Being the one of the first towers to shape downtown Vancouver’s skyline, the Marine Building is as popular as ever with another event coming up in March. There’s Sunday at the Marine with the Vancouver Heritage Foundation on March 10th and Heritage Vancouver has also announced their annual Evening at the Marine Penthouse fundraiser.

Photo credit: Uncle Buddha on Flickr

Heritage Vancouver invites you to attend a Special Evening in the ultra-elegant, Jazz Age Penthouse of the Marine Building, “Vancouver’s Finest Heritage Building”. This is a unique opportunity to explore the two floors of the private Penthouse, enjoy the Art Deco atmosphere and the fabulous view, hear about its unique history and share your own personal experiences, stories and photos of the Marine Building.

When: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 from 5:30pm to 8:00pm
Where: Marine Building Penthouse (2000 – 355 Burrard)
Tickets: $100 donation to Heritage Vancouver. Includes wine and hors d’oeuvres reception. Tax receipts will be issued.

Heritage Vancouver President Donald Luxton will lead tours of the lobby of the Marine Building and Heritage Vancouver Board member Isaac Vanderhorst will intrigue with stories about the remarkable history of the Penthouse.

The Marine Building, which opened in 1930, was the landmark project of architects McCarter & Nairne. In 1933, A. J. T. Taylor, managing director of British Pacific, bought the building and built a lavish, Art Deco penthouse on the top floor, overlooking the city. A ride on the tiny period elevator that connects the Penthouse with the 18th floor is one of the highlighst of the evening.

This event always sells out so do not hesitate to purchase your tickets (online with PayPal or by cheque). All proceeds support Heritage Vancouver’s initiatives to conserve Vancouver’s built heritage. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook for more events, tours, talks, and heritage information.

The Vancouver International Salsafestival welcomes the global Latin dance movement through performances, parties, workshops, and more from March 7th to 10th at the Westin Bayshore. Salsafestival is expected to draw over 4,000 participants from beginners to pros and enthusiasts, mixing and mingling with 100 performers from 18 countries.

Festivities kick off on Thursday March 7th with the Red Bull X party and competition followed by The Headstart. Saturday March 9th is Education Day 1 and the Fire & Ice Gala, with Education Day 2 happening on Sunday March 10th which will also host the Grand Finale.

Tickets for various events and workshops start at $15 and can be booked online or by calling (778) 990-6111.

World of Dance Giveaway

World of Dance is the ultimate showcase of all genres of dance on the largest stage, you’ll be blown away at the plethora of talent and choreographies. Whether it’s Colombia or renonwed So You Think Can Dance choreographers, you’ll be in for quite a treat. Then of course there’s 3 dance floors with our international DJs spinning Salsa, Cuban, Top 40, Bachata, Kizomba, and more.

World of Dance takes place from 9:00pm to 4:00am on Friday, March 8, 2013. Tickets are $30 online and $40 at the door. Here’s how you can enter to win a pair of tickets:

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I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Follow the Vancouver International Salsafestival on Facebook and Twitter.

Update The winner is Anita!

March is Music Therapy Month and you can celebrate by supporting Music Heals on Saturday, March 2nd. They are hosting A Night Out For Music Heals, thanks to the participation of over 20 venues, that will benefit local music therapy programs across BC.

When you visit one of these establishements on Saturday, March 2, 2013 they will donate $1 from every cover charge to Music Heals.

Support Music Heals by going out on the town, perhaps even do a pub crawl, and you’ll help make a difference. If you can’t make it out, you can also support the iPod Pharmacy by donating your old mp3 player to Music Heals. Follow Music Heals on Twitter and use the tag #NightOut4MH for updates on this Saturday’s campaign.

The Music Heals Charitable Foundation raises awareness of the healing powers of music and fundraises for music therapy and related services across Canada. Their mission is to unite music therapy-related charitable initiatives, and increase patient accessibility to music therapy in children’s hospitals, seniors’ homes, palliative care facilities, at-risk youth programs and more.

In a city where the skyline changes annually, it’s always fascinating to look back ten to one hundred years to see how it has evolved. Last week I had the opportunity to fly around the region with News1130’s Kim Seale and I had my cameras firing every few seconds as I tried to capture the sights. In the spirit of my old “Then and Now” series, I actually found some of my latest aerial photos could be matched up with a few from the Vancouver Public Library Archives and the City of Vancouver Archives:

1931: Archives item# Van Sc P15. Royal Canadian Air Force Photograph.

1952: VPL Number: 81816. Photographer: Art Jones.

1963: VPL Number: 42690. Photographer: Province Newspaper.

The Terminal City Rollergirls recently released their 2013 season schedule for their flat-track roller derby bouts at Kerrisdale and Minoru arenas. Almost everyone I know either wants to attend a bout or get into roller derby, is completely addicted to it or thinks it’s the coolest thing ever. For this reason, I followed up with the Terminal City Rollergirls to see if they could contribute a piece for my site explaining the allure of their sport. They kindly obliged and the following has been compiled and contributed by Erin “Miss E. Masculator” Morrisette:

Photo credit: Bob Ayers on Flickr

5 Reasons to Love Roller Derby

You’ve seen the posters on the Drive. You’ve overheard discussions on the Skytrain. You’ve even seen the skaters fly by on the seawall…and you still haven’t been to a roller derby bout? Don’t worry; there has never been a better time than now to check out the Terminal City Rollergirls, Vancouver’s first female roller derby league. Need convincing? Here are five reasons why we’re sure you will love roller derby:

1) The sport: Fast-paced and hard hitting, flat-track roller derby is the fastest growing women’s sport in the world. Since the first modern day women’s leagues formed in Texas and Arizona in 2002, there are now about 1400 active teams worldwide, including over 100 in Canada. And it’s no wonder. You won’t find balls, stunts or alligator pits; modern roller derby is not fake or pre-determined. With four blockers from each team trying to stop the opposition’s point-scoring jammer while also helping their own jammer score, roller derby is a highly strategic game where offense and defence happen at the same time. Teamwork is essential, but huge hits and breakneck speed play their part, too. Sit in the front row and you just might find yourself a part of the action – at your own risk, of course.

Photo credit: Bob Ayers on Flickr

2) The event: The Terminal City Rollergirls host big, lively events that look and sound great. Of course, the 2000 or so fans are treated to an action-packed sports event, but their appetites are also pleased with offerings from the beer garden and food trucks on site. During breaks in the action, DJ Shawn LaRock spins booty-bumping tunes, and there is half-time entertainment by the likes of the Vancouver Dodgeball League, EastVan Pillowfight League, Vancouver Bike Polo and more. After the bouts, little fans can collect autographs from their favorite players, and grown-up fans can buy their favorites a victory beer at the after-parties. Et tu, Canucks?

3) The crowd: Diverse and hilarious, people-watching at a roller derby bout is almost as fun as watching the sport itself. From families with bouncing kids to raucous bachelorette parties, roller derby events draw a wide range of people. The tattooed and mohawked sit next to hardcore sports fans and diminutive grandmas – everyone’s a roller derby fan once the whistle blows.

4) The players: Terminal City Rollergirls are hyper-competitive, strong and colourful women from all different backgrounds. Everyone has heard the old story of the shy-librarian-by-day-fierce-derby-girl-by-night – and the TCRG does have a couple of those – but the players represent so much more. From bank managers to architects, video game designers to elementary school teachers, these women take their sport very seriously and train hard to be the best players they can be. Their incredible athleticism and big personalities will make it difficult to pick a favourite player, but you’ll try.

Photo credit: Bob Ayers on Flickr

5) The league: TCRG is a member-run league that has been around since 2006. They have four house teams (the Bad Reputations, Faster Pussycats, Public Frenemy and the Riot Girls) with rabid local fan followings, and the TCRG All-Stars rep team that plays internationally. The All-Stars made history last year, making the biggest rankings jump in the history of WFTDA (the NHL of roller derby). The league has a reputation to uphold and a lot of fantastic neighbouring leagues to challenge. They’ll be holding one bout per month from April through September, so Vancouver fans will have ample opportunity to catch the rollergirls in action. More information on the upcoming season can be found on their website at terminalcityrollergirls.com.

Follow the Terminal City Rollergirls on Twitter and Facebook for more league and event information.