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 September 5 to September 11, 2018. 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.
FESTIVAL | The big ticket event this week has to be Skookum Festival. Though obviously music-driven, this is so much more than your average music festival. It’s more like a music, art, food and drink festival. Think music by headliners like Metric, War on Drugs, St.Vincent, Bahamas, The Belle Game, The Killers, Florence & The Machine, and food by Monarch Burger, St. Lawrence, Joy Road Catering, Birds & The Beets, Disco Cheetah, and Kissa Tanto — to name a handful. Les Amis Du Fromage will also be there, as will JoieFarm, Postmark Brewing, Mission Hill, Strange Fellows, Twin Sails Brewing and so many more. And the art is good — so good. Passes ain’t cheap though. There are still some available and it looks like a pretty darn good time, so be crazy and splurge. Find out more.
FARMADE | Make time to attend UBC Farm’s annual fundraising festival, FarmAde, this Friday. The super fun outdoor event takes place on UBC’s 24-hectare learning and research farm. Originally intended to raise awareness about the farm and help to protect it against the threat of development, this family-friendly BBQ has become a real tradition. A little drizzle won’t stop the fun. Expect square dancing, live music and plenty of food and drink. As always, big props to UBC Farm for cultivating food and community at the only operating farm in the city! A good time for a good reason. Live performances start at 5pm. Admission is free but bring cash for food and drink. Find out more.
DRAMA | The Vancouver Fringe Festival is on with 100 ‘alternative theatre’ shows (700 performances) at venues all around the city. From short and funny to long and heavy, expect to find actors, writers, poets and performers telling stories in thr old school, analog way…on a stage in front of a live audience. Get into it! Tickets are still available and a little performance goes a long way. Find out more.
LEARN | Pick up a bit of useful plant-related information on an Indigenous Plant Use wander around Stanley Park this Saturday (Sept. 8, 2-4pm). Follow an experienced guide of Coast Salish descent on a tour through the pathways and forests of the park and find out about medicinal and edible (and inedible) plants, as well as the traditional and present-day Indigenous relationships with local flora and fauna. From event organizers: “Join us on this walking tour to nurture yourself with nature and harmonize your well-being with the natural world.” Sounds like a good use of time to me! The cost of this event is $25 (tickets here), and if you’re lucky you’ll hear a little music in the air because Skookum is happening in the park all weekend long! Find out more.
TREES | It’s a bit of a hike, but Treefest out in Coquitlam sounds like it’ll be really interesting. The celebration of trees and heritage puts an emphasis on the collection of trees out at the old Riverview Hospital. Tag along on one of the walking tours of ‘significant and unusual trees’ found on the 2 acre horticultural therapy garden or take a seat for a bus tour of the Riverview grounds with former staff members on board. There will also be children’s crafts and games, live entertainment, and heritage building tours. Find out more.
SCORE | The annual Eugene Choo / Block garage sale goes down this Saturday. Expect deals on duds made by A Détacher, A.P.C., Filippa K, No. 6, Oliver Spencer, Ulla Johnson, and more. AND all previous year’s merchandise from Eugene Choo and The Block will be priced between $10-$200 and all in-store merchandise is 15% off. Great deals, excellent people!
EXPLORE | Cows, hay-wagon rides, clucking chickens, fresh vegetables and children running wild in tall grass! Yep, this weekend, the Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust throws down with Day At The Farm, a free family-friendly chance for us city slickers to reconnect with the lands that feeds us. Held at Westham Island Herb Farm, the event will feature cow-milking demos, draft horses plowing and farmers smiling. Other cool things of note: bread and jam contest; digging for potatoes; ‘BC Agriculture in the Classroom’ student chefs preparing tasty things using farm fresh ingredients; a musical talent show; and a mini-auction. Wear your gumboots and bring your favourite reusable-bag for all the vegetables you’ll want to take home. Find out more.
COMMUNITY | Get to know the history of the city through the lens of art by attending the opening reception of the the 11th annual Oppenheimer Park Community Art Show: What These Trees Have Seen. From Gallery Gatchet: “Oppenheimer Park is the site of Legacy Sakura trees planted in 1977 by a group of over 70 first generation seniors as part of a project coordinated by the Tonari Gumi (Japanese Community Volunteers Association). This year’s exhibition considers the wisdom and beauty of these historic trees and will delve into the themes of nature, time and place.” Like the community itself, expect to see an overlap of many cultures, generations and experiences expressed through the paintings, drawings, print, sculpture, carvings and mixed media works that make up this compelling show. Artists will be present at the opening reception on Friday, September 7th (6-9pm). Regular gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 12pm-6pm. Extra bonus: La Mezcaleria’s Gastown location is right next door.
PEROGIES! | I don’t know about you, but a few falling leaves and even a slight chill in the air and I feel totally justified in indulging in all the damn carbs. This weekend, my carb of choice is the simple and satisfying perogy, and there are two excellent reasons for that: Friday Night Ukrainian Supper at Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Mount Pleasant and the Polish Festival in North Van. Friday Night Suppers often involve a line, but the menu is tight (look here) and the prices are great. I know, one night of carb-binging is rarely enough; no problem, because on Sunday (after a one day reprieve to eat salad) you can jump right back in again at the Polish Festival in North Van, only this time you can tell yourself that you’re there for Polish music, singing, folk dancing, puppets, accessories and arts and crafts — not just the sausages, perogies and pastries. Find out more here and here.
MAKE | One of the greatest ways to celebrate the mid-Autumn moon is to hit the Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival (September 22nd). Event organizers do an outstanding job of decorating the trees, pathways, bushes and streams of the ravine while festival goers show up with their own lanterns to participate in a slow-moving procession of awesome. The Still Moon Arts society is holding a number of lantern-making workshops between now and the festival. Check out the list of days and styles of instruction being offered and get imaginative by making your own lantern. First up: Salmon shaped lanterns this coming Monday 4-7pm.
KITCHEN TAKEOVER | Grab a few friends and check out the Monday night pop-up at The Narrow this week. Chef Todd Graham of Handtaste Ferments will be in the kitchen at the cozy Main Street lounge to serve up ferment-focused bar food. This time around, Chef Todd is offering a “Best Of” menu that includes Vietnamese butter clams with shrimp crackers, a pork belly bao with kimchi, pimento cheese with bread, pickles and radish, a double patty Tennessee fry burger and ramen egg with pickles and smoked oyster -— all of which sound like they’d pair nicely with a crisp, cold beer or one of the one of the special cocktails designed for this menu by bartender David Rogers. This is a great way to extend your weekend! No reservations —- first come first served (5pm until the food runs out). Find out more.