A Charlie Brown Christmas is coming to the Waterfront Theatre this Christmas to delight families with the wit, warmth and music of the beloved Peanuts special. Join Charlie Brown on his quirky journey as he tries to direct the school Christmas pageant. With some help from his friends and a ragged little tree, Charlie Brown discovers the true meaning of the season.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
“Carousel’s production of A Charlie Brown Christmas will feature a wonderful jazz trio, Snoopy will be brought to life through magical and hilarious puppetry, and a stellar cast led by funnyman Andrew Cownden will sing, dance and capture your hearts,” says Carole Higgins, Artistic Director. “The performance will also feature a musical medley of some of the many different traditions around the world that celebrate the month of December.”
Andrew Cownden as Charlie Brown. Photo by Tim Matheson.
Recommended for age 3+ and their families, with special All Ages performances for the whole family. Performances run November 27-December 28, 2016.
Tickets
Tickets are $35 for adults, $29 for students & seniors, $18 for young people (ages 3-18). Discounted subscription rates available when booking for two or more plays. Book online or by calling (604) 685-6217.
A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz, based on the television special by Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson. Stage Adaptation by Eric Schaeffer. By Special Arrangement with Arthur Whitelaw and Ruby Persson.
Win Tickets
I have the opportunity to give away a pair of tickets to the opening performance on November 27th at 2:00pm. Here’s how you can enter to win:
RT to enter to win tickets to A Charlie Brown Christmas at @CarouselTheatre from @Miss604 http://owl.li/ayqM306ah2e
Follow Carousel Theatre on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook for more information and show details. The Waterfront Theatre is located on Granville Island at 1412 Cartwright St, Vancouver.
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, November 21, 2016. Winning tickets cannot be exchanged for another date. If the selected winner cannot attend, a new winner will be drawn.
If you’ve ever been on a road trip through the Fraser Canyon then you’ve been past Spuzzum, the notoriously tiny town along Highway 1 that you can literally miss if you blink. Just past Spuzzum, 3.4km up the road to be exact, you’ll find Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park, and one of the most Instagram-worthy photo locations in the canyon.
Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park is 2 hours east of Vancouver on Highway 1. The Alexandra Bridge you see today was built in 1926, when the Cariboo Wagon Road was upgraded for automobiles. Author Michael Kluckner sheds some light on its history:
“The old (actually, the second) Alexandra Bridge, unused by vehicles since 1964, provides the last physical evidence of the scale of highways and bridges in the Fraser Canyon – indeed, on the Trans Canada highway in BC – in the 1950s and before. The bridge is accessible by a path, which is in fact the old highway, that winds down the hillside from the modern highway just east of the new Alexandra Bridge and almost within sight of the Alexandra Lodge.
It is alarmingly narrow and, with its open-weave metal decking, not an experience for anyone prone to vertigo. The concrete in the towers is badly spalled and the cables are rusty but so far adequately strong. It will probably fall down soon and be declared unsafe, perhaps in that order, for no government has seen fit to pay attention to it by restoring it as a tourist attraction and perhaps tying it in with some of the surrounding historic trails and places like the lodge. As is the case throughout the Fraser Canyon, it has looked very shabby since the opening of the Coquihalla highway (#5) in 1986.”
The third Alexandra Bridge, which is currently in use, sits in view from the old Alexandra Suspension Bridge. You can access the old, insta-famous bridge by way of a trail from the provincial park’s parking lot.
Vancouver’s beloved Eastside Culture Crawl is celebrating its 20th anniversary this weekend! The four-day celebration of visual arts, design, and crafts invites arts lovers into studios, homes, and garages throughout Vancouver’s Eastside community.
Eastside Culture Crawl
Drawing more than 25,000 visitors from across Metro Vancouver and beyond, the Crawl will treat visitors to an impressive assortment of singular creations from more than 475 participating visual artists at this year’s monumental event.
Thursday, November 17, 2016 from 5:00pm to 10:00pm
Friday, November 18, 2016 from 5:00pm to 10:00pm
Saturday, November 19, 2016 from 11:00am to 6:00pm
Sunday, November 20, 2016 from 11:00am to 6:00pm
There is no admission fee. The event is focused on the area bounded by Columbia St, 1st Ave, Victoria Drive, and the Waterfront and involves painters, jewelers, sculptors, furniture makers, weavers, potters, printmakers, photographers, glassblowers; from emerging artists to those internationally established.
20th Anniversary Exhibition
As The Crow Flies is a juried exhibition and preview showcasing the wide range of works presented by some of the Culture Crawl’s most esteemed and dedicated artists from the past 20 years, located at three of Vancouver’s most beloved arts spaces. On now until November 28th, 2016.
Initially created in 1997 as a place for artists to gather together, bond, and showcase their work, the Crawl has continued to grow annually to become an iconic staple in Vancouver’s arts and culture scene. Now drawing ardent fans from across the Pacific Northwest and beyond, the Eastside Culture Crawl showcases the dynamic, visceral works created by an ever-expanding selection of determined and inspired painters, sculptors, potters, photographers, glassblowers, furniture designers, and much more. Featuring the biggest line-up of artists, venues, and events in its decades-long history, the 20th anniversary edition of the Crawl will offer guests an expanded list of insightful juried exhibitions, evocative contemporary films, and engaging artist presentations.
Win a Prize Pack
I have a prize pack that has been donated by artists that will be participating in the Eastside Culture Crawl. This includes:
The “East Van” pillow by Erika Pantages of Pillow Fight Factory (value $99). This is Erica’s third year taking part in the Eastside Culture Crawl.
A 4×4 photo mounted on wood panel by fine arts photographer Engelbert Romero (value $30). Engelbert is a new artist taking part in the Eastside Culture Crawl.
Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win a @CultureCrawl prize package from @Miss604 http://owl.li/Uarr3069XNc
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, November 17, 2016. Follow the Eastside Culture Crawl on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
This post has been contributed by Don Enright, Past President and Volunteer with the Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”). I have been following SPES since I moved into the West End over a decade ago and I have been a member for four years. I wanted to offer the team an opportunity to share their news, events, and work so I have created “SPES Saturday” where they contribute and share stories with my audience once a month.
The Harlequin Ducks of Stanley Park
Word & Photos By Don Enright
Walking Stanley Park’s sea wall at this time of year is one of my favourite de-stressing activities. As you head out along the water, the noise of the city drops away, the gentle sea air hits you, and you just start to breathe and relax. And once you slow down a bit, you’ll start to see an amazing variety of bird life along the rocky shore.
My favourite duck in the world is just arriving at this time of year: the harlequin. It gets its name from the brightly-costumed character in Italian commedia, but its Latin name is even more evocative: Histrionicus histrionicus. This is one colourful bird, and once you learn to recognize its red, blue, black, and white patterns, you’ll easily spot it from afar. The females lack the bright colours of their mates, but have a subtle beauty of their own.
It’s a tiny thing, the shape of a bathtub toy, but it’s tough. The harlequin duck is perfectly at ease in our stormy winter waters, surfing and diving deep below the surface in search of the steady diet of underwater critters that it needs to support its fast metabolism.
In summer it nests inland, finding a sheltered spot along whitewater creeks and rivers, where it swims and bobs confidently through currents that would terrify a kayaker. It’s really a remarkable swimmer, for its size.
Harlequin ducks are also found in eastern Canada, and their numbers there have dropped alarmingly. Here in the west they’re in better shape, though biologists are monitoring their numbers closely. As with all of our winter birds, an oil spill along the coast could be disastrous.
The Stanley Park seawall is one of the best places in Canada to photograph the Harlie, as birders call it. Head out to Ferguson Point, between Second and Third Beach. You’ll want a zoom lens for this one, and please resist the urge to walk out onto slippery, wet rocks: you’ll disturb the birds, and might crack your skull or your lens (I’m speaking from experience here; don’t ask.)
The contrast on the duck’s harlequin face is surprisingly tough to capture with a digital camera without it blowing out. Many cameras have an exposure compensator—set it to -1 for this bird and you’ll be fine.
With or without a camera, I hope you take some time for a de-stressing seawall walk this winter. The Harlies will be waiting for you. Lsten for their odd high-pitched “Eep!” call. I like to think it’s their way of saying hello.
18th edition of the CP Holiday Train is ready to support communities and raise awareness across Canada as it sets out to visit 150 communities and host free events in November and December. There are 16 stops in BC, from Revelstoke to Port Moody, with each featuring an opportunity to view the impressive train-long light displays and enjoy a free concert.
CP Holiday Train
Local Schedule
The musical guests for this final stretch are Dallas Smith, Odds, and Jonathan Roy.
How The Events Work
When the train arrives it will pull to a safe stop in front of the crowd in attendance. The stage door lowers and the band opens with its first song. After that, a brief presentation takes place with local food bank officials and other dignitaries.
Once complete, the band resumes performing a mix of traditional and modern holiday-themed songs. The whole event lasts about 30 minutes, and once the band plays its farewell show, the boxcar door closes, and the train slips off into the night on its way to the next stop.
The spectacular event is free to attend, but you are encouraged to bring healthy donations for the food bank. Every pound of food and dollar raised at each stop stays with the local food bank to help feed those in need in that community.
Follow the CP Holiday Train on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to see its full schedule as the cross-country journey comes to an end out west.
