While I’ve been blogging about social causes for the last seven years, fundraising online, and organizing fundraisers, this year I have gone out into the community to see for myself where the difference is made. John and I served at the Union Gospel Mission‘s dinner last Saturday and today I’m out at schools around the Lower Mainland with the Vancouver Sun Kids Fund dropping off some donated goods with London Drugs.
Photo credit:
Tripleman on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool.
Earlier this week I received an email from a reader who asked if I was going to post about volunteer opportunities this season. He explained that he’s not originally from Vancouver but is staying here over the holidays and would like to give back. I fired off an email (through Volunteer BC) and found Vantage Point.
I was told that if you’re interested in volunteering, you can start by going to GoVolunteer.ca where you can search for posted openings from Whistler to Abbotsford, and everywhere in between. Some highlighted holiday opportunities include:
You can also get in contact with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, the Lookout Society, the Carnegie Centre, or the Surrey Christmas Bureau and Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau.
You can find out more about volunteer opportunities year-round through Vantage Point. Find them on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
The Goh Ballet’s presentation of The Nutcracker opens this week in Vancouver, just ahead of the last-minute holiday rush. Award-winning dancers, gymnasts, ballroom couples, and guests from the American Ballet Theatre will bring this classic tale alive with the accompaniment of the Vancouver Opera’s orchestra.
Experience Clara’s dream come to life as she embarks on a magical journey through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of Sweets where she is greeted by the enchanting Sugar Plum Fairy. An unforgettable adventure awaits as her gallant Nutcracker battles the evil Mouse King and his army of mischievous mice. This heart-warming production is sure to delight audiences of all ages with more than 200 glittering costumes, dramatic sets and valuable lessons…
Tickets are currently available from $30 to $95, plus fees and taxes. Showtimes are 7:30pm December 15th through the 18th and a 2:00pm matinee on the 17th and 18th.
If you would like to attend this production of The Nutcracker, from Vancouver’s Goh Ballet Youth Company, here’s how you can enter to win a pair of tickets for opening night:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner tomorrow afternoon, December 14, 2011 at 4:00pm. The tickets will be for opening night on Thursday, December 15, 2011 only.
Update The winner is Yasmine!
When you think of Christmas, the beach might not come to mind. However in White Rock, the two will go hand-in-hand this weekend.
Photo credit:
GlacierTim on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool.
What Christmas at the Beach
When Sunday, December 18, 2011 from 12:00pm to 4:00pm
Where West Beach (short strip near the pier)
Presented by local merchants and the White Rock Business Improvement Association, the day will include a horse-drawn carriage and carolers, Christmas crafts, festive treats, along with Santa and his elves at the museum. Bring a non-perishable item for donation to the White Rock Food Bank and your hot chocolate is free.
Headquarters for the event will be at Marine Drive and Vidal Street. You can also pick up a Rock Holiday Experience Card to collect stamps from merchants. Get a minimum of five stamps and your card could win you $1,000 in White Rock Dollars.
Follow @inwhiterock on Twitter or Facebook for more information.
There are few things I enjoy more than being a tourist in my own hometown and when I’m offered the chance to experience the city like a visitor it’s rare that I’ll pass it up. Last week, I was invited to participate in the Taste Vancouver Food Tour’s Gastown Tour. Meeting up with ten others, who hailed from cities around the globe, I received my ear-piece, my lanyard, and set out on foot behind our guide, John “Gassy Jack” Deighton himself for the next tour hours.
Right off the bat the tour became more than a culinary adventure. The first few stops mentioned the history of the waterfront, from its very first years as a part of Vancouver up until the last twenty years.
Our first bite was of lobster macaroni and cheese at Rogue Kitchen & Wetbar. I’ve been to Rogue before and I’ve ordered the lobster mac n’ cheese, and I would do so again. The portion was about the third of the size of the actual menu item and was a nice way to warm up our taste buds for the rest of the tour.
The second tasting stop was Steamworks where we met brewmaster Conrad Gmoser who told us a bit about the IPA we sampled next.
On our way again, we stopped next door at Rogers Chocolates for a sample, complimented with a quick story about the founders. The sweet treat was followed up with some rolled maple syrup from Canadian Maple Delights.
Heading West down Water Street we crossed over and hopped into the arcade where we learned more about the building and the unique tin ceiling in the hall.
Ending up on Cordova, we looped back into Brioche where owner Eduardo Bilardelo spoke to us about his style of cooking, his ingredient choices, and a little bit about his hometown in Sicily. We were each given a healthy portion of freshly-made tortellini.
Lobster, pasta, beer, maple syrup, and now cheesecake. Trees Organic was the next stop where we tried two of their top-sellers. The key lime and the mocha cheesecake.
What tour of Gastown would be complete without the compulsory stop at the steam clock? I was happy to hear our guide note that it was indeed a creation of the 1970’s and not as old as some might think it to be.
I then stepped foot into the Water Street Cafe for the first time. We heard about the history of the hotel building in which it sits, its significance during The Great Fire, and the story of the cafe. The sample crab cakes were moist and packed with meat, not over-powered by any sauce at all.
Our food tour took a few more detours, winding in and out of the John Fluevog store, the Smart Mouth Cafe (where Greenpeace once met, since it was formed in Vancouver you know), and ended up on the corner of Water and Carrall. There, we found Peckinpah
This North Carolina barbecue joint opened up on the corner of Maple Tree Square, just behind the statue of Gastown’s namesake. The smokey aroma gives you a great big hug when you walk in the door and our sample of briket and pulled pork was enough to make me run home (not immediately of course) and tell John we’re returning for a full meal very soon.
Looping around to Gaoler’s Mews (pronounced Jailer’s Mews) our last tasting stop was in Apres Midi, a quaint teahouse whose selection was reminiscent of Silk Road in Victoria.
We sampled their market spice tea which had floral, cinnamon, and honey notes. Our tour then finished up, fittingly, at the foot of the Gassy Jack statue.
I look at Vancouver with the eyes of someone born and raised in the area — and someone who regularly does historical research — so it’s not everyday that I learn something new. I have to give the organizers credit for throwing in at least two tibdits about Gastown that I had not previously heard. To me, that makes for a winning tour for locals and visitors alike.
The tour was $39 a piece which is reasonable based on the information, the ground covered, and the ample tasting opportunities. This Gastown Tour runs daily from 2:00pm to 4:00pm until January 8, 2012. You can also book private tours for your group of 6 to 16 people throughout the year.
Update for Summer 2012: The food tour is now open every day. Check the official website for exact times.
If you would like to head out on the food tour yourself, they have offered up two Gastown tours to one lucky reader of mine. You can explore Gastown with a friend or treat an out-of-towner. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post naming your favourite hometown attraction (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 10:00am on Tuesday, December 20, 2011. Must be 19 years of age or older to do the tour as there is the stop in the pub.
Update The winner is Linda (@lindabook)!
This afternoon a bear was tranquilized in downtown Vancouver after hitching a ride into town on a garbage truck. Reports and photos have been pouring in across all social and traditional media outlets including a set of images from the Vancouver Public Library.
CBC News says that the truck was stopped near the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in the area of Georgia and Cambie.
From The Province: “It’s a yearling, probably one or two years old,” said Desjardins, who tranquilized the youngster. “The driver had made a pickup on the North Shore, and he came downtown for another pickup.”
From CTV News: “The police just patted its back and coaxed it down,” said Karyn MacDonald, who arrived at the scene shortly after the animal was spotted. “I can’t believe they just pet it.”
Bear sightings in Vancouver are about as rare as they come but they weren’t that uncommon in the city’s early days. In fact, several families even had black bears as pets.
1900’s man with pet bear cub on Hastings. Archives item# CVA 677-378.
1909 – Little boy & a pet bear in Kitsilano. Archives item# CVA 7-13. Photographer: James L Quiney.
Onlookers and those hearing the story are concerned about the future of today’s urban bear. We don’t yet know what that is just yet but he’s currently being removed from the location while sedated. According to CTV News and a witness, the bear will be released back into the wild. The Province confirms this with a quote from Conservation Officer Desjardins: “He’s going to be translocated, most likely to the Squamish Valley.”
In May of 2010 a grey whale wandered right into False Creek and gave residents and visitor quite a thrill as well.
