On the way back from Harrison Hot Springs Resort earlier this week my friend and I took a quick detour before hopping back on Highway 1. Coming from Agassiz, we turned right at the roundabout on Highway 9 (Agassiz-Rosedale Highway) and stopped into Minter Gardens for lunch at the Envision Garden Cafe.
Prior to heading inside for lunch, we took a quick walk around the gardens — although more time is definitely needed to soak up all of the lush scenery. I had to take out my camera and capture whatever I could of the garden’s beauty:
Visit Minter Gardens daily from 10:00am until 5:00pm in May and from 9:00am to 6:00pm in June, July, and August. They also have a Country Garden Store just down the road. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook for more information. Read more about my last experience at Minter Gardens in 2009.
I am proud to once again be the Social Media Sponsor of the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards (the Jessies) and as such, I am featuring a local theatre company every Thursday.
The Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards are an annual awards ceremony and party produced by the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award Society to celebrate and promote the outstanding achievements of the Vancouver Professional Theatre Community. The Awards have been presented since 1982, originally by the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance, taken over in 1997 by the newly formed Society. Over 35 statues are awarded each year to outstanding theatre companies and artists.
These profiles contain basic information about each company, as supplied by their team, and a list of their upcoming productions that you can check out in the coming season. Today’s feature company is: Theatre for Living formerly Headlines Theatre:
Maladjusted (2013) Pierre Leichner. Photo by: David Cooper
Theatre for Living (Headlines Theatre)
Date Established: 1981
First Play Produced: Buy,Buy, Vancouver (1981)
Founders: Nettie Wild, John Lazarus, Beth Kaplin, Suzie Pasyne, Anne Hungerford, Norbert Rubesaat and David Diamond.
Artistic Director: David Diamond
Total number of plays/events produced: 500+ Theatre For Living projects, including workshops, trainings, and main stage productions.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to create theatre that functions as both a “true voice” of a community and also an aesthetic space in which community dialogue (not monologue) takes place.
Coming Soon
A BC/Alberta tour of ‘Corporations in our Heads’ for Fall/Winter 2013 which will include 26 events across BC and Alberta and 7 around Vancouver. The project will launch on October 10, investigating how corporate messages have planted themselves in our collective psyche, and how we can use theatre to “evict” these messages.
Anecdote About the Company
Our audiences are very diverse. Something happened during “maladjusted” that often happens at our shows. A “buzz” was on about the play, we played to full houses for the last half of the run. People interested in innovative theatre were coming from the “mainstream”, as were people living in extreme poverty, (some homeless) via our voucher program. This puts people who would never otherwise find themselves in the same physical space together, crammed into an intimate theatre, side by side, experiencing interactive theatre that links their lives together. You can taste the transformational power of this in the theatre when it happens and for us, it happens often.
Follow
It was announced this week that Headlines Theatre has changed their name to Theatre for Living. Stay up to date on the latest from Theatre for Living by following them on Facebook and Twitter.
Playland was once known at Happyland when it was part of the Vancouver Exhibition almost 100 years ago. Since that time, it has brought smiles and laughter to millions through midway games, attractions, and rides. It’s now open for the season with two new rides along with family favourites.
1929: Entrance gate to Happyland on Renfrew. VPL # 7925. Photographer: Leonard Frank
New this year are The Teacups and Balloon Explorers. Spin the teacups or soar 42 feet above the park in a hot air balloon ride. These two join the line-up of over thirty rides and attractions at Playland, including the iconic 1958 wooden roller coaster.
Playland Hours
May 4 to June 30 (Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays): 10:00am to 6:00pm
June 14 to June 26 (Monday to Friday): 10:00am to 3:00pm
July 1 to July 28 (Saturday, Sundays and Holidays): 10:00am to 7:00pm
July 2 to July 31 (Monday to Friday): 10:00am to 6:00pm
August 1 to August 16 (Monday to Sunday): 10:00am to 7:00pm
September 7 to September 22 (Saturdays and Sundays): 10:00am to 5:00pm
Playland Pass Prices
Playland One-Day PlayPass (over 48” tall): $32.50
Playland Junior One-Day PlayPass (under 48” tall): $23.75
Playland Season PlayPass (over 48” tall): $91.75
Playland Junior Season PlayPass (under 48” tall): $53.75
Playland Guardian Pass (max 2 adults per child 12 and under): $18.50
All prices include tax
Save when you book your passes online or receive the same promotional prices when you shop at Lower Mainland 7-Eleven, Safeway, Save-on-Foods, PriceSmart Foods, Cooper’s Foods and Urban Fare stores.
If you would like to check out the amusement park (plus the new Teacups and Balloon Explorers), I have a family 4-pack of tickets to give away. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment here naming your favourite Playland ride, past or present (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries next Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 12:00pm. For more information about Playland’s season, the PNE, ride passes, etc. follow the amusement park on Facebook and Twitter.
Update The winner is @zojirushi!
Vancouver’s outdoor pools open this weekend for the season, serving up refreshing summer fun and swimming lessons in our communities. The best part about Vancouver Park Board outdoor pools is that they are heated and they have one-of-a-kind seaside locations.
Opening Saturday, May 18, 2013: Kitsilano Pool; Second Beach Pool in Stanley Park; New Brighton Pool.
Hillcrest Aquatic Centre (not seaside but still a great facility) opens on Saturday as well and Maple Grove Pool will open Saturday, June 22, 2013. Full swimming schedules for all Vancouver Park Board pools, both indoor and outdoor, can be found online.
Victory Square Park will be the site of a free, family-friendly community festival as it Central City Foundation hosts Fair in the Square next weekend.
Celebrate your neighbours in the inner city, from dozens of social enterprises, artists and community organizations to terrific local bands and musical artists, who will donate their talents to entertain us from the Victory Park stage.
Fair in the Square will have free food, music, a craft market, and offer good times with neighbours and community members. Several community organizations will also have booths on site, from Boys and Girls Clubs to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, Aunt Leah’s, and more.
A BBQ, cupcakes, beverages, and more will be served up by faculty, staff and students from Vancouver Community College’s Culinary Arts program.
Stop by Victory Square (Hastings at Cambie) to partake in the fun from 11:00am to 2:00pm on Sunday, May 26, 2013. The day will be hosted by CITY TV’s Thor Diakow and musical guests include singer-songwriters Christine Magee and Bodhi Jones, teen rockers The Bank Dogs, children from the performance group at Project Limelight, Aboriginal women’s group M’Girl, Uzume Taiko Drummers, the Town Hall, the Portage Freedom Fighters.
Central City Foundation has been around for over 100 years. “With your support, Central City Foundation is able to provide grants and assistance to a wide range of inner city organizations whose programs and activities enhance the lives of men, women, children and families in need in the inner city.”
