This is a different kind of cat walk! Registration is now open for VOKRA Walk for the Kitties 2018, presented by FirstMate Pet Foods. The 5km walk takes place at Jericho Beach and all funds raised go directly towards supporting the organization’s rescue efforts.

VOKRA Walk for the Kitties

Where: Beach Path, West of Jericho Sailing Club (1300 Discovery St, Vancouver)
When: Sunday, September 16, 2018 at 10:00am
Participation: Register online now for the 5km walk for $25 (plus fee). Dogs are welcome to tag along and you can grab a free ticket for them online as well.

As a volunteer-driven non-profit, the Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association (“VOKRA”) relies on Walk for the Kitties to raise much needed funds to help them rescue more than 1,400 cats and kittens each year.

Their mission is to end cat overpopulation and homelessness. They rescue, heal, then place cats – first in their network of foster homes, then in carefully matched, loving, forever homes. They are a passionate, volunteer-driven charity with extensive cat care experience. They believe that no-kill is the only responsible approach to rescue, that Trap-Neuter-Return works and that cats are AWESOME!

Here’s how your contributions help:
$25 buys a flat of food
$50 provides one cat with care for a month
$85 covers the cost of one spay/neuter
$100 buys 20 nursing kits used to feed orphaned kittens

Donations, pledges, and support from the Walk for the Kitties will help VOKRA buy food, litter, and even spay/neuter treatments for local cats. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

It might be time to go back to school, or back to work, but the fun doesn’t stop in Metro Vancouver! We’re gearing up for a fun festival season including the first of the month, the Richmond World Festival (September 1, 2018), which Miss604 is proud to sponsor. Then there’s Tri-City Culture Days (September 28-30, 2018), and the Vancouver International Film Festival (September 27 to October 12, 2018) to look forward to. All of these events are more are listed below:

September Events in Metro Vancouver

Jump to: Saturday, September 1 to Sunday, September 9, 2018
Jump to: Monday, September 10 to Sunday, September 16, 2018
Jump to: Monday, September 17 to Sunday, September 23, 2018
Jump to: Monday, September 24 to Sunday, September 30, 2018

Multi-Day Events

Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green. This list is updated often so send in your event listing anytime – for free – and check back often to plan your week.

Farm Attractions

Chilliwack Sunflower Festival
Bose Corn Maze, Surrey
Taves Applebarn & Sunflower Patch, Abbotsford
Chilliwack Corn Maze
Maan Farms, Abbotsford
Richmond Country Farms
Aldor Acres, Fort Langley

Saturday, September 1, 2018
Sponsored by Miss604: Richmond World Festival
Free Outdoor Dance Series at Robson Square
PNE Summer Night Concert Series
Kerrisdale Antiques Fair
TaiwanFest
Vancouver Latin American Film Festival
Stanley Park Urban Forest Train
Riley Park Farmers Market
Trout Lake Farmers Market
West End Farmers Market
Richmond Night Market
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Artful Sundays
PNE Summer Night Concert Series
Clayton Community Farmers Market
Poirier Street Market
Kitsilano Farmers Market
Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
TaiwanFest
Stanley Park Urban Forest Train
Vancouver Latin American Film Festival

Casts from Riverdale, Once Upon A Time, and The 100, along with Whitecaps alumni will take to the pitch at BC Place to play the 2nd annual Vancouver Whitecaps FC Legends & Stars Charity Match in support of BC Children’s Hospital on September 15th.

Whitecaps FC Legends & Stars Charity Match

When: September 15, 2018 4:45pm to 5:45pm ahead of the 7:00pm match v Seattle
Where: BC Place

Photo credit Bob Frid via Whitecaps FC

This year’s Legends & Stars match, which is set for Saturday, September 15, 2018 at BC Place, will once again feature KJ Apa (Archie/Riverdale), Colin O’Donoghue (Captain Hook/Once Upon A Time), and Lindsey Morgan (Raven Reyes, The 100).

They will be joined by first-time participants Mark Consuelos (Hiram Lodge/Riverdale), Casey Cott (Kevin/Riverdale), Jacob Tremblay (Auggie/Wonder, Jack/Room), Rahul Kohli (Ravi/iZombie), three-time Olympic medalist and figure skating world champion Patrick Chan, as well as alumni from Whitecaps FC’s 40+ year history, including fan favourites Jay DeMerit, Jay Nolly, John Catliff, and Ivor Evans.

Tickets for the Legends & Stars match are on sale now for just $5 and all proceeds will be donated to BC Children’s Hospital. Limited tickets are available – fans are encouraged to act quickly to avoid disappointment.

• Purchase tickets to the alumni match only here »
• Purchase a ticket to the alumni match + MLS match vs Seattle here »

To attend Legends & Stars, fans must also have a ticket for Whitecaps FC’s Major League Soccer match vs. longtime rivals Seattle Sounders FC later that evening.

Preliminary Roster (Subject to Change)

Coaches: Alan Errington, Gerry Heaney
Honourary coach/ambassador: Carl Valentine

Riverdale KJ Apa (Archie Andrews) Casey Cott (Kevin Keller) Jordan Connor (Sweet Pea) Mark Consuelos (Hiram Lodge) Martin Cummins (Sheriff Tom Keller) Charles Melton (Reggie Mantle) Drew Ray Tanner (Fangs Fogarty) The 100 Henry Ian Cusick (Marcus Kane) Mike Dopud (Michael Vinson) Jessica Harmon (Niylah) Richard Harmon (John Murphy) Jarod Joseph (Nathan Miller) Lindsey Morgan (Raven Reyes) Bob Morley (Bellamy Blake) Tasya Teles (Echo) Once Upon A Time Colin O’Donoghue (Captain Hook) Chris Gauthier (William Smee) iZombie David Anders (Blaine DeBeers) Robert Buckley (Major Lilywhite) Malcolm Goodwin (Clive Babineaux) Jessica Harmon (Dale Bozzio) Bryce Hodgson (Don E/Scott E) Rahul Kohli (Ravi Chakrabarti)

Letterkenny Andrew Herr (Jonesy) Tyler Johnston (Stewart) Other Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Ben/Baby Daddy) Patrick Chan (Olympic medalist + figure skating world champion) Adrian Holmes (Frank Pike/Arrow + 19-2, Smallville) Dan Payne (Beast/Descendants) Ryan Robbins (Samuel Bly/Sacred Lies, Noah Funk/Pure) Emma Tremblay (Ruby Arias/Supergirl) Erica Tremblay (Bunny/Imaginary Mary) Jacob Tremblay (Auggie/Wonder, Jack/Room) Adam Tsekhman (Gary Green/Legends of Tomorrow) Whitecaps FC Alumni John Catliff (striker) Jeff Clarke (midfielder) Jay DeMerit (defender) Paul Dolan (forward) Nick Dasovic (defender) Ivor Evans (midfielder) Steve Macdonald (defender) Erin McNulty (goalkeeper) Rob Merkl (goalkeeper) Jay Nolly (goalkeeper) Guido Titotto (midfielder) Alfredo Valente (midfielder)

Follow Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Twitter and Facebook for more information.

Tandoori Flame has recently opened its first BC location, bringing its Greater Toronto-based giant Indian buffet to Delta-Surrey. This unique dining experience has 12 interactive food stations with close to 150 food items, along with seating for 450+ in a multi-room 11,000 sq. ft. layout. It’s North America’s largest Indian buffet!

Tandoori Flame Delta-Surrey

Where: 11970 88 Ave, Delta

Photos by Studio Orange Photography

A different class of an ‘Indian Kitchen’ on its own, this establishment provides a rustic, traditional yet contemporary design overlooking the bustling of Scott Rd through 200 linear feet of glass walls. There’s also a bar with cocktail & mocktail lists exclusive to Tandoori Flame Restaurants.

Win Dinner at Tandoori Flame

Host private parties, a special event, get take-out, or simply enjoy a delicious night out with friends and family. I have the opportunity to give away dinner for you and three guests courtesy of Tandoori Flame, here’s how you can enter to win:

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

Follow Tandoori Flame‘s BC location on Facebook for more info.

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, August 27, 2018. Reservation for the winner will be handled by the restaurant. Prize value is $92.77 (2 adults and 2 kids weekend dinner) to $107.96 (4 adults for weekend dinner).

Whalley Little League is once again taking the Little League World Series by storm in Williamsport, and while they enjoy their time on the world stage, locals in North Surrey know how important this organization is to the community year-round. I grew up in the area and aside from having one of the best playgrounds around, the ballparks bring the neighbourhood – and the city – together to celebrate teamwork, sportsmanship, and family.

I recently came across an article about how the Whalley Athletic Park came to be, and it seems that it is its own Field of Dreams story. If you build it, they will come… and play, and win national championships.

The Field of Dreams in Whalley

Source: Opposite The City (quoted with permission from the author)

In the summer of 1950 Whalley volunteers were transforming a few acres of bush into an athletic park.

Inspired by the spirit of volunteerism fostered by flood relief work in 1948, local women had banded together, under the name of the Whalley Community Guild, to make a local playground for children, whilst men under the rubric of the Whalley Business Men’s Association, undertook to build a ball park.

The women had already demonstrated what they could do. They had created Tom Binnie Park. As for the men of Whalley, wrote Helen Carter in 1949: “They dreamed of a baseball diamond.”

The men founded the Whalley Athletic Association (WAA), donating funds – $500 each – and their own labor to build a ball park with a first class ball diamond.

It was definitely a community effort from the start, but when big city reporter Erwin Swangard was sent out by the Vancouver Province to cover this small town story, he chose to focus on one man. As Clarice Harkley was the prime mover in organizing the women, so Haddon Bolivar was the leader of the men.

Erwin Swangard was a veteran journalist who had seen much. In 1936 he reported from the spectacle at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Yet Swangard marvelled at the initiative and zeal of the local Whalley corps, and watched in admiration of the direction given by their leader, a local chicken rancher.

“All you have to do is drive down King George Highway to the centre of Whalley, turn to the right and there you will discover Haddon Bolivar, vigorously working on his own memorial, the most ambitious sports centre ever undertaken by a community of Whalley’s modest size.”

The goal was to transform 8 acres of “rough bush” into a multi-purpose athletic complex that would include a swimming pool, softball diamonds, tennis courts and a community centre. The jewel in the crown was to be a regulation size baseball diamond and bleachers, fit for league play.

Reporter Swangard applauded the dedication of the local volunteers and the cooperation of the district in buying the property for them. But it is clear that Swangard was most impressed by the initiative and organizational skills of Haddon Bolivar.

It appeared clear to the group of volunteers that “once the project is finished it ought to be named Haddon Bolivar Centre.”

It appears clear also, that reporter Erwin Swangard was inspired by Haddon Bolivar, a man who was, wrote Swangard: “building his own monument.” Under development in May, the park was “opened with a bang” by a baseball tournament on Labor Day weekend, 1950.

Read the full story via Opposite The City »

Team Canada aka Whalley Little League is enjoying their 6th national championship title, tying them for second most in the country. They are back in action today at the Little League World Series at 3:00pm vs Mexico.

The Vancouver International Film Festival (“VIFF”) has announced its line up of Canadian films in the True North and Sea to Sky streams, which are anchored by a mix of moving Indigenous stories of redemption and commanding female voices.

#MustSeeBC

The BC Spotlight (Sea to Sky) series features dark comedy with Bruce Sweeney’s Kingsway. Grant Baldwin’s This Mountain Life and Kathleen S. Jayme’s Finding Big Country document the alpine and the athletic, respectively. Finally, Sean Devlin’s When the Storm Fades features a Filipino family’s re-enactment of their recovery from disaster.

In advance of the festival, the #mustseeBC campaign invites audiences to preview trailers, promote BC filmmakers across social networks and VOTE for their favourite films. The film that gets the most fan votes takes the title “Audience Must-See-Film” and gets a special red carpet screening. Voting starts on September 6th and closes on September 25th, 2018.

BC Spotlight (Sea to Sky presented by TELUS):
Because We Are Girls (dir. Baljit Sangra, Canada) – World Premiere
Edge of the Knife (dirs. Gwaai Edenshaw, Helen Haig-Brown, Canada)
Finding Big Country (dir. Kathleen S. Jayme, Canada/USA) – World Premiere
Freaks (dirs. Adam Stein, Zach Lipovsky, Canada)
Kingsway (dir. Bruce Sweeney, Canada)
N.O.N. (dir. Zebulon Zang, Canada)
Picking Up the Pieces: The Making of the Witness Blanket (dirs. Cody Graham, Carey Newman, Canada) World Premiere
The Darling (dir. Seung-Yup Lee, Canada/South Korea) – North American Premiere
This Mountain Life (dir. Grant Baldwin, Canada)
When the Storm Fades (dir. Sean Devlin, Canada/Philippines)

The True North stream will also feature several commanding female voices behind the camera. Director Patricia Rozema returns to VIFF with Mouthpiece, adapted from a two woman play, while Jasmin Mozaffari’s debut Firecrackers depicts two friends’ bid to escape their hometown.

True North presented by Telefilm:
A Sister’s Song (dir. Danae Elon, Canada) – North American Premiere
Clara (dir. Akash Sherman, Canada/USA)
Firecrackers (dir. Jasmin Mozaffari, Canada)
Genesis (dir. Philippe Lesage, Canada) – North American Premiere
Giant Little Ones (dir. Keith Behrman, Canada)
Mouthpiece (dir. Patricia Rozema, Canada)
Quiet Killing (dir. Kim O’Bomsawin, Canada)
Roads in February (dir. Katherine Jerkovic, Canada/Uruguay)
The Far Shore (dir. David Uloth, Canada) – World Premiere
Ville Neuve (dir. Félix Dufour-Laperrière, Canada) – North American Premiere
What is Democracy? (dir. Astra Taylor, Canada)
What Walaa Wants (dir. Christy Garland, Canada/Palestine)

Totally Indie Day

Where: Vancouver International Film Centre (1181 Seymour St)
When: September 29, 2018

VIFF also announced Totally Indie Day, presented by STORYHIVE, programming that will include in depth conversations with Hollywood’s elite creators such as three-time Oscar nominee and editor Jay Cassidy (American Hustle), production designers Jade Healy (I, Tonya) and Chris Jones (Lady Bird), and more.

VIFF Timelines

Monday, August 20, 2018
ONLINE: Advance VIFF Pass + Ticket Packs on sale at viff.org

Thursday, September 6, 2018
Full Program available online.

Thursday, September 13, 2018
IN-PERSON: Box Office opens at The Vancouver International Film Centre. Monday to Saturday: 12:00pm to 7:00pm, Sunday: 2:00pm to 7:00pm.

VIFF 2018 runs September 27 to October 12, 2018. Follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information about the festival, its events, special guests, and films.

Miss604 is a proud media partner of VIFF 2018.