Canstruction returns to Vancouver this weekend under the sails at Canada Place. This annual fundraiser for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society will feature the works of 23 creative teams as they build structures and sculptures using canned goods.
The displays are then judged in categories such as Juror’s Favourite, Structural Ingenuity, Best Meal, Best Use of Labels, and more. All are designed using only the product labels as the color palette. When the competition and exhibition is complete, the Food Bank anticipates over 100,000 cans of food to be donated.
Canstuction is open to the public from 10:00am until 5:00pm February 27th until March 6th, 2011. You can visit the structures, vote for your favourite, try your hand at building at ‘CANSCHOOL’. Admission is free however donations are encouraged and of course they will all go directly to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
The Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival takes place in October however throughout the year they also organize a series of special events with internationally-acclaimed authors. Coming in March, they will be presenting bestselling author Jodi Picoult (My Sister’s Keeper, Handle with Care). Picoult will read from her new novel, Sing You Home, accompanied by guitarist Ellen Wilber.
“Popular author Picoult tackles the controversial topic of gay rights in her latest powerful tale…Told from the perspectives of all three major characters, Picoult’s gripping novel explores all sides of hot-button issue.” – Booklist
The reading will take place at St Andrew’s-Wesley United Church (Nelson at Burrard) at 7:30pm, Sunday March 13, 2011. Tickets are $21 general/$19 students and are available online or by calling (604) 629-8849.
In addition to the special event with Jodi Picoult, this spring the VIWF will present 2010 Man Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson, bestselling author Simon Winchester and two of Canada’s most acclaimed writers, Elizabeth Hay and Miriam Toews. The VIWF has also recently launched Incite, a free regular reading series in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.
If you would like to win tickets to Picoult’s reading March 13, please leave a comment naming your favourite book or one that you love to read over and over again. I will draw one winner at 12:00pm March 1, 2011.
Update The winner is Lia – have a great time at the reading!
Over the last ten years the Heritage Vancouver Society has released its list of the Top Ten Endangered Sites in Vancouver and the 2011 list is now out.
Schools: Carleton (1896, 1908 to 1912)
Carleton School 1912. Archives Item# LGN496
Schools: Kitchener (1914 & 1924)
Schools: Sexsmith (1912 & 1913)
Shannon Estate (1915 to 1925)
Strathcona North of Hastings
Gordon T. Legg Residence (1899)
Collingwood Library (1951)
Lower Mount Pleasant
Granville Street (1888 on)
2400 Motel (1946)
As you can see, several Vancouver schools top the list of most-threatened buildings in the city. “In recognition of the magnitude of this threat, our top three sites illustrate the main threats to Vancouver’s historic schools: closure, redundancy and demolition,” stated the Heritage Vancouver Society online. “These ten sites represent the many challenges that we have in building a future for heritage in Vancouver.”
The Vancouver Historical Society will be hosting a free public event at the Museum of Vancouver on Thursday, February 24th at 7:30pm. Donald Luxton will give a talk on each of the sites on the 2011 list if you would like to learn more.
A groundbreaking ceremony will take place at the first urban farm on the North Shore this weekend at Loutet Park. On February 26th from 3:30pm until 4:30pm public are welcome to attend the event that will launch the edible garden project in North Vancouver.
The farm will produce vegetables on the North Shore, for North Shore residents, allowing them to source their products locally and not from across the bridge. The urban farm will be managed by farmers Gail Spurr and Jo White from the Edible Garden Project as well as members of the community.
“This is not your typical farm,†says Heather Johnstone, Edible Garden Project Coordinator. “We’re lucky to be located next to an elementary school so students will have a chance to be involved. Plus, we are able to provide gardening workshops and set up volunteer opportunities on site – this will be a farm where the community is very much involved.â€
The Loutet Farm is a project of the North Shore Neighbourhood House, UBC and the CNV. The Edible Garden Project manages community gardens, the Sharing Backyard Bounty garden sharing program, and the Strong Roots education program.
The groundbreaking for Loutet Farm will take place at the South end of Loutet Park (at 14th St and Rufus Ave, North Vancouver). Follow @The_EGP on Twitter for more community garden updates.
The following photo essay was experienced and contributed by John Biehler exclusively for Miss604.com
After driving for a number of hours from Courtenay, our tour pulled up to the beautiful Black Rock Oceanfront Resort in Ucluelet. I didn’t quite know what to expect before arriving but when we did, we were all awestruck by the natural waterfront setting the resort was built around.
Immediately upon checking into my room, the stunning views overwhelmed me with every well appointed room having floor to ceiling windows. Even the bathroom had glass doors that could be opened allowing you to see the ocean from the enormous bathtub and shower:
One very unique feature of an oceanfront resort like this is that you can’t help but leave your windows and balcony doors open at night…nothing is more soothing than hearing the waves crash below your window. The only downside to a room like this is that you may not get much sleep as you’ll want to watch the sun come up in the morning everyday, no matter what time that may be.
Sunrise from my balcony
After getting settled, we headed down to the wine cellar, located in the lower portion of the resort where Executive Chef Andrew Springett had created a special menu to allow us to sample everything the restaurant had to offer:
Dinner featured a selection of Vancouver Island and BC wines including Averill Creek Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, Alderlea Hearth and Quail’s Gate Chenin Blanc:
We then began with plate after plate of unique food combinations and wine pairings:
It’s worth noting that the Black Rock had the fastest wireless internet connection speed I’ve ever experienced, let alone in a hotel. It certainly made it easier to quickly upload all the photos you see in this post while I was staying there, giving me more time to enjoy the amazing views from my room.
John is an avid photographer, gadget geek and traveller. You can find him on Twitter and at johnbiehler.com where he discusses photography and all sorts of technology. All photos in this post were taken by John.
Disclosure: Activities, services and dining experiences during the trip were compliments of Tourism Vancouver Island or the operators and businesses mentioned.
