Mattress Vancouver

Attention Foreign Students Studying in Vancouver.

Before you move into a furnished home there are three things you should consider about the mattress you will be sleeping on for the next three to twelve months:

1. Its Condition – What is the age of the mattress? Are the springs in good condition? Does the mattress have a disturbing odour? When you remove the sheets, are there stains covering the surface?

2. Mattress Size – When you lie down on the bed, are your feet sticking out over the end? Is there enough room to stretch out? Is the bed an appropriate size for the room it’s in?

3. Bed Bugs – Is the mattress currently in a building that is on record with the Vancouver Bed Bug Registry? Did the mattress come from another location that may have had a bed bug issue? Is their evidence of bed bugs along the seams of the mattress?

If any of these questions cause you concern, discuss them with your landlord, home-stay parent or placement supervisor. If you need to buy a new bed, a Simmons Mattress Gallery professional can help recommend the perfect mattress for your Canadian lodging.

Your time abroad should be spent in comfortable setting. Consider a new mattress.

Vancouver Language School

The recent discovery of bed bugs in a Vancouver library book has embarrassed the city’s lending service and reopened the inquiry into how prolific the bed bug problem is in our city.

The bugs were found in a book borrowed from the Mount Pleasant Library.

Since the incident, the library has done a thorough search of their stacks. Their work has turned up no evidence of further infestation. It may have only been the one book, stored near an infected mattress or couch that acted as a temporary home for the critters – unlucky for the library.

The fact that the bugs were found in an item other than furniture or clothing illustrates how prolific the problem is in our city. Bed bugs are everywhere, but those infected are keeping their mouths zipped.

Unlike a public library, homeowners can silently try to deal with bed bug issues without the prying eye of the public. Victims call a pest control service, they move to a hotel for a few days or go on a ‘vacation’, they buy all new mattresses and when they get back, the Taylors will ‘still’ be sending little Jenny over for play dates. A convenient solution with little-to-no public humiliation.

Until there is a strategy to wipeout the bugs for good, private pest control will be the public’s best option.

Bug Problems

Christmas crafts sales are a one-stop shopping centre for all those people on your list that need something simple but festive. From ornaments, to wreathes, to salt and sweet treats, you’ll find everything under the broad blanket of Christmas crafts.

This weekend hosts a number of Christmas craft fairs around the city. Simmons Mattress Gallery suggests the following sales:

Friday, November 25th

-9th Annual Chilliwack Christmas Craft Crawl

Various times and locations in Chilliwack

-North Delta Potter’s Guild Christmas Pottery Sale

Artspace Studio (11425 84th Avenue)

-Richmond Potter’s Club Christmas Sale

Richmond Cultural Centre (7700 Minoru Place)

Saturday, November 26th

-Dunbar Community Centre’s Annual Craft Fair

10am – 5pm (4747 Dunbar Street)

-Renfrew Community Centre’s Craft Fair

10am – 3pm (Eastt 22nd and Renfrew)

-Strathcona Community Centre’s Winter Craft Fair

601 Keefer Street, Vancouver

-Urban Artists’ Craft Fair

10am – 5pm Roundhouse Community Centre

-Woodside Gallery Christmas Arts and Craft Show

10am – 5pm (2226 Lougheed Highway)

Homemade Christmas Gifts

Since 1998, St. Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver has been creating a public light display to raise funds for various projects and causes connected with the hospital.

This year, the ‘Lights of Hope’ display intends to raise $1.9 million in corporate and private donations. The St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation has already raised a total of $16 million since the conception of the light show.

The set-up for the lights began on November 5th, when a 100 volunteers helped erect the carefully planned display. It is estimated that the lights would span 10 kms, if attached as a single line. That would be quite the sight.

If you would like to donate, visit the charity’s website: http://www.helpstpauls.com The site suggest many creative ways to give, from security stock, to a mention in the will, to a monthly donation. Whatever you can afford to give, they’ll use.

The projects that the hospital wishes to fund are: the purchase of a new CT scanner, two 3D-capable echocardiography machines, bronchoscopy equipment, for the detection of lung disease and the completion of the Diagnostic Treatment Unit.

The official opening of this year’s Lights of Hope display will be on Thursday, November 24th.

Light Up the Stars Tonight

The historic Yale Hotel and Blues Bar is closing its doors after 130 years of operation. One of Vancouver’s finest small-act musical venues, The Yale will close for twelve months to undergo a much needed renovation plan. November 21st will be the final show day.

Opened in the 1880s, The Yale was one of only a handful of buildings to survive the 1886 fire. It became a musical frontier in the early 1900s and has been supporting emerging and established blues, jazz, R&B and soul acts ever since.

The renovations will help The Yale take on Vancouver Heritage status. The renos will also improve the facilities in the club. Planned improvements include an upgraded sound system, a hardwood dance floor and a raised roof above the stage area.

The final five nights will feature 5 genres of top-end local and imported talent.

Wednesday, November 16th

-The Best of Boogie Woogie

Featuring Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne

Thursday, November 17th

-The Best of Country and Classic Rock

Featuring Chilliwack

Friday, November 18th

-The Best of Electric Blues Guitar

Featuring David Gogo

Saturday, November 19th

-The Best of Rockin’ Soul Blues

Featuring the All-Star Blues Revue

Sunday, November 20th (Afternoon)

-Big Band Blues

Featuring Dal Richards

Sunday, November 20th (Evening)

-The Best of R&B, Soul and Blues

Featuring Brickhouse and special guests

The Yale: Vancouver's Only Rhythm and Blues Bar

Random Fact: From 1889 to 1911 the Yale was renamed The Colonial,

before returning to its original handle.

When watching a film, our gaze is directed at a subject that has been chosen for us. We give the director free reign to control our sight line. This exchange encourages new experiences, some of which are cultural.

This week, the Vancouver Asian Film Festival hopes to direct our eyes towards the North American Asian experience.

In their 15th year of operation, the VAFF is intent on providing a cultural bridge between Asian and non-Asian communities. The Festival will run from November 3rd to November 6th, with all shows screening at Cineplex Odeon International Village, near Roger’s Arena.

The films range in subjects from cross-cultural love for the Vancouver Canucks, to a historical documentary on the migration of asian settlers to North America.

Also included in this year’s festival, as a part of Vancouver’s 125th celebration, is an encore presentation of “Love Letters,” the photo and video campaign shown last June. Love Letters was an open call for Vancouver citizens to submit digital records of images and video that conveyed their love for our fair city. VAFF will show Joanna Wong’s entry on the festival’s opening night.

Tickets for all the shows may be purchased online at the Festival site or the day of at the Festival box office. Passes are also available for the true film buffs.

Let’s take a look back at the beds that defined you:

The Wooden Prison – Your crib provided you with a confined space to for those short periods of sleep between epic crying bouts. The upside: you never had to get up to go to the washroom in the middle of the night. The downside: lack of freedom.

The Layer Cake – All of your friends were envious of your bunk bed, but sharing a bedroom with your older brother quickly lost its novelty. You dreamed of the top bunk, but sadly were forced to settle for the lower class bottom bunk for eight long years.

Puberty Plank – Pimples, emerging hair and voice crackles were manageable, but your Grade Ten growth spurt put your feet off the end of your twin mattress; it left you with 3/4’s of a comfortable night’s rest.

College Daze – If your dorm room mattresses could speak, we’re sure it would utter something along the lines of Kurtz’s final words; “The horror….the horror.”

Young Professional - Independent enough to buy your first bed – too poor to shop anywhere but IKEA.

Marriage Bed – She insisted on going to a proper mattress store. Together, you picked out a Beautyrest. Everything up to that point was…history.

Bunk Beds: Family Caste System

An uninterrupted sleep can dramatically increase your daily health. There – we said it! But the next best thing is laughter.

We’re not 100% sure of the science, but we do know a good laugh is a great way to relieve anxiety. Forget the scented candles and bubble bath, grab a friend and find a local comedy club or check the events calendar for local comics coming to town. Then take a night-off from work/kids/bridge and laugh your way back to health.

This month, Paul F. Tompkins will be visiting the city and performing at the Rio Theatre, only a few km’s from our Broadway location. Tompkins’ humour is a little quirky, but if you have ever listened to his podcast or his appearances on Comedy Bang Bang, you wouldn’t miss this night for your Grandmother’s funeral. Tompkins will be taking to the stage on November 30th. For a little taste of his style, listen to the audio clip below:

http://audioboo.fm/boos/510900-new-dads-paul-f-tompkins

Never been to the Rio Theater? You are in for a treat. Be forewarned, this is an adults only show and as a result, beer will be served. And yes, you may take your cans of PBR into the Theatre.

Another great venue for traveling comedians, as opposed to the community kind, is the River Rock Theatre. Last year, legendary comics Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld performed at the Rock.

If a smaller, more casual setting is more to your taste, check out the Comedy Mix in the Century Plaza Hotel downtown.

Out in the burbs? Try LaffLines in New Westminster. Tracy MacDonold, a fine Canadian comic, will be performing on November 4th and 5th.

Get out there and get your laugh on!

Paul F. Tompkins

Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is an area of the city that many of us choose to avoid. The poverty level scares us, the open drug market makes us nervous and the prostitution reminds us of the dangerous hold of addiction. So we divert our travel routes, choose alternative venues and leave the issues for the community to deal with on their own. It’s a coping mechanism that most of us subscribe to.

One thing we can’t forget, even if we choose to turn our backs, is that the DES is full of people. People who have a past, present and future. People who value the community they live in. People who are artistic, creative and passionate.

As a part of Vancouver’s 125th Anniversary Celebration, the DES community will be celebrating the ‘Heart of the City Festival.’ The festival will showcase the talents of many of the area’s current citizens, as well as document some of the rich stories from the neighbourhood’s past.

Events are running all week. For more details check the festival website:

http://www.heartofthecityfestival.com/

Looking for a family scare this weekend? Check out the Dunbar Haunted House, which ironically, is no longer located in Dunbar.

The annual scare factory has moved locations, due to the increased volume of visitors that the house has received over the past seven years. The new location is 8934 Shaughnessy St., near the Marine and Cambie Canada Line station.

The house has now become a community project, taking almost four months to create.

With props, live actors, dramatic settings and an animated soundtrack, the walking tour is a theatrical buffet of scaredom.

This year’s theme is “Barbaric British Columbia.” The word from the crypt is the house will showcase a number of iconic images from BC history and culture – possible frights include the undead crew of the S.S. Beaver, the resurrection of Bill Vander Zalm’s Fantasy Garden and the impenetrable Tim Thomas.

The haunted house opened for business on Oct 14th and will close its doors at midnight on Halloween.

Entry costs $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. All proceeds are distributed between the B.C. Fire Fighter’s Burn Fund, the Christmas Bureau and the Vancouver Police Union Charity Foundation.

For younger visitors, the house offers a reduced rate, performerless walk through on Saturdays and Sundays, between 11am and 7pm. At 7pm, the actors take their place to offer the true, spine-tingling spectacle.

We’ll see you there… if you dare.

Spooky Family Fun

Language is a toolbox from which we borrow implements to cut, shape and model our thoughts. From Facebook posts, to journal entries, to private poems, our soul is portrayed through the words we connect together.

This month, writers and readers from around the province will have a chance to celebrate the expressive power of writing. The 24th Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival will be held on Granville Island from Tuesday, October 18th to Sunday, October 23rd. It begins with an interactive session with the children’s author, Paulette Bourgeois. Bourgeois is the creator of the ‘Franklin’ series that adults and their children have enjoyed since 1986. The discussion is aimed at young readers. Primary teachers and encouraged to bring their classes down for this midmorning discussion.

The final event of the festival is the Governor General’s Award Party, where four previous recipients of Canada’s highest literary achievement will discuss the award and it’s social merit.  The four writers, Nino Ricci, John Pass, Joan MacLeod and John Vaillant, will each read a short passage from their decorated work.

In between these bookends, will be a number of author seminars, publishing and writing workshops, poetry slams and literary debates.

The Vancouver festival will also host a short story and poetry contest for emerging writers. Deadline for submissions is October 23rd.

For more details on the contest and the festival events, visit http://www.writersfest.bc.ca.

Share Your Words

But words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think. -Lord Byron

Tired of taco night and boring pasta dishes? Want to rekindle your culinary passions? Looking for things to do around Vancouver that don’t involve a mattress?

The Arts Club Theatre Company is hosting celebrity cooking classes for Vancouverites to learn and indulge in the fine art of food preparation. Head chefs, from a variety of restaurants around the Lower Mainland, are teaching the classes. The lessons include a full meal, wine tasting and a hands-on learning experience.

Hosted at private homes, the lessons are an opportunity to learn cooking techniques in a casual environment, where the product can be enjoyed in the setting it was intended for.

The experience is also a fundraising opportunity for the Arts Club Theatre program.

Tickets are $125 per person. There are five planned events being offered before the New Year. Each class is unique and specific to the chef who is hosting.

Your PVR recordings of Hell’s Kitchen can only take you so far. Learn how to cook extravagant meals without Gordon Ramsey telling you where to stick it.

For more information, visit the Arts Club Theatre website.

Culinary Theatre

The new moon has a special significance in October (and no, it has nothing to do with Vampires). It marks the date of the cultural festival known as Diwali. Observed by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, Diwali is a fall festival that celebrates ‘good over evil.’

In traditional celebrations, the triumph of good is portrayed through the lightening of lamps and candles.

The new moon is the darkest day of the month. In a natural setting, void of electrical lights, the candles represent a defeat of the darkness that exists during the absence of the moon.

Like Thanksgiving, Diwali is traditionally a family occasion, with activities organized around the family unit.  But it is also celebrated with community events and decorations.

The slogan for Vancouver’s publicly organized Diwali celebrations is “Light your Spirit.” There are five major events put on by Vancouver Celebrates Diwali. They run from October 15th to the 23rd. Here is a brief summary of the planned festivities:

October 16

“Dance All Sorts Diwali Style” (2:00 pm)

-The festival will begin with a performance by Bageshree Vaze, a contemporary kathak dancer, who will preform at the Roundhouse Theatre in Yaletown. Tickets at the door.

October 18

“Diwali Bright Lights” (4:30 pm)

-This night is dedicated to emerging South Asian artists in the Vancouver community. It will include classical Indian music and a variety of dance groups, including the ever-popular Bollywood style. The event will take place at the Heritage Hall on Main Street. This is a free event.

“Chai House on Main Street”

-This is an upscaled version of the earlier event. The headline performer will be Grammy winner Chin Injeti. Tickets are $10.

October 23

“Diwali Downtown” (12:00 pm)

This is a family event to close out the public festival. It runs from noon till 6:00 pm at the Roundhouse in Yaletown. There will be a variety of musical acts, dance teams, craft workshops and traditional Indian food. Tickets for this final event are by donation.

Festival of Lights

One of the greatest festivals in Vancouver is the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, coming up this winter from January 15 through February 5, 2012. The festival presents innovative works in live performing arts over the course of three weeks. The festival aims to expose audiences to shows that are thought provoking, blend genres, and startle viewers.

The shows exhibited at the PuSh festival are meant to encourage dialogue and induce transformative experiences among attendees. Since its launch in 2003, as a joint venture of Rumble Productions and Touchstone Theatre, PuSh has become one of the most highly anticipated events for Vancouver audiences, artists and media. Initially a modest series of theatre presentations curated by Norman Armour and Katrina Dunn, the Festival took on a new life as a stand-alone entity in June 2005, with charitable status and its own administrative operations.

January 2009 marked the 5th installment of the PuSh Festival. There were 19 works in the main program and the launch of Club PuSh—a unique multi-disciplinary platform at Granville Island’s Performance Works that put the spotlight on indie bands and other cutting-edge performing artists of the Cascadia region. There were a total of 136 performances, involving 16 venues across the city. More than 24,000 people attended that year. For more information, visit the festival’s website at www.pushfestival.ca.

While you’re in Vancouver, stop by Vancouver mattress store Simmons Mattress Gallery to check out a huge inventory of high-quality mattresses and accessories.

For visitors and locals alike, a scenic flight over Vancouver offers a new and extraordinary way to view British Columbia’s breathtaking landscape. These scenic flight are fun and affordable. They offer a different vantage point and a fun alternative to the same old tourist attractions in the city.

Several different companies in the province offer scenic tours of varying lengths and flight paths. Glacier Air offers a selection of flights ranging from a 25-minute flight over Squamish Valley that circles Tantalus Falls to a 60-minute tour that will whisk you up the Squamish Ashlu Divide, over the awesome expanse of the Pemberton Icefield, the site of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Whistler and Cloudburst Mountain. See the extraordinary landscape and glaciers that BC is famous for.

There are many other companies that offer similar flights. The tour companies often have special deals if you book online. For more information about Glacier Air, visit their website at www.glacierair.com.

While you’re in Vancouver, check out Vancouver mattress store Simmons Mattress Gallery.

Summer is winding to a close and fall is starting to show on the leaves. This is great news for corn lovers in B.C. as the fields are filled with this year’s crop. It’s also the time of year when farmers with an entrepreneurial artistic side, can turn their land from simple fields of corn into complex harvest labyrinths.

One of the largest mazes in the Pacific Northwest is located in Pitt Meadows. Appropriately titled the ‘Meadow Maze,’ this year’s design boasts 6.3 kms of pathways. The theme is the Vancouver Zoo. Previous themes include: the PNE, the Golden Ears Bridge and ‘eat local.’

The corn maze design begins on a computer, where a designer creates an image and then maps out the pathways. The maze is then cut when the corn is a foot high using a tractor with GPS compatibility. Before the cut, there are nearly 1 million plants in the field.

Visitors to the maze are encouraged to bring water and a hat. The Pitt Meadows location occasionally closes when the temperature is too high. The average walker takes about 1 1/2 hours to complete the maze. The fastest time for this years design is 35 minutes.

The Meadow Maze also boasts a full concession and market area, plus a petting zoo and hay rides.

Pitt Meadows Maze

*From Experience: Do not watch “Children of the Corn” before a trip to the Pitt Meadows maze.

Amateur and pro cycling enthusiasts around the Lower Mainland have been training, tuning and timing for months in preparation for this weekend’s Gran Fondo ride from Vancouver to Whistler. The ride is 120 km, along one of the most beautiful highways on the planet. Take part or encourage a friend or family member as they climb towards Whistler Village.

This is the second year of the mass cycling event in Canada, a phenomenon that was born in Europe and given the Italian name of Gran Fondo – roughly translated as ‘Big Ride.’ The event is not a race, but awards are given to the top finishers. It features riders from a variety of skill levels and backgrounds. This year’s amateur category is sold out, but the pro category still has room for last minute entries.

The race will start at Thurlow and West Georgia at 7:00 am, with amateur riders staggered back to Seymour Street. The race will finish in Whistler Village, with the finish line closing at 4:00 pm. There will also be a celebration event afterwards, featuring the music of 54-40.

Vancouver is blessed to have so many diverse ethnicities infused into its kaleidoscope culture. Celebrating specific regions of origin helps Vancouverites appreciate the richness of our multicultural society.

This weekend, the city is proud to host Taiwanfest. With a variety of events planned around the city, Taiwanfest hopes to offer a sampling of the entertainment, food and art from the island of Taiwan and Mainland China.

Free musical performances will be held all weekend around the Vancouver Art Gallery. One of the anticipated highlights of the Labour Day weekend will be the Musou Girls. Starting at 8pm on Saturday, the Musou girls will play a mix of modern and traditional Chinese instruments. The music is composed by the founder of the group, Mr. Xue Xuan Liu.

For a deeper look into the Taiwanese culture, checkout the four documentaries that will be showing around town. Simmons Mattress Gallery suggests “Faces of Taiwan.” This film is made up of five mini docs that focus on overcoming adversity.

On the edible menu will be Vancouver’s first street banquet. This event is being sponsored by the city as part of Vancouver’s 125th celebrations.

Taiwanese ceramics will be on display at the Roundhouse theatre from September 3rd to the 10th.

Enjoy the festivities!

For a more detailed schedule of events click here.

Vancouver is a haven for public art. From “The Birds” at the Olympic Plaza in the Athletes Village complex, to the “A-maze-ing Laughter” men at English Bay, to the “Equestrian Monument” at the Yaletown Roundhouse Skytrain Station, art surrounds us.

Now BC Hydro is adding its own touch to the public art scene in our city. Hydro boxes are now being decorated with vegetation scenes, children’s art work and graphic design pieces. ‘Function’ is giving ‘design’ an opportunity to paint on its metal canvas.

Instead of random tags and garish graffiti, the boxes now display images that are more reflective of the community they are located in.

Often commissioned, public art is a way for large corporations and city planners to probe the imagination of commuters, homeowners and travelers. The installations encourage an interaction between the observer and the artist. They make us value our streets.

So lift your head from your smart phone browsing and take in the installations that pepper our city streets. They may inspire a response that could change your day.

The owl and the pussycat went to sea

In a beautiful pea-green boat,

They took some money, and plenty of money,

Wrapped up in a five pound note.

This quirky little nonsense poem by Edward Lear inspired a Bill Manhoff’s Broadway hit that is now showing at the PAL Studio Theatre in Coal Harbour.

The play revolves around an odd relationship between a bookish writer, Felix, and a flirtatious actress, Doris. Through the course of the “Owl and the Pussycat,” the audience discovers the reasons why these two aspiring artists are failing to succeed at their dream professions. The work looks at identity and self-awareness.

Barbara Streisand played the role of Doris in the film adaptation, shot in 1970.

If you have never been to the PAL Theatre, the price of admission is worth the venue visit. Built on the 8th Floor of a residential tower on the North end of Cardero Street, the PAL theatre is an intimate setting that features a 120 seats, a floor to ceiling window of Lost Lagoon, a rooftop patio, and hardwood floor stage.

The show will run until September 3rd. Tickets may be purchased online for $20.

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

They danced by the light of the moon, the moon, the moon,

They danced by the light of the moon.

Owl and the Pussycat

The Pacific National Exhibition is back to close out summer with a bang. The fun started Saturday and continues until Monday, September 5th.

Poke around the agricultural exhibits, take in the hilarious and amazing antics of the Superdogs and watch the night sky light up with Pop City’s nightly pyro celebration. With tons of activities for families during the day, including family theatre, the nights belong to the musicians. The Summer Night Concerts series will host a different performer every night until the final show on Labour Day. This year’s big draw is Kenny Rogers on Monday, August 29th, the Annual Evening with Elvis on the 31st, hosted by the immortal Red Robinson and the “Pretty Woman” soundtrack makers, Wilson Phillips, on September 1st.

General admission is $20, but all children under 13 are free. VanCity (the bank) is also offering $5 admission for there customers on Wednesday, August 24th. Another way to save on admission costs is to come on August 27th. If you are the holder of a Whitecaps ticket, you will receive free entry into the fairgrounds.

For more information on the Pacific National Exhibition, visit their website or check out their smart phone daily schedule.

SUPERDOGS!

You wouldn’t think the airport would be a weekend destination spot, but YVR has other plans. This summer, experience ‘Take-Off Fridays’ at the Vancouver International Airport for games, family events a live DJ and multicultural mingling.

The final Friday event is August 27th. The fun starts around eight in the morning and wraps up around four at night. The festivities are spread out over both the domestic and international terminals.

Activities include face painting, dancing, food specials and the ‘money machine.’ The latter offers each contestant a chance to grab as many YVR bucks as they can. The catch: you need to grab them while standing in a closed wind cylinder. Each ‘buck’ you grab can be used towards purchasing items at stores around the airport.

The backdrop to this event are the finely carved and crafted First Nation artifacts that routinely offer travelers a glimpse at the beautiful history of the first West Coast peoples.

Come and enjoy the richness of YVR with the whole family. Your kids will love it and you will be reminded of how lucky we are to have such an amazing airport to welcome and bid farewell to travelers from all over the world.

Zimbabwe is a country with deep political problems. It’s economy has been suffering for more than a decade and personal freedoms have been being steadily reduced as its president for the last twenty years, Robert Mugabe, struggles to retain control. It is far from a safe region to visit.

This is a tragedy for art lovers around the world, as Zimbabwe is home to Africa’s finest stone sculptors. The word Zimbabwe actually means, ‘Great House of Stone’ in the Shona language.

Fortunately, many of the stone pieces being produced in the country are now part of a traveling exhibition that will be visiting Vancouver for the next month. The works are being shown at the VanDusen gardens. It is the only Canadian stop on the world tour.

The pieces are strategically displayed around the gardens amongst the beautiful flora that Vancouverites have come to love.

Two of the artists behind the works, Passmore Mupindiko and Patrick Sephani, are giving daily lessons on stone art. The two artists are currently traveling with the stones and the exhibitions two curators, Vivienne and Joseph Croissette.

There is no extra cost to see the sculptures or to attend the daily stone workshops.

Zimsculpt

The Vancouver Art Gallery is currently hosting “The Colour of My Dreams: The Surrealist Revolution in Art.” The exhibition began in May and will run until September 25th. Simmons Mattress Gallery encourages you to inspire your own dreams by witnessing the amazing works on display at the VAG.

Surrealism was a reaction to Sigmund Freud’s investigation into the meaning of dreams. André Breton wrote the manifesto of the movement in 1924 and encouraged artists to create works that focused on the unconscious mind over perceived reality.

Part of the exhibition highlights the connection between Pacific Northwest First Nations art and the Surrealist movement. Apparently, many of the contributing artists looked to First Nations art for inspiration.

Kwakwaka’wakw Headdress from Alert Bay

Another theme of the exhibition is the influence of cinema. Still a relatively new medium in the early half of the 1900s, film was able to put images in motion and create a fluid canvas on which perspective could be manipulated. From avant-garde films to Charlie Chaplin, to Betty Boop, cinema created a fictional world that the surrealists saw as similar to their own artistic ambitions.

Artists on display include: Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, René Magritte, Alberto Giacometti and many more.

Looking for an educational activity for the family this weekend. All Discovery Walks is offering a interactive tour of one Stanley Parks secret bogs. The tour begins at Lost Lagoon at 1:30 and ends around 3:30.

Vancouver Community College Science Instructor, Maria Morlin will be hosting the walk that will focus on the role of bogs and wetlands in forest ecology.

This is an excellent opportunity to subtly get your children back into an academic setting. You may want to research the topic of bogs beforehand with your family, to get them thinking about the subject matter. While on the trail, encourage questioning by modeling. Maria will be happy to answer any questions you or children bring to light.

Educators might also want to take part, specifically those working with students in Grades 3 and 4. ‘Habitats and Communities’ is a big part of the Science curriculum for these grades. Maria’s tour may inspire you to organize your own forest walk in the fall.

If you do plan on attending, you may want to wear appropriate footwear. We suggest boots.

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the start of the tour.

Beaver Lake

The fireworks have come and gone, but there are still a number of free public events being offered around the city. The most popular are the Fresh Air Cinema screenings being shown around the Lower Mainland.

“Jaws” aired on Tuesday in Stanley park. Word has it there was more laughs then screams. Still a classic that everyone enjoys. The defining line: “We’re going to need a bigger boat.”

This Tuesday the classic urban Cinderella story comes to Stanley park with the screening of “Pretty Women.” We’ve never really been big Julia Roberts fans, but when Richard Gere snaps that jewelry box shut and Julia flashes those pearly whites, just for a moment we can see how she rose to fame. What a smile!

"Snap!"

The film we are dying to see airs on August 30th. “Stand By Me,” the quintessential end of summer/innocence film will closeout the summer series at Stanley Park. From “Chopper sick balls,” to the ‘barfarama,’ to the rail-tie sing-a-longs, “Stand By Me” has it all; even a few tears. Bring the family or a date and relive your youth in the open air of Stanley Park.

On Friday, August 28th, the Malkin Bowl Summer Concert Series welcomes Ben Harper to Stanley Park. This is one of the most anticipated outdoor shows of the season. Tickets went on sale in May, but there are still some being sold online. If you see one show this summer, catch Ben Harper’s set in the park.

Harper is touring on his most recent album, Give Till it’s Gone. Like most of his previous works, the album contains a strong message of hope, mixed with the pain of life. Always spiritual, Harper’s tracks reverberate with healing and religious conviction. But even with their strong Christian message, Harper’s words attract a strong secular audience that can relate with the pain and joy of love’s handiwork.

If you have never heard Harper’s music, download Live from Mars. Standout tracks include “Please Bleed,” “Women in You” and the quintessential mix-tape track “Walk Away.”

Harper will be playing between the cedars and beneath the stars at the beautiful Malkin clearing. Bring a blanket and some friends and let the one-man choir receive your heart.

Ben Harper Playing the Slide Guitar

This Saturday, the sky will once again be lit by exploding pyrotechnics, as the Celebration of Light returns to English Bay. This will be the twenty-first year Vancouver will host the event. It has become one of the must-see spectacles of the summer and major draw for tourist booking their Vancouver holiday.

The organizers of this year’s event are hoping to make a little more revenue by selling grandstand, V.I.P. seating at English Bay. The tickets are $45. The early bird seats have already sold, but Tickets Tonight is still selling.

Other changes include a shorter program. Instead of the standard four nights of explosions, this year’s festival will have only three; July 30, August 3rd and August 6th. Canada will perform on the final night.

A panel of judges chosen from the events corporate sponsors will evaluate the competing countries.

For more information on the Celebration of Light, check out their website. There is a really interesting section on the history of fireworks. There is also a full explanation of how the barge is loaded and prepped for each night of action. Apparently it takes a crew of 16 people, three days to prepare the show. There may be 2,000 to 4,500 bombs (that’s what they call them) used in one night’s performance. That’s a lot of gunpowder.

And just remember, if you are coming down to watch the fireworks downtown or at any of the beaches around English Bay, leave the alcohol at home. This is a family event and we want to keep it going for years to come. Enjoy Vancouver.

The Lights of Summer

The Canadian Open returns to Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club this weekend. Some of the best in the game have already arrived in Vancouver and sampled Shaughnessy’s grueling fairways.

The talk surrounding the course is that the rough is extremely thick. Many in the field believe the difficulty of the course will level the playing field.

“I would say this is probably one of the toughest or the toughest course I have ever played,” said Anthony Kim, former U.S. Open champion. “I don’t think it’s so much the golf course length or the way it’s strategically laid out, it’s just that the rough is six or seven inches deep and we’re hacking out sideways.”

The world’s No. 1-ranked golfer, Luke Donald will be trying to return to form, after missing the cut at last week’s British Open. Donald played the course on Wednesday and commented that the rough was an issue, but the length was the more daunting feature. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had that many yardages of 200 and over into a lot of these holes and the ball is going short.”

Whatever their gripe, the men will need all their clubs this weekend, not just their low irons and wedges.

The tournament concludes on Sunday at 3:00pm. Global, TSN and the Golf Chanel will be sharing the coverage.

The 11th

In a province where you can ski the slopes in the morning, golf in the afternoon and spend the evenings on the beach, BC residents know that a comfortable mattress is an essential element to a busy day of west coast fun-and-play.

With the variety of activities that fill our waking hours, it is nice to have a consistent reliable mattress to collapse on when the sun finally sets.

That is why BCers continually choose Simmons Mattress Gallery as their BC mattress store.

Simmons Mattress Gallery has been providing BC residents with quality beds and exceptional service for years. In the last seven, we have distinguished ourselves from the competition by achieving the Consumer Choice Award for mattress store.

We are proud to carry all the top models from the Simmons Beautyrest line, a mattress series defined by the revolutionary non-flip pocket coil.

For an undisturbed sleep that will leave you rested for all BC has to offer, go with a Simmons mattress. You can find the entire series at our Coquitlam mattress store and our Vancouver mattress store. Try one today.

English Bay Sunsets

After the initial party on April 6th, Vancouver is planning a summer festival in Stanley Park to continue our city’s 125th birthday celebration. ‘Summer Live’ will take place over three days – July 8, 9, 10.  The festival will showcase a number of artists, including an impressive line-up of local musicians.

The music will be the big draw of the weekend, with The New Pornographers, Said the Whale and Mother Mother sharing a stage. Local singer songwriter, Dan Mangan, will also play, along with the collective sound of Vancouver’s Symphony Orchestra.

Admission is free and the organizers promise that the event will be family friendly.

Party in the Park

The city chose Stanley Park as the site of the festival because of its beautiful setting, picnic capacity and its history with Vancouver’s city council.

Fact: The area of land now known as Stanley Park was delegated park space at the first Vancouver city council meeting in 1886.

There will also be a sports day like atmosphere, with hilarious relay races.

So don’t plan any getaways during the second weekend in July. You’ll want to stay home and enjoy this one with the rest of your fellow Vancouverites.

Stomach Illness Takes Down Brock

Fans of the UFC might be sad to learn that Brock Lesnar has pulled out of the main-event fight for UFC 131 in Vancouver. Lesnar was set to battle Junior Dos Santos, but the heavyweight star has fallen ill, due to a digestive disease known as diverticulitis.

This is the second time the disease has sidelined the big man. In 2009, Lesnar was scheduled to fight Shane Carwin at UFC 106, but pulled out. It was later explained that the heavyweight star was suffering from the above-mentioned intestinal disorder.

Lesnar was quoted as saying: “There isn’t a fight in this world that’s more important than my health.” Lesnar is considering surgery for a second time to deal with the illness.

With his health in limbo, one thing is certain – Lesnar will not be flying to Canada for his medical treatment. Lesnar has openly-criticized Canada’s health care system after receiving emergency treatment at a hospital in rural Manitoba.

Vancouver MMA fans will still be treated to a show on June 11^th. Dana White has now booked Shane Carwin to fight Dos Santos at Rogers Arena.

Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.

Are you looking for a unique theatrical experience that will arouse your senses, bring you to tears with laughter and inspire your passions at home? Of course you are!

This week, our city hosts the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival. For three nights, international stars will join the performers of Vancouver’s growing burlesque scene on two different stages.

On May 5th and 6th the show will take place at the Rickshaw theatre. There will be three performances each night, with single and ensemble acts.

On May 7th, the action moves to the Vogue Theatre. This night will include a long line-up of stars that will perform from 8:00 on.

If you are curious about the burlesque artistry and would like to get involved as a participant, there are workshops being offered on Saturday May 7th at the Chicken Coop at 2280 East Hastings. Tickets are $20 per class. There are three classes being offered at this location along with a make-up class at the Prophouse Café.

General Admission seats for the nightly performances are $20. There is also the option to purchase tickets at fourteen VIP tables.

So pull out your fans and your fishnets and take in some sultry theatre at the 6th Annual Vancouver International Burlesque Festival.

The Waldorf Hotel has seen a resurgence in recent years, becoming the place to be seen for young hipsters around town. The redone Tiki lounge is the main attraction, serving pineapple swirly-strawed girly drinks alongside PBR’s.

Last week, the hotel added another hat to its already crowded rack. The latest enterprise, by the rejuvenated Vancouver landmark, is a film series being shown every Wednesday. The title of the series is “Vancouver Sometimes Plays Itself.” The weekly series will feature films shot in Vancouver between 1964-1988, the years before the X-Files got its claws in the Vancouver Film Industry.

The weekly MC will be the series creator, Elvy Del Bianco. Bianco will introduce each film explaining the areas where it was shot along with relevant history and trivia. Bianco will also be joined by a number of guest speakers including UBC professor Tom Scholte.

The films will be shown every Monday night. Last week’s feature was “Sweet Substitute.” This week will be “Explosion.” The following week is “That Cold Day in the Park,” a Robert Altman sexual thriller.

The series wraps on Monday, June 13th with the film “The Squamish Five.”

Waldorf Tiki Bar

“Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.”

-A.E. Housman

Pink is the colour of spring in Vancouver. It floats above our heads and flutters to our feet. It lines our streets and patches our parks. It brightens the grey skies of April and whispers in our ear, “May is not far off.”

The Cherry Blossom Festival is a unique celebration of Vancouver’s relationship with the pink flowers of the Japanese Cherry Tree. This year the festival is running from March 26th until April 22nd. On April 16th, at the VanDusen Botanical Garden, the city will distribute 3,000 new cherry trees to property owners who have paid a reduced rate of $40 per tree. The trees are being sold as part of the celebration around Vancouver’s 125th birthday. They are the pink candles on our cake.

The festival is also hosting a public bike ride on the same day as the VanDusen handout. ‘Bike the Blossoms’ will begin at 11am at Devonian Park in the West End. If you can’t make this date, you can download a PDF of different blossom bike routes for your own private viewing.

Need to express your love of the pink? Enter the Haiku Invitational poetry contest. Put your thoughts into three simple lines of 17 moras and submit your poem before the May 31st deadline. The winning submissions will be featured on Translink spaces around the Lower Mainland.

So get inspired Vancouver and enjoy the yearly offerings of the cherry blossom.

If you happened to go for a beach stroll along English Bay last Friday morning, you may have noticed some extra  “wrapping” around some of Vancouver’s public sculptures. Five figures were wrapped with plastic ribbon to announce the sad, expected departure, of the 40 pieces of public art involved in the Vancouver Biennale outdoor exhibit. The ribbon was labeled with the phrase,  ”It’s not the same without sculpture.” The situational irony is heavy, as Vancouverites will have to say goodbye to a number of massive sculptures that shared their community for the last two years.

Commissioned for the years surrounding the Olympics, the Biennale art added a sense of humour and fun to a city that has often been lacking in both of these areas. The project reflected cultural influences from around the world by using the work of 37 artists from 15 different countries. The pieces lined our beaches, sat in public parks and spoke to us from the sidewalk.

Now with the project timeline coming to a close, the sculptures that many of us enjoyed on a daily basis are being auctioned off. The proceeds, collected from the sale of the current figures, will finance future projects, educational packages and artists in residence programs.

Simmons Mattress Gallery’s three favourite pieces from the first round of sculptures were:

1. King and Queen – by Sorel Etrog

(obviously we have a passion for king and queen size beds)

2. Pillows – by Liu Jianhua

(nothing goes better on top of a Beautyrest than a pillow)

3. We, 2008 – by Jaume Plensa

(love the ‘white man’ at Sunset Beach)

For a full map, download this helpful pdf. Enjoy the art while it lasts Vancouver.

"A-Maze-Ing Laughter" By Yue Minjun

This Wednesday, April 6th, marks the official start to Vancouver’s 125th Birthday celebration. There will be an all-day event at Jack Poole Plaza, the site of the Olympic Cauldron. The festivities will begin at 2pm and continue until 10pm.

The opening event will be a drop-in street hockey tournament. This will be followed by an organized youth tournament featuring teams from Thunderbird, Sunset, West End, Britannia, Riley Park and Killarney communities.

From 6:00 to 7:00 will be the Official Ceremonies, with a giant birthday cake and speeches by Mayor Gregor and other dignitaries.

The big draw will be a performance by Vancouver’s own classic rockers, 54-40. They will hit the stage around 8:45 and will play until 10:00. During the performance, the plaza will become the backdrop for a video and light installation titled Time Drifts, by Berlin-based artist Phillipp Geist.

In the spirit of our ever-loving cycling mayor, there will be a bicycle valet option for those of you choosing the two-wheeled commute.

Gregor has also promised to unveil other events as the year progresses.

The Olympics were just the beginning Vancouver! Let’s celebrate who we are and where we came from!

Blow Out The Candles

The Westender Magazine has just published its annual Best of the City reader’s choice awards. From dining, to shopping, to health and fitness, the results are in and some of them are a little surprising.

In the people section, Mayor Gregor Robertson seems to be in every category. He’s third in the Most Wonderful Vancouverite category behind David Suzuki and our timeless captain Trevor Linden. He’s first in the Most Trustworthy Politician, in front of Spencer Chandra Herbert and ‘None’. But Robertson is also second in Most Spectacular Failure and second again in Biggest Windbag. Conflicting messages from the voters…

The city’s new bike lanes also seemed to be a dividing issue, with people either loving or hating them. The bike lanes won Best Use of Taxpayer’s Money and also came first in Worst Use of Taxpayer’s Money. The lanes also won Most Spectacular Failure, ahead of the wonderful HST.

Clear favourites in the foody section were Tojos for Chef and Japanese and surprisingly, the White Spot, which showed up on a number of the categories for casual fare.

We were a little surprised that Mattress Store was left off the list. We know it’s not nice to brag, but we’re pretty sure Simmons Mattress Gallery would have received top honours. 

In keeping with the ‘Best in Vancouver’ theme, Simmons Mattress Gallery would like to mention a few categories that we thought were left off the list:

Best Summer Beach: Third Beach in Stanley Park

Best Winter Date: Robson Street Plaza Ice Rink (three dollars for skates and ice)

Best Late-Night Character on Granville Street: Spoonman

Best Late-Night Fast Food: Donair Dude on Davie

Best Balloon Tricks: Arty the Jester at Stanley Park

Best Outdoor Art Installment: The ‘White Man’ at Sunset Beach / East Van sign

Best Crosstown Bike Lane: Tenth Avenue (runs level from West to East Van)

Best Bike Rental: Spokes Bicycle Rentals / English Bay Bike Rentals

Best Summer Event: The Fireworks / Outdoor Cinema

English Bay Crowds

Best Local Band Done Good: The New Pornographers

Best Elevated View of the City: Puget Drive

Best Place to Spot a Hipster: Rickshaw Theatre / Foundation

Best Dog Friendly Beach: Spanish Banks, at the bottom of the Marine Drive hill

Best Place To Find A Good Night’s Rest: Simmons Mattress Gallery

If you have any comments for our list, or know of any categories we may have missed, please share your musings as a comment below.

Interested in the historical past of many of Vancouver’s most prominent streets and sites. There is an excellent book out in publication called “Namely Vancouver.” It is written by Tom Snyders, with the help of Jennifer O’Rourke. The book is organized alphabetically and lists almost all of Vancouver’s street names and neighbourhoods. Each entry includes the origin of the name and when possible, a brief history of the site. You can flip through and look up different street names you’ve always wondered about, or look up all the areas you ever lived, or just start on page one and work your way through. Some of the entries are a little dense with their historical references, but the real gems are the stories that Snyder includes.

Here are a few of our favourite finds:

Jericho (Beach) – Named after Jeremiah (Jerry) Rogers, Jericho was once a thriving logging camp. Jerry ran the camp and according to Snyders, treated his employees with dignity and provided fair wages. The camp was given the nickname Jerry’s Cove. It seems that over time, maybe through slurred after work libations, the name morphed into Jericho. Jerry would later become a justice of the peace.

Jericho Beach (Looking Towards Downtown Vancouver)

Wreck (Beach) – This popular nudist spot is named after the man-made breakwater that was built in 1928 using three log barges, a floating grain elevator, four former U.S. World War I freighters and an ore carrier.

Broadway (Home to Simmons Mattress Gallery) – 9th Avenue was changed to Broadway in May of 1909, in hopes that the area would take on a New York Broadway kind of feel. The name change was also instituted to encourage American investment in the area.

“Namely Vancouver” is published by Arsenal Pulp Press

One of the most alluring aspects of Vancouver is our dedication to the Arts. All around our city, there are indoor and outdoor installations featuring the work of local artists. From the public statues erected for the Olympic year, to small galleries on Granville Island, to the always-inspiring work of Bill Reid at the Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver is proud to display the talents of Canadian artists.

One of the smaller galleries that is making a name for itself for its historical and cultural exhibits is The Pendulum Gallery. The Pendulum is located at the base of the HSBC tower. It is a seven story, glass-covered atrium, created with the help of the City of Vancouver to promote cultural and historical exhibitions.

Last month, the Pendulum showed a photography exhibit titled “Swedes in B.C.,” which documented the life of Swedish immigrants.

This month, the gallery will be showing the work of Taizo Yamamoto. Yamamoto has produced an exhibition of intricate drawings titled “Shopping Carts and Recent Drawings.” The works present artifacts and single subject sketches of downtown life. The shopping carts are presented as still lifes, a vehicle holding the possessions and survival instruments of absent figures. The detail is truly amazing and worth the trip downtown.

So come out and support the work of local artists. You will walk away with a new appreciation for your own community and the projects it inspires.

Yamamoto’s work will be shown until March 5th.

Much More Than a Receptacle For Groceries

At Simmons Mattress Gallery we accommodate all comfort levels to find our customers the perfect bed for their lifestyle. In the food world, this task is often a little more difficult, especially if your chosen lifestyle is vegan. Finding goods that meet your ingredient standards can be a difficult task. Finding baked goods – almost impossible.

Well that is all about to change, with the opening of Edible Flours (cute little pun), the first all-vegan retail bakery in Vancouver. The bakery will launch in late March, on Broadway, between Vine and Yew. Edible Flours will offer sweets of all sorts that are dairy and egg free. This includes cupcakes, cookies, muffins, loaves, brownies and even birthday cake. All the sweeteners used in these products will be un-refined.

Their menu will also include items for specialty diets, with the option of gluten, wheat, soy and sugar free products.

Unfortunately, the bakery will not initially produce bread, but co-owner Paul Briggs claims it may be a possibility further along.

Briggs and Alli Neville started the project with a make-to-order bakery a year ago.

Divine Vegan Treats

Were you enamored by Kurt Warner’s dance moves away from the huddle? Does Marry Murphy’s scream move you to tears? Maybe it’s time to take in the real thing.

The Vancouver International Dance Festival begins on Tuesday and runs until the 19th of March. Professionals from all over the world will be strutting their stuff on the Roundhouse Stage and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.

There will be daily performances and Artist Talks where fans can interact with the performers and learn more about their craft.

This year’s line-up includes:

EDAM (Vancouver)

Yvonne Pouget (Germany)

Trial & Eros / Deborah Dunn (Montreal)

SiNS Dance (Halifax)

Cruceta Flamenco (Spain)

Marc Boivin / Ichigo-Ichieh (Montreal / Nelson)

Kokoro Dance / Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Vancouver)

battery opera (Vancouver)

The Source (Vancouver)

Arts Umbrella (Vancouver)

Khambatta Dance Company (USA)

T42 (Swizerland / Japan)

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Festival Website. A number of the performances are free with the $3 VIDF annual membership card.

The festival has been in operation since 2000, with performances and workshops being offered around Vancouver.

Enjoy.

battery opera