Tonight at 6:00pm about 200 people will be gathering at The Cellar for food, drinks, supporting the Food Bank, and celebrating the efforts of all those who contribute online in Metro Vancouver. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect today for the Best of 604.
Doors are at 6:00pm and admission is by monetary (cash/cheque) donation to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. I will have three lovely volunteers handing out a complimentary drink ticket (until 7:00pm), accepting your donation, and handing out raffle tickets. There will also be some finger foods supplied however as we’re at max capacity make sure to show up on time in order to get in on these goodies.
The awards announcements will take place around 7:15pm/7:30pm and I’ll go through all the runners up, as well as announce and award the winners with prizes donated by our gracious sponsors.
Please make sure to RSVP here – we sold out already but I have released a few extra tickets.
A note to the ladies (and the gents), I know a few of us are dressing up a little (I’m hoping to get a sweet dress this morning). As I explained on Twitter last night, my business is blogging (freelance, Miss604.com, sixty4media consulting etc.) so I won’t really have an office Christmas party this year. This is as close as I’ll get so I’m going to try and doll up a bit and celebrate the year with all of you. This doesn’t mean you have to dress up – jeans are very welcome – it’s just that I’ve had a few inquiries about attire.
Finally, be sure to have cast your vote for the awards – we have almost 6,000 votes in already so make sure you have made your favourite known.
Please let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to seeing everyone tonight. Remember to RSVP and I’ll print a list of the winners right here on Miss604.com tomorrow morning.
Warren Kimmel and Amy Wallis
Photo by David Cooper
In the car on the way to The Stanley this evening to see Disney’s Beauty and the Beast my sister had to fill me in on the story. Being the mother of four children she can pretty much recite any Disney movie by heart (and she knows The Little Mermaid verbatim).
The tale was unfamiliar to me however seeing as this is one of the most anticipated theatre experiences in Vancouver each year, I knew I was in for a treat regardless (and all the tunes would send the memories flooding back in no time).
The musical contains the songs from the Disney film (lyrics by Tim Rice) and the performers brought every word to life with their beautiful, powerful, and playful melodies. The entire stage was able to rotate in the centre allowing for the easy flow of scene and backdrop changes and the costumes once again were divine.
Jonathon Winsby and the cast of the Arts Club Theatre Company’s
production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Photo by David Cooper
Photo by David Cooper
My niece (age eight) came along with us and I caught her giggling on more than one occasion – she particularly liked Cogsworth and Lumiere’s interactions and humour. We all loved the singing and the cast was spot-on.
Each night at the theatre in Vancouver is different, from the pre-show meal to the stage settings and audiences. It’s a great way to spend an evening, be entertained, and take the kids out to some place other than the mall this season. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast runs until January 4th, 2009 and it’s one of two holiday offerings from the Arts Club.
As a side note, one lucky winner at the Best of 604 awards reception will be receiving two tickets to this very production of Beauty and the Beast courtesy of The Arts Club.
One of my favourite memories as a girl was picking out our Christmas tree. This only happened every 5 or 6 years though as we would get a live tree which we placed in a massive pot, decorated, cared for until after Christmas and then planted in our backyard until the following year when we dug it up (this could be a challenge when the ground was frozen) and brought it in again. This was repeated yearly until the tree became too large to bring in and took up it’s permanent home in our yard. Then, back to the tree farm to pick out another one.
Unfortunately we aren’t yet able to continue this tradition with our kids as we have limited space (both inside and outside) but instead of heading out to the local tree lot this year, which is usually all we have time for, we decided to go to a local Christmas tree farm and cut our own tree. I wasn’t exactly sure the address of such a place but we headed east on Hwy1 towards Langley and before long we spotted a sign for the Dogwood Tree Farm, we took the 232nd exit and from there followed the signs right to the farm itself.
It was Sunday evening and it was just about to get dark. It looked incredibly busy as there were cars lined up along the street and people attaching trees to roof racks as we pulled in. Fortunately there was plenty of parking in the small gravel lot as we had arrived at the end of the day. We were greeted by a friendly man who handed us a saw and advised us that there was no hurry but the sun was setting and when it’s dark ‘all trees look perfect’.
It was a really fun experience for the kids wandering among the small, medium and large trees of varying types and because there were few people around anymore it felt like we were alone in the woods briefly.
Once the ideal tree was picked Sean and the kids cut it down and carried it back to be measured. The cost is determined by the height of the tree and the type of tree. You may also want to hang around for a bit around the fire pit with a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy the beauty of the scenery and wonderful smell of Christmas.
The Dogwood Christmas Tree Farm is located at 8659 252 St in Fort Langley. Don’t forget to bring cash as they don’t have debit or credit available.
Photo credit:
nep on Flickr
As there are only 3 days left to vote for your favourite websites in the region for the Best of 604, here is a quick update on the Awards Reception (RSVP now if you haven’t already).
Voting ends Thursday December 11th at 12:00pm
At the Awards Reception, doors open at 6:00pm and admission is by monetary donation to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society.
Everyone will also get a raffle ticket with their admission donation (of $10, and an additional ticket for each extra $10 increment).
As we are nearing capacity for the venue, please make sure that if you replied on the Facebook event that you book your (free) ticket through the official RSVP site.
I have added a prize page to the website.
The awards presentations will begin at 7:15pm and once our evening is over (at 9:00pm), you are more than welcome to stay and enjoy the regular club night at The Cellar.
As an incentive to show up on time our awesome venue sponsor, The Cellar, will treat all guests to a complimentary drink (you will get a drink ticket if you arrive before 7:00pm).
If you are a prize sponsor who is bringing their prize to the awards reception, please be on time at 6:00pm so we can get things sorted (and so that I can thank you).
Since I may be running around quite a bit that evening (we even have some A/V to setup) I may be looking for a volunteer or two to ‘work the door’ – accepting donations, handing out tickets, checking off the guest list etc. please let me know if you would be available to help out in this way. Thanks Kate, Marina and Rosemary!
Over 4,500 votes have been counted (or at least collected by my polling system) thus far so make sure you cast your ballot for your favourite sites in the region by midday Thursday.
I’ve seen Skoah products before and since my old office was in Yaletown I have walked by before but I never knew the true extent of the Skoah experience until I was invited in for their Angel Glow Facial last Friday.
I’ve been to my fair share of spas, from hotel resorts, to Korean day spas and even medical school (where I was material on which medical aesthetics students learned to wax and scrub). Most spas have a calming and soothing atmosphere and with Vancouver-based Skoah it’s no different. Here are some of my notes:
The location is easy to get to (being a bus/walk person this is important)
The storefront is nicely laid out and the staff is professional
The rooms have low light and the tables are heated – seriously one of the most comfy duvets I’ve experienced in a while
Skoah products are used for all treatments and they smell amazing
Products are suited for sensitive skin – I had *zero* redness even with having “extractions” during the facial. I won’t describe “extractions” but if you know what’s involved in a facial… yeah
The Angel Glow Facial included a lower leg massage – I’m talking pretty much your full leg (just up over the knee) down to your feet
Treatments include: angel glow facial, kreate your facial, facialisicous, xtreme, power hour, fitskin
quickie, killer feet, digit dose, and 6 packs
Even though Skoah uses their own products they were not slathered on and the treatment was more about soothing, calming, and massage
It’s not so much a ‘con’ but it is just a skin treatment spa and shop (you can’t get your hair done or get a painted-nail manicure or pedicure). They do however have the following products: cleansers, toners, exfoliators, moisturizers, masks, serums, eyes, lips, specialty, sun, body, hair kare, hands & feet, kits, makeup, brushes – as well as products for men
I have to note probably my favourite part (aside from leaving smelling like their vanilla/brown sugar Holiday Lotion) was the music. I did not hear one flute, nor did I feel like I was in an elven forest at any point in time. The tunes were soft yet included some awesome tracks like Zero 7 – In the Waiting Line.
The Angel Glow Facial is $60 and is about 45 minutes and the products available will not break the bank at all (you can get the Holiday Lotion for $18). You can also get a Mistletoe Makeover personalized makeup lesson for $35 this season. I highly recommend checking out this “specialty skin care shop”.
