VIMFF is back!  This years lineup of programs looks amazing and will be taking place Feb 10 – 18th, 2012.

There are many themes for each night including, climbing, mountain biking, trail running, skiing, kayaking, great ocean traverses and a lot more. I personally have the trail running and opening nights penciled into my calendar. They are also bringing back FEAT presentations, which debuted  in Vancouver last November.

All the shows are either at Rio Theatre or Pacific Cinematheque in Vancouver, or Centennial Theatre in North Van.

If you plan on going – don’t miss this offer that has been extended to readers of OV:

We want to offer your members a chance to win tickets to VIMFF 2012 events! To enter the draw, your members can simply sign up for our newsletter until Sunday February 5th at noon. The more participants, the more prizes we will have, so don’t be shy to share the news! Additionally, anyone who subscribes to the newsletter will also be emailed an online discount code for $15 tickets – that’s 25% off the door price – so everyone wins! (discount code for online purchases only, draw winners and discount code to be emailed out afternoon of Feb 5)

To enter into the draw, head over to our newsletter page, sign up, and you’re done!

VIMFF CLIMBING/BASEJUMPING NIGHT

Saturday Feb 11, 7:30pm (doors 6:30)
Centennial Theatre
>>> Presentations
Steph Davis: Earth to Sky
>>> Films
Wolf and The Medallion
The Long Hope
I Belieye I Can Fly (Flight of the Frenchies)
 Buy Tickets Here

On Saturday, July 16 Parks Canada will be partying in Vancouver with a day of festivities and a free outdoor concert in Stanley Park to celebrate their 100th birthday! It should be an awesome day with Olympic Gold medalist Maelle Ricker and Juno award winner K’naan among the participants. Also, to help celebrate, they’re giving away a Parks Canada Family Pass (details below).

Parks Canada’s 100^th birthday party transforms downtown Vancouver into a portal to Canada’s protected places

Celebrations include artist K’Naan and Olympic Gold Medalist Maelle Ricker

VANCOUVER, BC, July 5, 2011 — On Parks Day, July 16^th, Parks Canada will be celebrating its 100^th birthday with a major event at Brockton Point in Stanley Park, including a free evening concert with rap artist K’Naan, and family activities throughout the afternoon designed to give urbanites a taste of Canada’s wilderness and heritage.

With an increasing number of Canadians living in urban centres, fewer Canadians are in touch with their national parks and historic sites. The downtown celebration is an opportunity for more Vancouverites to experience Canada’s incredible protected places and hone outdoor skills like camping, hiking, surfing and climbing without leaving the city.

The celebrations will kick off at noon with free family activities delivered in partnership with BC Parks, also celebrating their 100^th birthday this year. Vancouverites can drop by the Parks Canada Visitor Centre, meet historic characters and park rangers, play in the Kids Zone with mascots Parka the Beaver and Gerry the Moose, meet Olympic Gold Medalist and park enthusiast Maelle Ricker, sing and dance with Beaver Tales Theatre, and enjoy free birthday cake.

At 4pm, the celebrations will take a musical turn, with a free concert featuring Saskatoon’s rock band, the Sheepdogs, Virgin Radio’s “Best of BC” artist Kate Morgan, and Juno-award winning rap artist K’Naan. 

The celebrations will coincide with similar Parks Day celebrations across Canada, including major events in Toronto and Montreal.

Established in 1911, Parks Canada is the world’s oldest national park system. Today, Parks Canada manages 167 national historic sites including Fort Langley National Historic Site, 42 national parks including Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, and 4 national marine conservation areas. It is one of the most extensive networks of protected national heritage places in the world.

For more information visit www.parkscanada.gc.ca/vancouver

Contest!

To help celebrate, Parks Canada is giving away a family Discovery Pass (worth $136.40). “This annual pass gives you unlimited opportunities to enjoy more than 100 National Parks, National Marine Conservation Areas and National Historic Sites across Canada that charge entry fees.” You’ll have plenty of opportunity to use this pass (did you know there are 7 National Parks sites in B.C. alone?)

To enter, you have 2 options (you can do both for a total of 2 entries):

1. Leave a comment on this post about which National Park, Marine Convervation area, or Historical site is your favorite or you would most like to visit.

2. Tweet the following: “I entered to win a Parks Canada Family Discovery Pass from @ParksCanada & @karlwoll #pc100 http://tinyurl.com/4xewu2v”

A winner will be drawn on Saturday, July 16 at 12 noon Pacific time.  I will use random.org to generate a number and we will mail the pass out to the lucky winner. Canadian residents only.

Earn free Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks!
© karlwoll for Outdoor Vancouver, 2011. |
9 comments, add yours |
Post tags: 100th Birthday, Parks Canada, Vancouver

photo credit: Junnn

The latest Bike to Work Week is taking place next week May 30 – June 5, 2011. Hosted by the VACC they have lots of tools, info, and workshops to make it easy as possible.

How It Works

Bike to Work Week is a program of the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition.

Registering and Logging In:

1. Register Here. (Want to find out what it means to be a Team Leader?)
   or
   Log in if you are already registered with the VACC, Great Rides or Bike to Work Week.
   You must be signed in to access the Commute Tracker tool. more »
2. Once you are on a team you can map your route(s). more »
3. Log your commutes each day during Bike to Work Week. more »
4. Check the website for BTWW commuter station locations and make sure to stop by on your way to work for free food, drinks, resources, and fun.
5. Buy a T-shirt and show the world you bike to work.
6. Continue logging your commutes year-round.
7. Become a member of the VACC and support cycling improvements around the region!

You can continue logging your bike trips all year long. Ever wondered how much of a difference you could make to global climate change? Monitor the greenhouse gas emissions you’ve saved by using the Commute Tracker all year.

Earn free Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks!
© karlwoll for Outdoor Vancouver, 2011. |
1 comment, add yours |
Post tags: Bike to Work, VACC, Vancouver

If you missed the original tour, or just have the hankering for some more great film, the 2011 Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival’s Best of the Fest Tour will be starting this Sunday in Vancouver.

The season will open with the powerful tragedy OTHELLO enjoying its first staging at the Festival during its two-decade history. In the 520-seat Mainstage tent, Dean Paul Gibson returns after a year’s hiatus (Romeo and Juliet 2007) to stage this great tale of jealousy and deception. The production will be reflected through the silhouette of the Italian Renaissance. Playing in repertory with Othello in the big tent is the deliciously farcical THE COMEDY OF ERRORS. David Mackay, who conceived last season’s hugely popular 1920’s version of Twelfth Night, will direct. This hilarious comedy will be set in the Elizabethan period with a tongue-in-cheek approach to all things Shakespearean. In the intimate 240-seat Douglas Campbell Studio Stage tent, Rachel Ditor makes her Bard directorial debut to stage the romantic drama ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. Ms Ditor will give the play a fresh take by placing it in a Victorian setting where sensuous passions hide behind a façade of moral propriety. Rounding out the Studio Stage program is the great history play RICHARD II directed by Bard Artistic Associate Christopher Weddell. The first play in Bard’s 3-year THE KINGS History Cycle, Richard II will be rooted in the medieval period but stylized with modern overtones.

Shakespeare’s stories and themes still resonate across the centuries. In Othello, innocent love falls victim to jealousy, prejudice, deceit and betrayal. When two sets of twins cause villagers to see double in The Comedy of Errors, mistaken identities and merry misunderstandings result in hilarious chaos. In All’s Well That Ends Well a rejected bride uses determination and ingenuity to pursue her husband’s love. Richard II reveals how a king’s foolish decisions cause once loyal counsellors to turn against him.

Run dates and Special Events are as follows:

Othello – May 28 to September 25 (Mainstage tent)

The Comedy of Errors – June 10 to September 26 (Mainstage tent)

All’s Well That Ends Well – June 25 to September 19 (Studio Stage tent)

Richard II – July 8 to September 18 (Studio Stage tent)

Bard Expanded: Lecture Series – SFU’s Dr. Paul Budra gives insight into this year’s plays. June 14, July 5, 19, 26

Celebrating Red & White – Play plus Wine Tasting either before or after the show: August 15

Opera & Arias: Così fan tutté – Members of Vancouver Opera Orchestra & UBC Opera Ensemble: Aug. 31, Sept. 7 & 8

Western Canada’s largest professional Shakespeare company, Bard on the Beach presents its festival in Kitsilano’s Vanier Park adjacent to Vancouver’s downtown core. The productions are staged in open-ended tents on the waterfront against a spectacular backdrop of mountains, sea and sky. Performances run Tuesdays through Sundays. Evening curtain is at 8:00 pm, except Sunday evenings and in September when it is 7:00 pm. Matinees are scheduled on selected weekends and weekdays. Play ticket prices are $34.00 (evenings) and $18.00 to $28.50 (previews & matinees) including taxes. Tickets go on sale March 16. Advance booking is recommended as many performances sell out in advance.

The performance schedule and information can be found on the Bard website at www.bardonthebeach.org. For more information and tickets, call 604-739-0559 or toll free at 1-877-739-0559, or order on-line through the website.

Bard on the Beach gratefully acknowledges Season Sponsor: Starbucks and Production Sponsors: Vancity, RE/MAX and Jaguar/Land Rover Canada. Media sponsors are The Vancouver Sun and Global Television. Calona Vineyards Artist Series is Official Winery, Rogers Chocolates is Official Ice Cream, and Emelle’s Catering is Official Caterer. Bard also thanks the City of Vancouver Cultural Services Department, the Province of British Columbia, and the BC Arts Council for their support.

Bayside Performance – Canada’s #1 Online Source of Motorcycle Accessories!

I’ve been dealing with Bayside Performance for the past three years. They offer a great selection of aftermarket parts and upgrades for most sportbike manufacturers and models. They have a wide selection of motorcycle gear as well. All of which is at competitive prices. They offer delivery at a low cost and they’re the only performance shop that is open late. The staff there are knowledgeable in many aspects of motorcycle riding and racing and will offer unbiased insight on almost anything you can think of. Everything from the casual rider to the track racer is available at here. They also install and service everything they sell. Check their website or drop by their shop and see why they’re the best in Vancouver.

1-604-325-2252
1-888-925-2252
sales@baysideperformance.com
www.baysideperformance.com
We are open 10am to 8pm PST Monday to Saturday. 12pm to 5pm on Sundays.
www.baysideperformance.com/raceteam.htm

We sell everything you need at everyday low prices.
Simply call or email us for price quotes
We offer parts installation and repairing crashed bikes

Jazz trio was playing, a tad on the loud side, but quite nice… All the retractable doors were open and it was a fantastic night to be in fresh air with friends…

We tried pretty much every appetizer on the menu; Hot wings (excellent -tasty and meaty), baked brie -needed a little more toast, but was fantastic with the balsamic reduction and the fruit/chutney, prawns on scallops were delicious, if we had more room I would’ve ordered bread to dip in the sauce, nacho’s -well done!, Tuna bites were delish, and perfectly cooked, poutine was great, and the blue cheese adder is a great idea, steak bites were quite good, the sauce needed a little something, but mayne I’m trying to be picky here because everything was excellent…

The chef came out to see how we were enjoying the food, and that was a very nice touch!

Try the sangria! We had 3 pitchers and it was great…

After all that food, lot’s of wine, sangria, drinks and beers the bill was $30/ea with a 20% tip… I think that was great value!

We didn’t eat any entree’s but were more than satisfied! We even came back later in the evening for some more drinks!

Try it you won’t be disappointed!

http://www.timbrerestaurant.com/