It’s the Easter long weekend and events around town include the Vaisakhi Parade in Surrey, a cat video festival in Vancouver, and a dino egg hunt in Britannia Beach. All of these and much more are listed below:

Easter Long Weekend in Metro Vancouver

Friday, April 19, 2019
VanDusen Eggciting Easter Hop
Killarney Easter Egg Hunt & Carnival
Easter at the Vancouver Aquarium
Easterfest at Taves Family Farms
Easter at the Cannery
Easter Fair at the Stanley Park Train
Singin’ in the Rain at the Massey Theatre
Pacific Theatre Presents: Cherry Docs
Zee Zee Theatre: Dead People’s Things
Tulip Festivals in the Fraser Valley
Make It! Vancouver
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

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Got Craft?, Vancouver’s largest indie craft fair, celebrates its 25th event on May 4th & May 5th. Hosted at The Maritime Labour Centre in East Vancouver, over 85 handmade makers and small shops will fill the space, including many fresh brands to discover.

Find the perfect Mother’s Day gift and pick up a little something for yourself. You’ll find everything from clothing and apothecary, to jewelry and artisanal food, art, ceramics, greeting cards, and so much more! Attendees will also enjoy food trucks, The Rolling Cashew, H2 Eats Vietnamese, and Varinicey Pakoras.

Got Craft? Spring Market

Where: Maritime Labour Centre (1880 Triumph St, Vancouver)
When: Saturday, May 4 & Sunday, May 5, 2019 10:00am to 5:00pm
Tickets: Available online for $3 or at the door for $5.

With vendors coming from all over BC, Got Craft? showcases the best in independent craft and design. The first 50 people at the event each day will get amazing swag bags with goods from vendors. Each limited edition tote bag is printed by local maker, Robbie Vergara Screenprinting and illustrated locally by The Beautiful Project.

Win a Prize Pack

I have an amazing prize pack available packed full of goodies from Got Craft? vendors – valued at $850 – that includes:

… and then again	Hand-stamped, vintage silver-plated spoon
Ani Artisanal	Hand Fan
Birch Street Studio	Necklace + Earring Set
Cabin and Cub	Pin
Claxton Grove	Floral Art Print
Coconama Chocolate Co Ltd	Chocolate Basket
Curiositea	Bag of Tea
Devon’s Drawer	Sun Hat
Henderson Dry Goods	Laser Cut Bookmark
irit sorokin designs	Earrings
Ivyc Designs	Silver Big + Little Dipper Enamel Pin
Jessica Redditt Design	Anemone Tee
Kasama Chocolate	Bean-to-Bar Chocolate
Kawaiiboku	Macaron Wonderland iPhone X Phone Case
LanaBetty	Pin + Earring Pack – Peaches
Little Fox Apothecary	Essential Oil Little Fox Kit
Luli Designs	Pearl Stud Earrings
Luv The Grub	Trio Gift Packs
MichaelaCraft	Ice Cream Earrings
Picco Press	Digital Art Print
Revol Girl	Maya – Period Proof Panty
Sable Shortbread Company	Gift Basket
Scandinazn	Colourful Dangle Earrings
Strathcona 1890 Urban Seed Collections	Bee Garden
The Dolly Shop	Handmade Magnets
The Salt Dispensary	LUXE Sample Pack
Watershed Wax Company	Waxed Canvas Bin
Woash Wellness	Tea Blend

Of course the winner will also get two admission tickets to check out the fair. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to post an entry on Twitter

Click to enter via TwitterClick To Tweet

Follow the event on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram #GotCraft for more information and inspiration.

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, April 25, 2019.

This morning I woke up to two Google Alerts: One for my name, thanks to news organizations crediting me a video I shared from the soccer match last night, and the other was a hit for Miss604 from the Vancouver Courier.

I completely missed the voting period this year so I didn’t even realize that it about the right time of year for the Vancouver Courier to release the results of their annual Stars of Vancouver poll. I was very excited to see that I won Best Local Blogger! Thank you to the readers of the Courier for voting, and bestowing this honour upon me again this year. It really means a lot to have my work recognized like this.

Stars of Vancouver 2019

Of course there are plenty of winners in the annual list, with categories that range from Best Avocado Toast (Nelson the Seagull) and Chef (Ned Bell) to Electrician (Wicks Electric), Hardware Store (Home Hardware), and Massage Therapy (Spa Utopia Health and Wellness Center) here is just some of the list:

Food Truck: Tacofino	Toy Company: Granville Island Toy Company
Tourist Attraction: Stanley Park	Wedding Venue: Queen Elizabeth Park
Canucks Player: Bo Horvat	Community Festival: Italian Day on the Drive
Independent Cinema: Rio Theatre	Vintage/Consignment Store: Turnabout
Cocktail: The Diamond	Brewery: Red Truck Beer Company
Yoga Studio: Yyoga	Ice Cream: Earnest Ice Cream

View all of the results online and in the latest issue of the Vancouver Courier, around town as of today.

The World’s Largest Annual Film Festival Celebrates 100 Years of Canadian Cinema

Today is National Canadian Film Day (“NCFD”) with more than 1,000 screening events taking place in 600 Canadian communities and 25 countries, from the northern tip of Baffin Island to St. John’s, NL, to Tofino, BC, and from Paris to Kathmandu.

Presented by REEL CANADA with support by the Government of Canada, NCFD is a coast-to-coast-to-coast celebration of Canadian film.

This year’s theme — celebrating 100 years of Canadian cinema — was prompted by the centennial of Canada’s first genuine blockbuster, and oldest surviving feature film: Nell Shipman’s BACK TO GOD’S COUNTRY, a sassy, snowy adventure story that remains Canada’s most successful silent film. REEL CANADA’s executive team and staff came together to curate the “Spotlight 100”, offering a selection of films that are equally chock-full of snow and sass!

Many screenings will feature discussions with special guests such as Colm Feore, Atom Egoyan, Alanis Obomsawin, Denys Arcand, Johanne Marie Tremblay, Don Shebib, Liane Balaban, Lisa Langlois, Deborah Grover and Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs. Other notable participants include: Deborah Ellis, Peter Keleghan, Mary Young Leckie, Charles Officer, Mina Shum, Veronica Tennant and Bobby Shore, among many others. Community partners have invited their mayors, historians, musicians, Indigenous elders, and even professional wrestlers.

Watch

In Vancouver, the Vancouver International Film Festival (“VIFF”), in partnership with Netflix, presents a 45th anniversary screening of THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ, and Indigenous film pioneer Alanis Obomsawin will be in attendance for a day-long spotlight on several of her films, including her 2013 documentary HI-HO MISTAHEY!  

There will be broadcast offerings on major outlets (on tv and streaming) including Hollywood Suite, CBC, APTN, Bell Media, Blue Ant Media, CORUS, DHX Media, OUTtv, Superchannel, Super Ecran and Cine Pop. Online streaming partners including Encore+ CBC, Bell Media and NFB will also have films to stream/screen.

View the full list of BC screenings here, taking place from Aldergrove to Lillooet and beyond.

Follow National Canadian Film Day on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more info.

Shop the edited selection of locally designed and made clothing, ceramics, food, jewelry, dry goods, vintage, and more from 100 local artists, makers and small shops at Refresh Market in Squamish April 26 & 27, 2019.

Refresh Market in Squamish

• Where: West Coast Railway Heritage Park (39645 Government Road, Squamish)
• When: Friday, April 26, 2019 4:00pm to 9:00pm
  Saturday, April 27, 2019 10:00am to 5:00pm
• Tickets: Early bird is $3 unlimited two-day admission (ends April 25). General Admission is $5 (2-day admission, online); $5 (single-day admission, at the door). Admission is free for kids under 12.

Shoppers will also enjoy food trucks, tin type portraits, music and more in a creative community environment. Be one of the first 50 on both days to receive a Refresh Market swag bag!

Win 50 Refresh Market Dollars

I have 50 Refresh Market dollars to give away to a lucky Miss604 reader so they can shop from the awesome vendors! Here’s how you can enter to win:

Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to post an entry on Twitter

Click to enter via TwitterClick To Tweet

The winner also gets admission for two, so they can bring a friend to shop. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, April 23, 2019.

Follow Refresh Market on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more information. 

An Indiegogo Campaign has been launched by the Vancouver Art House Society to return The Dude to Dude Chilling Park in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.

Bring the Dude Back to Dude Chilling Park

It started as a piece of art, followed by another piece of art, then it turned into a cultural phenomenon.

In 2012, artist Viktor Briestensky’s replaced Guelph Park’s signage with an official-looking prank sign that read “Dude Chilling Park” which was a reference to Michael Dennis’s 1999 sculptural installation, “Reclining Figure” [Source: Scout Magazine].

Since that time, the natural cedar sculpture which inspired Dude Chilling Park (Guelph Park) has suffered extensive deterioration. In 2017 it was transported to Denman Island for much needed repairs and to be cast in bronze.

By May 7, 2019, the Society would like to raise $20,000, the funds necessary to help cover the expense of the restoration of “The Dude”, bringing it back for a long-term installation. The hope is to have “The Dude” bronzed and chilling in the sun by late summer of this year, which will be celebrated with a community picnic.

The majority of the funds raised will be used to cover the cost of the bronze casting, transporting and installing the sculpture. Including artist fees and long term maintenance for the sculpture that will be paid directly to the Mount Pleasant Community Centre Association who is managing the installation.

Fundraiser Film Screening

What: Screening of The Big Lebowski
Where: Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway, Vancouver)
When: Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 6:00pm
Tickets: Available online in advance or at the door. 20% of proceeds will be donated to the cause. Must be 19+.

For more information, follow Vancouver Art House Society on Facebook. Support the campaign here »