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…

EAT LOCAL

Boneta is open!  Beat that for good news. We’ll see you there (12 Water Street) for a drink on the patio.

On to other bits:

Feast of Fields
If you’re a foodie, there’s no question that the place to be this Sunday is Krause Berry Farms in Langley. Yes, it’s finally time for Feast of Fields! “Celebrate the best in sustainable, local food and satisfy your taste buds at this gourmet wandering harvest festival. Farmers, fishers, brewers, ranchers and chefs from across BC will be presenting their culinary creations, and now is your chance to sample them all.” Seriously good times. Tickets sell out, so GET ON IT! And keep in mind that there is a Shuttle Bus available from two Vancouver locations ($15 ) so you don’t have to drive or think, just eat and drink.
Saturday, September 10 | 6179-248th Avenue, Langley | $85 (Kids 7-12 $15 /Under 6 free)

UBC Farm Market
UBC Farm is flogging mustard greens, purslane and garlic this week. Purslane makes a delicious salad, so load up while you can.
Saturday, September 10 | 9-12pm | UBC Farm 6182 South Campus Road

Living Naturally Fair
If you’re cruising Robson over the weekend you might find traffic a little slow. That’s because thousands of happy healthy Vancouverites will be flooding the area in and around Capers (er, Whole Foods) on Robson. They will be there for the Living Naturally Fair. Why? Well, healthy living is pretty popular these days. That and the free live music, cooking and canning demos, and the opportunity to meet with local producers. It’s going to be pretty sweet. We suggest you forgo the driving bit and just join in the happy crowd bit. Score some free samples and good vibes then jump down to the seawall for a walk.
Saturday, September 10 & Sunday, September 11 | 10am-5pm | 1675 Robson St | Free

Harvest Table Dinners
Bishop’s is celebrating the harvest season with a series of Harvest Table Dinners. Over the next six weeks the iconic 4th Avenue restaurant will offer special menus that highlight in-season local food with special emphasis on the farmers and fishers who work so hard to provide them. Each menu will run for only two weeks and will be changed to reflect the different ingredients coming into peak season.
September 13th and running through October 20 | Sunday through Thursday | $48

Grab locally grown produce from good people at your neighbourhood farmer’s market.  Apples are starting to roll in. Man are they good! Crisp and dripping with juice.

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 Neighbourhood House, 2325 W 7 | Free

Looking farther ahead:

FarmAde
It’s time to get out to the UBC Farm. If you haven’t been, you’re crazy not to. It’s like a vacation. You leave the farm feeling restored and inspired. If you have been, next weekend is a good excuse to go back and show your thanks because it’s FarmAde. Make time to attend this annual fundraising festival on UBC’s 24-hectare learning and research farm. Originally intended to raise awareness about the farm and help to protect it against the threat of development, this family-friendly BBQ has become a tradition. Short story: it’s a good time for a good reason. Longer story: There will be vegan, vegetarian and local, free-range beef burgers on the grill as well as farm-fresh corn and organic UBC Farm veggies. Organic, fair trade baked goods from Sprouts (vegan options). To drink: smoothies and juice from The Juice Caboose (organic, vegan, gluten free and soy options) AND a beer garden featuring handcrafted brew from East Van’s Storm Brewing. Woot! Take advantage of the free shuttle van and bicycle valet. Details here.

Props to the UBC Farm for cultivating food and community at the only operating farm in the city.
Friday, September 16 | 3-8pm | UBC Farm, 6182 South Campus Road | Free

Cheese Workshops
Growing Season Cheese Workshops are coming up on September 24th and 25th.  This time around there will be three beginner classes and one advanced workshop.  These classes fill up in a heartbeat. Don’t sit on it – sign up now. Here’s why: in the Beginner Cheese class you’ll learn how to make fromage frais, paneer, blue cheese, cheese curds, yogurt and kefir. You’ll be led through the various stages of the cheesemaking process from culturing to l’affinage (ageing). “The workshop will emphasise a sort of ‘natural cheesemaking’, with a focus on simple, hands-on techniques that can be easily reproduced at home.” You will also learn about the history, science and practice of cheesemaking, the politics of raw milk, rennet free cheeses and dairy ferments. Oh, and there will be lots of cheese to eat. For more information and to register click on the dates below.
Saturday September 24th 10am-1pm
Saturday September 24th 2pm-5pm
Sunday September 25th 10am-1pm

CREATIVE

Community Art
If you’re lucky you can slip in to the Tin Can Studio over the weekend. It’s a “mobile project space housed in a shiny silver 18ft streamline trailer…a multifunctional studio/gallery/social space. It is a place for people to come together to build, make, show and share ideas with the intention of building community through the act of collaborative creative production.” Hot damn. Vancouver could use more of these types of projects and spaces. Go visit the Tin Can Studio. Get inspired. Get connected. The neighbourhood art studio and ad hoc gallery is set up for action at Napier and Victoria. It’s not a business, so don’t expect business hours. Caroline and Brodie, two artists and community builders, open the doors to their super cool creative capsule when they aren’t working.
Saturday September 10, Sunday, September 11 | Napier and Victoria | Free

Soap Making at Blim
Feeling dirty? Good news: Blim is offering a soap making class. “Using all natural ingredients, vegetable based oils and pure essences and botanicals you will learn how to make your own handmade spa products. You will be provided with electronic handouts and additional soap recipes. After the course you will become a soap and sugar scrub maker and leave the lab with your own handmade beauty products. This is an introductory course with the goal of preparing you for to setting up a small soap lab at home. We will be using silicone muffin pans for your soap molds, if you want specific shapes and are planning to bring your own molds please contact BLIM prior to the course. Your soap will not be ready right away, it needs 48 hours to cure before you can slice them.” The instructor will touch on the history and basic chemistry of soap making, introduce the necessary materials, supplies and equipment and will let participants know about safety considerations when working with sodium hydroxide (phew). You’ll also learn how to colour soap naturally with herbs, spices and clays and how to add scent with essential oils. Bonus: You will leave with very thorough handouts and enough information to make vegetable-based soap from scratch.
Sunday, September 11 | 1–4pm | Blim (115 Pender St. E) | $65 (incl. all materials)

Lantern Construction
Get yourself prepped for next weekend’s Moon Festival by slapping together a hand-made lantern. It’s easier than it sounds, particularly when you attend one of the workshops set up to guide you through the process. Two options are available on globe and bamboo lanterns. A globe lantern can be formed in an evening and left to dry over night (the next day requires about 20 minutes to finish it and add the candle). Bamboo lanterns require more patience as a frame needs to be built with thin pieces of bamboo and then tissue paper applied over the frame. Yoko and Jacquie will help you make stars or moons or assist you in designing your own bamboo shape (young children should bring grown-up helpers). Info.
September 6–16 | 4pm-8pm | Slocan Park Fieldhouse next to 29 Ave. Skytrain station

Intro to Globe lanterns
Workshop #1 September 6, 7 | 5-7pm
Workshop #2 September 12, 13 | 5-7pm

Intro to Bamboo frame lanterns
Workshop #3 September 8,9 | 5-7pm
Workshop #4 September 14, 15 | 5-7pm

Boat Building
Roll up your sleeves and get involved on Granville Island this week and next. Local artist Sharon Kallis is putting on a cool project called Dry Dock. Using re-purposed green-waste such as Cottonwood a sculpture of a canoe was was created with community in Crab Park this past spring.  In order to remian a focal point of the DTES waterfront, the canoe now needs “winterizing” and you are invited to take part. The sculpture has been moved from Crab Park to Granville Island and you are invited to drop in to learn techniques and participate in building a boat without power-tools using materials from nature.  “A return to boatbuilding as a community event with technique sharing and collective involvement, this performative intervention becomes the artwork; the resulting sculpture a memento of the experience.”  For more info about this project go to  artislandnetwork.com
Work times September 9-18: Mon-Friday: 10am-2pm, Saturdays: 10-12pm, Sundays: 1-4pm Granville Island (near the worksyard marina on the SW side of the island)

ART

The art scene is back from vacation. Lots going down. Swarm might have something to do with it…

Grunt Gallery is showing Like a Great Black Fire, works by Rebecca Chaperon. Her sweet yet dark paintings are “elongated and detailed landscape stretches across canvases populated by foreboding, black, geometric forms and meticulously rendered figures. Her current paintings portray the narrative of a female protagonist within a surreal landscape. Her subject matter ranges from ethereal and dream-like to darkly humorous; she often deals with the feminine perspective from an autobiographical point of view.”
Opening reception | Thursday, September 8 | 7-11pm | Grunt Gallery (through October 15)

There’s a new show opening a the Contemporary Art Gallery that everyone should get to. The show, with Corita Kent, Federico Herrero and Peter Culley on Thomas Bewick, kicks off Thursday evening with a civilised reception and a bit of a late night bash. Take in the show and the scene from 6-9 and hang around later for cool cat David Wisdom to play music for the CAG’s 40th birthday party from 9-11:30
Thursday, September 8 | 6pm-late | Contemporary Art Gallery (555 Nelson)

I <3 CANADA & CANADA <3 ME opens at the 221a Gallery in Chinatown. This show, curated by Francisco-Fernando Granados, brings together recent multi-disciplinary work that is “…informed by East, South and Western Asian, as well as Latin and North American aesthetics and politics. The artists involved use a variety of lyrical and conceptual strategies that range from performance to video, photography, print media and installation to investigate the political dimensions of figure/ground relations: bodies are delineated as territories, and territories are imagined in bodily ways. The use of these strategies helps refocus the debate around the politics of the body in art by moving towards an embodied, site-specific engagement that responds to particular sets of social circumstances.”
Reception (as part of Swarm 12) Friday, September 9 | 8pm | 221 E Georgia | Free

New Forms Festival is on at The Waldorf. This is the 11th year for this media arts festival that explores the convergence of media art and electronic music. Expect to see installations in the hotel rooms, electronic music artists pretty much everywhere and video projections and mapping both inside and outside of the building. No Gold will be playing, so will Fine Mist. So will tonnes of others. Run through the line-up here.
September 9-11 | Waldorf Hotel | Free (but line your pockets for drinks and the BBQ)

I like the sound of the F is for Fetish show at Shudder Gallery. The exhibition focuses on ‘cultural hoarding’. It is about “compiling artifacts in an attempt to heal, mend and provide agency for its user. A site of object replacement or a [hyper real] material fetishism that extends to pop icons, sub culture style, citizenship, women in uniform, dumpster diving, Internet blogging and beyond. The extent to which reverent hoarding completes subjectivity remains debatable and may in fact leave a counterfeit notion of self in its wake.” One of those exhibits that you really have to experience.
Opening Reception: Friday, September 9 | 7-11pm | Shudder Gallery

COMMUNITY

There is a public art and urban agriculture project down near Olympic Village called The Bulkhead that is having a bit of a gig this week. As part of the Grow project (and Swarm 2011), The Bulkhead Urban Agriculture Lab is an intervention into this remaining section of undeveloped seawall. Responding to the industrial remnants in this vacant lot, the project poses different solutions for growing food in a postindustrial landscape while creating an informal social space for the shar­ing of knowledge and ideas. Walks and workshops initiate dialogue and hands on collaborative projects that explore issues of sustainability, food security and collective experimentation in urban space. These engagements provide a platform for collaborative research and learning.”
Thursday, September 8 | 6:30-8:30pm | Seawall west Olympic Village | free

Clear your schedule for next Saturday night to celebrate the first full moon of Fall at the Renfrew Ravine Still Moon Festival. It’s a magical night. You won’t be disappointed. How could you? It’s a twilight tours of art, music, environmental stewardship, and community participation. “Led by the giant moon the community lights their own lanterns and, accompanied by live music, walks the trail along the ravine as darkness falls. They come upon the outdoor river-stone labyrinth where they are invited to a walking meditation surrounded by music and candles. The parade continues past other lantern installations such as the Watershed lanterns and surprise performances until it reaches Renfrew Park where night has fallen and a world of magic has arisen”. Scout goes every year. Freakin’ stoked. Details here.
Saturday, September 17 | 4 – 7pm | Lantern Parade: 7:15pm | 7:30-9pm

Gordon Price, Director of the City Program at SFU, is leading a planning tour of Vancouver’s West End next weekend. This little tour is likely to sell out, so I’m giving you the heads-up now. “The West end reveals about eight different architectural stages, from fine wooden mansions to functional wooden walk-ups, not to mention more high rise towers than any other neighbourhood in Canada. But how did it all come about – and why? Gordon Price explains some of the planning theory and trends that shaped the West End – and some of the lessons to be learned.” Get to know your city. Find out more here.
Saturday, September 17 | 10am to 12pm | $15

MUSIC

Head to the Waldorf for some free “jangly” guitars and fey melodies called C86. “C86 was a cassette compilation released by the British music magazine NME in 1986 that featured new bands licensed from independent labels of the time. As a phrase, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based musical genre characterised by “jangly” guitars and fey melodies.”
Thursday, September 8 | The Waldorf | Free

Thievery Corporation with guests Los Amigo Invisibles. Seriously, Thievery Corporation playing Malkin Bowl! What more do you need to know? It’s gonna be amazing. Details and tickets.
Tuesday, September 13 | Doors 5:30, show 7pm | Malkin Bowl | $45

Local band Lost Hombre play at the St. James Hall next Friday night. They have a new CD coming out (13 Songs for a Beautiful Ghost) and much of the set will come from this new album. Clear the schedule, grab some friends. It’s gonna be a good night in Kits.
Friday, September 9 | Doors 8pm, Music 9pm | St. James Hall (3214 W 10)

Whoa, what’s this? It’s 1980 at the Rickshaw! The Human League takes the stage. You remember, don’t you? You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I met you…tra-la-la.
Sunday September 11 | Rickshaw Theatre

And lastly, don’t forget: Broken Social Scene plays Malkin Bowl (with special guests Ra Ra Riot) in a few weeks. What a great way to spend the last Saturday night in September.
Saturday, September 24 | Malkin Bowl | Doors 5:30, Show 7pm | $35

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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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