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! 

LISTEN | Rain City Chronicles happens this Saturday. The theme for this round of storytelling is ‘The Great Outdoors’. RCC believes that everyone has a great personal story to tell and they make it their business to create opportunities for our communities to share them. Not only can attendees expect an eclectic line-up of speakers taking the stage to tell you about their best outdoor story, but once again the team aims to enhance your experience with food and drink befitting the theme. Look forward to hand-made pies from the Pie Shoppe (made using fruit grown at the UBC Farm) and botanical punch crafted with Odd Society’s Wallflower Gin. Add to that a little bluegrass music and a fresh air venue (you’re invited to bring a blanket and picnic) and this is pretty much THE perfect Saturday night. This event always sells out and we’d hate for you to miss it, so get sorted with tickets quickly here.
Sat, August 9 | 6-10pm | UBC Botanical Garden | $18 | DETAILS

PHOTOGRAPHY | Vancouver photographer Lincoln Clarkes has a new show opening at Initial Gallery this week. Clarkes has a compellingly voyeuristic style that catches moments and focuses on untold stories. As Initial Gallery explains, the artist has a gift for transforming “a glance into a scene to be noticed, to be savoured.” The show continues until August 30th but we recommend you hit the opening reception for Giving Notice on Thursday night, 6-9pm.
Thu, August 7 | 6-9pm | Initial Gallery (2339 Granville St) | Free | DETAILS

MOVIE | If the heat is getting to you and you’re ready for an air-conditioned retreat, make your way to The Rio Theatre this Friday night for the Indiana Jones Trilogy Marathon. Yup, you can dig in for over six hours of chilly air and awesome adventure. We’re talking Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade back to back to back. Add a grilled cheese and a beer and there’s no reason to leave until well after midnight. Dress up in a film related costume and take $2 off admission.
Fri, August 8 | 7pm till late | Rio Theatre (1660 E Broadway) | $8 | DETAILS

BE PRODUCTIVE | Summer isn’t particularly conducive to work. If you’ve got a project on the go that needs some attention and you think a change of scenery and a positive work environment might help speed things along, consider taking your laptop down to The Chinatown Experiment. From August 5-14, the cool little pop-up space on Columbia Street will be opening it’s doors for ten days of free co-working. Focus, connect, work, hangout – put a serious dent in that ‘To Do List’.
Now through to August 14 | 434 Columbia Street | DETAILS

ROVE | Main Street is the place to be on Thursday night. With 8 art openings happening at the same time, a slow summer stroll will pack in a lot of culture. We’re particularly stoked to check out new (sugar-coated but creepy) works by Rebecca Chaperon at the artists studio (see Rove map on link below), Two Faced (new works by Sophia Ahamed and Jose Rivas) at Hot Wet Art City, and the results of Jamie Smith’s latest project Words To Live By (the artist canvassed Vancouverites for sayings and mantras to inspire a series of paintings). Break up your gallery viewings with a beer at Brassneck or an iced coffee at Gene. For a full list of what is going on, click here.
Thu, August 7 | 6-10pm | Various Locations on Main Street | Free | DETAILS

DUMPLING TIME | The Vancouver Chinatown Festival goes down this weekend. Expect a day market loaded with potato tornados, plastic guns, sun visors, and bubble tea as well as live performances, a youth talent show, and so much more. The best part of the weekend will be the highly anticipated Golden Dumpling Cook Off and Derby. 20 restaurants (including Ask For Luigi, Bestie, Harvest Community Foods, Homer St Cafe and Bar, Maenam, Wildebeest, Vij’s, Winner Winner and returning champion, Pidgin) will compete for top prize and guests are invited to taste each competitors entry with the use of their dumpling passport ($35). This event is so sold out that there’s no point in telling you where to buy tickets, but the good news is that there will be 100 tickets available on site on the day of the cook-off (seriously, don’t expect them to last longer than a few minutes). If you miss out on the cook-off, take solace from the fact that you can watch the dumpling eating derby for free. You won’t want to eat after watching that anyway. These guys and girls eat like you’ve never seen before
Festival: August 9 & 10 | Columbia & Keefer St, Chinatown | DETAILS
Golden Dumpling Cook Off | August 10 | 12-5 | DETAILS

ICE CREAM SOCIAL | Beta5 is expanding their menu for the weekend. On Friday night (from 7 until sunset) and again on Saturday afternoon between 1 & 5 pm, the award-winning East Vancouver chocolate and pastry shop will be serving up ice cream sandwiches, sundaes, floats, and other frozen treats. A trip to Beta5 always yields good things. Indeed, the prospect of a proper sundae built by this team is a mind-blowingly attractive one, and if the window for such an indulgence is only 24hrs wide, it shouldn’t be missed!
Fri, 7-sunset | Sat, 1-5pm | 413 Industrial Avenue | DETAILS

SUPERMOON | Clear a little time on your schedule and source yourself the key ingredients (a cold beer, good friends and a view) to make the most of the rise of the full supermoon on Sunday night. The great things about a moonrise of this calibre is that it will make any view spectacular; city, country, beach or mountain — this is going to be a moon worth taking time to appreciate.
August 10 | Sunset will be at 8:38pm on Sunday

BEACH | KitsFest happens this weekend. The focus of this three day festival are all the sports that go down at the beach. Accordingly, there will be basketball, tennis and volleyball, as well as beach yoga, an outdoor screening of Nash (a documentary about the ‘unexpected journey of one of the most unique athletes in the world’). When you get tired, hungry and thirsty, refuel up Yew St. at Abigail’s Party, Nook or Hapa Izakaya.
August 8-10 | All day | Kitsilano Beach | DETAILS

HARMONY ARTS |  Scoot over the bridge for Harmony Arts Festival this weekend. Grab a cold lemonade and a wander through the craft market showcasing loads of one-of-a-kind pottery, jewellery, textiles, woodwork and glass designs all made by locals. Hang around after the sun goes down for outdoor movies, and concerts.
Now through August 10 | Ambleside, West Van | Free | 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 streets with her best friend – a beat up, sticky, grimy (but faithful) camera.

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