Gang, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Alice in Wonderland. Explore festive photo opportunities, a pop-up pumpkin patch, scavenger hunts, live music, and rotating food trucks every weekend.
Performances🎭
You Used To Call Me Marie... | Oct 15-25 ($)
Location: Surrey Arts Centre
Description: Music plays and ponies dance as the epic story of Marie Callihoo and generations of Alberta’s Métis women unfurls through time. Follow Marie, Iskwewo, Napew, and Mistatim (“horse” in Michif) in intertwined celebrations of love and resilience as the Métis Nation emerges across the plains. Robust in scope yet intimate, You used to call me Marie… explores the fur trade and political uprisings in the 1930s to the present through era-spanning dance and live music, from French fiddle to contemporary country.
Comedy❗
Yuk Off Comedy Competition | 7:30PM, Oct 16 ($)
Location: Yuk Yuks Comedy Club
Description: YUK OFF Comedy Competition every* Thursday - Preliminary rounds will happen on October 9, October 16, October 23, October 30, November 6 & November 13.
Thanks for reading The Surrey Digest! Let’s chat again on Friday!
