I am a huge fan of the Circle Farm Tour self-guided experiences that are offered in the Fraser Valley, and we’re known to head out from the city on a weekend and farm-gate shop at some of our favourite spots. This season, there are a few new destinations to mark on our map, with the Fraser Valley Sunflower Trail.
Fraser Valley Sunflower Trail
The Fraser Valley is bursting with vibrant sunflowers this summer at the second annual Chilliwack Sunflower Festival, featuring acres of colourful sunflowers (plus, new this year: the addition of dazzling dahlias). There’s also the Abbotsford Sunflower Festival at Maan Farms (with a Sunflower Field, Corn Maze and Barnyard Adventureland) and the Applebarn and Sunflower Patch at Taves Family Farms.
The trail also includes favourites like Old Yale Brewing, the Eco Dairy (where you’ll find an EV super charger) and much more. It’s also corn season, it’s always honey season, and let’s not forget my favourite – Fraser Valley cheese! There’s a lot to see and do on the trail, fun for the whole family, and plenty of photo ops – often with adorable farm animals.
Win an Experience
To toast the season, I am giving away a Fraser Valley Sunflower Trail experience. One lucky winner will receive:
Two passes to the Chilliwack Sunflower Festival with one bouquet (5 sunflowers) from the u-pick sunflower field and one $30 voucher to use towards Food Trucks at the festival (valid until September 15, 2019).
Two passes to the Abbotsford Sunflower Festival at Maan Farms (running August 16 to September 1, 2019) which includes access to the Sunflower Field, Corn Maze and Barnyard Adventureland (which are in separate locations)
Two passes to the Taves Family Farms Applebarn and Sunflower Patch (August 16 to September 1, 2019; some of the attractions at the Applebarn are seasonal, and/or available on weekends only)
Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Click below to post an entry on Twitter
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I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 6:00pm on Sunday, August 18, 2019.
The Vancouver Wooden Boat Society presents its 32nd iteration of the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival – the city’s largest display and celebration of wooden boats and maritime heritage. Free and open to the public on Granville Island, attendees can expect classic wooden boats of all sizes, activities for both children and adults, music, dance, storytelling, and can cast a vote in the People’s Choice awards.
Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival
When: August 22 – 25, 2019 Where: Granville Island Vancouver, BC Admission: FREE
Back by popular demand, the ‘I Built It’ section will feature wooden boats hand-built by individuals in their boats in garages and backyards. Attendees can ask questions about their construction, see the boats up close and witness the passion the craftspeople bring to boat-building on the west coast.
Three full days of free concerts will take place on the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival stage, located behind the Granville Island Market (August 23-25, 2019). The headliners include East Van favourite The Carnival Band, Métis dance group V’ni Dansi, and the Lazy Jacks Shanty Crew. Full stage lineup will be announced early August and posted on the website. Traditional music, Indigenous storytelling, and riotous accordion music can be expected as well.
For more information follow Vancouver Wooden Boat Society on Twitter and Facebook.
This month’s guest post is written by Micheal Murray, Communications Assistant with theStanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”).
We’ve all heard the old adage: “It’s the little things that count.” Well, this summer Stanley Park Ecology Society was busy doing just that, counting the little things in Stanley Park. Together with the Entomological Society of BC, SPES held its first-ever insect BioBlitz on July 21st. This BioBlitz marks the start of our Small Things project in which we are taking an inventory of the often overlooked organisms in the Park.
An entomologist at the SPES Insect BioBlitz has a close encounter with one of his subjects. Photo: Dannie Piezas/SPES
The BioBlitz hosted a great turn out with over 160 citizen scientists and 17 volunteers descending upon Beaver Lake, all with one thing in mind: to identify as many species of insects as possible! The results are in: there were 129 observations with 83 species identified. The Cuckoo Leaf-cutter Bee, the False Black Widow and the Incomplete Ant were just some of the amazing species documented in the Park that day. Be sure to check out our inaturalist page for the complete results and photo gallery »
SPES volunteer photographer Michael Schmidt initiated the Small Things project in Stanley Park and has begun photographing insects, slime moulds and other overlooked species. His photographic catalogue of Stanley Park’s small things will eventually be hosted on the inaturalist platform.
Dog vomit slime mould in Stanley Park (Photo: Michael Schmidt)
Stanley Park is an amazing place and is host to a huge diversity of terrestrial and aquatic animals, plants, and fungi. All too often it is the larger creatures in the Park that get the lion’s share of scientific attention. The Small Things project will give these overlooked creatures some much-deserved attention; eventually, these species’ sightings will be added to our State of the Park Report for the Ecological Integrity of Stanley Park (“SOPEI”).
Oxypoda stanleyi Photo credit: John A. McLean, Jan Klimaszewski, Agnes Li, Karine Savard
SOPEI is a record of the ecological health and integrity of the different ecosystems in Stanley Park. It provides information to guide best management practices for operations in the Park, all of which must consider the habitat requirements of ‘species of significance’ like the Great Blue Herons or the Barn Swallows. Understanding which species inhabit the Park, from big to small, provides a clearer path to ecologically sensitive Park management.
Stanley Park may also be home to a number of tiny undiscovered creatures that are found nowhere else. Oxypoda stanleyiis a great example: this tiny beetle – no larger than your fingernail – was first discovered by UBC scientist Dr John Maclean and a group of students in Stanley Park in 2007. So far, this species has not been identified anywhere else!
So, next time you’re out enjoying Stanley Park, keep an eye out for the little things and let us know if you spot anything out of the ordinary. Who knows, you may even discover a new species!
About SPES Saturday
As a member of the Stanley Park Ecology Society, Miss604 wanted to offer the organization an opportunity to share their news, events, so we created the “SPES Series” years ago. This is where SPES can contribute and share stories with the Miss604 audience once a month. Follow SPES on Facebook for more information.
Get your appetites ready as Burnaby Heights celebrates its diverse and vibrant eateries. Crave the Heights is a 10 day local dining showcase where participating food businesses offer a variety of specials. From multi-course menus, appetizer deals, happy hour to dessert specials.
Crave the Heights
When: August 16 to 25, 2019 Where: Various locations along Burnaby Heights from Boundary to Gamma
Participating Restaurants
There are 12 participants this year including 3 new eateries on the Heights, Fiordilatte Gelateria and Caffe, Ramen Gaoh, and Sopra Sotto Pizzeria.
Chad Thai (4010 Hastings)
Chez Christophe Chocolaterie and Patisserie (4717 Hastings)
Cristos Greek Taverna (4624 Hastings)
Fiordilatte Gelateria and Caffe (4233 Hastings)
Glenburn Soda Fountain (4090 Hastings)
Gray Olive Cafeteria Aug 20 – 25 (4190 Hastings)
Green and Oak Malaysian Restaurant
La Villetta Ristorante (3901 Hastings)
Noodle Paradise (4217 Hastings)
Pear Tree Restaurant (4120 Hastings)
Ramen Gaoh (4518 Hastings)
Sopra Sotto Pizzeria (4022 Hastings)
A full list of participants and their menus are available online.
Local Burnaby musicians will also be seen on the Heights on select evenings. Chloe Farrell and Juno award winner, Gabriel Hasselbach, will be playing tunes up and down Hastings Street.
This dining showcase is best paired with good company, so be sure to bring your loved ones, family, friends, and colleagues for a special evening of socializing on the Heights. For more information follow Crave the Heights on Twitter and Facebook.
Get your fall season off to a laughing start by joining Vancouver TheatreSports (“VTS”) for some school-themed hilarity Tuesdays to Saturdays from September 3 to October 12 at 7:30pm at The Improv Centre on Granville Island.
Vancouver TheatreSports Back to School
When: September 3 to October 12, 2019 Where: The Improv Centre on Granville Island Tickets:Available Online
VTS honours the beginning of autumn with a special improv show dedicated to school days. Back to School TheatreSports takes classic TheatreSports short form improv ‘games’ and adapts them to parody classroom clichés and cliques (some things never change).
Instead of the traditional TheatreSports referee, the action will be overseen by a very stern principal. Rule infractions result in player ‘detentions’ and the teams of mixed student stereotypes (geeks, jocks, cool kids, etc) will be awarded letter grades by a critical panel of examiners (audience members). At the conclusion of the match, only one team will pass.
As in all VTS shows, the characters and action are co-developed with the audience – utilizing their suggestions to create on-the-spot, unscripted, theatrically-infused comedy. In this case, the players will be improvising using school-themed suggestions to create the scenarios – awkward first dates, trying out for the team or cramming for exams, to name a few. Regardless of whether you are/were a jock, a nerd or one of the cool kids at school, everyone will be able to relate and find something to laugh about at Back to School TheatreSports.
