It’s time to sign up with your team for the Scotiabank Bowl for Big Brothers Classic, the largest fundraising event of its kind in North America! Taking over bowling centres across the Lower Mainland this April, there are over 30 events to choose from and you’ll join over 2,000 participants on 200 teams to support Big Brothers’ mentoring programs for at-risk children.
Sign Up
Sign up, raise pledges, have fun, support the kids and be a superhero! When and where is up to you, choose from a variety of bowling locations (like REVS, The Zone Richmond and Commodore) and events throughout the month of April. When you raise a minimum of $60 you can bowl, eat, drink and have fun with a group of colleagues, friends or family, while giving back to a great cause.
About Big Brothers
One in four Lower Mainland children grows up without a father. By matching at-risk children with mentors, we attempt to instill resiliency to help them cope with the adversities they face. By participating in this bowling campaign, you can help us make a difference. There is no more important investment than helping our community’s children realize – and share – their full potential.
Enter to Win
In support of the Scotiabank Bowl for Big Brothers Classic, I’m giving away two 1 Month Unlimited Yoga Passes to Semperviva Yoga. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment naming your favourite superhero (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 5:00pm on Friday, February 27, 2015. Follow Big Brothers on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
Update The winner is Kate!
I usually plan a weekend getaway leading up to our wedding anniversary and for #9 this year, I looked east to the Fraser Valley. We’ve always enjoyed our time in Maple Ridge, Chilliwack, Harrison, Agassiz, and beyond, where rushing streams meet pristine lakes, old growth forests cling on mountainsides, and farmers grow a bounty of delicious local goods. We’ve barely been back for 24 hours but having such a successful trip, I thought I would share what made our time in the Fraser Valley so memorable.
7 Simple Steps for Enjoying a Romantic Getaway in the Fraser Valley
1. Take the scenic route:
Branded as Scenic Highway 7, this road can take you all the way from Coquitlam to Hope, and it’s a beautiful and efficient alternative to the Trans Canada Highway. I was driving an all new, six speed Acura ILX this week which made it really fun to navigate twists and turns of this scenic route that winds past the rail line, family farms, river bends, and country stores. Taking Highway 7 as far as you can go on the north side of the river, we took a quick turn along Morris Valley Road (follow the signs to Hemlock) and arrived at Rowena’s Inn.
2. Stay somewhere awesome:
John and I first stayed at Rowena’s Inn on the River back in 2011 and it has since become one of our favourite local getaway destinations. This 160 acre family estate has a golf course, luxurious inn, and cabins along the Harrison River where the bald eagles soar, salmon run in the creek, and classic elegance meets the beauty of the valley.
We love that we can drive just 90 minutes outside of Downtown Vancouver to reach the peace and tranquility of this river side setting. The fact that the cabins have fireplaces, fridges for your bottles of bubbly, and in-floor heating next to the jacuzzi tubs in the bathroom doesn’t hurt either. You can go for a walk along the river’s edge or stay inside all day by the fire, reading a book or enjoying each other’s company.
New this season, the breakfast basket delivery to the cabins was discontinued but meals are being served in the drawing room of the main estate house, which was lovely with another roaring fire and jazz tunes softly setting the mood. The estate also now has complimentary guest WiFi.
3. Go for a walk:
It’s safe to say that our favourite activity, whether it be in the city or out in the valley, is going for a walk in one of our regions many parks. From Rowena’s we hopped in the car and drove over to Sasquatch Provincial Park just outside Harrison Hot Springs. The drive was 30 minutes, with about 10 minutes of gravel roads in once we entered the park and visited both Deer Lake and Hicks Lake (each 6km away from the park entrance).
It was a bright, warm, and sunny February morning when we visited and the parking lot had about a dozen cars in it already. Families were out fishing, walking the dog, and setting up picnics at the many tables and sandy beaches along the Hicks Lake.
We found a few paths that took us to lookouts, additional picnic areas, and viewpoints along the lake where a group of Canada Geese discovered us and began tracking our movements from the water.
Down one road and up another, we then walked hand-in-hand around Deer Lake, which has a boardwalk area off the parking lot where a beaver had obviously been busy creating waterfalls and flooding the flat lands around its lodge. Without the overgrown greenery of summer, a water pistol and a lone flip flop lay in the mud near the skunk cabbage showing that this is obviously a very popular recreational area during the warmer months.
Rounding a corner on a gravel path, we dropped down to the rocky beach where a strong wind caused whitecaps to stream across the emerald water, which mimicked the evergreen-covered mountains that hugged its shores. With the wind cutting through my jacket it was the perfect time for a hug from my sweetheart to warm me up.
4. Have a hearty lunch:
After working up an appetite, and being a bit chilled from the lake wind, we drove back down to Harrison Hot Springs to have lunch at Chuck & Kitty’s Country Cafe. The tiny space just off the main beach road was packed at 1:30pm on a Saturday with guests ordering the soup of the day, giant slices of cheesecake, and late breakfasts consisting of pancakes smothered in strawberries. John ordered the tuna melt with the Thai chicken soup, and I had a BLT and a cup of split pea and ham. Service was prompt, friendly, and the hearty meal was just what we needed.
5. Do some shopping:
Inspired by our tasty lunch, we retraced our path from a Circle Farm Tour we did a few years ago on bikes. During that tour we were introduced to a handful of local farms and producers like Farm House Natural Cheese (which has the BEST cheese curds) and Canadian Hazelnut.
6. Enjoy a decadent meal with local ingredients:
Rowena’s Inn has the River’s Edge Restaurant but at this point in the season, as mentioned in Step 2, meals are being served in the manor house, which is a 2 minute walk from the cabins across a stream, past the outdoor pool and hot tub.
We ordered the table d’hôte for $40 which included a starter, entreé, and dessert of chocolate mouse that sat on top of a sweet cream cheese-filled chocolate cup. I paired the house wine (from Domain de Chaberton in Langley) with my prime rib and John ordered the Gray Monk Pinot Gris (one of our BC favourites) with his salmon wellington. We split the dessert, although our spoons clashed on more than one occasion.
7. Light a fire and unwind from all the amazing adventures you had earlier in the day:
The walk back to our cabin was lit by the moon and once we traded our coats for robes, the fire was lit, a VQA cork was popped, and we busted out the Scrabble board that was sitting on the mantel.
With our bellies full, faces flush from the windy walk by the lakes, and toes warmed by the crackling fire, we toasted to another year of marriage and another year of making the very best of a winter weekend, whether it be in the city or in the valley.
Other activities that are outstanding in the Fraser Valley include a river jet boat tour, golfing, fly fishing, sturgeon fishing, events like the Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival or Tulips of the Valley, or soaking in the Harrison Hot Springs mineral pools. Whatever your taste, there’s an adventure your pace awaiting in the Fraser Valley!
“Baker looks amazing today,” you might overhear a local casually proclaim. “Baker” being Mount Baker, which is located just south of the border about 50km east of Bellingham, Washington. It is an active volcano in America’s the North Cascades range and is the second most heavily glaciated volcano in that range, next to Mount Rainier.
It has a ski area, hiking in the summer, and standing at 10,781 feet, it’s very visible from Metro Vancouver and Victoria on a clear day. We’re used to seeing lovely photos of the Coast Mountains to the north but Mount Baker brings out the shutterbug in many when it makes a prominent appearance, snowing off its snow cap at any time of year.
Photos of Mount Baker From Vancouver
Disney’s The Lion King returns to Vancouver for an exclusive 4 week engagement at the Queen Elizabeth theatre this summer. Back by popular demand, The Lion King will run from June 18th to July 12th, 2015 with tickets going on sale Monday, February 23rd at 10:00am — and a pre-sale starting today!
Jelani Remy as “Simba” and the ensemble in “He Lives in You” from THE LION KING National Tour. ©Disney. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.
The Lion King
Since its Broadway premiere on November 13, 1997, 22 global productions have been seen by more than 75 million people and, cumulatively, run a staggering 112 years. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), The Lion King is only the second show in history to generate five productions worldwide running 10 or more years. Having played 19 countries on every continent except Antarctica, The Lion King’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.
The show’s director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor continues to play an integral part in the show’s ongoing success. The first woman to win a Tony Award for Direction of a Musical, Taymor has in recent years supervised new productions of the show around the world.
The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice’s music from The Lion King animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and music from “Rhythm of the Pride Lands,” an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer. The resulting sound of THE LION KING is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, ranging from the Academy Award®-winning song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” to the haunting ballad “Shadowland.”
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Monday, February 23, 2015 online or by calling 1-855-985-5000. Tickets start at $35.00 (plus applicable service charges). Reservations for groups of ten (10) or more are now being accepted by calling 1-800-889-8457. Additionally, Premium Ticket Packages are available which include a prime seat location, a commemorative souvenir program and an exclusive merchandise item.
Lion King Vancouver Pre-Sale
Beat the box office this weekend and book your tickets in advance of the general sale on Monday by using this pre-sale link and the code MUFASA starting at 10:00am today and ending on Sunday, February 22nd.
Follow Broadway Across Canada on Twitter and Facebook for more information about their shows coming to Vancouver in 2015 and 2016.
This weekend, for the first time in the company’s history, Ballet BC presents Miami City Ballet, and their interpretation of some of George Balanchine’s most famous works: Serenade, Symphony in Three Movements, and Ballo della Regina.
Review: Ballet BC Presents Miami City Ballet
Miami City Ballet dancers in Serenade.
Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. Photo © Daniel Azoulay
George Balanchine, founder of New York City Ballet, was a pioneer in ballet who heightened, quickened, and streamlined classical ballet while setting it to classical music. The first work, set to music from the original production of Verdi’s Don Carlos, Ballo della Regina, was like an opera in dance form. With various soloists, including a virtuoso performances by Nathalia Arja and Renato Penteado, the dancer sang with full force by every leap and twirl.
Symphony in Three Movements had a post World War II feel to it. With the female dancers lined up in pastel costumes that resembled 1950s swimwear, they moved in a formations that reminded me, at times, of old footage synchronized swimmers, arms up and diving in, one by one. The men’s costumes (white top, black tights, and white shoes) and the bright and athletic dancing choreography invoked a bit of West Side Story, and was great fun to watch.
Serenade, first performed by New York City Ballet in 1935, set to Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C, was my favourite work of the evening. It is the first original ballet Balanchine created in America and is one of the signature works of New York City Ballet’s repertory. Balanchine worked unexpected rehearsal events into the choreography. If a one student fell, he incorporated it. If a student arrived late, and this, too, became part of the ballet.The moment the curtain came up and with all the female dances lined up with a blue light shining on and through their exquisite costumes–long, delicate tulles–the audience applauded. These tulles enhanced the intricate set of variations for the ballerina and the corps de ballet, which was in near-constant movement, flowing in and out of patterns with great speed and grace. Over 80 years old, this work was truly the most magical ballet I’ve seen to this date.
I really enjoyed the diversity of the works, and well as the dancers of Miami Ballet, many of whom are Latin American. Most of all, I truly enjoyed the diversity Ballet BC provided this season to its audience, by inviting such a wonderful company to perform in Vancouver.
Balanchine runs for four performances, February 19th until February 21st, 2015 at 8:00pm plus Saturday, February 21 matinee at 2:00pm at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tickets range from $40.00 to $98.50 (including service charges) and can be purchased through Ticketmaster online or by phone at 1-855-985-2787 (1-855-985-ARTS).
Follow Ballet BC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information.
