Win Dinner at Tandoori Flame

Comments 150 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Tandoori Flame has recently opened its first BC location, bringing its Greater Toronto-based giant Indian buffet to Delta-Surrey. This unique dining experience has 12 interactive food stations with close to 150 food items, along with seating for 450+ in a multi-room 11,000 sq. ft. layout. It’s North America’s largest Indian buffet!

Tandoori Flame Delta-Surrey

Where: 11970 88 Ave, Delta

Tandoori Flame
Photos by Studio Orange Photography

A different class of an ‘Indian Kitchen’ on its own, this establishment provides a rustic, traditional yet contemporary design overlooking the bustling of Scott Rd through 200 linear feet of glass walls. There’s also a bar with cocktail & mocktail lists exclusive to Tandoori Flame Restaurants.

Win Dinner at Tandoori Flame

Host private parties, a special event, get take-out, or simply enjoy a delicious night out with friends and family. I have the opportunity to give away dinner for you and three guests courtesy of Tandoori Flame, 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 dinner for 4 at @tandoori_flame in Delta http://ow.ly/hrzJ30lueO6″ quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

Follow Tandoori Flame‘s BC location on Facebook for more info.

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, August 27, 2018. Reservation for the winner will be handled by the restaurant. Prize value is $92.77 (2 adults and 2 kids weekend dinner) to $107.96 (4 adults for weekend dinner).

Update The winner is Sentha Singham!

The Field of Dreams in Whalley

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

Whalley Little League is once again taking the Little League World Series by storm in Williamsport, and while they enjoy their time on the world stage, locals in North Surrey know how important this organization is to the community year-round. I grew up in the area and aside from having one of the best playgrounds around, the ballparks bring the neighbourhood – and the city – together to celebrate teamwork, sportsmanship, and family.

Whalley

I recently came across an article about how the Whalley Athletic Park came to be, and it seems that it is its own Field of Dreams story. If you build it, they will come… and play, and win national championships.

The Field of Dreams in Whalley

Source: Opposite The City (quoted with permission from the author)

In the summer of 1950 Whalley volunteers were transforming a few acres of bush into an athletic park.

Inspired by the spirit of volunteerism fostered by flood relief work in 1948, local women had banded together, under the name of the Whalley Community Guild, to make a local playground for children, whilst men under the rubric of the Whalley Business Men’s Association, undertook to build a ball park.

The women had already demonstrated what they could do. They had created Tom Binnie Park. As for the men of Whalley, wrote Helen Carter in 1949: “They dreamed of a baseball diamond.”

The men founded the Whalley Athletic Association (WAA), donating funds – $500 each – and their own labor to build a ball park with a first class ball diamond.

It was definitely a community effort from the start, but when big city reporter Erwin Swangard was sent out by the Vancouver Province to cover this small town story, he chose to focus on one man. As Clarice Harkley was the prime mover in organizing the women, so Haddon Bolivar was the leader of the men.

Erwin Swangard was a veteran journalist who had seen much. In 1936 he reported from the spectacle at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Yet Swangard marvelled at the initiative and zeal of the local Whalley corps, and watched in admiration of the direction given by their leader, a local chicken rancher.

“All you have to do is drive down King George Highway to the centre of Whalley, turn to the right and there you will discover Haddon Bolivar, vigorously working on his own memorial, the most ambitious sports centre ever undertaken by a community of Whalley’s modest size.”

The goal was to transform 8 acres of “rough bush” into a multi-purpose athletic complex that would include a swimming pool, softball diamonds, tennis courts and a community centre. The jewel in the crown was to be a regulation size baseball diamond and bleachers, fit for league play.

Reporter Swangard applauded the dedication of the local volunteers and the cooperation of the district in buying the property for them. But it is clear that Swangard was most impressed by the initiative and organizational skills of Haddon Bolivar.

It appeared clear to the group of volunteers that “once the project is finished it ought to be named Haddon Bolivar Centre.”

It appears clear also, that reporter Erwin Swangard was inspired by Haddon Bolivar, a man who was, wrote Swangard: “building his own monument.” Under development in May, the park was “opened with a bang” by a baseball tournament on Labor Day weekend, 1950.

Whalley

Read the full story via Opposite The City »

Team Canada aka Whalley Little League is enjoying their 6th national championship title, tying them for second most in the country. They are back in action today at the Little League World Series at 3:00pm vs Mexico.

#MustSeeBC at VIFF 2018

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The Vancouver International Film Festival (“VIFF”) has announced its line up of Canadian films in the True North and Sea to Sky streams, which are anchored by a mix of moving Indigenous stories of redemption and commanding female voices.

VIFF Logo

#MustSeeBC

The BC Spotlight (Sea to Sky) series features dark comedy with Bruce Sweeney’s Kingsway. Grant Baldwin’s This Mountain Life and Kathleen S. Jayme’s Finding Big Country document the alpine and the athletic, respectively. Finally, Sean Devlin’s When the Storm Fades features a Filipino family’s re-enactment of their recovery from disaster.

In advance of the festival, the #mustseeBC campaign invites audiences to preview trailers, promote BC filmmakers across social networks and VOTE for their favourite films. The film that gets the most fan votes takes the title “Audience Must-See-Film” and gets a special red carpet screening. Voting starts on September 6th and closes on September 25th, 2018.

BC Spotlight (Sea to Sky presented by TELUS):
Because We Are Girls (dir. Baljit Sangra, Canada) – World Premiere
Edge of the Knife (dirs. Gwaai Edenshaw, Helen Haig-Brown, Canada)
Finding Big Country (dir. Kathleen S. Jayme, Canada/USA) – World Premiere
Freaks (dirs. Adam Stein, Zach Lipovsky, Canada)
Kingsway (dir. Bruce Sweeney, Canada)
N.O.N. (dir. Zebulon Zang, Canada)
Picking Up the Pieces: The Making of the Witness Blanket (dirs. Cody Graham, Carey Newman, Canada) World Premiere
The Darling (dir. Seung-Yup Lee, Canada/South Korea) – North American Premiere
This Mountain Life (dir. Grant Baldwin, Canada)
When the Storm Fades (dir. Sean Devlin, Canada/Philippines)

The True North stream will also feature several commanding female voices behind the camera. Director Patricia Rozema returns to VIFF with Mouthpiece, adapted from a two woman play, while Jasmin Mozaffari’s debut Firecrackers depicts two friends’ bid to escape their hometown.

True North presented by Telefilm:
A Sister’s Song (dir. Danae Elon, Canada) – North American Premiere
Clara (dir. Akash Sherman, Canada/USA)
Firecrackers (dir. Jasmin Mozaffari, Canada)
Genesis (dir. Philippe Lesage, Canada) – North American Premiere
Giant Little Ones (dir. Keith Behrman, Canada)
Mouthpiece (dir. Patricia Rozema, Canada)
Quiet Killing (dir. Kim O’Bomsawin, Canada)
Roads in February (dir. Katherine Jerkovic, Canada/Uruguay)
The Far Shore (dir. David Uloth, Canada) – World Premiere
Ville Neuve (dir. Félix Dufour-Laperrière, Canada) – North American Premiere
What is Democracy? (dir. Astra Taylor, Canada)
What Walaa Wants (dir. Christy Garland, Canada/Palestine)

Totally Indie Day

Where: Vancouver International Film Centre (1181 Seymour St)
When: September 29, 2018

VIFF also announced Totally Indie Day, presented by STORYHIVE, programming that will include in depth conversations with Hollywood’s elite creators such as three-time Oscar nominee and editor Jay Cassidy (American Hustle), production designers Jade Healy (I, Tonya) and Chris Jones (Lady Bird), and more.

VIFF Timelines

Monday, August 20, 2018
ONLINE: Advance VIFF Pass + Ticket Packs on sale at viff.org

Thursday, September 6, 2018
Full Program available online.

Thursday, September 13, 2018
IN-PERSON: Box Office opens at The Vancouver International Film Centre. Monday to Saturday: 12:00pm to 7:00pm, Sunday: 2:00pm to 7:00pm.

VIFF 2018 runs September 27 to October 12, 2018. Follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information about the festival, its events, special guests, and films.

Miss604 is a proud media partner of VIFF 2018.

Feast of Fields at UBC Farm

Comments 1 by Rebecca Bollwitt

The 24th annual Metro Vancouver Feast of Fields at UBC Farm is Canada’s largest and longest running local food celebration!

Feast of Fields events are FarmFolk CityFolk’s annual local food celebrations and signature fundraising events, held each year on a different farm in the Okanagan Valley, in Metro Vancouver and on Southern Vancouver Island. Guests are invited to taste, sip, and enjoy the local, zero waste creations from more than 60 of British Columbia’s best food and beverage providers.

Feast of Fields

Feast of Fields at UBC Farm

Where: UBC Farm (3461 Ross Drive, Vancouver)
When: Sunday, September 9, 2018 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Tickets: Available online now. This is an all ages event, with “youth” tickets available for participants under 18. All participants 19+ years of age with “adult” tickets must bring 2 pieces of ID to receive a tasting wristband. Guests can also purchase a shuttle ticket, with the bus departing at 12:15pm from between the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the Burrard Skytrain Station on the day of the event, with return at 5:15pm from UBC Farm.

Feast of Fields is a three hour wandering gourmet harvest festival that highlights the connections between farmers and chefs, fields and tables, and between farm folks and city folks. With a wine glass and linen napkin in hand, guests stroll across a farmer’s field, traveling from tent to tent (sometimes through the barn, past the tractor or around the chicken coop) listening to live music, and tasting gourmet creations from BC top chefs, farmers, fishers, ranchers, food artisans, vintners, brewers, distillers and other beverage producers.

The participating producers in this year’s event include 14 breweries, 10 wineries, 5 distilleries and 3 tea producers, and a selection of the best-known names in local food, such as Arc at the Fairmont, The Pointe Restaurant at the Wickaninnish Inn, Fable, Forage, and Colette Grand Café based out of the iconic Holt Renfrew.

Feast of Fields is FarmFolk CityFolk’s annual local food celebration and fundraiser, highlighting the contribution local chefs, restaurants, farmers, ranchers, fishers, food artisans, vintners, brewers and distillers make to our local economy. It emphasizes how they are connected to the land, support the regional economy, and create the most delicious local, seasonal and sustainable flavours BC has to offer. FarmFolk CityFolk is a not-for-profit society that works to cultivate a local, sustainable food system. Proceeds from Feast of Fields support the continuing efforts of FarmFolk CityFolk in each of the regions where the events are held.

Follow the Metro Vancouver Feast of Fields event on Instagram as well as FarmFolk CityFolk on Facebook for more info.

Things to do in Lynden, Washington

Comments 1 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Sipping my Woods Coffee on the way to Bellewood Acres and planning dinner in historic Fairhaven after a bike ride down the tulip-lined Main Street. This was my morning in Lynden, Washington, which is just 1 hour from Downtown Vancouver and 30 minutes from the border in White Rock. I stopped in for a visit last fall and discovered that although I was so close to home, I felt far, far away in a small town with generations of family farms, down-home cooking and craft beer, and it was simply lovely.

BelleWood Acres

Learn its History

Learn about the area’s rich agricultural history at the Lynden Pioneer Museum. See how the pioneers lived in a replica town, browse displays, learn about local families, and if you’re a fan of classic motorcycles, cars, and horse-drawn carriages you’ll want to see their collection downstairs.

Waples Building photo by Laura Yee-Lim
Photo by Laura Yee-Lim for Miss604

Shop for Gifts

The Bellewood Acres Apple Farm gift shop is one impressive retail destination! Shop for everything from kitchen wares, pies and preserves, to seasonal decorations, books, glasses, flowers, and of course local produce.

BelleWood Acres

Another place to shop would by Lynden’s Front Street – voted the best Main Street in America a few years ago! Pop into Village Books & Paper Dreams in the Waples Building for anything books, paper, journal, and more including great gift ideas.


Photo by Laura Yee-Lim for Miss604

Appreciate the Arts

The Jansen Arts Centre is the cultural centre of Lynden. Through its Front Street doors you’ll find a cafe, grand piano (where you can catch someone playing it beautifully, often) and an artsy gift shop. There are galleries, meeting spaces, and exhibits upstairs and downstairs you can watch artisans at work making jewelry, painting, or try your hand at a pottery class. There are also yoga and dance studios, recording studios, and performance spaces. It has it all! Pop by to browse the art, book a class, or catch a show.

Check out the Lynden community event calendar here »

Craft Beer

Craft beer, wine, cider, and charity! Overflow Taps is the little craft beer joint with BIG heart. $0.25 of every pint goes to Charity Water. Meet some friends, play some board games, enjoy the skateboard-themed decor and merch, and order in some take-out.

Overflow Taps

Stay a While

Lynden officially welcomed its first boutique hotel, when the 35-room Inn at Lynden opened its doors to travelers in the century-old Waples Mercantile Building at the corner of 5th and Front streets in the historic downtown district. It’s one of only a handful of hotels in Washington State on the National Registry of Historic Places. Right downstairs you have a bakery cafe, craft beer taphouse (Overflow Taps), and they have bikes for guests to use to get around town.

Inn at Lynden

Explore by Sea

Whale watch with San Juan Cruises out of the Alaska Ferry Building in Bellingham, just a quick drive away within Whatcom County. Park for the day and hop on a narrated tour that will sail through the San Juan Islands, spot wildlife, supply lunch, and a walk around on San Juan Island via Friday Harbour. They offer a variety of themed cruises, full or half day, with craft beer, wine, picnics or full dinners.

Whale Watching with San Juan Cruises

Want more info about Lynden? Follow Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Inn at Lynden Bikes Around Town

Related: Make Soap in Bellingham, Kayak Bellingham Bay, Hike Mt Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest, Heritage Flight Museum, SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention, a Fairhaven Photowalk.