Win Tickets to the Cineworks Oscar Party

Comments 21 by Rebecca Bollwitt

The 87th Academy Awards ceremony will take place this Sunday and Cineworks in Vancouver is inviting you to their Oscar Party hosted by Paul Anthony.

v2Oscars2015med

Win Tickets to the Cineworks Oscar Party

Cineworks is an independent filmmakers society and an artist-run production and exhibition centre that supports independent filmmakers and media artists. Through initiatives that foster dialogue and experimentation with cinematic practices, Cineworks engages their membership and the broader community through the transformative power of the moving image and the changing role of film in its contemporary context.

Join Cineworks on Sunday, February 22, 2015 from 4:00pm (doors) 5:00pm (start) until 10:00pm for their 2nd annual fundraiser and Oscar screening party at Creekside Community Recreation Centre (1 Athletes Way, Vancouver).

The event will be hosted by Paul Anthony who is the Host, Creator and Executive Producer of TV’s critically acclaimed Talent Time airing on both Shaw TV and the Novus Network. Paul was the inaugural recipient of the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame Award for the most promising newcomer and as an actor, he has performed in over fifty film and television projects including Blade Trinity and the Emmy Award winning Traffic.

Tickets for the Cineworks Oscar Party are available online for $85 and I also have a pair to give away. Here’s how you can enter to win:

  • Leave a comment on this post naming an Oscar nominee this year (1 entry)
  • Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win tix to the #CWOscarParty via @CWOscarParty + @Miss604 http://ow.ly/JdM0C

I will draw one winner at 12:00pm on Thursday, February 19, 2015. Follow Cineworks on Twitter and Facebook for more information.

Update The winner is Elizabeth!

BC Home and Garden Show 2015

Comments 28 by Rebecca Bollwitt

The BC Home and Garden Show is happening this week at BC Place as the stadium as real experts, provide real advice and real inspiration from February 18th to February 22nd.

homegarden homegarden2

BC Home and Garden Show 2015

With Canada’s favourite home, horticulture and landscaping specialists, including HGTV’s Bryan Baeumler, W Network’s Todd Talbot and design duo Janette Ewen and Jef Hancock, plus more than 450 exhibitors and features designed to whip any home or garden into shape, there’s innovation, inspiration and expert advice at every turn.

Highlights

You won’t want to miss the Celebrity Guests on the Main Stage including: Gemini-award winning host of HGTV’s Leave it to Bryan and House of Bryan, Bryan Baeumler; Love It or List It Vancouver‘s co-host Todd Talbot; leading editor of design and lifestyle publications in Canada (House and Home, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine and Chocolat) Janette Ewen; artist and designer Jef Hancock; professional decorator Christine Friend; Vancouver-based style expert Jennifer Scott; award-winning interior designer, Jamie Banfield; Karin Bohne; Sarah Gallop; Jessi Johnson; Anicka Quin; Jess Viara; and more!

Enter to some amazing prizes, check out the Power Smart Cabin, visit the Feature Gardens, watch demos on the Vancouver Magazine Cooking Stage, and stop by the Vancouver Sun Gardener School.

A highlight for the social media crowd will be the Meat and Tweet (with Beer): Join the YVR Beer Tweet Up at the BC Home and Garden Show on Wednesday, February 18 from 7:00pm to 8:00pm at the Vancouver Magazine Cooking Stage. Featuring BBQ and brews from Just Here For The Beer and CRAFT Beer Market, plus plenty of tweeting action, this is a can’t miss event for anyone who loves to get social.

Hours

Wednesday, February 18, 2015 from 4:00pm to 9:00pm
Thursday, February 19, 2015 from 12:00pm to 9:00pm
Friday, February 20, 2015 from 12:00pm to 9:00pm
Saturday, February 21, 2015 from 10:00am to 9:00pm
Sunday, February 22, 2015 from 10:00am to 6:00pm

Tickets

Tickets are $15.00 for adults, $12.00 for seniors, $5.00 for seniors before 5:00pm on Thursday and Friday, free for children 12 and under. Purchase online in advance and save!

Enter to Win

showersetThe BC Home and Garden Show has offered up two tickets for a Miss604 reader as well as a SaveMore Plumbing & Lighting Valley Hand Shower Set (valued at $275).

It’s a 27.5” Slide bar with swivel hand shower holder, 59” Reinforced PVC hose, with a chrome finish. Here’s how you can enter to win:

  • Leave a comment naming something/someone you’ll see at the BC Home and Garden Show (1 entry)
  • Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win a @VanHomeShows prize from @savemoreplumbin + @Miss604 http://ow.ly/JarkF

You’ll find SaveMore Plumbing & Lighting at booth 530 this weekend and you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Follow the BC Home and Garden Show on Twitter and Facebook for more information. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 5:00pm on Wednesday, February 18, 2015.

Update The winner is Jason!

Surrey Leadership Action Conference

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

Miss604 is proud to support the Surrey Leadership Action Conference (“SLAC”), which is a weekend-long conference organized by youth, for youth, February 20th to February 22nd.

Surrey Leadership Action Conference

Join over a hundred youth in Surrey (ages 13-18) for a weekend conference to build skills and start making changes in your community. Jam-packed with workshops, the Surrey Leadership Action Conference is the opportunity for young leaders to learn, share, and grow. This year’s conference theme is speaking up through creativity and self-expression.

Where: Cloverdale Recreation Centre (6188 176 St Surrey)
When: Friday, February 20th to Sunday, February 22nd, 2015
Registration: $35 online in advance. Financial assistance is available upon request. Meals and snacks are provided throughout the conference.

Workshops

Topics include facilitation and leadership skills, create expression and arts, and more from facilitators such as Miscellaneous Productions, Reel Youth, PeerNetBC, Neonology, Youth Arts Council of Surrey, Surrey Youth Stewardship Squad, Equitas, Surrey Leadership Youth Council, YOUCAN, YMCA’s Youth Leadership Development program, Surrey Art Gallery.

Of course there will also be a lot of fun to be had with interesting activities to keep youth occupied in between workshops and during the evening. They can learn to DJ, play board games and late night basketball, and participate in competitions.

Register

Print and fill in the registration form and make sure your parents sign them. Drop off the form at any City of Surrey Recreation Centre, referencing program #4395313. If there are any issues, call David at (604) 598-5756. More information is available online.

Stanley Park Ecology Society: Meet The Spotted Towhee

Add a Comment by Guest Author

StanleyParkEcologyThis post has been contributed by Don Enright, Volunteer and Past President with the Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”). I have been following SPES since I moved into the West End almost a decade ago and I have been a member for two years. I wanted to offer the team an opportunity to share their news, events, and work so I have created “SPES Saturday” where they contribute and share stories with my audience once a month.

Meet The Spotted Towhee

Next time you’re needing a flash of colour and a spark of charisma to brighten your winter day, take a walk in Stanley Park and keep your eyes peeled for the spotted towhee, one of the prettiest birds to call Vancouver home.

towhee1
A towhee scratches for tasty seeds and grubs. (Photo: Michael Schmidt)

Their long, trilling song can be heard from quite a ways away. Towhees are famous for singing “Drink! Your! Teeeeeeee!” but our birds seem to want to shorten it to simply, “Teeeeee!” Once you learn that call, you’ll have no trouble finding towhees wherever you wander in Stanley Park. They’re wonderfully common, which is not to say that they’re vulgar; far from it. Spotted towhees are elegant little birds, perhaps the most beautiful member of the sparrow family. With their rufous-red sides, deep red eyes and chic black and white spotting, they look a bit like some tropical caged bird that has made its escape. But just watch them foraging for a few minutes, and their behaviour is pure sparrow: they jump forward, scratch into the forest floor with both feet at once, and then jump backwards, raking the duff with their little claws to expose seeds and grubs.

Towhees are among the few songbirds that remain faithful to each other, not only throughout the breeding season but from year to year, too. Our tree swallows appear monogamous, but research shows that they are secretly stepping out behind each other’s back with surprising regularity. And chickadees have a divorce rate that rivals our own, believe it or not. But towhees are in it for the long term, and it seems to be working for them; they’re one of the more successful songbirds in the region, adapting to city, semi-rural and forest life equally well.

towhee
A towhee rests on a Stanley Park bench. (Photo: Michael Schmidt) (Photo: Michael Schmidt)

Take a walk along Lost Lagoon, and stop at the concrete bridge—that’s where many of the local winter songbirds hang out. Wait just a moment, watch for that flash of rufous, and listen for that trademark call. The spotted towhees will be waiting for you.

Variety Show of Hearts Telethon: New This Year

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

The 49th annual broadcast of Variety’s Show of Hearts Telethon is happening this weekend and we invite you to tune in to Global, join in the fun online, and donate to help children in BC who have special needs.

SOH2015_FB_Timeline

New This Year

Social Lounge: For the very first time, I’m sponsoring the “Show of Hearts Social Lounge” in the VIP room, bringing in some of my social media friends to share the stories of Telethon with our followers. Video and Selfie booths will capture the excitement of the event and you can join the conversation by using #SOH2015, @VarietyBC and @Miss604.

Other new additions to the telethon this year include the Champions Pledge. By signing up for a Champions Pledge of $2,500 or more, you can help Variety help more families in BC make their vans wheelchair accessible. Families can go together in safety and comfort to doctors’ appointments and engage with events in their communities. In thanks for your support you will receive a framed, special edition poster by renowned Canadian artist Robert Bateman – watch the Telethon to see this year’s beautiful creation entitled “Siberian Clearing”.

Little Victories Circle: Whether it’s a first step or a first word, every achievement by Variety’s kids is epic, and you can help them be the champions we believe they are. For a donation of minimum $25 a month, we invite you to join the Little Victories Circle (formerly known as Monthly Giving) and make a difference all year long. In thanks for your continued support, you will receive a Variety Bear, and a child who has special needs will also receive one.

Siberian Clearing by Robert Bateman: This is the 11th year that world-renowned naturalist and artist Robert Bateman has created a painting for Variety’s Show of Hearts Telethon. For a pledge of $189 or more, donors will receive a poster of “Siberian Clearing” which depicts a mother tiger and her cub in a snowy landscape.

BC Place Glows Red for Variety BC this Saturday and Sunday night, and Global BC is curating a live blog of #SOH2015 conversations online.

Chances to Win

Find out how you can enter the Show of Hearts Car Giveaway, and the St. Lucia Dream Vacation Lottery when you tune in to the 49th annual Variety Show of Hearts Telethon on Global BC February 14th and 15th.

IMG_2135

Charlie’s Chocolate Factory in Burnaby has also donated a chocolate gift basket valued at $200! I have the pleasure of giving this away over Twitter this weekend. Simply post an update to Twitter that includes #SOH2015, @VarietyBC and @Miss604 and you’ll be entered to win. You can also paste the following on Twitter:

RT to enter to win a Charlie’s Chocolate Factory gift basket in support of @VarietyBC #SOH2015 via @Miss604
Get set for an inspiring weekend – #SOH2015 is here! Feb 14 & 15 on @GlobalBC
Celebrate amazing kids with special needs with @VarietyBC #SOH2015 Feb 14 & 15 @GlobalBC

I will draw one winner of the gift basket from all entries at 4:00pm on Sunday, February 15, 2015. Enjoy the show and make a donation to help more children in BC achieve their own little victories!