An escape to wilderness and panoramic views is so close to the city, and it’s even more accessible this Spring Break as the Sea to Sky Gondola offers up free admission for kids! Monday to Friday, March 13th to March 31st*, up to three children 12 and under accompanied by at least one adult, can ride the Sea to Sky Gondola for free.
Kids Ride Free at Sea to Sky Gondola for Spring Break
Paul Bride Photo
The Sea to Sky Gondola’s forested trails are the perfect backdrop for unstructured play time in nature and the summit’s viewing platform’s iconic views are the perfect place to break out the selfie stick for some candid family photos. Kids can snowshoe along winding alpine trails, snow tube, play a game of Winter Bingo and dare to cross the unforgettable 100 metre long Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge before warming up with a hot chocolate and a snack in the lodge. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
There aren’t many instances when a high school teenager will attempt to look like an elementary student, but a serving of fries, a Triple O sauce–adorned hamburger, a treat, and a gold coin served up in a paper boat can be strong motivational factors.
I was about 16 years old when my friends and I took the SkyTrain downtown from Surrey. After a full day of browsing record stores, collecting free perfume samples from The Bay, and walking the Sea Wall, our small group of Grade 10 girls went to the local White Spot for lunch.
My BFF started putting her hair in pigtails and removing any makeup she had on. When her actions were questioned, she simply stated that you have to be 10 and under to order a Pirate Pak and she wasn’t going to miss out because she didn’t look the part.
White Spot Pirate Paks are legendary — so much so that when the restaurant opens them up to adults once a year, they raise tens of thousands of dollars for local causes.
The New Pirate Pak
Pirate Paks, like us, have grown up. On Monday, February 13th, White Spot launched the first 3D augmented reality kids program by a Canadian restaurant chain. Along with a smartphone app, and a new cast of characters, the Pirate Pak experience is now even more entertaining than ever. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
The sixth Macaron Day in Vancouver is coming up on March 20th, joining bakeries, cafes and bistros around the world to support local causes, one sweet treat at a time.
Macaron Day
Macaron Day was founded in France (le jour du macaron) by Pierre Hermé years ago. It’s a day to celebrate the colours of spring with a bright palette of treats. Macaron Day events will be happening overseas, in New York, and in Toronto. Over the last few years it has become a Vancouver tradition as well.
Macarons (not to be confused with macaroons) are meringue-based confections commonly filled with buttercream or jam with a delicate soft and crunchy outer shell. All you need to do is visit a participating “Macaron Day” bakery or cafe on March 20th and you’ll be given a macaron and be invited to make a donation their chosen charity.
Participants and Causes
1) French Made Baking at 81 Kingsway (at Broadway) in Vancouver is participating again this year, supporting BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. NEW this year, they will host Macaron Day here for two days! Sunday, March 19th from 10:00am to 5:30pm, and Monday, March 20th from 8:00am to 6:00pm while supplies last.
A donation jar will be available at French Made’s Mount Pleasant café and at least 30% percent of all the sales of macarons will be donated to the Foundation. There will be 15 to 18 flavours of regular macarons, different flavours of 3” macarons cakes and a selection of animal-shaped macarons (Teddy bear, panda, unicorn and Hello Kitty). A limited quantity of chocolate-coconut vegan macarons will also be available.
2) EastVanSweets will be offering a promo package which include Thai tea, Creamsicle , and a special unicorn macaron with a surprise flavor. Pre-order by March 18th at [email protected], limited supply. 50% of sales will be donated to Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation at the regional office for BC/Yukon.
3) For their third participation of Macaron Day, Faubourg Paris will be celebrating in support of the BC Cancer Foundation. Vancouver’s trio of elegant boulangeries-pâtisseries, will proudly participate to Macaron Day on March 20th and offer its signature macarons for $1.50 (25% off the regular price) and donate 100% of gross proceeds to BC Cancer Foundation, the largest funder of cancer research in this province.
In addition, Franck Point, owner of Faubourg Paris, will generously match the amount collected from macaron sales and thus double the donations in support of the BC Cancer Foundation. The objective this year is to sell 10,000 macarons, which would result in a $10,000 donation that Franck will match to raise in total $20,000 for the BC Cancer Foundation.
4) Chef Thierry of Thierry Chocolates has created a dark chocolate dipped strawberry and cream macaron for the special day. These will be $3 per piece, with 10% of all macaron sales (including our standard flavours) benefitting St. Paul’s Hospital. These special macarons will be available from 10:00am on Monday, March 20th.
Do you have an update or know of another participant? Please let me know in the comments below and I’ll add them to the list.
The ACT Arts Centre and The Ridge Film Studios, with the support of The City of Maple Ridge, presents the inaugural Maple Ridge Festival of BC Film. This three day event celebrates film created in British Columbia.
Maple Ridge Festival of BC Film
When: Friday, March 17 to Sunday, March 19, 2017
Where: The ACT Arts Centre (11944 Haney Place, Maple Ridge)
Tickets: Available online now. Ticket prices range from $11 for single tickets, $27 for a 3-pack of tickets, and $50 for a 6-pack of tickets. Tickets purchased for the screening on March 17th will also be honoured at the Festival’s Opening Reception at 6:30pm.
Friday, March 17, 2017 at 8:00pm
Feature Film: Numb
Director: Jason R. Goode
Starring: Jamie Bamber, Marie Avgeropoulos, Aleks Paunovic
Synopsis: When a couple in financial distress discovers GPS coordinates that promise to lead to stolen gold, they must partner with a pair of mysterious hitchhikers to enter the remote winter wilderness to recover the coins.
Short: Anxious Oswald Greene
Director: Marshall Axani
Starring: Ryan Beil, Jason Burkart, Trevor Devall
Synopsis: Oswald Greene must cure his crippling anxiety, even if it means trusting a blind nurse, a talking fly, and a flamboyant doctor with a knack for rhyming.
Click here for tickets »
Saturday, March 18, 2017 at 5:00pm
Feature Film: Fractured Land
Directors: Damien Gillis & Fiona Rayher
Starring: Caleb Behn, Janet Annesley, Maude Barlow
Synopsis: With some of the world’s largest fracking operations on his territory, a young indigenous leader and lawyer confronts the fractures within his community and himself as he struggles to reconcile traditional teachings with the law to protect the land.
Short: Counter Act
Directors: Heath Affolter, Jon Affolter, Nathan Affolter, & Thomas Affolter
Starring: J. Alex Brinson, Naika Toussaint, Teal Fiddler
Synopsis: When Alice, a naïve young woman having lunch in a diner circa 1960, joins Mary and Ray in their “sit-in” protest, the ire of the racist patrons boils over and Alice learns what it truly takes to stand up for what you believe in.
Saturday, March 18, 2017 at 7:30pm
Feature Film: Black Fly
Director: Jason Borque
Starring: Matthew MacCaull, Dakota Daulby, Christie Burke
Synopsis: A troubled teenager and his older brother reconnect, setting off a powder keg of buried secrets, paranoia, and murder. Inspired by true events.
Short: The Timekeeper
Director: Scott Weber
Starring: Tom McBeath, Nathan Dashwood, Tammy Gillis
Synopsis: A watchmaker, who pawns time from people who waste it, is forced to question his own use of time when confronted by someone who might value it more.
Click here for tickets »
Sunday, March 19, 2017 at 2:00pm
Feature Film: The Wingman
Director: Jim Garrison
Starring: Peter Benson, Geoff Gustafson, Iris Paluly
Synopsis: A professional womanizer coerces his relationship counselor into helping him seduce women, only to discover that having him as his best friend is more important than using him to satisfy his insatiable sex drive.
Short: I Wanna Date U
Director: Lisa Ovies
Starring: Laura Adkin, Lisa Durupt, Anthony Konechny
Synopsis: After being stood up by her dream guy, a perpetually single Holly and her best friend Lucy decide to take a stand for women everywhere and hunt him down.
Sunday, March 19, 2017 at 5:00pm
Feature Film: Lawrence and Holloman
Director: Matthew Kowalchuk
Starring: Ben Cotton, Daniel Arnold, Katharine Isabelle
Synopsis: The dark and twisted story of a cynical and suicidal accounting clerk who gets taken under the wing of a happy-go-lucky, ever-optimistic suit salesman.
Short: Monster
Director: Deborah Burns
Starring: Jodelle Ferland, R. Douglas Hutchinson, Dave Abustan
Synopsis: Monster is a fable set in a pastoral post-apocalyptic time. Hannah, played by Jodelle Ferland, draws the winning lot to feed a terrifying hungry monster waiting in the forest.
Sunday, March 19, 2017 at 7:30pm
Feature Film: Into the Forest
Director: Patricia Rozema
Starring: Ellen Page, Evan Rachel Wood, Max Minghella
Synopsis: A mesmerizing and powerful story about two teenage sisters in their remote woodland home who are forced to fend for themselves in a society that may be on the brink of collapse.
Short: Bedbugs: A Musical Love Story
Director: Matthew Kowalchuk
Starring: Shauna Johannesen, Sebastien Archibald, Blu Mankuma
Synopsis: Just when flannel-clad Tracy Polokowski thinks her ‘yes’ day has come, her hipster boyfriend breaks up with her, she discovers she has bedbugs, and she is ostracized by everyone she knows.
For more information about the Maple Ridge Festival of BC Film, follow the ACT Arts Centre on Twitter and Facebook.
