Canadian Forces Appreciation Night at GM Place is November 1st when the Canucks take on the Colorado Avalanche.

Photo © Department of National Defence

To make this event a success, season ticket holders are being asked to donate their tickets for this particular game so that someone from our nation’s armed forces can attend.

There are three ways to donate your ticket:

Before the game, there will be a rappel demo from the rafters by Search and Rescue Technicians and during intermission there will be a Forces hockey skills competition, pitting Army vs Navy vs Air Force. The deadline to donate your ticket is October 22nd, 2009.

Update, November 2nd 2009:

The following is an email note from Sub Lieutenant Tony Wright from the Canadian Armed Forces:

“This year, 312 Canadian Forces (CF) members from Vancouver, Victoria, Comox, Aldergrove, Chilliwack and many from around the country, were able to watch some fantastic Canucks hockey. Last year, only 140 CF members were able to attend. With your help, we more than doubled our numbers. Many of the sailors, soldiers, and aircrew were hosted in catered suites donated by individuals and corporations. That was a first this year and I think much of our success can be attributed to your promotion of the game on miss604.com.”

I would like to thank every reader who helped make this night a success, you are the best!

Over the last year or so I’ve had the opportunity to check out more theatrical productions around Vancouver than I have in the last ten years or so. From the back of Havana to the Stanley’s stage and Bard’s towering tents, I’ve experienced musicals to shocking thrillers. With arts funding getting slashed in BC, It’s now more important than ever to support these productions no matter how big or small.

Photo credit: ourhero on Flickr

A few days ago I received an email blast from the Artistic Executive Director of the Pacific Theatre, Ron Reed. He noted the importance of subscribing to their program for the 2009-2010 season, and thanked their loyal followers. I realized that this makes a ton of sense since for many companies as they rely on subscriptions so that they can get an idea and outlook of their season’s revenue goals. Reed ended the email with this practical plea: “How can you help? Come and see shows. That’s all we ask. But don’t leave it until halfway through the run of something that may or may not be written up in the newspaper to make your decision: if you subscribe now, our shows will be in your calendar now. And… Pacific Theatre will know in advance that we have the funds we’ll need to make it all possible.”

After receiving this note and many emails from theatre companies across the city about their wonderful upcoming productions I thought I would be proactive and compile a list of each company, a link to their website, and highlight a few of their upcoming performances this season.

The bad news is that I didn’t have time to put this ultimate master list together all by myself. The good news is that I was able to call upon Rebecca Coleman (publicist and theatre blogger) for a hand with the links. Below I have a list of theatre companies and venues and I have added some notes as well as Twitter accounts for those I could find. You’ll find notes similar Reed’s on many of the sites listed below as well.

Arts Club Theatre Company – @TheArtsClub
Mom’s the Word until November 7th, then White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life November – December

Axis Theatre Company
November and December feature Goodnight Moon & The Runaway Bunny school theatre productions.

Bard on the Beach

Blackbird Theatre
Presenting Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf this December.

The Beaumont Studios

Carousel Theatre – @CarouselTheatre
Axis’ Goodnight Moon & The Runaway Bunny, followed by The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood November – January.

Itsazoo

Electric Company Theatre – @TheElectrics

Fight Chance Productions
Until October 24th, One Good Marriage by Sean Reycraft

Firehall Arts
Presenting October 21st – 31st Oh Winnipeg by John Pippus.

Fight Like a Girl Productions
Art by Yasmina Reza at the Inlet Theatre in Port Moody November 19th – 28th.

Gateway Theatre
The Foursome by Norm Foster on stage until October 24th.

Green Thumb

Headlines Theatre

Hoarse Raven

Solo Collective Theatre – @SoloCollective
The Project at Performance Works, Granville Island November 4th – 15th.

DRS Productions
Evil Dead… The Musical at the Norman Rothstein Theatre October 29th – November 7th.

New World Theatre

Pacific Theatre
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot ending tonight. Then, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe from November – January.

PAL Vancouver

Pi Theatre
After the Quake, November 19th – December 5th.

Playwrights Theatre

Pound of Flesh
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

Presentation House Theatre
A Picasso, Third Street Theatre Series October 15th – 31st.

Ruby Slippers
A Beautiful View December 5-13 at Performance Works.

Rumble
November 19th – December 5th, After the Quake by Haruki Murakami.

Spectral Theatre

Theatre Terrific

VECC – The Cultch

Vancouver Playhouse
Until October 31st, The Miracle Worker by William Gibson.

Tooba

Touchstone Theatre
Demon Voice by Shawn Macdonald, November 19th – 28th at Performance Works.

United Players
November 13th – December 6th, The Vertical Hour by David Hare.

Vancouver Fringe – @VancouverFringe

Vancouver Theatre Sports League – @VanTheatreSports

Schools
Capilano University
Romeo and Juliet November 19th – 28th.

Langara College
The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare November 19th – December 13th.

SFU School for the Contemporary Arts
Dances on the Hill: Finale, the last faculty dance show November 26th – 28th.

Theatre UBC
The Master Builder October 28 – November 7, and upcoming, The Laramie Project November 19 – 28th.

Should you have any listings to add, please feel free to contact me.

Todd Talbot and Sara-Jeanne Hosie in the Arts Club Theatre Company’s
production of White Christmas. Photo by David Cooper.

Even after you have clicked through to see more from each of these — and incredibly you find that you are still not interested in attending a performance — there are still a few options for support. Theatre tickets make lovely gifts for birthdays or the upcoming holiday season and many of the production companies above have some great things in the works for this winter and spring.

You may have also noticed that on many of these websites there is a “donate” button or CanadaHelps badge. If you would like to see these companies appear on my 2010/2011 list, please consider a donation as an option as well.

I would like to encourage every Vancouverite to take in at least one live theatre performance this fall, winter, or spring. The shows are affordable, include many stunning sets and feature talented actors & actresses. Once you go, you’ll realize that a night of theatre in Vancouver is an incredibly enjoyable experience.

A few months ago I did a tour of the Cowichan Valley and surrounding areas on Vancouver Island. During that tour, one of our stops was the Merridale Estate Cidery, photo of which I just rediscovered in my iPhoto album. The Cidery was a beautiful place and since it’s definitely worthy of coverage, here’s what I took away from our visit.

Janet Docherty and Rick Pipes purchased Merridale and its 20 acres of cider apples in 2000 from its founder who started it the cidery in 1990. When you arrive you can take a self-guided tour that has step-by-step information signs along the property. Our group was lucky enough to have Janet show us around and explained the cider process.

The apples at Merridale came from England, France and Germany and are not exposed to pesticides or herbicides. The trees do however get pollinated thanks to a large population of honey bees that are kept on the property.

Unused pomace (which is left after the apple juice is squeezed) is given to local farmers to use as feed or compost since it is high in fiber. Apples that are unusable in the cider are still put to use, making spa products and vinegar reductions.

Throughout the year, the cider is moved around from the pressing process, fermentation, and bottled in small quantities. Janet told us they use the term, “bottling on demand” to ensure the freshest tasting cider. Once the cider is ready for bottling, Merridale uses plastic bottles to avoid further fermentation. The result is a crisp, carbonated cider, that is shipped directly from the cidery or moved to a location in Vancouver where they can then distribute the product.

The cidery itself is on a gorgeous plot of land which they open up for weddings and dining. The wood-burning oven on the back porch is perfect for pizzas, pies and other baked goods served in their bistro. Janet and her husband also have a small brandihouse around back where they ferment and distill the cider in a contraption that looks as though it’s straight out of Willy Wonka’s factory. They also have a spa which uses apple products sourced from the land.

The brandy and the cider is served inside or outside on their back porch, over-looking the orchards. We had samples of at least half a dozen ciders poured directly into hand-made glasses that Janet literally went around the world and back to find.

Here are some of the tasting notes:

Cidre Normandie: Oaked and aged – 12%. “No sweetness afterwards, there’s no residual sugars. It’s dry but goes well with rich or salty foods.”

Scrumpy: Oaked and aged – 11%. “It’s a combination of crabapple and cider apple. Goes well with salty foods or goat cheese.”

Merri Cherri: 6% – Made with black current, sour cherries and raspberries, what Janet called a “cider sangria”.

Cyser: Aged – 10%. “Made with honey from the bees on the property, it goes great with curry and is served at Vij’s in Vancouver.”

You can view a complete list of products here.

The brandies were rich and viscous like ice wines. Some finished with a smooth hazelnut flavour while the apple Oh de Vie (at a bold 40% alcohol) is a potent base for a fruity martini.

There are dozens of establishments on Vancouver Island and in the Victoria area that serve Merridale Cider and several in the Lower Mainland. In Vancouver you can find their cider in places like the Raincity Grill, Vij’s (as previously noted), O’Doul’s, the Shangri-La Hotel, and Zin on Robson Street. You can also purchase Merridale products at many local private wine stores or BC Liquor private liquor stores.

It was at Merridale that I found out about the Wine Islands association and tour as well. I had never even considered apple cider as a meal pairing until I the pleasure of visiting Sea Cider in Saanichton earlier this summer and now also Merridale. The cider business on Vancouver Island may be small at present, but it’s got a golden and delicious future.

Disclosure: As with each stop on our Tourism BC tour of the Cowichan Valley, none of the journalists and freelancers were paid by Tourism BC or the establishments to write about any of their experiences. The hope with these types of trips is that we can be exposed to some great places and products, and that we’ll each go back to our own publications and outlets and write about what we think our readers would enjoy. Our tour and tastings were complimentary but self-guided tours at Merridale start at $4, guided tours are $5.

Today is the Closing Gala of the 2009 Vancouver International Film Festival however due to popular demand, VIFF films will continue to be screened next week.

All screenings listed above will take place at the licensed Vancity Theatre (on Seymour near Davie). If you didn’t get the chance to check out the 377 films offered this year, or those you’ve heard a lot of buzz about, next week is your chance.

Tickets for tonight’s gala screening of Queen to Play along with the VIFF09 awards and party are still available. I’ll edit this post later tonight with an update from the awards ceremonies.

Update » 2009 VIFF Awards Announced:

JURIED AWARDS

Canwest Award for Best Canadian Feature Film
I Killed My Mother (J’ai tué ma mere) – Xavier Dolan

Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film
The Last Act (Le dernier acte) – Jan Binsse and David Tougas

Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award
65_Redroses – Nimisha Mukerji, co-director, producer and editor, and Gillian Lowry, co-producer

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Rogers People’s Choice Award
Soundtrack for a Revolution (USA), Directed by Bill Guttentag

Documentary Audience Award
Facing Ali (Canada/BC), Directed by Pete McCormack

National Film Board of Canada’s Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award
65_Redroses (Canada/BC), Directed by Nimisha Mukerjee and Philip Lyall

VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award
65_Redroses (Canada/BC), Directed by Nimisha Mukerjee and Philip Lyall

VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award
At the Edge of the World (USA), Directed by Dan Stone

The Daniel Igali 5K Walk/Run for Kids will take place in Bear Creek Park on Saturday October 17th, 2009.

In 2000, Daniel Igali won the gold medal for Canada in men’s wrestling at the Olympic Games in Sydney. The Nigerian-born, Surrey resident’s moving display of placing the Canadian flag down on the mat, circling it in celebration then falling to his knees and kissing it was one of our nation’s most memorable Summer Olympic moments. Since that time, Daniel has finished school, obtaining degrees from SFU, and has founded the Daniel Igali Foundation.

The Walk/Run will take place rain or shine and will benefit the foundation which Igali Foundation initiatives such as the The Maureen Matheny Academy in Nigeria.

“In the small Nigerian village of Eniwari, a new school- Maureen Matheny Academy- is changing the lives of young children all across the Niger Delta. The First Annual Daniel Igali Foundation Run 4 the Kids is your opportunity to get active and have fun while also helping to improve the basic educational needs of the children of Eniwari. The Maureen Matheny Academy, which opened in 2006, is the fulfillment of a promise that Daniel Igali made after winning the gold medal in wrestling at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.”

Daniel was a refuge from Nigeria and obtained Canadian citizenship in 1998. Sticking to his promise of helping out those back in his home country, he is an inspiration and role model to many.

You can register online or at a Running Room store for the Daniel Igali 5K Walk/Run for Kids. Before October 15th, the entry fee ($15 adults, $10 youth, $7 kids) will include a t-shirt. Registration on the day of the event is $5 (adults /students) and $2 (kids under 12), not including a t-shirt.

This is the inaugural Walk/Run, which they hope to make an annual event.