The main objective of this website is to scout out and promote the things that make Vancouver such a sweet place to be. We do this with an emphasis on the city’s independent spirit to foster a sense of connectedness within and between our communities, and to introduce our readers to the people who grow and cook our food, play the raddest tunes in our better venues, create our most interesting art, and design everything from what we wear to the spaces we inhabit.

The Scout List is our carefully considered first rate list of super sweet things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. From our calendar to yours…

ART

Garbage Can Art

From the good folks at Granville Island: “This event really pushes creativity to incredible limits: from aluminum can to art extraordinaire! The annual Granville Island Ferries Garbage Can Art Contest and Auction gives 25 artists four hours to use a little – or a lot – of artistic license. Each artist makes over a galvanized garbage can into a work of art. Once transformed, the cans are auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting art therapy programs at BC Children’s Hospital. For more information, call False Creek Ferries at 604-684-7781.
Sept 27 | All day | Granville Island | FREE to admire

Art to Boot

Blundstone’s iconic boots will host their first annual “Art to Boot” fundraising evening in support of AMES (Access to Media Education Society), a Vancouver based charity dedicated to helping people cultivate communications skills by providing access to media training and technology. Silent auction for 14 pairs of Blundstone boots – or ‘Blunnies’ as they are known in Australia – creatively enhanced by talented special guests including artists Diana Zoe Coop and Liz Clay, celebrated jewellery designer Elsa Corsi, Robert Munro from Get Fresh Flowers and even dark horse Liberal MP Hedy Fry. Live music by Blake Havard, complimentary canapés and the opportunity to win fabulous prizes. Tickets are available from the Australian Boot Company’s Vancouver Store Ph: 604.738.2668
Sept 24 | Granville Island Brewing Company | 7 pm | $20 in advance, $30 at the door

Artland vs Sculpture Park | Choices Facing Public Art

Charles Jencks will be giving his first public lecture in Vancouver – Art Land Versus Sculpture Park – as part of the Vancouver Biennale. From SFU: “Charles Jencks is an influential architectural theorist, landscape architect and designer whose name is synonymous with the concept of the Post-modern in architecture. He was the first to extend those ideas into architectural discourse with his book ‘The Language of Post-Modern Architecture.’”
Oct 1 | 7:30 pm | SFU Harbour Centre | FREE (seating is extremely limited and reservations are required. [email protected] or call 778-782-5100)

FOOD

Wines of Chile

The Wines of Chile Fall Festival will celebrate the pairing of Chilean wine and food with a part festival-style, part casual winemaker’s dinner event, all for tickets ranging in price from $89 to $129 (on sale now). The evening starts with a reception at the Sutton Place Hotel featuring more than 100 wines from 30 Chilean wineries. From there, wine lovers will break out to one of 14 different winemaker’s dinner events. $20 from each ticket sold goes to Wines of Chile’s partner charities: Grapes for Humanity Canada and the BC Hospitality Foundation.
Sept 28th, 5:30pm | Sutton Place Hotel | 845 Burrard Street | www.ccltd.ca/winesofchile

Irish Heather Sazerac Supper

In keeping with the notion that you can’t get enough of a good thing, the Irish Heather brings us another great addition to the Long Table Series, the LTS Whisk(e)y Event. From the Heather: “Our first in this new series – The Sazerac Supper – involves a fantastic line up of Bourbon Whiskey. If the LTS is all about eating and drinking in a recession, LTS Whisk(e)y continues the theme with a “cheap as chips” price of $40 for a main course, dessert, cocktail to start and tasting of four great Bourbons.” We’ll see you there.
Sept 28 | 7:30pm to 10pm | Irish Heather | $40

Pourhouse Opening?

We certainly hope so, but some last minute City Hall snafu could still intervene, hence the question mark. What is Pourhouse? It’s a restaurant in Gastown that Scout has been following with great interest because of the tastes and strengths of the players involved and the long-neglected awesomeness of its Water Street location, kitty corner from the steam clock.
Keep checking Scout for updates | 162 Water Street | Gastown

FILM

Poe – The Last Days of Raven

Prepare yourself for October (yes it really is just around the corner) with a spooky pre Halloween bioptic of Edgar Allen Poe. From the Last Days of Raven website: “The world’s first feature film on the life of mystery and horror writer Edgar Allan Poe. Hollywood has produced over 30 feature films on his works, but not one on his fascinating life. Poe was raised as a backstage theater baby, and his early days in England, and afterwards, on the docks of Richmond, were fertile creative ground that spawned one of the most unique imaginations in history, and whose works inspired the likes of Conan Doyle, Stephen Lucas, John Caprenter, and Stephen Speilberg. ” From Vancity Theatre: “Last Days of the Raven is an imaginative biopic in which dreams, fantasies, poetry and fiction all add up to a passionate, feverish portrait of a remarkable artist.” Brent Fidler (Poe) will introduce both screenings and take questions from the audience.
Sept 25 | 6:45 & 8:45 | Vancity Theatre | $10

COMMUNITY

Solving Extraordinarily Difficult Problems…

From SFU: Visionary novelist Ernest Callenbach offers a frank assessment of “global heating” and other 21st century environmental issues and the human potential to acquire the knowledge to solve extraordinarily difficult problems for a sustainable future. Callenbach is best known for Ecotopia, Ecotopia Emerging, Ecology: A Pocket Guide, Living Cheaply with Style, and most recently Bring Back the Buffalo: A Sustainable Future for America’s Great Plains.
Sept 24 | 7pm | SFU Harbour Centre | FREE (limited seating)

freeFLOW

Good for Lululemon for trying something different. This Thursday the centre of the yoga wear universe brings you freeFLOW — “a forum where you can meet others who are excited to come up with world changing ideas to make an impact on their communities and in Ethiopia. These ideas eventually take the form of a CREATRIBUTION — your unique contribution to the world that combines your greatest passion with what you are (or could be) best in the world at. What is it that makes you truly excited and inspired? What do you really LOVE to do with your time? What have you always wanted to do but never thought was possible? Come connect at a special lululemon athletica freeFLOW, share your ideas, gain inspiration from the ideas of others, and find out how FUN changing the world can be.” Don’t roll your eyes, get off your ass and get engaged.
Sept 24th | 6:00pm-7:30pm | Lululemon – 4th Ave @ Arbutus | FREE

Harvest

I love a good harvest festival – and I’ve gotta believe that Mount Pleasant will know how to put on a good one. All I know for sure is that there will be oodles of live entertainment, childrens games, face painting, bingo, CAKEWALK!!, a silent auction and community booths. I’m guessing there will be good food and happy people too. Forecast is for sun.
Sept 26 | 11 am – 4 pm | Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House | FREE

Hastings Park/PNE Master Plan Open House

Drop by an open house to share your ideas and suggestions on the future of Hastings Park. Its your chance to learn about the Hastings Park/PNE Master Plan, which is rethinking the park as a greener, more active, year-round destination. The plan also includes renewal of the Pacific National Exhibition and Playland, and improved connections to the waterfront and surrounding community. Your feedback will help guide the Master Plan and a new vision for Hastings Park.
Sep 24 |11:00 AM – 7:00 PM | Oakridge Centre, in front of The Bay (1st floor)| FREE
Sep 28 |4 – 8 pm | Tent at Commerical Dr and Napier St, walkway in front of Britannia Library | FREE
Sep 30 |10 am -12 noon, 4 – 7 pm| Sunset Community Centre, Main Foyer, Main @52 | FREE
Oct 03 |11 am – 4 pm | Granville Island, Public Market Courtyard (behind the Market)| FREE

Moon Festival Lantern Making Workshops

In preparation for October’s Moon Festival – lantern making workshops are on at the Renfrew Park Community Centre this month…here is the deal:  Between 4-8 pm weekdays you can join in a workshop and make yourself a globe or bamboo lantern to carry in next month’s festival. Workshop leader and experienced artist Yoko Tomita will be on hand to help out. From the horses mouth: “A globe lantern can be formed in an evening and left to dry over night. The next day requires about 20 minutes to finish it and add the candle. Bamboo lanterns require more patience as a frame needs to be built with thin pieces of bamboo and then tissue paper applied over the frame. Yoko will help you make stars or moons or assist you in designing your own bamboo shape.”
Sept 28 – Oct 2 | 4-8pm. | Renfrew Park Community Centre |  $12 – $17

MUSIC

Cuff the Duke with Zeus and Cloudsplitter

Indie rockers Cuff the Duke and Zeus (from Toronto) hook up with local band Cloudsplitter at the Biltmore. Expect a bit of country twang mixed in to your Indie tonight. Good hurtin’ music.
Sept 24 | Doors 8 pm – Show at 9 pm | The Biltmore | $14 at Zulu, Scratch, Red Cat

Sondre Lerche

Spin Magazine describes Sondre Lerche thus: “Pop prodigy matures into cool, composed maestro: On his previous offerings, this Norwegian singer-songwriter has been a smooth jazz crooner, a spiky pop-rocker, and a simpatico soundtrack composer. With Heartbeat Radio, Lerche aligns all his identities: Gentlemanly melodies glide across elegant guitars and High Llama Sean O’Hagan’s swelling string arrangements. Living in cramped New York apartments has sharpened both Lerche’s wit and feng shui – a heightened wryness now complements his compositional facility, and every banjo and trombone filigree feels essential.”
Sept 30 | Doors 8 pm – Show 9:30 pm | The Biltmore | $18 try Zulu or Red Cat

LITERARY

Word on the Street

Hit Library Square this Sunday for the 15th annual Word on the Street. Expect author events, exhibits, performances, a marketplace, and lots of stuff about books and reading. There will be more than 100 authors and acts (big names include: Michael Turner (8 x 10); Annabel Lyon (The Golden Mean); Thomas Trofimuk (Waiting for Columbus); Elizabeth Bachinsky (God of Missed Connections); Ian Gill (All That We Say Is Ours: Guujaaw and the Reawakening of the Haida Nation); Robyn Harding (Mom, Will This Chicken Give MeMan Boobs?); Janet Love Morrison (The Crazy Canucks); Caroline Adderson (Bruno for Real); and,Andrea Spalding (Dance Baby Dance, a book for babies).
Sept 27 | 11am to 5pm | Library Square | FREE

Margaret Atwood

If you’re a Margaret Atwood fan – listen up:  the renowned Canadian Author will give a dramatic reading (egads – does she do any other kind of reading?) from her forthcoming novel ‘The Year of the Flood’ at St. Andrew’s next Thursday. At this special Writers Fest event Atwood will be “accompanied by three of Vancouver’s top actors and a choir that will sing hymns written for this performance by Ms. Atwood.”
Oct 1 | 7:30 pm | St Andrew’s Wesley United Church | $17

SPEND

I Heart Craft Bazaar

Every day is a good day for a craft fair, and today you’ll really score at the WISE Hall. I Heart Craft Bazaar will bring out some great local artisans and designers flogging everything from handmade soap and cards to jewellery and clothing. It’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas!Sept 26 | 9 am – 4 pm | WISE Hall

Recessionista Shopping Series

Let your inner Recessionista free at Heritage Hall this Sunday. Specifically geared towards people who love to shop for clothing, accessories and beauty products but are on a budget, there will be 40 local designers on site to sell their wares – all for $50 or less!
Sept  27  | Heritage Hall | $2

DESIGN

Boon or Boondoggle?

From SFU: “Boon or boondoggle? Building codes will allow for the construction of six-storey woodframe buildings. Is this good news for planners who want to densify cities, developers who want floor space, and residents who want affordable housing? Or are we setting ourselves up for another fiasco? Our expert panel will analyse and discuss. Speakers include: Dr. Guido Wimmers, Dipl.Ing. LEED AP, Equilibrium Consulting Inc.; Dave Ramslie, MSc LEED AP, Cascadia Region Green Building Council; Murray Frank, Constructive Home Solutions Inc.”
Sept 24 | 7 pm | SFU Harbour Centre | $10

Vancouver Special Tour

This is a one-day, self-guided tour of 5 local Vancouver Specials. Located in various Vancouver neighbourhoods and on varying lot sizes, each home offers a unique reinterpretation of the traditional Vancouver Special. All privately owned, these homes boast a variety of original Vancouver Special features, layouts and configurations but have been updated, rennovated and reconsidered. Visitors use a numbered map-guide/ticket to make their way from house to house in any order they prefer. The map-guide/ticket contains a write-up about each participating house which includes its social history, interior design and architectural features.  For tickets and information call 604-264-9642 or visit the Vancouver Hertiage website
Sept 26 | 12 -5pm | $25

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Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended Bond University in Australia and the University of Victoria before receiving her graduate degree in Library Sciences from The University of Toronto. She lives by the beach in Vancouver and enjoys wandering aimlessly through the city’s shops and streets with her best friend – a beat up, sticky, grimy, and uncooperative camera.

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