What’s On: August 19-24, 2008

• The BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum continues its Hero in You Summer Speaker Series on Wednesday, August 20th from 1-2pm with a talk by Hall of Famer Dale Walters who will be speaking about his experiences as a boxer. This event is included with museum admission.

• Local historian John Atkin will be leading a Wednesday Night Heritage Walk of the Victoria Drive & Pender Street area on August 20th (meet at the Victoria/Pender intersection). The tour starts at 7pm and costs $10 per person. For more information about Atkin’s guided walks, please visit his website.

• Martin Clarke, a former acting and stagecraft teacher, will be speaking at the Bowen Island Community Museum & Archives on Thursday, August 21st at 2pm. Martin co-founded Bowen Island’s Theatre on the Isle community theatre group in 1977, and on Thursday he will share some stories about the early days of theatre on the island. Admission is by donation. If possible, please RSVP by calling 604-947-2655 or emailing bihistorians@telus.net. If you forget to RSVP, you’re still welcome to drop in.

• VanDusen Botanical Garden presents Thirsty Thursday, Social Irrigation: Aussie Flavours on Thursday, August 21st from 5:30 to 8pm. Unwind, enjoy music, drinks and hor d’oeuvres in the Bentall Garden. Tickets are $30 per person (includes one glass of wine and entrance to the garden) and are available from the Garden Shop and the Administration Office or by calling 604-257-8666.

• The Enchanted Evening Concert Series continues at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden with a concert on Friday, August 22nd by the Afro-fusion band Zimba Moto. The concert begins at 7:30pm (doors at 7pm) and tickets are $18 for non-members and $15 for Garden Society members. Reservations are recommended; please call 604-662-3207 or email assistant@vancouverchinesegarden.com.

• John Atkin will be leading another Historic East End walking tour for the Vancouver Heritage Foundation on Saturday, August 23rd at 10am. Saturday’s tour will be of the Downtown Eastside. Advance reservations are mandatory for this tour, and can be made by calling 604-264-9642. The tour meets at Strathcona Community Centre at 601 Keefer Street, and is approximately two hours in duration. Tickets are $14 per person.

• The Dancers of Damelahamid, a traditional Gitksan dance group originally from the Skeena River area, will be at Science World on Saturday, August 23rd to present masked dances, stories, and songs that re-enact important events in their history. Performances are scheduled for 12:45pm and 2:45pm in the Science Theatre.

• The New Westminster Museum & Archives will be leading two programs about family history on Saturday, August 23rd: Starting to Research Your Family Roots (for adults) and What is a Family Tree? (for children ages 7-10). Both programs will be held at Irving House from 2-4pm. The program for adults will be an informative talk on the resources available for researching your family history. The registration fee for the adult program is $11 per adult. The program for children will encourage participants to explore family stories and share them with others. Registration for the children’s program is $7.75 per child. Advance registration for both programs is required. You can register by calling Irving House at 604-527-4640.

• Listen to folk songs by Tim Readman on Saturday, August 23rd at 6:30pm as part of the ongoing Music at the Cannery summer music series at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. Admission for this event is by donation and all ages are welcome.

• The Vancouver Aquarium will be holding an adults-only sleepover on Saturday, August 23rd. The theme for this sleepover is ”Sea S.I. Stanley Park.” For more details and pricing information, please visit the Aquarium’s sleepovers web page.

• Participate in the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre’s Bears and Berries program on Sunday, August 24th from 10:30am-12:00pm to learn about bears and their favourite dessert. This program is free and suitable for families with children ages 4 and up. Please pre-register by calling the Centre at 604-990-3755.