Win Tickets to Central City Summer Cask

Comments 59 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Central City’s Summer Cask Festival is returns this year to celebrate not only its award-winning brews but also local ciders and other regional craft breweries. Hosted at their very own Central City Brewpub in Surrey, the Summer Cask will take place on June 20th with delicious food options, a selection of casks, music, and fun times on the patio.

CentralCitySummerCask

Thanks to popularity of the Mystery Cask contest, they will be running it once again. Guess what’s in Brewmaster Gary Lohin’s Mystery Cask for a chance to win a personal brewery tour and tastings for four with Gary himself! Attendees can also enter to win a draw for the winner and 3 friends to join Central City’s exclusive Brewmaster’s dinner after the cask festival.

Breweries so far confirmed include: Bomber Brewing, Howesound Brewing, 33 Acres, Granville Island Brewing, Deadfrog Brewing, Moon Brewing, Wolf Brewing Company, Mission Springs Brewing, Four Winds Brewing, Moody Ales, Big Ridge Brewing, Callister Brewing, Vancouver Island Brewing, Mainstreet Brewing, Russell Brewing, Parallel 49 Brewing, Bridge Brewing, Steel and Oak Brewing, Phillips Brewing, Yellowdog Brewing, Deep Cove Brewing, Granville Island Brewing and of course Central City Brewing.

Win Tickets to Central City Summer Cask

Tickets are available exclusively online and I have a pair to give away as well. Here’s how you can enter to win:

  • Leave a comment naming a participating brewery (1 entry)
  • Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win tickets to @CentralCityBrew’s #SummerCaskFest from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/ObN5a

The event runs from 11:00am to 6:00pm on Saturday, June 20, 2015 and is for those 19+. Please enjoy responsibly. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, June 17, 2015. Follow Central City on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more info.

Update The winner is @shawzepe on Twitter!

Vancouver Garden Pass for National Garden Days

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

Celebrate National Garden Days in Vancouver on June 19th, June 20th, and June 21st by purchasing a Vancouver Garden Pass for entry into 5 of the city’s most spectacular gardens.

Vancouver Garden Pass

Nitobe Memorial 1262
Nitobe Memorial Garden. Photo credit: Kyle Bailey on Flickr

Experience an exhilarating combination of plants, history and architecture at:

Bloedel Conservatory
4600 Cambie St, Vancouver at Queen Elizabeth Park

Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden
578 Carrall St, Vancouver in Chinatown

Nitobe Memorial Garden
1895 Lower Mall, Vancouver at UBC

UBC Botanical Garden
6804 SW Marine Drive, Vancouver at UBC

VanDusen Botanical Garden
5251 Oak St, Vancouver

Ticket options are $25 for individual, $40 for a couple, and $5 for children 5 to 18 years of age (taxes not included). Buy your tickets in advance online, and present them on June 19th, 20th or 21st at any one of the five Gardens to receive your wristband-pass. Simply present your wristband at any of the participating Gardens for entry.

Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu in QE Park Bloedel Conservatory
Bird at Bloedel Conservatory. Photo credit: TOTORORO.RORO on Flickr

Wristbands will also be available for purchase in person at any of the participating gardens, during National Garden Days, while supplies last.

Desolation Sound Boat Tour

Comments 1 by Rebecca Bollwitt

This summer I have the enviable task of sharing adventures and writing about some of the Sunshine Coast’s many festivals through a partnership with FestivalSeekers. Once I’ve published my story for them, I’ll be posting an accompanying photo collage on Miss604. Follow all of these stories through my Sunshine Coast tag.

Desolation Sound Boat Tour

On a bright and sunny Thursday morning I flew out of YVR’s South Terminal on Pacific Coastal Airlines, landed at Powell River and began a 24 hour journey of discovery. One of my many stops was in Lund, BC at the very top of the Upper Sunshine Coast (in comparison, Gibsons would be part of the Lower Sunshine Coast).

Lund is the very beginning of Highway 101 that, if you just kept following, would lead you all the way down to Chile in South America. My goal in Lund was to get out on the water to prepare for my story about the Powell River Sea Fair and thanks to Christine at Terracentric Tours, I was able to cross “Tour Desolation Sound” off my BC travel bucket list.

Desolation Sound Boat Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

Desolation Sound Zodiac Tour

« View the full photo album on Flickr and follow me on Instagram for more photos »

Read my full article about the Powell River Sea Fair over on the FestivalSeekers website and check out Sunshine Coast Tourism to plan your trip to this beautiful coastal region.

FIFA Women’s World Cup: First Match Day in Vancouver

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

“Where are you from?” asked the security personnel as I walked out to the Media Tribune on BC Place’s 400 level. “I’m from here, I’m local,” I said, feeling inadequate as though they were waiting to welcome a journalist from afar instead they got someone who lives 8 blocks away. “Well then, you’re super VIP!” I smiled as the other staff were notified of my new status and found my seat just to the right of the centre line on the bright green Polytan turf.

BC Place looking awesome for its first #FIFAWWC match

The Spidercam slid along 4 cables attached to the highest riggings in the stadium and danced above the field as pop music echoed from the sound system. I had my freshly-printed media package, xeroxed copies of the tactical lineups for the first match of the day’s double header, and as the familiar aroma of mini-donuts wafted my way I read the tweet from the official FIFA Women’s World Cup account that one million spectators were now booked to attend the World Cup in Canada. I’m not playing a very large role in the World Cup matches hosted in Vancouver (aside from an awesome contest I have going with the City of Vancouver’s Fan Zone) but I knew I was about to become a part of something very special in this city.

FIFA Women’s World Cup: First Match Day in Vancouver

Cameroon and Ecuador took the pitch for a historic first match in Vancouver. There had never been a showdown between debutant sides before in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Fans in yellow (a colour that represents both teams) took their seats in the stadium with flags in hand. With the roof open, a circle of sunshine covered the left side of the venue as jubilant chants, though rather quiet, supporting both teams could be heard between whistle blows.

The Lionnes for Cameroon were in great form, with standout stars #9 Madeleine Ngono and #17 Gaëlle Enganamouit charging the Ecuadorian net and combining for a 6-0 outcome The final goal by #7 Gabrielle Onguene was followed by a swan dive into the open arms of her teammates on the sidelines. Enganamouit with a hat trick was awarded Player of the Match during the press conference that followed.

Outside at the Vancouver Fan Zone at Georgia and Cambie, where I’m running a contest to enter to win World Cup tickets, I received tweets from spectators watching this match and the USA-AUS match who said although it was “hotter than the surface of the sun” on the warm early June day, they were having a blast at the free celebration site.

The second match of the day kicked off at 7:00pm as reigning champions Japan took on Switzerland who were also making their World Cup debut. The atmosphere, and number of fans, amplified as Japan supporters took over sections 249-252 in BC Place, where Whitecaps FC supporters, the Vancouver Southsiders, usually set up shop. The energy was similar to an MLS match with drums, chants, flags and tifo. In the upper bowl, on level 400, Swiss supporters clapped thunder sticks and led their own chants, echoed by another Swiss supporter section below me to and the left. “Hopp Schwiiz! (clap, clap, clap) Hopp Schwiiz! (clap, clap, clap).”

My husband sent me a message: “Watch for #10 Ramona Bachmann, plays pro club with Marta in Europe who gives her high praise.” Even without his text, I wouldn’t have been able to miss Bachmann who was a fireball on the pitch, dribbling around defenders and creating scoring chances. Unfortunately for the Swiss team, Japan’s #8 Aya Miyama scored early on a penalty kick and the 1-0 score stood until the final whistle blew.

Swiss coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg commented that she was very proud of their performance today and she felt they should have at least had a draw. “Bachmann is one of the saddest players today because she couldn’t use the opportunities she had.”

Miyama was awarded the Player of the Match at the press conference where she said the team had difficulty finding their rhythm but getting this one goal felt great.

All teams are ready for their next matches in Vancouver on Friday and are focused on their main goal: qualifying for the next round of play.

Next Matches at BC Place

Coming up, the next matches at BC Place will be on Friday, June 12th as Switzerland now face Ecuador and Japan will pair up with Cameroon.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015: Nigeria vs USA
Sunday, June 21, 2015: Round of 16
Tuesday, June 23, 2015: Round of 16
Saturday, June 27, 2015: Quarter Final
Sunday, July 5, 2015: FINAL

Check out the full schedule for all Canadian host cities online and catch team Canada in action on June 11th and June 15th before the round of 16 begins. Be sure to get your tickets as well, let’s fill those seats in BC Place!

Current Campfire Bans in BC

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The dry weather means that more people will be hitting the road to find a camping spot this summer but it also means that our forests will have a high fire risk. In susceptible areas of the province, new fires will start easily, spread rapidly, and challenge fire suppression efforts. Before you head out to cook your s’mores, check out the BC Wildfire website for the latest information.

Campfire
Photo credit: Martin Cathrae on Flickr

Current Campfire Bans in BC

As of June 1, 2015 campfires are permitted in the Coastal, Northwest, Prince George, Kamloops, Southeast, and Cariboo regions. There are some restrictions in the Coastal region, including a ban on Category 2 fires in Parksville on Vancouver Island. Category 2 is an open fire, excluding a campfire, that burns piled material no larger than two metres high and three metres wide, or grass over an area less than 0.2 hectares (2000 square metres) in size.

« Click here for the latest Coastal fire ban updates »

Here are some of the best resources for campfire info in BC: Current Fire Bans, Latest Danger Ratings Per Region, and the BC Wildfire Management Branch Hotline. Follow BCForestFireInfo on Facebook for the latest news.

If you see a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on your mobile. For Wildfire information, call 1-888-3FOREST.