The 9th annual Taste of Yaletown will take place October 16th to October 27th with 30 participating restaurants offering up set-price lunch and dinner meals for $25, $35, and $45.

Taste of Yaletown showcases neighbourhood eateries each year, offering a diverse range of dining options and creative dishes from local chefs. Aside from the specialty menus and convenient pricing, a portion of profits support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

As a media partner of Taste of Yaletown I have a pair of gift cards to give away, each valued at $50, for participating restaurants La Pentola della Quercia and Glowbal Grill.

Here’s how you can enter to win one of these $50 gift cards:

• Leave a comment naming your favourite menu item listed in this post from La Pentola della Quercia or Glowbal Grill (1 entry)
• Post one the following on Twitter (1 entry)

OR

I will draw two winners, who will each receive one gift card, at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, October 16, 2013.

Reservations are recommended during the Taste of Yaletown. For more information, including free trolley locations and schedules, follow the Yaletown Business Improvement Association on Facebook and Twitter.

Update The winners are Rajbinder Kaur & @SpencerDubas!

Vancouver’s latest attraction is FlyOver Canada, a fantastic flight simulation ride for all ages at Canada Place. The 30 minute experience (preshow, boarding zone, and the 8 minute Ultimate Flying Ride) will have you taking off into the giant dome screen with the latest in projection and ride technology creating a true flying experience complete with wind, scents, and mist. You’ll soar over the country from coast, to coast to coast.

Getting into the spirit of the season, FlyOver Canada is adding some spine-tingling entertainment to its popular, must-see attraction for Halloween.

From October 17th through to November 2nd, evening shows from 4:30pm to 9:00pm will be all about Halloween, including spooky decorations, a themed pre-show and a witch on site granting an exclusive “FlyOver Broom License” to all the boys and ghouls who see the feature film. Activities will be aimed toward kids aged 4-12.

FlyOver Canada is also offering special ticket prices for the Halloween shows: Adults (13+) are $16.95 and Children (4-12) are $11.95. Children must be at least 102cm (40″) to enter FlyOver Canada. There is a further discount if bought online, which is recommended.

This week Upintheair Theatre presents Inside the Seed, a re-imagining of the ultimate Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex. The play, written by Jason Rothery and directed by Richard Wolfe, is set in a giant bio-genetics corporation that aspires to grow the perfect seed — The Golden Seed — to feed the world and end starvation.

Patrick Sabongui plays Foster Bryant in Upintheair Theatre’s Inside the Seed. Photo by Nicole Gurney.

The play, which has been three years in the making, was suppose to premiere last year at a different, but when The Cultch learned about it, they urged Upintheair to wait a year so that it could be part of their 2013 season.

Inside the Seed tackles big ideas and issues relevant to what’s going on today in the world of modern agriculture –especially with a Monsanto Executive recently winning the Nobel Prize of Agriculture and there reports of a genetically modified “Golden Rice” to be approved for human consumption by the World Food Organization. Though these issues are very real and serious, Upintheair’s objective is to present these issues to the audience in a digestible way.

“It is a thriller–fast-paced, entertaining, lots of laughs,” said Daniel Martin, producer of Upintheair Theatre. “If you want to tackle serious issues, tackle them by entertaining the audience.”

The play includes a full, multi-cultural cast, including: Mia K Ingimundson, Carl Kennedy, Tamara McCarthy, Adele Noronha, Alison Raine, Patrick Sabongui, Dallas Sauer and Tetsuro Shigematsu. Inside the Seed runs until Saturday, October 12, 2013 at the The Cultch (1895 Venables Street, Vancouver). Follow Upintheair on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about this production and others.

Santevia is a local (Delta-based) manufacturer of water filtration products that creates mineralized alkaline water and they have recently introduced a new pink edition of their popular Alkaline Energy Flask water bottle.

Enjoy the restorative benefits of alkaline, re-mineralized water wherever you go. The Santevia Alkaline Energy Flask is a cost-effective and eco-friendly stainless steel flask containing two mineral baskets that infuse your water with calcium, magnesium and other beneficial minerals boosting your waters pH to 9+. Create great tasting premium water without the premium price or plastic waste.

The pink alkaline energy flask is $39.99 plus tax and has a capacity of 12oz/350ml and a filter life of approximately 1,000 uses or up to 1 year.

Until October 31, 2013 Santevia will donate 50% of the profits from this flask to ReThink Breast Cancer. It’s always great to hear about local companies giving back and in support of this campaign, Santevia has also offered up a pink Alkaline Energy Flask to give away to one of my readers. 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 Monday, October 14, 2013. Follow Santevia on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about the company and their water filtration products.

Update The winner is Dora!

The 13th annual West Coast Women’s Show is western Canada’s largest and most popular women’s consumer event — and the ultimate girls’ night out. Taking place at TRADEX in Abbotsford, the show will provide three days of shopping, entertainment, fashion, food, and more from Friday, October 25th until Sunday, October 27th.

West Coast Women’s Show Themes and Zones

Look for more than 100 Red Tags at 400 exhibitor booths for show specials and new products and check out the following themes and zones:

• Fashion & Style
  Discover the latest fashions and accessories that will keep you looking and feeling fabulous for every setting, occasion, and time of day. This is the perfect place to revamp your wardrobe for the season.
• Home & Interior Décor
  Now bigger and better than ever, the Home & Interior Décor Zone is the only fall home show at TRADEX. It’s a “show within a show” where you’ll find all the inspiration and resources you need to spruce up your living space.
• Health & Wellness
  Staying healthy is the key to a vibrant life. Shop for products and learn all you need to know about alternative health options, diet and nutrition, and health concerns that can affect women of all ages.
• World of Taste
  Sip, sample and savour your way through the World of Taste, discovering new food and beverage products, ideas for entertaining, and wholesome recipe tips.
• Natural & Organic Products
  Living a natural, healthy life doesn’t have to be a challenge. Find an incredible variety of natural and organic items including skin care and beauty products, cosmetics, local and organic foods, eco-fashions, accessories and more.
• Active Women’s Zone
  Get energized and motivated with fitness demos, tips and tricks that will help you spice up your routine and keep your body and mind in shape.
• Travel Showcase
  The Travel Showcase is the perfect place to find all the resources and information you need to make that next trip unforgettable. From weekend spa getaways to grand adventures, hotels, retreats and resorts!

Five stages will entertain and present guests like Melody Thomas Scott from The Young and the Restless, Olympic Champion Nancy Greene-Raine, Meteorologist Mark Madryga, Sherry Holmes from HGTV’s Holmes Makes It Right, White Spot’s Chuck Currie, 2014 calendar firefighters, and more.

Friday and Saturday nights will be Girls’ Night Out Martini Nights and Sunday will be Mothers & Daughters Day where the first 500 visitors will receive a free gift pack from Pretty Things. Follow the West Coast Women’s Show on Twitter and Facebook for more information leading up to the event.

The show will run Friday, October 25, 2013 from 1:00pm to 10:00pm; Saturday, October 26, 2013 from 10:00am to 9:00pm; Sunday, October 27, 2013 from 11:00am to 5:30pm at TRADEX in Abbotsford. Admission is $12 for adults, $9 for seniors ($7 on Friday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm), $9 for youth (13-17), $4 for children (6-12), and children 5 and under are free. Ticket prices include GST. Ticket sales are cash only at the gate at TRADEX.