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…
These are the last days of August. The calendar flips over to September this weekend. Think on that. Drink up every last bit of summer while you still can!

Pick Blackberries | Find yourself a thicket and get picking. Blackberries are perfect right now and come the end of this week they will nearly be done. Try the borders of a quiet strip of defunct Canadian Pacific Railway tracks (always a good source). UBC Farm is also a solid place to fill your bucket. Sure, these berries will cost you (recommended minimum donation of $2 per bucket) but they are also free of most car exhaust and pollutants that could be found on other urban berries. What will you do with your bounty? Blackberry crumble, jam, syrup? For a little more info on blackberries,  read our recent Victory Gardens post Scoring Blackberries Before Lucifer Pees & Spits All Over Them.

Get to the Beach | See that sun shining through your window? Don’t take it for granted. Use some time this week to make your way down to the beach. Hit English Bay, Kits, Whytecliff or Cates Beach. Pack a picnic lunch or dinner and dig in for the long haul. Get to Jericho for a walk. Feed the bunnies. Stop at the sailing centre. Head up to The Galley and and put your feet up to watch the sunset with a pint of R&B and a Wild BC Salmon Burger. Anywhere. Just get those beautiful, unsheathed toes of yours in the sand!

Stay Out Late | What’s summer without long, slow evenings enjoying food and drink with friends? Nothing, that’s what. The super good news here is that Acorn has just launched a Late Summer Menu. Burrata with nectarine and extra virgin olive oil followed by some beer battered Halloumi with zucchini pancakes, smashed peas and yogurt? That’s pretty summery. Read the full menu here and get your friends together!

Live Music | American psychedelic pop band Yeasayer is playing in Vancouver this week. Originally scheduled to rock Malkin Bowl, the band now plans to take over the The Commodore Ballroom. Nothing better to do in the last week of summer than catch a live gig, am I right?
Wednesday, August 29 | Commodore Ballroom | $30

Get Scrubbed Up For Fall | Feeling a little grimy from all of your Summer adventuring? Turn things around with a Soap Making for Beginners class at the Homesteader’s Emporium on East Hastings. Not only will soap making experts be on hand to direct you through the process using natural ingredients, The Emporium will also have a variety of herbs, essential oils, and fragrances on hand for you to customize your bars with. Cold-process and melt-and-pour techniques will be covered; if you’re not sure what that means, don’t worry, you’ll find out! $25 fee covers instruction and all materials.
Thursday, August 30 | 6-8pm |Homesteader’s Emporium (649 E Hastings) |  $25 | Details   

Chill Out | M Ward is in town. He’ll be playing the Commodore on Thursday night promoting his new album (A Wasteland Companion). Grab a beer. Relax. M Ward knows what he’s doing. Let him do it and just enjoy.
Thursday, August 30 | Commodore Ballroom ( 868 Granville) | $30/40

Jane Says | This is a good week for music. Jane’s Addiction takes the stage at the QE on Friday night. Kinda torn about this one. Great band, but The Queen Elizabeth Theatre? This venue seems a little too clean, grown-up, decadent. Where’s the dirt? And those fixed seats present something of a problem – I’m not a fan of remaining seated during a concert (unless it’s classical). Still, Perry Farrell! One can’t easily justify missing a chance to see him live…
August 31 | 7:30pm | Queen Elizabeth Theatre (630 Hamilton) | $65-$110 | Details

Chow | This Sunday is the last Sunday that there will be a proper gathering of food trucks in the parking lot of  The Waldorf Hotel. Don’t miss your chance to fill your Sunday afternoon belly with Off the Wagon, Re-Up, La Brasserie, Soho Road, Mom’s Grilled Cheese, Cartel Taco, Pig on the Street, Guanco, Holy Perogy and The Juice Truck and more. And the fun doesn’t stop there. Check out the market of vendors selling clothing and accessories, art and trinkets, as well as live music and a beer garden!
Sunday,  September 2 | noon to 6pm | Waldorf Hotel (1489 E Hastings) | Free admission

Tree Love | Any day is a good day to visit Stanley Park, but in these last days of summer, it’s worth making the extra effort. This Sunday you can even learn a thing or two about the trees that make the park so darn beautiful. Did you know that there are an estimated half a million trees in the park? Some of them stand close to 250 ft tall and are hundreds of years old. Find out a little more by hanging out with the peeps at the Lost Lagoon Nature House. They’ll impart all sorts of cool park and tree knowledge in your direction. Release your inner Ent!
Sunday, September 2 | 1:30-3:30pm | Lost Lagoon Nature House ( west foot of Alberni, Stanley Park | $10 | Details

Eat Local | As always, don’t miss the chance to fill the icebox with locally grown produce from good people at your neighbourhood farmer’s market:

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

Have a greet week!

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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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