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…

Yeehaw! Its the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair. Everything you might need to know – like how to get there and when the bareback riding events are scheduled – is here. If the giddy-up isn’t your thing, there will protesters for you to saddle up to as well.
May 21-24| $15-30 – Country Fair only $10

If you are above such earthly concerns, the Emily Carr Media Arts grads strut their stuff this weekend. The student peacocks screen 48 short films over two days at Vancity Theatre.
May 21 + 22 | 4:30 – 11:30 pm | VanCity Theatre | Find out more..

There is also an interesting-sounding lecture going down at SFU Harbour Centre. The Gods Come Home is a talk and panel discussion about “the vigorous renewal of Daoist and Buddhist organizations and the rich diversity of local popular religion.”
May 21 | 7pm | SFU Harbour Centre | FREE

In the mood for some old school Woody Allen? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask is screening at the Rio
May 21 | Midnight | $10.

The Farmers Market goes down at Trout Lake. We were there last weekend and it was awesome.
May 22 | 9 am – 2pm | Trout Lake | FREE | Details here.

This is also the weekend that the Kits Farmers Market gets under way. If memory serves, it’s just as awesome.
May 23 | 10 am – 2 pm  | Parking Lot of Kitsilano Community Centre | FREE | Details here.

If you thought the only thing you could score at the corner of East Pender St and Heatley was (take your pick), guess again. If you show up to that cross street on Sunday at 10:00am, you could also score some unique local historical knowledge. Heritage Vancouver and the Jewish Museum and Archives of BC will use the Schara Tzedeck Synagogue at Pender and Heatley as the starting point for a walking tour of Strathcona & Gastown. Details.
May 23 | 10 am | Pender/Heatley | $15

Or use your Sunday afternoon to pick up a new skill: learn the art of fermenting foods with chef Andrea Potter.  “Fermenting food is an ancient method of preserving the harvest. Rich in probiotics and enzymes for improving digestion, these raw, living foods are regaining their popularity. Reclaim this skill and learn how to make sauerkraut, kimchi and brined pickles at home.”
May 23 | 11:30 | Radha ( 728 Main) | $40 | find out more…

Weekend Super Tip: Met Home (217 Hastings) is having an amazing sale right now. If you’ve been looking for some cool mid-century modern furniture, this is your chance to get some at a good price.  They move Sunday (new location will be at 2nd and Fir) so until Saturday close you can pick up some beautiful furniture at a sweet deal.

Blim is holding another one of their kick-ass community markets. Always an inspiring and delicious way to spend a Sunday.
May 23 | 11 AM – 4 PM | Heritage Hall (Main St) | By donation

The taps open at the water park on Granville Island this weekend. One more reason you won’t find parking on the Island – leave the car at home. Find out more…

Into the week…

Judy Fong Bates (author of Midnight at the Dragon Cafe) is the guest for the CBC’s Studio One Bookclub this week. The only way in is to win tickets.
May 26 | 6:30 pm | CBC Studios | FREE Go to www.cbc.ca/bc/bookclub

Get your fill of “inspiration and insight on human experiences in the online and offline world, Pecha Kucha style. From PKN: “We’ve moved from an “either, or” world to an “and” world. The real and the virtual become more intertwined everyday, but one without the other is just not that interesting.”  PKN ALWAYS sells out, so grab tickets while you can. If you missed Scout editor Andrew on stage last year, check the video here.
May 26 | 7:30  | Vancouver Convention Centre | Get the scoop.

Hit Boneta next Thursday night to taste champagne and sparkling wines paired with Chef Jeremie Bastien’s hors d’oeuvres. It’s a fundraising event for Theatre la Seizieme, and fundraisers cost. This one will run you $125 but wine specialists Michelle Bouffard and Michaela Morris of House Wine will be there (and you know that’s worth the $125 right there).
May 27 | 7pm | Boneta | $125  | Find out more…

Lastly, it’s still Asian Heritage Month. Wild Rice has a spot prawn and Sloping Hill open face pork dumpling ($8) on their special AHM menu that will change your life.

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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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