”Love Bombing is an attempt to influence a person by lavish demonstrations of attention and affection.” This Saturday you are invited to the world premiere of Love Bomb at the Firehall Arts Centre. This is a rock concert within a play as well as a bit of mystery to top it off. This show is brought to you by Shameless Hussy Production’s Meghan Gardiner. Megan says the show “ was so gratifying to put together, but amidst all the fun, we knew we had a pretty dark story to tell. The darkness is what hooked me. Everything else was a way to tell the story.” Expect an emotional roller coaster. Tickets are available online from $28 to $33 at Firehall Arts Centre. Want to hear what others are saying about Love Bomb? Check out Andrea Warner’s piece in the Georgia Straight.
World Premiere of The Love Bomb At The Firehall Arts Centre September 26 – October 10
24 Sep
Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival in Renfrew-Collingwood September 26th
23 Sep
You are invited to Renfrew-Collingwood’s signature festival this Saturday, September 26th the 11th Annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival. If you are unfamiliar with this event, the 1st annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival took place in 2003 and was created by artist Carmen Rosen in collaboration with the community. This event celebrates the full moon and harvest abundance while honouring diverse cultural traditions. The moon festival will highlight art, music and environmental stewardship. The event gets under way with the Harvest Fair at 4:00 pm which will feature a number of booths from local organizations, artisans, and non-profit groups. There will also be live music, a selection of hot food and their infamous Harvest Fair competition. This is where things get a little fun. We’ve set out some of the categories for this year’s Harvest Fair competition. We are rather curious to see what wins Sexiest Squash. Who thought those two words would go together?
Most sizeable sunflower
Most bountiful flower bouquet
Most gorgeous green bouquet
Most creative fall display
Tastiest homemade jam/jelly
Most alluring Asian vegetable
Most cumbersome cabbage
Tubbiest tomato
Heaviest zucchini
Sexiest squash
Beefiest bean
Craziest carrot
At 7:00 pm, the Twilight Lantern Walk begins with a parade of lanterns from Slocan Park to Renfrew Park which is led by a giant moon lantern. You are invited to bring your own lantern and walk the trails along the ravine accompanied by live music as night falls. Passing by the river-stone labyrinth, the procession will be invited to a walking meditation surrounded by music and light. The parade then passes by other lantern installations and surprise performances until it reaches Renfrew Park at nightfall, for more live music, food and of course, the moon. For more details, visit their Facebook page. This is a great community event that is fun for all ages.
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Metamorfest Happens In Mount Pleasant September 26th
21 Sep
Metamorfest will be hitting the streets this Saturday, September 26th from Noon to 6:00 pm. The festival is located on two blocks – one north of East Broadway on Fraser Street and one south of East Broadway on Prince Albert Street. The day will include live music, a whole host of activities and booths for children as well as a bouncy castle. There is something for all ages at this event. A couple of fun activities planned to keep an eye out for include Zumba and Laughter Yoga in the park.
The Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House will also be hosting activities inside their building on the corner of Broadway and Prince Albert Street. The Broadway Youth Resource Centre and Vancouver Native Housing will hold some activities just outside their locations on the corner of Broadway and Fraser. As well, there will be 3 stages with live music featuring local artists and bands. You can expect everything from hip hop to jazz. A full schedule of events is available at Metamorfest.
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Are We Cool Now? At The Cultch September 29 – October 10
18 Sep
Something special is coming to The Cultch on September 29th, that being Are We Cool Now? This is an indie rock road trip inspired by and featuring the songs of Vancouver’s own indie rock darling, Dan Mangan. Are We Cool Now? is a unique and intimate musical exploration of contemporary relationships and will bring some humour, heartache and insight.
This innovative rock music/theatre fusion is written by Amiel Gladstone (A Craigslist Cantata and Cinderella: An East Van Panto!) “It’s an indie rock musical about life and love in your 20’s and Dan Mangan’s music provides the backdrop,” says Gladstone. “I’ve always been curious about how to get the music we listen to every day on to the stage. Dan and I knew each other and I really liked his music. We looked for a narrative in Dan’s music and found themes of love, longing, nostalgia and road trips and Are We Cool Now? was born.” This production by Western Canada Theatre combines the talents of actor-musicians Penelope Corrin (Royal Canadian Air Farce, My Narrator) and Ben Elliott (The Comedy of Errors, Broken Sex Doll) and features Anton Lipovetsky (Broken Sex Doll, Elbow Room Cafe: The Musical) on guitar and bass, Said The Whale’s Spencer Schoening on percussion, and music and lyrics – including one new song – by JUNO Award-winning Dan Mangan.
Are We Cool Now? kicks off with a preview on September 29th . Opening night is September 30th and the show continues until October 10th with matinee performances on October 3rd, 4th and 10th. Tickets start at $20 and are available online at The Cultch. This show is packed with local talent. We encourage you to check it out.
Photo Credit: Murray Mitchell
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21st Century Flea Market At The Croatian Cultural Centre September 20th
17 Sep
21st Century Flea Market is holding a flea market this Sunday, September 20th at the Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250 Commercial Drive. There will be 175 vendors on hand with a variety of items including antiques, collectibles, memorabilia, jewellery, pottery, postcards, records, retro furnishings, dolls, toys and so much more. Should you be in need of having an item appraised, they will be holding ‘drop-in appraisals’ from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm on a first come first served basis. They do ask that the items be small enough to carry, with a maximum of three items per person. The cost for a verbal appraisal is $10 per item or $25 for 3 items, cash only. The drop-in appraisals will be conduct by Gale Pirie, an independent accredited member of the Canadian Personal Property Appraisers Group. The market runs from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. General admission is $5 at the door. There will also be a special early-bird admission for $20 from 7:00 am – 10:00 am for those wanting a jump on things. Children under 13 are free with adult admission.
Should you wish to have a coffee and/or lunch before or after your shop, consider Commercial Street Café for something close by. It’s a great little hidden gem tucked away a few blocks down the street from the Croatian Cultural Centre. Open Sunday from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm and located at 3599 Commercial Street, at East 20th Avenue. Of course, going North up the Drive after the market, you have a whole host of great coffee shops and restaurants to choose from.
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BC Beer Awards At The Croatian Cultural Centre Saturday October 24
16 Sep
The 6th Annual BC Beer Awards & Festival is coming to the Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250 Commercial Drive, on Saturday, October 24th. The BC Beer Awards showcases a craft beer festival with over 50 breweries and an awards ceremony which is being hosted by CBC’s Stephen Quinn. Returning this year will be community booths and on site judging for the Brewers’ Challenge! 2015. We hear that 2015 has been dubbed the Year of the Sour Beer and they have challenged BC’s Brewers to create something that will dazzle your taste buds and possibly make you pucker.
A couple of new things to keep an eye out for this year include “Richard Buell Sutton LLP Rookie of the Year Award” for BC’s top new brewery. Also a handful of BC’s cideries will join this year’s festivities for your tasting enjoyment. There will also be an official BC Beer Awards After Party at Doolin’s and The Belmont Bar. Of course, what’s a festival without food. You can expect to find Le Tigre Food Truck outside the Croatian Cultural Centre during the event and eats by Tap & Barrel and BierCraft on the inside. Speaking of food, organizers are asking everyone to bring a non-perishable item for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. They will be collecting donations at the door.
Early bird ticket sales are currently on sale for $30 until September 30th. Each ticket includes 4 drink tokens as well as a 4 oz taster glass for you to take home. Note, additional tokens are available for purchase for $1.25 each. Ticket prices go up on October 1st to $35. Last year this event SOLD OUT before Early Bird Ticket sales ended, so we do recommend ‘hopping’ to it if you wish to attend.
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Holiday Preserves Workshop With East Van Jam on September 22nd
14 Sep
Studio 126 at 126 East Pender Street is a very cool studio with a variety of locally made goods including reclaimed furniture, handmade items by local artisans including Brand & Iron, Woodlot, Hobo Woodworks, Sue Griese Ceramics, LISSU Linen and East Van Jam. Studio 126 also holds workshops throughout the month and on Tuesday, September 22nd the master of jam, Natalie Ferrari-Morton will be on hand. Natalie is the woman behind East Van Jam and will teach you how to make preserves for this year’s Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Natalie will also teach you the basics of safety and canning as well as how to create delicious pear and cranberry preserves. Come with an apron and go home with your own jar of homemade preserves. The workshop runs from 6:30 to 9:30 pm on Tuesday, September 22nd. To register, visit Studio 126.
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Mrs. Singh & Me Kicks Off At The Cultch September 11th
9 Sep
The Vancouver Fringe Festival is back and runs from September 10th to 20th at various venues around the Lower Mainland. The Cultch, 1895 Venables Street, is one of the venues in which performances will be held. One show that caught our eye is Mrs. Singh & Me which runs from September 11-13, 15, 18 and the 20th which is being presented by the South Asian Arts Society. What’s with this story and why is it unique? Well imagine if Romeo had kidnapped Juliet’s mother. What do you think would have happened next? In this dark comedy by playwright Munish Sharma explores that idea. In Mrs. Singh & Me, love is truly is in the air, but Mrs. Kuldeep Singh is having none of it. Her instincts could be right or she could be missing out on the best son-in-law she could ever ask for namely Raj, whose methods are as extreme as his heart is sure. Mrs. Singh & Me confronts cultural traditions and tackles generational differences along with a generous helping of chai and cookies. Tickets are available online at Vancouver Fringe or in person from September 8-20 at the Fringe Box Office located at 1398 Cartwright Street on Granville Island.
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Dance Dance Dance Party At Mount Pleasant Community Centre Tuesday Nights
8 Sep
Ladies, do you love to dance? Well then this one is for you. You are invited to come out to Dance Dance Dance Party at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre, 1 Kingsway, on Tuesday, September 8th. What is it exactly? Dance Dance Dance Party happens at 8:15 pm on Tuesday evenings for one hour. It is billed as “a fun-focused female only free form dance class”. So there is no instructor to keep up with and best of all no judgment, just fun. To add to the fun of the evening, funny lady Sara Bynoe is back as ‘den mother’ for the September classes to help you get your groove on. She might just tickle your funny bone as well, inadvertently, of course. Sara Bynoe if you don’t know her, is the woman behind Say Wha? Deliciously Rotten Readings as well as Teen Angst. So all around, we expect it will be a fun evening. Cost is $7.00 for a drop in, or you can purchase for the 4 sessions in advance at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre. Dancing mandatory, leg warmers optional.
Photo Credit: Sefton Billington
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East Van Kitchen Choir Kicks Off September 10th
2 Sep
Do you love music and love to sing? Do you enjoy meeting others who have a love of music? Well Shera Kelly is looking for you. Shera Kelly is a singer and songwriter that is starting a community choir. Shera is a graduate of the Selkirk College of Music in Nelson. She teaches guitar and voice lessons in her East Van studio. Her aim is to feature the local music scene so think The Be Good Tanyas, Mother Mother and Hannah Georgas. The inspiration for this choir came from one of her students who simply stated that they wished to be in a choir, but one that is ‘hip and urban’. Shera hopes that the music will inspire, connect and create community. The East Van Kitchen Choir gets under way Thursday, September 10th at 1549 Kitchener Street (at Commercial Drive). No experience? No problem, you are invited to come check things out. There is a small fee of $5 per session with the first session being free. To register or for more information, you can contact Shera Kelly at sherakelly@hotmail.com or 604.600.9783.
ILiveInEastVan.com 