Variety Market and Auction

Comments 22 by Rebecca Bollwitt

The Variety Market and Auction is the fundraising shopping event of the year and it will take place on Sunday, October 6th at the Westin Bayshore. Presented by Buy-Low Foods, proceeds from this brunch, live auction, silent auction, and bargain grocery shopping event benefit Variety.

The BC chapter of Variety was established in 1965, and since then has raised over $170 million for children who have special needs, and their families, across the province. Through three priorities – Cares, Freedom and Future – Variety provides grants to individuals and organizations for life-saving, life-changing and life-enriching equipment, supplies and programs.

Where: Sunday, October 6, 2013 from 9:00am to 2:00pm
When: The Westin Bayshore Vancouver (1601 Bayshore Drive)
Tickets: Available online for $70 (members) or $75 (non-members).

This is the 32nd anniversary of the Variety Market and Auction where you can grocery shop in style (for everything from a rack of ribs to paper towels and bags of carrots) and enjoy a fabulous Westin Bayshore brunch with special guests after you fill your cart.

If you would like to attend the Variety Market and Auction, I have a pair of tickets to give away. Here’s how you can enter to win:

  • Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
  • Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win tickets to the @VarietyBC #VarietyMarket from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/pm130

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, October 3, 2013. Follow Variety BC on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their work in our province and with families in our communities.

Update The winner is Valerie!

Vancouver Home and Design Show

Comments 157 by Rebecca Bollwitt

The Vancouver Home and Design Show brings entertaining, design, and home improvement ideas and innovations together under one roof, at BC Place, October 17th to October 20th, 2013. With an impressive line-up of special guests, celebrities, and experts, you’ll be informed, entertained, and inspired this season.

The Vancouver Home + Design Show presented by Scotiabank is the ultimate authority on all things design, entertaining and home improvement.

With big names like W Network’s Jonathan & Drew Scott, stars of Property Brothers, Jillian Harris & Todd Talbot, hosts of Love It or List It Vancouver, and local favourites A Good Chick to Know, plus more than 325 exhibitors and a host of new and exciting features, there’s expert insight, innovation and inspiration for living well at every turn. Satisfaction guaranteed – or the cost of admission is on us.

The show will run Thursday, October 17, 2013 (4:00pm to 9:00pm); Friday, October 18, 2013 (12:00pm to 9:00pm); Saturday, October 19, 2013 (10:00am to 9:00pm); Sunday, October 20, 2013 (10:00am to 6:00pm).

Tickets are $15 for adults ($12 online), $12 for seniors ($9 online), and children 12 and under are free. Seniors’ tickets are also $5 on Friday before 5:00pm (box office and online).

Vancouver Home and Design Show Contest

To get you pumped up for the upcoming Vancouver Home and Design Show, they have offered up a $100 Urban Barn gift certificate for me to give away to one lucky Miss604 reader, along with three pairs of tickets. Here’s how you can enter to win:

  • Leave a comment naming your ‘must have’ home decor or design piece (1 entry)
  • Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win a $100 gc for Urban Barn + @VanHomeShows tix from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/phB68

One winner will receive the gift card and tickets, two additional winners will each receive a pair of tickets. I will draw all winner at 12:00pm on Friday, October 4, 2013.

While at the show you can also enter to win a Home Depot gift card when you share a photo on Twitter or Instagram with the tag #FUNFIND and @VanHomeShows. Follow the Vancouver Home and Design Show on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

Update The winners are Andrew (gift card + tickets), @leannebakes (tickets), @AlisaSakamoto (tickets)!

Gluten Free Giveaway from Udi’s

Comments 141 by Rebecca Bollwitt

We’re fortunate enough in Vancouver to have many dietary options available to us in our grocery stores, markets, and restaurants. “Gluten Free” is the latest offering and according to a survey (commissioned by Udi’s Healthy Foods) 4 million Canadians are saying goodbye to gluten, making the movement much more than a passing trend.

17% of British Columbians have also stated they are gluten free or reducing gluten in their diet, which is more than anywhere else in the country. The top reasons for the switch are a gluten intolerance and supporting a family member. On top of that, many people feel happier and more energetic along with reporting improved gastrointestinal health.

There are many ways to reduce your gluten intake and still enjoy delicious meals, that don’t purely consist of kale (but really, kale chips are delicious aren’t they?). Bread is usually the hardest food item to give up and the aforementioned survey found that one in four Canadians who are gluten free or gluten reduced “cheat” with bread. I know from talking to friends who are gluten free that if they do eat something with gluten, provided they do not have a serious allergy that requires medical attention, the after effects are not pretty. So while the temptations are there, it’s best to find alternatives — and you certainly do not need to give up bread entirely.

Udi’s Healthy Foods has offered up a prize pack (valued at $150) for one Miss604 reader that includes a full menu of comfort foods for fall that is entirely gluten free.

UdisGiftPack
The Udi’s Prize Pack

Udi’s products are available all over North America and in Vancouver you can find them at Choices Markets, Save-On-Foods, Safeway, IGA, Ed’s Gluten Free Specialty, Green’s Market, Drive Organics, Famous Foods, Donald’s Market and Killarney Market.

Whether it’s part of your diet already or you would like to give gluten free a try, here’s how you can enter to win this Udi’s prize pack:

  • Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
  • Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win a @udisglutenfree prize pack from @miss604 #CanadiansGlutenFree http://ow.ly/pfLFg

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:30pm on Wednesday, October 2, 2013. Follow Udi’s on Twitter and Facebook to find out more about their product line and where it can be purchased around Vancouver.

Update The winner is Janice!

Architecture and Design: Film Night at the Hollywood

Comments 2 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Starting in October, the Vancouver Heritage Foundation and the Church at the Hollywood will screen four nights of film, each with the theme of how architecture and design shape our world.

Hollywood Night
Photo credit: Photocat62 on Flickr

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation is offering this last hurrah to celebrate 78 years of the historic Hollywood Theatre, which opened in 1935. It was recently announced that the current tenants, the Church at the Hollywood, need to clear out and make room for a new fitness centre that will occupy the space on West Broadway.

Architecture & Design: Film Night at the Hollywood

  • Tuesday, October 1, 2013
    Eames: The Architect and the Painter
    (2011) directed by Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey, starring James Franco, Charles Eames, and Ray Eames. Follow the story of iconic husband and wife design team Charles and Ray Eames, once America’s most influential industrial designers.
  • Tuesday, October 22, 2013
    Pruitt Igoe Myth
    (2011) Directed by Chad and Jaime Freidrichs. The Pruitt Igoe housing complex became a widespread symbol of failure amongst architects, politicians and policy makers. Explore the reasons public housing models had to change, and hear from several of the projects residents.
  • Tuesday, November 12, 2013
    The Good and the Bad of Mid 20th Century Vancouver
    An evening of four short films based in Vancouver between WWII and Expo 86.
    Vancouver Honeymoon (1960), To Build a Better City (1964), Rainbow War (1985) and Sleeping Tigers: The Story of the Asahi Baseball Team (2003).
  • Tuesday, November 26, 2013:
    The Fountainhead
    (1949) Directed by King Vidor, starring Patricia Neal and Gary Cooper. Based on the Ayn Rand novel, an uncompromising visionary architect struggles to maintain his integrity despite pressure to conform to popular standards.

Entry to the film series is by donation, concession will also available by separate donation, with proceeds going towards the publication of a historic map guide of Kitsilano. Doors to each night will open at 7:00pm, with films beginning at 7:30pm.

On October 22nd the Vancouver Heritage Foundation will also put together a special celebration to recognize the 78th anniversary of the Hollywood Theatre (details to follow).

A team of 60 volunteers spent five Saturdays restringing crystal chandeliers, scrubbing the red seats and vacuuming cobwebs from the ceiling to get the building ready for use, Church at the Hollywood spokeswoman Sarah Kift said Tuesday.

But last week, the owner gave the church notice its month-to-month lease will be cancelled and the church must leave by Nov. 30. “I was sad… but we knew this could be a possibility that there’d be something different happening with the Hollywood,” Kift said, adding the owner rented the space at a “generous” rate.

“We’ve had such a great time being a good neighbour and being with the community,” Kift said. People constantly stopped by to share memories about the theatre, she said. “It’s a place to celebrate arts and culture and celebrate an experience together. It’s a place where doors are open to all.” [Metro News]

The historic Hollywood Theatre is located at 3123 W Broadway. With movie houses dying off quickly around the city, this film series is the perfect opportunity to celebrate this amazing space before it is altered.

Free Weekend at Science World

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

Science World at TELUS World of Science is getting ready to present Around the Dome in 30 Days, a month-long family-friendly community science celebration. To kick off the campaign, admission will be free for everyone on Saturday, September 28, 2013 and Sunday, September 29, 2013 thanks to support from Genome BC and BC Hydro.


Then and Now, for fun! 1984: City of Vancouver Archives# CVA 780-505.

A Different View On Science
2013: Clayton Perry Photoworks on Flickr

The Around the Dome in 30 Days campaign will run from Saturday, September 28 until Sunday, October 27, 2013 and celebrate all of the amazing science and technology that we have here in our own community.

Signature events will be hosted at the expanded TELUS World of Science facility, including the new outdoor sustainability experience, the Ken Spencer Science Park. Special activities and presentations will include Explore Sustainability Weekend, Science World After Dark (sold out), Opening the Door—Careers in Music & Sound, Meet a Scientist Weekend, Do It Yourself Science, and much more.


Follow Science World on Twitter and Facebook for more information about science events.