New Westminster is hosting 10 events in 10 days for the second annual Feast on the Fraser from September 23rd to October 2nd. This culinary experience pairs food and fun with a signature event each day. Explore and enjoy this exciting destination for food, arts, culture, and entertainment within Metro Vancouver.

A Feast on the Fraser

More than 20 local restaurants and arts and cultural organizations participated across 10 diverse food and fun events at last year’s Feast on the Fraser. This year’s event highlights and incorporates the unique flavours and products of the Fraser Valley to deliver the Lower Mainland’s best regional offerings.

Events

A few of this year’s events include:

Some participating establishments at this year’s event include 100 Braid St. Studios, The Hub, The Boathouse Restaurant, Boston Pizza, El Santo, Fiesta Catering, MATCH Eatery at Starlight Casino, Paddlewheeler Riverboat Tours, River Market, Royal City Farmers’ Market, Steel and Oak Brewing Co., Tre Galli Gelato, Wild Rice and more – with a range of price points at $25, $45 and $65.

Follow Downtown New Westminster on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

I tip toed across the sun room to the screen door, where I smacked my flip flops down onto the entrance’s paver stones. Unlatching the gate on the white picket fence that surrounded the cottage, I made my way up Veranda Drive to pick up our vehicle from its parking spot. The sun was rising over the vineyards, painting everything pink in the early morning. The dewy air smelled like peaches from the neighbouring orchards. I heard a small sound and looked across the lane to a patch of lawn where a boy, in his pajamas, was collecting rocks and storing them in a Pringles can. “Ah, summer mornings as a kid at the cottage.” I thought to myself. This kid was going to have a good day at Veranda Beach Resort.

He was probably going to get called into breakfast soon, the smell of bacon wafting through the shrubs already, and then maybe the family would head to the beach before the afternoon sunshine got too hot. Perhaps they would head out onto their boat, then they would regroup at the cottage for lunch on the barbecue, grab some inflatable loungers and hit the pool for a round of Marco Polo.

To dry off, a game of soccer on the lawn where orange cones would be setup to mark goal areas, or a round of shuffleboard near the pool deck. Before dusk, the Veranda Beach team would roll out the giant movie screen in preparation for the free outdoor family movie that night. Lawn chairs, blankets, and snacking on popcorn with a popular cartoon blockbuster. Walking back to the cottage, they would drag blankets that would be laid out in the back yard where they could look up at the stars. I imagine being a kid at Veranda Beach would be pretty great. But being an adult there was pretty great too.

A photo posted by Rebecca Bollwitt (@miss604) on Aug 28, 2016 at 6:54pm PDT

Veranda Beach has all of the perks of staying at a hotel, while being independent in your own cottage. John and I were there on a couples’ getaway in late August with Keira, her husband, and their fur baby Jordy. We cooked breakfast, hit the beach, paddle boarded, had lunch at the diner, swam in the pool, played games on our deck, barbecued, enjoyed some local wine, and hit up the hot tub for adults only hour. Lather, rinse, repeat each day. Sunshine, swimming, sizzling BBQ. If we had more time, hiking and wine touring would have been a part of the equation too. 48 hours was just enough to unwind to the point of where we wished we had booked an entire week at Veranda Beach.

Things We Loved

Full Service: When we arrived, a staff member showed us to our cottage, pointed out some of its features, and made sure our key cards worked.

On top of the well-appointed home with every gadget, cooking utensil, fan, pot, and even sphere ice cube makers in the freezer, we could call the front desk and still have a replenished propane tank delivered for the barbecue or even more dish soap. Garbage was picked up by the curb, there was a recycling program, and towels for bath and beach were supplied in the home.

Diner: Open during the summer months only, we could actually get full food & beverage service from the diner down at the pool. However, we went up to dine on the patio picnic tables anyway, where Jordy was also welcome. In fact the server even brought out some water for him to lap up. I had the BLT, which was delicious. Served on thick slices of multigrain with heaping pile of fries on the side (with several vegetable and salad options too). They ever served a Caesar — not a Bloody Mary.

Pet Friendliness: On that note, Keira expressly told me to mention how everything was so incredibly pet friendly at Veranda Beach. Jordy was allowed in the pool area (his leash attached to her chair), he frolicked on the beach (as best he could in the deep sand), he drank with us on the patio at the diner, and pretty much went everywhere we went. He even made a few friends on the great lawn.

Marina: Rent from Kevin at the marina! He’s a local who can tell you all about the history of the area, and set you up with a Sea Doo, bumper boat, paddle board, kayak, and more.

Independence: While you had the support of the resort (with diner, general store, pool, games room, fitness centre, and marina) you could easily disconnect and simply enjoy time on your own. There was a guide book in the cottage with instructions on being self-sufficient with the dishwasher, air conditioning, trash disposal, and more.

Things We Would Have Loved to See

If I had to come up with one complaint or area in need of improvement I’d just have say that the deck of cards in the drawer was missing a King of Spades. That’s it! Of the four of us, none once uttered the words: “It’s great but I wish there was…”. It was the perfect getaway.

Tip: There is a liquor store and grocery store in Oroville, Washington when you cross the border, before you turn onto 16th to head out to Veranda Beach. I would recommend getting your alcohol at the grocery store as we found it was quite a bit cheaper there.

The resort is open year-round for vacation rental booking and still offers plenty of activities in fall and winter. In fact I’ve been told that in winter, closer the Christmas, they build an outdoor ice rink for those who spend the holidays there! The diner and general store close when summer’s over, and reopen in late spring.

Veranda Beach is just 20 minutes from the Canada/USA border, on the Washington State side of Lake Osoyoos, and about 5 hours from Vancouver along Highway 3. Vacation rentals sleep 4-12 guests so the nightly rate, split among friends and family, is rather affordable. Our cottage was huge, it slept 12, and went for about $600/night. Pets are allowed and you can use a detailed search feature when browsing the bookings.

Follow along on Facebook and Twitter for all of the latest news from the resort, along with seasonal programming and activity offerings.

The Chan Centre’s 2016/17 season will launch with Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue on September 25th in the Chan Shun Concert Hall. Troy Andrews (aka Trombone Shorty) and his high-energy band will make their anticipated return to Vancouver with an exhilarating mix of funk, rock, jazz and hip-hop – all underscored by a signature New Orleans sound.

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue

When: Sunday, September 25, 2016 at 7:00pm
Where: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (6265 Crescent Rd, UBC)
Tickets: Available online now, by calling 604-822-2697, or in person at the Chan Centre Box Office (Tuesdays to Saturdays, 12:00pm to 5:00pm).

The musical prodigy, Trombone Shorty, got his nickname early in life when his instrument was twice his size. It wasn’t long before a major music figure, Lenny Kravitz, took notice and recruited a teenage Andrews to tour the world.

You may have seen Trombone Shorty on HBO’s Treme, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon or Conan. You could have also caught him at the 2016 GRAMMY Awards ceremony sharing the stage with Madonna, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert.

On September 25 in Vancouver, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue will share songs from the 2013 release, Say That to Say This, which debuted in the Billboard jazz chart’s top five albums. The Chan Centre strives to present artists who transcend musical styles & culture, therefore it’s fitting that Trombone Shorty should start the season off.

Win Tickets

I have a pair of tickets to give away to this stellar season opening show at the Chan Centre, here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry(

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, September 13, 2016. Follow The Chan Centre on Facebook and Twitter for more information about its upcoming season shows and performances.

Update The winner is Nicole!

I’ve been to the tasting rooms where I have swirled, swished, and sipped the delicious bounty of the Okanagan before. I have dined at winery restaurants, toured barrel cellars, discovered two new-to-me wine regions, and taken a workshop on BC bubbles. However, it wasn’t until last season that I experienced harvest time in wine country and found that several Oliver and Osoyoos wineries offer interesting, hands-on, vineyard tours and events that are available to anyone.

Tinhorn Creek’s Grazing in the Vineyards

Enjoy a hike through the vineyard with proprietors Kenn & Sandra Oldfield while sampling wines with canapes from Miradoro Restaurant. Learn about the gold mining history of the area and the new Golden Mile Bench Sub Appellation. Afterwards enjoy a 3-course lunch by Miradoro.

Tours start at 11:00am and ends at 1:30pm. Available every fall and spring wine season. Tickets for Grazing in the Vineyards are available online now for October dates during the Fall Wine Festival.

Miradoro Restaurant at Tinhorn Creek

Fall at Tinhorn is full of culinary events taking place at Miradoro. There’s Hops, Grapes and Grub on September 30th; and on October 4th is the Guest Chef Dinner as part of the Okanagan Wine Festival. Chef Jeff Van Geest invites Chef Chris Whittaker from Forage Restaurant in Vancouver, into the Miradoro kitchen to partner with him to create a multi-course dinner paired with Tinhorn Creek wines.

Covert Farms Canadian Signature Experience

This personally guided 1-hour tour provides an educational and entertaining experience of breathtaking landscapes and sustainable farm practices. The passion, humour, and individual approach to this experience is certain to leave you with memories to cherish and an arm load of freshly grown organic produce and bottles of wine to share.

Tours are option to most ages (special price for ages 5-18) just meet at the Wine Shop at either 10:45am or 12:45pm. Includes wine pairing and small bites at the rustic wine lounge. Relaxing tasting at your leisure in the wine shop. Stay as long as you like. Book now for tour through the end of October.

Watermark Beach Resort

Enjoy the Covert Farms Canadian Signature Experience directly from Watermark Beach Resort, making it your hub in wine country this season. Guests can take a tour bus over to Covert Farms for their signature tour, and then back at Watermark, they can sample locally-made wines paired with fresh Okanagan Valley fare at supper time.

Breakfast on the lakeside terrace at Watermark

There’s also a new farm to (treatment) table concept at Watermark’s Levia Spa. Recently opened in May 2016, the brand new Levia Spa brings a fresh approach to relaxation, with signature treatments themed around a ‘farm to treatment table’ concept that includes the use of fresh home-grown herbs such as lavender, rosemary, mint and basil in herbal footbaths and facials. Locally inspired body wraps, massages and scrubs are also available. Scrubs are blended in-house with Himalayan salt or raw organic sugar and all Levia treatments incorporate the use of the ancient jade stone, which is believed to bring wisdom, balance and peace by relieving anxiety.

Terrafina at Hester Creek

Terrafina is located in the former Hester Creek tasting room that has been re-designed by award winning designer Judith Park. Meaning ‘from the earth’, the friendly Tuscan inspired menu will have you arriving as guests, but leaving as friends. Comfortable Old World charm with an injection of New World approach inspires everything from Terrafina’s décor to the way they prepare their pizza dough and present their traditional Antipasto platter.

Whether on a wine tour with a group or an intimate dining experience Terrafina at Hester Creek Estate Winery will lay the setting in true Tuscan style. Book a spot online now for their Tuscan Dinner on October 8th.

Some of the harvest time sights and activities you’ll probably experience when visiting a winery in September/October

River Stone Estate Winery

Looking for a winery with a guest house? River Stone Cottage is a quaint two bedroom house with a fenced yard, large deck and shade trees. It is conveniently located a short walk through row #83 from the main house, winery site and tasting room.

Owners Ted and Lorraine Kane tend 9.5 acres of estate land on the edge of Tuc-el-Nuit Lake in Oliver. The grapes in their vineyard were once available to other BC wineries, but are now the main focus of River Stone. Enjoy harvest activities, like vineyard sugar tasting (brix) while staying at the winery.

For all of these harvest events and activities, explore Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country on Facebook and Twitter.

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank is hosting the Vancouver Citywide Food Drive this month, online and in person, making it easy to give where you live this season.

At Your Door

Over the next week or so, volunteers, organized by the BC Thanksgiving Food Drive, will leave environmentally-friendly, paper donation bags on the doorsteps of over 38,000 households in our catchment area – Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, and New Westminster. Residents who choose to participate are asked to leave the donation bag of non-perishable food items on their doorsteps in a visible spot from the street on Saturday, September 17th.

Much needed items include canned fish, fruit (in its own juices or water) and beans. Donation bags left outside on September 17th will be picked up from 9:00am to 1:00pm. If your donation does not get picked up by 1:00pm on the 17th, email: [email protected] with your address, postal code and phone number. Volunteers will make every effort to pick up your donation by 4:00pm.

Drop-Off

Non-perishable food donations may also be brought to participating Save-on-Foods and PriceSmart foods grocery stores on Saturday, September 17th from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

Online

Residents who would like to make a monetary donation can donate funds online to the Citywide Virtual Food Drive.

Every week 26,500 people access our services at locations in Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, and New Westminster. 20% are children and 19% are seniors. Each year, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank distributes 4.1 million pounds of food. This campaign leads into Hunger Awareness Week in Canada.

Follow along on Facebook and Twitter for more information about participating in the Citywide Food Drive on September 17th.