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…

UBC

UBC Farm sure has it going on. First off, they have the usual Saturday morning market, which is always a good way to start your weekend right. Pick up some healthy fruits, veggies and wander the farm grounds, right? It gets better for fermentation nerds on the 13th. “Andrea Potter is a classically trained chef  with a love for organic and whole foods. in 2010 she started Rooted Nutrition as her full-time project. Her cooking classes pair sound nutrition information with organic, whole foods-based, beautifully prepared recipes. Join Andrea at the market and see an artist in action; she’ll be demonstrating how to make no-heat, healthy fermented pickles using produce from the Farm. Samples will be available as well as fun recipes to take home.” Check it out.
August 13 |  10am-12pm | UBC Farm | Free

Also at UBC: Three Sisters in the Kitchen – a traditional Maya cooking class. Yup,  members of the UBC Farm Maya in Exile Garden are fixin’ to put on an cooking workshop. Learn some of the medicinal and culinary uses of various herbs and vegetables. Participants will make three dishes using amaranth (bledo), yerba mora and squash blossoms. Try your hand at making fresh tortillas and enjoy the garden-fresh dishes you prepare! If time permits, participants will also have a chance to visit the Maya Garden at UBC Farm. How awesome is that? Fresh tortillas are reason enough – but squash blossoms?  See you there.
Saturday August 13 | 2-4pm | UBC Farm | $30

And only three days later, UBC farm throws down with another kick-ass class on fermentation.  An introduction to the world of fermented vegetables. “Fermenting foods is an ancient method of preserving the harvest. Rich in probiotics and enzymes for improving digestion, these raw foods are re-gaining their popularity. Reclaim this skill and learn how to make sauerkraut, kimchi and brined pickles at home.’ Participants will be making cucumber pickles (using UBC Farm’s own pickling cukes) as well as a batch of sauerkraut to take home and start fermenting right away. A demonstration of making kimchi is included. And of course a pickle tasting platter! For more information and to register click here.
Wednesday,  August 17 |  6pm-9pm | UBC Farm | $50

Oh – and there’s yoga too, if you’re into that. “Yoga, like gardening, is a moving meditation; a direct and physical communion with the seasons, the sun, the moon and the elements. Join gardeners and non-gardeners alike in preventing and relieving back pain, increasing strength and mobility, and enriching your work in the garden and elsewhere through a deeper connection to body, mind and soil…”
Saturday, August 13  | 10:30am-11:45am | South of the Children’s Learning Garden | $10

ART

SubmiT goes down this Thursday night. What’s the hell is that? In a nutshell: ten local artists come up with designs for ten limited-edition t-shirts, the shirts are then sold( or a preferred donation of $40) over the course of an evening bash (complete with cocktails and the DJ Trike) down on Granville Island. The line-up of artist participating are: Fiona Ackerman, Jessica Bell, Sarah Gee, Indigo, Ryan Romero & Travis Collier, Brandy Masch, Simon Montgomery, Ben Skinner, Andrea Wan, and Geroge Vergette.  We may not be able to afford an original Vergette on canvass, but a T? That’s totally doable. More here.
Thursday, August 18  | Performance Works (Granville Island) | $30 Cover / $40 tshirt

Scott McFarland is showing at the Monte Clark Gallery this month. His show, Sans Souci, runs through to September 10th. “Sans Souci (“without care” or “without worries”), a small island located on Georgian Bay, is the subject and title of McFarland’s most recent photographic series. Explored and subsequently named by Samuel de Champlain in 1615 – 1616 and later made famous in Canadian art by the Group of Seven, Sans Souci remains one of the most desirable locations in Georgian Bay.” Have a peek at what you can expect to see by visiting the Monte Clark website.
August 11 – September 10 | Monte Clark Gallery | 2339 Granville | Free

Emily Carr is holding a Design Thinking unConference next week. Sounds like a cool gig:  a two-day immersion in ideas, projects and practice exploring the craft of Design Thinking.
“Design Thinking is both critical thinking about design and the application of design to a broad range of business and social problems.” Essentially, it’s a bunch of learned design nerds getting together to ‘move the conversation about Design Thinking forward on all fronts’.  Four communities are participating: designers of all types (architects and urban planners, graphic designers, industrial designers, interactive designers); the business innovation community (company founders, investors and managers responsible for innovation); the social innovation community (people working to find innovative ways to solve social problems; and design thinkers. It’s not cheap ($195), but it sure sounds awesome.
August 19, 20 | Emily Carr University of Art + Design (1399 Johnston) Granville Island

BUY LOCAL

Grab locally grown produce from good people at your neighbourhood farmer’s market.

Trout Lake Farmers Market | Saturday | 9am-2pm | Trout Lake | Free
Kitsilano Farmers Market | Sunday | 10am – 2pm | 2690 Larch @ 10th | Free
West End Farmers Market | Saturday | 9am-2pm | 1100 Block Comox | Free
Thornton Park | Wednesday | 3pm – 7pm | Main Street Station at Terminal | Free
Dundarave (West Van) Saturday | 9am – 2pm | Between 24 & 25 on Marine
Oak Street Market | Wednesday | 3-7pm | Oak @ 49th (Unitarian Church) | Free
Westside Pocket Markets | Thursdays | 3-7pm | Kits Neighborhood House, 2325 W 7 | Free

Blim is holding another one of their awesome Community Markets that you won’t want to miss. The crafty folks have wrangled 40 vendors (floggers of fashion, accessories, fine art and vintage items) as well as a little music, some tasty hot food, cool beverages, and some kick-ass entertainment to take downtown this weekend.
Sunday August 14 | 12 – 5 pm | Robson/Howe | Free

Don’t forget about Portobello Petite at the Rize Pop-up Shop (Kingsway and East 10th Ave.) Lots of locally made goodies.  Check it.
Until August 27 | 11am-5pm | Kingsway and East 10th Ave | Free

Also on until the end of the month is that hip little Caste Projects gig on Kingsway.  Swing by the one month temporary digs and open studio workspace to score bits from Caste Projects, Henderson Dry Goods, Stranger Things Millinery, Larry and The Found & The Freed.
Wednesday, August 3-31 | Mon-Fri 11am-5pm, Sundays 12pm-5pm | 196 Kingsway

Coming up: The cool-kids at Adhesif Clothing and Forsya Boutique on lower Main Street (at 6th – right by The Whip) are planning a Summer Sidewalk Sale for next weekend. Other participating designers include Mortar and Pestle, Little Houses, Dotted Loop, Daub and Design, Bianca Darr and more. Both shops carry really great locally made designs. Support your neighbours and community, visit this sale. Live music, kids activities, good people.
August 20 | 11:30am-7:30pm | 2202 Main | Free

ESOTERICA

The Vancouver Fruit Tree Project will be over on the Drive Saturday afternoon to teach interested peeps about the basics of canning. Various canning methods for fruits and vegetables, equipment, and food safety will be covered in the hands-on workshop. Bonus:  participants will take home their own canned food. Details.
August 13 |  1:30 pm – 4:30 pm | Britannia Centre | $15

It’s not too late to take your bike out of storage and cycle instead of driving the car. Britannia is offering a Bicycle Maintenance + Basics Workshop to teach you all about basic bicycle functions and how to keep your wheels on the road. Participants are strongly encouraged to bring a functional bike to the workshop to practise on. Duh.
August 13 |  10am – 4pm | Britannia Centre | $55

The Architectural Institute of British Columbia has a few walking tours going on this week. Check out Victory Square and Gastown on Tuesday or Chinatown and Strathcona on Wednesday. For times and meeting points, go here. Tours cost $10 and last about and hour and a half.

Gather together to listen as a diverse lineup of local musicians bring Grays Park alive with music during Music in the Park – Free Summer Concert Series. Bring blankets, a picnic, or just sit and listen together in the great outdoors! Featuring: Aug 14 – Ross Bliss Trio. Stoked.
August 14 | 6:30-8pm | Grays Park (33rd Avenue and St. Catherines) | Free

It’s time for a little Roller Derby. Out in Richmond the Faster Pussycats take on the Kootenay Kannibelles and Public Frenemy faces the Tacoma’s Hellbound Homewreckers. So there’s that.
Saturday, August 13 | Minoru Arena (7551 Mineru Gate) | $15

And it’s Abbotsford International Air Show time. Aerobatics, military and heritage airplane performances, the works. If you haven’t been – it’s pretty impressive. And loud.  Details.
August 12–14 | Abbotford | $30 Adults, $12 Kids

If you don’t have anything going on Wednesday night, why not play Bingo? The Media Club  is offering a 90’s themed evening of Bingo, 90s music, 90s trivia, 90s prizes and (best part) 90’s drink prices. It’s called Big Shiny Bingo and it sounds like a blast. Find out more here.
Wednesday, August 17 | 8:30pm | The Media Club | $10

COMMUNITY

There’s a Great Photo Scavenger Hunt happening up at the Renfrew Community Centre on Saturday.  Funded by a Neighbourhood Small Grant, the hunt encourages Vancouverites of all ages to ‘come stretch your creative muscles, meet your neighbours and show us what you love about your neighborhood.” An exhibition showcasing the results of the hunt will be held at the Slocan Park Carnival next weekend.
Saturday, August 13 | 11am-2pm | Renfrew Park Community Centre | Free

KitsFest happens this weekend. It’s a new gig. The focus of this three day festival is celebrating all sports that go down at the beach. There will be basketball, tennis and volleyball, et cetera. But keep your eyes open for a few new games:  Beach Tennis and Beach Ice Hockey (what, no bong tossing?). When you get tired, hungry and thirsty, refuel at Abigail’s Party. Find out more here.
August 12-14 | All day | Kitsilano beach

FLICKS

The kickass Film Noir series continues at Pacific Cinematheque. Get your fix of  ‘sultry summer-in-the-city evenings of nocturnal nihilism’! Laura stars Clifton Webb, Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Vincent Price and Judith Anderson, and goes down on Saturday night. “The sleekest of noirs, the chicest of murders, and deliciously twisted…a truly haunting study of obsession” (James Monaco). More here.
Saturday, August 13 | 7pm |  Pacific Cinematheque | $10.50

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind plays at the Vancity Theatre.  Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson. Good movie.
Saturday, August 13  | 6:45pm | Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour) | $11
Sunday, August 14 | 8:50pm | Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour) | $11

Midnight movie at the Rio this Friday night is Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. Brilliant flick.

Mr. Pink: Look, I ordered coffee. Now we’ve been here a long fucking time and she’s only filled my cup three times. When I order coffee, I want it filled six times.
Mr. Blonde: Six times. Well, what if she’s too fucking busy?
Mr. Pink: The words “too fucking busy” shouldn’t be in a waitress’s vocabulary.
Nice Guy Eddie: Excuse me, Mr. Pink, but I think the last fucking thing you need is another cup of coffee.

Friday, August 12 | 11:55pm | Rio Theatre | $8

Grab the kids and a blanket and make your way to Robson Square for Toy Story.
August 15 | Dusk | Robson Square (across from the VAG) | Free

Pretty Woman is on in Stanley Park.

Vivian: I would have stayed for two thousand.
Edward: I would have paid four.

Oh the beauty of love.
August 15 | Dusk | Stanley Park (near Second Beach Pool) | FREE

Go Bollywood style with Jab We Met. Not familiar, I wiki’d it, and here’s the scoop: “The film tells the story of a feisty Punjabi girl who is sent off track when she bumps into a depressed Mumbai businessman on an overnight sleeper to Delhi. While attempting to get him back on board when he alights at a station stop, both are left stranded in the middle of nowhere. Having walked out of his pressurised corporate business after being dumped by his girlfriend, the man has no destination in mind, until the girl forces him to accompany her back home and then on to elope with her secret boyfriend.” Go drama!  More here.
Saturday, August 13 | 8:30pm – 11:30pm | Jack Poole Plaza (Right by the Olympic torch)

Over in Olympic Village they’re going bistro style with their outdoor movie screening. Imagine intimate table seating and gentle illumination from light strung up in the trees. Movie goers are invited to bring down an evening picnic or purchase food from food carts brought down for the evening. Tables are available by reservation ($20 for a table of 4) or you can sit your soft bum on the ground for free. Either way, you’ll want to mark next Thursday on your calendar because they’re showing The Fighter. Details.
Thursday August 18 | 8pm | The Olympic Plaza (Cnr Salt Street and Athletes Way) | Free if you don’t mind sitting on your own bum or $20 for a table

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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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