Back in June the We Heart Local Awards were looking for nominees to recognize and award key players throughout BC’s food and agriculture industry. Now that the nomination process has closed, the public vote has begun.

Voting is open now until August 5th, 2013. Anyone living in BC can vote for their favourite nominees in the categories listed below by visiting the Facebook campaign page. All voters and nominators are automatically included into a prize draw, for a chance to win 1 of 20 $100 gift cards to their local Farmers Market, as well as the deluxe prize: a weekend wine getaway in the Okanagan.

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The celebration of local BC farming communities and the ‘Buy Local. Eat Natural.’ movement are actively supported by formal organizations such as the British Columbia Dairy Association (BCDA), British Columbia Agriculture Council (BCAC) and British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture. Partners for the We Heart Local Awards are BC Association of Farmers’ Markets, Vancouver Farmers Markets, Georgia Straight and Loco.

Be sure to get your votes in by August 5th. Follow ‘Buy Local. Eat Natural.’ on Facebook and Twitter for more information about the awards and their other initiatives across BC.

With success in theatre, film, television and most definitely as Grammy Award-winning musician, Harry Connick Jr will be taking to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre stage this August in Vancouver.

Courtesy of Live Nation

His love of music and performing dates back to his childhood in New Orleans, where he studied piano with such luminaries as James Booker and Ellis Marsalis. He first performed publicly at age five, appeared on his first recording at age nine, and released his self-titled major label debut for Columbia Records at 19, only a year after his high school graduation and his move to New York City.

Harry Connick Jr. has since released 24 albums, totalling more than 28 million in sales, and has received numerous music honours, including three Grammy Awards.

The show will take place on Sunday, August 11, 2013 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre with doors opening at 6:30pm. Reserved seating tickets for this all ages show are $45, $65, $95 (including GST, plus fees) and are now on sale through Live Nation, Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone 1-855-985-5000.

Thanks to Live Nation, I have a pair of tickets available to give away for his concert. Here’s how you can enter to win your way in to see the multi-talented Harry Connick Jr live in Vancouver:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, July 31, 2013. Follow Live Nation on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest local concert information.

Update The winner is janice montroy!

Emerging Canadian short filmmakers will have the chance to showcase their work on Air Canada flights around the world from August 1st to December 31st as a part of the enRoute Film Festival. 16 selected shorts will be announced at a public screening in Vancouver at the end of July.

What: enRoute Film Festival public screening
Where: Scotiabank Theatre in downtown Vancouver (Burrard at Smithe)
When: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at 7:00pm
Tickets: The public screening is free but arrive early to secure your seats.

Following the announcement, the films will then be eligible for awards in the following categories: Best Short Film, Achievement in Direction, Achievement in Cinematography, and Achievement in Animation.

Winners, selected by a star-studded jury, will be announced after a screening event in Toronto in November. Each will receive an all-inclusive trip for two to the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah, courtesy of Air Canada. The winner of Best Short Film will also receive $5,000 courtesy of presenting sponsor Cineplex.

Millions of Air Canada passengers will be able to view the selected short films on their personal seatback in-flight entertainment system this summer. Passengers and movie-lovers alike will have the chance to vote for their favourite film to win the People’s Choice Award throughout the month of August as well.

To support the enRoute Film Festival and its selected films, follow along on Twitter (and the tag #EFF2013), and Facebook.

The Vancouver Public Library and City of Vancouver Archives host collections of images that have been catalogued including works from Major Matthews (found of the Vancouver Archives), Leonard Frank, W.J. Moore, Philip Timms, and dozens of others. The library has one of these collections for King Studio:

1933: Imperial Oil service station. VPL Number: 70726. Read: Canada’s first gas station.

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On a typical grey day in early May I spent an afternoon touring three wineries, a bistro, and a chocolate shop in the Comox Valley with a media group as we sampled delicious treats from some of the region’s best local producers. The trip was hosted by Tourism Vancouver Island and when we reached Courtenay and Comox we were joined by Gaetane Palardy of Island Gourmet Trails.

From bison to honey, scallops and chocolate, the Comox Valley has a diverse range of producers and farmers. Gaetane takes groups around to local culinary hot spots where guests are treated like VIPs, often getting behind-the-scenes tours and tastings that go above and beyond the regular visitors’ experience.

Gaetane’s knowledge is vast, being a well-traveled chef and educator, and she shares fascinating information about each producer while you’re en-route to their location in either Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland, Royston, Black Creek, or Parksville/Qualicum. She joined our group for an afternoon and led us to five destinations: Avenue Bistro in Comox, 40 Knots Estate Winery in Comox, Hot Chocolates in Downtown Courtenay, Nature’s Way Farm/Blue Moon Winery in Courtenay, and Coastal Black Winery at Black Creek. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩