The coming weekend is all about cherry blossoms! They are in full bloom all over the city so go take a walk! Or go to the Sakura Days Japan Fair at VanDusen Garden. Unfortunately I won't be here to enjoy it. I'll be relaxing in Amsterdam and Spain by then. =D Have a great weekend!

Friday, April 5, 2013

"Ingredients" Documentary Screening 
4:00pm - 6:30pm
SFU Harbour Center, 1520 Barrick Gold Lecture Room, 515 W Hastings St Vancouver, BC
Come join us at SFU Harbour Centre to watch the screening of the documentary "Ingredients". There will be drinks and popcorn to munch on while watching the movie, as well as an opportunity to discuss the importance of buying local food with your peers. Register to attend here.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Vancouver Winter Farmers Market
Winter Farmers Market kicks off this Saturday with 60+ vendors, hot food, music! Rain or Shine!

Arts in the Garden workshop at the UBC Orchard Garden - $5-10 for lunch
9am - 3pm
The UBC Orchard Garden
behind the Macmillan Land and Food Systems building at Main Mall & Agronomy Road
Come celebrate spring and the arts in the Orchard Garden in this spectacular workshop day! All welcome! RSVP on Eventbrite Opening ceremony & welcome to unceded Musqueam territory by Elder Larry Grant. Performances, dances, music, readings. Lunch and snacks provided, including dishes made straight from the garden!

North Shore Rescue Open House
10am - 4pm
61 Bewicke Ave, North Vancouver 
Come visit the North Shore Rescue at their open house from 10am to 4pm. NSR is opening the doors to the public at their new rescue base, called The Embassy.  There will be interactive displays, opportunities to see the equipment used in search and rescue, and a chance to win a helicopter ride for 4!

2013 Sakura Days Japan Fair - $10 advance, $12.00 at gate
Sat and Sun 10am - 5pm
VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5151 Oak Street (37th & Oak), Vancouver, BC
Soak in the wonderful Japanese festival atmosphere and enjoy delicious Japanese food and sake, cultural performances, arts and crafts and learn about Japanese culture and business.  Enjoy taiko drumming, martial arts, koto (Japanese harp), dance and singing performances. Participate in a tea ceremony, or learn about ikebana (flower arranging), origami (paper folding), haiku or calligraphy and try getting dressed in an authentic yukata. CASH only event. See photos from last year's event here.

Cherry Blossom Tree Talks and Walks - VanDusen Botanical Garden
Sat & Sun 1:30pm to 3:00pm
VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5151 Oak Street (37th & Oak), Vancouver, BC    
Include a tour of the garden as part of your Sakura Days experience. Meet at the Guides' table just inside the Garden. Note that paid garden admission is required for this walk Presented by VCBF and VanDusen volunteer Anne Eng. Anne Eng has been a keen, energetic Cherry Scout almost from the beginning, and is familiar with the cherry trees in VanDusen from her guiding experience there.

Composting Demystified - $18
10:30am - 12pm
151 West 1st Ave, Vancouver
Victory Gardens is proud to bring on Emma Holmes, our resident soil scientist,  to “break down” how this whole composting thing works! You will learn all you need to know about composting in this lecture and hands-on workshop, including: What compost is made of, what can be composted, how to maintain a compost and different types of composts!

Roving Seed Sale
12pm - 1pm
151 West 1st Ave, Vancouver
Make sure to stop by and pick up some organic and heirloom seeds from Stellar Seeds and Westcoast Seeds just in time for planting your spring garden.

Baker's Market
Saturdays 11am - 3pm Mar 30 - May 4, 2013 
Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre, 7646 Prince Albert Street, Vancouver BC
Get your fill of sweet & savoury baked goodies from local bakers and artisans. Inspired by traditional farmers markets in Vancouver, this market is even better since it is indoors with lots of free parking too. You'll find talented budding, professional or home bakers selling fresh artisanal breads, soft German pretzels, butter croissants, chocolate croissants, cupcakes, yummy cookies, hand made chocolates, brownies, Belgian Liege waffles,vegan cupcakes, mini bundt cakes, muffins, gluten-free baked goods and much more!

Magnolia Day Tours at UBC Botanical Garden - free with garden admission or membership
Tours at 11:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.
UBC Botanical Garden, 6804 SW Marine Drive Vancouver
UBC Botanical Garden is a magical place in early spring, in large part because of its extensive collection of flowering magnolias. The majority of magnolias in the David C. Lam Asian Garden open their fragrant white or pink flowers early in the spring before their leaves emerge.  Join Douglas Justice (Associate Director and Curator of Collections) and Andy Hill (Asian Garden Curator) for a special 1½ hour tour of the magnificent magnolia trees planted throughout the Garden. Register to attend here.

International Pillow Fight Day
3pm - 3:30pm
Vancouver Art Gallery, along Robson Street Vancouver
2013 World Wide PILLOW FIGHT CLUB 8.0 Eight Years of Mayhem! RAIN or SHINE. Vancouver has been hosting a pillow fight since 2005. Each year approximately 300-400 pillow fighters have converged on the Vancouver Art Gallery steps along Robson Street to have a pillow fight.

Instameet Vancouver English Bay
3:00pm - 6:00pm
Meet at Vancouver Aquatic Centre 1050 Beach Ave Vancouver, BC
Spring is here and we want to kick it off with a wonderful #InstameetVancouver walk at English Bay on Saturday, April 6, 3PM. We'll meet at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, head towards First Beach and then wrap-up at The Boathouse for drinks. If you stick around, you might snap an iconic English Bay sunset afterwards.

ION Magazine's 10 Year Anniversary Party - $10 in advance
9:00pm - 2:00am 
1885 Clark Drive
This year we are celebrating 10 years of ION, and we have decided to kick it up a notch. Instead of just doing the party in Vancouver, we have decided to take the party on the road, so to speak. We will be in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver and we are pleased to announce that our friend, Robert DeLong, will be joining us in all three cities.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Cherry Blossom Tree Talks and Walks - Oppenheimer Park
10:00am to 11:30am
Meet on the park side of the field house on Powell, between Jackson and Dunlevy  
Walk in Strathcona - Oppenheimer Park. Meet on the park side of the field house on Powell, between Jackson and Dunlevy. Presented by arborist David Tracey. David is executive director of Tree City, a non-profit organization "helping people and trees grow together". David also leads workshops on organic fruit tree selection and care. This park is the site of "Legacy Sakura", trees planted in 1977 to commemorate the centennial of the first generation of Japanese who came to settle in Canada. The walk will include the history of the trees and many other points of interest within a six block circumference of the park.

2013 Sakura Days Japan Fair - $10 advance, $12.00 at gate
Sat and Sun 10am - 5pm
VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5151 Oak Street (37th & Oak), Vancouver, BC
Soak in the wonderful Japanese festival atmosphere and enjoy delicious Japanese food and sake, cultural performances, arts and crafts and learn about Japanese culture and business.  Enjoy taiko drumming, martial arts, koto (Japanese harp), dance and singing performances. Participate in a tea ceremony, or learn about ikebana (flower arranging), origami (paper folding), haiku or calligraphy and try getting dressed in an authentic yukata. CASH only event. See photos from last year's event here.

Cherry Blossom Tree Talks and Walks - VanDusen Botanical Garden
Sat & Sun 1:30pm to 3:00pm
VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5151 Oak Street (37th & Oak), Vancouver, BC    
Include a tour of the garden as part of your Sakura Days experience. Meet at the Guides' table just inside the Garden. Note that paid garden admission is required for this walk Presented by VCBF and VanDusen volunteer Anne Eng. Anne Eng has been a keen, energetic Cherry Scout almost from the beginning, and is familiar with the cherry trees in VanDusen from her guiding experience there.

Spring Desserts at Williams-Sonoma
11am 
Williams-Sonoma Cookware on South Granville 2903 Granville Street Vancouver, BC
Welcome spring with delicious home-baked desserts. We’ll show you how easy it is to make simple sweets that are sure to impress: A beautiful cake, a colorful berry tart and individual lemon tarts. Classes are complimentary but require pre-registration in advance by telephone to 778-330-2581 for each date. Class size is limited, so reserve your space today.