Photograph: Taken at the Emily Carr University Grad Show 2009

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 sweet things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. Come join us…

Sunshine Coast Writer’s Fest

If you want to attend the Sunshine Coast Writers Festival this year this is the time to start planning. Tickets to the 27th Annual Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts go on sale today. This summer gathering of Canadian writers and readers features established literary stars as well as exciting, new voices. Some big names on this year’s ticket include Steven Galloway (The Cellist of Sarajevo) Naomi Klein (No Logo, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism) Jospeh Boyden (Three Day Road, Through Black Spruce) and Shane Koyczan. Visit the Writer’s Festival website for a complete 2009 line-up of talent.
May 27 tickets go on sale for Festival Aug 13 – 16 | Rockwood Centre Sechelt | $15 per event

The Hangover

Tonight the The UBC Film Society will be hosting an Advanced FREE Screening of The Hangover: “Two days before his wedding, Doug and his three buddies drive to Las Vegas for a blow-out night they’ll never forget. But when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning with pounding headaches, they can’t remember a thing. Their posh hotel suite is beyond trashed and the groom is nowhere to be found. With no clue about what happened and little time to spare, the trio must attempt to retrace their bad decisions from the night before in order to figure out where things went wrong and hopefully get Doug back to L.A. in time for his wedding.”
May 28 | 7pm| The Norm Theatre in the UBC SUB | FREE

Tree Lovers

The Tree Lover is a documentary about our connection to trees as told through the eyes of three young Swedes who get in to their heads that they would like to build a tree house in the woods. With their tools in hand and their city slicker ways on hold – the pack head to the forest. Along their way they meet many people who impart their wide ranging and compelling connections to trees and forests. From hope, resilience and spirituality to food, medicine, money and prosperity – this is a film about the magic and importance of trees.
May 29 | 7pm | Pacific Cinematique | Visit Doxa for deets…

Roberto Benigni on CBC

Today on the CBC Jian Ghomeshi interviews Roberto Benigni. The Wiki: “Benigni is probably best known outside Italy for his 1997 tragicomedy Life Is Beautiful (La vita è bella), filmed in Cortona and Arezzo, also written by Cerami. The film is about an Italian Jewish man who tries to protect his son’s innocence during his internment at a Nazi concentration camp, by telling him that the Holocaust is an elaborate game and he must adhere very carefully to the rules to win. Benigni’s father had spent two years in a concentration camp in Bergen-Belsen, and La vita è bella is based in part on his father’s experiences. In 1998, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and Benigni personally won the Best Actor (the first for a male performer in a non-English-speaking role, and only the third overall acting Oscar for non-English-speaking roles)”.
May 29 | 10am / 10pm | CBC Radio 1 | FREE

Cedar Cottage Cake Walk

I am a sucker for a cake walk and there is one at the Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood Carnival this weekend. For the more adult among you, there is also a silent auction, an ethnic lunch, and a bake sale. I would suggest you focus on those events, or take a turn at the dunk tank, wander the flea market, even play a wee bit of bingo – just leave the cake walking to me.
May 30 | 10am – 4pm | Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House (4065 Victoria Drive) | FREE

Hellas Expo

June is Greek Heritage Month. Kick off the festivities with a mini Greek Day (The big guns come out June 21st) at the Vancouver Public Library today. “Hellas Expo” is all about activities and displays that celebrate Greek culture. Experience traditional Greek music and dancing or play Greek backgammon! Lots to do.
May 31 | 1 – 3 pm | Vancouver Public Library | FREE

The Dears

Indie pop/rock band from Montreal hit Richards on Richards tonight. The Wiki on them: “The band formed in 1995 and released their first album, End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story, in 2000. Their orchestral, dark pop sound and dramatic live shows cemented The Dears at the foundation of the then-emerging Canadian indie renaissance. In 2001 and 2002, they released the EPs Orchestral Pop Noir Romantique and Protest, respectively, as well as a collection of unreleased songs, Nor the Dahlias. In 2003 they released their second full-length album No Cities Left, and a string of highly anticipated shows at SXSW ’04 launched their international career.” But visit their myspace page for a listen to get a real feeling for why you might want to snap up some tickets to this show.
May 30 | Richards on Richards | tickets are 18.50 and we recommend trying Zulu Records

Bavarian Beerfest

It’s been a long time since Octoberfest and with roughly five month before it rolls around again, the clever beer loving gang at the Alpen Club can help. Head over to the anachronistic Alpen Club on Victoria Drive tonight for cold and frothy pints of beer complimented by traditional food (mmmm, sausages). 15 beans gets you in the door with a complimentary beverage. Look forward to the May Queen competition, dancing music by the Silver Stars and lots of beer.
May 30 | 7pm | Alpen Club (4875 Victoria Dr) | $15

Trout Lake Farmers Market

Fresh produce from local farms land at Trout Lake today. Load up on baby greens, garlic, onions, parsnips, potatoes, rutabagas, shallots, spinach, squash, apples, strawberries, goat and cow’s milk cheese, yogurt, eggs, beef, chicken, lamb, pork, cod, sablefish, shrimp, salmon, tuna, bay leaves, chervil, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme, honey, maple syrup, mushrooms, nuts, dried fruit, juice, baked goods, breads, dips and condiments, sauces, preserves, candy and (most importantly) really good chocolate.
May 30 | 9am – 2pm | Trout Lake (15th / Victoria) | FREE

Neko Case at the Vogue

If you were on the ball, you may ave picked up Neko Case tickets for tonights show.
Case has strong ties to Vancouver (she lived here for a spell and played with The New Pornograhers). As the New Yorker puts it: “Case’s work on “Middle Cyclone”—the best of her career by a generous margin, and every song her own except for two covers—addresses youth, aging, marriage, death, change, and all that knobby stuff you run over on the way to your midpoint.” If you weren’t on the ball, your only hope now is to loiter out side of the Vogue and breathe in the energy of what could have been.
June 3 | Doors 7 pm | Vogue Theatre | Tickets were $33 but you’re looking at an easy 100 if you can find them now. SOLD OUT

National Hunger Awareness Day

If you pass by the Pacific Centre Rotunda Plaza today (corner of Georgia & Howe) you will see the word HUNGER being built out of thousands of cans of Campbell’s Tomato soup. Pop in, members of the public are invited to remove and donate the cans as a symbolic gesture to help raise awareness of the fact that 700,000 Canadians are helped by food banks every month. It doesn’t take much – a minute or two and a can of soup.
June 2| Pacific Center – Rotunda Plaza | by donation

A Dram Come True

Still time left to get a ticket to the Vancouver International Writers Festival seventh annual Single Malt Scotch Whisky Sampling soiree where you can support the arts by “Enjoying the superb, complex flavours of a variety of rare and distinguished single malts.” Tickets aren’t cheap (75 bucks) but there will be “Scotch experts on hand to enhance the experience” (no details on precisely how they intend to do that) and the location is a secret until you have your ticket – which is kind of sketchy (in a good way). All in all, sounds like it could be worth the ticket price. (Proceeds benefit the Vancouver International Writers Festival. A tax receipt for a portion of the ticket price will be issued).
June 5 | 7:30 | Secret Shaughnessy location | $75 To purchase tickets, please call 604.681.6330 or click here.

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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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