“I recommend a pint of draught,” Sue announced to our group when we arrived at the third stop on our Hysterical Historical Pub Walk around Dawson City. “It’s not all they have but it’s your best bet!” she raised her glass and got us a table at the Westminster Hotel.

John and I had quite a few epic adventures during our recent Yukon trip, and the most side-splitting, smile-inducing, and downright fun was when we joined this pub crawl.

It could be that I hung out at the Robert Service Cabin too often (soaking up two consecutive days of verses from the Bard of the Yukon) or that Sue was such a character that I felt that she deserved more than a simple post. Whatever my motivation, I decided to write a bit of a ballad to describe our tour experience, and tribute our vivacious host:

Guest post contributed and written by Jen Murtagh.

Did you know that there are over 100 wineries and tasting rooms just over the border, about 2.5 hours from Vancouver in Woodinville? Perhaps you didn’t know that the Washington state wine industry is the nation’s second largest producer of premium wines in the US, after California, with 50,000 acres (approximately the size of Napa Valley) dedicated to grape vines!

Washington State’s Oldest Winery

Washington’s Columbia Valley receives nearly two more hours of sunlight than California during the summer and sits at the same latitude as the Bordeaux region of France, helping produce over 40 varietals of wine by many award-winning wineries, including that of Chateau Ste. Michelle. As Washington State’s oldest winery, its rich history and beautiful grounds should be at the very top of your must visit list in Woodinville.

The winery is best known for its award-winning Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, and has been named one of Wine & Spirits Magazine’s “Wineries of the Year” 22 times, more than any other American winery.

Between its winery tours, summer concert series and culinary classes and events, Chateau Ste. Michelle is a major tourist destination in the Seattle area, attracting more than 300,000 visitors from around the world each year.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Summer Concert Series

The 2019 Chateau Ste. Michelle Summer Concert Series hosts 25 concerts spanning a variety of music genres from pop, to jazz, to rock and blues from June through September including artists like Counting Crows, Josh Groban, Rob Thomas, Chicago, Norah Jones, ZZ Top, and the Gipsy Kings to name a few.

The concert setting is nothing short of spectacular in Chateau Ste. Michelle’s stunning open air amphitheatre. Concert attendees often pack their own gourmet picnics or choose from a variety of delicious food trucks on site. You can purchase your favourite bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle wine on site, open it and enjoy listening to your favourite bands as the sun goes down and the stars come out.

There are still some performances left this summer including the incomparable Diana Krall (September 12, 2019), and sultry crooner Chris Isaak (September 7, 2019). Chateau Ste. Michelle usually post their full line up in May so get on the summer concert series email list so you don’t miss out in 2020 as they sell out quickly. 

Not a lot of Vancouverites realize just how close Woodinville wine country is. So if you are looking for a romantic weekend away, a fun girls night or just a new destination close to home to explore, check out the list of wine tasting rooms and wineries – each with their own character and beauty. 

You can find Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery about 90 minutes south of the Peace Arch/Blaine border crossing, just north east of Seattle. Follow along on Facebook for their latest Washington state wine news.

Burrard Arts Foundation in partnership with the Vancouver Art Gallery presents Façade Festival 2019, a free, outdoor public art and cultural event featuring commissioned works by contemporary artists, both established and emerging, taking place from sunset to midnight each night September 8th to 14th, 2019.

Façade Festival at the Vancouver Art Gallery

When: September 8th–14th, 2019, 7:30pm –12:00am
Where: Georgia Street side of the Vancouver Art Gallery

Every evening during the festival, bold artworks will be projected over the Vancouver Art Gallery’s Georgia Street façade, covering the building with dynamic, site specific art. This immersive art installation utilizes the innovative format of projection mapping to create a highly engaging, spatial experience for the public. It also provides an opportunity for the community to gather and enjoy art in a communal, accessible format reminiscent of an outdoor movie screening.

Façade Festival 2019 showcases the work of Dana Claxton, Khan Lee, Drew Young, Sandeep Johal, Lindsay McIntyre, Howie Tsui, Bracken Hanuse Corlett, Justine Chambers, Josh Hite, Natalie Purschwitz and Hyung-Min Yoon. The diverse lineup includes artists working in a wide range of mediums at different stages of their careers. The artists’ areas of focus include painting, photography, film, and installation, although digital media artists were emphasized in this year’s roster.

A Façade Festival artist talk, Façade Festival Artist Panel: Digital Media Temporality in Public Space, will be hosted by the Vancouver Art Gallery on Saturday, September 14th at 3:00pm. The talk, led by several of this year’s artists, will be a moderated dialogue centred around how concerns of space and time play into the festival’s unique format. It is open to the public with limited seating available. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early.

For more information follow Burrard Arts Foundation on Instagram and Twitter.

Meet with real farmers, on real farms and enjoy real farm food! The Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust (“DF&WT”) is hosting the 14th annual Day at the Farm community event on September 7th.

A Day at the Farm

When: Saturday, September 7, 2019 10:00am to 4:00pm
Where: Westham Island Herb Farm, Delta
Admission: By donation, bring non-perishable food items for the local food bank

The goal of the event is to help educate our communities about the nature and importance of agriculture and non-market environmental services that it provides. The event will feature the very popular hay-wagon farm tours (led by 3rd generation farmer Gordon Ellis), as well as:

• Live Local Music Talent Show
• Live Mini-Auction
• Homemade Food Contest (pies and jams)
• BC Fresh Potato Dig
• Vancouver Food Trucks featuring Delta ingredients!
• Antique Tractors and Farm Equipment
• BC Chicken Growers’ Association’s Poultry In Motion replica of a broiler chicken farm
• BC Agriculture in the Classroom and student chefs preparing local fare
• Wildlife Conservation on Farmland

DF&WT is a non-profit organization that promotes the annual preservation of over 3,500 ares of farmland and wildlife habitat on the lower Fraser River delta through co-operative land stewardship with local farmers.

For more information visit the Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust Facebook page.

The Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (“DVBIA”), in partnership with the Robson Street Business Association (“RSBA”), has transformed another drab laneway in the downtown core into a vibrant and inviting public space. Eihu Lane, shared between Alberni and Robson Streets, is the location of the latest laneway revitalization project, Canvas Corridor, which has created a colourful outdoor art walk for all to enjoy.

Downtown Vancouver’s Canvas Corridor

45 laneway-facing doors and vents from Burrard to Bute Streets provided a blank canvas on which to showcase unique work from local artists.

In collaboration with the SFU School for the Contemporary Arts and Vancouver Mural Fest, hundreds of artist submissions were received for the Canvas Corridor Project. A total of 27 artists will have their work featured in Eihu Lane, each piece contributing to the transformation of an under-utilized laneway into a bright, fun, pedestrian-friendly space. The project team worked closely with property owners and businesses to secure doors for the project.

Previous projects included Alley-Oop, a bold, pink and yellow-hued and playful public space located just off of Hastings and Granville and Ackery’s Alley, an outdoor performance space adjacent to the Orpheum Theatre, complete with an interactive light and sound installation in the heart of the entertainment district.

Follow the DVBIA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news from Downtown Vancouver.