The Orpheum Theatre on Granville is open for tours this month as the public is invited to explore the National Historic Site. In celebration of the Orpheum’s 85th anniversary, the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame has been offering guided tours all summer on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Where The Orpheum’s Smithe Street Entrance (between Granville and Seymour) When 11:00am to 12:30pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays until August 30, 2012 Cost Admission is a $10 donation to the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame
Photo credit: K D Photos & K D Photos on Flickr
Over the years Garbo, Gable, Bogart, Bacall, Hepburn, Monroe, Olivier, Lancaster, Bette Davis, Jack Benny, and Alec Guinness have all graced the stage — as did my graduating class in 1998. When attending a show there’s hardly enough time to appreciate the venue as it’s not usually the main attraction. These tours seem like the perfect opportunity to pause and really look at this heritage space, hear stories, and soak up its decor and design.
The Orpheum is one of three civic theatres in the City of Vancouver. Tours are limited to a maximum of 25 people on a first-come, first-served basis. They are recommended for those 12 to 80 years of age and do involve stair climbing.
Otto and Astrid Rot of Die Roten Punkte are coming to The Cultch at next week, bringing their pop-music comedy to a new show entitled: Eurosmash!
The shows revolve around siblings Otto and Astrid Rot, a pair of German orphans whose parents were either eaten by a lion or crushed by a train (the two disagree and perpetually argue over which). On drums, Astrid is playful and lewd, stealing nips from a concealed bottle whenever her little brother isn’t looking. Guitar-wielding Otto is the sensitive one, swept away by childlike enthusiasm one moment and dumbstruck with horror at missing a note the next. Together, their act is a rollicking 75 minutes of sibling rivalry, sky-high egos, boastful one upsmanship, and masterfully performed, undeniably catchy rock.
In the spirit of Spinal Tap and Flight of the Conchords, this comedy duo has audiences laughing around the globe. Their show has been named Best Production – Montreal Fringe; Best Production (Cabaret) – Green Room, Melbourne; and Outstanding Production – Ottawa Fringe, among other honors. Die Roten Punkte even made their West Coast debut at the Vancouver Fringe Festival in 2010.
Eurosmash! will open at The Cultch in East Vancouver on August 28th and run until September 2nd. Tickets are currently on sale starting at $17.
I also have a pair of tickets to give away to Eurosmash!, here’s how you can enter to win:
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RT to enter to win tickets to see @DieRotenPunkte at @thecultch from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/dadLa
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 10:00am on Monday, August 27, 2012. The winner will be able to select tickets to the show of their choice excluding opening night on August 28th.
Biking to work could be a dream. Riding in the open air, avoiding bumper to bumper traffic, and arriving to work refreshed from morning exercise. In theory it’s ideal but in reality many businesses cannot accomodate cycling commuters on their workforce — and that’s where HUB comes in.
Formerly the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition, HUB is a non-profit society in Metro Vancouver that provides encouragement, education, and celebration of cycling for happier and healthier communities. They host Bikes to Work and Bike to School programs, lead workshops, and provide Streetwise Cycling Courses. According to HUB, 60% of the population are interested in using cycling to get around but hasn’t tried it yet. Their latest initiative is providing Bikeability Assessments for businesses.
“We’re kind of excited about it,” said Lisa Slakov, Local Committee Chair for Vancouver/UBC. “It came out of the fact that over time, when we’ve been doing education classes or working on different issues, periodically people would say ‘do you know of anything or do you guys have anything just to help us figure out what we need to do with our building in terms of making it more bike friendly?’.”
Over the last year or so HUB has been working with coming up with their assessment plan for businesses. “We not only do the buildings, we also do the workplace,” Lisa added. “What do you offer for your employees? Do you offer anything in your orientation package? Do you offer any kind of financial incentives for getting to work by bike or other forms of active transportation?”
“You may not think it’s important to have a shower or change area but that could be the critical tipping point that allows people to choose a different way of commuting to work.”
HUB also works with schools in more of an education capacity, hosting cycling celebrations and offering training for kids.
With businesses and building owners, it’s about education, problem solving, improving employee relationships, and promoting a healthy workplace. Lisa told me that there are many reasons why businesses should feel encouraged to promote cycling to work and HUB helps them get their head around how they’ll move in that direction.
When it comes to cycling being more widely adopted for commuting, and not just leisure, Lisa says the momentum exists in Vancouver. “It’s just a question of continuing to push it. [Cycling] isn’t weird, it’s mainstream and this is they way it’s going in so many parts of the world.” HUB offers memberships for individuals, families, and organizations that includes workshops, deals, and the added bonus of showing your support for cycling in your community.
You can find HUB on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about community events and bike-related happenings around town. HUB is also looking for more businesses to participate in their Bikeability Assessments, particularly in Surrey.
VanDusen Botanical Garden is turning 37 years old next week as it prepares to host two gala events in September. Rejuvenated with a new visitor centre, cafe and meeting space, the 55-acre garden is home to hydrangeas, rhododendrons, ferns, beeches, roses, oaks, giant redwoods, bamboos, magnolias, lakes, and much more. Aside from all the natural and cultivated beauty, VanDusen also hosts major events, two of which are coming up in September.
The Luxury Supercar Weekend is a two day outdoor showing on September 8th and 9th on the Great Lawn at VanDusen. This garden party is one of the most anticipated automotive, lifestyle and fashion events on the Metro-Vancouver social calendar.
Aside from the Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Bugattis, Aston Martins, and Alfa Romeros, there will also be a Mercedes Benz Fashion stage, Italian food pavilion, Great Gatsby picnic site, Sutton Place Hotel Chocolate buffet, Wines of Argentina pavilion, Flight Center luxury travel tent, Jet helicopter display, luxury boat display and the best of class Concours Awards. Tickets start at $50 with VIP options available.
The 2nd Annual Bloom Gala will take place at the VanDusen Visitor Centre (5151 Oak Street in Vancouver) on September 13th to raise funds for Education in the Garden.
The CBC’s Gloria Macarenko will MC the evening that will have West Coast Food prepared by Chef Eric Pateman, Edible Canada, entertainment from Public Dreams and RazzMaJazz, and VQA BC Wine from Ganton & Larsen Prospect Winery. The floral consultant for the gala is Brian Minter of Minter Gardens. Fine wines, a romantic getaway, a piece of art or a very special dining experience could be on the list of items up for grabs in the auction as well. The dress code is “glittery or green or both”. Individual tickets are $195, with group options available.
VanDusen is a great place to visit for seasonal events like the Festival of Lights or to see the cherry blossoms in the spring. I love to visit in the fall when leaves are turning and the air is crisp. Follow @VanDusenGdn on Twitter for more event information happenings in the garden.
The Kerrisdale Farmers Market is hosting a corn festival this weekend with freshly-popped kettle corn recipes, fresh corn, roasted corn, recipes, and corn-related activities for the kids.
I spent some time in Kerrisdale last week and it left me wondering I don’t get there more often. As a child our family took Sunday drives to Kerrisdale and Marpole from Surrey more often than we’d ever get downtown however I haven’t spent much time there as an adult. From ‘mom n’ pop’ shops to bakeries, diners, antique stores, cheese, wine, arts and crafts, and everything in between. There’s even an entire restaurant dedicated to macaroni and cheese.
The Kerrisdale Farmers Market, which happens every Saturday until October 6th, is the perfect opportunity to explore this community. It’s open from 10:00am to 2:00pm on East Boulevard between 37th and 41st Avenue, near the Kerrisdale Arena. The corn festival promises to have “BC corn by the truckload” on Saturday, August 25th.
The shows revolve around siblings Otto and Astrid Rot, a pair of German orphans whose parents were either eaten by a lion or crushed by a train (the two disagree and perpetually argue over which). On drums, Astrid is playful and lewd, stealing nips from a concealed bottle whenever her little brother isn’t looking. Guitar-wielding Otto is the sensitive one, swept away by childlike enthusiasm one moment and dumbstruck with horror at missing a note the next. Together, their act is a rollicking 75 minutes of sibling rivalry, sky-high egos, boastful one upsmanship, and masterfully performed, undeniably catchy rock.
