Sun Peaks is hosting one of the most Instagrammable festivals around at the end of the month. The Alpine Blossom Festival combines music, entertainment, yoga, outdoor movies, and those wonderful bouncy castles, with the enjoyment of the natural beauty that springs to life in the alpine at this time of year.

Alpine Blossom Festival at Sun Peaks

You can read all about my interview with Kelly Funk, who will be leading the Mountains of Colour Photography Workshop, on the Festival Seekers website:

Canada’s second largest ski area comes alive in the summertime, trading in the snow-white, powdery slopes, for lush green meadows and blankets of flowers that cover the alpine in a quilt of colour.

“The winter is obviously different than any other season,” says local photographer Kelly Funk. “In the wintertime it’s quiet, serene, and beautiful at the same time. Then in the summer it’s more of a getaway and it’s more rugged then I think you can find in most places around Kamloops because the elevation change is quite drastic from the valley bottom, so it doesn’t matter what season you’re up there, it always feels different.”

John and I first visited Sun Peaks, before I even had a chance to ski it in the winter, back in August of 2011. The blossoms had faded slightly but some purple and yellow hues still spotted the hillside. The festival in July will be the perfect time to hike up to the wildflowers, while you enjoy all of the entertainment and fun down in the village.

Plan your trip to the Alpine Blossom Festival July 29, 2016 to July 31, 2016 at Sun Peaks for BC Day long weekend.

For all of this event listing and more, sign up for the Festival Seekers newsletter and follow along on on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube for more information.

There are two types of people in this modern world: Those who use “LOL” and those who use “Ha Ha Ha” when replying to something funny with email or text message. I’m in the “Ha Ha Ha” camp, because I feel that unless I’m truly laughing out loud, I shouldn’t be implying that I am (no matter how funny the cat photo my husband just sent me might be). This past week at Bard on the Beach, I found myself in camp “LOL” as my first Shakespeare comedy experience at the Merry Wives of Windsor had me laughing out loud throughout the evening.

Bard on the Beach Review Merry Wives of Windsor

You know you’re in for an entertaining evening when Bard’s Artistic Director Christopher Gaze sits down behind the drum kit to jam with costumed cast members on stage as the audience finds their seats. After Gaze’s introduction of the show, we are transported to the Garter Inn where the show opens with a musical number at Open Mic Night.

Set in Windsor, Ontario in 1968, this classic comedy is the only one Shakespeare didn’t set in a foreign or imaginary country. It’s full of Canadiana, with inn as the main setting, along with the local curling club and shout outs to Sudbury. Stubby beer bottles, pink flamingos, egg chairs, lava lamps and the musical stylings of Patsy Cline and Hank Williams.

The set design (Pam Johnson), costumes (Drew Facey), and music (Ben Elliott) did the era justice with bold and bright whimsy but it was the electric performance by the company that brought the cheeky, calamitous adventure in flirtation to life.

Ben Elliott’s Slender evoked the first chuckles from the audience with his animated portrayal along with Andrew Chown as a vibrant Doctor Caius. Sir John Falstaff, a character so loved by Queen Elizabeth I in Henry IV that she insisted he be brought back in another play, was wonderfully portrayed by Ashley Wright.

While the men delivered the physical comedy, the women of the company were the brightest stars. Katey Wright (Mistress Meg Page), Amber Lewis (Mistress Alice Ford) sang, danced, and mischievously plotted in floral fabrics and cool cat-eye glasses. Jennifer Lines as Mistress Quickly added a flare you’d find with a meddling maid in a 1960s era soap opera, Hailey Gillis played it cool as Miss Anne Page, the an object of many affections, and we were all rooting for Dawn Petten as Simple whose lines were few but expressions told a bigger story.

Shout out to the rest of the company: David Marr as Justice Shallow, Andrew McNee as Pastor Hugh Evans, Victor Dolhai as Bardolph, Anton Lipovetsky as the Host of the Garter Inn — who also shredded it up on the electric guitar. Recent Jessie Award winner Daniel Doheny was a Fonzie lookalike as Fenton, and Scott Bellis as Ford with Tom Pickett as Page stepped off the Mad Men set and onto this Shakespearean mashup in style.

Each cast member was a triple threat and when I read in the program that each is also in Romeo & Juliet on the Bard stage, I was even more impressed by their talents. Live music, the Bard’s quick wit, and the performance by the company were all superb.

Add to that the Bard on the Beach experience, sipping wine under the light strings along the waterfront as the sun sets, and you’ve got yourself the most entertaining evening you’ll find in the city this summer.

Tips: You don’t need to know Shakespeare before you go but there are pre-show talks in the Bard Village if you would like to brush up on the plot synopsis, a glance in the program will do in a pinch. Check out the Bard Boutique for some cute t-shirts and pre-oder your intermission drinks — you won’t want to miss a minute of this wonderful show.

Ticket prices for 2016 include all applicable fees and taxes and begin at $20 for every regular performance. Book tickets through the Bard Box Office at (604) 739-0559, (toll free) 1-877-739-0559 or order online through the Bard website. All evening performances start at 7:30pm. Follow Bard on the Beach on Facebook and Twitter.

Vancouver’s improv scene is getting an explosive infusion of guest talent this summer as Vancouver TheatreSports (“VTSL”) explores what it means to be a woman in Vancouver. Themes such as dating and romance, career and work/life balance, female friendships and body image will all be examined through the audience suggestions motivating the improvisers’ wicked wit.

Vancouver TheatreSports Firecracker Dynamite Ladies

Starting Thursday, July 21st and running every Thursday evening at 9:15pm, VTSL presents Firecracker Dynamite Ladies. Explosive comedy. “One of VTSL’s mandates is to increase the diversity in our company, and in the improv world,” states Executive Director Jay Ono.

“I am very proud of the fact that VTSL’s ensemble includes very strong female improvisers. In addition, almost 50 percent of our Rookie League and Improv Comedy Institute (ICI) are women. This is an exciting time for the development of the art form thanks to these amazing improvisers – they rank among the best anywhere.”

Inaugural shows will honour a special female guests whose stories of their life, work and achievements will inspire the performance. We are delighted to have the following guests join us for these performances:

• July 21: Me! Rebecca Bollwitt
  Miss604, Blogger/Social Media Maven
• July 28: Cassandra Anderton
  Good Life Vancouver, Wine/Food Writer, Life-style Commentator
• August 4: Briana Buckmaster
  Actress, Sheriff Donna on Supernatural
• August 11: Sadie Campbell
  Singer, songwriter
• August 18: Burgundy Brix
  Burlesque entertainer
• August 25: Beverley Elliott
  Actress, ‘Granny on ABC’s hit series Once Upon a Time
• September 1: Morgan Brayton
  Comedienne, CBC’s The Debaters , Girls Like Me
• September 8: Nicole Oliver
  Actor, Producer, Director, the voice of Princess Celestia on My Little Pony

Subsequent performances may not always include special guest. However, all will celebrate the fun and foibles of female life in early 21st Century Vancouver.

As in all VTSL productions, audience suggestions about the show’s theme will play an integral role in determining and driving the improvised action. All shows are at the Improv Centre on Granville Island. Tickets, priced at only $10 at the Box Office (slightly higher online) are on sale now.

Founded in 1980 Vancouver TheatreSports™ League is Vancouver’s #1 improv comedy company and a well-respected international leader in the art form. Female alumni include Ellie Harvie (The New Addams Family, Stargate SG-1), Nancy Robertson (Corner Gas) and Veena Sood (The X-Files, Supernatural). Boasting six International Improv Comedy Awards, Vancouver TheatreSports™ League entertains more than 60,000 people per year through 11 shows a week, 52 weeks a year at its own theatre, The Improv Centre, located on Granville Island – Vancouver’s arts and culture hub.

Win Tickets

I have a four-pack of tickets to give away to Firecracker Dynamite Ladies on July 21st, where I’ll be on stage! 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 Sunday, July 17, 2016. Follow VTSL on Twitter and Facebook for more information.

Update The winner is Kathe!

The Surrey Museum is bringing back Music at the Museum this summer, with a free concert on Wednesday, July 20th from 6:30 to 8:30pm. Grab your lawn chair, kick off your shoes, dance on the lawn, and enjoy music from the Genuine Jug Band.

Music at the Museum

Typical of the museum, the lively event will double as a musical history experience. While the genre jug band is not as well known today as others, it is in fact the genre jazz and blues were born from. Developing in the Southern states in the early 1900s, it was largely founded by descendants of slaves. By definition, it includes a jug player and a mix of traditional instruments, as well as many homemade instruments, such as the washtub bass. Visitors can expect an eclectic mix of ragtime, jazz, blues and hillbilly.

Jug band music is fun, approachable, informal and accessible. The first recorded bands were based in Louisville, Kentucky and the sound travelled from New Orleans to Memphis, and across the continent. There was a revival in the 1950s and 1970s, with pop tributes from bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Lovin’ Spoonful. Nowadays, there are post-modern jug bands, with roots in Brooklyn, Chicago, San Francisco, the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

The Genuine Jug Band plays 1930s jazz, ragtime and Delta blues with a few original songs that blend perfectly. Their show, both unusual and unique, fascinates and mesmerizes audiences of all ages. See it for yourself the night of July 20th at at 17710-56A Avenue, Surrey.

The Surrey Museum is pleased to present this interesting, and entertaining, element to the community this summer. In 2017, the museum will expand and one of the major elements involved is an indoor/ outdoor space to accommodate more events like this. Hours of operation are Tuesdays to Fridays, 9:30am to 5:30pm; Saturdays, 10:00am to 5:00pm, Sundays 12:00pm to 5:00pm. Closed Mondays and Statutory Holidays. Admission is sponsored by the Friends of the Surrey Museum Society.

For more information, call 604-592-6956 and follow the Surrey Museum on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

For two decades, the Secret Garden Tea Company in Kerrisdale has been offering a tranquil haven for Vancouverites to enjoy a spot of tea and delicious fresh-baked treats with friends and family.

Co-owner Kathy Wyder’s grandma was the inspiration for the tea room after lamenting there wasn’t one in Kerrisdale. So Kathy and a friend opened the tea room’s doors in October 1995. Since then, staff have poured countless cups of steaming tea in elegant china and served elegant sweets and scones, along with breakfast and lunch to anyone who simply want a break from the hectic pace of life.

Secret Garden Tea Company Moves to New Location

Growing demand for a quiet, old-fashioned afternoon tea spurred the decision to move from its current home on West Boulevard to a larger location at 2138 West 40th Avenue. It will be able to serve more of its traditional high tea to customers later this summer when it opens.

While the tea room is moving, the traditions its customers have come to love over the years will remain the same. The new room will include some updates but will retain many elements of the original one.

The larger Secret Garden will allow for milestone events and large gatherings such as bridal showers, birthdays and other celebrations in their customers’ lives.

Win High Tea for Two

To celebrate Secret Garden’s move, I have High Tea for Two to give away. The menu changes each month to offer the freshest seasonable treats.

For July, High Tea for Two includes: Secret Garden Egg Pinwheels, House Caesar Roast Beef on Mini Croissants, Smoky Caramelized Bacon on Petit Kale Muffins, Scone with Raspberry Jam and Devonshire Cream, Tea Cake Slices, Tangy Mini Lemon Curd Tart, Summery Upside Down Nectarine Cake with Salted Caramel Whip, Chocolate “Peanut Butter Cup” Tart, and of course a Pot of tea.

Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Share this post on Facebook with a friend you’d like to bring to High Tea
  (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow The Secret Garden Tea Company on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, July 15, 2016. High Tea seatings are available three times a day at 12:00pm, 2:15pm, and 4:30pm. Vegetarian options available.

Update The winner is Gina Epstein!