June 18 edition: Best of Vancouver begins

Hi there. In a twist of fate that nobody with a Gregorian calendar saw coming, summer officially begins this week. At the same time, the solstice—June 21, Indigenous Peoples Day—is also known as Midsummer. 

How can the day that starts summer also be its midpoint? A fun question with an easily Google-able answer. But isn’t it nice to have a query and to pretend that the solution isn’t at our fingertips? Happy almost-summer—and almost-midsummer—and almost-Midsommar rewatch day—to us all.

— V.
Associate Editor

FEATURE

The 28th annual Best of Vancouver awards are now open for nominations

Best of Vancouver has officially begun! There is just one week to get your nominations in for the finest things the city has to offer before nominations close on Sunday night. In the olden days of the Straight, we used to do this all by hand. Write-ins very literally used pen and paper and postage stamps. Let’s have a moment of silence for the poor soul who had to try to decipher everyone’s handwriting—and take your own moment to fill in the ballot here.

CITY & CULTURE

You can now order booze at two Vancouver pitch and putt courses

The pitch and putt courses at Stanley Park and Queen Elizabeth Park are now officially liquor licensed. Get your buzz on at the two popular golf spots, and wonder why it takes this city so goddamn long to let people drink in public.

• Sad you can’t go to Kits Pool? Head to the pop-up patio next to it.

• Commentary: We are failing British Columbians who live with arthritis 

• Canada Cup women’s softball tournament is coming to Softball City

• This weekend: Experience North America's biggest dragon boat race and the region's first public drone show at the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival! Plan your weekend now!*

*sponsored listing

SPONSORED BY THE HARRSION FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS

The Harrison Festival celebrates 45 years of Roots Music

From July 12-21, the Harrison Festival of the Arts will be celebrating its 45th edition. The festival includes two stages, backed by the panoramic vista of Harrison Lake, as well as an evening of theatre, hands-on workshops, an art exhibit, and a Children’s Day midweek. With an intimate and laid-back feel, the event will feature the best in roots music from Canada and abroad.          

For this anniversary year, the festival has invited back some old friends. Names like Harry Manx, Barney Bentall, and Locarno are well known out here in BC, and certainly have been frequent returnees to the Harrison Memorial Hall stage over the past few decades. Also returning is one of Scotland’s legendary Celtic bands, Shooglenifty, known for it’s “acid croft” music that blends traditionally-influenced highland melodies with trance-like grooves.

ARTS

Ring of Fire leans into Johnny Cash’s dramatic storytelling

Johnny Cash wasn’t just one of country music’s greatest stars: he was also a wildly gifted storyteller. In the Arts Club’s production of Ring of Fire, six performers craft a narrative of the Man in Black’s own life from the building blocks of his songs. “It’s a theatrical concert,” explains director Rachel Peake, “but it’s also not a concert, because there’s a play at the centre of it.”

• Summer Movie Nights return to downtown Vancouver

• What’s In Your Fridge: Ralph Escamillan, choreographer and founder of FakeKnot dance company

• Realwheels’ Disability Tour Bus explores how inaccessible the city can be

SPONSORED BY ARTS CLUB THEATRE COMPANY

Colin Mochrie returns to the Arts Club in July!

Legendary Canadian improviser Colin Mochrie returns to the Arts Club for a limited engagement improv show at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, July 19-20. Colin was last seen on the Arts Club stage in the 1980s productions of Taking Steps and She Stoops to Conquer. Get your tickets today!

MUSIC

DJ Paisley Eva has been putting in the work

Since she started DJing at age 19, Paisley Nahanee has helped more than 40 people learn how to spin the decks. “As Squamish people, we’re people who love to share knowledge and share skills,” she explains. “It’s always been taught to me that if you have a skill, you share it.” Nahanee has been an instrumental part of making the city’s DJ scene more diverse—and she’s not stopping anytime soon.

• Pop Eye: Sex survey shows people can’t get enough of getting down to Deftones

• Photos: Skillet gets the Commodore crowd screaming at top volume

SPONSORED BY MODO-LIVE

Theresa Caputo Live: The Experience in Vancouver

Theresa Caputo—known as the Long Island Medium—brings her tour to Queen Elizabeth Theatre on September 4 & 5! Theresa delivers healing messages to audience members, comforting them with the revelation that their deceased loved ones are still with them - just in a different way. Tickets are on-sale now!

FOOD & DRINK

Lucille’s West Side quietly opens in the former Heirloom location

The infamously snippy owner of South Granville’s Heirloom restaurant appears to have quietly opened a new concept in the same location. Lucille’s West Side is currently offering a $29 brunch deal with plenty of 1950s flair…and, hopefully, a similarly classy approach to customer service. We can dream, right?

• Straight, No Chaser: Friendlies’ Lily Duong believes in freestyling

• Do Try This At Home: Wild Pacific halibut burger with red pepper jelly mayo

• Windsor Meats in Dunbar offers locally raised meat, dry goods, and fresh produce, with dedicated butchers to ready to help you enhance your meals.*

*sponsored listing

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK

FILM
Queer Arts Festival’s film night showcases shorts exploring familial bonds. (June 18 @ Roundhouse Community Arts Centre)

VISUAL ARTS
Traditional Chinese paintings and contemporary Shanghai-style works from a private collection make it into the public eye. (June 18 to July 9 @ Lipont Gallery, Richmond)

BOOKS 
Join writer Jessica Hundley for an intimate discussion and private group dinner. (June 19 @ Fairmont Pacific Rim)

TALKS
Storyteller Beverly Dobrinksy leads a hands-on look at Ukrainian midsummer traditions. (June 19 @ Secret Lantern Society) 

COMEDY
Dreams & Nightmares improvizers delve into what happens when we sleep. (June 20 @ China Cloud)

BURLESQUE
Step into the Jazz Age with the Bee’s Knees Burlesque show. (June 20 @ The Flapper Lounge, New Westminster)

MUSIC
The Rickshaw’s birthday bash continues with Bend Sinister, Colleen Rennison, and more. (June 20 @ Rickshaw Theatre) 

Want to know what else is happening in Vancouver? Check out our events listings.

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