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…

Nite Owl | If you haven’t already seen it, the Nite Owl exhibition at Gastown’s Baron Gallery is definitely worth your time. The show is made up of the photographs of Angus McIntyre, a retired bus driver of 41 years who photographed Vancouver between 1973-1976. The show is curated by author and historian John Atkin, so you know it’s going to be good. “As a natural night owl, the late night shift was an obvious choice and his camera frequently went along for the ride. In the deserted streets of old East End, he captured the details of light on streetcar tracks and the faded glory of corner grocery stores. McIntyre’s night time photographs of emptiness of the city and its streets show us a recent but seemingly distant past. ” Bonus: the photographer will be at the gallery on Saturday afternoon (October 20) to give a second conversation about buses, buildings and Vancouver illustrated by an old school slide show. Don’t miss out on this folks!
Now until October 28  | Baron Gallery (293 Columbia) | Details

Parade of Lost Souls | On the last weekend of October a shadowy procession of characters will meander softly through the streets of East Van. No one knows precisely which streets the parade will claim until the last moment, but when the crowd starts to gather and the lanterns are lit, the magic spreads throughout the whole community. In the run-up to the main event on October 27th, The Parade of Lost Souls’ festival organizers will host a number of pretty awesome workshops that involve everything from learning “Thriller” choreography (October 18 & 25, 7 pm, Britannia Community Centre) to creating life-size vulture puppets (Oct. 17-18, 6 pm, Public Dreams Studio, 2050 Scotia St). When was the last time you danced to Thriller or made a vulture puppet? Yeah, I thought so. Get into it.
October 17, 18 | Various times and places | Details

Exchange Show 2012 | Every year around this time Emily Carr welcomes back students returning from the 2011/2012 Exchange Program by holding an exhibition of the works they produced while they were living and learning in far-flung places. Take a little time out to wander through the show and appreciate the ways in which living in another culture can encourage artists from many disciplines to experiment, test and explore boundaries.
Thursday, October 18 | 7pm | Concourse Gallery, North Building | Emily Carr University of Art and Design | Free | Details

From Quantum to Cosmos | Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics director Neil Turok presents The Universe Within: From Quantum to Cosmos as the 2012 CBC Massey Lecture. Lecture 3 – What Banged? – is scheduled for Vancouver on Tuesday night. Get this: “Every technology we rely on today was created by the human mind, seeking to understand the universe around us. Scientific knowledge is our most precious possession, and our future will be shaped by the breakthroughs to come.” The Massey Lectures have a way of leaving one informed, inspired and a little bit smarter. You know when people tell you not to get ahead of yourself? They’re full of shit.
Tuesday, October 16 | 8 pm | Chan Centre, UBC (6265 Crescent Rd) | $25 | Details

Weed Eating | The Sustenance Festival is on at the Roundhouse. That means lots of worthwhile workshops and lectures. Our pick is the Weed Eating workshop with local forager Alexander McNaughton. McNaughton will be talking about foraging, growing, and harvesting what most people think of as weeds but what are actually tasty, nutritious, and edible plants. How cool is that? We think it’s very cool.
Friday, October 19 | 7-8 pm | Roundhouse Recreation Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews) | $10 | Details

Park it  | Fall is such a great time to be in Stanley Park. The colours and textures are stunning, the ducks are migrating, the critter count is high, and it’s calmer than usual on the pathways.  Take a good walk around. Consider heading to the Lost Lagoon Nature House for a nature walk that will look at The Fungus Among Us: “Ever wonder if toads really do sit on toad stools? Learn the interesting names and fun facts about Stanley Park’s blossoming fungal flora. Get the lowdown on what’s going on under the forest floor.” There are all sorts of things to learn about Stanley Park and the folks at its Ecology Centre are just the people to give you the goods. Hop to it.
October 21 | 1:30-3:30 pm | Lost Lagoon Nature House (Foot of Alberni St) | $10 | Details

Farms to Forks | Hit up Farms to Forks, the awesome culinary event staged inside PICA. “We’re bringing together some of the city’s most prominent chefs and mixologists and the region’s best growers and producers for a fun night of canapés, B.C. wine and beer pairings, cocktails, and tasting stations! Wander through the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts’s classroom kitchens on a culinary adventure and watch the chefs in action as you sample food and drink from more than fifteen of the city’s best chefs!” It’s gonna be good food, great wine and friendly people, and that’s a pretty fine way to spend a Sunday night. Scout is once again a proud sponsor, and all proceeds go to support Growing Chefs. We’ll be giving away a pair of tickets this week, so watch out!
Sunday, October 21 | Doors 5:30pm | Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (1505 W 2nd) | $149| Details 

Dig In | Dudes. This is going to be the best! Acorn is launching their Fall cocktail menu this Friday night and they’re going to do it in style. Beginning at 10:30pm (and going strong until 2am) Jeremy Schmidt of local band Black Mountain will be playing records, Amber Webber (also of Black Mountain) will be guest bartending and there will be drink specials like the “Ad Astra” – a mix of pear, rosemary, juniper, lemon, gin and triple sec. You might even want to fight the crowds and get there a little early for a taste if Acorn’s Fall menu. What would I have?chestnut & potato soup, beer battered halloumi with a zucchini pancake and smashed peas, and olive oil cake with apple puree, white chocolate frozen yogurt, lemon balm and candied olives.
Friday, October 19 | 10:30pm | The Acorn (3995 Main Street) | Details

We Can Be Heroes | Are you a Bowie fan? You need to head over to the “We Can Be Heroes” art show. This is your last chance to catch the show in which every piece depicts David Bowie as a superhero (which, of course, he is). “From his early days, to Ziggy Stardust, to his film appearances, Bowie already seems like a superhero…isn’t he already Starman? He’s a man that fell from the sky, he probably lived on Mars…” you get the picture – and by that I mean that this isn’t something you should miss.
Now until October 21 | weekends noon-6pm| Hot Art / Wet City (752 E Broadway) | Free | Details

The Vancouver Writers Festival |  We can’t think of a more appropriate way to spend a cool, wet Autumn afternoon than by curling up with a good book except, perhaps, to sit in on an inspiring talk given by the author of that same good book. Ticket prices are fair and the 2012 Writers Fest line up is pretty sweet: Author Martin Amis will be here to talk about his new novel. Junot Díaz – Pulitzer Prize winner for The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao – will also be knocking about. So will Dennis Lee (Alligator Pie), Margaret Atwood, A.L. Kennedy and David Suzuki. Local author Annabel Lyon will be talking about her eagerly anticipated follow-up to The Golden Mean (The Sweet Girl) and  Chris Cleave(Incendiary, Little Bee) has come from the UK to talk about his new book Gold. Oh, and spoken word too – C.R. Avery, Ivan E. Coyote and Lemn Sissay (details) hit the Granville Island Stage a few times. There are galas, panel discussions, interviews, author readings and a little bit of theatre. Events are selling out, so take some time out to plan which gigs you would like to catch before every opportunity slips away. The Festival At A Glance page gives a good overview of events, so get on it today!
October 16-21 | various time | Various locations – Mostly Granville Island | $various prices | Details

Have a good 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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