Operation Red Nose started out in 1984 as the brain child of Jean-Marie De Koninck of Quebec who got members of his swim club to offer to drive motorists home, in their own vehicle, if they had too much to drink. Since that time Operation Red Nose has expanded to over 100 communities across Canada, providing a safe ride home for any revelers who might not be fit to get behind the wheel.
In Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley you can call 1-877-604-6673 or (604) 532-0888 for a ride, or call (604) 532-0888 for information. Services in BC are provided in communities such as Abbotsford-Mission, Comox Valley, Delta-Richmond, Kamloops, Williams Lake, Surrey-Langley, Nanaimo, North Shore, Prince George, Ridge-Meadows, and the Tri-Cities.
If you’re hosting a party, there are tips for planning ahead on the Operation Red Nose website. There are also volunteer positions available if you’d like to sign up to be a driver, navigator, or work at headquarters.
Be sure to plan your safe ride home this holiday season and enjoy the festivities responsibly. Follow @ORNose on Twitter for news and updates. The service is confidential and free. Any client donations are given to local non-profit youth organizations.
The 4th annual West Coast Christmas Show and Marketplace returns to the Tradex in Abbotsford, December 2nd to 4th.
The presentation stage will feature local chefs, the Dairy Farmers of Canada will host cheese seminars, there will be an on-site nursery, photos with Santa, local artisans and crafters, and a festival of trees.
You’ll also be able to order your live Christmas tree from Evergrow in Burnaby. They’re a local service that will deliver a live tree to your home for the holidays then pick it up and re-plant it in the Fraser Valley, to be used again next year.
Tickets are just $7 for admission all three days. If you’d like to win your way in, I have two pairs available as well. Here’s how you can enter the draw:
- Leave a comment on this post naming your favourite holiday snack (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw two winners at random from all entries at 10:00am on Monday, November 21, 2011. Follow the West Coast Christmas Show on Facebook and Twitter for updates.
Update The winners are Joanne & Duncan!
Neighbourhood Toy Store Day is November 12, 2011 in support of shopping locally and supporting businesses in our community.
On Saturday, independent retailers across Canada will celebrate with special giveaways and activities in their stores. There are participating locations around BC but here are a few in our area:
Granville Island Toy Company
Location: 3298 Main Street, Vancouver – Website
Event for Neighbourhood Toy Store Day: Giveaways and balloon-popping for discounts.
The Toy Jungle
Location: 1132-2929 Barnet Highway, Coquitlam – Website
Event for Neighbourhood Toy Store Day: “Play Day” from 12:00pm – 3:00pm and prizes for the first 100 customers.
Toybox
Location: 3002 West Broadway, Vancouver – Website
Event for Neighbourhood Toy Store Day: “Play Day” from 12:00pm – 3:00pm and prizes for the first 100 customers.
The Village Toy Shop
Location: 262 Newport Drive, Port Moody – Website
Event for Neighbourhood Toy Store Day: Party with balloons, craft station, loot bags, face-painting and a contest.
This is an initiative of Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada: “A Canadian network of specialty toy retailers and their suppliers working together to provide a superior source of toys within our communities.”
John and I had fun in a local toy store a few weeks ago as we checked out their selection of cards, puzzles, and dozens of different styles of “opoly” board games. There’s a charm to a neighbourhood toy shop and I’m glad they’re being celebrated in their way.
Vancouver Comicon is happening this weekend at Heritage Hall on Main, where it has been hosted for well over a decade. The event, which is hosted about six times a year, features special guest appearances, art showcases, and of course plenty of graphic novels.
When
Sunday, November 13, 2011, 11:00am to 5:00pm
Where
Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street (at 15th)
Guests
Jim Mahfood (Kick Drum Comics, Stupid Comics, Grrl Scouts, Marijuanaman), Dave Crosland (Yo Gabba Gabba! Comic Book Time, CBGB, Puffed) with Peter Chiykowski (Rock, Paper, Cynic), Derek DeLand (Copyright Infringers), Kim Glennie (Emily & Zola, Girls’ Room), SpookhauS & Rob Macabre (Satan Claws), Albert Art, Carrie Q Contrary, Beth Wagner, Gurukitty Studios and more.
You can book a dealer table or just stop by and check out the scene, do some shopping, meet the guests. Admission is $4 and kids under 14 years of age are free.
Two days before Vancouver Comicon, you can head to the Vancouver Live Art Funk Jam with Jim Mahfood and Dave Crosland. They’ll be at The Komik Zoo (at The Hennessey Dining Lounge on West Broadway) from 8:00pm to 11:00pm. Admission to this event is by donation with proceeds benefitting the Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund.
Follow @VanComicon on Twitter for more information.
When the Vancouver Opera announced that they would be presenting West Side Story, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would it be a Broadway-style musical or would it be an opera? Turns out, much to my surprise and delight, it was both.
The performance started out with dialogue as the Jets and the Sharks establish edtheir struggle to take power of the neighbourhood, then it rolled into a musical with “The Jet Song,” and then when Tony (Colin Aisnworth) appears, it was opera. In fact it was only Tony and Maria (Lucia Cesaroni) who offer any operatic flair, which makes sense since their music and lyrics are very elegant and passionate. And to be quite honest, it was just the right amount of opera for this story – any more would have been forced. After all, this is a story about the mean streets of New York City in the mid 1950s. Too much opera would have been weird.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed this version of West Side Story (I’ve seen a few and it’s by far the best I’ve ever seen), I found that the lyrics being projected onto the screen really distracted me from the performances especially when you could understand what the performers were saying/singing, as it was all in English. As some of the stage fighting made me giggle at the beginning, but then it got really serious and convincing as the show went on.
Stand-out performances were Aisnworth, Cesaroni, and Cleopatra Williams (Anita). Tracey Kye’s choreography was superb – making thugs look like they do ballet moves everyday.
Next up for the opera – another story about star-crossed lovers. One of the originals, Romeo and Juliet which will run from November 26 to December 3, 2011.
