The YWCA Women of Distinction Awards have posted their call for nominations today, far ahead of previous years which began the process in January ahead of their May event. From September 15th, 2014 until January 22nd, 2015 you can nominate a remarkable woman in your life, community, or at your company for recognition at the 32nd annual YWCA Women of Distinction Awards.

Categories for the awards include: Arts, Culture and Design (sponsored by TD Bank); Business and the Professions; Community Champion; Education Training and Development; Entrepreneurship; Environmental Sustainability; Health and Wellness; Non-profit or Public Service; Technology, Science and Research; Young Women of Distinction; and Outstanding Workplace. All nominees will also be entered in the Connecting the Community award category.

The 2015 ceremony will take place Tuesday, May 26th at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Follow the YWCA of Vancouver on Facebook and Twitter for more information along with the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards @YWVanWODA on Twitter.

YWCA Metro Vancouver is dedicated to achieving women’s equality. Their mission is to touch lives and build better futures for women and their families through advocacy and integrated services that foster economic independence, wellness and equal opportunities.

When Nardwuar, the most unique and talented music researcher and interviewer of our time, states that his band will be opening up for his favourite band of all time, you should stop what you’re doing and get tickets for that show immediately. On Thursday, October 2, 2014 The Evaporators (with Nardwuar) and The Flintettes will open for The Sonics at Vancouver’s Rickshaw Theatre.

The Sonics took rock and roll to the edge in 1963 and laid the groundwork for the garage punk and grunge genres we know today.

“Driven by Gerry Roslie’s fearsome, bloodcurdling howl, Larry Parypa’s pummeling, distortion-heavy guitar work and Rob Lind’s greasy, squalling sax, the Tacoma, Washington-bred combo delivered a brutal, propulsive sound and a swaggering, primal attitude to match.”

“The Sonics became regional stars throughout the Pacific Northwest, where their over-the-top performances made them a consistently in-demand live act. But their assaultive approach proved a bit too extreme for national mainstream exposure at the time. The original Sonics splintered in 1967, but the band’s influence and mystique continued to grow steadily in the ensuing decades, as their vintage work was rediscovered by succeeding generations of fans and musicians. Meanwhile, such Sonics standards as “Psycho,” “The Witch,” “Strychnine” and “Have Love, Will Travel” continued to turn up in film soundtracks, TV commercials and the set lists of the countless Sonics-loving bands who emulated—but never duplicated—the band’s sound.” [The Sonics: Bio]

Tickets are now on sale for this show and can be purchased online or at Highlife, Neptoon Records, Northern Tickets, Red Cat, or Zulu Records for $26.50 (plus fees). Follow The Sonics on Twitter and Facebook for more information about the band’s upcoming shows.

As the teachers’ strike in BC continued this September I found the perfect activity to enjoy with my niece and nephews, whose ages range from 6 to 14 years old. With blue skies above and a crisp pre-autumn breeze at our backs, we piled in the car and headed out to the Meadows Maze in Pitt Meadows.

I first toured the Meadows Maze, operated by the Hopcott family (of Hopcott Premium Meats) on a grey and drizzly day back in June when the corn was just starting to pop up from the soil:

Returning last Friday, the corn was over 2 meters high and a perfect challenge for corn maze adventurers like us:

We arrived right at opening (11:00am on Fridays) and there was already a line-up in the gift shop where tickets are purchased. As we got our wristbands, corn maze maps, and clue cards for a fun mystery to solve within the maze, two school buses of young children also pulled up — Meadows Maze was the place to be!

There are three options for exploring the maze. The first, which is the smallest, is the Farm Tracks Maze for young explorers. In this mini-maze guests search for 6 hoof print stations. When found, trace the hoof print, exit the maze, and match the print to an animal to solve the mystery of “Who stole Farmer Joe’s pie?”.

Our group was a bit older so we went for the second maze option: Farm Scene. This is a medium size maze, within the larger Mega Maze, that also has a mystery to solve. Armed with clue booklets, we were to find stations on which farm scenes were depicted. By process of elimination, based on what we saw at the stations, we collected clues and eliminated suspects (weapons, suspects, and the crime scene) leaving us with only one possible scenario at the end and one suspect to lock up for the disappearance of Farmer Joe.

Two of my nephews fought to be at the front of our line and triumphantly rejoiced whenever they were the first to spot the clue stations. My youngest nephew simply enjoyed being in the corn and proclaimed himself “King of the Corn!”. He would walk ahead of us, turn down an adjoining route, and pop out to scare us when we passed. Lucky for me he was wearing an easy-to-spot red shirt so this auntie didn’t get too panicked when he would leave the pack.

My niece, the oldest of the crew, was in charge of photography. I handed her my camera and she took every one of the images used in this blog post.

The kids enjoyed this activity although we should have brought some water with us as the “I’m thirsty” chorus began about 25 minutes in on that very warm morning. The snack station was nearby so we rehydrated once we solved the mystery, after about 45 minutes. Everyone was pretty excited to complete the exercise and call out the suspect who was depicted as a cartoon (with the other barnyard suspects) on a board at the exit.

My niece’s favourite part was finding the platform in the middle of the Mega Maze, which we learned wasn’t a part of our Farm Scene course so we must have taken a wrong turn. Regardless, it was a great place to look out at the entire property and enjoy the view of the 6km maze.

Since we did the medium size maze in 45 minutes, stopping to look for clues, I would anticipate about 90 minutes to complete the Mega Maze. We were done with the corn after our Farm Scene activity and we enjoyed the rest of the Meadows Maze fun for the rest of the afternoon. There’s a petting zoo, pig races, bee observatory, 40-foot slide, corn cannons, hay wagon ride, corn barrel train, picnic areas, and more all included with admission.

The kids weren’t hungry so we only had drinks at the snack bar but there were many other treats offered, like slushies, popcorn and fudge which was churning right behind the counter.

Until October 19, 2014 the Meadows Maze is open 3:30pm to 10:00pm Mondays to Thursdays (mornings are for reserved groups only); Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00am to 10:00pm; and Sundays 11:00am to 6:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase online or in the gift shop when you arrive. General admission is $13 (for ages 13+); $10 (ages 3-12); and free for children 2 and under.

Follow the Meadows Maze on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

Canada’s best-known improvisor, Colin Mochrie, will team up with Vancouver TheatreSports League (“VTSL”) next month for two delightfully side-splitting shows: Up Close and Personal with Colin Mochrie and Guests. Each show will feature improvised sketches and TheatreSports games based on audience suggestions to spur the comedic action.

What: Up Close and Personal with Colin Mochrie and Guests
Where: Performance Works (1218 Cartwright St. Granville Island)
When: Friday, October 3, 2014 at 7:30pm and 9:30pm
Tickets: Available now for $60 and $75.

This was originally a one night only event however, once October 4th show completely sold out so they added two more on October 3rd. Proceeds from “Up Close and Personal with Colin Mochrie and Guests” will support VTSL’s community programming, along with The Improv Comedy Institute, the brand new educational division of Vancouver TheatreSports™, opening in October.

Vancouver TheatreSports™ League is now a local institution and a worldwide phenomenon, producing and staging some of the most daring and innovative improv in the world. Boasting six International Improv Comedy Awards and having starred in several television specials, Vancouver TheatreSports™ League performs to more than 60,000 enthusiasts yearly, five nights a week, 52 weeks a year.

A night out with VTSL usually means that your cheeks will hurt from smiling and you’ll literally “LOL”. When you add Colin Mochrie to the mix I’m certain you’ll enjoy some hilariously creative, quality, local entertainment.

Colin is an alumnus of both VTSL and Toronto’s Second City comedy troupes and he was a regular on both the British and American versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway. He is currently on a popular North American improv tour with his former Whose Line Is It Anyway cast mate, Brad Sherwood.

Win Tickets

VTSL has offered up a pair of tickets to the 7:30pm show on Friday, October 3, 2014. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow Vancouver TheatreSports League on Facebook and Twitter for more information. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, September 19, 2014.

Update The winner is Gary!

Seattle-based Death Cab for Cutie had an out-of-this-world set at the Rifflandia festival in Victoria this past Saturday night when a meteor streaked through the sky during their performance of Long Division. John and I had just left the photo pit and camped out in the back of the enthralled audience when the shooting star appeared in the dimming night sky, to the left of the stage. No one was sure what they saw but they knew it was magical.

Meteor Over Rifflandia in Victoria

The following video captures the moment within the first few seconds:

Death Cab for Cutie continued their set uninterrupted but for many in the crowd at Royal Athletic Park, it capped off a pretty momentous evening as this was the last time co-founder and guitarist Chris Walla would play with the band. Walla announced his departure in August of this year.

Reports of the meteor, that glowed green for several seconds as it crossed the sky, was visible up and down the Pacific Northwest coast, from Gabriola Island to Albany, Oregon.

Our full coverage from the Rifflandia festival in Victoria, with my recaps and John’s photos will be available this week. Hat tip to Steffani Cameron for locating this video.