From our calendar to yours comes this carefully considered agenda of cool things we are doing, wishing we could do, or conspiring to do in Vancouver from October 3 to October 9, 2018. Please note that you can now get the Scout List – with a few extra pieces of intel included – sent to your inbox every Thursday. Sign up for your subscription in the sidebar.

ART | This weekend, Ola Volo is having her first solo exhibition in over 4 years. King.Queen.Lovers.Fool will include twelve original paintings on canvas, four exclusive limited edition silkscreen artworks on paper, two open edition digital prints on paper and one Ola Volo signature-sized mural on wood panel. From event organizer and show curator, Paul Erik Becker: “The theme for this show is drawn from the history of royalty, love and laughter found within universal stories and tales. Ola is passionate about her belief that folk tales and art can bridge the gap between cultures. This exhibition is her personal reflection and moment to bring community together.” Doan’s Craft Beer will be served; Vancouver Urban Winery wines will be flowing; a good time will be had. Opening Reception is October 5 from 6-11pm. Curator’s Tour runs October 6 at 3pm. Artist Talk is set for October 6 at 3:30pm. All the details here.

PARTY ON | The iconic Vancouver lifestyle brand Skull Skates is turning 40 this weekend. Can you believe it?! That’s definitely a cause for celebration. They’ll be doing it right with a party at the Red Gate Revue stage, featuring live music by the Japanese band Dub4Reason – who have flown in especially for the event – and an exhibition of metal sculptures by the artist Junk Law, also from Japan. Needless to say, this is sure to be one for the books… Find out more.

NATURE | Ever walk through Stanley Park at night and feel slightly nervous about some rustling in the bushes? If you ever wander the park after dark, the best thing to do is arm yourself with information, so hook up with Stanley Park Ecology Society peeps this Thursday night for Owl Prowl and get schooled on what it is that lurks in the dark. Once you’ve taken this informative walk, you’ll be much better equipped to anticipate park residents such as skunks, raccoons, coyotes and owls. Wear sensible footwear and come out a more informed city dweller. Extra cool part: This walk begins at dusk with a beer reception to “awaken the nocturnal animal within! Find out more.

GET CLOTHED | The chilly nights are now upon us! Make sure you’re properly and fashionably bundled this season by scooting over to the Aviary on Saturday for the Cloth Tone sample sale. The collaborative project of two talented Okanagan women (Larissa Beringer and Lindsay Lorraine) is having a one-day-only sale of blankets, scarves, ponchos and home textiles. All the materials are natural and ethically produced, with everything personally handwoven by Beringer and Lorraine. Sounds like just the stuff to keep us cozy! Find out more.

THANKSGIVING | Leaves are falling, pumpkin patches are popping – this is going to be a great three day weekend! Hit a farmers market for all the best veggies (see below), score a pie from The Pie Shoppe on Powell Street (call ahead, they tend to sell out of those tasty little dudes pretty fast and we wouldn’t want you to be disappointed). If you’d rather not cook, we have a handy list of sit-down dinners and take out situations that are aimed at making your long weekend as relaxing and delicious as possible. Check it out here.

EAT LOCAL | They say you never know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Well, Main Street, Downtown and Mount Pleasant Farmers Markets all deliver their last market of the season this week – so we’re giving you the heads-up, take full advantage of the harvest season and the fact that these markets are here for you this weekend – because they’ll be gone next. All kinds of apples are happening right now, plus healthy kale, grounding squash, and all tomatoes. Also cheeses, artisan breads, preserves, honey, wild salmon, cookies, and pies. Support the people who grow and make our food! Find out more here.

Main Street | Wed, 2-6pm | 1100 Station Street
Downtown | Thu, 11am-3pm | Queen Elizabeth Theatre
West End | Sat, 9am-2pm | 1100 Block of Comox
Trout Lake | Sat, 9am-2pm | North Parking Lot, John Hendry Park
Riley Park | Sat, 10am – 2pm| 30th Avenue & Ontario Street
Kits | Sun, 10am-2pm | 2690 Larch @ 10th
Mount Pleasant | Sun, 10am-2pm | Dude Chilling Park

EASTSIDE FLEA | What a perfect weekend to hang out at Eastside Flea. Now set up in their new digs (Eastside Studios), the ESF team have wrangled the coolest of cool to fill booth after curated booth of goodies from over 50 local vendors Saturday and Sunday (11am-5pm). Always a good crowd of friendly folks. Plus pinball, pool, music, food trucks and cocktails. Dogs and babies extremely welcome. See you there. Find out more.

FILM FEST | The Vancouver International Film Festival continues it’s awesomeness this week. With an impressive and varied line-up of fantastic films from around the world (over 350 of them), plus an emphasis on connecting with movie goers through engaging talks and events, filling the extra day in your weekend with movies will be easy. Overwhelmed by choice? Check out our list of seven films at VIFF you absolutely need to see here. Find out more.

GROW | Love plants? Looking for a new hobby? Enjoy connecting with community? There is a cool sounding Pénjing (similar to bonsai) Workshop going on at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden this weekend. As event organizers explain, “With the increasing pace of our modern world, penjing allows us to pursue inner peace and tranquility, fulfilling our desire to be part of nature.” How can you go wrong with that? This event begins with a garden tour led by a master gardener and finishes with a hands-on penjing workshop. Registered participants are welcome to bring their own penjing for guidance and tips. A variety of plants and pots will also be available for purchase ($15 to $30). Tools and soils are provided during the workshop. This workshop can only accommodate 20 participants, so register! Find out more.

PSYCHEDELICS | Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, who is the Head of Psychedelic Research at the Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology (a division of Brain Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine at the Imperial College London) will be at UBC this week to talk about clinical research involving psychedelic compounds such as LSD and psilocybin. In his lecture New Vistas in Understanding (and Healing) the Human Mind, Dr. Carhart-Harris will discuss how drugs like acid and shrooms alter consciousness, ways in which they may help treat a range of mental illnesses and addictions, as well as the challenges of working on the edge of a ‘paradigm shift’ in mental health care that will even consider psychedelics as tools to help understand human cognition. This won’t be a light talk, but it’ll be an interesting one! See you there. Find out more.