In the morning I glanced at our itinerary and looked over at John: “Cafe, cafe, meadery, cidery, winery,” to which he replied: “It’s going to be a good day!” He sure was right as we were following in the footsteps of this #ExploreArrowLakes story from our friends at ZenSeekers. We departed Castlegar in the morning (see, I told you it was a great hub) and headed north. Following the Columbia River, the Kootenay River, then the Slocan River and eventually Slocan Lake and Upper Arrow Lake, we rolled around in the valleys flanked by the Selkirk, Monashee and Purcell mountain ranges.
Good Eats in the Arrow Lakes and Slocan Valley Region
Frog Peak Cafe
Location: 1418 BC-6, Crescent Valley, BC What to order: All the baked goods! The coffee is amazing as well. Come for the food, stay for the artwork, the spacious patio, and lawn with play area for the kids. What the founder says: “My husband and I bought this building in 2003 with the plans of opening just a little cafe,” says co-owner Laurel Giasson who says they’ve put on about five additions to the building. “It was built in 1896, it was actually the first or second home built out here in the Slocan Valley […] We spent two years restoring it, and had our son, and we opened the restaurant in 2005. Originally we were just a small cafe/bakery and over the years we’ve just added things to our menu.” They do a full breakfast and lunch until 3pm daily. “It’s just really a nice organic vibe. People let their kids play, they’ll put a blanket on the grass if there’s no tables, we just enjoy – we really love it!”
DanceHouse presents the Vancouver premiere of RUBBERBAND’s high-octane hip-hop infused work Ever So Slightly, on stage October 21 to 23, 2021 at the Vancouver Playhouse, in strict compliance with provincial health regulations.
RUBBERBAND Photo by Marie-Noëlle Pilon
First Show to be Cancelled by the Presenter in Response to the Pandemic Now Marks Long-Awaited Return to the Stage
DanceHouse Presents RUBBERBAND’s Ever So Slightly
When: October 21 to 23, 2021 at 8:00pm
Where: Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton St, Vancouver)
Choreographed by RUBBERBAND’s Artistic Director Victor Quijada, Ever So Slightly explores humanity’s instinctive behavioural reflexes developed in response to life’s daily aggressions, coupled with our urgent desire for resistance from these constraints. The Montreal company’s first major work to feature its entire 10-member company of artists, Ever So Slightly’s dynamic choreography will be accompanied by a live electronic soundscape from composer / DJ Jasper Gahunia and award-winning violinist William Lamoureux.
Ever So Slightly, which premiered in December 2018 at Montreal’s Théâtre Maisonneuve, is Quijada’s meditation on the momentum of change — the many elements that lead to change, and the breaking point that makes either positive or negative shifts possible. The work was recognized as a finalist at the prestigious Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal in 2019.
The performance begins with the company’s dancers lying face down on an unadorned black set. As tension mounts, movement slowly ripples through the pack as the dancers bubble up, one at a time, in a reflexive chain reaction. Through innovative partnering, staccato flashes of fiery red and stark white lighting, and powerful, urgent movement, the dancers fight their own instincts, stripping away their constraining boiler suit uniforms on the path towards emotional freedom and transformative enlightenment.
Ever So Slightly features an original soundtrack composed and performed live on stage by Gahunia, RUBBERBAND’s longtime collaborative partner, an established TV and film composer, and resident DJ for hip-hop artist K-OS. Joining Gahunia on stage is virtuoso violinist William Lamoureux. The duo imbues the work with a pulsing soundscape: an eclectic mix of esoteric electronica, breakbeats, and vintage sampling. Gahunia and Lamoureux are fixtures of the set, performing from risers constructed on the right side of the stage.
I have a pair of tickets to give away to opening night on October 21st, here’s how you can enter to win:
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I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, October 19, 2021. UPDATE! The winner is Lisa M!
Megaphone Magazine has launched its 2022 Hope in Shadows calendar, highlighting the lives of low-income photographers. Hope in Shadows is a photography project that shares the stories of people experiencing poverty and homelessness through their own lens, and in its 19-year history, has put more than $1 million directly into the pockets of low-income vendors in BC — helping them buy “extras” such as healthy food, warm clothing, or items for their grandchildren.
First Place Winner – December 2022 – Thunderchild by Priscillia Mays Tait
The Hope in Shadows 2022 calendar features 13 strikingly beautiful photographs — along with accompanying stories — captured by folks from the Megaphone community. New this year, the first-ever limited set of 13 Hope in Shadows notecards will also feature the winning photos.
The project challenges the stigma around poverty by making space for people marginalized by society to share their own views. Street vendors who sell the calendar participate in a photography contest hosted by Megaphone each spring. They are given a single-use, disposable camera and five days to go out into their communities and take pictures of their lives — capturing images around a different theme each year.
For the 2022 project, the theme is “Play.”
Participants flooded the Megaphone office with more than 1,500 photographs, including those of a cheerful and charming guitar player who connects people with music, a gifted seamstress who is keeping an Indigenous tradition alive, a street singer whose powerful voice will stop you in your tracks, and so many more.
Those images were pared down to the top 30 photos, selected by a community jury and public vote, and then 13 winning photographs were chosen for the 2022 calendar.
The winning photo and cover of the 2022 calendar was taken by vendor Priscillia Mays Tait (proud Babine, Gitsxan, and mostly Wet’suwet’en mother). Entitled Thunderchild, it’s a candid shot of Cree grandmother Frances and her grandson Kayden laughing together while they sit at the outdoor patio of the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre (“DEWC”).
“It’s clear from the photo how precious this young ‘Thunderchild’ is to his grandmother,” Tait says of her photo. “I have seen many Indigenous grandmothers raising their grandchildren in the Downtown Eastside, and it’s a good thing there are places like the DEWC to serve their needs, and those of other women and children.”
Julia Aoki, Megaphone’s executive director, says the community shows up in force every year to express themselves through photography, and share their stories in Hope in Shadows.
“It’s a privilege to experience these stories, which express so much striking beauty, joy, and pride,” Aoki says. “Hope in Shadows photographers and vendors are doing the crucial work of sharing perspectives and experiences that might otherwise be overlooked. The stories in the calendar are truly enriching.”
Megaphone street vendors in Vancouver are currently selling the calendar and notecards. You can find and pay vendors directly with their smartphone using the Megaphone App, available for free download from the iTunes and Google Play stores.
You can also purchase the calendar and notecards online and receive it via mail or in-person pick-up through Megaphone’s online store.
About Megaphone Magazine
Megaphone offers employment and empowerment to people experiencing poverty. Megaphone publishes a monthly magazine and an annual calendar that are sold on the streets of Vancouver and Victoria by homeless and low-income vendors. Vendors buy each magazine for 75 cents and sell it for $2, and purchase each calendar for $10 and sell it for $20. They keep the profit. By selling Megaphone and Hope in Shadows, people experiencing poverty, homelessness, and other barriers to employment can earn income through meaningful, dignified work.
Miss604’s Rebecca Bollwitt has been a proud contributor to Megaphone since April, 2020.
It’s the 20th anniversary of My Sister’s Closet, a high-end thrift fashion boutique in Vancouver that takes action to end gender-based violence while directly supporting and empowering victims and survivors of sexualized and domestic violence.
The shop is a social enterprise of Battered Women’s Support Services (“BWSS”), a local organization providing education, advocacy, and support towards eliminating gender-based (including sexualized violence) and domestic violence.
My Sister’s Closet – Photo submitted
My Sister’s Closet Celebrates 20 Years
Downtown: 1092 Seymour St, Vancouver
Open Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11:00am to 6:00pm for shopping
Tuesdays and Wednesdays open for donation only.
East Van: 1830 Commercial Drive
Open Monday to Sunday 11:00am to 6:00pm
BWSS responded to 32,000 requests for service in 2020—up from 18,000 the year before. With 100% of its revenues going towards funding BWSS’s life-saving programs and services, My Sister’s Closet has been instrumental in supporting thousands of victims and survivors every year.
Since its inception in 2001, My Sister’s Closet has become a local landmark. As the boutique celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, its cause and storied history propels its legacy forward as it continues to make a meaningful impact throughout the community.
The downtown storefront on the corner of Seymour and Helmcken sits intentionally on a city block that sex workers strolled in the ‘80s and ‘90s. The store’s location was also chosen to be near the site where Elaine Allenbach, a sex worker, went missing in 1986.
My Sister’s Closet has become a fashion destination for discerning shoppers. The boutique regularly appears in listicles for its sharply curated collection of gently-used clothing and accessories for all bodies (including a selection of menswear dubbed My Brother’s Corner) in styles that are on-trend and classic.
There are two brick and mortar locations—the second being on Commercial Drive—and an online shop, the latter to keep serving the needs of the community during the pandemic and make support for its cause even more accessible.
Two decades since it first opened, My Sister’s Closet endures as a landmark of local history and a physical manifestation of BWSS’s mission to promote equality and safety for all women.
Shop online or in person today, and if you have any donations – of women’s and men’s laundered, gently used clothing and accessories (e.g., shoes, handbags, jewelry) – they can be dropped off at either location.
Have a scare-free but exceptionally entertaining Halloween with Gateway Theatre this month! For two weekends only, Gateway Theatre is bringing a life-size version of its Hallows’ Eve miniature paper theatre, that was created last year, to two locations in Richmond.
Hallow’s Eve Pop-Up with Gateway Theatre
Halloween with Gateway Theatre
With the goal of welcoming more of the community to enjoy the performing arts, Gateway Theatre has been planning exciting, innovative, and participatory artistic offerings.
When: October 23 & 24, 2021
Where: Gulf of Georgia Cannery in Steveston (12138 Fourth Ave, Richmond)
Tickets: Part of the Cannery’s Haunted Sea exhibit. There is no additional fee to enter the Hallows’ Eve Pop-Up Theatre but admission to the Gulf of Georgia may be required.
When: October 30 & October 31, 2021
Where: Aberdeen Centre (4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond)
Tickets: Free and no advance registration is required.
“It’s an opportunity to create lifelong memories with family,” states Jasmine Chen, Gateway Theatre’s Artistic and Community Producer, “and we’re thrilled to bring the magic of performing arts into the community.”
Beautifully illustrated by Keely O’Brien, a Richmond-based interdisciplinary artist, this travelling theatre literally expands on Gateway’s last Halloween delight, a build-your-own miniature theatre also featuring O’Brien’s enchanting puppetry and illustrative works.
As they step into this enchanting set, families will have a chance to play with a cast of magical creatures and autumnal animals friends: Jacky the Pumpkin Kid, Gregory the Ghost, Cackles the Crow, and Squeaks the Skunk. Kids can act out the story using a script created by Jasmine Chen, or simply let their imagination run free to create their own adventure.
For families who would like to continue the fun at home beyond their time inside the pop-up theatre, a limited number of the miniature paper-theatre kits will be available for purchase onsite. There will also be exciting gifts and prizes to be won! Follow Gateway Theatre on Facebook for more info.
About Artist Keely O’Brien
An interdisciplinary artist based in Richmond, BC, Keely is devoted to a thoroughly handmade, DIY process. Her work includes puppetry in miniature and enormous scales, immersive installations, imaginative ephemera, and interactive experiences. As a community engaged arts educator Keely creates and facilitates participatory and collaborative artwork with community members and organizations. Deeply site responsive and engaged with questions of place, home, and belonging, Keely’s work aims to celebrate the potential for creativity and community in the place and people around her. Keely is Co-Artistic Director of experimental theatre company Popcorn Galaxies.
