Vancouver Farmers Markets are warming up for the season, offering local produce, artisan goods and delicious treats. Shop for meat, seafood dairy, vegetables, fruit, and baked goods while you enjoy live entertainment and sample ready-made items from food trucks and vendors in the open air.
Trout Lake Farmers Market
Dates: Saturdays, May 10 to October 18, 2014
Time: 9:00am to 2:00pm each week
Where: North Parking Lot of John Hendry Park at Trout Lake, between Templeton and Lakewood south of the 13th Avenue Alley. Please note: There is no parking in the North Lot and no parking on 13th Avenue. Please park away from the area and walk in or better yet — walk, cycle or take transit if you can.
Kitsilano Farmers Market
Dates:Sundays, May 11 to October 19, 2014
Time: 10:00am to 2:00pm each week
Where: 2690 Larch Street at 10th Avenue, in the parking Lot of Kitsilano Community Centre.
West End Farmers Market
Dates: Saturdays, May 31 to October 18, 2014
Time: 9:00am to 2:00pm each week
Where: 1100 Block of Comox Street across from Nelson Park at Mole Hill.
Main Street Station Farmers Market
Dates:Wednesdays, June 4 to October 1, 2014
Time: 3:00pm to 7:00pm
Where: 1100 Block Station Street along Thornton Park across from the VIA Rail Station and near the Main St Skytrain Station.
Kerrisdale Village Farmers Market
Dates:Saturdays, June 14 to October 11, 2014
Time: 10:00am to 2:00pm each week
Where: East Boulevard between 37th and 41st Avenue, near Kerrisdale Arena.
Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
Dates: Sundays, June 15 – October 12, 2014
Time: 10:00am to 2:00pm each week
Where: Guelph Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, on the paved play area between Mt. Pleasant Elementary and Guelph Park.
Yaletown Farmers Market
Dates: Thursdays, May 1 – October 2, 2014
Time: 2:00pm to 6:00pm each week
Where: Mainland Street between Davie and Helmcken at the Yaletown-Roundhouse Canada Line Stop.
On top of all of these markets there is also a full events schedule to celebrate the bounty of the season — berries, corn, tomatoes — along with picnics, bikes, gardens and the harvest. Follow Vancouver Farmers Markets on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Vancouver’s largest indie craft fair, Got Craft?, returns this spring for its 15th show at the Maritime Labour Centre on May 10th and May 11th.
Founded in 2007, Got Craft? is held twice a year in May and December featuring handmade designers, craft workshops, tasty treats, DJs, FREE swag bags, and everything from chocolate to cards and clothes.
Got Craft? showcases 75 local vendors with a wide variety of curated handmade goods. Look out for longstanding favourites like Make Cheese Inc., Locomotive Clothing, and Draw Me A Lion. New to the show this season, awesome do-it-yourself projects and workshops including linocut, beginner sign painting, and making nail polish.
The first 50 people through the door each day will receive a swag bag full of goodies from vendors and sponsors! Got Craft? is happening from May 10th and May 11th, 2014 between 10:00am and 5:00pm at the Maritime Labour Centre, located at 1880 Triumph Street in Vancouver, BC. Admission is $3 at the door, and children (10 and under) get in free.
Got Craft? Gift Bag Giveaway
If you would like to attend God Craft? I have four tickets up for grabs and a swag bag (valued at over $250) to give away with exclusive goodies for one lucky Miss604 reader that includes one small item from every vendor at the show plus…
- Green With Envy, Terrarium in an Embroidered Bag
- Kohana Jewellery, Vancouver Map Necklace in Silver with Charms
- Strathcona 1890 Urban Seed Collections, Zombie Apocalypse Survival Seeds
- Quirky Paper Co., A Set of 3 Birthday Cards
- Batch Sweet Kitchen, Regular Sized Product
- Irit Sorokin Designs, Necklace
- g. ceramic & co., Medium Sized Bowl
- Veespoke, Infity Scarf
- LanaBetty, Organic Cotton & Bamboo Eyemask
- Abeego, One Set of Flats
- Simple Soap, Sweet Orange Sunrise Bar
- Sedated Clothing, Mens T-Shirt
- Honey Canada, Clasp Pouch
- Mimi Shop, Owl Rattle
- Fable Naturals, Organic Vanilla Orange Body Lotion
- Firefly Notes, Cordova Street Art Print
- The Hive Printing, East Van Map T-Shirt in Medium (size can be exchanged at the event)
The winner plus three guests will be added to the guest list at the show. Here’s how you can enter to win tickets and this gift bag full of local goodness:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Follow Got Craft? on Facebook for more information. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 9:00pm on Thursday, May 8, 2014. Winner must pick up item at the Got Craft? show May 10-11, 2014 during show hours.
Update The winner is Annie!
Everybody’s favourite food + art + charity project has returned as CANstruction sets up shop inside several downtown buildings. Running from May 11th until May 16th, this free public exhibition showcases colossal structures made entirely out of full cans of food.
CANstruction Vancouver Locations
After the structures are built, the creations go on display to the public as a giant art exhibition at our three venues: The Pendulum Gallery, The Rotunda at Pacific Center and The Four Seasons Hotel. Each location will display multiple sculptures based on this year’s theme “AROUND THE WORLD” the entire campaign will use an estimated 90,000 cans of food.
Founded by MET Fine Printers and Presented by FortisBC, all of the canned food used in the sculptures is donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank after display. Kids and adults alike will enjoy the creative displays, and knowing that all of this fun is for a great cause.
Follow CANstruction on Twitter and Facebook for more information. Hours depend on the opening hours of the buildings in which the display will sit.
“If you wanna get rich, make little people feel like big people… good food cheap, good whiskey cheap, and a good gamble. That’s all there is to it, son.” Our guide repeated part of this Benny Binion quote as we stood on a dirt path in front of precarious light bulbs clinging to a Binion’s Horseshoe sign.
We were on the 11 o’clock tour at the Las Vegas Neon Museum and I before we even stepped into the visitors’ centre, which is the original lobby building of the La Concha Motel, the history buff in me was beaming with excitement.
You’ve probably seen the “Neon Boneyard” on television or in movies before, it’s right behind the main entrance of the Neon Museum and there along the stone-lined dirt path sits pieces of Las Vegas’ most interesting history. There are about 150 signs in the museum’s collection and many more are over at YES Co.‘s private boneyard. The Young Electric Sign Co. has been in business for 94 years and is responsible for many of the famous Vegas illuminations known in popular culture. I couldn’t help but think about the famous faces that once looked up at these beacons as they hummed with life.
The Neon Museum was founded in 1996 and is a non-profit “dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic and cultural enrichment.” The two-acre campus includes the outdoor exhibition, where you can enjoy a guided tour like we did, and a Googie style visitors’ centre and gift shop.
Dedicated individuals from the private sector, as well as corporate and government entities, worked collaboratively to promote the preservation of these national treasures as significant pieces of artistic and historical importance. Each of the nearly 150 signs in the Neon Museum’s collection offers a unique story about the personalities who created it, what inspired it, where and when it was made, and the role it played in Las Vegas’ distinctive history. In addition, the Neon Museum collection chronicles changes and trends in sign design and technology through pieces ranging from the 1930s to the present day. Public education, outreach, research, archival preservation and a grant-funded neon sign survey represent a selection of the museum’s ongoing projects.
The Neon Museum has also partnered with the Las Vegas Signs Project, which I think is such a great way to extend the life of these icons. They are supporting the restoration of casino, restaurant, and landmark signs and placing them throughout the city. There are several already up along Las Vegas Boulevard and the Silver Slipper is perched just outside the museum. It makes me wonder if a program like this would work around here, pulling the signs out of the Museum of Vancouver’s Neon Vancouver exhibit to display as public art downtown.
The Silver Slipper, part of the Las Vegas Signs Project.
I know traipsing around a museum isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of activities in Las Vegas but the designs, the history, and the fascinating life story of each bulb, tube, and painted figure is worth checking out. I hear that the nighttime tours fill up rather quickly so be sure to book your tour in advance.
The guided tours are one hour long and time just flies. Our guide was not only very knowledgeable about Las Vegas and Clark County history, he was first and foremost a neon enthusiast so he added something extra to the wealth of information we were presented with.
The Neon Boneyard is outdoors so make sure to bring a hat and lather on some sunscreen. All of the signs are also copyrighted so no commercial photography is allowed, but you can take photos for social media (and I’ve been given the green light for this blog post).
The Neon Museum is located at 770 Las Vegas Boulevard North, and online on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
You can’t miss the giant Muskoka chairs along Highway 1 and Highway 3 if you’ve driven throughout Southern BC over the last few years. Big, white, perked on the side of major thoroughfares these symbols of lakeside relaxation all advertise The Cottages on Osoyoos Lake.
With over 30 residents moved into their customized cottages already, this development is part of a project that will give rise to 280 homes over the next decade, in the heart of the South Okanagan. I was recently invited to the Osoyoos Cottages to check out the property, the custom offerings, and the scenic vistas offered along the shores of Canada’s warmest lake — and to offer up a getaway for my readers.
The Cottages on Osoyoos Lake offers residents and visitors access to 1,800 feet of waterfront amongst some of the nation’s most climactic scenery and desirable weather, along with direct access to walking trails, several boat-slips, a 7,000 square foot clubhouse, nearby wineries and more.
The Cottages on Osoyoos Lake
Heading north on the Okanagan Highway from Osoyoos to Oliver, turn onto Road 22, which will guide you to Black Sage Road — one of the most popular wine country routes in the region. But before you loop past the old barn on Black Sage, turn onto Radio Tower Road and follow a 3.1km trail through ranch land and vineyards with wild horses and free-roaming cattle flanking your drive.
Radio Tower Road curves up and around hillside corners, revealing a spectacular view of Osoyoos Lake from the north. After rumbling over a few cattle guards, watch for osprey circling overhead, quail crossing the road with babies in tow, and even turtles as you pass marshland. You’ll see a tell-tale overside white Muskoka chair guiding you to the gated entrance of Osoyoos Cottages and you’ll feel right at home.
I took Michelle along with me for a three-day stay, where we setup in one of the Meadow cottages complete with our own Club Car golf cart to get us around, although the site is very walkable with paved paths.
We met with Wilf Lethbridge and Florence Lethbridge, who make up the marketing team, and they filled us in on all the project details. Wilf also picked Michelle and I up in a golf cart and we toured some of the various cottages to get a feel for the variety in layouts.
There was an emphasis on customization — basically that once you pick your layout, they will fulfill any request you have to make your cottage your home in terms of features, finishings, and anything from fireplaces to balcony sizes. You want it, they will make sure you have it built into your vacation, retirement, or family home.
Facts About The Cottages on Osoyoos Lake
The Cottages on Osoyoos Lake is a spectacular gated lakefront community of detached homes ranging in price from the low $300’s to over $1-million, in the heart of the South Okanagan.
The 70-acre property sits in the heart of the Okanagan’s stunning wine country, near some of the region’s best known wineries such as Black Hills and Burrowing Owl.
The project has 1,800′ of waterfront, over 500′ of sandy beach, two swimming pools, a 7,000 sq. ft. clubhouse, 20 acres of green-space for all to enjoy, boat slips, walking trails, and many other amenities. The Clubhouse and pool amenities will be ready this July.
The lakeside home offer a luxurious lifestyle suitable for year round living and vacation escape. The affordable Waterfront living of The Cottages on Osoyoos Lake is the only offering of it’s kind in the Okanagan. The spacious homes consist of large open floorplans, customized interior design with high-end finishings, and top of the line appliances; a true home away from home.
Life here allows for access to a warm climate, incredible amenities such as local wineries, award winning restaurants and golf courses, water activities, biking, walking and beach trails, boat slips and access to all that Lake Osoyoos has to offer.
Michelle and I shopped at the market and local wineries during the day, then came home to cook in the spacious kitchen followed by dining at sunset in our enclosed patio. In the mornings we brewed some coffee and sat out on (regular sized) Muskoka chairs on the patio as we stretched our toes to touch the lush green lawn.
The Cottages on Osoyoos Lake Getaway
To spread the word about this exciting development, The Cottages on Osoyoos Lake have offered up a 1-week stay (with all the comforts Michelle and I experienced) to one lucky Miss604 reader to enjoy in September of this year. Have a last taste of summer near the lake in wine country! Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment here naming what you would do with a week-long stay at the Osoyoos Cottages (1 entry)
- “Like”, share, or comment on this photo on Facebook (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Be sure to follow Facebook for more information and sign up for newsletters to get the latest updates on the development.
All entries will be collected and one winner will be selected by The Cottages on Osoyoos Lake on Friday, May 23, 2014 at 5:00pm. The winner will enjoy complimentary accommodation for one week in September, 2014 with exact dates to be arranged between them and The Cottages on Osoyoos Lake. Must be 19+ to enter. Prize does not include transportation to/from the cottages and cannot be exchanged for other dates or other prizes/values.
Update The winner is Diana Pringle!
