100 makers and pop-up shops will participate in the 11th Refresh Market, one of BC’s best showcases of local designers and brands. Returning to the West Coast Railway Heritage Park, it’s the market’s first two-day event of 2017.
Refresh Market – Spring 2017
What: Refresh Market
When: Friday, April 28th 4:00pm to 9:00pm & Saturday, April 29th 9:00am to 4:00pm
Where: West Coast Railway Heritage Park (39645 Government Rd, Squamish)
Tickets: Admission is $5 at the door, $3 online and free for kids under 12. The first to arrive on both Friday and Saturday will receive one of 50 market swag bags. Discounted early bird tickets are on sale now.
Five and a half years after its first event, Refresh manages to remain a staple for local shoppers, artists and creatives who are lured to the market for its curated range of handmade items and creative appeal.
Refresh Market goers can expect a highly edited mix of handmade and locally designed clothing, jewelry, ceramics, vintage, dry goods and more from new and established local brands and shops including homegrown favourites Billies Flower House, Nootka Naturals, Wild and Heart and Squamish Water Kefir, and newcomers My Modern Closet, hey jude, Jackson Rowe, Good Omen and Duchesse Vintage and Such. Of the 100 participating vendors, 36 per cent are new to the market.
In addition to the participating vendors, the market will include an expanded food truck zone and liquor licensing on the Friday night during which guests will have the opportunity to purchase a glass of wine or cocktail created especially for the market by local mixologist and Gillespie’s Fine Spirits co-owner Kelly Ann Woods. Refresh will also host its first happy hour from 4:00pm to 5:00pm on the Friday night.
Win a Prize Pack
I have two tickets to give away for entry to Refresh along with 50 Refresh Dollars to spend at the market! Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a @refresh_market prize pack (with tickets + 50 market dollars) http://owl.li/xiI930aJHxZ” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
Follow Refresh Market on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more information. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, April 17, 2017. The winner must be able to pick up the prize at the market.
Update The winner is Anne B!
Jeans Day, a fundraiser for BC Children’s Hospital Foundation (“BCCHF”) is taking place on Thursday, May 4, 2017. Individuals, families, corporations, and schools across BC and the Yukon are encouraged to wear denim from head to toe, or their best “Canadian Tuxedo”, along with a fundraising button or pin.
Jeans Day 2017
Child champion Faris, with Whitecaps FC’s David Ousted
Jeans Day buttons can be purchase for $5, and lapel pins for $20 at an official retailer: Save On Foods, Overwaitea Foods, Price Smart Foods, Urban Fare, London Drugs, Thrifty Foods and Country Grocer on Vancouver Island. To participate, individuals, corporations and schools can also register online.
You could also become a Jeans Day Champion by selling over 20 buttons or pins as an individual, or registering your school or company.
New to Jeans Day this year is the revamped school program. The registration process has been streamlined for participating schools, and Jeans Day is encouraging students to fundraise as well. Jeans Day is offering schools and children great incentive prize packs from the Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and BC Lions.
Jeans Day BBQ
The annual public Jeans Day BBQ will be held on May 4th at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Hornby Street in Vancouver from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Celebrity athletes, professional team mascots, and a street team will provide entertainment for all age groups.
About Jeans Day
Dr. Kishore Mulpuri leads a media tour
Jeans Day started in 1990, and has raised more than $20 million for BCCHF. Funds raised this year will go to the Excellence in Child Health Fund, which supports the most urgent health-care needs at BC Children’s Hospital. BC Children’s Hospital is the province’s only full-service acute-care pediatric hospital.
Last year, BC Children’s Hospital treated more than 84,000 children. The money raised by the foundation supports BC Children’s Hospital, its research institute, and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children.
Follow BCCHF on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information and #JeanUp on Jeans Day on May 4th!
Dress for Success Vancouver (“DFSV”) has opened ticket sales for their highly anticipated annual fundraiser IMPACT 360. This year’s theme is Opening Doors, showcasing the transition Dress for Success facilitates for women in the Lower Mainland. The event raises funds for DFSV’s Sponsor a Woman and Professional Women’s Group programs.
Dress for Success IMPACT 360
When: Thursday May 10, 2017 from 5:30pm to 8:00pm
Where: The Permanent (330 West Pender, Vancouver)
Tickets: Available online now for $175
Festivities will be held at the Permanent, a recently restored heritage space downtown Vancouver that once held the Bank of Canada. Elegant music and cocktails set the stage for a fashion show, live auction hosted by Fred Lee and door prizes in addition to exclusive networking opportunities.
IMPACT 360 is an annually anticipated event bringing together Dress for Success Vancouver supporters, friends and corporate community.
“Every woman has a story,” says Dress for Success Vancouver client, Cheryl-Ann Henning who will be walking the fashion runway at the event. “I want to be an example of courage for the donors that make these programs possible as well as other women who need a door opened for them.”
Make an Impact by joining Dress for Success supporters on May 10th at their exciting new venue, the Permanent. The evening will feature spirit tastings, designer cocktails, hor d’oeuvres, music, entertainment and celebration. The goal of the evening is to help Dress for Success open the door for 100 women, at a sponsorship cost of $360 per woman, per year.
About Dress for Success
I had a tour of Dress for Success in Vancouver in 2014, and it’s been a cause I’ve been happy to promote ever since. They are committed to empowering women into the workforce by providing a professional attire, career development tools and a career advancement program. An affiliate of the International organization Dress for Success, DFSV was established in 1999 as the first International affiliate and has served over 25,000 women in the Lower Mainland.
For more information about Dress for Success Vancouver, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
This post has been contributed by the Stanley Park Ecology Society, and edited by Edited by Kathleen Stormont, SPES Communications Specialist.
The Biggest Trees in Stanley Park
Many of our province’s biggest trees are found right in Stanley Park, just a walk from downtown Vancouver!
150 years ago the Lower Mainland would have been covered by lowland forest, but the rapid growth of Vancouver led to much of this forest being cleared. Stanley Park is one of the few areas of coastal rainforest that remains. Surviving logging, fire, and major windstorms in the Park, the big trees continue to stand sentinel in remnant patches of old-growth.
Bald eagles, owls, bats, and flying squirrels may be observed in or around these giants. The old trees’ deformities or characteristics – like thick, corrugated bark on the Douglas firs – make them excellent wildlife trees, enhancing the biodiversity of the Park areas in which they stand.
If you’ve ever wondered what the forest looks like from the top of one of these giants, Stanley Park Ecology Society is hosting their third annual Big Tree Weekend on April 29th and 30th. Experts will offer tours around the base of the big trees, while others will take you into the treetops – by video camera – as they ascend to explore and reveal these biologically-rich micro-environments. For a sneak peak of the tree climb, check out this video shot during last year’s Big Tree Weekend.
While Stanley Park isn’t a pristine forest (massive stumps reveal its long history of human interference), it is a rich and varied habitat, and even more so since the 2006 windstorm when a fresh, forward-thinking Forest Management Plan was produced. Of the 16,000 saplings planted during the storm restoration, some trees are now two metres tall in sunlit patches of new forest succession.
Douglas squirrel in Stanley Park. Photo: Michael Schmidt
Bird diversity has increased in the fresh shrubbery. Strategic forest trails were reworked with larger culverts and boardwalks to allow healthier water flow. Unsanctioned trails have been decommissioned to mitigate forest defragmentation, and invasive plants continue to be battled through strategic management. Fallen trees, now left by the Park Board, are serving as habitat and nourishment for wildlife and saplings.
Stanley Park is a lowland rainforest primarily made up of Douglas fir, western red cedar and western hemlock with a few Sitka spruce trees. Most of our forest is second or third growth – younger trees – but they are still huge. You can often tell whether an area is second growth by the scattered presence of stumps of trees logged many years ago.
To learn more about Stanley Park’s forest and the big trees it houses, register for SPES’ Big Tree Weekend events, April 29-30, 2017.
Follow SPES on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Wet Ape Productions and Buena Onda of Savoury Chef Catering will host Vancouver’s Cinco de Mayo celebration this year and everyone is invited to this casa de amigos in the heart of downtown.
Cinco de Mayo in Vancouver at Casa de Amigos
Where: Robson Square, 800 Robson Street, Vancouver
When: May 5, 2017 5:00pm to 11:00pm & May 6, 2017 3:00pm to 11:00pm
Tickets: Tickets start at $18.95. Group pricing will be available for corporate functions, school groups. Purchase online now for Friday and Saturday.
For those with an appetite for culture and fun, they’ll be offering the very best of Mexico, from traditional street food and drinks to live entertainment. Enjoy gourmet tacos, ceviche, churros, and other handheld Mexican street-style foods. Sip and savour a wide array of signature tequila cocktails and your favourite Mexican cervezas.
Whatever your tastes, there’s something for everyone, including a street market, mariachi bands, traditional folk dancers, luchadores, and more.
Enter to Win
I have 4 tickets for Casa de Amigos to give away, as well as tickets for 4 margaritas, and 4 complimentary coat checks! Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a @casadeamigosYVR #CincodeMayo prize pack http://owl.li/F9sI30aDCu4″ quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, April 12, 2017. Winner and guests must be 19+ with valid ID. Please enjoy responsibly. Follow Casa de Amigos on Facebook and Twitter for more info.
Update The winner is @mrdoopey!
