The 16th Annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival happens Saturday, September 22, 2018. This family friendly event celebrates the full moon, harvest abundance and diverse cultural traditions. The festival highlights the arts, community and the environment. It is always held on the Saturday closest to the 8th full moon of the year, the harvest moon. The Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival started in 2003 under artistic director, Carmen Rosen and now continues every year as a co-production between the Still Moon Arts Society and Renfrew Park Community Association. If you have not attended this event previously, it is an amazing display of creativity, colour, light and music. We encourage you to check it out.
The festivities begin in the afternoon with the Harvest Fair which kicks off at 4:00 pm and goes till 7:00 pm at Slocan Park. This event is a pre-cursor to the parade that happens at dusk. During the Harvest Fair, there will be games, crafts, musicians, last minute lantern making, community competitions and more. As the moon rises and the sun sets, the Giant Moon Lantern along with dancers and musicians make their way to guide a twilight lantern parade through the Renfrew Ravine to Renfrew Park. Once you arrive at Renfrew Park at about 7:30 pm, you descend into a transformed world of the stream, Still Creek. The entire area around the creek is lined with lights, floating lantern art and ethereal music. It is quite something to see. Time slows seems to slow down as you walk through the paths and absorb the beauty of candlelight, exquisite lanterns and the shimmering stream. Once you pass through the walkway, you come upon Renfrew Park Field which is where you will find musicians playing on the main stage and a Tea Garden with food service. The evening finale features youth performers showcasing dance, stilting and fire spinning to live music. Then the big finale is a display of fireworks around 9:00 pm.
If you are looking to make a lantern, note there are a couple of workshops this week, September 11th and 12th, a Salmon Lantern Workshop and a Bird Lantern Workshop, both held at Collingwood Neighbourhood House. For more information, visit Moon Festival Workshops.
Drive-In Movies are back at River District on the Fraser River in SE Vancouver. Wesgroup Properties and River District are hosting double feature films starting Saturday, September 15th that will be running weekly until October 27th and guess what, they are FREE! The Drive-In is located at 3650 E. Kent Avenue South which is located 1/2 a block south of Marine Way at Boundary Road. Gates open at 6:30 pm and the movie gets under way at 7:15 pm with the second show getting under way at 9:30 pm (approximate times). River District will provide you with the FM station for audio, so you need a working FM station to partake. This event is first come first serve, so best to arrive early to claim your spot. We’ve set out the schedule below as we know it today. Note, these are subject to change without notice. Therefore, please visit 
I am one of those cynical types who harbors deep skepticism towards politicians. I have never voted for a major political party’s candidate and often vote Communist or Marxist-Leninist as form of protest. Civically I generally mark an X on my ballot for the fringe and the extreme, be it Jamie Lee Hamilton or Cowboy Bob Ellis. I am telling you this so you’ll know I’m not easily swayed, and therefore genuine when I say you should vote for Stuart Mackinnon for Parks Board.
First Pick Handmade returns to the Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street, September 15 & 16, 2018. 
ILiveInEastVan.com 