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!

OPENING | Hustle down to the Maritime Museum on Thursday night and catch the opening reception for Ghost Passages of the McKenzie Shipyards. From the 1930s through to the 1960s North Vancouver’s McKenzie Shipyards was a bustling working-class community of sorts. Its remains were torn down to make way for development in August of 2014, but the day before the demolition, Vancouver-based mixed media artist Tracy McMenemy swooped in to salvage what she could from the site. By applying a unique vision and a combination of methods and techniques, McMenemy “re-contextualized” what she had found to simultaneously document a piece of history and create storytelling art. “Ghost Passages of the McKenzie Shipyards is a blueprint for a graveyard and a resurrection of the blood, labour and loss seafarers suffered during the better part of their lives working at the shipyard.” What better place to take in this exhibition than the museum that preserves our understanding of what it means to be a coastal community!
Thu, Jan 14 | 6-9pm | Maritime Museum (1905 Ogden Avenue, Vanier Park) | DETAILS

CRAFT | January is a good time to write letters and send thank-you notes for all the holiday gifts and visits. It’s important to remind friends and family (including those you didn’t have a chance to break bread with), that you are grateful. Opening mail to find a handwritten note when all you ever expect are bills and statements is a pretty sweet surprise. Make it an extra amazing experience by rigging up your own cards. Need some inspiration? Head to Chinatown’s Blim on Wednesday night and hook yourself up with a 3 hour card making class that will set you up with your own personal screen-printed greeting cards. Leave with an 11×17 screenburn of two images of your choice, along with some prints of each image as well as 10 cards and a handy lifetime membership to the studio. Blim workshops do sell out, so get on it and get registered!
Wed, Jan 13 | 6-9pm | Blim (115 E. Pender) | $90 | DETAILS

CHILL | Do you ever find yourself wishing there was a low-key, no pretence, nacho-themed restaurant in Vancouver? Well, you’re in luck. For one night only the Uncommon Cafe on Powell Street is holding a “DIY, get in my mouth, nacho making night where you are in control of your nacho dreams.” True story! Score a nacho plate for $15 and load it up with your own signature mix of up to 8 toppings. Add on a beer or some magical tequila for $5. No fuss, no pressure, no problem. Nachos!
Fri, Jan 15 | 5pm-late | 477 Powell St. | DETAILS

CITY | It’s difficult to walk half a block of Vancouver’s Chinatown without encountering a construction site. The juxtaposition of slick new storefronts with traditional herbalists is no longer surprising, and scoring a good cup of coffee is as easy as laying your hands on a proper pork bun. If you live, work, or frequent Chinatown and are interested in the shifting character of the neighbourhood, consider hitting Centre A this Saturday afternoon for a panel discussion on heritage, diversity and urban change. Focused on a condo tower proposed for a site across from the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden on Keefer Street – a project that many view as “a ‘red line’ that if crossed will mark the moment when Chinatown was demoted to the status of a gentrified tourist and real estate marketing commodity; a significant loss in the cultural diversity and heritage of Vancouver” – this panel includes architect Joe Wai and Urban Planner Nathan Edelson, as well as community builder Doris Chow and community ‘activator’ Melissa Fong.
Sat, Jan 16 | 2pm | Centre A (229 East Georgia St.) | Free | DETAILS

LISTEN | Sink into a seat at the Vancouver Playhouse this Friday night and let your imagination wander to the music of the works of Telemann, Handel, and Jean-Philippe Rameau. Why? Because the Victoria Baroque Players are in town to play Watermusic, and they’re really good at it. From Early Music Vancouver: “In this grand Baroque orchestral programme the splendour of four hunting horns provide the platform for music of royal grandeur as well as well as the humorous characterization of animals and raucous village life. A concert of kings and princes, nymphs, merry sailors, frogs, and crows, all directed by the British harpsichord virtuoso Steven Devine from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.”
Fri, Jan 15 | 7:30pm | Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton St.) | $17.50-$66 | DETAILS

DIY | If you’ve been tossing around the idea of getting back to basics by growing your own food, making things by hand, or you just want to tackle the issue of sustainability more seriously by letting go of mainstream consumerism in favour of DIY culture, you might want to book a bit of time at the Homesteading Expo this weekend. From bee keeping and beer making to Quinoa and composting, expect demonstrations, samples, products and lots of knowledge going around.
Jan 16-17 | 10am-5pm | Vancouver Convention Centre (999 Canada Place) | $15 | DETAILS

ESCAPE | Vancouver is expecting rain every day this week. How nice would it be to press pause on that bullshit? As unlikely as that might seem, there is a way. Hiding out at the Bloedel Conservatory for a few hours usually does the trick. While the Parks Board website explains that “the Conservatory sits beside the beautiful Quarry Gardens and has a panoramic view of the city’s skyline and mountain backdrop,” you won’t be seeing much of a skyline this week so forget about it. Instead, go for the artificial temperature, the exotic plants and flowers, and the 200+ free-flying tropical birds. With a little imagination you might just forget how miserable it is outside!
Mon-Sun| 10am – 5pm | Queen Elizabeth Park (4600 Cambie St.) | $6.50 | DETAILS

ARTIST TALK | One Hour Photo is a series of talks engaging artists about their practices, processes and visions. It’s an opportunity for art enthusiasts to dig a little deeper into the thinking that compels artists to present bodies of work on gallery walls. This week artist Nich McElroy expands on his exhibition Float Copper in conversation with curator Mike Love. Float Copper is comprised of photographs taken on the the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan and the conversation McElroy is interested in having is about how “the passage of time is written into this landscape in the form of eskers, kames and moraines; change and movement, which is both constant and imperceptible.” There will be salon-style seating (chairs are limited).
Sat, Jan 16 | 1pm | Gallery 295 (295 East 2nd Ave) | Free | DETAILS

LAUGH | Comedian Bill Burr takes the stage at The Orpheum this Sunday. Maybe you’ve seen Burr’s (2014) Netflix special “I’m Sorry You Feel That Way”. It’s a good one. Tickets JUST went on sale Friday and they sold out in a heartbeat. If you’re still hoping to catch the show – it’s not impossible, but you’d better start cruising Craigslist now. Tickets were in the $50 range but count on two to three times that price now. Still, you can’t put a price on hilarity.
Sun, Jan 17 | 7pm | The Orpheum (601 Smithe St) | $? | DETAILS

DINE OUT | Strapped for cash after the holidays but still keen on exploring Vancouver’s diverse culinary scene? Lucky for you it’s time for Dine Out. This year, 288 restaurants are on board offering everything from discounted, multi-course and prix fixe meals ($18, $28 or $38 per person) to special events (love the sound of the Vancouver World Chef Exchange dinners, Film Feast The Search for General Tso at the Shangri-la Hotel, and Bhangra at Vij’s). Also, Street Food City pops up in the north plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery starting Saturday, bringing a flock of food carts to one location for a street food buffet of sorts — so rad in and of itself! Dine Out runs for two weeks and there’s a lot of ground to cover. Develop a plan of attack here.
Jan 15 – 30 | Various Locations | Various Prices | DETAILS

RELAX | Busy weekend? Feeling high strung and looking for a way to get grounded before tackling another work week? Check out Yin Yoga with Live Cello at Stretch Yoga in Chinatown. “Slow. Meditative. Delicious. Soothing style of poses that are held for longer periods of time…help to silence your mind.” This sounds particularly compelling given that a cellist is in the room playing slow, calming music to accompany your practice. If you aren’t super relaxed at the end of the class (how?), be comforted that you are mere steps away from several fine restaurants ready to pour you a punctuating glass of wine.
Sun, Jan 17 | 6-7:15pm | Stretch Yoga (180 E Pender St) | $18 | 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.