COMMUNITY CALENDAR
/In This Month’s Community Calendar …
(click on images to enlarge)
NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS: Lumière Vancouver will light up the West End for its sixth season, there are two art exhibitions this month, and so much more to do and see in your West End this month.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Build a Gingerbread House with the kids!
SENIOR MOMENTS: Learn about housing options and resources for seniors, join the monthly Seniors Planning Table, and don’t miss the birthday party if you were born in November!
“Stanley” named for Great Blue Herons that roost in Stanley Park, will be a Lumiere feature at English Bay (by MK Illumination)
November Highlights …
LUMIÈRE LIGHTS UP THE CITY
Friday, November 1 to Sunday, November 3
English Bay and Jim Deva Plaza
5 to 10 pm.
Free
Now in its sixth year, Lumière Vancouver returns to set the West End and downtown neighbourhoods aglow in a spectacular fashion. This annual, family-friendly event inspired by light and artistic expression, includes more than 25 interactive art installations at four sites, including the West End’s English Bay and Jim Deva Plaza. Each site’s interactive installation honours a different theme: Nature at English Bay and Pride at Jim Deva Plaza.
Free trolley shuttles will be available to transport viewers from site to site, and Public Disco will be hosting a free outdoor party each night at Jim Deva Plaza while dance and light-inspired performances will entertain audiences at each location.
Select installations, including the now beloved illuminated orca at “Luna” and the Great Blue Heron “Stanley” at English Bay, will remain up until early February.
Works by Robert J. Carter, including “Toy Clown” (2019), will be on view at Mole Gallery through November.
THE ART OF ROBERT J. CARTER
An Exhibition at The Mole Gallery
Fridays Through November
1 to 5 p.m.
The Mole Gallery (1157 Pendrell - enter on Jepson-Young Lane)
Free
Robert J. Carter is a West End artist and graduate of the Emily Carr College of Art. Robert draws inspiration from the variety of things he interacts with in everyday life and enjoys expressing them with dream-like images filled with graphic colour. His expressions come alive in the various media he engages in his work, whether it be painting in oil, acrylic and watercolour, or ceramics, sculpture or video.
HEART CENTRE PUBLIC EDUCATION DAY
Friday, November 8
11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
St. Paul’s Hospital Lecture Theatre / Providence Level 1 Room 1477
Free / Register at sphheartday@gmail.com
We may not know the symptoms of heart disease until it’s too late. St. Paul’s Hospital’s Heart Centre Education Day will provide awareness of heart conditions and lifestyle tips by cardiologists, a dietician, and a psychologist. There will be interactive learning with guided mediations and booths to check blood pressure or chat with a nurse. The event includes a heart-healthy lunch, a silent auction, and door prizes.
Susan Martin.
PHOTOS BY SUSAN MARTIN
An Exhibition & Sale
Saturday, November 9
4:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Roedde House
(click images to enlarge)
Alberta-born and now long-time West Ender, Susan Martin revisits the landscape where she grew up in this exhibition of black-and-white images depicting the austere beauty of the Canadian prairies.
“Little Clouds on the Prairie” (Susan Martin Photo)
The photos were taken during a four-month exploration of the highways and byways near Calgary, immediately after completion of a photography program at Ryerson University.
“I would stop the moment I ‘saw’ a picture. I would sleep in the back of my station wagon and develop my film back in Calgary in my brother’s bar sink. A lot of film got exposed!”
Following a move to Vancouver in the early 1980s, Susan was diagnosed with MS. “My ability to be creative was often frustrated,” she shares, “but the closest thing to my heart were the prairie photos. I had made prints from some of them while I was still able to do darkroom work, and eventually I was able to scan the negatives myself.
“What Was Planted in the Spring” (Susan Martin Photo)
When I got back to Toronto, we turned around and moved to Vancouver because my husband got a newspaper job there just in time for the 1982 recession. I had a hard time finding a job but then got diagnosed with MS. My ability to be creative was often frustrated but the closest thing to my heart were the prairie photos which I was never fully able to realize.
I had made prints of some of them while I was still able to do darkroom work. But many of the negatives I hadn’t gotten to were stuck in their sleeves.”
Eventually, with the help of a Go-Fund-Me campaign, she was able to get them scanned professionally and contacted the master printer at Fidelis Art Prints, Alan Somerville, and started getting the prints made you see in this one-day exhibition and sale.
GET OUTTA TOWN!
Enjoy An Eagle River Cruise
Tuesday, November 12
7:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
$149.00
Travel to Harrison Mills for a three-hour river eagle expedition on the Fraser and Harrison Rivers with Shoreline Cruises. The area’s 600 local nesting pairs are regularly joined by about 15,000 migrating bald eagles, making this the world’s largest gathering. Enjoy an on-board lunch and a visit to Gold Honey Farm.
Register early at the WECC. Meet at West End Community Centre / Haro St. Entrance at least 15 minutes before departure.
Enjoy a piñata creating workshop at Gordon Neighbourhood House.
COMMUNITY PIÑATA WORKSHOP
Saturday, November 16
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Gordon Neighbourhood House
Free
Come make the piñata of your dreams! Just in time for the holiday party season, this event is fun and inclusive and everyone is welcome! If this is new to you, A piñata is a container often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth. It is decorated, and filled with small toys or candy, or both, and then broken as part of a festive ceremony or celebration.
All the supplies you need to make the perfect piñata will be provided, along with snacks and coffee and music too!
The workshop is organized by Meaghan Kennedy, who made her first piñata eight years ago for a local cable show and fell in love with the craft making process. She left the professional world to pursue a life as a professional piñata artist, and her piñatas have been featured in GQ, the Huffington Post, the Globe and Mail, and on CTV News, CBC News, Elle Canada, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
WEST END URBAN GARDENING CLUB
Sunday, November 17
7 p.m.
West End Community Centre / Barclay Room
Free / Registration at 604.257.8333
Join the West End Neighbourhood Food Network at a family-friendly monthly gathering. Share gardening information, discuss possibilities for creating more gardening spaces in the West End, pick up a West End Urban Garden Calendar, and learn about the many other West End Neighbourhood Food Network events and activities.
“TRY IT OUT” OPEN MIC
Thursday, November 21
7 to 9 p.m.
Barclay Manor (1447 Barclay)
Free
Got a story to tell, a song to sing, a tune to play? Share your interests and your talent in an informal gathering of friends and neighbours, or just come to listen and enjoy. It’s an opportunity to share music, stories, poems, comedy, interpretive dance, or to just listen and enjoy. “Try It Out “ has seen first-time performers as young as five and seasoned performers who are — well, ageless! Everyone gets 10 to 15 minutes (enough time for up to three songs) depending on the size of the group. Sign up at 7, first come, first served. One mic, acoustic guitar amp, and piano provided.
FIRESIDE BOOK CLUB
Friday, November 22
11 a.m. to 12 noon
Joe Fortes Library / Stanley Court Room
Free
Connect with other avid readers to talk about what you’ve been reading and why you loved it — or didn’t! The November book will be Factfulness, by Hans Rosling. Subtitled Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think this is a 2018 book by the late Swedish statistician Hans Rosling with his son Ola Rosling and daughter-in-law Anna Rosling Rönnlund. In the book, the authors suggests that the vast majority of human beings are wrong about the state of the world. He shows that his test subjects think the world is poorer, less healthy, and more dangerous than it is. Rosling recommends thinking about the world as divided into four levels based on income brackets and suggests ten things that prevent us from seeing real progress in the world. Bill Gates highlighted the book as one of his suggested five books worth reading for summer 2018.
Pick up your copy now, and plan to join the conversation!
COMMUNITY CARE FIRST AID
Red Cross Babysitting For Youths
Saturday, November 23
9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
WECC / Barclay Room
$65
Each month the West End Community Centre hosts a First Aid or other health care session provided in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross. The November course is designed to prepare your growing teenager to develop self-assurance, knowledge, and the skills required for babysitting duties and when caring for themselves alone.
HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR
Saturday & Sunday, November 23 & 24
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
West End Community Centre / Auditorium & Lobby
Fifty tables of original crafted items (and only hand crafted items) will offer a wide selection of both decorative and useful pieces, and lots of holiday gift ideas.
EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS
Wednesday, November 27
Coal Harbour Community Centre (Activity Room)
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Free / Pre-register at the Community Centre.
Vancouver could be faced with a massive earthquake at any time, but few of us take the steps to ensure that we are prepared. This session covers what is required to develop your family emergency plan, how to conduct a "Home Hazard” search, and what to do when that earthquake strikes. Conducted by the City of Vancouver’s Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program.
WEST END GAMES NIGHT
Friday, November 29
7 - 11 p.m.
Gordon Neighbourhood House (1019 Broughton)
Free
Looking for a spot to play board games with friends? Or do you want to meet neighbours and learn new games? Join the fun at the West End Games Night, hosted by Young Ideas and Gordon Neighbourhood House. If you arrive solo, the friendly hosts can help form groups, and teach you new games.
IN THE LABYRINTH
Music In The Labyrinth
Friday, November 29
St. Paul's Anglican Church (1130 Jervis)
7 to 9 p.m.
By Donation
The Labyrinth at St. Paul’s Anglican Church is a full 13-metre replica of the medieval labyrinth laid in the stone floor of the 13th-century Cathédrale de Notre-Dame de Chartres. It is laid on the hardwood upper floor of St Paul's Church Hall in a space once used as a theatre and a basketball court. The Labyrinth is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., and 7 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The last Friday of every month the Labyrinth experience is accompanied by a local musician or group. Music on this last Friday, November 29, will be Naad, offering world fusion music on flute, guzheng, guitar, and handpan..
Click here to learn more about the St. Paul's Labyrinth.
ONCE A WEEK, EVERY WEEK
COMMUNITY LUNCH ... Mondays through Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. at Gordon Neighbourhood House. An opportunity for community members to enjoy a meal together, meet new people, and catch up with friends in a casual environment. On Mondays it’s a pay-what-you-can (suggested donation $2) vegan hot dish. For Tuesdays and Thursdays, it’s a delicious three-course menu for $5. Wednesdays there’s a a pay-what-you-can Nourish Bowl. For more information contact welcome@gordonhouse.org or 604.683.2554.
FAMILY STORY TIME ... Tuesdays from 11:15 to 11:45 a.m. at Joe Fortes Library, join this program for parents and caregivers with young children. Songs, rhymes and stories are shared. Suitable for pre-schoolers and toddlers of all abilities to enjoy and learn together.
WEST END FAMILY PLACE … This successful program has now been expanded. West End families can play, learn and grow at Gordon Neighbourhood House. West End Family Place is a drop-in program for children and their parents or caregivers, featuring activities that promote healthy child development, including circle time with songs and stories, free play, and arts and crafts. Mondays everyone is welcome from 9 to 11:30 a.m. On Tuesdays it’s families only from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays are also everyone welcome from 9 to 11:30 a.m., with a families only afternoon session from 2 to 4 p.m. Fridays it’s families only from 9:30 to 11 a.m. And the first Saturday of each month is families only from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
WEST END WRITER’S CLUB … Wednesdays from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Barclay Manor. West End writers gather to share and critique their work. Includes all genres. Members don’t have to read at every meeting, just enjoy and participate in the discussion. Three free visits, after which there is an annual membership fee of $20.
FRIDAY NIGHTS FOR TEENS … from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Coal Harbour Community Centre (Multi-Purpose Room). Every week it’s something different, with activities for youth 13 - 18. Upstairs in the Multi-Purpose Room. Info at 604.718.8222.
PRE-TEEN NIGHT … Fridays from 6:15 to 8:45 p.m. at the West End Community Centre. A free program for youth ages 9 to 12. Participants are asked to fill out a waiver, which can be picked up at the WECC front desk.
NAR-ANON FAMILY GROUP … Fridays from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Barclay Manor (Piano Room). A gathering for those who know or have known a feeling of desperation concerning the addiction problem of someone near and dear. Confidentiality and anonymity are respected.
All In The Family …
FAMILY GINGERBREAD HOUSE MAGIC
Saturday, November 30
10 a.m. to 12 noon
Coal Harbour Community Centre / Multipurpose Room
$17 per kit
Holiday music and a festive atmosphere will get you in the winter spirit. The fee for this event includes all the supplies and decorations you’ll need for one gingerbread house. Parent participation is required.
Senior Moments …
Note that all West End Seniors’ Network (WEN) events, unless otherwise indicated, are for current WESN members. Passes for non-members are available at Barclay Manor reception. Annual membership is $10, a one-week pass is $5, and a day pass is $2. For information on all their programs and events visit their online newsletter here.
TEA WITH ANTHONY
Monday, November 4
1 to 2 p.m.
Barclay Manor
Register at 604.669.5051
Free
An opportunity to enjoy tea and conversation with West End Seniors' Network executive director Anthony Kupferschmidt. Discuss the issues impacting the organization and your life as a senior in the West End. Bring your questions, suggestions, and viewpoints -- they provide the tea and snacks. The November discussion will be around participatory budget voting and plans for the garden. Registration required.
A PARTY FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY
Monday, November 18
Barclay Manor (1447 Barclay)
2 to 3 p.m.
Free
Reservations at 604-669-5051 or programs@wesn.ca
Are you a member of the West End Seniors’ Network ... and if you're a senior and aren't a member, why not? During the month of your birthday, you and a guest are invited to celebrate your special day with others whose birthday fall in the same month.
Join the party for tea, birthday cake and live music.
HOUSING OPTIONS FOR SENIORS
Monday, November 25
1 to 4 p.m.
Barclay Manor (1447 Barclay)
Free
Information
From living independently to living in an assisted living or long-term care home, seniors have a variety of options to consider based on their current and future needs. This workshop will explore those options and offer tips and resources to access and navigate the system. Participants will also gain an overview of the government benefits and services available to seniors in BC. A light lunch will be provided.
WEST END SENIORS’ COMMUNITY PLANNING TABLE
Friday, November 29
10 a.m. to 12 noon
St. Andrew’s Wesley Church (1018 Nelson)
Free
The monthly Seniors’ Community Planning Table is an opportunity for West End seniors, community organizations, and service providers to connect and share information and views on issues important to seniors in our community. Each month’s agenda includes updates on West End programs for seniors, a keynote speaker, and discussion on a topic of interest to West Enders.
For information on this or upcoming month’s topics and speakers, contact Sharon Isaak at isaaksharon@gmail.com or 604.880.2743.
ONCE A WEEK, EVERY WEEK
SENIORS’ LOUNGE … Tuesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. at Gordon Neighbourhood House. An informal gathering where you can catch up with old friends, make new ones, and get to know the neighbours. There will be coffee, cookies, and conversations. Bring a joke and share a smile! Free.
AT THE MOVIES … Tuesdays and Fridays at 1:30 p.m. at Barclay Manor (Piano Room) West End Seniors’ Network hosts two movie series (no Monday movie this month). Free admission, with popcorn included! Find this month’s screening details in their online newsletter here.
