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 January 22 to January 28, 2020. 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 | On the last Saturday of each month the Contemporary Art Gallery invites art enthusiasts of all ages to drop-in for Family Day. The fun-filled (and free) day includes exhibition tours and art-making activities inspired by themes found in the current exhibitions. From the CAG: “For this very special Family Day, artist duo Leisure leads a public activation of their installation, Conversations with Magic Forms. At the same time, through the artists’ activity String Game, participants will stretch, weave and tie ropes across CAG’s North Gallery in a collective action.” Extra bonus: The Artist’s Studio is Her Bedroom opens on Thursday, so you can check that out as well. Roll up your sleeves and get a little messy making some art! One of the extra cool things about the CAG is that it’s located two blocks from the delicious Chancho Tortilleria. Art followed by a taco feast and a margarita adds up to a good Saturday if you ask me! Find out more.

MORE ART | There’s a new show on at North Van’s excellent Polygon Gallery, and it sounds like a really fun way to work out your eyeballs. I Spy: Elizabeth Zvonar features several large murals cleverly pieced together out of Zvonar’s massive collection of magazine and book clippings, including the titular I Spy. From the Polygon: “Within this cacophonous array of overlapping pictures of fashion, science, geography, nature and art are embedded reproductions of Zvonar’s own collages. As the title suggests, we are invited to search for recognizable details and make personal associations.” We’ve previously had the opportunity to decipher a bit about Elizabeth by way of an interview, so we’re seriously looking forward to getting up close and personal with her artworks as well. Find out more.

EXPLORE | Got curious kids? You’ll want to hit the East Van Science and Maker Jamboree at Britannia Centre on Saturday. This hands-on event is geared toward 5-12 year olds and will include some of the biggest players on the Vancouver Science / Maker scene (think Science World, Genome BC, Repair Cafe, Vancouver Hack Space, Open Science Network, Geering Up, Vancouver Public Library and many more!). How rad would it be to get your 5 year-old trained to use a soldering gun at the ‘learn to solder’ booth (bravo Vancouver Hack Space!), or have them consult with a librarian about where to find a beginner aerospace design manual, or get them acquainted with world of bio technology with a rep from Genome BC? Find out more.

REPAIR CAFE | Busted bike, torn shirt, malfunctioning coffee maker? Don’t kick your broken bits to the curb in frustration. Fix them! Don’t know how? Good news: as per the details above, there’s a Repair Cafe happening at Britannia Centre as part of the East Van Science and Maker Jamboree this weekend. Expect knowledgeable volunteers manning repair stations for fixing small appliances, textiles, jewelery and electronics. From event organisers: “Bring your broken, worn out, or ripped item for assessment, disassembly, and possible repair. You’ll be greeted by a host who’ll confirm the item brought for repair and match you up with a repair specialist. The participant and the repair specialist will discuss the history of the item and whether it can be fixed, and then repair accordingly.” Thanks to all the organizers and volunteers who make this happen; it’s a pretty cool initiative! Find out more.

MAD MAX-ATHON | Frustrated by not knowing how to help the people and places devastated bush fires in Australia right now? The Rio Theatre has organized a Mad Max-athon for Saturday that aims to raise funds for the Australian Red Cross. From The Rio: “In celebration of Australia Day (January 26), we are ready to throw our support to our friends and loved ones in “the land down under” the best way we know how: By screening all four of George Miller‘s iconic dystopian classics – MAD MAX, THE ROAD WARRIOR, BEYOND THUNDERDOME and FURY ROAD – back-to-back, on the big screen, and dialed to 11.” Expect trivia, door prizes, raffle tickets, a 50/50 draw, a costume contest, “…and, most importantly, a chance to send some love, friendship, and dollar$ to those on the front lines of this environmental disaster.” Doors open at 3:30; Mad Max screens at 4:30; followed by The Road Warrior (6:30pm); Beyond Thunderdome at 8:30pm; and Mad Max: Fury Road at 10:45pm. Find out more.

CHANGE & DEVELOPMENT | As the last remaining piece of large, undeveloped land in downtown Vancouver, what happens with Northeast False Creek is a big deal – and significant changes are coming. Viaducts will come down, buildings will be erected, traffic will impacted, and green spaces will (hopefully) grow. The COV has been busy reaching out to community members to hear what we all want for this area and this week they are doing it again by inviting the public to weigh in on the next stage of consultation for the Dunsmuir Connection. From COV: “This connection is an important part of the walking and cycling network between downtown, Northeast False Creek and the surrounding areas. Building on the initial engagement held in the Fall of 2019, Staff are seeking feedback on the current concepts for this strategic active transportation route.” Two Community Open Houses happen at the Downtown Campus of Vancouver Community College, one this Saturday (12:30- 3:30pm) and another next Wednesday (Jan 29) at 6:30pm. Get involved! Find out more.

BEER | Weathered beer and art festival goes down this weekend. Brought to us by the organizers of Farmhouse Fest, the celebration of imperial stout, barleywine, hazy hop, barrel-aged, wild and lambic beers is divided into three all-inclusive tasting sessions. Repping the local scene are Temporal, Backcountry, Dageraad, Boombox, Superflux, Twin Sails, Steel & Oak, House Of Funk and Slow Hand; plus guest breweries Collective Arts, Modern Times, Hair of the Dog, Ale Apothecary, Jester King, Holy Mountain, Cantillon, 3F, Tilquin, Oud Beersel, Mikkeller and Hanssens, to name only a small selection. Sessions are limited to only 150 guests each and word is tickets for Saturday’s event are getting low, so if getting cozy with over 125 amazing (mostly) bottled beers from 50+ breweries in a beautiful environment with beer-loving people sounds like your thing, then hurry up and grab a ticket before they’re all gone! Find out more.

YEAR OF THE RAT | Find a way (that doesn’t include driving) to get yourself to Chinatown for the 47th Chinese New Year parade on Sunday. Expect to be vying for viewing space with an estimated 100,000+ other enthusiastic parade goers – this is a Vancouver tradition, after all! The parade starts at 11am at the Millennium Gate on Pender and travels east along Pender. It then turns south on to Gore and west on to Keefer before ending at Keefer and Abbott. The parade usually lasts a few hours so we suggest you take along a hot drink to keep your hands warm and wear a nice thick red (a lucky colour) sweater. Find out more.

TEMPLE FAIR | Make the most of the New Year festivities by extending your Chinatown stay to attend the annual Temple Fair at Chinatown’s Classical Chinese Gardens (11am to 4pm). Expect hands-on activities and demonstrations, as well as music, traditional calligraphy demonstrations, a Lion Dance performance and Gong Fu Cha tastings. Other highlights include storytelling, some rat-themed crafts, a marketplace where you can pick up original art souvenirs by a handful of local crafty people and the new exhibition: Investigation of Things. Find out more.

FEAST | Excited for Chinese New Year but not excited about standing in the rain for a parade? Notch8 Restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver has a sweet sounding Lunar New Year brunch buffet going on that could do the trick. From Notch 8 “…Guests can enjoy a seafood bar consisting of such options as Hot Smoked Salmon, Notch8 Oysters and Salmon Gravlax, as well as chef carving stations showcasing favorites like Whole Suckling Pig and Slow Roasted Notch8 Signature Prime Rib. The menu will also have a number of traditional dishes such as Har Gau, Sui Mai, Black Bean Crab and Black Pepper Tofu. For those looking to make the festivities that much sweeter, Chef Peckham has them covered with Green Tea French Toast topped with Stewed Dried Fruit as well as a pastry bar featuring Egg Custard Tart, Jian Dui, Tapioca Lychee Pudding and Red Bean Cake.” The Lunar New Year brunch is priced at $88 ($44 for children 12 and under). Find out more.

BOOKS | If the soggy weather makes you want to curl up on the couch and read books until April, we understand, but you’ll need a bunch of books. This is where the Vancouver Public Library comes in. While you can borrow books from the VPL, if you’re not wanting to leave the house until April overdue charges will become an issue. Problem solved! This weekend you can outfit yourself with a solid assortment of winter reads at the Friends of The Vancouver Public Library book sale! Thousands of discarded and gently used books go on sale starting Thursday, all of them going for just 50 cents for paperbacks and $2 for hardcovers. That’s pretty darn cheap for words and ideas that you can read and store in your brain, wouldn’t you say? Find out more.