The annual All Souls, a unique artist-led event which offers people in Vancouver the opportunity to memorialize loved ones who have passed, returns to Mountain View Cemetery for its 17th year.
All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery
Starting October 27, people are invited to create personal memorials for their passed loved ones and place them on a public shrine at Mountain View Cemetery until November 1, 2021.
With the twin crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and opioid epidemic separating us from our loved ones, All Souls offers a respectful opportunity to grieve and reflect among community during this critical time.
All Souls will once again feature familiar shrines, including a special tribute to the plum tree that has held the memorial cradles in the infant burial area. Socially distanced mourners can also reflect and leave offerings at the ‘reDress’ memorial for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls where red dresses line the distinctive Crimson King maple tree.
Starting Wednesday, October 20th, Memorial box lanterns will be available outside Mountain View Cemetery’s office to take home and personalize. Memorials may be brought back to the cemetery to be placed on one of the outdoor shrines starting October 27th, or post a picture of your home shrine on the All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery Facebook page. All Souls organizers also invite people to visit the popular triptych, located outside, and write the names of their ancestors, family and friends. Those unable to attend may send the names by email, to be added by the artists.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and public health measures, the 2021 activities for All Souls will be held largely online. The City and organizers of All Souls will adhere to public health orders for any on-site programming and ensure a respectful and safe environment for all participants to mourn and remember their loved ones.
Virtual Events
Saturday, October 23, 2021 from 12:00pm to 1:30pm
A ‘Memorial Box Lantern Demonstration’ with artist Marina Szijarto, who will share instructions on crafting a personal memorial for the All Souls shrine, or personal at home shrines. RSVP to info(at)nightforallsouls(dot)com for the Zoom link.
Friday, October 29, 2021 from 7:30pm to 8:30pm
Introduction to Ancestral Lineage Healing, an online circle hosted by artist Marina Szijarto.
Saturday, October 30, 2021 from 12:00pm to 1:30pm
Mourner’s Tea, an online community dialogue about death and grieving through personal experiences.
On October 27th, videos and photos of the lighting of the central fire, the personalized shrines and candle-lit spaces will be posted on Facebook and Instagram through November 1st.
All Souls History
All Souls at Mountain View emerged out of a collaboration between artists Paula Jardine and Marina Szijarto, who came together in 2005 to find artistic ways to honour the dead and provide opportunities for people to share their traditions in a gentle and tranquil atmosphere.
Mountain View Cemetery, located at Fraser Street and East 39th Avenue, opened in 1886 and is the only cemetery within Vancouver. Owned and operated by the City of Vancouver, the cemetery is an important civic space and provides interment options and event space.
The cemetery is an embodiment of Vancouver’s history, serving as the final resting place of almost 150,000 people, including several past mayors; veterans from World Wars; notable citizens such as Vancouver’s first lifeguard Joe Fortes and businessman and activist Yip Sang; and people of varied faiths, ethnicities, ages and contributions to Vancouver’s past, present and future.
The Bloom Group is celebrating 60 years of providing housing, health and social services to those in need in Vancouver with an online virtual event, 60 Years in Bloom, on October 21st.
60 Years in Bloom
When: Thursday, October 21, 2021 7:00pm to 8:00pm, Pre-event: 6:30pm
This interactive virtual event features an exciting line up of engaging activities: Online games, silent auction, sixties costume contest, video stories, prizes, music by DiverCity, and more. The evening’s host will be Am Johal, and there will be opening remarks from Hon. Melanie Mark, MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.
The silent auction is on now, closing October 25, 2021, featuring an exciting array of products and services from local businesses and artisans.
100% of funds raised will support The Bloom Group‘s “House to Home Campaign” to provide essentials in making a home: renovations, furniture, medical equipment, gardens and a transition fund.
Since 1961, The Bloom Group has led many of our community’s most progressive social services to reduce homelessness, provide end-of-life care for individuals with mental health challenges and addictions, ensure women-led families in crisis can stay together as they rebuild their lives, and much more. Their ‘low-barrier’ services are inclusive and available to all individuals in need, regardless of their circumstances, and without conditions.
I first learned about the Bloom Group’s work when I was a judge and sponsor of the Yule Duel caroling-for-a-cause event in Downtown Vancouver (2016-2019). Follow The Bloom Group on Facebook for more info and get your tickets to 60 Years in Bloom online here.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — In partnership with FestivalSeekers Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
The #BuyBasin Festival is back! It features 100 entrepreneurs, businesses and entertainers from the Columbia Basin area live on social media promoting their products and services through storytelling. If you’re looking to shop local and support local now, and for the upcoming holiday season, this is your one-stop shop for finding amazing gifts, products, and entertainment.
The #BuyBasin Festival is Back – Watch Live Online
“Buying locally is extremely important when it comes to supporting Basin businesses and entrepreneurs. There is a diverse range of products and services available to people living in the Basin, many of which will be featured during the #BuyBasin Festival,” said Katie Kendall, Senior Manager of Special Initiatives with Columbia Basin Trust.
“By spending dollars in the region, shoppers can purchase unique, local items while helping businesses adapt to changes brought on by the pandemic so they can remain stable over the long term, while also employing more local residents.”
Five days a week, up to six businesses will go live on social media to reveal expert tips, demonstrate their products and provide behind-the-scenes access—alongside performances from a range of entertainers. Over the four-week festival, about 100 businesses will highlight their offerings.
Tune in to see Lisa from Metalicart in Pass Creek craft custom pieces with a hammer and anvil in her forge. And see how Rob and Isabelle from Little Piece of Paradise Farm in Winlaw make their hand-harvested, small batch, organic teas. Don’t forget to watch the live entertainment! Stay tuned for the music and performer lineup.
In addition to showcasing the unique products and services available locally, the #BuyBasin Festival also strengthens local businesses by teaching them how to be effective online and through social media. To participate in the event, each business is trained on how to go live on social media, build social media strategies and tell their unique story online.
In spring 2021, the festival featured 112 local business owners, entrepreneurs and artists, resulting in increased awareness of their goods and services and additional sales.
Share a Video, Enter to Win
The festival is presented by the Columbia Basin Trust, Basin Business Advisors and FestivalSeekers. FestivalSeekers will be featuring all the videos on their Facebook and Instagram pages. Share a video from the #BuyBasin Festival and you’ll be entered to win $50 to spend at your favourite local businesses. Every video you share is another chance to win!
Spooky festivities are back at the Britannia Mine Museum, featuring for two “Bad to the Bone” Halloween weekends on October 23rd and 24th, and October 30th and 31st just up the Sea to Sky Highway.
Family-friendly chills and thrills will run over four days with spell binding adventures including a lost pirate journal deep in the Underground mine tunnel, a Witches’ Lair and Wall of Wonders in the Bone Yard with skeletons of creatures both real and mythical. Not to mention the Spooky Skeleton Science Shows with petrifying wizardry, and the “Terror” Lab with a real Orca whale skeleton.
Inside the Britannia Mine tunnels. Photo by John Bollwitt
Halloween Weekends at Britannia Mine Museum
When: October 23-24 & October 30-31, 2021 from from 10:00am to 3:30pm
Where: Britannia Mine Museum (150 Copper Dr, Britannia Beach)
Tickets: Advanced ticket purchase and reservation is recommended as special events are often sold out.
The Halloween “special event” rate is $20 for adults and $15 for kids ages five to twelve, which includes the Halloween activities, museum exhibits, gold panning and the “lost pirate journal” underground train ride. The Museum is still offering the traditional guided underground tours and BOOM! Mill show via regular admissions.
Special this year for the month of October is the Museum’s new temporary exhibit inside the “Terror” Lab STEAM learning space, “Ore and Orcas: The Remediation of Howe Sound”. The dynamic visual exhibit showcases the O120 Orca bone display and other marine specimens, to shine the light on the remediation of the Howe Sound marine ecosystem.
The “Ore and Orcas” exhibit was made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Briar Sexton and Mr. Craig Gauld, and an educational partnership with the Strawberry Isle Marine Research Society (“SIMRS”), the Beaty Biodiversity Museum and the Porpoise Conservation Society. The exhibit will educate visitors on the mine’s history – including the impacts of pollution and subsequent remediation, recovery and protection with the EPCOR Water Treatment Plant – through the lens of its impact on the Howe Sound food chain.
BOOM! at Britannia Mine Museum. Photo submitted.
The Britannia Mine Museum provides unique and memorable experiences that engage visitors of all ages. Visitors can enjoy fun exhibits and crowd favourites like the underground mine train, gold panning, the historic 20-storey concentrator Mill building and itsBOOM! special effects show, the Terralab STEAM learning space, the minerals and gem gallery, and the Beaty Lundin Visitor Centre.
Located 45 minutes north of Vancouver on the picturesque Sea-to-Sky highway, the award-winning Britannia Mine Museum is open seven days a week with appropriate COVID-19 safety measures and procedures in place. This includes enhanced staff training, smaller bubble tour sizes, accommodating appropriate physical distancing, and implementing site sanitation protocols. Masks are required indoors and inside the mine tunnel for visitors over the age of 12.
After a one-year hiatus, the Vancouver Christmas Market returns to its seaside home at Jack Poole Plaza in Downtown Vancouver. Vancouver’s largest and longest-running Christmas Market – and only European Christmas Market – invites families and friends to reconnect and celebrate the spirit of the holiday season with an expanded six-week schedule for 2021.
Photo by Lindsay Elliott
Vancouver Christmas Market Returns
When: November 13 to December 24, 2021 from 11:30am to 9:30pm daily
November 13 to 18, Market opens at 4:00pm; December 24 closes at 6:00pm
Where: Location: Jack Poole Plaza at the Olympic Cauldron (1055 Canada Place, Vancouver)
Tickets: To help spread the cheer, the is releasing a limited number of reduced-price tickets for guests to purchase by October 31st.
The 11th year of the outdoor, traditional German-inspired Market will introduce new vendors and activities with schedules launching over the coming weeks. Traditional mulled wine, savoury treats and baked goods, carousel rides, festive music, and magical lighting displays are all a part of this year’s event.
“Many Vancouverites and visitors make it an annual holiday tradition to visit the Vancouver Christmas Market with friends and family,” says Denise Wegener, market president. “As it’s been a tough time for many, the Market is offering a reduced ticketing rate so that more people can visit us this year.”
The Vancouver Christmas Market is implementing COVID-19 safety measures to protect everyone involved with the Market. This year’s Market will see a new online reservation system to ensure the Market is not crowded and social distancing is possible.
Upon purchasing online tickets, guests are prompted to select a date and half-hour arrival time slot. Once they enter the Market, visitors are invited to stay as long as they like. The Market asks that all guests over the age of 12 present a valid COVID-19 vaccination passport. Adults aged 19 and over will also need to present a government-issued photo ID. Hand sanitizer will be supplied on site.
The Vancouver Christmas Market follows all recommended COVID-19 guidelines from the Provincial Health Officer, Vancouver Coastal Health and the Vancouver Convention Centre, with precautions listed on the Vancouver Christmas Market website.
