by Michelle Sproule | 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.

SHOP

Forsya Boutique is hosting a special customer appreciation event tonight. 20% discount on Canadian designers like Allison Wonderland, Carny Love, Eve Gravel, Toodlebunny and Dotted Loop. There will be wine (I always like to know this sort of thing) and seriously, some of the cutest dresses in the city. Forsya Boutique and Gallery is located at 2206 Main, be there Thursday, October 14th at 7:30 pm.

Hit the Vans Sample Sale at Antisocial Friday night and score FREE BEER! The sale continues Saturday and Sunday, but the free beer window is on Friday (along with the line-up). October 15, 16, 17 | Antisocial | Good deals, super awesome people!

Big bargains to be had at the yard sale at Strathcona’s Russian Hall (600 Campbell) this Saturday from 11am to 3pm. There’s no charge to get in and lots o’ cool trinkets when you do. Stop in at the Wilder Snail for coffee and some of Backer’s chocolate cake before you go and slide over to Au Petit afterward for the best darn Croque Monsuier in the city when you’re done.

MUSIC

Teenage Fanclub play the Biltmore Saturday night. It’s selling out fast.

Justin Rutledge plays the St. James Hall Wednesday night. A Letter To Heather has held a prominent spot on my play list for a long time now. Have a listen. Then buy a ticket.

Oh – and the Alpiners play the Alpen Club – it’s Oktoberfest again. Ja.
Saturday, October 16 | 8 pm | The Vancouver Alpen Club | $25

ART + DESIGN

Hot damn, Fred Herzog talks at Emily Carr on Monday. “Born in Germany, he came to Vancouver in 1953. Since that time, he has produced a substantial body of photographs, taking urban life in Vancouver -second-hand shops, vacant lots, neon signage and the crowds of people who have populated the city’s streets over the past fifty years-as his primary subject.” LOVE his work. This is an event worth calling in sick for. See you there!
Monday, October 18 | 9:30- 11am | Room 301, South Building | Free

But first up… IDSWest takes over the Waterfront Vancouver Convention Centre. See our post on why you should check it out here.

What Remains in the Silence – a show of recent work by Guadalupe Martinez is on at the Shudder Gallery. Opening reception is on Thursday, October 14, 7 pm (433 Columbia).

A new show opens at the 221A Artist Run Centre on Friday, it’s called Some Powers of Ten. “Drawing from the 1968 Eames film “Powers of Ten”, this exhibition addresses the multiple and nested scales at which we perceive and interact with the built environment. Co-opting the language of architecture, construction and cartography, five emerging artists and designers negotiate the representation of an urban context, exposing the ways in which perception is augmented by zooming in or out.” Opening reception starts at 8 pm but the exhibition continues until November 14.

Check out Vancouver’s newest art gallery, Catalog, just opened at 56 Powell in the original Sharks+Hammers spot. Beautiful and conveniently located directly across from Vancouver’s newest (and coolest) sushi restaurant, Seamonstr.

The Exchange Show is on at Emily Carr. This exhibition showcases works created by Emily Carr students during their participation in the ECUAD exchange program. Works featured in the show have drawn influences from other cultures, artists and educators. Opening reception is on Thursday, October 21, 7pm. Show runs Friday, October 22 – Thursday, October 28

Also, consider forking out the big bucks for VAG admission this Saturday. Join curator Bruce Grenville as he explains why and how contemporary artists take on the quotidian and the banal as subjects of their work. October 16, 2pm | VAG | Free with Gallery admission.

LITERATURE

The Vancouver Antiquarian Book Fair sets up shop at Library Square this weekend. This is the first book fair to be held in Vancouver since the early 90s. Don’t expect VPL booksale prices as these are not discards, but the real deal. Friday 15 + Saturday16 | VPL – main branch.

Canzine slips in to Storeyum on Saturday. Expect a troupe of indie publishers from all over and vendors of independent magazines, art, crafts, and more. There will be performances, readings, panel discussions, workshops, and other participatory opportunities. Saturday October 16 | 1 pm – 7 pm | W2 Storyeum (151 West Cordova).

The Writers Fest runs October 19 – 24. As always, the team at the Vancouver International Writers Festival has enticed a kick-ass line-up of writers to come  and shine their greatness upon us. Pre-festival excitement begins with the Literati Gala at the Four Seasons Hotel (scoop here). On opening night Hal Wake introduces seven fine writers. “Vancouver treasure Caroline Adderson and Irish-Canadian favourite Emma Donoghue both read from much-anticipated new novels. Italian sensation Paolo Giordano and France’s bestselling novelist Marc Levyalso take the stage, along with British star Andrew O’Hagan, who reads from his engaging new novel told from the point of view of Marilyn Monroe’s dog. Kate Pullinger, winner of last year’s Governor General’s Award for her novel The Mistress of Nothing, and Orange Prize finalist Kamila Shamsie each promise to transport us to distant places and times.” Author readings, panel discussions and generally good times continue (mostly on Granville Island) until the 24th. Make some time for it.

FOOD

It’s World Food Day at the Roundhouse on Saturday. Find out all about what is planned here.

Hit the UBC Farm Saturday morning. Not only is it the last market of the season at this wonderful venue, but there will be a pumpkin carving competition as well. Suit up, partners. Yee-haw.

Once you’ve loaded up with root vegetables and greens, make your your way over to the UBC Apple Festival. $3 will get you a wait in a line-up of fellow apple lovers keen to taste the 60 varieties of new and heritage apples, freshly sliced. But don’t worry, apple people are super friendly, so you’re good. This is an awesome event and Scout makes a point of going every year. Follow the big red apple signs out to UBC for Apple Fest. It’s the 20th anniversary. Stoked! Saturday + Sunday | 11am – 4pm | UBC Botanical Gardens (6804 SW Marine) | Details.

And don’t forget the Baker’s Market, Saturdays from 11am to 3pm. Enter through the back door at #115-408 East Kent Avenue South (have I mentioned that it’s a little hard to find? Take your iPhone and use the GPS).

FILM

“Victoria Park – A Generation of Bocce” Local filmmaker Tracey Lebedovich is hosting a special public screening of her documentary about an endearing group of aging Italian-Canadian bocce ball players from East Van. Get the full story here. Sunday, October 17 | Rio Theatre | 2pm to 3pm | $6 at the door.

Pacific Cinémathèque is screening The Dark Crystal on Sunday. You remember…“One thousand years ago, on the planet of Thra, the urSkeks fractured the powerful Crystal of Truth, resulting in the division of their race into two groups: the gentle Mystics and the tyrannical Skeksis. With the Skeksis in control of the cracked stone — now known as the Dark Crystal — it falls upon Jen, the last of the elf-like Gelfling people, to fulfill prophecy by healing the crystal and saving the planet.” Hell yes! Sunday, October 17 | 1 pm | Pacific Cinémathèque | $10.50.

When was the last time you watched Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope (Jimmy Stewart)? Good old school flick; better on the big screen. October 17 + 19 | 7:00pm + 8:40 pm | Pacific Cinémathèque (1131 Howe) | $10.50.

VPL brings a bit of a ‘think piece’ to the mix with “Hijacked Future” – A documentary that will take you “from the grain fields of Saskatchewan to farmers and seed banks in Ethiopia, to north of the Arctic Circle in Norway where the “doomsday” vault is being built to stockpile seeds in the event of a global crisis. The film looks at the increasingly fragile base of our North American industrial food system, in order to bring all of us consumers of food to a better understanding of just what’s at stake with our daily bread.” Monday October 18 | 7pm | VPL Central branch (350 W Georgia) | Free.

UFO’s

Another wacky gig at your local library – Threshold of Contact: Exploring UFO Origins. “Every year there are thousands of reported sightings of UFOs around the world. Do some of these sightings have origins in advanced technologies from extraterrestrial civilizations? Explore this fascinating topic with a multi-media presentation by Brian Ruhe, Martin Jasek and Gord Heath of UFO*BC. Seating is limited; all are welcome.”  Little tip: if you actually do want to attend, get there early. UFO’s can really pack a room. Tuesday October 19 | 7 pm | VPL Main branch | Free

——————————————————————————————–

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 in beautiful Strathcona and enjoys wandering aimlessly through the city’s shops and streets with her best friend – a beat up, sticky, grimy, and uncooperative camera.

——————————————————————————————–