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. You can also check it out in the Globe & Mail, from our calendar to theirs…and yours!

BALLET | Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet glides in to town this week to perform Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Set to a sublime score by Sergei Prokofiev and executed with precision under the direction of choreographer Rudi Van Dantzig, this show will be stunning. And what better way to roll into February than with a little bit of love and loss between star-crossed lovers?
Jan 30 – Feb 1 | Queen Elizabeth Theatre | Tickets from $29 | DETAILS

SOUP | What’s better in winter than a warm bowl of healthy soup? Homemade healthy soup, that’s what! If you haven’t made soup before and you’re not sure where to start, UBC Farm is offering a soup-making class this weekend that will sort you out. Learn how to incorporate local, seasonal ingredients into roasted vegetable stocks, miso-based broths, creamy purees and bean and lentil soups. Recipes will be vegetable-based and vegan-friendly, so grab a friend and get learning.
Thu, Jan 30 | 5:30- 7:30pm | UBC Farm Centre (3461 Ross Dr) | $45 | DETAILS

ENGAGE | If you live in or work around the Downtown Eastside you might want to sit in on one of the learning sessions for the DTES Local Area Plan scheduled to take place over the next week. These City of Vancouver Planning + Development Services led sessions give residents, business owners and other invested parties a chance to find out more about what changes may be in store for the area. Attendees will be encouraged to ask questions following a brief presentation. Due to room capacity limits registration is required, find out more here.
Thu, Jan 30 | 5 – 7pm | Vancouver Japanese Language School, 487 Alexander St | DETAILS
Sat, Feb 1 | 10am – 12noon | Strathcona Community Centre, 601 Keefer St | DETAILS

PECHA KUCHA | We dig Pecha Kucha plenty. What is it? In dozens of cities around the world, different groups of people from the local “creative” community are asked to speak in front of their peers. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, and each image is shown for 20 seconds. This gives each presenter 6 minutes and 40 seconds to tell their story before the lights dim and the next presenter is announced – a formula that keeps the audience interest level topped up. Volume #31 is looking pretty sweet (The boys from Bestie are taking the stage, as is our buddy Ken Tsui, Jenna Herbut – Co-Producer of Make It Vancouver and a bunch of other cool peeps). Volume #31 is sold out, but stay tuned on Scout for a ticket giveaway!
Thurs, Jan 30 | 6:30 pm | The Vogue Theatre (918 Granville) | $15 | DETAILS

DINE OUT | This is the last week of Dine Out Vancouver. With over 260 participating restaurants offering discounted, multi-course prix fixe meals, you’ve got some ground to cover. In addition to great prices on fantastic food, you can expand your mind (and understanding of the wine world) by sitting in on The Grape Debate – a discussion that will tackle the question: Is wine made in the vineyard or in the winery? After the debate is over the audience is invited to taste some of BC’s finest wines and cast a vote for which side they felt was most compelling. Get a feel for all of the Dine Out events taking place between now and Sunday by visiting dineoutvancouver.com.
Now through – February 2 | Various Locations | Various Prices | DETAILS

DANCE | A Better Life Foundation is a Vancouver organization that aims to feed hungry people in the Downtown Eastside. Atira Women’s Resource Society is a nonprofit organization that works to protect and support women of the DTES. Together, these two organisations want to establish the security of food and women in the city they love. That sort of endeavour takes money, so put on your dancing shoes and make your way to The Imperial (on Main Street between Hastings and Cordova) where DJ’s Rykka & BESTiE will be playing. Your $20 cover goes to support a great cause!
Fri, Jan 31 | 9pm | The Imperial (319 Main St) | $20 | DETAILS

GROUNDHOG DAY | Tradition has it that if a groundhog crawls out of its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow, we can expect an early end to winter. If, on the other hand, the little bugger sees its shadow, winter will continue for 6 more weeks. I don’t know about you, but we’re hoping for crappy weather out east this week because in Canada we rely on predictions from Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam and Brandon, Manitoba’s Brandon Bob to determine the arrival of warmer weather. Regardless of the outcome, Sunday is a prefect day to get a great big bowl of popcorn and settle in on the couch for a home screening of Groundhog Day. Because when is Bill Murray ever a bad idea?
Sun, Feb. 2 | Sun, Feb. 2 | Sun, Feb. 2 | Sun, Feb. 2 | Sun, Feb. 2 | Sun, Feb. 2 |  See what I did there?

SCIENCE | The Beaty Biodiversity Museum runs a rad series of public lectures called The Way Cool Biodiversity Series in which the museum asks specialists to give the public their best pitch about why their particular area of expertise holds extra cool factor. Past lectures have covered why Jumping Spiders, Strawberry Poison Frogs and Dragonflies, and they’ve been amazing. This weekend: Weasels! Yes,  weasels are cool. At least that’s what Chris Stinson (Curatorial Assistant of Mammals at the museum) plans to convince you of. Did you know that a group of weasels is called a boogle? It’s true. And now you’re already reconsidering how much credit you’ve given to the relative ‘cool’ of the weasel, aren’t you? Head out to UBC to hear the continuing list of awesome on Sunday afternoon.
Sun, Feb 2 | 1pm | Allan Yap Theatre, Beaty Biodiversity Museum, UBC | DETAILS

CELEBRATE THE YEAR OF THE HORSE | Find a way (that doesn’t include driving) to get yourself to Chinatown for the Chinese New Year parade on Sunday. The crowds are always huge but don’t let that stop you. This is a Vancouver tradition! The Parade starts at 11am at the Millennium Gate on Pender and travels east along Pender to Gore. It then turns south onto Gore, west onto Keefer and ends at Columbia. For some pre-parade entertainment, nip in to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens for a wander through the The Year of the Horse Temple Fair, “a Hot and Noisy (re-nao) public event based on the Spring Festival temple fair where people entertain, trade, greet, celebrate and pray for a prosperous new year.” Wear something red (a lucky colour) and expect live performances, traditional Chinese games, crafts and tea.
Sun, Feb 2 | 11am | Chinatown | Parade – Free / Spring Festival Temple Fair $5 | DETAILS

MAKE | Learn how to make your own ginger beer at The Homesteaders Emporium this Sunday. Head down to the East Hastings store to sit in on a workshop that will fill you in on the basics of how wild yeast fermentation works, what sort of equipment will be required if you plan to make ginger beer at home, and the “the wobbly line between soda and adult beverage’” so that you can make an informed decision about whether you are going for kid-friendly or the 19+ version. Participants will leave with a hand-crafted bottle of seasonal one-of-a-kind soda with which to impress friends and family members. “Yeah, I made this.” Damn right you did!
Sun, Feb 2 | 12pm – 1:30pm | Homesteader’s Emporium (649 E Hastings St)|$25 | DETAILS

Check the Globe & Mail every Thursday for our Special Weekend Edition of the Scout List

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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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