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 agenda 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…

If you know of something cool going on in the city and you think we should consider adding it to our list, please send the details to michelle at scoutmagazine dot ca.

ART

The beautiful/thoughtful Catalog Gallery presents Charles Forsberg’s One Trick Pony: a presentation of his latest collected works on paper. More.
February 17-20 | Catalog Gallery (100- 56 Powell) | Free

The Ayden Gallery is celebrating their seventh anniversary by inviting you to bring a pair of TOMS down to the gallery to have them customized by an artist (or do the job yourself).  Purchase a pair on site or in advance at Sitka on 4th Ave. Cool plan (with every purchase of a pair of Toms, Toms donates a pair of shoes to a child in need).
Friday, February 18 |  Second Floor, Tinseltown 88 West Pender

Access Gallery presents Total Eclipse of the Art: a fundraiser/auction heavy on the 80’s style glamour.
Friday, February 18 | 8pm | Access Gallery (437 W Hastings)| $15

The Equinox Gallery is showing Fred Herzog: Reading Pictures until March 5.  I heart Fred Herzog.
Now – March 5 | Equinox Gallery (2321 Granville) | Free

Sylvana D’Angelo is having a solo photography exhibition at Gam Gallery.
Now | Gam Gallery (110 E. Hastings) | Free

The Western Front gallery is pleased to present an exhibition co-organized with Vector Association. “Based in Iasi, Romania, Vector Association is a platform for contemporary art, which produces the Periferic Biennial, publishes Vector Magazine, commissions public projects as an initiate-member of the European Network for Public Art Producers and hosts residents in the Accented Residency Network.”
February 18 | Western Front (303 E 8th) | Free

FOOD

The Canadian Culinary Championships go down in Kelowna this weekend. Scout editor Andrew Morrison is judging and refereeing. Follow from the inside with photos and insights on Facebook and Twitter.
The Winter Farmers Market fills the Nat Bailey Stadium parking lot on Saturday. Hook yourself up with hearty root vegetables, fresh bread, dried fruit and scores of other locally-grown goodies.
Saturday, February 19 | 10am – 2pm | East Parking Lot of Nat Bailey Stadium

The Salt Cellar Series presents Clos du Soleil. Clos du Soleil is a small artisan winery and estate vineyard in the South Similkameen. Salt always does a bang up job of pairing good wine with good food, so check out details here.
Tuesday, February 22 | 7pm | Salt Cellar | Only $40 !

FILM

Get yourself to the Waldorf on Sunday where author Michael Christie (The Beggar’s Garden) puts on an afternoon of cinema about misfits by two of the National Film Board of Canada’s master filmmakers: Claude Jutra (Mon Oncle Antoine) and Don Owen (Nobody Waved Goodbye).
Sunday January 20 | Waldorf Hotel | 2:30pm (doors @ 2pm)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is this week’s midnight movie at the Rio.
Friday February 18 | 11:55pm | Rio Theatre | $8

The Hollywood is screening Inside Job: “Disheartening but essential viewing, Charles Ferguson’s documentary explores the 2008 Global Financial Crisis with exemplary rigor.” (link)
February 18 – 24 | 7:30 nightly as well as Sat/Sun 1:30 | $8

CREATE

Slip in to the Altered Book Workshop at Chalk on Saturday afternoon. “This workshop is taught by Rachael Ashe and is a three and a half hour introduction to examples and techniques for transforming old books into one-of-a-kind pieces of art. There is an unlimited potential for creating interesting work by altering books through cutting, folding, rolling, collage, etc. This course will demonstrate a selection of techniques and provide a starting point for creating work of your own.”
February 19 | 1-4:30pm | ChalkXChange (593 E Georgia @ Princess) |  $60

The Retro Design & Antiques Fair is on over at the Croatian Cultural Centre on Sunday. If you’ve never been, consider making a stop because there’s always something there worth picking up. Over 170 vendors are tabling vintage and estate jewellery, modernist decor, linens and textiles, kitchen collectibles, lighting and fixtures, toys, pop–culture memorabilia, pottery and glass, the works! You can even lug your own treasure along for an $8 appraisal. Find out more here.
Feb. 20 | 10 am–3 pm | Croatian Cultural Centre (3250 Commercial) | $5

MUSIC

Dre Day is on. Head to the Metropole Pub tonight to join the throngs  commemorating the good doctor’s birthday with a night of all Dre’s music. “From the songs he borrows, to the sound he influences, to the artists he works with, to the artists he beefs with and of course, his own platinum hits.”
Thursday, February 17 | Metropole Pub (320 Water) |

Plants & Animals hook up with Yukon Blonde at the Commodore.
Friday, February 18 | 8pm | Commodore Ballroom | $20

The Sadies were going to play at the Vogue but front man Dallas Good broke his leg on Sunday night so that gig is off. The band plans to reschedule. Sigh.

Yo La Tengo hits the Rickshaw. No broken bones slowing them down.
Saturday, February 19 | 8pmish | Rickshaw | 25 beans

EXPLORE

Climb aboard a Transit Museum Society historic bus for a guided tour of Heritage Vancouver’s top 10 endangered sites for 2011. More.
Saturday, February 19 | 1-5pm | Meet @ Parking Lot (1100 Chestnut)| $30

The Museum of Vancouver is offering an interesting “out of the box” exploration of Vancouver’s built environment on Saturday. In a nutshell, it’s “three mini-walks and talks in three separate transit locales with some of Vancouver’s most engaging architects and urban planners.” At the end of the tour everyone meets up at SFU Woodwards (149 W Hastings) for a ‘wrap-up dialogue with Gordon Price of the SFU City Program. Get the full scoop (including how to register for this popular event) here.
Saturday, February 19 | 10:30am | Details | Free but limited space

Fascinating. Invisible Allies at Storeum.
February 20 | 7pm to 10pm | W2 Storeum |

Second Level Wizards Awesome Events Society presents its second H.P. Lovecraft–themed convention and film festival, featuring live music by local Cthulhu rockers The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, short films from around the world, a burlesque performance, and a Miskatonic Middle School PTA Bake Sale (with proceeds to B.C. Children’s Hospital). More info.
Friday, February 18 | doors 6:30 pm | Rickshaw Theatre (254 E. Hastings) | $15

Nerd alert: Dr. Mike Richards will discuss archaeological evidence for diet and subsistence patterns in the people of the Northwest Coast, with specific emphasis on the Kwaday Dan Ts’inchi individual from Northern British Columbia (whose frozen remains were found eroding out of a glacier in 2000). Freakin’ cool.
February 23 | 7pm | Museum of Vancouver (1100 Chestnut) | Free

EARTH

Head to Strathcona for a quick Sunday afternoon course on the selection and care of food crops. Learn about which vegetable and fruit crops grow well in our climate and what they require to thrive in your garden.
February 20 | 1:30-4:30 pm | Strathcona Community Centre (601 Keefer) | $35

Eco Fashion Week hits town next week and it’s going to be awesome. Nothing brightens a gloomy February like a peek at Spring’s fashions. Check out the wares of 40 exhibitors and 20 designers. We’re especially looking forward to seeing what Nicole Bridger has lined-up. Full scoop here.
February 22-25 | Here and there, but mostly at the Salt Building (85 W. 1st)

WELLNESS

The Wellness Show is on this weekend. There are more than 300 exhibitors, demos and workshops. These include Bikram’s Yoga, cooking demos from executive chef Antonio Cerullo and world-renowned healer Master Zhi Gang Sha. Plus there’ll be contests, giveaways, a tea garden and lots of samples: www.thewellnessshow.com
Friday, February 18 – Sunday February 20 |  Vancouver Convention Centre (1055 Canada Place)

OK, get this! The local branch of the Jane Austen Society of North America (for real) presents Dr. Andrew Macnab, who will enlighten with his lecture entitled It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times – a look at medical practices and procedures of the Regency period with particular reference to maritime life.” Cool or what? Wait…isn’t that a Dickens quote?
Saturday, February 19 | 10:15am | St. Phillip’s (3737 West 27) | $4

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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 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.

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