Spring clean in autumn and benefit Canuck Place Children’s Hospice as they host a clothing and textiles drive in Abbotsford and Vancouver.

Stop by the Canuck Place Clothing Drive at these locations:

Drop off your unwanted clothing, textiles and footwear — in any condition — at both hospice locations and help raise funds for Canuck Place Children’s Hospice at the same time. Leading up to the main events on October 19th, you can also drop off at two locations in Abbotsford, between October 11th and 19th:

Accepted Donations include:

• Used clothing and textiles in any condition
• Rain jackets and outerwear
• Linens and table cloths
• Towels, pillows and quilts
• Leather clothing, handbags and belts
• Shoes, runners, skates and rubber boots

Canuck Place Children’s Hospice provides innovative, holistic clinical care with compassion through our hospices, in hospitals and communities in BC and the Yukon. They provide respite, family support, pain and symptom management, end-of-life care and bereavement services to newborns, children, youth and their families living with progressive life-threatening conditions.

Follow Canuck Place on Facebook and Twitter for more information about ways to give.

The 3rd annual Chefs’ Charity Dinner, a fundraiser for the Dan Snook Trust Foundation (Dan’s Legacy), is coming up October 27th. Chef Sean Cousins, along with four other top chefs in Vancouver, will create a menu of culinary masterpieces guaranteed to delight the senses.

The evening begins with a selection of cocktails and canapés followed by dinner with wine pairings. Live music and a live auction featuring fabulous prize holidays to exclusive destinations round out the entertainment. All proceeds from the event support Dan’s Legacy, which provides therapeutic counselling to youth overcoming addiction as a result of trauma and abuse.

Chefs’ Charity Dinner

Where: The Vancouver Club (915 West Hastings)
When: Thursday, October 27, 2016 from 7:00pm to 10:30pm
Tickets: Available online now. Individual tickets are $250, with VIP packages also available. Call (604) 329-9186 for more information.

Hosted by Fred Lee, the gala showcases a five-course meal specially created by Vancouver Club Head Chef Sean Cousins, working in collaboration with Lee Cooper, Head Chef of L’Abbatoir, the Bauhaus Restaurant’s Chef Stefan Hartmann, Chef David Gunawan of Farmer’s Apprentice and Vancouver Club Junior Sous Chef/Pastry, Jessica Caparas. Music, and live and silent auctions round out the evening’s entertainment.

“This year we mark the 10th anniversary of our Foundation, and the gala is also an opportunity for us to thank our supporters, as well as raise funds to continue our work,” says Barbara Coates, Executive Director at Dan’s Legacy. “As we’ve seen with the recent drug-related health crisis in BC, our programs are needed now more than ever before.”

The Dan Snook Trust Foundation (Dan’s Legacy) was founded in memory of a promising and vibrant young man who fell victim to a sexual predator. As is common with victims of abuse, he turned to drugs to suppress the psychological pain of the experience. Stints in rehab only provided a partial solution. What was needed was counselling support to uncover the root of his addiction. Tragically, Dan relapsed and died from an overdose. He was nineteen years old.

“The Foundation has been my family’s way of keeping Dan’s memory alive,” says Kevin Snook, Dan’s father and Chair of the Board. “Dan was such a gentle soul with a free spirit and lovely heart, who always brought happiness to those around him. Whilst it has been a personal journey of pain and sadness to have lost my son, it gives me great joy and satisfaction knowing how many youth we are helping today through our work.”

Follow Dan’s Legacy on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more information about The Foundation and the Chefs’ Charity Dinner.

Win Tickets

I have two tickets (value $500) to give away for this very special evening*. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Post on Facebook tagging @DansLegacy and @Miss604. You can say why you would like to attend the evening, you could tag who you would bring as your guest, or you can say why mental health issues are important to you. (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

I will draw one winner at 12:00pm on Tuesday, October 18, 2016. *The winner will be asked to share 5 social posts on their network of choice (either Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram) live from the event on October 27th using the tag #ChefsCharityDinner and @DansLegacyBC. Thank you for supporting Dan’s Legacy and I look forward to sending one lucky reader and their guest to this wonderful gala!

Update The winner is @c_tsoukalas!

At this time of year eerie amusements with the sole purpose of scaring your proverbial pants off pop up all around town. These haunted house attractions have activities for the little ones all the way up to frightening fun for adults.

Haunted Mansion at the PNE. Photo by Phillip P on Flickr

Surrey

What: Potter’s House of Horrors
Where: 12530 72nd Ave, Surrey
When: Saturday, October 1st – Monday, October 31st from 4:00pm to 10:00pm
About: Bundle up your little terrors this Halloween season and give them a thrilling experience at Potter’s House of Horrors, now in its 14th year and complete with a Li’l Haunters attraction geared towards kids 12 and under. This kids-only attraction with two mini haunted houses that aren’t too dark or scary and contain no animatronics or actors. For adults, House #1 Monstrosity and House #2 The Swampin’ Slaughterhouse will be full of truly terrifying surprises (and fun). 4:00pm to 7:00pm is for Li’l Haunters, 4:00pm to 6:30pm is Family Hour, then the ultra scary show is 7:00pm to 10:00pm. Tickets are available online.

Vancouver

What: Haunted Circus
Where: Beaumont Studios (316 West 5th Ave, Vancouver)
When: Sun – Wed 3:00pm to 10:00pm; Thurs – Sat 3:00pm to 2:00am
About: The Circus is coming to Vancouver with all the terrifying clowns and circus performers to give you nightmares. The circus will be open to families and young children during the day but as the sun goes down the clowns come out. Live actors and special effects will bring the circus to life. Proceeds benefit BC Women’s Hospital. Tickets are available online and at the door.

North Vancouver

What: The Valley Haunt
Where: 1311 Appin Road, North Vancouver
When: October 15th to October 31st
Mon-Fri 7:00pm to 10:00pm; Saturday 4:00pm to 10:00pm
About: It started off as a basic graveyard with an occasional ghost and ghoul lurking around, but it did NOT stop there. Every year, it grew….and it grew….and it grew into what we now know as The Valley Haunt. For the 2016 Halloween season, they are putting a unique twist on the haunt, as it will be enclosed in walk-through shipping containers. Closed Sundays. All proceeds go to the BC Firefighters’ Burn Fund.

What: Barclay Manor Haunted House
Where: 1447 Barclay St, Vancouver
When: Sunday, October 30th 7:00pm to 9:00pm;
Monday, October 31st 4:30pm to 6:00pm
About: Historic Barclay Manor is one of the West End’s oldest houses and being a Vancouver heritage home has its own natural creepiness. For bigger, braver souls. Barclay Manor has been converted into a spooky scary house. It takes approximately 5 min to make your way through the house. Tickets are available online and at the door.

Burnaby

What: Haunted Village
Where: Burnaby Village Museum, 6501 Deer Lake Ave, Burnaby
When: Thursday, October 27th to Sunday, October 30th 6:00pm to 9:00pm
About: Come waning moon or silver wet cloud, wear your costumes to explore the Village in the dark of the night. Witches, ghosts and all sorts of storybook and fairy tale characters come to life at this year’s Haunted Village. It’ll be a spooktacular time! Entrance includes trick-or-treating for the children, entertainment and carousel rides for all. Tickets available at the door; members free. The Ice Cream Parlour will be open for ghoulish snacks and light meals.

What: PirateHouse Fundraiser
Where: 5970 Portland St, Burnaby
When: Public night is Monday, October 31, 2016 from 5:00pm to 8:00pm
About: Consisting of an annual Halloween pirate-themed yard display and an online auction, PirateHouse began in 2013 as the brainchild of Dr. Julie Desroches to raise funds for St. Stephen Children’s Centre in Uganda.

Langley

What: Haunted Swamp House
Where: 4120 228 Street, Langley
When: October 28th to October 30th, 6:00pm to 9:30pm;
October 31st 7:00pm to 9:00pm
About: Entrance is by donation all proceeds go to The Ronald McDonald House.

Richmond

What: Jordan’s Haunted Adventure
Where: 4120 228 Street, Langley
When: October 23rd to October 30th 6:00pm to 9:00pm
About: 34 years of family Halloween fun! Guided Tours for fearful small children and families will be conducted each night (6:00pm to 7:00pm) and will be conducted by our the “Butler-of-the-manor” junior tour guide, Mathew (10 years old). He will conduct individual and personal tours of the entire display giving an informative narration and highlights with points of interest as well as answering questions about the display. Tours will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Admission is free.

* Please review recommended ages and age admission restrictions for each of these attractions.

Related: Halloween activities at these local National Historic Sites: Britannia Mine Museum, Fort Langley, and the Gulf of Georgia Cannery »

Fall is the perfect time to refresh your home decor, as temperatures dip and we cozy up for the season. The Vancouver Home and Design Show has handpicked the industry’s top experts to offer up useful, real-world advice for every home, from top celebrity guests and homegrown Vancouver talent alike. Join the fun and get tons of inspiration at this year’s event, happening October 27-30 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Vancouver Home and Design Show

HGTV’s Mia Parres & Rob Evans of The Expandables will be on the Urban Barn Main Stage presented by Vancouver Sun, where they will make their Vancouver home show debut and offer up their signature advice for creating extra space in impossible places. Look for Colin & Justin, stars of W Network’s Game of Homes and Cottage Life’s Cabin Pressure and local real estate expert Todd Talbot of W Network’s Love It Or List It Vancouver. Vancouver’s very own top designers will also be on hand, including Jamie Banfield and Kristina Hibbs.

Catch award-winning Vancouver culinary legends as they take to the state-of-the-art Samsung Cooking Stage for live cooking demos. Watch, learn and ask the Chefs your burning questions during a post-demo Q&A. Don’t miss your chance to take notes from the greats and bring home their culinary expertise.

With the brand-new WORKSHOP presented by Z95.3, you can bring your DIY visions to life by learning from the pros in this hands-on workshop series curated by some of Vancouver’s finest local artisans. From learning the lost art of calligraphy with Fox and Flourish to creating your very own floral wreath with Celsia Floral, to a sewing and design tutorial from Spool of Thread or hand-looming with Lucy Poskitt, there’s plenty of room to get creative.

Shop and consult more than 350 trusted brands and local companies, all under one roof. Don’t miss the always-popular Ask a Designer booth presented by the BCIT Interior Design Program in support of Kids Help Phone and Homes for the Holidays tour, where you’ll have the chance to snag a free, one-on-one consultation with BCIT’s design students, each paired with a local, well-established alumnus.

Vancouver Home and Design Show

• Where: Vancouver Convention Centre West (1055 Canada Place, Vancouver)
• When: Thursday, October 27, 2016 from 4:00pm to 9:00pm
  Friday, October 28, 2016 12:00pm to 9:00pm
  Saturday, October, 2016 10:00am to 9:00pm
  Sunday, October 30, 2016 10:00am to 6:00pm
• Tickets: Adults (13+): $16; Seniors (60+): $13; Seniors Friday before 6:00pm only $6 (box office & online); Children 12 and under: Free. Save $3 when you purchase online in advance. You can help support affordable housing in the Lower Mainland by donating $1 to Habitat for Humanity Society of Greater Vancouver when you purchase your ticket.

Enter to Win

Along with 4 tickets to the Vancouver Home + Design Show, I have an Urban Barn gift package to give away that includes a Mongolian throw & pillow.

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 12:00pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2016. Follow the Vancouver Home + Design Show on Facebook and Twitter for more information about the event.

Update The winner is Kam!

Today is the publication date of About Sixty, a new Sherlock Holmes book that someone very near and dear to me had a hand in creating.

My mother, President of Vancouver’s Sherlock Holmes Society (est. 1987), was asked to contribute one of the essays in a book about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s sixty original Sherlock Holmes stories.

About Sixty

“Their arguments range from the playful to the academic, and are as varied as the authors themselves.”

It mustn’t have been an easy task for the contributors, who are all Sherlockian scholars, experts, and enthusiasts, or editor Christopher Redmond. Each had to come up with a compelling essay about why their favourite story, out of sixty, was the best.

Editor Christopher Redmond says: “What they have written is compelling evidence that any one of the Sherlock Holmes stories can be the best; it’s all a matter of what the reader is looking for.”

I came across a blog post from one of the proof readers who says: “I have to declare that I admire the contributors. From my perspective, some of them are attempting the impossible (i.e. I’m sorry but there’s no way that story is the best) and some make compelling cases.”

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales range from Victorian horror, to jewel heists, to society scandals. As these authors show, there’s a Sherlock Holmes adventure for every taste.

About Sixty is available now through Wildside Press.