Steveston’s own Hog Shack Cook House is celebrating its 2nd anniversary with a big birthday bash called Swinefest. With the partnership of BeerThirst and Oregon’s Rogue Brewing, they’re putting together a multi-course barbecue and beer feast of epic proportions.

Swinefest will feature a 5-course dinner with each course paired with Rogue’s beers, from Maple Bacon Ale to Brutal Bitter IPA. The event takes place on Sunday, November 4, 2012 at 4:00pm at Hog Shack in Steveston (160 – 3900 Bayview Street, Richmond).

Tickets are available online for $65 (HST and tip included). Admission includes reception beer and dinner with beer pairing. Additional beer tokens will be available for purchase at a special price of $5 per token or $20 for 5 tokens. CAMRA members can purchase tickets for $55. BeerThirst will be there giving out prizes as well.

To promote Swinefest, and the anniversary of one of our favourite local barbecue joints, I have $50 in gift certificates to give away. They can’t be used to purchase Swinefest tickets but you can use them to enjoy all the corn bread, ribs, brisket, and Hog Shack pulled pork they can buy at your leisure any other day. 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 $50 for @HogShackCA from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/eT247

I will draw one winner at random from all entries next Wednesday, November 7, 2012 at 12:00pm. Must be 19+ to attend Swinefest on November 4th. Please enjoy responsibly and plan a safe trip home.

Update The winner is @vanvan604!

The Gazillion Bubble Show returns to Vancouver in November to dazzle and amaze audiences of all ages with amazing bubble feats.

The Broadway show made its Canadian debut last spring and it’s back with lasers, bubble stunts, and 18 Guinness World Records under creator Fan Yang’s belt.

Step into an interactive bubble world and be dazzled by spellbinding lasers, spectacular lighting effects, and jaw-dropping masterpieces of bubble artistry. It will make you smile, laugh, and feel like a kid all over again! Oprah guarantees, “it will blow your mind.”. Fan’s special solution leaves no residue and is perfectly safe. Expect to get out of your seat for this show to try and catch all the different types of bubbles that will fill the venue. A lucky few will get to participate on stage with the performers.

The Gazillion Bubble Show runs Friday, November 2, 2012 to Sunday, November 4, 2012 with performances at 2:00pm and 7:00pm daily at The Centre in Vancouver. Tickets are currently on sale (for $30 to $75+) and if you use this Ticketmaster link, enter the code mis604 to receive 20% off your purchase.

Follow the production on Twitter and Facebook to learn more and to see photos of just how many people they can fit into giant bubbles.

The 5th annual Timeraiser is happening Thursday, November 8, 2012 at the Roundhouse in Yaletown. It’s the only event around that combines supporting local artists through an artwork auction with raising volunteer hours for local causes.

Photo credit: GusF on Flickr

Tickets are currently on sale for $20 and the goal is to raise 4,000 volunteer hours at the event. This would equal to everyone in attendance pledging 20 hours over the next 12 months.

Each artist is paid a fair value for their piece in exchange for having them auction it off for volunteer time. Non-profit agencies can apply to be recipients of the volunteer hours and get exposure through the event.

Confirmed agencies for Timeraiser Vancouver include:

Timeraiser takes place across Canada in Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Hamilton, London, Ottawa, Montreal, Regina, St John’s, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. Each supports artists in the community along with benefitting local non-profit organizations.

If you would like to check out Timeraiser Vancouver on November 8th, I have a pair of tickets up for grabs. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment naming a non-profit you would support with your time (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

I will draw one winner at random from all entries on Friday, November 2, 2012.

BC is known for its own wine country in the Okanagan but I’m also a big fan of our hyper-local wineries in the Fraser Valley and the Lower Mainland. One of which is Township 7 Vineyards off of 16th Ave in Langley.

This month Township 7 has teamed up to support the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (“PADS”) and will be hosting an event next week at Blue Water CAfe + Raw Bar in Yaletown for the cause.

Until October 31, 2012 you can enter to win your way into an evening of outstanding cuisine at Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar with Chef Frank Pabst and Township 7’s proprietors in support of PADS. Enter the contest by emailing info[at]township7.com before the end of the month with the subject line “Savour & Support PADS Contest”. Include your name, address, phone number, and email address. A winner will be selected November 2nd. Full contest details are posted online.

If you don’t win your way into the dinner you can support PADS this month by purchasing a bottle of Township 7’s Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, or Chardonnay. 25 cents from each bottle will go to PADS.

PADS’ Mission is to breed, raise, train and place Assistance Dogs for persons with a physical disability or who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and to support these client/dog teams for the working life of the PADS’ Assistance Dog. This service is available to anyone in Western Canada who would like the added independence of an Assistance Dog.

Learn more about PADS by following them on Twitter and Facebook. Follow Township 7 on Twitter and Facebook for more information about the winery and their events.

Vancouver’s known for its H-shaped telephone pole alleyways which have been featured in film and television series for decades. Some have names given to them by historians or businesses but others, like Ackery Alley between Granville and Seymour, were named in tribute.

Ivan Ackery with framed caricature and letters at desk. VPL Accession Number: 59306

Ivan Ackery was the Orpheum Theatre’s manager between 1935 and 1969, and Chuck Davis writes that it’s fair to say that Ackery was the single most important person in the Orpheum’s history.

From the very beginning Ackery was totally committed to whatever he was doing. In 1927, the year the Orpheum opened, 28-year-old Ivan happened to be manager at a rival theatre, the Victoria on Victoria Drive near East 43rd. “And I remember going down Granville Street that year, and I thumbed my nose at the Orpheum. Oh, I was so jealous.”

He actually did that. He actually put his right thumb up against his nose and wiggled his fingers at this upstart picture palace. He had no idea that about eight years later they’d put him in charge of running the place, the biggest theatre in Canada, and he would do such a great job that he would stay there for the next 35. [VancouverHistory]

Chuck Davis wrote a 4-part article on his Vancouver History website and there are about 11 index references to Ackery in Chuck Davis’ History of Metropolitan Vancouver. Ackery was that important to Vancouver’s entertainment scene for three straight decades, while his legacy lives on.

1953 – Ivan Ackery and Marilyn Monroe. VPL Number: 59307.

Ackery came to Canada in 1914 and served for the Canadian Army in WWI. His first theatre job in Vancouver was as an usher at the Capitol on Granville in 1923. He was then promoted to manager of the Victoria Theatre in South Vancouver in 1927 and then to manager of the Dominion Theatre in downtown Vancouver in 1930. A big part of a theatre manager’s role in those days was promoting the films and live shows that were coming through and being sure to fill seats. Ackery became known for his promotional abilities and stunts. He also managed the Capitol Theatre in Victoria in 1932 but returned to Vancouver in 1934 to manage the Strand Theatre, a big promotion from his company Famous Players. Just a year later he moved onto the Orpheum where he would stay until 1969.

All of the legendary tales you hear about the Orpheum – from the Canadian premiere of Gone with the Wind to live shows featuring Ella Fitzgerald, George Burns, Jack Benny, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong were all during Ackery’s time.

In his many trips to New York and Hollywood to pick up awards for his promotional efforts Ivan rubbed elbows with a lot of well-known movie personalities: Gene Tierney, Michael Caine, Victor Jory, Alan Ladd, Elizabeth Taylor, Ethel Merman, Bob Hope, George Sanders, Jack Benny . . . but, as mentioned, he never lost the awe he felt when in the presence of major stars. [VancouverHistory]

After retirement, Ackery was still involved in the local community and in the 1970’s he spearheaded the campaign to save the Orpheum. He was inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame and you can find his plaque on Granville Street’s Star Walk.

On October 30, 1985 one of the proudest days in Ivan’s life occurred. The event (at the Orpheum, of course!) was Ivan’s 86th birthday celebration. The show was emceed by Red Robinson, and Mayor Mike Harcourt was there to declare October 30, 1985 Ivan Ackery Day. At the end of the ceremony, Ivan was brought to tears by a standing ovation from the audience. “I want to thank most of all the public. The public of Vancouver has been so great to me. [VancouverHistory]

Ivan Ackery passed away in 1989, just shy of his 90th birthday. If you want to read about Vaudeville in Vancouver, our entertainment district’s history, and the Orpheum’s legacy, read up on Ivan Ackery. Check out his autobiography and take a minute to pause at Ackery’s Alley the next time you’re walking up Smithe, between Seymour and Granville.