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!

GIG | Toronto indie-rock band Wooden Sky is in town. The band is on a Swimming in Strange Waters summer tour in support of their latest release “Let’s Be Ready”. They take the stage at The Biltmore with Jordan Klassen on Wednesday night. A little bit of live music on a summer evening? Do it.
Wed, Aug. 5 | 8pm | The Biltmore (2755 Prince Edward St) | $15 | DETAILS

FILM | Run & Gun is a Vancouver-wide film competition that challenges participants to write, film, and edit a 5 minutes flick. Cool, right? The snag is that they have to complete the whole process in under 48 hours. Movies were made a few weeks back and the time has now come to take a seat and watch the results. Head to The Rio to check out 15 shorts (the trailer looks rad), have a few drinks, meet filmmakers, actors and their friends, and stick around to find out who the 2015 juried winners will be. Added bonus: organizers, This Is A Spoon Studios, make it clear that “judging is free of bullshit politics”. Tickets are expected to sell out so get moving and grab yours now.
Sat, Aug 8 | 9pm | Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway) | $10 | DETAILS

COOK | Members of the UBC Farm Maya in Exile Garden at the UBC Farm are putting on one of their famous cooking classes this Saturday. Learn how to make sopa de calabaza (squash soup); tortillas con flor de calabaza, ejotes (tortillas with squash flowers and green beans); pan dulce (sweet bread) and traditional Mayan-style coffee. There will also be some talk about medicinal and culinary uses for various herbs and vegetables grown right there in the Mayan garden.
Sat, Aug. 8 | 2:30-5pm | UBC Farm (3461 Ross St , UBC) | $30 | DETAILS

PARADE | Chariot Fest, a procession of float-sized Indian chariots (adorned with flowers and carrying representations of deities) leaves Beach Ave. at Howe St. on Sunday at 11:30am and parades along Beach to finish at the Second Beach parking lot in Stanley Park where a festival (including a free vegetarian lunch for 10,000) will take place. Expect dancing, yoga, and meditation as well as cheerful music, bright colours, and good food. Everyone welcome.
Sun, Aug 9 | 11:30am-5pm | Second Beach, Stanley Park | Free | DETAILS

STARS | Every year around this time, stargazers and naturalists flee the bright lights of the city to catch the the Perseid meteor shower.  The Perseid shower is visible from mid-July each year but the most pronounced activity goes down in the pre-dawn hours this coming weekend. They say that at this peak time we can expect to see 60-100 meteors per hour. Pretty much any open sky free of light noise will do the trick, but if you want to really get in to it with  telescopes, guided walks and information sessions from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, hustle out to Aldergrove for a Meteor Shower Watch & Walk. Camping is an option. No fires, but food will be available from the Aldergrove Elks Lodge #66.
Sat, Aug 8 | 8-11pm (or 11am if you camp) | Aldergrove Lake Regional Park | $2 | DETAILS

DUMPLING TIME | It’s finally time for the highly anticipated Golden Dumpling Cook Off & Derby. 17 top notch restaurants including returning Bao Bei, Cinara, Bestie, The Acorn, Maenam, Wildebeest, Au Comptoir, and Annalena will compete to win the Golden Dumpling. Guests are invited to taste each competitors entry using their dumpling passport ($55). In past years, this event has sold out, so make your move today.
Sun, Aug 9 | 1-5pm | Food Cart Festival Grounds (215 W. 1st Ave) | DETAILS

SQUAMISH VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL | It doesn’t take very long to get to Squamish and it always has something great going on. This weekend, it’s the Squamish Valley Music Festival. Local and international artists will play to sun-soaked crowds Friday and Saturday. From Mumford & Sons, The Alabama Shakes, Elliott Brood, and Angus + Julia Stone to Drake, K-OS, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Bahamas, and Odesza, the line-up is varied and straight-up awesome. On-site camping is available (no campfires). Pro-tip: Scoot into Squamish proper on Saturday morning to fill your guts at the Farmer’s Market.
Aug. 7-9 | 39641 Loggers Lane, Squamish | Various $ | DETAILS

SALT AIR | An afternoon in Steveston is like a mini-holiday. Take a break from the city and head out this weekend for the Richmond Maritime Festival. Take in the live entertainment and maritime exhibits, gobble up fresh seafood and walk the docks of the old shipyard, board sail boats, historic fishing boats, tugs, and more. It’s going to be ocean breezy cool.
Aug. 8 (11am–8pm); Aug 9 (11am–5pm) | Britannia Heritage Shipyard, Steveston | Free | DETAILS

EAT LOCAL | Don’t take the opportunity to hit-up a Farmers Market for granted. The day will come when those hard working framers will pack up and retreat back to the cold, winter rains and you’ll be sorry you didn’t get to more. Weekends are a great time to buy local, but there are a number of mid-week opportunities, too. See you out there…
Wednesday | 2pm – 6pm | Main St Station (1100 Station St) | DETAILS
Thursday | 2pm – 6pm | Yaletown (1200 Mainland) | DETAILS
Saturday | 9am – 2pm | Trout Lake (Lakewood Drive @ 13th) | DETAILS
Saturday | 9am – 2pm | West End (1100 Comox St) | DETAILS
Saturday | 10am – 2pm | Kerrisdale (5500 East Boulevard) | DETAILS
Saturday | 9am-1pm | UBC Farm (3461 Ross Drive) | DETAILS
Saturday | 9-2pm | Burnaby City Hall (4949 Canada Way) | DETAILS
Saturday | 10am-3pm | Lonsdale Quay (123 Carrie Cates Court, N Van) | DETAILS
Sunday | 10am-2pm | Kitsilano (10th & Larch) | DETAILS
Sunday | 10am – 2pm | Mt. Pleasant (2300 Guelph St) | DETAILS
Sunday | 11am-3pm | Ambleside (1500 Block Bellevue, West Van (between 15th & 16th) | DETAILS

AIRSHOW | Make the trek out to Abbotsford for the annual Air Show this weekend. Poke around the cockpits of old school buddies like Spitfires, Hurricanes and Mustangs; check out CF-18s and F-22 Raptors; and be impressed by the agility of Canadian Forces Snowbirds pilots. You don’t have to be an airplane wonk going in, but you just might be after you leave. The collective size, speed, and history of the planes in this show is immense and impressive.
Aug 7-9 | Various times | Abbotsford International Airport | $28 ($48/3days) | DETAILS

To submit an event for consideration, email events [at] scoutmagazine.ca 

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.