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 August 15 to August 21, 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.

PNE | It’s hot as heck, but don’t be fooled. Fall will sneak in before you know it, and then the long, wet winter will follow. Make the most of t-shirt wearing weather. Obviously, you’ll want to include a trip to the Pacific National Exhibition fairgrounds. What is summer if not rollercoaster rides, mini doughnuts and target practice on rubber ducks? The PNE kicks off this weekend and carries on until Labour Day (Mon, Sept. 3rd). Find out more.

COOL OFF | Temperatures are climbing, so cold running mountain water is where it’s at this weekend. Pack a bag with towels, sunscreen, drinks and snacks and make for the hills! Not only does Lynn Canyon Park offer lovely and partially shaded trails, but it also has some beautiful swimming holes. Check out the 30 Foot Pool (a short walk from the suspension bridge) or continue along the trails toward the Seymour Demonstration Forest and stop at Rice Lake for a dip. Find out more.

SHOP | Itsumo Life is a tiny outfit that curates a selection of traditional and handmade Japanese products for sale online. Once in a very lucky while, they manifest physically in a pop-up situation, and that situation is happening in Strathcona starting today. Itsumu Life offers “…beautiful, modest products — ones that bring quiet joy to everyday life. Honest objects created with ingenuity and a respect for tradition. Essential tools for living, crafted from natural elements.” Think textiles, ceramics, incense and various other artifacts for the home. This pop-up is only on until September 3rd and this weekend only there will be an expanded “Summer Flea” component that will include antiques and vintage items as well. Itsumo Life will be open August 15 to September 03 (12-8pm). Find out more.

MAKE | Looking for something creative to do this week but feel like you’re ready to expand beyond glue sticks and glitter? Hit Terminal City Glass Co-op in East Van and learn how to work with glass! Participants in each 20 minute session will roll up their sleeves to create a colourful glass paperweight with the help of a professional glass artist (molten glass is nothing you want to start fiddling with unless you’ve got some serious experience). Beginners are welcome, but space is limited and these events do sell out. You’ll want in on this action, so book your session now! Find out more.

GARLIC FESTIVAL | This weekend is the 9th annual Garlic Fest out at Richmond’s Terra Nova Sharing Farm. Get out there to learn about the health benefits and culinary uses of garlic; check out planting and cooking demonstrations; and sample all manner of garlic-related goodies (everything from garlic pizza and garlic bread to pickled garlic scapes and garlic ice cream – not even kidding). Bonus, this sharing farm is a fantastic place to wander. There’s lots of room for kids to run and climb and it’s close to the West Dyke Trail. Find out more.

FARM | Clear your schedule this Sunday! It’s time to make your way to Aldergrove for a Longtable BBQ feast on a farm. The evening kicks off with a tour of the farm before dinner is served by Chef Doug Stephen (Merchant’s Workshop / DownLow Chicken Shack) and his team. Expect locally-sourced and pasture-raised meats and poultry, as well as delicious greens (from Glorious Organics), cold beer (from Brassneck), a custom cocktail of Wild Turkey bourbon and Dickie’s Ginger Beer and always amazing pie provided by The Pie Shoppe. Home to social and educational food experiences for over four decades, Fraser Common Farm also hosts the Glorious Organics Co-op, which supplies countless Lower Mainland restaurants and farmer’s markets with seasonal goods. Grab a ticket, support local food and get the most out of your remaining summer nights! Find out more.

TREAT YOURSELF | Plan at least one coffee fix at Modus Coffee this weekend so you can load up on treats by local baker and entrepreneur, Emily Shih. Shih, aka “Off on Wednesdays”, will be holding another of her popular bakery pop-ups at the cafe on Saturday and Sunday. We’ve been salivating over this local talent’s Instagram feed for a while now and we can’t wait to actually taste her creations! Check the menu and more details here.

WATCH | Grab a blanket or a lawn chair and join a bunch of strangers to watch a movie outside. Titanic plays in Stanley Park on Tuesday (Aug 21). The epic love story starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio is the last of the fresh air cinema gigs to go down in the park this summer, so don’t miss out. For the Alternative Cinema crowd, the Vancouver Biennale is screening two short films in False Creek on Monday night. First up: the world’s oldest (1926) surviving animated feature film, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, followed by a featurette documentary about director Lotte Reiniger. Both events are free!

DINE | Got plans on Monday night? Three of PiDGiN’s former chefs are returning to the critically acclaimed Gastown restaurant to join chef Wesley Young in the kitchen for one delicious night only. We’re talking the wicked talented likes of Makoto Ono, Daniel McGee and Shin Suzuki. Five course meals like this don’t come along too often, so pounce! Find out more.

TOUR | If you find yourself conflicted over whether you should be spending your weekend hours stuffing your face, getting exercise, adventuring or slowing down, a Slow Food Cycle Sunday in the Pemberton Valley might be just the ticket for you. This is a 45k cycle up and down Pemberton Meadows Road, allowing participants to take in the scenery between stops at farms to meet farmers and food producers and eat produce directly from the fields. Choose your own pace and cover as much or as little of the route as you like. Take a hat, gallons of water and all the sunscreen in the world. Roads will be closed 10am-3pm to ensure safe cycling. Find out more.