Virtual Trivia Summer Series for BC and Alberta Guide Dogs: June Theme

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The first two online events were such a success (with hundreds of registered participants) that BC and Alberta Guide Dogs are hosting a full Virtual Trivia Summer Series in June, July and August!

BC and Alberta Guide Dogs

Virtual Trivia Summer Series for BC and Alberta Guide Dogs

This online event series will raise funds for Guide Dogs, Autism Service Dogs and PTSD Service Dogs for those in need.

When: June 26; July 24; August 14, 2020
Where: Online! Register here for $20 to participate

Please note that as the game takes place across Canada, the game’s start time will vary based on where you live. BC players start at 6:00pm Pacific Time, Albertans at 7:00pm Mountain Time and 9:00pm for those in Eastern Canada. You will need to purchase a separate ticket for each person joining in the game. Each player will need access to their own computer or mobile phone. If purchasing more than one ticket, please provide a name and email address for each player.

June Theme

The June theme is CANADA! Kicking off Canada Day celebrations with questions on a variety of topics based on our beautiful country. There will be six rounds: Music, History, Food, Animals, Geography, Random Canadiana. Registration is now available online.

The live game guide and game link will be sent to your email on registration, so you’ll be able to just click and play. No app download is necessary! Prizes will be announced soon.

About BC and Alberta Guide Dogs

BC & Alberta Guide Dogs is a registered charity that breeds, raises and professionally trains Guide Dogs for individuals who are blind or visually-impaired, Autism Service Dogs for children ages 3-10 with autism and their families, and PTSD Service Dogs for Veterans and First Responders living with an Operational Stress Injury. It takes two years and upwards of $35,000 to produce one certified dog, provided free of charge to the recipient.

Miss604 is a proud media sponsor of this virtual event series. For more information and updates, follow along on Twitter and Facebook.

Grouse Mountain Reopening in Phases

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Grouse Mountain has released its plans for a phased reopening after closing during the COVID-19 pandemic. They will be welcoming Annual Passholders and download-only guests back to Grouse Mountain starting Monday, June 22, 2020.

Grouse Mountain SkyRide - The Vancouver Guy on Flickr
Grouse Mountain SkyRide – The Vancouver Guy on Flickr

Grouse Mountain Reopening

In this first phase of reopening, guests will experience the new operating procedures outlined in Grouse’s PureClean Commitment, including: 

  • Starting with Skyride capacity reduced by 70% to allow for physical distancing 
  • Mandatory use of face masks while boarding, travelling on and disembarking from the Skyride (you are encouraged to bring your own mask, however they will have masks available if needed) 
  • Required temperature screening prior to boarding for both uphill and downhill travel 
  • Additional hand sanitizing stations available throughout the Resort 
  • Enhanced Skyride cleaning, sanitization and disinfection protocols 
  • Mandatory advanced bookings for the Skyride 
Grouse Grind - Top

Grouse Grind, Download Only

The Grouse Grind remains closed while the Skyride is not in operation since hiking down Grind is NOT permitted.

In order to manage capacity on the Skyride and reduce wait times, they have implemented a timed booking system for both passholders and ticket purchasers. All travel on the Skyride must be pre-booked in advance using the online booking system. This includes download-only (for those doing the Grouse Grind).

With the purchase of a Mountain Admission ticket, you will be required to select an upload and download time as part of the checkout process. Download ticket purchase will require you to select a download time as part of the checkout process. Passholders need to login using their pass number and book either their roundtrip Skyride times or just a download time.

Annual Passholders and download-only guests will be able to start booking their upload and download (or download-only) admissions for the reopening date of Monday, June 22, 2020 and beyond. The next phase, including general admission for the public, will be announced at a later date. Stay tuned on Grouse’s Facebook page for updates.

UPDATE! All guests are welcome back starting Monday, June 29, 2020

Related: Sea to Sky Gondola Reopening in Phases

Indian Summer Festival Online Programming

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The Indian Summer Festival is in the middle of presenting 10 weeks of programming to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It began May 16th and until July 18th, you can tune into livestream events on Saturdays and a few other special presentations during the week.

Indian Summer Festival 2020

Indian Summer Festival Online

Cost to Participate: Free!
Where: On the ISF Facebook page or YouTube channel.
When: Saturdays at 7:10pm until July 18, 2020, with special events in between.

From Grammy Award-winning musicians to emerging poets, razor sharp economists to visionary environmental warriors, this year’s programming spans literary dialogues, intellectual debates, musical performances, and interactive culinary experiences. Indian Summer Festival has built its reputation on its loving and audacious curatorial punch, and this 10th anniversary edition sees a stunning global cast of talent applying its creative power to address this unsettling time.

Schedule

Here are the remaining events you can enjoy:

Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 7:01pm
ISF2020: Joseph Stiglitz on ‘People, Power, and Profits’ with Arjun Jayadev
In this special event for Indian Summer Festival, Joseph E. Stiglitz speaks with the brilliant Indian economist Arjun Jayadev who has worked extensively on income distribution and inequality, and was the Co-Editor of ‘The Journal of Globalization and Development’.

Saturday, June 13, 2020 at 7:01pm
ISF2020: Night of the Raga
To feel raga in all its variety, ISF2020 goes to some of the most outstanding classical musicians in India. In the middle of a nation-wide lockdown, they dig deep into their repertoires and offer us songs of solace, inspiration and empathy. This is a rare chance to visit these outstanding musicians in the intimacy of their homes and, thanks to technology, sit with them virtually in the same room, rather than the giant concert halls that these musical legends usually fill. Featuring Dr. L. Subramaniam, Kavita Krishnamurti, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan and Ayaan, Shubha Mudgal and her partner in music and life Aneesh Pradhan.

Sunday, June 14, 2020 at 12:30pm
Mandala Workshop with Sheniz Janmohamed #ISFMandalaProject
#ISFMandalaProject is a digital community arts-meets-volunteerism campaign, inspired by Sheniz Janmohamed‘s “mandala a day” project. Volunteers are invited to a workshop to learn from Sheniz Janmohamed about principles of mandala making, intuitive design, and good ways to take pictures of them.

Saturday, June 20, 2020 at 11:00am
ISF2020: Tea with Waris
In this special online event, Waris Ahluwalia invites you to pause and take a cup of tea with him. “Tea is about taking a moment in your day to reflect”, he says “For centuries, tea has brought people together.” Waris drops in on a host of creative people around the world, for a series of interactions that last the length of a cup of tea. Travel the globe with one of the planet’s most charming companions, with a cup of tea as the nucleus for conversation, art, performance or maybe a meditation or a dance party.

Saturday, June 27, 2020 at 11:00am
ISF2020: 5×15 Global Edition
5×15 is a speakers series that originated in London, with its home in the Tabernacle in Notting Hill, a beautiful heritage building where Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones used to rehearse. Featuring speakers like Salman Rushdie, Gloria Steinem, Ben Okri and Brian Eno the series was quick to captivate. From there it spread to New York and Milan. Indian Summer Festival has hosted the only Canadian iteration of 5×15 every year, featuring the likes of Kamila Shamsie, Kamal Pandya, Wade Davis, Pico Iyer, Vivek Shraya, and Eden Robinson.

ISF presented a global edition, curated and hosted jointly by Eleanor O’Keefe (co-founder of 5×15) and Sirish Rao (co-founder of ISF). The format will be a little different for screen: 6 speakers talking for 10 minutes each, but no less brilliant. The curators will draw from a combined pool of 1500 speakers from around the world – watch this space for the lineup.

Saturday, July 4, 2020 12:00pm to 2:00pm
Tiffin Talks – Zanani / Zamana / Zameen
oin writer Shauna Singh Baldwin, filmmaker Baljit Sangra, and visual artist Sandeep Johal for an in-depth discussion moderated by Suvi Bains on how place and society affect how we imagine the feminine.

Saturday, July 11, 2020 7:00pm to 9:00pm
 Vij’s at Home
Vikram Vij is a Canadian culinary gem. Anyone who has experienced Vikram’s trademark hospitality knows that he always manages to create a distinct dining experience. In this special online event for Indian Summer Festival, Vikram gives a masterclass in Indian cuisine, creating a meal together with you in real time, in the intimacy of your own kitchen. Leo Award-winning actor Agam Darshi plays host, drawing out Vikram’s life story, and the deeper things that a cuisine signifies – culture, gathering, affection, relationships… not for nothing is food referred to as ‘the sixth language of love’.

Saturday, July 18, 2020 7:00pm to 9:00pm
10th Anniversary Closing Party

Follow the Indian Summer Festival on Facebook for updates.

Powell Street Festival Telethon

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The 44th annual Powell Street Festival was cancelled this year as a physical gathering, due to COVID-19, but the spirit of the festival lives on in the new online telethon happening August 1, 2020.

Powell Street Festival Telethon

Powell Street Festival Telethon

When: August 1, 2020 from 2:00pm to 7:00pm
Where: On the Powell Street Festival website. An online pledge campaign will be live on July 1st.

Celebrate Japanese Canadian culture while giving back to your community! Watch live performances, highlights from previous festivals, appearances from festival vendors, and so much more. Tune in with your family and friends to experience the spirit of the festival right from your home.

The Powell Street Festival Society (“PSFS”) produces the annual Japanese Canadian (“JC”) outdoor festival that takes place in the historic JC neighbourhood, Paueru Gai located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Side (“DTES”).

The Powell Street Festival is the largest JC festival in the country and the longest running community arts celebration in Vancouver. The mission is to cultivate Japanese Canadian arts and culture to connect communities. The festival thrives on community engagement, collaboration, and accessibility, offering space to Downtown Eastside Organizations among community booths at the festival. 

100% of the telethon proceeds will go toward the year round DTES Community Care program. This program brings the JC community together to create a monthly meal program for people in the DTES in partnership with the DTES Community Kitchen network. The funds will also support existing DTES seasonal celebrations including: the Hanami Cherry Blossom EventAsahi Tribute Game, and Minori Harvest.   

The telethon pledge campaign will be launched on July 1, 2020 through CanadaHelps, where you can also make an immediate donation. For updates, follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram #PowellStFest.

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Comments 1 by Rebecca Bollwitt

In Vancouver this weekend there are virtual markets, farmers markets, drive-in pop-ups and even the launch of the region’s largest indoor amusement park — all with COVID safety measures in place.

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Friday, June 5, 2020
Got Craft? Virtual Market
Peaceful Anti-Racism Protest at Jack Poole Plaza
Central City Fun Park Opening
Art Connects | Art and Wellness: Object Lessons
Red Truck Beer Company Live Music Nights
Creative Mornings Vancouver: Kevin Carroll Online

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