Author Archives: Timothy Asfar

Science World After Dark returns for an adults-only night

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Adults-only nights are back at Science World, where you can enjoy drinks under the dome in False Creek this week.

https://twitter.com/scienceworldca/status/1516906305688150017

Science World After Dark will take place on Thursday, May 19, and the third Thursday of each month, which means you and your friends over the age of 19 can discover everything that Science World has to offer with drinks in hand!

“With admission, you are free to explore the exhibits and galleries at your leisure,” says Science World’s website. “Enjoy drinks, food, music and more, and experience a night out for adults that is a little bit out of the ordinary.”

Science World After Dark will offer beer, wine, and cider to its guests, with Triple-Os being open to serve all your favourites.

Some courage may be needed to come face to face with the T. Rex and other members of the entire tyrannosaur family, through life-sized models, and interactive experiences.

While you’re there, be sure to check out Mustaali Raj’s 30 Days of Ramadan art exhibit.

Raj’s appreciation of colour is as strong as ever and evident in the series that offers a daily exploration of fasting in the animal kingdom while inviting viewers to foster a deeper connection with nature.

“Using a bold, blocky style inspired by Square Kufic calligraphy, he depicts elephants, snakes, and other animals with striking colours and playful graphics.” says Science World’s website.

Some of your childhood Science World favourites and permanent galleries will be open to Science World After Dark visitors including Puzzles and Illusions, the BodyWorks Gallery, the the Living Lab and the Tinkering Space. But don’t worry, there are more activities to check out during your visit!

Make sure you don’t miss those crazy live science shows at Centre Stage throughout the evening!

Tickets to Science World After Dark are only available online with no tickets being sold at the door.

You can buy tickets here: https://www.scienceworld.ca/event/science-world-after-dark-3/

Get your dinosaur fix in at Jurassic Quest in Abbotsford

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Calling all dinosaur lovers! North America’s largest and most realistic dinosaur event is coming to Abbotsford this spring.

Jurassic Quest gives you chance to experience the Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic periods, giving you a glimpse of what it would have been like to walk among living dinosaurs!

It’s the only interactive dinosaur exhibit with real, true-to-life-sized dinos from teeny tiny dinos to the massive beasts! Jurassic Quest worked with leading palaeontologists to bring each dinosaur to life, down to the very last detail.

Whether its real-life counterpart had skin that was scaly, feathered, or furry, the exhibition takes pride in its detailed accuracy of each and every dino.

You can explore dinosaur rides, join in on a giant fossil dig, sift through a fossil science exhibit, and even attend a live Raptor show!

Make sure you don’t miss the incredible 50-foot Megladon.

Jurassic Quest even gives wannabe palaeontologists the chance to dig up fossils.

For those wanting even more of a dinosaur dose, “The Quest” is an interactive adventure where participants search for clues throughout the exhibit and have a chance to collect a prize at the end.

Grab your tickets today and get ready to be transported back to the time of dinosaurs at Jurassic Quest in Abbotsford this spring.

The dates and times are:

  • Friday, May 20th from 1pm-8pm
  • Saturday, May 21st from 9am-8pm
  • Sunday, May 22nd from 9am-8pm
  • Monday, May 23rd from 9am-6pm

Location: Tradex, 1190 Cronell Street, Abbotsford BC

Tickets available online and are starting at $34.50

Laugh your way to the Vancouver Improv Centre

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Are you feeling the spring blues? Make your way to the Vancouver Improv Centre, where you’re sure to laugh your socks off!

The Improv Centre is a live theatre at Vancouver’s Granville Island where you can find live improv, theatresports-style shows and even stand up comedy.

Theatresports is the venue’s traditional style of show. It’s what the Improv Centre has become famous for.

During this show two teams of actors do short improvised skits and compete against each other for points. “Contestants” have to act out funny, quirky and odd improv scenes, but It’s all improvised, so they have to think fast on their toes and make things up in the moment!

The Theatresports shows are on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm, with performances running about an hour and a half, with a15-minute intermission. Tickets prices vary between around $15 and $30 depending on where you sit.

The Playground shows are similar to the Theatresports shows, but with different materials and without the points and teams. The Playground is kind of where the actors get to test out new ideas and experiment with an audience.

With the Playground, It’s still improv and participants still have to act on the fly, but it’s less structured and predictable than the normal Theatresports shows.

The Playground shows take place on Thursdays at 7:30 pm. They run for about an hour and ten minutes with a short intermission in the middle. Tickets cost between about $18 and $20 depending on where you sit.

Stand Up At The Improv is a newer series at the Improv Centre.

It doesn’t involve theatresports or improvised acting, but rather It’s more traditional stand up comedy where a comedian stands on the stage and tells a series of jokes and entertains the audience.

Stand Up At The Improv takes place every second Thursday evening at 9:00 pm. It features local stand up comics as well as ones from both elsewhere in Canada and abroad. Some of the comedians you’ll see are the same ones that perform at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival or at places like the House of Comedy in New Westminster.

These shows last for between around 75 minutes and an hour and a half. Prices may vary depending on who’s performing. Tickets can cost as little as $20 or so.

Penticton Vees keep on rolling

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The Penticton Vees cruised to another victory against the Nanaimo Clippers on Saturday night, taking control of BCHL Fred Cup Final.

After taking game one by a score of 4-1, the Penticton Vees continued their playoff dominance, winning 3-1 over the Clippers at the Okanagan Events Centre.

Vees defenceman Owen Simpson broke a 1-1 tie in the 3rd period with his first of the postseason 7:47 into the period. Simpson’s goal stood up as the winner, as the Penticton Vees took a 2-0 stranglehold on the series.

Penticton goaltender Kaeden Lane has stopped 37 of 39 shots so far in the series, backstopping the Vees in both victories. Lane has started in all 14 of the Vees wins this postseason. Check out the highlights to see some of his breath taking saves from game 2.

Penticton held a big advantage in the shots on goal department, notching 31 to the Clippers 19. Special teams continue to be a story for the Vees in this series, having not given up a power play goal through 2 games.

The Vees will head to Vancouver Island for games 3 and 4 and will surely be looking to close out the series in Nanaimo. Penticton has now won 14 straight postseason games and head to the island on an absolute roll, with their eyes set on the championship trophy.

Under normal circumstances, the winner of the Fred Page Cup would go on to play in the Canadian Playdowns, facing Championship teams from other Junior hockey leagues.

Due to the BCHL withdrawing from the tournament this year, both Penticton and Nanaimo’s season will conclude at the end of the Fred Page Cup Final.

Game #3 will be going down Tuesday night with puck drop slated for 7pm at the Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo.

Vancouver Giants stave off elimination to continue improbable run

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There is no giving up in the 2022 playoff version of the Vancouver Giants.

Friday night at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, the Vancouver Giants kept their improbable run alive as they clawed back from a 2-1 third period deficit with four unanswered goals, keeping their season alive in the process.

https://twitter.com/WHLGiants/status/1525332521214353410

Captain of the Vancouver Giants Zack Ostapchuk put the team on his back, notching a goal and three assists for the Giants in a 5-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers in Game 5. Adam Hall added three points for the Giants, while Jesper Vikman turned aside 35 Kamloops shots to earn the victory.

Ostapchuk was named the first star of the game. After his four point effort Friday in Kamloops, Ostapchuk is once again the scoring leader in the 2022 playoffs. With seven goals and 16 assists, his 23 points are two clear of teammate Fabian Lysell.

Next, the teams will face each other on Sunday, May 15 in Langley for game 6 of the series, where Vancouver will be looking to stave off elimination once again.

https://twitter.com/WHLGiants/status/1525872208593072128

The fact that the Giants are still playing shows a testament to the will and determination this team has. They could have packed their bags and given up long ago, but they continue to pull the rope in the same direction.

Vancouver started this improbable run by grabbing the 8th and final seed in the western conference on the final day of the regular season, after losing 11 of its final 12 games.

The first round series seemed like a mismatch, with Everett finishing 47 points ahead of Vancouver at the end of the regular season. The subsequent victory in 6 games for the Giants will surely go down in the books as one of the most notable upsets in WHL history.

https://twitter.com/WHLGiants/status/1521346941472321538

Heres to hoping the Giants can continue to make history in the 2022 playoffs.

Whitecaps rally late to tie in a Saturday night thriller

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The Vancouver Whitecaps fought back twice, combining with the San Jose Earthquakes for a wild six goal second half ending in a draw in a Saturday night thriller at BC Place.

Erik Godoy scored the equalizer in the 90th minute after a Deiber Caicedo corner floated in, finding the centreback free of his marker, sending the fans in BC Place screaming in excitement.

Godoy barely celebrated his goal, immediately heading back towards his half to prepare to defend.

Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini said his team was “naive” for the ways they conceded goals, but added the toll of playing a third game in short succession caught up with his squad.

“We were lucky. I don’t think we deserved to be 0-0 in the first half. I think they were the better team,” Sartini said after the match. “We couldn’t find the distance with the third game in six days and that was a factor.”

The outburst of goals in the second half masked a slow start by both sides in the first half, with San Jose dominating possession but failing to do much with the ball.

Lucas Cavallini, who has been coming on as of late, opened the scoring for Vancouver and playing the role of set up man on the second ‘Caps goal.

Cavallini had a chance to bag the winner only to see his header in the dying seconds of added time hit the post and rebound away.

The `Caps had won two straight heading into Saturday’s match, including ending their jinx in the Canadian Championship with a win over Valour FC.

San Jose came into the match off a win against Austin FC and a U.S. Open Cup win over the Seattle Sounders.

Vancouver next plays FC Dallas on Wednesday night at BC Place while San Jose takes on Portland in San Jose, California.

4 Vancouver Canucks to represent their nation at World Hockey Championship

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The World Hockey Championships got underway on Friday, with 4 Vancouver Canucks players and prospects representing their nations. The tournament, which is being held in Helsinki, Finland started on May 13th and runs until the 29th.

Sweden – Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Linus Karlsson

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who joined the Canucks last off-season and provided the team with steady play and leadership throughout the year, will be captaining the Swedish squad.

https://twitter.com/Canucks/status/1525128389404729345

Ekman-Larsson will represent the Tre Kronor at the World Championships for the seventh time in his career. He and Team Sweden won Bronze in 2010, silver in 2011, finished fifth in 2015, and won gold in 2017 and 2018. OEL was the captain of Sweden at the 2019 tournament in Slovakia and they finished fifth.

He has also won bronze at the 2010 World Junior Championships, silver at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and bronze at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. He has played for Sweden many times for his career and will be expected to play a large role for them throughout the tournament.

Canucks prospect Linus Karlsson will also play for Sweden at the World Championships.

This will be the first time Karlsson will represent Sweden at the professional level and it will be interesting to see if he can translate his SHL play to the international level.

Finland – Juho Lammikko

Juho Lammikko was acquired by the Canucks back in September from the Florida Panthers along with Noah Juulsen, for Olli Juolevi.

Like the rest of the team, he struggled early in the year but his play completely turned around after Bruce Boudreau took over behind the bench.

Lammikko was a work-horse, scoring seven goals and adding eight assists for 15 points in 75 games in a fourth-line checking role, finding great chemistry with Matthew Highmore and Tyler Motte. The 4th line had stretches of dominance, but slowed down offensively after Motte was traded to the New York Rangers at the deadline.

Lammikko and Team Finland will be going for gold on home soil.

Latvia – Arturs Silovs 

The Canucks drafted goaltender Arturs Silovs in the sixth round of the 2019 draft.

Silovs struggled with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks this past season, eventually being loaned to the ECHL. There have been lots of improvements for Silovs, but he has to continue to work to reach his potential.

Which Canuck are you most excited to watch at the World Hockey Championship this year?

Bruce There He Is

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The feeling of uncertainty, clouding over the Vancouver air in the few weeks since the end of the regular season, is over. Bruce Boudreau will be back as the bench boss of the Vancouver Canucks next year.

While he didn’t earn himself an extension on top of his existing contract, both he and the club exercised the second year option on Boudreau’s contract, which he signed back in December of 2021.

Boudreau came in to what seemed like a disaster season for the Canucks, with their record being 8-15-2 at the time of Travis Green’s dismissal.

Instead of continuing on the downward trajectory of what felt like a decade for this club, it felt like Boudreau single handedly brought the Canucks up from the darkness that has so often clouded over this franchise. It truly felt like a new day had dawned upon the city of Vancouver.

Sometimes, teams get a small bump in their play when a new coach comes in, wanting to impress the new bench boss. But often times teams see their play regress to roughly the same levels as before.

The team under Boudreau felt different though. From the first game against the Los Angeles Kings, where the ‘Bruce There It Is’ chants starts.. things were just different.

That night proved to be the start of something special, with the Canucks fighting tooth and nail to claw their way into a playoff spot. Sadly, they ended up coming just short. But that doesn’t change what the team was able to do under Boudreau.

Before Bruce came in, it seemed like there was no end to the dark days for an often directionless franchise. The whole experience gave fans a beacon of hope, a reason to believe again.

Believe in Bruce There It Is.

 

Cirque du Soleil Presents Alegría in Vancouver

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High flying acrobatics and breathtaking stunts are only a few ways to describe this truly life changing show.

Cirque du Soleil is a contemporary circus which immerses you in an awe-inspiring production. The combination of acrobatics, music and extravagance is sure to leave you catching your breath.

https://twitter.com/Cirque/status/1523014810144804866

The most iconic Cirque du Soleil production to date, Alegría is an all-time classic show that has been reimagined. Alegría takes audiences away to a mystical world with visual poetry and extraordinary acrobatics.

As a once-glorious kingdom that has lost its king, Alegría witnesses the power struggle at play between the old order and a new movement, searching for hope and renewal. With its moving soundtrack, extravagant costume designs and vibrant sets, Alegría touches the soul and lives up to its global reputation of a must-see Cirque du Soleil spectacle.

First debuting in 1994, Alegría (‘joy’ in Spanish) has become one of the most beloved Cirque du Soleil shows. It has entertained over 14 million audience members in 255 cities across 40 countries in its 19 years of touring. Its Grammy-nominated soundtrack – featuring the iconic title track “Alegría” – is still the most streamed and purchased Cirque du Soleil album to date.

In 2019, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, Alegría was reenergized by a cast of 53 acrobats, clowns, musicians, and singers.

The revival of Alegría is the 44th original production created by Cirque du Soleil since 1984.

The shows will be held at Under the Big Top at Concord Pacific Place in downtown Vancouver from March 25th – June 5th.

Vancouver’s All British Field Meet car show back on for 2022

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Do you enjoy classic cars? If so, Vancouver’s All British Field Meet is the perfect chance to get up close and personal with some timeless wonders.

After a 2 year hiatus, the car show is finally back and is highlighting a time of change with their new theme; the conversion of classic cars to electric.

The show is a celebration of all things British cars, from exotic Aston Martins to rough and tough minis from back in the day. I’m not sure about you, but I would love the chance to see these timeless wonders before its too late!

Dubbed “The Greatest Show on British Wheels,” the VABFM has been taking place in Vancouver on the Victoria Day Long Weekend since 1985! Celebrating its 35th instalment, this years event will feature the Jaguar EType 60th, Triumph Stag 50th and English Fords from 1911! Talk about old.

On May 21, 2022, the featured marques at the Vancouver All British Car Show at VanDusen are: Jaguar E-Type (60 years);…

Posted by Vancouver All British Field Meet on Friday, 22 April 2022

To celebrate the theme, there will be a “ElectraClassic vehicle display showcasing the combination of classic looks with modern driveability” said event co-chair Patrick Stewart. Expect there to be up to 3 classical vehicles that have been converted to electric, highlighting the changing times.

For 27 years, the car run that went from Vancouver to Whistler following the event and eventually ended in a car display in Whistler’s Creekside, has had to change due to a lack of venue to show off the beautiful rides. Instead, this year the run has been dubbed the Vancouver-Harrison.

With this fresh opportunity of updating the event, the organizers intend to increase the day’s fun factor, including entertainment, a barbecue lunch, as well awards and many prizes.

If you have a classic car or motorcyle and would like to enter into the show, you can do just that, with all entrants being eligible for applicable special prize draws and 1st and 2nd class awards in 62 classes.