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 yours…

SHARE | The Laboratory of Housing Alternatives (LOHA) have a fascinating thing going on Tuesday night: “Sharing is a hot topic these days. Think of the way companies like Car2Go, Airbnb, Grupon and Kickstarter are changing how we live, work, move and spend. Many elements of our life are being affected by the ‘sharing economy’ and housing is no exception. This evening event focuses on exposing how sharing can allow people to live more affordably while engaging with their community. A variety of speakers will give us their insights on how to establish thriving sharing communities in Vancouver.” Those speakers already include the awesome likes of Chris Diplock (Sharing Project), Eesmyal Santos-Brault (The Hive, Vancouver Design Nerds, Recollective), and Emmanuel Lavoie (BlueGreen Living Communitites, Refund).
Tues, Oct. 22 | 6:30-8:30pm | Lost & Found Café (33 W Hastings) | DETAILS

WRITERS FEST | The line up for the 2013 Vancouver Writers Festival is pretty sweet, and if you move fast there’s still a chance of you scoring tickets. Author Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) will be there to talk about his new book Command and Control (this time around he takes a look at nuclear weaponry). If that’s too bleak a subject for you, don’t worry, as David Sedaris will be participating in the festival this year and he could talk about q-tips and have you laughing. Margaret Atwood will also be kicking around, and so will Douglas Coupland, Anne Michaels and Will Self. Not too shabby! Check out the full line-up here.
Oct. 22-27 | various time | Various locations – Mostly Granville Island | various prices | DETAILS

CITY | If you’re interested in city planning, community building and realistic financial plans designed to strengthen social fabric, you’ll want to head down to SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts this Thursday to sit in on The Minnesota Series: Original Thinking from the American Midwest. Pulled together by the good folks at SFU City Program, this talk features Charles Marohn, professional engineer and co-founder and president of ‘Strong Towns’ (“a non-profit, non-partisan organization that helps America’s towns achieve financial strength and resiliency”). There’s a lot to learn about how we can make cities better, so grab a seat and be part of the change. Admission is free.
Thur, Oct. 24 | 7 pm | SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 W Hastings) | Free | DETAILS

CARTEMS | Vancouver’s many donut fetishists will be happy to learn that Cartems Donuterie is finally set to open their new location at 534 West Pender Street this Wednesday. They’ll be offering up to 20 different kinds of donuts, great teas, and coffees from East Van’s own Matchstick. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm. Check out Scout’s preview of the place here.
Wed, Oct. 23 | 8am – 6pm | 534 West Pender | DETAILS 

SHROOMS | Are you fascinated by mushrooms and fungi? Have you seen wonky specimens popping out from local lawns and sprouting up in forests and trails round town and wondered what they were? The 34th Vancouver Mushroom Show goes down this Sunday and with it comes the rare opportunity to hook up with experts from the The Vancouver Mycological Society to ask all manner of mushroom-related questions and basically nerd out about fungi. There will be oodles of shrooms on display – edible, poisonous, dubious and deadly. How could you not come out ahead of the game by learning a little more about these tasty, tricky, trippy little things?
Sun, Oct. 27 | 11am-2pm | Floral Hall Van Dusen Botanical Garden (37th Ave. & Oak St.) DETAILS

MAGIC REALISM | The Museum of Anthropology is launching a new exhibition this week: The Marvellous Real, Art from Mexico, 1926-2011. The show boasts over fifty pieces of abstract and surreal art – painting, sculpture and mixed media as well as photography, video, and more. Expect everything from classic Frida Kahlo through to Betsabeé Romero’s group of four engraved tractor tires, plus just about everything in between. The show officially opens Saturday, but Sunday is also a great day to go because you can tag along on the MOA Curator Tour: Everything Strange, Everything Amazing (1– 2pm), in which Curator Nicola Levell and MOA Director Anthony Shelton will walk you through the exhibition offering commentary while explaining how they pulled together the show and why they displayed it the way they did. It’s always exciting to see a show during opening week, but if you don’t make it there’s no need to fret. Marvellous Real will be up until March 30th.
Opening Reception: Sat, Oct. 26 | 7pm | Museum of Anthropology (6393 NW Marine) | DETAILS

PARADE OF LOST SOULS | Every year on the last weekend of October a shadowy procession of characters will meander softly through the streets of East Van. No one knows precisely which streets the parade will claim until the last moment, but when the crowd starts to gather and the lanterns are lit, the magic spreads throughout the whole community. Inspired by The Day of the Dead celebrations, parade goers are encouraged to join the procession in costume, remember friends and family members who have departed and celebrate life as they wander through dark streets to enjoy pop-up performance, live music and art installations. Check the Public Dreams website (www.publicdreams.org) or twitter feed (@publicdreams) at midnight on October 26th to find out the coordinates of the parade location. Thanks to long time festival organizers, Public Dreams, and The Dusty Flower Pot Cabaret (who will be taking over the event after this transitional year) for organizing this magical community event.
October 26 | Various times and places | DETAILS

OKTOBERFEST | The best thing about October? Better than pumpkin pie and falling leaves and the beginning of hockey season? Beer. In October you are entitled and encouraged – even expected – to guzzle German pints is celebration of Oktoberfest. If you’re looking for somewhere to get in to the spirit, The Alpen Club does it right. “Real Oktoberfest by Real Germans.” is their slogan. Scout’s been before, and my goodness, was it ever epic.
October 25 & 26 | Doors at 6:45pm | Vancouver Alpen Club (4875 Victoria) | $25 | DETAILS

EXPLORE | With the smell of decaying leaves in the air and the sound of them crunching under foot, this is perfect weather for exploring! So pull on some gear and get a hike in. We suggest a few hours on the trails out at Lighthouse Park in West Van (followed by slice of pumpkin pie at Savary Island Pie Co. on Marine Drive). Don’t feel like tackling the bridge? Head out to the Endowment Lands for a bit of fresh air, take the stairs down to Wreck Beach, or visit the bunnies at Jericho.
All Week | Beaches, parks and forest all over the city | Free (except for the pie part)

LISTEN | The Paper Kites are in town from Melbourne and they’re playing a gig at The Biltmore on Thursday night. If you aren’t one of the fans who have contributed to the over 3 million views on their videos for tracks “Featherstone” and “Bloom” on YouTube already, have a listen and become a convert. After that, get yourself over to Red Cat or High Life and grab some tickets. This is going to be a good show!
Thur, Oct. 24 | Doors 8pm | The Biltmore (2755 Prince Edward St.) | $15 | DETAILS

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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