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!

SCIENCE |  Hit up This Is Not A Lecture – an evening with A Capella Science’s Tim Blais on Thursday. Described as drawing inspiration from Weird Al, Bill Nye, Mike Tompkins and Vi Hart, Tim Blais delivers what could be crudely summarized as complicated scientific concepts simply distilled and set to music. Short story: “Tim completed his Master’s degree in Theoretical Physics at McGill University. Starting out as a side project because of his love for music, his first YouTube video ‘Rolling in Higgs’ now has almost 800K views; Scientific American blog suggested the video as possibly being ‘the single most comprehensively nerdy endeavour ever conceived.'” Mixing a capella, science and pop music, Tim has become a YouTube sensation. His most popular video – A Capella Science – Bohemian Gravity! – has almost 3 million views. He will perform several songs from his popular YouTube channel A Capella Science, both solo and with the aid of his old Vancouver group, Acapocalypse. He will also share his own experience as both a science graduate student and independent new media artist, and offer some observations about science culture.
Thu, Apr. 6 | 7pm to 8:30pm | UBC Woodward IRC Lecture Theatre 2 | Free | DETAILS

DIY | Growing, preserving, making or building, spring is a good time to start those DIY projects you’ve been adding to your “The-weather-will-have-to-get-better-one-day ” list. Whether you need supplies or inspiration to kickstart things, Homestead Junction is where you want to go. In addition to shelf after shelf of everything from jars and tools to seeds and beeswax, this weekend they’re offering a cool-sounding market featuring several visiting vendors, a seed library and kombucha troubleshooting with the head brewer from Oddity Kombucha.
April 7-9 | Various times | Homestead Junction (649 E. Hastings St.) | DETAILS

SPRING SALON | The Arts Factory is a mixed-use facility in a transformed warehouse at 281 Industrial Avenue. With 21,000 square feet of workshops, studios, offices and common spaces occupied by a mix of emerging and established artists, it’s referred to often as a “cultural hub”. This weekend the place hosts its first ever Salon Series, a two-day open house that includes a Friday evening reception and a casual Saturday afternoon meet-and-greet designed to acquaint you with the space, sixteen Vancouver-based artists, their processes and work. Hang out and talk with artists, have a drink and a snack, and enjoy music at the Friday evening reception, or poke your head into the laid back Saturday meet-and-greet. Art will be available for sale at both events. Note that this event is walking distance from both Beta5 chocolates AND Equinox Gallery (see below).
April 7-8 | The Arts Factory (281 Industrial Ave.) | FREE | DETAILS

PHOTOGRAPHY | The Capture Photography Festival continues this week. Focused on showcasing all manner of ‘lens-based art’ created by emerging and established artists from here and around the world, Capture 2017 is comprised of close to 65 exhibitions running now through April 28. Complimenting the visual component of the festival are a series of tours, talks and workshops that are open to the public. With so many shows and events to factor into your week, we suggest you devise a personalized plan. (Click the bright yellow “My Itinerary” button of the left side of the Capture website to build a list of specific shows and installations you want to be sure to take in). We also suggest hitting Equinox Gallery for their contribution to Capture, as it launches this weekend. Equinox goes big with a three artist show featuring Fred Herzog: Selections from Modern Color, Marten Elder: RETINEX, and Gordon Smith: With Photographs. An opening reception will be held at Equinox on Saturday April 8th from 2pm to 4pm. Check Equinox details here.
Capture: Now through Apr. 28 | various locations | DETAILS

SAKURA DAYS | How awesome is it to finally see those cherry blossoms popping? Get excited about it with the likeminded at the Sakura Days Japan Fair at VanDusen this weekend. Cruising the Sakura Days Japan Fair is like being teleported to Japan, or as close as most of us are going to get (by Saturday, anyway). Expect loads of live entertainment, arts and crafts tables, haiku readings, flower arranging, origami making, tea drinking and tasty Japanese foods,  not to mention huge crowds of cherry blossom gazing buddies for you to hang with.
April 8 & 9 | 11am-7pm/5pm Sun | VanDusen Botanical Garden (5251 Oak St.) | $6.50 – $27 | DETAILS

SPIRITS | BC Distilled goes down this Saturday. The latest products and players from BC’s micro-distillery scene are congregating in one place at one time in order to provide spirit wonks with a snapshot of their burgeoning industry. Expect 34 of BC’s finest small-batch distilleries sampling and showcasing their artisanal spirits and liqueurs. Think gins, vodkas, and whiskies galore. You should also anticipate cocktail making demonstrations, tastings, serious conversations and general booze-nerdery. Tickets here.
Sat, Apr. 8 | 6-9:30pm | Croatian Cultural Centre (3520 Commercial Dr.) | $ 69.99 | DETAILS

FASHION | Gastown boutiques Nouvelle Nouvelle and Hey Jude are joining forces for a sweet little deal this Thursday night. Both shops will be open late, offering select spring pieces on sale AND they’ll be serving up refreshing margaritas on the house (yay, Spring!). Being that they’re located only a block apart on the same street, this is a very nice situation. I don’t know about you, but hitting the refresh button on my wardrobe with a few key pieces from a couple of stylish stores sounds like a fine idea. Add to that a tasty cocktail and some good conversation with some fine people and I’d say the weekend would be off to a solid (if early) start.
Thu, Apr. 6 | 6-10pm | Nouvelle Nouvelle (209 Abbott St.), Hey Jude (315 Abbott St.) | DETAILS 

LAUGH | Rough start to April? Hating on rain, taxes and Steve Bannon, even cherry blossoms? You need a laugh. Shake yourself out of the doldrums with a night at the Fox Theatre and Graham Clark’s Quiz Show. From event organizers: “A comedy show that cherry picks the best segments of game shows and presents them all in one bizarre event! Prizes to be won, heads to be scratched!” After you have yourself a pint at Brassneck (just down the block) and a dinner of doughnuts at Cartems (also just down the block) you’ll be primed to giggle your way out of the soggy dark.
Sat, Apr. 8 | 8pm (doors 7pm) | The Fox Cabaret (2321 Main St.) | $12 | DETAILS

WRITE | Strathcona’s London Field Shoppe is hosting a Letter Writing Workshop this weekend. Yes, we’ve arrived at the place where workshops are required to produce hand-written notes. Don’t let the craft slip away, keep it alive by penning a message to a friend. From London Fields: “Write_On is an initiative to encourage us humans, who get lost in a sea of technology, to take a time-out to write a letter. Not a text, not an email… A LETTER. Come spend your Sunday morning putting pen to paper, or using a vintage typewriter to write letters to those you hold dear. Be part of the Snail Mail Revolution!” How nice is it to see an old fashioned letter slip through the mail slot along with those bills and silly flyers? Make someone’s day!
Sun, Apr. 9 | 10-12pm | London Fields Shoppe (692 East Hastings St.) | $25 | DETAILS

ARCHITECTURE | The UBC School Of Architecture and Landscape Architecture hosts Design Night on Monday. Hustle yourself out to UBC to check out design work produced by students from the architecture, environmental design, landscape architecture and urban design programs. This isn’t just an exhibition of inspired and cutting edge design. It’s also a social experience. The studio work will be the focus of conversation, but expect a party with cash bar and DJ as well.
Mon, Apr. 10 | 6:30-9:30 pm | Frederic Lasserre Building, 6333 Memorial Rd., UBC | DETAILS

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Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended University in Australia and Victoria before receiving her graduate degree in Information 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.