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. 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…

Fresh Air Cinema | Grab a picnic dinner and a blanket and get yourself down to Second Beach for the long haul. Enjoy a little sunshine on your face and sand between your toes, watch the sun set and then relax for an outdoor movie. This week: Spaceballs!
Tuesday, July 17 | Dusk | Stanley Park at Ceperley Meadow / 2nd Beach | Details

Berry Festival | Hit your local Farmers Market to scoop up some good summer produce. If you can make to the Main Street Station Farmers Market on Wednesday you can take in the Berry Festival, where there will be a blueberry muffin bake-off, berry-centric recipes, tips on preserving and cooking with berries and baskets of – you guessed it – berries!
Wednesday, July 18 | 3-7pm | Main Street Station Farmers Market | Free

Floating & Stinging | Photographer Dan Jackson has been taking portrait shots of those participating in the Aprons For Gloves boxing competition. This Wednesday night there’s a show featuring his photos. Prints will be auctioned off, and all the proceeds will be donated to Aprons For Gloves fund-raising campaign. Word has it that there will be booze, food and maybe even a few cute cigarette girls. Live music is being provided by Motown artist Warren Dean Flandez and Love Rock Revolutionaries Scatterheart.
Wednesday, July 18 | 6pm | Chapel Arts (304 Dunlevy) | Free

Cheeries | Hungry but don’t feel like cooking? Want to go out for dinner but don’t want to shell out? Get a load of this solution: trade your labour for supper at the Irish Heather by rolling up your sleeves to pit cherries. Pit for Your Supper takes place on the 40-foot-long communal table in The Salty Tongue (beside the Heather) and will go down EVERY week from now through to September. The weekly event begins with cherries for the first 4 weeks. After these cherries come apricots, peaches, apples and pears. To volunteer at this popular event and get on the list, e-mail [email protected].
Wednesday July 18 | 7pm | The Irish Heather (212 Carrall Street) | Elbow grease | Details  

Cool Off | If you’re one of those people who like to hide out in cool places in the heat, the Rio has a great double bill that will keep you in darkness and air conditioning for a solid five hours this Thursday. Hit them for screenings of Batman Begins (6pm) and The Dark Knight (9pm). Get really in to it by dressing up and you might win a prize. Be sure to keep the costume on after the movie when you walk down Commercial for a cold beer and some food, because The Drive needs to get stranger on Thursday nights.
Thursday, July 19 | 6 + 9pm | Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway) | $8 | Details

Snoop Dogg |  Snoop Dogg is in town and he’s playing the Commodore Ballroom. Repeat: Snoop Dogg at the Commodore. How cool is that? Hot damn. that’s going to be a good show! You’ll never get tickets at this point, so forget that. But still, it’s pretty sweet. Craigslist here we come.
Friday July 20 | 7:45 & 11:15 | Commodore Ballroom | Sold Out

Khatsahlano! | Pretty much the coolest place to be on Saturday night is Kits. Things are usually pretty cool along West 4th, but Khatsahlano Days takes it to a whole new level. There will be EIGHT stages located across 10 blocks of West 4th, showcasing 40 of Vancouver’s finest independent bands and solo musicians as well as many other artists and performers. Grab some sunscreen and good walking shoes and don’t plan to be home for dinner. This is a full-day gig that you won’t have to leave early. Check out the full line-up of bands and develop a game plan to maximize your live outdoor free musical enjoyment.
Saturday July 21 | 12-8pm | Along 4th Ave between Burrard and MacDonald | Free | Details

Livable Laneways | Pumped after all that free live music in Kits? Looking for a little something more? Head to Mount Pleasant to wander the alleyways of Main Street. We love alleys all the time, but this weekend the Livable Laneways crew will transform these Eastside lanes in to a pedestrian-friendly zone, an urban farmers market, a Blim market, and a fashion show (Blim always brings together a great line-up of local artists to sell everything from jewellery and clothing, baked goods and vinyl). Make your way to Main street for this, because using our alleyways as vibrant public spaces is a good thing.
Saturday, July 21 | Alley running parallel to Main Street between Broadway and 8th | Details

Summer Night Slides | Former CBC radio personality and photographer David Wisdom hosts a night of art and music at the VAG this Sunday night. Wisdom is a bit of a big deal. Not only does he have that dreamy voice and impressive musical knowledge (particularly Jazz) but he’s also an accomplished photographer (his photographic series from 1969 to 1979 is a captivating documentation of a significant growth spurt in Vancouver’s history). So yeah, I have a bit of a David Wisdom crush and I encourage all of you to make a point of attending his talk. He will present one of his legendary slide shows (with perspectives on VAG exhibitions) and there will be a musical guest there to close the night on the 4th floor rooftop pavilion.
Sunday, July 22 | 7pm | Vancouver Art Gallery | $19.50 | Details 

Grow Food | The Victory Gardens gals are running a Gardening Basics workshop this Sunday and we think you should attend. During this mid-season workshop the girls will impart knowledge, tips, and advice on how to maximize your garden’s potential. Take it from us, they know how to grow stuff! Green thumb, no green thumb, small spaces, weird spaces, weedy spaces – whatever. They’ll sort you out, so get yourself there. Growing your own food is a super skill to acquire, and I urge you to give it a shot!
Sunday, July 22 | 10-11:30 am | $17 | ChalkXchange | 565 E Georgia | Details 

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Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended 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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