A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

Scout List: IDS West, Spaced Out And Therapy For Your Plants…

IMG_5694

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 list of super sweet things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. From our calendar to yours…

COMMUNITY

Strathcona Harvest Fest

The Strathcona Harvest Festival is here, and what better ways to wrap your brain around the inevitability of Autumn than scarecrow making, yoga, games, community potluck, live music (Tall Brothers, Illiterati, Jennifer Hershman, Dustcover and Songtree). The best part? The festival opens with a HOMEMADE PIE CONTEST!
Sept 20 | 12:00 to 4:00pm | McLean Park, Strathcona | FREE

Quit Bitching and Start Building

The gang at Antisocial sent over the good news that there will be a Thrasher video premier of Under the Bridge (a D.I.Y. skateboard video) at Leeside Friday night. Valet parking and cash bar are not an option at this event – so think ahead. Ride your deck and BYOB are recommended.
Sept 18 | Leeside Skatepark | FREE

Plant Therapy

The Friends of the Garden host the 32nd Annual Indoor Plant Sale at the UBC Botanical Gardens this weekend. Plants available at student-friendly prices (do you ever get past being excited about the promise of student friendly prices?)  “Selections of indoor plants include: tropicals, kitchen herbs, cacti and other succulents, hanging plants, flowering pot plants, orchids, specimen plants and climbing plants. Dried flowers are also available. All funds generated from the sale support research and educational activities at UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research.” Free garden tours will be offered at noon and 3pm on both days.
Sept 17 & 18 | 11am – 6pm | UBC Botanical Gardens

Buy Local!

The Blim Community Market hits Main Street this weekend and you should make a point of stopping by, here is why: not only will you see oodles of cool stuff but your attendance shows support for local talent and supports local economy. Check out fashion, accessories, supplies, fine art, vintage items and records. Don’t miss your chance to grab some ridiculously cheap and super delicious coq au vin from Open Sesame. Stop by the Coco Cake table, flip through some vintage vinyl, check out fall fashions and great accessories.
Aug 23 | 11am–5pm | Cambrian Hall | FREE

The Urban Tsunami

Free public lecture: The Urban Tsunami and the 21st Century Sustainability. From the UBC CS Site: “The number of people worldwide who live in cities is set to double by 2050. How will one fragile earth cope with adding the equivalent population of two China’s to our urban areas? This talk and discussion explores the challenges and opportunities of urbanization with a focus on the changes needed to sustain our cities.” Delivered by former BC premier Mike Harcourt, this free lecture will explore what it takes to create resilient and sustainable communities by examining lessons from the past, evaluating the present and envisioning the future….
Sept 22 | FREE | Limited seating | Register online or call 604-822-1444

Lantern Making

In preparation for October’s Moon Festival lantern making workshops are on at the Renfrew Park Community Centre this month: From 4-8 pm weekdays you can join in a workshop and make yourself a globe or bamboo lantern to carry in next month’s festival. Workshop leader and experienced artist Yoko Tomita will be on hand to help out.  From the horses mouth: “A globe lantern can be formed in an evening and left to dry over night. The next day requires about 20 minutes to finish it and add the candle. Bamboo lanterns require more patience as a frame needs to be built with thin pieces of bamboo and then tissue paper applied over the frame. Yoko will help you make stars or moons or assist you in designing your own bamboo shape.”
Mon – Fri, Sept. 14th – 18th 4-8pm , Mon – Fri, Sept. 21st – 25th 4-8pm, Mon – Fri, Sept. 28th – October 2nd 4-8pm. Renfrew Park Community Centre | Globe lanterns $12, bamboo frame lanterns $17

BOOKS

Ian Rankin Reading

The good folks at the Vancouver International Writers Festival have arranged to have Ian Rankin read from his new novel The Complaints. “‘Mustn’t complain’ – but people always do…Nobody likes The Complaints – they’re the cops who investigate other cops. Complaints and Conduct Department, to give them their full title, but known colloquially as ‘The Dark Side’, or simply ‘The Complaints’.” read more…
Sept 17 | 7:30pm | St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church |  For complete event and ticket details, visit the Writersfest website.

A Boy After the Sea

“An enticing collection of recipes from our oceans, rivers and lakes finds form in a stunning coffee table book, launching this month. Featuring recipes crafted by internationally renown chefs from fourteen different countries including Alain Roux, Alice Waters, Rick Stein and Vancouver’s own David Hawksworth, with a poignant foreward by Heston Blumenthal, ‘A boy after the sea’ is worthy addition to any food lover’s library.” Seriously a good cause. Have a look at the website.
Sept 17 | 5pm | Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks | $65 (including a copy of the book)

ART & DESIGN

IDS West

IDS West takes over the  Vancouver Convention Centre this weekend.  If Benjamin Moore and California Closets don’t motivate you to fight through the crowds –  here are a few names that might: Brent Comber will be showing off some of his latest designs; Contexture will be there to flaunt their latest and coolest; the cool kids from Desighouse will be there, as will Martha Sturdy Designs (maybe even Martha Sturdy?). Plus, there will be a sneak peek of One of a Kind set up as well. Oh – and don’t forget to stop in at the kick-ass Creekside Tile booth – always worth it.
Sept 17 – 20| Vancouver Convention Centre | $12

Special IDS Pecha Kucha Night!

Pecha Kucha? you ask – here is the deal: it’s part open mic, part show and tell…”Each presenter (architects and designers in this case) is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show.”
Sept 17 | Doors 6 pm – event starts at 7:30 | Vancouver Convention Center | | $12

Spaced Out

Over at the Grace Gallery you can catch the opening reception for ‘Spaced Out’ – huge scale paintings of the nebulae and galaxies painted by Vancouver artist Stacy Sakai. From Grace Gallery: “The work is both abstract and yet specific. Sakai paints from images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Sakai’s work demonstrates the majesty of our skies, and reminds us how impressive it is that a telescope can be pointed at an area in the sky that is infinitely dark to our eyes, but that is revealed to be replete with stars and galaxies. The farther we look out into the universe, the farther back we are looking in time. This brings back those feelings of awe and curiosity that we often lose as an adult.”
Sept 17 | 7pm – 11pm | Grace Gallery | FREE

Night at the Museum

The Museum of Anthrolpology appears to be looking to create a fun night for cultural scenesters (yup – they’re out there) a la VAG Fuse with a MOA Mashup. The mashup offers Vancouverites the opportunity to catch “internationally known performance artists Jamie Griffiths and Martha Carter and her dance troupe, mmHoP, with DJ Jacob Cino of Third Eye Tribe. Experience spontaneous outbreaks of music, dance, interactive video and light projections, plus a live drawing performance by emerging visual artist Numangatini Mackenzie, aka The Noble Savage”. Hooray for cash bars.
Sept 17 | 5 pm to 8 pm | Museum of Anthropology | FREE

FOOD & DRINK

The Salt Cellar Series

Head down to the Cellar to sample 6 of Dutton Goldfield’s most renowned selections plus two full courses of hand-crafted charcuterie from local producers such as J, N & Z Deli, Moccia’s, and Oyama Sausage Company, along with artisan cheeses from Neal’s Yard (UK), Italy, and Spain.
Sept 23 | 7pm | Salt Cellar | $80 (inc all taxes and gratuities).

Gastown Blues and Chili Fest

This neighbourhood celebration will showcase local up-and-coming and high profile musicians throughout the day in a carnival-type atmosphere with games, a beer tent and other entertainment, including a chili-making competition.
Sept 20 | 12 – 7pm | Gastown | FREE

Vancouver Island Feast of Fields

Both the Okanagan and Vancouver Fest of Fields sold out, and if you were one of many that missed the opportunity to indulge in fresh local cooking paired with fine local wine and beer in a setting as inspired as UBC Farm or Valentine Farm – here is your chance, and the forecasts call for sun. Heading over to Vancouver Island for a Feast of Feilds event will be a fantastic way to spend your weekend. The 12th annual Vancouver Island Feast of Fields will be held on Providence Farm located just outside of Duncan, BC. Expect to see cool people like Del and Miranda from Elephant Island Winery, the crew from Sooke Harbour House, and a team from Wild Fire Bread & Pastry. Other highlights will include pours by Lighthouse Brewing, Phillips, Road 13, Sea Cider.

FASHION

The Frock Swap

Oooh, this goes down on Sunday: “Celebrate the art of sharing and bring your gently-worn items to The Frock Swap. Free clothes, refreshments, sustainable shopping and saying goodbye to your never-worn-agains”.  Danielle Ow & Marjolyn Ustaris of Once Loved Threads plan and execute this fantastic event – they explain: “What you send to closet purgatory might be heaven-sent for someone else.” So why not tackle the closet? Dig out all of those unworn bits (still in good shape) and join the fun.
September 20 | 12-4 | Box Studios | Unclaimed garments donated to The Covenant House

MUSIC

Hey Ocean

Hey Ocean! I’ve heard a lot about this band, but never seen them play. I went looking for a description of their work but, to be honest – the drivel they have decsribing themselves on their own Myspace page wasn’t a very good sell. So I turned to Ronatron – and came up with a much more compelling blurb for you…”Hey Ocean! is just one of those local bands you have watch before you die, even if you have no idea who they are. It’s so enjoyable that I can’t even put it in words…” (but he does and you can read them here) The Live Sessions at the Chan Centre
Sept 17 | 5:00pm – 6:00pm | Chan Centre for Performing Arts | $10-$15

Seawolf

Seawolf is always on heavy rotation in the Scout office, leading with the “You’re a Wolf” single (watch it). They’re in town this week to play the Media Club. Don’t miss it.
Sept 22 | Doors 8pm | Media Club | a steal at 15 beans

——————————————————————————————–

late-may-2009-169Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended Bond University in Australia and the University of Victoria before receiving her graduate degree in Library Sciences from The University of Toronto. She lives by the beach in Vancouver and enjoys wandering aimlessly through the city’s shops and streets with her best friend – a beat up, sticky, grimy, and uncooperative camera.

——————————————————————————————–

There is 1 comment

  1. I love your lists! I would love them even more if they could be posted just a couple days before and I could actually attend the events!