Downtown Cloverdale has rung in the Year of The Goat in style, thanks to an irrepressible band of golden-aged performers.
Members of The Versatiles called on local merchants Thursday, the start of the new lunar new year. Lion dancers in a bright pink costume and scarlet-clad dancers with cymbals and drums paraded loudly along 176 Street just before noon.
They knocked on doors asking to cross thresholds in a tradition that's supposed to bring good luck, according to the troupe's director and founder, Susie Francis Hall.
They were successful at many stops, such as the offices of local MLA Stephanie Cadieux, the Cloverdale BIA and Chamber of Commerce, and at various businesses, including the Bank of Nova Scotia.
Staff from The Henry pub heard the cacophony and raced outside to snap a few photos with the merry band of noisemakers. Other shoppers and pedestrians could be seen pulling out their phones to take pictures as the troupe stopped traffic at 176 Street and 57 Avenue.
The event is a lead-up to The Versatile's upcoming spring show, title TBA.