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…

WISDOM | Former CBC radio personality and photographer David Wisdom hosts an evening of art and music at the VAG tonight.  Wisdom is a bit of a big deal. Not only does he have a dreamy radio voice and impressive musical knowledge (particularly on Jazz), he’s also an accomplished photographer. This week’s slide show offers his perspective on his own images as well as works by local photographers Glen Lewis, Aaron Carpenter, Robert Kleyn, Shannon Oksanen, Neil Wedman, and Connie Kuhns. The ‘communal slide show’ will be accompanied by live music and beverages.
Tues, Aug. 20 | Doors 6:15pm, 7pm | Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Hornby St) | $10 | DETAILS

LAUGH | Say Wha?! (Readings of Deliciously Rotten Writing) goes down Wednesday night. If you’re not familiar with it, Say Wha?! is a comedy show wherein performers put their spin on some of the most cringe-worthy, embarrassing and painfully earnest writing ever put in print. You might hear letters penned by the readers’ teenage selves or passages from romance novels, diaries, even office memos. Bad writing is everywhere, so you might as well laugh at it! From event organizer Sarah Bynoe: “Have you ever read a poorly written novel and thought to yourself, who publishes this crap? Or come across a hilariously out of date self-help book in a thrift store? Perhaps you flipped through Sarah Palin’s autobiography and guffawed at her life story. Well, that’s what Say Wha?! is all about.” Hustle over to The Cottage Bistro on Main Street and settle in for a night of mirth.
Wed, Aug, 21 | 8pm show | Cottage Bistro – 4470 Main | $5-10 at the door | DETAILS

SAVE | We are now officially in tomato season. Whether you harvest them from your own garden, pick them up at your local farmer’s market or grab them from the grocery store, you know that fresh local tomatoes are amazing and that gobbling them up – in salads, sauces or straight from the basket to your mouth – while the window is open is the right thing to do. And what you can’t eat now, you preserve. If you need a hand in figuring out how to do that, head to The Homesteaders Emporium this Saturday for a canning workshop that will school you on how to ‘put-up’ stewed, whole, and sauced tomatoes so that you can enjoy them all year. Each participant will leave with one jar of canned tomatoes.  All materials and supplies are included.
Sat, Aug. 24 | 1-4pm | Homesteader’s Emporium | 649 E. Hastings | $40 | DETAILS

SALT WALKS | Artist Randy Lee Cutler is leading a series of fascinating walks through Chinatown this weekend. Participants are invited to choose one of three walks exploring a different aspect of Salt: Herbal Medicine, Food Preservation or Crystal Structures. Starting at Access Gallery, each walk begins with a salt tasting and a chat about the role of salt in our lives. Following the talk, Cutler will take participants on a tour around Chinatown to visit with shop-keepers who will explain how salt influences their business “whether as a flavour, a remedy or a molecular formation.”
Herbal Medicine: Friday August 23, 11am | Access Gallery (222 East Georgia St.) | DETAILS
Food Preservation: Saturday August 24, 3pm | Access Gallery (222 East Georgia St.) | DETAILS
Crystal Structures: Sunday August 25, 3pm | Access Gallery (222 East Georgia St.) | DETAILS

HOORAY | Stanley Park celebrates 125 years of awesomeness with a party this weekend, so pack a bag and plan to stay for a little while. The park will be overflowing with festivities including ecological, historical and cultural displays, live music, Coast Salish artisans, rugby and food trucks (what is a party these days without a gaggle of those?). Learn a little about forest life while on a tour with the good folks of the Stanley Park Ecological Society, bring along a picnic blanket, enjoy the parade of people wandering by, or pop into the Theatre Under the Stars for a Grease sing-along.
Sat + Sun, Aug. 24, 25 | Various times and locations throughout Stanley Park | DETAILS

HONEY | Vancouver bee maven Melissa Cartwright is offering a hive tour this weekend. This is a perfect event for folks interested in learning about bee-keeping and what is involved in starting a colony. Take a look at the inside of the hive, learn how bees make and store honey, taste honey straight from the source, and indulge in a honey tasting. Participants will be outfitted in those sexy looking head veils (but should arrive in full coverage clothing).
Sun, Aug. 25 | 2pm | Le Marche St. George 4393 St. George St. @28th | $45 | DETAILS

PORTRAITS | Sarah Fougere is back in town to paint 50 portraits in 15 days from August 22nd to September 7th at Black & Yellow Gallery. Portraits are painted on a 12×12 wooden frames in about two hours. The cost is just $275 for one person or $375 for two or more sitters. Take a look…

You can sign up for a sitting here. The opening reception for Portrait in Residence II with Sarah Fougere: 50 Portraits in 15 Days – presented by Black & Yellow / Back Gallery Project at 602 East Hastings – takes place from 7pm to 11pm on Aug. 22nd with the closing reception going down from 7pm to 11pm on Sept. 7th.
Thur, Aug. 22 | 7pm | Black & Yellow Gallery Project (602 East Hastings) | DETAILS

ARCHITECTURE | If you’re interested in the architecture and history of Vancouver’s neighbourhoods you’ll want to join this weekend’s walk with Gordon Price, the Director of the SFU City Program. Price will be leading a tour of the West End on Saturday morning and it should be both fascinating and informative. Follow along, hear breakdowns of the neighbourhood’s various architectural styles, and learn about how planning trends influenced the evolution of the West End.. From Victorian mansions and pre-war walk-ups to funky 70’s highrise apartments and modern-day steel and glass towers, the character in the West End runs the full spectrum. You couldn’t hope to get your information from a more authoritative source! Wear walking shoes and comfortable clothing.
Sat, Aug. 24 | 10am | Start at Barclay Heritage Square, West End | $15 | DETAILS

GARLIC FEST | This weekend is Garlic Fest out at the Terra Nova Sharing Farm in Richmond. Head out to learn about the health benefits and culinary uses of garlic, check out cooking demonstrations (chefs from West Restaurant, Graze Restaurant, and Blue Canoe Waterfront Restaurant will be on hand to inspire you with easy, tasty and healthy dishes), and take in all manner of garlic related goodies, everything from artisan garlic bulbs (roughly 1,000 lbs) to garlic pizza and garlic ice cream (can’t say you see that everyday). Bonus: free admission and paarking.
Sun, Aug. 25 | 10am-3pm | Sharing Farm, Terra Nova Park, 2631 Westminster Hwy | Free | DETAILS

EAT LOCAL | Grab locally grown produce from good people at your neighbourhood farmer’s market while you still can. Summer will end and you won’t want to look back and wish that you had made it to more markets!

Main Street Thornton Park | Wednesday | 3pm–7pm | Main Street Station at Terminal
Yaletown | Thursdays | 2-6pm | Mainland between Davie & Helmcken at Yaletown-Roundhouse
Trout Lake Farmers Market | Saturday | 9am-2pm | Duh, Trout Lake
West End Farmers Market | Saturday | 9am-2pm | 1100 Block Comox
Kerrisdale Village | Saturday | 10am – 2pm | East Boulevard between 37th/41st Ave – near Kerrisdale Arena
UBC: Saturdays | 9-1 | UBC Farm | FREE (but make a donation – they needs the support)
Dundarave: Saturdays | 9am–2pm | Dundarave Village
Ambelside: Sundays| 9am–2pm | Ambleside – parking lot beside Police Station (off of Bellevue/13)
Mt Pleasant | Sundays | 10-2 | Guelph Street between 7th and 8th
Kitsilano Farmers Market | Sunday | 10am–2pm | 2690 Larch @ 10th

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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