Perogies are seen in this file photo.GEOFF ROBINS/The Globe and Mail
ART | Local artist Alex Morrison is home from Europe with a new show. Phantoms of a Utopian Will hits the walls at two galleries this week, SFU Burnaby and the Burnaby Art Gallery (BAG). From the BAG: "Through his exhibitions at SFU and the BAG, Morrison considers how the West Coast's iteration of the Arts and Crafts movement, as well as Arthur Erickson's brand of domestic post-modernism, eventually became fashionable and now survive as the 'house styles' on the West Coast. At the BAG, Morrison has worked closely with ceramics artist Maggie Boyd in creating a series of decorative earthenware plates which form part of a larger installation of sculptural furniture modelled after famous Arts and Crafts designs." The tandem exhibitions continue until November (BAG) and December (SFU), but the opening reception – always good times – goes down this Thursday night.
Sept. 3 | 7pm | Burnaby Art Gallery (6344 Deer Lake Ave.)
POLISH FEST | Pack up and head for a Lynn Canyon hike Sunday or Monday morning. Once you've worked up an appetite, hit Lynn Valley Village and stuff your face with a plate of perogies at the Polish Festival. Also expect live music, singing, folk dancing, a puppet show, a theatre play and a myriad of arts activities.
Sept. 6 & 7 | 1-6:30pm (5pm Sun) | Lynn Valley Village
LIVE MUSIC | The Victory Square Block Party happens this Sunday. Talent taking the stage include Woolworm, Fake Tears, Ramzi, Other Jesus, Cave Girl, Gal Gracen, Whitney K and Twin River. Expect things to get loud. There will also be food trucks, DJs filling the spaces between sets and general good vibes. Proceeds go to support Megaphone, a magazine sold by local homeless and low income vendors to generate personal income.
Sept. 6 | 2-9pm | Victory Square Block Party (Cambie & W. Hastings) | Free
www.victorysquareblockparty.com
HISTORY | Interested in schooling yourself on the history of your city? Mountain View Cemetery hosts walking tours that give a decidedly unique perspective. This weekend you are invited to round out your knowledge of local characters of the past with a "victims of early accidents" tour. As the final resting place of almost 150,000 people, some of the Mountain View "residents" met their demise in historically significant plane, train, car and boat accidents. Join a cemetery representative for a walkabout and find out all the dark and macabre secrets.
Sept. 6 | 2-3pm | Mountain View Cemetery (5455 Fraser St. (enter on 39th Ave.) | Free
BRUNCH | A long weekend is the perfect excuse to try out some of the new kids on the brunch block: Get yourself over to Commercial Drive for some chilaquiles and a refreshing micheladas at La Mezcaleria; sign in to a plant-based brunch at Acorn (do yourself a favour and order the southern-fried artichokes on housemade waffles); or hit up Kitsilano's Annalena for benedicts galore.
Mezcalaria | Wed-Sun | 10am (9am Sat & Sun) to 3pm | 1622 Commercial Dr. | www.lamezcaleria.ca
Acorn | Sat & Sun | 10am-2:30pm | The Acorn (3995 Main St.) | www.theacornrestaurant.ca
Annalena | Sat & Sun | 10am-1:45pm | 1809 West 1st Ave. | www.annalena.ca
FARM DINNER | Technically, summer goes until Sept. 23, but warm-enough-to-eat-outside weather is slipping away and we recommend doing as much of it as possible before the long rains settle in. Go big with a trip to the beautiful Pemberton Valley this weekend and enjoy a Longtable Dinner with food prepared by Araxi's executive chef James Walt. Expect a stunner of a farm-to-table four course meal paired with wine and set in one of the most breathtaking farm fields you will ever encounter.
Sept. 5 | 3-8pm | North Arm Farm, Pemberton | $159
SCIENCE | Head out to UBC and hit the the Beaty Biodiversity Museum for their Way Cool Biodiversity series this Sunday and a lecture about what makes seed dispersal so cool. From the Museum: "In this interactive Way Cool presentation, we'll explore how plants have gotten to the far flung places they are found, and how the world in which these plants live has influenced their strategies for getting around." Picking up a little extra knowledge about the natural world is only ever going to work to your advantage — if not in practical application, at least it will amp up your conversational entertainment value at cocktail parties.
Sept. 6 | 1pm | UBC Biodiversity Museum | Free with $12 admission
CORN FEST | The Canada El Salvador Action Network and the Grandview Woodland Food Connection are joining forces to put on a one day, all-out, super-tasty celebration of corn this weekend. Focusing on Latin American culture, food and the central role corn plays in both, hit the Corn Festival to load up on tamales, pupusas, paletas and tostadas, listen to some live music, catch some traditional dancing and cultural performances, and generally enjoy the culture of corn.
Sept. 6 | 11am-6pm | Britannia Community Centre (Gym D) | Free Admission
WISDOM | Former CBC radio personality and photographer David Wisdom hosts his annual evening of art and music at the VAG on Tuesday night. It's so popular that it's guaranteed to be a sell out, which is why we're telling you about it early. David Wisdom is a bit of a big deal. Not only does he have a dreamy radio voice and impressive musical knowledge (particularly on jazz), but he's also an accomplished photographer. The "communal slide show" will be accompanied by live music and features images by acclaimed artists Sophia Burke, Aaron Carpenter, Adad Hannah, Doug Lander and Alex Morrison.
Sept. 8 | Doors 7pm | Vancouver Art Gallery | $10
HEADS-UP | Vancouver's newest (and possibly coolest) wine event goes down next week. Co-founded by wine consultant Kurtis Kolt and Jeff Curry of The Wine Syndicate, Top Drop "looks to shine a brighter light on wineries who focus on producing wines with minimal intervention, paying particular attention to expressing an honest sense of time and place in the glass, the epitome of the term terroir." The main event ($59) is a walk-around grazing-style tasting of wines from 33 wineries as well as pours from like-minded craft breweries and perfectly paired bites from food purveyors such as Nelson The Seagull, Benton Brothers Fine Cheese and Two Rivers Specialty Meats. It takes place Friday, Sept. 11 and tickets are going fast. In addition to Friday night's grazing event, there are a series of sitdown winemaker dinners happening Thursday night (Sept. 10). Visit the website for more details, but do it quickly!
Sept. 10 & 11 | Various locations, times and prices