Pirate Pak Day at White Spot 2019

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

Anyone can feel like a kid again when they enjoy an Adult Pirate Pak to support White Spot’s 10th annual Pirate Pak Day charity initiative. For each Pirate Pak sold on August 14th, White Spot will donate $2 to Zajac Ranch for Children, an established BC charity that provides a once-in-a-lifetime summer camp experience to kids and young adults with life-threatening illnesses and chronic disabilities.

Pirate Pak Day at White Spot 2019

Pirate Pak Day

Taking place at all 64 White Spot restaurants throughout BC and Alberta, Pirate Paks will be available for both dine-in and take-out, with adults able to customize their Pirate Pak with the choice of:

Legendary Burger
BC Chicken Burger
Bacon Cheddar Burger
Veggie Burger
Dippin’ Chicken
The White Spot Club
The Spot’s Fish & Chips
Nat’s Original Beef Dip

Normally only available to kids aged 10 and under, each Pirate Pak is served in the famous buccaneers’ boat and includes fresh-cut ‘endless’ Kennebec fries, creamy coleslaw, choice of soft drink, premium rich ice cream, and the treasured ‘gold’ coin that has served as the booty since founder Nat Bailey created the iconic meal more than 50 years ago.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Pirate Pak Day has raised $780,776 since its inception and has sent more than 400 children to the annual event, which takes place every summer at the private, 41-acre Zajac Ranch for Children in Mission. During the week, campers have an opportunity to explore the outdoors while developing greater social and environmental awareness, increased self-confidence, and positive attitudes towards physical activity.

Follow White Spot on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram #whitespot #PiratePakDay #BeAKidAgain for more information.

PNE Fair Food for the Summer of 2019

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

I just got back from the Great Jones County Fair in Iowa, and I live to tell the tale of its food. Mostly beige, mostly deep-fried, mostly tempting after a late night concert and some tall cans of Leinenkugel. Aside from the smoked meats on sticks and funnel cakes, I really missed our own local fair food from the PNE. Hand-held snacks with colour, vibrance, sweetness, and ok a little bit of deep-frying too.

The Fair at the PNE just announced what their vendors will be offering up this season, and it’s like they were reading my mind when they came up with their latest food trend/theme: “Anything pickled.”

PNE Fair Food for the Summer of 2019

Pickle Cotton Candy
Pickle Cotton Candy

Over ten percent of the food booths at the Fair will be new in 2019, with an increased focus on plant-based, vegan and vegetarian options.

Fairgoers will be able to choose a Beyond Meat Burger at the Handmade Stuffed Burger Booth on the Fair main food line or at the Lookout Grill in Playland. New vegetarian options come from a number of new food vendors including Govinda’s Vegan Vegetarian Street Food stand featuring Dragon Bowls, and Atomic Tacos on the Fair west food Line and locally owed Buddha-Full Vegetarian Food, featuring their popular double decker bus on the Fair main food line.

Buddha Full Dishes
Buddha-Full Dishes

NEW additions to the traditional Fair food include: Bacon Pancakes, Butter Beer Ice Cream, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Corndogs, Funnel Cake Pizza, Jalapeno Lemonade, Foot Long French Fries, Devil’s Ramen, the Tipsy Unicorn Dry Ice Drink, Pulled Pork Tater Tot Nachos, Pizza Perogies, The Snickly Dog, Pickle Pizza, Pickle Flavour Cotton Candy, Rice Burgers, and Traditional Mexican Street Corn, Watermelon Candy Floss, among others.

Apple Pie Smoothie and Bacon Pancakes
Apple Pie Smoothie and Bacon Pancakes

The PNE Fair will celebrate its longest running concessionaire, Jimmy’s Lunch during the 2019 Fair, where the family will mark their 90th consecutive PNE Fair! Today run by Jimmy’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Jimmy’s Lunch still serves its iconic hamburgers piled high with fried onions. In 1999 in a province-wide media poll to mark the turn of the millennia, British Columbians voted the smell of Jimmy’s fried onions one of the ten most iconic memories of the 20th century.

So there’s a lot more to entice your taste buds that the sweet wafting aromas of mini donuts! The Fair at the PNE runs from Saturday August 17, until Monday September 2, 2019. Open 11:00am until late (weather permitting). Check out the Summer Nights Concert lineup and follow the Fair at the PNE on Facebook and Twitter for daily info.

Visit the BC Sports Hall of Fame This Summer

Comments 16 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Where else can you get a pitch-side tour of a major league field, climb a tread-wall or clock your best sprint, and see artefacts from the Olympics and history in motion? It’s the BC Sports Hall of Fame at BC Place and it’s a great place to visit this summer!

Visit the BC Sports Hall of Fame This Summer

BC Sports Hall

Within the last year, the BC Sports Hall of Fame has also unveiled the Indigenous Sport Gallery, celebrating and recognizing Indigenous athletes who have made an impact on British Columbia’s sport history. The Gallery features over 1,000 square feet of permanent exhibit space, and highlights the impact of athletes like Gino OdjickCarey PriceRichard PeterJustina Di Stasio, and others.

BC Sports Hall of Fame Indigenous Sport Gallery

The Indigenous Sport Gallery celebrates the rich history and many contributions to sport by First Nations and Métis athletes, teams, coaches, builders and volunteers in BC, and attempts to remedy the fact that Indigenous athletes and teams have not been properly celebrated and honoured over the course of our province’s history.

Visitors can read information about traditional Indigenous games; view artefacts and memorabilia from Indigenous athletes in all levels of sport; see a feature on the North American Indigenous Games; and visit a dedicated space, the Circle of Champions, which honours the Indigenous athletes that have been formally Inducted to the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

BC Sports Hall of Fame Indigenous Sports Gallery

Win Passes

I have a pair of passes to give away to the BC Sports Hall of Fame so you can check out the Indigenous Sport Gallery and more. Here’s how you can enter to win:

  • Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
  • Click below to post an entry on Twitter
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win passes for the @BCSportsHall http://ow.ly/2g7O30pgSFC” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

The BC Sports Hall of Fame is open daily at Gate A of BC Place, from 10:00am to 5:00pm daily. Follow along on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram for more info.

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, August 9, 2019.

UPDATE the winner is Angela!

Things to do in Vancouver BC Day Long Weekend

Comments 1 by Rebecca Bollwitt

The BC Day Long Weekend is here, bringing with it festivals, fireworks, Pride and fun! Check out what’s happening around Metro Vancouver:

BC Day Long Weekend Events

Things to do in Vancouver BC Day Long Weekend

Friday, August 2, 2019
Shark Week at the Vancouver Aquarium
Fridays on Front
A Nude Hope: A Sci-Fi Burlesque Adventure Farewell Run
Drag Race at Parq Vancouver
Summer VYVE Series
Pride at the Vancouver Art Gallery
Chics Ahoy Pride Boat Cruise
Free Concerts on the Outdoor TD Community Plaza, Coquitlam
Shipyards Night Market
Richmond Night Market
Harmony Arts Festival
Vancouver Mural Festival
Vancouver Bach Festival
Kitsilano Showboat
CBC Musical Nooners
Bard on the Beach
Chilliwack Sunflower Festival

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Cool Exhibits for Hot Summer Days at the Vancouver Art Gallery

Comments 35 by Rebecca Bollwitt

The Vancouver Art Gallery presents its headline exhibition this summer, Alberto Giacometti: A Line Through Time on now until September 29, 2019. This wide- ranging exhibition of paintings, sculptures, drawings and lithographs by Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) examines the pre-and post-war career of one of the greatest sculptors of the first half of the twentieth century.

Vancouver Art Gallery Giacometti

Alberto Giacometti: A Line Through Time

Presented on the Gallery’s first floor, it showcases Giacometti’s works alongside the ancient sculptures that served his imagination, and works by famed artists with whom he was in dialogue.

Alberto Giacometti
Alberto Giacometti in his studio Photo: Rene Burri/Magnum Photos

In 2016, the Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts in Norwich commemorated the 50th anniversary of Giacometti’s death with A Line Through Time, which was named by The Telegraph as one of the top exhibitions of that year.

Here are some additional art exhibitions and more on now at the Vancouver Art Gallery:

More at the Vancouver Art Gallery

Until September 1, 2019
Moving Still: Performative Photography in India explores themes of migration, gender, religion and national identity through the lens of performative photography. The exhibition focuses on the photo-based practices of contemporary artists who are rooted in the diversity of cultures within the country, while at the same time engaging in a global dialogue.

Until January 26, 2020
Vikky Alexander: Extreme Beauty is the first retrospective of this notable Canadian artist whose work interrogates the mechanisms of display that shape meaning, beauty and desire in our culture. Comprising more than 80 works in a variety of media, Extreme Beauty examines the major themes that have occupied Alexander for more than three decades of her career, including the appropriated image, the artificiality of nature and the seduction of space.

Family FUSE Weekend
Family Day at the Gallery, February 2019. Photo: Rachel Topham

Don’t miss Pride at the Gallery on August 2nd, Family FUSE Weekend, August 10th & 11th, and The Making Place art-making activities August 18th.

Win Passes

I have a pair of passes to give away so that you can enjoy the gallery this summer. Here’s how you can enter to win:

  • Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
  • Click below to post an entry on Twitter
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win passes to the @VanArtGallery this summer to experience #AlbertoGiacometti and more http://ow.ly/kuJC30pgmLj” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2019. Follow the Vancouver Art Gallery on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram for more information about their exhibitions, events, and their permanent collection.

UPDATE The winner is Sherry