It’s opening night of Salome at the Vancouver Opera and I’ll be covering the evening on my site and Twitter along with Raul, Tanya, Tris, and Kimli. This is the final performance of the season and I’ve been lucky enough to attend every production by the Vancouver Opera this year.

Mlada Khudoley (Salome), John Mac Master (Herod), Judith Forst (Herodias)
Photo: Tim Matheson

Updates will begin around 6:00pm and so far I hear Salome will include things like nudity and a beheading and with a tag line of “lust and prophecy in Judea” to boot. I’ve come to realize that with opera, there really isn’t a dull moment.

You can view the opera’s manga at OperaLive to get an idea of the story and read the VO’s blog for a preview of Salome along with cast interviews.

Update: My mother and I have arrived at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for Salome and have settled in at the blogger table. I also won’t be able to check the Canucks score throughout the evening but I have a feeling that (being two blocks away from GM Place) we’ll be able to hear the jubilation and car horns outside if our team is victorious. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

A new fashion, art and design market is happening in Vancouver this weekend at the Roundhouse in Yaletown. Make It! kicked off last night and will be open today at 10:00am until 5:00pm and again tomorrow from 11:00am until 5:00pm.

Make It is devoted to creating positive opportunities for artists and designers. On the flip side, Make It is a shopping event that gives enlightened shoppers the opportunity to buy unique, ethically made goods from top artisans from all over Canada!

The vibe at the show is funky, hip and modern…very different from you traditional granny craft show! Music is spun by top local DJs and there are always drinks and tasty eats to be enjoyed. Make It is about appreciating creativity, connecting entrepreneurs, and giving conscious shoppers an alternative to the mall. [About]

It’s basically a craft show meets a party-like atmosphere – upbeat, funky, and creative with fashion, accessories, baby items, art and jewelry from over 65 exhibitors. Tickets are $5 at the door and Make it will also feature a silent auction that will support the BC Cancer Foundation.

Next week is the first annual Look Fashion Show to benefit youth programs. The goal is to educate youth about healthy lifestyle choices, and have them share their insights on the topic through vlogs (video blogs) and the fashion showcase. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

I love random stats and tidbits of information which is why I’m currently addicted to Google’s Insights for Search feature.

Basically you can pop in a search term and see trends such as which cities or countries search what term the most, where people are located, what are some top searched words, and various other statistics.

I just received an email from Google letting me know some of the top Canucks trends, and I thought these were definitely worth noting:

Biggest Googling Canucks fans in BC…

1. Delta
2. Langley
3. Coquitlam
4. North Vancouver
5. Williams Lake
6. Surrey
7. Vancouver
8. Kamloops
9. Courtenay
10. Kelowna

What Canucks fans are searching for:

You can also text Google to get scores on the fly using their sms search service by texting the words “canucks score” to 466453. The result is a message in return that may look like this:

Vancouver Canucks (45-27-10)
Last game: 30 Apr, Vancouver Canucks 5 – Chicago Blackhawks 3
Next game: vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 2 May 10:00pm ET
canucks.nhl.com

It’s pretty evident that Canucks fans are connected, which you can even tell on game day when the term #Canucks is one of the top ten in the world on Twitter. I’m really liking the text feature and I think the search data may be valuable information for hockey bloggers and content creators.

Finally, according to Google, Canadians search for “hockey” more than any other country in the world, they search “NHL” more than anyone else and in BC, “hockey” is more popular than “Britney Spears”… as it should be in my books.

Photos in this post are from the Round Two Canucks #NHLTweetup

The next stop on the Circle Farm Tour for my group this week was the Kilby Historic Site in Harrison Mills [Google Map].

Kilby was a bustling whistle stop destination home to thousands at its peak where Mr Acton Kilby ran the general store (1906), post office, hotel, and most elements you’d find in a turn-of-the-century town.

When the rail lines changed and the gold rush ended, it became a ghost town however many elements from the 1920s and 30s era were preserved by Acton Kilby. In the 1970s the Kilby family decided to turn the whole place into a museum – from old gas pumps, barns, elevated boardwalks, and of course the general store. Mr Kilby had collected so many items over the years – rooms full, really – including everything from turn of the century cigarette tins, to canned goods and clothing, the diversity of the collection is remarkable.

Aside from the museum, they have a farm (with goats, bunnies, ducks, chickens, and cows) and they work together with the local 4-H Club.

The gift shop is filled with goodies from local artisans and their restaurant serves up hearty meals from old-fashioned recipes including hand-squeezed lemonade, fresh baked pies, and their pulled-chicken sandwich.

You can visit Kilby from Thursday to Monday (11:00am to 5:00pm) and as of May 14th they’re open every day from 11:00am to 5:00pm. The family admission price is $24 (for families of any size) and they also have seasons passes, $22 for adults and $52 for the whole family.

They also have special events throughout the year including a Black Powder Festival, a Thanksgiving meal, and even spooky haunted Halloween tours.

The Kilby Historic Site is also adjacent to a campground (with 22 spots) in Harrison Bay where I’m certain my family has stayed before but will merit another visit sometime soon. The history, natural beauty, farm features, and stories told at Kilby definitely make the trip worthwhile.