40 artisan distilleries from across the province will be bringing their spirits to the 6th annual BC Distilled Festival on Saturday, April 6, 2019. Attendees – including a lucky Miss604 contest winner and their guest – will have the chance to taste some of the best spirits in Canada.

BC Distilled

Where: Croatian Cultural Centre, 3520 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
When: Saturday, April 6, 2019
Trade/VIP Tasting: 2:00pm to 4:30pm
Public Tasting: 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Tickets: On sale now for $69.99, VIP $79.99, plus additional event tickets are available online.

25 of the distilleries in attendance this year won medals at the recent Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition – Canada’s only national spirit competition reserved exclusively for small distilleries, with a national panel of independent judges completing blind assessments of artisan spirits submitted by distillers across the country.

Here are 4 awesome things that make BC Distilled unique:

• Samples are not ticketed. Attendees are encouraged to try spirits without the pressure of finishing every drop to get their money’s worth out of a sample ticket.
• The venue is not sold to maximum capacity, so there is room to move and relax, and attendees won’t face long lineups to try spirits and other samples.
• Each distillery is represented by staff (in most cases the distiller is present), which means attendees get to talk to the people who actually make the spirits – not just agents.
• The Legacy Liquor pop-up shop is one of the most popular aspects of the show – it has the best selection of BC spirits anywhere in the province – for one night only!

BC Distilled is once again partnering with Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS), whose participation is among attendees’ favourite parts of the event. Volunteers with dogs will be roaming the event while offering tickets to a 50/50 draw.

Participating Distilleries

Win Tickets

I have a pair of tickets to give away to the public tasting event on April 6th, here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to post an entry on Twitter

Follow BC Distilled on Facebook and Twitter for more information. Please enjoy responsibly. Must be 19+. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 9:00pm on Wednesday, March 27, 2019.

UPDATE: The winner is Kim Emmy!

It’s the first day of spring so in my morning perusal of the City of Vancouver Archives I thought I’d make it the subject of my keyword search. It turns out, Spring – the coiled red sculpture at Robson Square – turned up the first results.

Spring at Robson Square

The steel feature was installed in 1981 and is the work of artists Alan Chung Hung. “He moved to Vancouver in 1969 and studied at the Vancouver School of Art. He was one of the founding members of the Chinese Canadian Visual Arts Society in Vancouver. Chung Hung died of cancer en route from Hong Kong to Vancouver in 1994.” – City of Vancouver Public Art Registry

Spring won a juried competition funded by BC Building Corporation during the development of Robson Square.

Hung’s other works include Clouds above 938 Hornby, and the iconic Vanier Park mainstay, Gate to the Northwest Passage that frames beautiful views of the city and mountains.

Read about more public art in Vancouver in the Vancouver Icons series here »

The inspirational, triumphant, and incredible true story of the Preston Rivulettes women’s hockey team, GLORY, is coming to the main stage at Gateway Theatre in Richmond this April.

GLORY at Gateway Theatre

When: April 4-13, 2019
Where: Gateway Theatre, Main Stage (6500 Gilbert Road, Richmond)
Tickets: From $29 online or call the box office at (604) 270-1812

A woman’s place is on home ice.

In 1933, four friends set out to prove to Canada that hockey isn’t just a sport for men. As they fight through the Great Depression, prejudice, and personal upheaval, can they overcome the odds and forge their own path to glory? Gateway Theatre is proud to present GLORY, the inspirational, triumphant, and incredible true story of the Preston Rivulettes women’s hockey team.

Hilda (Katie Ryerson), a natural-born mucker and grinder, brings together a team of fierce women, including her sister Nellie (Morgan Yamada) and the Schwartz sisters Helen (Kate Dion-Richard) and Marm (Advah Soudack) to compete in the Ontario Women’s League championship. With support from their coach Herb Fach (Andrew Wheeler), the women take to the ice and create hockey history.

Featuring electrifying dance choreography and original scores inspired by swing music from the 1930s, GLORY captures all the thrills, excitement, and tension of a great hockey game. Go Rivulettes!

Special Performances

Ticket and Wine Combo*: All performances except Friday, April 5. Save $5 per person when you buy four (4) or more of this combo to the same performance of GLORY.

Theatre Club: Dinner and Show*: Tuesday, April 9. Dinner at Kove Kitchen @ 5:15pm; Show at Gateway Theatre @ 8:00pm.

You Play Like a Girl: Why We’re Still Talking about Women in Sports: Join the panel of experts as they discuss gender equality in sports, how women in sports has changed over the past century, and what can be done to even the playing field. Panelists include:
(1) Patricia Vertinsky, UBC Professor: Social Historian in Sports Studies,
(2) Natalie Korenic, Coach of the Richmond Ravens, and
(3) Alexa Loo, City Councillor, Olympic Snowboarder.

*See website for full details.

Win Tickets

I have a pair of tickets to give away to the opening night performance on Friday, April 5th. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to post an entry on Twitter

Follow Gateway Theatre on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 10:00pm on Tuesday, March 26, 2019.

UPDATE: The winner is Tiff!

I think Vancouverites love the Oregon Coast because getting there includes a road trip through lush and familiar Cascadian forests, along with the unbeatable proximity of a coastal campground where wind-swept dunes meet the Pacific. I like it because it’s wild, it’s rugged, it’s sunny and sandy. What made me fall in love, was learning about and experiencing its history first hand when John and I got to stay in the Heceta Head Lighthouse B&B last fall.

Located between Yachats and Florence, around the bend from Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve (where we watched from a highway viewpoint as humpback whales breaching) is Heceta Head Lighthouse. The iconic fifty-six foot monument is known as the most photographed lighthouse in America – and you can not only stay over in the light keeper’s house, it’s a darling B&B!

The Vancouver South African Film Festival (“VSAFF”), now in its 9th year, is proud to present features and documentaries that explore the culture, history and politics of South Africa – films that inspire, inform, and entertain.

Vancouver South African Film Festival

• Where: Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (2nd floor) at 149 W. Hastings St, Vancouver
• When: March 29-31, 2019
• Tickets: Available online now.
• Individual Tickets: $15 Regular Screenings / $12 Students.
• Festival Passes: $135 Weekend Festival Pass including Friday evening gala party. $100 Weekend Festival Pass (All films, no gala party). $55 Gala Pass (Friday night opening film and fabulous gala party at Fluevog Shoes in Gastown)

2019 Film Festival Lineup

Whispering Truth to Power: Friday, March 29 at 7:00pm
Filmmaker and human rights lawyer Shameela Seedat tracks Thuli Madonsela, South Africa’s first female Public Protector (National Ombudsperson), as she builds her case against the country’s President, Jacob Zuma.  Despite allegations of spying, humiliation in parliament and death threats, Madonsela forces Zuma to return public money unlawfully spent on the construction of his private home.
Siyabonga: Saturday, March 30 at 11:30am
Like a South African version of Roma, Siyabonga guides us at a leisurely pace through the real life adventures of aspiring actor Siyabonga Majola. One day he hears the surprising news that a movie is to be made in a nearby town and makes it his mission to be a part of the film.  Based on real events re-enacted by those who lived through them, Siyabonga is at times funny, at times bittersweet, at times painful, but always thoughtful.

Becoming Visible: Saturday, March 30 at 1:30pm
From acclaimed Durban artist Janet Solomon, this fascinating fusion of documentary and video art tells of the impact on local marine life by seismic exploration off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
Nommer 37: Saturday, March 30 at 7:30pm
Nommer 37 is a taut thriller inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s film-noir classic “Rear Window”.  Award-winning South African writer-director Nosipho Dumisa makes her feature debut and ratchets up the tension until it crackles.  
Frontiere: Saturday, March 30 at 4:00pm
Each year VSAFF presents one film from an African country that is not South African.  This year it’s Burkina Faso – a country with a well-developed and sophisticated film industry
n Man Soos My Pa (A Man Like My Father): Sunday, March 31 at 11:00am
The devastating news of a terminal illness brings a family together for the first time in many years. Dealing with imminent death, a father, mother and son must find the courage to forgive the terrible mistakes of the past. Set across three decades, ‘n Man Soos My Pa (A Man Like My Father) tells a story of broken family relationships, the struggles of forgiveness, and the emotional healing found in unconditional love.
Ellen: Sunday, March 31 at 1:30pm
Based on true events, Ellen describes the troubled relationship between a mother and her son Abie, whose problems with drugs are the centre of the story.  It’s a relationship that will eventually drive Ellen beyond the edge and lead to Abie’s murder.  
Sisters of the Wilderness: Sunday, March 31 at 4:15pm
Never been on a safari in South Africa?  Never felt the adrenaline rush of excitement and anxiety as you come face to face with a rhino?  Never tested yourself in a dramatically challenging environment? Here’s your chance to watch five young Zulu women on a life-changing experience in the iMfolozi wilderness, the oldest game park on the African continent.
Kanarie: Sunday, March 31 at 7:00pm
Set in 1985 against a backdrop of apartheid, religion, and war, Kanarie follows a teen boy, Johan Niemand, who has always been bullied in his small town for his flair for British new wave music and love of Boy George.

Win Passes to the Vancouver South African Film Festival

I have two VSAFF festival passes to give away, here’s how you can enter to win:

Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to post an entry on Twitter

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, March 22, 2019. Prize includes weekend festival passes, does not include opening night gala tickets. Follow the VSAFF on Twitter and Facebook for more information.

VSAFF is a non-profit event organized entirely by volunteers. All proceeds from the festival go to go to support Education without Borders to provide educational opportunities for disadvantaged and at-risk children through initiatives in South Africa and Canada.

UPDATE: The winner is Greg!