Last year was my summer of kayaking, this year it’s canoeing. I’ve been out twice in a canoe in the last few weeks, spending Memorial Day on Iowa’s Maquoketa River (a Mississippi tributary) and a few weeks ago I paddled down the Nechako River (a Fraser River tributary) near Prince George.

My time in Prince George, with Bruce Hawkenson, a Prince George Sports Hall of Fame inductee and veteran marathon canoe racer, rekindled my love of the activity and helped me write an article for FestivalSeekers about the history of the region that can be experienced from the water.

Paddling Through Prince George History

“All of our area has a history of travel by canoe,” Hawkenson told me between paddle strokes. “They tried doing it by riverboat, but the rivers are strong, and there are rapids.” Hawkenson explained that the Hudson’s Bay Company first established their fur trading post at Fort St James, which by way of the Stuart River, connects with the Nechako. Another trading post was set up in Prince George at Fort George Park (now Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park).

Read about the upcoming Northern Hardware Canoe Race in Prince George, along with my history piece for FestivalSeekers for trip planning inspiration.

Follow Tourism Prince George on Facebook and Twitter for more info.

Vancouver Craft Beer Week, poised to be Canada’s largest craft beer festival, is on now featuring the finest ales, tastiest lagers, and great food until June 5th.

Win Tickets to Vancouver Craft Beer Week

I have two VIP passes to give away to the Friday, June 3rd night of the VCBW Festival at the PNE Grounds (2901 E Hastings St, Vancouver).

There, VCBW is hosting over 100 breweries and cideries across North America, pouring over 350 craft beers during the finale festival. This will include a US Brewers Association section filled with craft beers never before seen in Canada, and three new music stages. Partnering with CFOX, there will be 12 musical acts on stage throughout the three days of the festival.

On Friday, June 3rd, the musical guests will be a #willplayforbeer winner, Brass Action, Devon Coyote, Good for Grapes, and JP Maurice. The festival will run from 4:00pm to 9:00pm. Here’s how you can enter you way in:

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

Follow Vancouver Craft Beer Week on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more information.

This allows the lucky winner and a guest VIP access into the festival. Tokens for beer samples are not included. Must be 19+. Please enjoy responsibly. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, June 2, 2016.

Update The winner is Noah!

What better way to experience farm gate shopping in the Fraser Valley than by cycling between corn fields, in the shadow of Mount Cheam, with baskets of locally-grown goodness just waiting for a sunny summer picnic by the river? A few years ago John and I got to experience the Agassiz Farms Cycle Tour — from coffee, cheeses and herbs to ice cream, berries, and pies — and to this day it’s one of our favourite excursions in the Agassiz area.

Agassiz Farms Cycle Tour

Now in its 10th year, the Agassiz Farms Cycle Tour is coming up July 16th.

• When: July 16th, 2016 (rain or shine) from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Start and finish whenever you like during these times, tour distance is approximately 30km.
• Start Location: Registration has moved to the Agassiz Agricultural Hall (6800 Pioneer Ave, Agassiz) under the tents.
• Cost: There is a charge for this event to offset the costs. Check this page for the registration link.

This is a great family friendly event that brings you through a farming community with deep roots in agriculture. Stop into the Agassiz Harrison Museum, an old CPR train station and learn the history of the community, or into the UBC Dairy Research centre to learn about their renowned research and education programs. A farm cycle tour would not be complete without a ride on a haywagon through the dairy barns, stop to chat with the goats or sit back and enjoy a slice of homemade pie with a cup of freshly roasted coffee from a 1919 fire roaster.

Farmers put out hay bales, picnic tables, chairs, and more to welcome the hungry group of cyclists and if you purchase more than you can carry on your bike, there’s a shuttle service that will pick up your purchases and deliver them back to the starting point for you. For more information and to play your stay in the Fraser Valley, follow Tourism Harrison on Twitter and Facebook.

The free Surrey Canada Day event is happening July 1st at the Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre in Cloverdale. Festivities will kick off at 10:00am and they won’t stop until Tom Cochrane & Red Rider take the stage followed by fireworks lighting up the night sky at 10:15pm. Here’s what’s in store for Surrey Canada Day this year:

Surrey Canada Day Lineup

The City of Surrey announced today Canadian rock legend Tom Cochrane & Red Rider will headline its annual free Canada Day celebration at Surrey’s Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre on Friday, July 1.

Presented by Coast Capital Savings, this year’s family friendly celebration—which marks Canada’s 149th birthday—will be the largest Canada Day event in Western Canada with attendance expected to surpass 110,000 people.

This year’s musical guests will also feature Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, The Dudes, En Karma, Heroes of Rock and DJ Flipout. Event festivities include a midway with games and rides, over 100 exhibitors, an expanded kids’ play area and new for 2016: the Canada 150 count-down zone and the Science World on the Road show. Check out Storyville, the Strawberry Tea, food trucks, the Sports Zone, and more.

Surrey’s 2016 Canada Day Celebration will take place July 1st at the Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre, 176 Street and 64th Avenue in Cloverdale. The event opens at 10:00am with the fireworks show slated to close the day at 10:15pm. Follow Surrey Events on Twitter and Facebook for details leading up to Canada day.

Exile Bistro, in the heart of the West End just off Davie and Bute, is your local craft cocktail destination. Swing by to start your night in Downtown Vancouver or end your evening at the neighbourhood bistro.

“Vanessa Bourget (previously a bartender at Nuba, Heirloom Vegetarian, The Waldorf Hotel and now owner of Exile Bistro) has created several original cocktails to help Vancouver’s wild at heart transition into the warm weather and longer nights.” [Scout]

Craft Cocktails at Exile Bistro

Northern Heights
A Nordic take on an Old Fashioned, that helps with digestion and acts as an internal tonic for organs and tissues. Creates an olfactory (aromatic) appeal so all your senses are involved.
Ingredients: Canadian Rye Whiskey/Birch Syrup/Apple Cider Vinegar/Tree Oil Mist.

Emerald Lake
A fresh anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory cocktail containing micro-algae harvested from Klamath Lake in Oregon, which is known to increase dopamine resulting in a happier, more focused mind and body.
Ingredients: Gin/Oregon fresh water blue-green algae/Maple/Lime.

Root Sour
A turmeric cocktail with infusions in both syrup and bourbon, providing anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The cold pressed Yam provides texture, flavour and frothiness.
Ingredients: Bourbon/Turmeric Infusion & Syrup/Yam Juice.

Chaga Sour
A special cocktail infusing ‘Chaga,’ an ancient medicinal mushroom conk that’s traditionally used throughout Asia and Siberia as remedy for stomach cancer and overall wellbeing.
Ingredients: Strong Mushroom Tea/12 yr Whiskey & Chaga Tincture/Apothecary Bitters.

Enter to Win

If you would like to sip and savour Exile Bistro’s craft cocktails, I have a $100 gift card to give away. Here’s how you can enter to win:

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

Exile Bistro is located in the heart of Davie Village at 1220 Bute Street in Vancouver. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their offerings.

I will draw one contest winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, June 2, 2016. Must be 19+. Please enjoy responsibly.

Update The winner is @dawnschultz!