This Saturday you can join the 12th annual Music Therapy Ride from Richmond to Whistler to raise funds for community-based music therapy services in British Columbia.
This charity motorcycle ride, escorted all the way by the Vancouver Police Department’s Motorcycle Drill Team, will set out from the River Rock Casino after breakfast and head right up to Whistler with celebrity guest rider Dan Mangan. Upon arrival at there will be lunch at the GLC, a live auction and live music from The Washboard Union.
As a result of eleven years of dedication, support and generosity, the Music Therapy Ride has raised over $550,000 for the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund. Recipients of funds raised from the Music Therapy Ride have included: Canuck Place, BC Cancer Agency,Vancouver Oral Centre for Deaf Children, Camp Moomba, Brookhaven Extended Care Facility, George Pearson Centre, BC Women’s Hospital, the Society for Disability Arts and Culture and many more.
The proceeds from this year’s ride will support the maintenance and continued use of the mobile recording studios designed specifically for music therapists called Bandwagons. These mobile studios contain recording software, sound processing equipment and a variety of musical instruments. The Music Therapy Ride has funded the creation of 2 Bandwagons thus far. Bandwagon 1 arrived at its permanent residence, the BC Children’s Hospital, in July 2011. Created in 2012, Bandwagon 2 provides music therapy programs in the lower mainland of British Columbia, traveling to various institutions for six-week residencies.
Registration is still open for Saturday’s event. Motorcycles, passengers, and classic cars are welcome although there is limited space for cars. You can sign up for the ride if you’re a single or double rider or a four-wheeled vehicle.
Follow the Music Therapy Ride on Twitter or Facebook for more information. If you can’t make the ride, you can still donate online to the cause.
The Terry Fox Run is coming up this weekend in communities across Canada, and around the globe, as the Marathon of Hope inspires many to continue to support cancer research. Close to home, there will be a Terry Fox Run in Stanley Park at Ceperley Meadow on Sunday, September 15, 2013.
““Even if I don’t finish, we need others to continue. It’s got to keep going without me.” – Terry Fox
Registration for the Stanley Park event will open at 8:30am on Sunday with a 10km run starting at 10:00am and a 3km Lost Lagoon Loop run starting out at 10:15am. There will be a BC Blueberry pancake breakfast by donation, a Kids Run, live music and more. Proceeds benefit the Terry Fox Foundation.
Other local Terry Fox Run sites include: Vancouver: UBC, Surrey: Newton, Surrey North: Fraser Heights, Surrey South: White Rock, West Vancouver: Ambleside, Richmond: Garry Point Park, North Vancouver, New Westminster, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, and more.
Terry Fox was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) in his right leg in 1977 and had his leg amputated 15 cm (six inches) above the knee. While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He called his journey the Marathon of Hope.
Terry’s Marathon of Hope took place in 1980 with the simple objective of informing Canadians of the importance of finding a cure for cancer. With fierce determination, he ran an average of 42 kilometres (26 miles) every day for 143 days. Terry was forced to end his run on September 1, 1980 when the cancer spread to his lungs.
By February 1, 1981, Terry’s dream of raising $1 for every Canadian was realized – the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope fund totaled $24.17 million. Terry died in June 1981.
There is no entry fee and no minimum donation for the Terry Fox Run. Every year, millions of people in close to 25 countries participate in The National School Run Day, The Terry Fox Run, and Terry Fox fundraising events. The 2013 National School Run Day will take place on Thursday, September 26th.
Follow the Terry Fox Foundation on Facebook and Twitter for updates on runs, their work, and other initiatives throughout the year.
Movie houses in Vancouver have had a rough time in recent years with legal battles and closures for some. One Vancouver film institution, The Cinematheque, is doing what it can now by enlisting the public to assist in funding for their digital conversion – ensuring that a legacy of film preservation and entertainment lives on sustainably with the help of modern technology.
“For more than a century, since the birth of cinema, when you went to the movies, when your parents or grandparents or great grandparents went to the movies, you’ve seen the projection of 35mm film – thousands and thousands of feet of celluloid rolled onto several reels and run through a mechanical projector. That’s how a movie was presented. And now, suddenly, that has changed.”
For more than 40 years, The Cinematheque has brought Essential Cinema to Vancouver audiences via traditional 35mm celluloid. Due to recent, revolutionary technological shifts in the film industry, they must make the change to DCP.
What is DCP?
DCP stands for “Digital Cinema Package”. If you’ve seen a movie at another theatre in the last year, it was likely shown in this format. Before DCP, a few thousand feet of 35mm film would be wound in platters or reels, and then fed through mechanical projectors. Now, movies play from hard drives through media servers, allowing for impressive next-generation video and sound, while also being more economical and environmentally sensitive.
Currently, The Cinematheque screens in 35mm primarily, but the ability to present DCP is critical to our sustainability. Increasingly, new releases, foreign films, indie productions, and many restorations and re-releases of classics and masterworks are being made exclusively in DCP. To continue providing Vancouver audiences with unique, curated programming, [The Cinematheque] must adapt quickly and meet the future head on.
The Cinematheque Kickstarter
With the launch of Kickstarter in Canada, The Cinematheque has put together funding packages to make your decision to support the project as easy as possible. Ultimately the DCP will cost more than $60,000 (plus taxes and shipping) and even with a financial plan in place for the upgrade, The Cinematheque (a non-profit arts organization) still needs to raise $20,000.
To thank project backers, The Cinematheque has created some special thank you gifts including movie passes, limited edition posters, a private night at the movies, and more. Simply visit the Kickstarter page to learn more and back their DCP project.
Follow along on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates about the DCP and Kickstarter campaign along with programming information.
This August my niece Alexis and I had so much fun exploring Disneyland and Disney California Adventure over the course of three days in Southern California. We were with a group of media from across Canada (Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Toronto) as we assembled in San Francisco for a few days, made a quick trip to Calistoga, then flew from San Francisco to Orange County.
We were guests of Disney Canada on this trip and once we got to Anaheim, we stayed right at Disneyland California Adventure in the Disney Grand Californian Hotel for three nights. This week-long journey was chock-full of fun activities and memorable dining experiences, and I’ve done my best to capture a slice of it all through a series of blog posts. The pièce de résistance was of course our final destination, where I fully explored the Magic Kingdom for the very first time. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
Hester Creek Winery and Wild Rice are combining to bring you their award-winning South Okanagan wine and modern Chinese cuisine to New Westminster’s River Market at the The Hester Creek Winemaker’s Dinner at Wild Rice takes on September 18th.
Hester Creek Winemaker Rob Summers and General Manager Mark Sheridan have been working with Chefs Todd Bright and Caroline Levy who have created a mouth-watering four-course dinner that marries local ingredients with Asian flavours and classic techniques. The menu so far looks irresistible:
Salmon Tartar with Wonton Crisps paired with Hester Creek Chardonnay 2012. Duck Confit Spring Rolls paired with Character Red 2012. Beef Bourguignon paired with Pairing: Reserve Block 3 Cabernet Franc 2010.
The Late Harvest Pinot Blanc 2012 will be paired with dessert. Tickets are just $60 and this includes all four courses, the wine pairings and gratuity. The dinner will take place at 6:30pm on Wednesday, September 18, 2013. To make your reservation, call Wild Rice at (778) 397-0028 or email lisa (at) wildricebc (dot) ca.
I have a pair of tickets to give away for this very special (and delicious) event as well. Here’s how you can enter to win your way into the Hester Creek Winemaker’s Dinner at Wild Rice:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, September 13, 2013. Must be 19+ to enter, win, and attend. Please enjoy responsibly and plan a safe ride home. Wild Rice is located right at River Market in New Westminster which is easily accessible from the New Westminster SkyTrain station.
Update The winner is Aisha!
