Back-to-school ads are ramping up but there’s still so much summer fun to enjoy around Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. The sunflower festival has started, it’s almost time for the corn mazes, there’s live music, street festivals, tours, and more. Here’s the big list of things to do in Vancouver this weekend:
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend August 12-14, 2022
Greendale Acres has announced that it will be opening the 24th Chilliwack Corn Maze this season on August 13th, in partnership with Science World’s T.Rex: The Ultimate Predator exhibition.
Chilliwack Corn Maze at Greendale Acres
The playful design of this year’s maze makes the connection between the prehistoric dinosaur and the chicken – who share characteristics in their bone structure, making chickens living members of the dinosaur group, Theropoda.
When: August 13 to September 30, 2022
Summer (until Labour day)
Tuesday to Saturday 10:00am to 9:00pm; Sunday & Labour Day 10:00am to 6:00pm
Fall (until the end of September)
Tuesday to Friday 2:00pm to 9:00pm; Saturday 10:00am to 9:00pm; Sunday 10:00am to 6:00pm
Check the website for hours beyond September and holiday hours
The maze is an interactive adventure where maze-goers must complete 12 T.rex themed questions curated by the Science World team in order to escape. Participants can choose the family-friendly short maze which takes approximately 15-20 minutes, or the longer more challenging maze which takes 30-40 minutes to complete.
Opening Day August 13th
The maze opens Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 10:00am with live music starting at 6:00pm followed by a concert by BC local country artist Tanner Olsen Band from 8:00pm to 10:00pm. Maze and attractions close at 7:00pm for the concert. NOTE: Special event tickets are required after 5:00pm if attending the opening day evening celebrations.
Greendale Acres, home of the Chilliwack Corn Maze, was established in 1999 in Chilliwack and was the first corn maze in all of Canada. They are a Fraser Valley experiential farm where community comes together and traditions are born. In addition to the corn maze, the farm features: lavender fields, seasonal flowers, pumpkin patch, jumping pillow, rope obstacle course, bubble bar, pedal kart track, hay bale maze, corn sandbox, farm animal displays, farm carousel, garden & picnic areas, seasonal farm food, misting stations, ball zone, sandbox/kids playground area, antique farm machinery, and more.
Chinatown Storytelling Centre’s Foo Hung Curios gift shop is now available online! This local gem has been a destination for hard-to-find, one-of-a-kind curated gifts, books, local art, and home goods since opening in November of 2021.
Now, it is officially launched its e-store where shoppers across the country can have access to its inventory of contemporary takes on traditional objects, focused on Chinese Canadian designers and artists.
Photo submitted
Shop in person: 168 East Pender St, Vancouver; Thurs to Mon 10:00am to 5:00pm
Shop online: Anytime with 24/7 nationwide shipping
“Foo Hung Curios pays homage to my grandfather, Ron Bick Lee, who owned and founded an import/export business named Foo Hung Co. in 1921,” says Carol Lee, chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation.“Since opening Foo Hung Curios, the support has been tremendously positive – we have people from all over Canada come visit us to purchase something they saw on our social media channels or they may have heard about us through our many amazing vendors and the press community. Our e-store has been in the works for a while, and I’m so excited to open up Foo Hung Curios to all of Canada.”
To celebrate the e-store they are offering all newsletter subscribers 10 percent off their first purchase.
The store continually refreshes its collection every season, in addition to organizing fun pop-ups, such as its recent Pop-In series for Asian Heritage Month, where it highlighted a variety of Vancouver’s talented community of Asian Canadian small businesses, makers, and artists. Foo Hung Curios was also the location for the launch of the limited-edition Boba Grizz collaboration with international sporting goods brand Mitchell & Ness and the Canadian non-profit Canadian Chinese Youth Athletic Association (“CCYAA”).
Awesome little shop at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre 📍 168 East Pender Street
New items arriving to the gift shop include: a special Pride Picks selection of books by Asian Canadian LGBTQ+ authors, such as Kai Cheng Thom and Aaron Chan; whimsical, water-colour prints by Vancouver artist Mikayla Hong of Artbedo; Chinatown prints by Downtown Eastside-based artist Jeff Wilson Art; large dim sum plushies; and exclusive bone china tea cups.
Last December while I was out on my daily walk with my friend Laura, we came across a fruit on a vine in Coal Harbour that looked like a kiwi. I posted a photo to Twitter and there was some debate on whether it was a fig or a kiwi, but consensus said kiwi.
Over the last few weeks, Laura has stopped by that area to check in on the kiwi plant, and yesterday I joined her only to discover dozens and dozens of fruit just thriving away by the marina.
Last summer, I joined TikTok and posted a video during the heat dome. It featured banana trees that were producing fruit right here in Downtown Vancouver and got 73,000 views. What that told me was 1. TikTok sure does have an impact and 2. Maybe I should refocus from events and community news and post more about fruit growing where you don’t expect it?
While the latter won’t be happening, I’d love to know: Do you know who is growing the kiwis in Coal Harbour?
The US kiwi season lasts from October through May, and these appear far from ripe at the moment. If you’re cultivating this thriving plant, I’d love to hear from you. I’ve been looking to see if CTV’s Mike McCardell has already done a story about it too – haha!
The #CHVCatchUp is a monthly series featuring the latest updates and news from Covenant House Vancouver (“CHV”). Miss604 is proud to be the Official Blog Partner of CHV. This month’s post has been written by Jason Bosher.
Covenant House at the Vancouver Pride Parade
Vancouver Pride Parade on July 31st
Why Pride Is So Important
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, gender non-binary and two spirited youth are overrepresented in the homeless community. Covenant House Vancouver strongly believe all youth deserve unconditional love and absolute respect and 2SLGBTQAI+ youth are no exception.
25% – 40% of homeless youth identify as 2SLGBTQAI+.
Family rejection is the most common cause of 2SLGBTQAI+ youth homelessness.
Covenant House Vancouver encourages young people to believe in themselves; and provides the stability and structure necessary to build positive futures.
Youth made buttons and posters for Pride
Youth Involvement
Covenant House Vancouver’s Rainbow Advisory Committee is made up of staff members from each department in the agency. They are dedicated to ensuring that Covenant House uses best practices to serve their 2SLGBTQAI+ youth and that they continue to enhance their spaces, policies, procedures, and programs.
Months before the Pride Parade, Covenant House held an art contest for youth. The winning entries would be made into posters and buttons for Pride.
Four entries were chosen for the Parade and were made into large posters to adorn the Covenant House van, during the parade. The winning entries were also made into buttons that were distributed during the parade and were available at the Covenant House booth, located on Sunset Beach.
In addition, on the day before the Parade, the art studio located in the new Drake building, held a day-long open studio, for youth to express their Pride voices through art. That artwork was then added to the van decorations and used as handheld signs during the Parade.
Vancouver Pride Parade 2022
At the Parade
Despite the heat, an enthusiastic squad comprised of Covenant House youth and staff, engaged the crowd, as they walked along the parade route. One of the art contest winners said, “I’ve never won an art contest before!” She proudly handed out her buttons to spectators.
Amongst the cheers and applause, comments like, “We love you!” and “Thank you for all that you do!” could be heard.
Down at Sunset Beach, a staff member who was working at the Covenant House booth said, “Everyone loved the buttons. They loved them even more when they found out that the artwork was created by youth.” One mother thanked Covenant House for helping her son, when no one else could.
The day ended with pizza and pop, back in the art room at Covenant House Vancouver. With beaming smiles, everyone shared their experiences from the day.
Thank you to the Vancouver Pride Society for hosting such an incredible event! It was truly wonderful to be “Together Again.” Covenant House Vancouver looks forward to seeing everyone at next year’s Pride Parade and wish everyone a happy Pride!
Covenant House at the Sunset Beach Festival
Since 1997, Covenant House Vancouver has been providing love and hope to youth experiencing homelessness. They are the premiere service provider of residential and outreach services for homeless and at-risk youth ages 16 to 24 in Vancouver. Follow Covenant House on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more info.
