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 awesome things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. From our calendar to yours…

MUSIC

As you may have already seen, the “music” portion of the Scout List got considerably easier for us this week with the good folks at West 4th’s Zulu Records providing us with their own picks in the Zulu Report. If we could pick just one, though…

Gobble Gobble

Nothing says Thanksgiving like the Butthole Surfers. The crazy Texan punk-rockers hit the Commodore this holiday Monday. Brace yourselves.
Oct 12 | 8pm | Commodore | $30 (check Zulu)

FOOD

The End Is Near!

October, very sadly, sees the closure of Vancouver’s fantastic outdoor farmer’s markets for the winter season. Make the most of these last days and hit the market in your neighbourhood for delicious breads, jams and canned veggies, as well as harvest fresh produce like onions, green onions, radishes, shallots, spinach, sprouts, Swiss chard, garlic scapes, beets, carrots, squash, pumpkins, and corn. It’s a pretty awesome time of year, so enjoy it while it lasts.
East Side: Saturdays until Oct 10 | 9am – 2pm | Trout Lake | FREE
West End: Saturdays until Oct 24 | 9am – 2pm | 1100 Block of Comox | FREE
Kits: Sundays until Oct  25 | 10am – 2pm | Kits Community Centre | FREE
DTES: Wednesdays until Oct 21 | 3pm – 7pm | Thornton Park | FREE
West Van: Sundays until October 25 | 9am – 2pm | Ambleside | FREE

Feasting on Art and Culture

Week two of ‘Sustenance’ the Feasting on Art and Culture festival that “endeavours to connect the communities of art, culture, and food security. From global to local, from historic to present day, the art and culture of food will be something everyone can feast on. And what better way to spend family time than eating good food? Here is the list of ‘Sustenance’ events happening at the Roundhouse this Saturday…

11:00am – Growing Chefs!
1:00 pm – Pumpkin Pie Contest!
1:30pm – Alfalfabet & Zucchini Races
2:30pm – The Art Of Hardbite Chips
3:30pm – The World In A Garden Seed To Table Project
4:30pm – Piñata Breaking!

Oct 10 |  11am – 5pm | Roundhouse

And then, once you’ve ditched the fam…

“Celebrate Feasting on Art & Culture with a pub crawl between Vancouver’s top craft beer venues. Led by local beer experts, participants will visit each pub where they can sample a different cask-conditioned ale and paired food item for a fun introduction to Real Ale. (In partnership with the Roundhouse Community Centre, FarmFolk/CityFolk, the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets’ Nutrition & Coupon Project, and CAMRA – Campaign for Real Ale)”
Oct 10 | 1 pm – 5pm | Alibi Room, Dix, Steamworks, Yaletown Brewing | $25

Ocean Wise & C Restaurant

“The world’s marine life is quickly being depleted. An estimated 90% of all large,predatory fish are already gone from the world’s oceans. A recent scientific study predicted a world-wide fisheries collapse by 2048. The only solution is to turn back from the brink, and to begin consuming seafood in a sustainable manner. Join Ocean Wise Program Manager Mike McDermid and C Restaurant Chef Robert Clark for a Power Point presentation and some sustainable seafood nibblies (their word not ours)”.
Oct 15 | 7pm | Roundhouse | FREE

Blood Alley Blowout

“Thanksgiving Monday, October 12th Salt Tasting Room will offer our “Bin Ends” at a mark up that is less then what [their] accountant considers acceptable (read crazy low prices). Everything will be as normal; award winning food and friendly service, but should you choose from the “Bin End” Card, you’ll save yourself a bunch of dollars.
Oct 12 | Salt Tasting Room | Blood Alley

ART

Common Thread

This show looks fascinating : “Common Thread is a poster exhibition whose primary goal is to explore how identity is influenced by ones emotional ties with a certain country. Why, when moving to a new country, do we often gravitate towards people of similar backgrounds and ethnic or national origin? Are we defined by where we are born, where we grow up, where we choose to live, by the language we speak or other notions that affect belonging and identity? Weve invited 20 renowned and up-and-coming designers from around the world to offer their own answers and give them form. The exhibition runs from October 7 to 17.  More information at www.common-thread.ca
Oct 7-17 |   6:00 PM – 8:30 PM  | Emily Carr University| FREE

Beliveau & Hughes at the Windsor

Artists Paul Beliveau and Patrick Hughes will be in attendance for the opening of their show at the Windsor Gallery this Thursday night. Here is a little bit about the show as provided by the Windsor Gallery…”Quebec’s Beliveau paints hyper-realistic acrylics of his favourite books, preserving the image of the book as object, and the ideas contained therein… Famed British painter Patrick Hughes explores both the form and content of books, using them as building blocks for his trompe l’oeil effect. One side of a wall in a Hughes painting might depict a vista of a distant landscape, while the other side might be composed of rows of books. While the landscape suggests a faraway reality or an elusive truth, the detailed images of real books entice the viewer in for a closer look.” I do love books and plan to check out this show. See you there?
Oct 8 | 5:30pm-8:30pm | The Winsor Gallery (3025 Granville) | FREE

COMMUNITY

Hey Fish, Where’ya Headed?

Vancouver Natural History Society presents a free talk by Jonathan Thar of the POST project. “Once salmon leave their stream and enter the ocean, little is known about their activities.  The Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking project (POST) offers the opportunity to make major breakthroughs in our understanding of how salmon and other marine animals use the ocean.”
Oct 8 |  7:30 pm | Unity Church – 5840 Oak | I’m guessing this event is FREE

Ending Homelessness: What Works?

Monte Paulsen (The Tyee) “…argues Vancouver can end homelessness for the same money it costs to maintain homelessness. Paulsen defines Vancouver’s homelessness problem, how we got here, and what we can do, drawing from proven solutions in Europe, North America and Vancouver. The presentation features archival images that chart the history of homelessness in Vancouver; street photography of the Downtown Eastside by Jay Black, offers further insights, and context.”  Informal discussion and reception to follow.
Oct 9 | 7pm | Museum of Vancouver | FREE (donations to Vancouver Food Bank)

Diwali Continues

Diwali is a five day South Asian festival. The name of the festival comes from the Sanskrit word dipavali, which means ‘row of lights’.  Throughout the festival, fireworks, candles and lanterns are lit to symbolize the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Sounds like a pretty good reason to light a candle if you ask me.  I am down with anything that celebrates the triumph of knowledge over ignorance. Above and beyond lighting your candle there are a slough of free and culturally enlightening Diwali workshops going on in Vancouver that should not be missed. Organized by the Vancouver Celebrates Diwali Committee, workshops showcase local South Asian arts, music, food and dance and take place at various locations around the city and are facilitated by experienced local artists, and involve the participation of pre-schoolers, elementary school students, families, seniors, and the general public. Workshops take place at community centres and neighborhood houses across the city. Specific workshops include:
Thursday October 8 – West End Community Centre 4:30pm – 6:30pm
Saturday October 10 Renfrew Community Centre 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Wednesday October 14 Killarney Community Centre 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Thursday October 15 South Vancouver Neighborhood House 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Friday October 16 Renfrew Community Centre 10:00am – 11:00am, 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Friday October 16 Sunset Community Centre 5:00pm – 7:00pm
For a full list of activities check out their website here.

FILM

Vancouver International Film Festival Continues… check the website for show deets.

Tableland

Another great Sustenance event: Tableland is a culinary expedition in search of the people, place and taste of North American small-scale, sustainable food production. From the Orchards of the interior of BC, the Napa Highlands, rural Quebec and everywhere in between, Tableland showcases the successful production of tasty, local, and seasonal food from field to plate.
Oct 14 | 8 pm | Roundhouse | $10 by donation

Advance Screening of “Where the Wild Things Are”

You probably already know that Spike Jonze’s highly anticipated feature film interpretation of Maurice Sendak’s famous children’s book of the same name premieres October 16th, but Warner Bros. and Scout are presenting an advance screening two nights before. We will be giving a number of double passes away through Twitter. If you aren’t following Scout on Twitter just yet, get on it.
Oct 14 | Follow Scout on Twitter for details | | FREE with one of our nifty passes

BOOKS

Cross Border Pollination

The Robson Reading Series presents Cross Border Pollination – an evening of readings and discussion with authors from the U.S. and Canada featuring Nancy Mauro (New World Monkeys), Brenda Miller (Season of the Body), Peter Pereira (The Lost Twin), and Shannon Stewart (Penny Dreadful).
Oct 9 |  7 pm | UBC Library Robson Square (800 Robson Street) | FREE

SHOPPING

One of a Kind

At Scout we are inspired by people who create – people who have that something extra that pushes them to take their ideas and talents and turn them into things both tangible and marketable, things that allow them to enjoy lives of creative independence. One of a Kind is totally on the same page, and then some. They make a business of gathering a swarm of these people (designers, artists and artisans) under one roof so that shoppers can hop with ease from one to the next. The line-up for the 2009 One of A Kind Show promises to impress. With a focus on local designers and Canadian made products, the two days show cool way to support local.
Oct 8-11 | Vancouver Convention Center | OneOfAKindVancouver.com

TRIPPING OUT

Ghost Train

The Ghost Train rides again.  From Stanley Park: “Zombies. Voodoo gods. Wild Women of the Woods. Three-headed dogs. Mexican witches’ brew. All these and more are in store for those who dare to climb aboard this year’s Stanley Park Hallowe’en Ghost Train.. ” More information here.
Oct 9 – Nov 1 | Various departure times between 6 & 10pm | Stanley Park | Tix $10

RECOVERY

Lululungs

Hook up with Katie from Lululemon this Thursday for a workout framed by running, you will be sure to get your sweat on with sprints, push ups, squats, lunges and awesome balance work.  Everyone is welcome! Remember to fuel and hydrate before hand and bring proper footwear!

Oct 8 | 6pm-7pm | Meet @ Lululemon 4th Ave | FREE

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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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