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 list 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…

FASCINATING

An Evening at The Penthouse

A fun excursion dreamed up by Heritage Vancouver – “Step back in time with Danny Filippone on his famous behind the scenes tour of one of Vancouver’s famous landmarks. You’ll visit the Steak Loft Dining Lounge and the VIP room where his uncle Joe Filippone entertained high profile guests, such as Frank Sinatra. After the tour, enjoy a talk by Danny Filippone and unique photographs and a talk by Reid Shire of North Vancouver’s Presentation House Gallery, “Nightclubs in Vancouver in the 50s and 60s”.
Jan 13 | The Penthouse | 6pm | $30

Viva Cuba

Reflections from a Lonely Planet Writer (details courtesy Vancouver Public Library): “Defying all logic, the world’s 105th largest country, Cuba, is also one of its most instantly recognisable. This revelatory talk by Brendan Sainsbury takes a candid look at an island famous for its rum, rumba, cigars, communism, Buicks and beaches, and uncovers some of the changes that have followed the ‘retirement’ of Fidel Castro.
Jan 12 | 7:30 pm | VPL | FREE

ARTS & CRAFTS

Selfish Motives & Panchromatic Pleasures

SMPP is a photographic exhibition pulled together by the talented and enthusiastic crowd at Antisocial. The opening happens Friday night and you know it will be worth your while. Plus hey, if you made resolutions to take a few risks in 2010 you can even participate in this show. They are accepting submissions until tomorrow. Throw down.
Jan 8 | 8pm | Antisocial | FREE

Art of Craft

From the MOV: “Celebrate the exuberance, inventiveness and refinement of fine craft at this exhibition of work from Canada and the Republic of Korea. Art of Craft showcases 173 spectacular fine craft works in three parts”. Have a look at the Museum of Vancouver website for the full scoop, but the “By Hand” portion of the show features 51 pieces from Canada’s West Coast with a focus on the artists’ creative processes and studio environments…cool beans.
Jan 13 | Museum of Vancouver | $15

Solitary Noisemaker

Catch the opening night reception for Vancouver artist Audrey Capel Doray. From Blanket: “Blanket is pleased to present How I Became A Solitary Noisemaker, a solo exhibition of works by a Canadian artist Audrey Capel Doray. The exhibition consists of a selection of paintings produced during 1965-1966 and is the first of three intended exhibitions at the gallery with a central focus on Capel Doray’s cultural production during the 1960s.” Get a little background on the artist here.
Jan 14 | Blanket Gallery | FREE

Tight Knit

Hit Blim this Sunday and take a crack at picking up a new skill. Introduction into knitting and crocheting goes down this weekend – you can bring along a specific project or just start for the sake of starting and see where you end. Yarn is provided but, as everyone knows, sharing needles isn’t a good idea – so bring your own.
Jan 10 | 2 – 4 PM | Blim | $20 (includes yarn)

Say Thank-You

Sure an email will do the trick if you are pinched for time, but you can really make a statement with a handwritten note and the Regional Assembly of Text Letter Writing Club is just the place to get your thank-yous down on paper. If you’ve never heard of it before, The Regional Assembly of Text is a wonderful Main St. store with a brilliant collection of books, paper, cards, stamps, chalkboards, boxes, and yes, even clothing. On the first Thursday of every month they host a Letter Writing Club. It’s free, open to everyone, and supplies are provided.
January 7 | 7:30 pm | Regional Assembly of Text | FREE

FLICKS

Whip It

This week the good folks at the UBC Film Society bring you a double whammy of excitement with Zombieland (Woody Harrelson battles – you guessed it – zombies) and Whip It (Ellen Page as an indie-rock loving misfit who struggles through her small-town misery by joining a roller derby league). Cheap.
Jan 8 – 12 | 7 & 9:15 | Norm Theatre – UBC SUB | $3

Punishment Park

Swing by Vancity theatre to catch a screening of Punishment Park. With a title like that how can you not be curious – here is the low down from the theatre: “This remarkable film is the only US feature from the great radical filmmaker Peter Watkins (The War Game). A provocative and satiric allegory, it imagines a divided America throwing its peaceniks to the wolves. Persons deemed “a risk to internal security” face a tribunal of ordinary citizens, or they take their chances in Punishment Park, running a Battle Royale-style gauntlet of armed officers as they race across 53 miles of arid California desert.”
Jan 8 – 14 | Various times | Vancity Theatre | $10

GIGS

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone

Shamefully lifted directly from this weeks Zulu Report (really, who you gonna trust – Zulu knows there stuff): “…Casiotone For The Painfully Alone (henceforth CFTPA). Owen Ashworth (CFTPA) specializes in the kind of brutal truths that we all know but wish we didn’t. With just some backing tapes, sardonic lyrics and, yes, a casiotone keyboard, Ashworth manages endear himself to anyone who hears his music, transporting you to the time and place of your most brutal disappointments and shed a little wisdom and humour on it all. It’s cold out, the Olympics will soon ravage the city. You owe yourself this. Be there.
Jan 8 | 8pm | Biltmore | try Zulu for tickets

Yoko Casino

Local band Yoko Casinos “put the ‘hit’ back in sh*t-hot” at the Media Club Friday night – they play with Pepper Sands and The Beautiful British. Check it.
Jan 8 | 8pm | Media Club | $8

PS. Loverboy is playing at the Commodore – but if you want the detials on when and how much – you’ll have to do the searching on your own. We just can’t bear it…

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Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended Bond University in Australia and the University of Victoria before receiving her graduate degree in Library Sciences from The University of Toronto. She lives by the beach in Vancouver 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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