The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board is hosting their 19th annual Realtors Care® Blanket Drive, which is the largest and longest-running drive of its kind in BC. Donations of new or gently-used blankets, sleeping bags, new socks and underwear, and warm clothing articles (scarves, gloves, mitts) will be accepted from November 18th to November 25th.

There are over 100 drop-off locations around the region at participating real estate offices that include Century 21, Coldwell Banker, Dexter Associates, Faith Wilson Group, RE/MAX, Royal LePage, Shon Group Realty, Regent Park Realty, Park Georgia, Strategic Real Estate, Sutton Group, TRG Realty, William Parton Agencies, Sotheby’s Int’l Real Estate, KE Worldwide Real Estate, Prudential Sterling, J.K. Cooper Realty, Keller Willams Elite Realty, Whistler Real Estate, HomeLife Glenayre Realty, and Landmark Realty.

Donations will then be distributed to over 30 charities across the Lower Mainland (from Whistler to Hope) and all donations collected in a community stay in that community. Recipient charities include North Shore Youth Safe House, Union Gospel Mission, Christmas Hamper Society, Covenant House, Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter, Tri-City Transitions, Surrey Urban Mission, Elizabeth Fry Society, and many more.

Last year, the blanket drive collected enough donations to help more than 19,000 people in the Lower Mainland. Follow the Blanket Drive campaign on Facebook for more information this season.

Vancouver is known as being the origin of the California Roll, Greenpeace, the Occupy movement, umbrella etiquette, mass-produced yoga pants, fake snow, and Chinese buffets but did you know that we can add hip hop to the list? As Questlove from The Roots says, “Not everything cool came from Detroit or Muscle Shoals. This came from Vancouver, Canada.” This is all explained in Dan Forrer’s new movie Sample This, which will be screened in Vancouver on Monday, November 18th.

Released in Canada and the USA this fall, the film tells the story of an obscure recording made at Mushroom Studios in 1973 that is credited as being the “national anthem of hip hop” because it’s been sampled so many times.

On the streets of the Bronx in the summer of 1973, DJ Kool Herc took the percussion breaks from an obscure album and extended them by playing them back to back using two copies of the same record. And changed music forever. The songs he used from that album – Bongo Rock, Apache and other tracks from the Incredible Bongo Band – are far and away the most recognized and sampled tracks in hip hop history. And guess what? They were recorded in Vancouver’s own Mushroom Studios in 1973.

Boasting a seemingly limitless gallery of eccentric characters, led by the producer and Kennedy family associate Michael Viner (whose previous claims to fame included the novelty record The Best of Marcel Marceau and the cult turkey The Thing with Two Heads) this breathlessly entertaining film draws in a dizzying number of historical and pop cultural associations, including Robert Kennedy, Charles Manson, Ringo Starr and James Bond.

This is the first local screening of Sample This and it should be pretty epic. It features Gene Simmons (Narrator), Questlove, Jerry Butler, Afrika Bambaataa, Mike Deasy, Melle Mel, and King Erisson. Tickets are on sale now for the screening on Monday, November 18, 2013 at the Vancity Theatre on Seymour in downtown Vancouver where filmmaker Dan Forrer will be in attendance.

If you would like to check out this screening, I have a pair of tickets up for grabs in a very quick contest. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• 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 Saturday, November 16, 2013. Follow Sample This on Facebook and Twitter to find out more about the film and upcoming screenings.

Update The winner is Conrad Olson!

Yesterday BosaSPACE, the world’s first fully transformable homes built in a large-scale condo development, launched in Surrey’s City Centre. Designed by Bosa Properties, the BosaSPACE concept will be seen in the University District tower at University Drive and 104th Avenue.

Bosa Properties’ design team has spent over a year and a half working to turn this concept into reality. These are homes that live larger, but cost the same. BosaSPACE homes were carefully designed to offer competitive affordability, but with never-before-seen livability.

Architect: Cotter; Interior Designer: BYU Design; Construction: Starting Spring 2014; Completion: Winter 2016.

In a BosaSPACE home, the kitchen storage island can easily convert to an eight-person dining room table, while the TV/entertainment area can quickly transform into a home office, or a space to accommodate an overnight guest. Bedrooms turn into living rooms, and vice versa. There’s even a convenient storage space for stacking dining room chairs so they can be tucked out of sight when not in use. Remarkably, these adaptable home features are all included in the price of a University District home.

Sales Centre: 13409 104th Ave, Surrey. Open 12:00-5:00pm daily.

Having grown up in the area I’m excited to see the transformation taking place that includes the brand new Surrey City Hall, the beautifully-designed City Centre Library, and all of the festivities that take place at Central City like the upcoming Tree Lighting Festival.

BosaSPACE Giveaway

To celebrate the launch of BosaSPACE, Bosa Properties has offered up a locally-themed prize pack for one lucky Miss604 reader. This includes a $100 gift card for Central City Brewing and a $200 gift card for Aritzia which has opened in Guilford Town Centre. Here’s how you can enter to win this prize pack valued at $300!

• Leave a comment listing what you would do with more condo living space (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, November 21, 2013. Follow Bosa Properties on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about this project and others.

Update The winner is Katie!

The Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival is coming up this weekend around Harrison, Harrison Mills, and Agassiz where you can view thousands of eagles on a walking tour, listen to speakers, and learn about the biodiversity of the region.

On Saturday, November 17, 2013 and Sunday, November 18, 2013 a variety of events will be hosted at Pretty Estates Resort, Eagle Point Community Park, Kilby Historic Site, Inch Creek Hatchery, Tapadera Estates, and more. You can also do a Chehalis River Interpretive Nature Walk, do a River Safari Jetboat Tour, and visit the Exhibitor’s Fair at Leq’a:mel.

To kick off the Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival and eagle-watching season, I attended a talk with O.W.L. Orphaned Wildlife Rescue and Hancock Wildlife at Rowena’s Inn/Pretty Estates earlier this week.

Staying overnight in a luxury cottage along the Harrison River, I spent a few days exploring the area with my sister and going on several photowalks that produced the following images from this lush location:

We went out for three walks over the course of two days. The eagles waited out the rain on the first day, which was clouded over. On the second day, when the clouds parted and the winds picked up, they were all much more active as they left the trees and spent more time on the river and circling above.

Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival: Additional Events

Coming up later this month the festival continues with the first annual Sts’ailes (First Nation) Salmon Celebration at Pretty Estates Resort on November 23rd, featured events at Pretty Estates Resort & Kilby Historic Site on November 24th, featured events at Harrison Hot Springs November 29th to December 1st, and more activities at Harrison Mills & Kilby Historic Site from December 7th to December 8th.

Download the festival program PDF and check out the official website for more information about events and activities this weekend. Be sure to bring your camera (with a bigger lens than I used so that you can zoom) and binoculars.

The Surrey Tree Lighting Festival is coming up on Saturday, November 23, 2013 bringing a full day of free family fun to Central City in Surrey.

Surrey Tree Lighting Festival

Festivities will kick off at 12:00pm and run until 8:00pm at the Central City Mall plaza where a spectacular 55-foot tree will be lit after dark. Activities throughout the day will include a Kids’ World with road hockey, ferris wheel, food trucks, Storyville, Letters to Santa, Photos with Santa, ice carving, and more. Visitors are encouraged to bring a can of food for the Surrey Food Bank or a donation for the Surrey Christmas Bureau.

On the main stage you’ll find children’s entertainer Norman Foote at 12:00pm, Sweet Soul Gospel Choir at 2:00pm, Dr. Strangelove at 3:00pm, Good for Grapes at 4:30pm, Sway: A Tribute to Michael Bublé at 5:30pm, the tree lighting at 6:15pm and Victoria Duffield at 7:30pm.

Victoria Duffield Meet and Greet

I have a couple of spots to give away for the private meet and greet with headliner Victoria Duffield.

Two winners will each be able to bring a guest for this unique VIP opportunity at the Surrey Tree Lighting Festival. Here’s how you can enter to win:

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

I will draw two winners at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, November 20, 2013. Follow the City of Surrey’s events team on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

Update The winners are @ethanw_110 and Michelle!