PirateHouse Fundraiser

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt Monday, October 3rd, 2016 — 9:04am PDT

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The fun and festive spirit of the season meets fundraising with local families at the 4th annual PirateHouse Fundraiser in Burnaby. 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.

PirateHouse

Where: 5970 Portland St, Burnaby
When: Public night is Monday, October 31, 2016 from 5:00pm to 8:00pm

piratehouse

Since its inception, PirateHouse has raised enough booty to provide a roof, solar electricity, and a new rainwater harvesting tank for the St. Stephen Children’s Centre in Uganda. This year the goal is to get desks for the students.

10 Reasons to Love PirateHouse

The organizers have sent out this list of reasons to bring the family by on October 31st:

It’s not too scary and it’s fun for little ones.
There are tons of fun pop culture references – if you like pirates, Disney, and/or sci-fi, you’ll love exploring all there is to see.
Over 20 artists on the Crew created numerous, one-of-a-kind pieces for the display, many out of recycled materials.
Captain Julie, the creator of PirateHouse, was at death’s door for the Halloween of 2008. This is her celebration of life project.
The display has a social message underneath it all – it celebrates those who choose to live honorably.
It’s full of nods to honorable pirates in Captain Julie’s life.
Two words: Pirate Ship!. Little ones, big kids and adults all love getting a chance to steer – and get a photo or two of course.
The “island” and nearby “sea” even have their own story, legend, and curse.
PirateHouse is making a huge difference in Uganda. Fundraising efforts support St. Stephen Children’s Centre. So far it’s helped get them a roof, electricity, water, and they’re not stopping there!
You can get extra trick-or-treating loot if you donate, dress as a pirate, or do the treasure hunt.

In 2013 “Captain” Julie Desroches rallied over 20 family & friends to help create PirateHouse, a pirate-themed Halloween display in Burnaby, BC. This art project was a “bucket list” dream of Julie’s as a way to celebrate her survival of a life-threatening illness and to thank her “honourable crew” who helped her through it. It was also created to raise funds for St. Stephen Children’s Centre, a school and community centre in Uganda started by Julie’s close friend Ben Ssemwogerere whom she met when she volunteered in Uganda in 2000.

If you can’t make it to PirateHouse on Halloween, you can still make a donation through the BC Society for St. Stephen Children’s Centre website or bid on one of the online auction packages.

Fan Expo Vancouver 2016

Comments 1 by Rebecca Bollwitt Thursday, September 29th, 2016 — 6:31pm PDT

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Fan Expo Vancouver is returning, this time with a fall date and a long weekend lineup packed with talent. Fans of all ages are invited to attend Vancouver’s largest pop culture celebration as the highly anticipated phenomenon mixes comic, sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming genres November 11-13, 2016.

Fan Expo Vancouver

Where: Vancouver Convention Centre (West, Hall C)
Tickets: On sale now incuding child, single day, deluxe, and premium options
When: Friday, November 11th 2:00pm to 8:00pm; Saturday, November 12th 10:00am to 7:00pm; Sunday, November 13th 10:00am to 5:00pm

Confirmed Guests (as of publishing, Sept 29/16) Include:

CHRISTOPHER LLOYD (Back to the Future)
~~KAREN GILLAN (Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Who)~~
JOHN BARROWMAN (Arrow, Doctor Who)
TOM FELTON (Harry Potter)
JEWEL STAITE (Firefly/Serenity; Stargate Atlantis)
KEVIN SMITH (Pop Culture Icon)
DEAN CAIN (Lois & Clark: Superman)
JAE LEE (Marvel, DC Comics)
TRINA NISHIMURA, Tom Kenny and Ryo Horikawa of Anime fame

Sign up for autographs and photo-ops, watch a sketch duel, attend a workshop or seminar, build models at the LEGO booth, and participate in some of the impressive cosplay by dressing up for the occasion.

Start your Christmas shopping early by browsing 230 local exhibitors including artists, dealers and retailers or commission a special piece in Artist Alley. It’s the perfect place to shop for those ‘hard to buy for’ people on your nerdy or nice list – or just treat yourself.

Follow Fan Expo Vancouver on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt Thursday, September 29th, 2016 — 1:00pm PDT

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There are plenty of things to do in Vancouver this weekend, from new theatrical productions, to tours, attractions, a free day at Science World, and a mix of harvest and halloween activities. The new October event list has been posted and there you’ll find all of these events and more.

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

WeekendEventsOctober

Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green.

Friday, September 30, 2016
Miss604 Media Partner: Vancouver International Film Festival
Gatsby’s Night Out at the Orpheum
Battle of the Brush 30: “Cartoon Madness”
EARTH/SEA/SKY: Music of our Natural World
City Drinks at Casa Mia
Richmond Night Market
Tara Cheyenne Performance: Porno Death Cult
Harvest Haus
Feast on the Fraser, New Westminster
Edward II by Christopher Marlowe
Stranger to Hard Work @ Firehall Arts Centre

Saturday, October 1, 2016
Miss604 Media Partner: Vancouver International Film Festival
Novus Walk for Water
Big Draw Festival
Seniors Day at MOV
Harvest Festival at Lougheed
Crunchtime Cereal Bar Pop-Up
Hot One Inch Action
Sex With Strangers Release Party
Petits Gâteaux: Madeleines, Cannelés & Palmiers
Music@Queens Concert Series
Young Drunk Punk Starring Bruce McCulloch
Kids Gallery at Surrey Museum Reopens
Water’s Edge Day at the Maritime Museum
BeYouGirl At Coquitlam Centre with Big Sisters
Worldwide Photowalk
Tri-Cities Culture Days
FiveLeft 10th Anniversary Celebration
Bad Girls: A Canadian Premiere
Artists for Conservation @ Grouse Mountain
Oktoberfest at the Alpen Club
Harvest Haus
Feast on the Fraser
Grape Stomp at Township 7 Winery
Roadside Harvest Social, Abbotsford
Trout Lake Farmers Market
West End Farmers Market
Burnaby City Hall Farmers Market
Yoga Expo
Emily Carr Alumni Homecoming
Potter’s House of Horrors
Lost Souls of Gastown Tour
Pacific Theatre Presents: A Good Way Out

Sunday, October 2, 2016
Miss604 Media Partner: Vancouver International Film Festival
VIFF Screening: Marrying the Family
West Vancouver Pumpkin Fest
55 and Up!
Vancouver Tool Library: Garage Sale
City of Vancouver Fall Tree Sale
Vancouver Tango Milongueros: Dance Open House
HERSTORIES: A West of Denman Historical Walking Tour
From Farms to Forks 7
The Family’s Pasta & Italian Cooking Classes
CIBC Run for the Cure
Crunchtime Cereal Bar Pop-Up
Free Day at Science World
TREND Vancouver
Fall Fair at Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
Roadside Harvest Social, Abbotsford
Kitsilano Farmers Market
Ambleside Farmers Market
Yoga Expo
Grape Stomp at Township 7 Winery
Emily Carr Alumni Homecoming
Potter’s House of Horrors
Harvest Haus
Artists for Conservation @ Grouse Mountain

Subscribe to the Weekly Events Newsletter

Never miss my TOP PICKS for events in Vancouver! Receive this event list right to your email inbox by signing up for the Miss604 Weekly Events Newsletter below:

Check out the full October event listings here and if you have an event to include, please send it in by email for a free listing. Follow Miss604 on Twitter for more daily updates.

Win Tickets to Motherload at The Cultch

Comments 20 by Rebecca Bollwitt Thursday, September 29th, 2016 — 9:16am PDT

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The Cultch presents Motherload, a dark comedy about contemporary parenting that is returning to the stage after a wildly successful run in 2015.

Motherload at The Cultch

When: October 4-15, 2016
Preview: October 4, 8:00pm
Opening Night: October 5, 8:00pm
Performance Times: October 6-8 & 11-15, 8:00pm
Matinees: October 9 & 15, 2:00pm
Enjoy a post-show Q&A on October 6, 9, 11, & 12
Where: The Historic Theatre (@ The Cultch, 1895 Venables, Vancouver)
Tickets: On sale now starting at $20. Available at The Cultch box office, by phone (604) 251-1363 or online.

This newer, more polished version of Motherload features performances by Emelia Symington Fedy, Jody-Kay Marklew, Toronto’s Gillian Bennett, and a return to the stage by Una Memisevic.

Motherload was created collectively by four prominent Canadian theatre artists and mothers (Emelia Symington Fedy, Jody-Kay Marklew, Juno Rinaldi, and Sonja Bennett). From conversations overheard on the playground and at ‘parent-friendly’ cafés, to surreptitious iPhone videos taken of their children, to dealing with the loss of their own mothers, these four women bare their personal stories about what it takes to be a member of the world’s biggest club – and all the perfection and imperfection that comes along with that membership.

As each of these mothers shares their journey, they hope to lighten the collective load.

Win Tickets to Motherload at The Cultch

If you would like to see this production, I have two tickets to give away to opening night on October 5th at 8:00pm. 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 tickets to see Motherload at @thecultch http://owl.li/gyCG304GYD0 from @miss604

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 10:00pm on Sunday, October 2, 2016. Follow The Cultch on Twitter and Facebook for the latest performance information.

Update The winner is Sabrina!

October Events in Metro Vancouver

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt Wednesday, September 28th, 2016 — 5:37pm PDT

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October is packed with events and activities, containing the Thanksgiving Long Weekend as well as Halloween attractions. There’s the Granville Island Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, Halloween at Historic Sites, the Stanley Park Ghost Train, Fright Nights at Playland, zombies, parties, markets, and many more October Events in Metro Vancouver which are listed below.