Explore the Shore

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Outdoor cinema series returns to The Shipyards

■ NICK LABA

Deckchair Cinema, presented by The Polygon Gallery, returns to North Vancouver’s waterfront this summer

On Thursdays this sunny season, film lovers are being welcomed to bring friends, food and drinks to Cates Deck, located in front of the gallery

The series kicked off June 29 with Fantastic Planet, a 1973 experimental animated science-fiction art film directed by René Laloux, followed by other cult and art house movies including Cher and Nicolas Cage’s iconic date to the opera in Moonstruck, Olivia Newton-John-starring disco fantasy Xanadu and Interstella 5555, an anime adventure that visualizes a Daft Punk album

Showings on the two-storey outdoor screen start at sunset, with music and entertainment leading up to curtain time Audience members are encouraged to bring their own blankets or low chairs Admission is by donation ($10 each recommended) and includes access to The Polygon’s

Waterfront Bar & Grill

Films on the two-storey screen start at sunset on Cates Deck, Thursdays throughout the summer.

summer exhibition, Phase Shifting Index by Jeremy Shaw

Cates Deck is a public space zoned for alcohol consumption, so guests can bring their own or buy drinks from local breweries and wineries at an outdoor “meet the makers” market

Deckchair Cinema had a great response in its first year, says Polygon marketing manager Michael Mann

“We almost immediately had a lot of people showing up for it,” he said “The films are a bit different than other movie nights around the Lower Mainland And I think people really responded to the adventurous programming we ’ re doing”

This year ’ s programming is a mix of drive-in favourites and Criterion classics, Mann said

He drew attention to John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China It stars Kurt Russell and James Hong and Kim Cattrall As you may know, Cattrall grew up and has a home on Vancouver Island

“It’s just a really fun and weird, pure popcorn flick from the 80s – a video store classic, I would say, ” Mann said

He also noted Whale Rider – about a young Māori woman seizing her destiny and saving her tribe in New Zealand – as well as No Bears, a meta-fiction work by Jafar Panahi, who is currently in prison in Iran for making the film

“It’s a great community event and you ’ re going to see a really interesting movie and have fun with your friends It’s almost as much a movie night as it is a social night,” Mann said

In future years, Mann said the summer movie series will continue “indefinitely” ♦

DECKCHAIR CINEMA SUMMER

2023 SCHEDULE

JULY 13

What We Do In The Shadows • 9:15 p.m.

JULY 20

Whale Rider • 9:15 p m , celebrating Squamish Amalgamation Day

JULY 27

Big Trouble In Little China • 9:00 p m

AUGUST 3

Xanadu • 9:00 p.m., celebrating North Shore Pride Week

AUGUST 10

Lovers Rock • 8:45 p.m.

AUGUST 17 Moonstruck • 8:45 p m AUGUST 24

No Bears • 8:30 p.m.

Reporter Mina Kerr-Lazenby

hiked The Grouse Grind, known as ‘Mother Nature’s Stairmaster,’ in her latest attempt to become a Vancouverite

■ MINA KERR-LAZENBY

In my 10 months of living in this city, I have come to learn that true Vancouverites are not the ones who were born here, but the ones who have built enough experiences and quirks over time to claim the title.

Owning an Aritzia puffer jacket, for example, amps Vancouverite status by 20 per cent Waxing lyrical to visitors about the plethora of fine restaurants but eating the same crispy chicken sandwich at Cactus Club weekly - 25 per cent Running the Stanley Park Seawall in Lululemon garms - 45 per cent Leaving the house no matter the season with both sunglasses and an umbrella in tow - 18 per cent. Hiking the Grouse Grind and smugly alerting all social media followers of achievement immediately after - 40 per cent. Given I have no interest in owning any type of outerwear that will have me resembling the Michelin Man, I don’t eat meat and refuse

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Ambleside Parkrun knits together West Vancouver community

■ MINA KERR-LAZENBY Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

With its pristine ocean views, flat landscape and tightknit community, Ambleside is a “no brainer” location for the free, fitness-focused event Parkrun, said Jatinder Sidhu, director of the West Vancouver event.

The five kilometre run or walk, which starts and finishes behind Ambleside’s iconic Ferry Building every Saturday morning, was instigated by Sidhu in July last year

Since then it has clocked more than 800 registered participants and has had “overwhelmingly positive feedback” from the local community, he said, a response

he puts down to the event’s approachable and social nature

“An absolutely critical part of Parkrun is that it is not a race We do not talk about winners or losers,” he said, adding how, while the event is timed, the event’s driving force is more on the community gathering together then it is crowning those who come first

Sidhu said participants should approach the event “without barriers in their mind” Unlike daunting events like marathons or sporting competitions, he said, Parkrun is uber inclusive and open to those who want to run, walk or push a pram with friends, and those of all ages

For those who don’t want to take to the track, there is equal opportunity to be involved from a spectator or volunteer standpoint, with both groups being “vital” to the Parkrun community, said Sidhu

Since it started in July last year almost 100 people have signed up to volunteer for the weekly Ambleside event, with between six and 12 volunteers running the operation each week Comprising people from all walks of life, they include teenagers looking to build volunteer hours, retirees hoping to give back to their community, runners who are too injured to take part, and families of those runners who are taking part

When all participants and volunteers come together

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Jatinder Sidhu initiated the West Vancouver version of global fitness event Parkrun one year ago

Lonsdale Quay pop-up serves a taste of brewery district

■ NICK LABA

North Vancouver has one of the most bustling brewery districts in the Lower Mainland, although it is one that many from outside the community might not even know exists.

A new pop-up venue is giving people in Lonsdale Quay a taste of the many exceptional beverage makers in the area Running until the end of August, The Brewyard is setting up on the ground floor of the market

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer months, enjoyers of adult beverages can order a rotating selection from the seven breweries, cidery, distillery and winery of The Shipyards Brewery District The Brewyard will also open for rotating events on Thursday nights, and can host private functions on weekdays

The idea for the pop-up started when Lonsdale

Quay approached Copperpenny Distilling coowner Jenn Kom-Tong and Windfall Cider co-owner Nathaly Nairn, who have previously run community events in the nearby brewery district The marketplace brewery space had been empty since Green Leaf Brewing exited last August and is set to be the new home of Strathcona Brewing later this year

The prime waterfront space was facing the prospect of a lonely summer

“It’s such a perfect space, ” Kom-Tong said “So the two of us put our heads together and came up with this concept

“We’ve called it the Brewyard,

➞ continued on page B13

A rotating selection of craft offerings are sold from behind the bar

Windfall Cider co-owner Nathaly Nairn and Copperpenny Distilling co-owner Jenn Kom-Tong came up with the idea for the pop-up after being approached by Lonsdale Quay.

BC LOCALS: BUY 1 DAY TICKET , GET 1 YEAR FREE *

*Proof of residence is required. Details at capbridge.com.

➞ continued from page B7 to buy overpriced athleisure wear, it seemed the easiest way to earn Vancouverite credibility before my one-year anniversary would be to hike the face of Grouse Mountain

I consider myself pretty fit I run a few times a week, hike (moderate) trails often How hard could it be?

Very hard, it turns out Hiking 2,830 steps feels an awful lot like hiking 2,830 steps, it turns out This is no breezy run along the Centennial Seawalk

lunacy anywhere but a hiking trail

This is not that The views comprise trees and stairs, and trees, and stairs There are no pleasantries or chit-chat

Hikers schlep the trail in single file, like mules shuffling along the rim of the Grand Canyon Eye contact with others is rarely made, and when it is, you’d rather it wasn’t: there’s something deeply demoralizing about looking into the eyes of another human being when you ’ re both beetroot-faced, drenched in sweat and dry heaving in tandem

I had hiked the Grouse Grind! I was an athlete A master of stairs A wilderness expert A true Vancouverite! In my euphoria, all the memories of the pain and the struggle melted away I could do this again, I thought Is this how women after childbirth?

There had been points where I’d considered giving North Shore Rescue a call, so some strapping hunk could come and hoist me out, wrap me in tin foil, feed me granola bars and tell me that everything was going to be OK.

At the foot of the Grind there had been a sign warning of a recent bear sighting and, still yet to encounter my first bear, it had brought on a pang of nerves Less than 70 steps into the hike and I had begun wishing I’d stitched smoked salmon into the pockets of my shorts so a bruin would come and relieve me from my misery

There had been points where I’d considered giving North Shore Rescue a call, so some strapping hunk could come and hoist me out, wrap me in tin foil, feed me granola bars and tell me that everything was going to be OK

The Grouse Grind is not your average trail hike I like walks through the woods where I can stop for the views, pet some dogs, say “good morning’” to fellow hikers in that strangely informal way that would be considered

Luckily there are places where you can stop to wheeze along the way, and it’s true what they say about the first bit being the hardest I’m not sure whether it was endorphins or delirium, but once I’d passed the point of no return (literally, the trail is so steep and narrow that downhill travel is not permitted past the quarter mark) and knew that I had no choice but to carry on until the bitter end, the struggle seemed to lessen

I even managed to overtake a few people, the ages and apparent fitness levels of whom I am unwilling to disclose And finally, when I did reach the summit of the 2 5-kilometre trail, my stomach in knots and my clothes drenched, I was met with a strange feeling It bubbled in my stomach and made its way up my body Was it vomit? No It was a feeling of pride, of accomplishment

I posted it to my Instagram story and the praise gushed in “Wow, well done! How was it?” Asked a friend “Ah, child’s play!” I replied “I’m considering running it next time!”

I felt as though I was deserving of a prize and, in some way, I had been given one The top of Grouse Mountain offers the finest views of the city The lumberjack show is fantastic if you ’ r into that cheesy, gag-riddled pantom stuff (I am), the skyride is fun, and t grizzlies and birdlife quench all thirst for wildlife encounters

This is probably the narrative arc you were expecting woman thinks she can’t conquer hike, woman conquers hike, woman feels she can now conquer anything and I apologize for not offering something juicier

For your sake, I wish I had been mauled by a bear or winched out by Prince Charming, but instead I just hiked the Grouse Grind, and felt all the better for it ♦

The Grouse Grind, a 2.5-kilometre trail up the face of Grouse Mountain, is open all summer. For more information, visit grousemountain.ca.

➞ continued from page B8

post-event for a coffee at the Bean Around The World cafe on Marine Drive, the event serves as a mixer for various people whose paths may not have otherwise crossed

“There is a sense of occasion, there is a sense of coming together as a community,” said Sidhu

“Part of the social aspect is that we go to a cafe afterwards and you can just chat and meet people you might not otherwise meet It’s a really interesting mix of people from different places, from all over the world”

A global movement, Parkrun was founded in 2004 in London’s Bushy Park in the U K , and has since gone on to take place in 20 countries around the world It launched in Canada in 2016, kicking off in Whistler, before going on to set up shop across the city, with locations in Coquitlam, Burnaby and Richmond

It was Sidhu’s overseas experience that compelled him to initiate Parkrun in West Vancouver, as a former regular on the Parkrun courses in London before he moved to Vancouver from the U K four years ago

Last month the event celebrated its 50th edition, simultaneously celebrating its highest turnout of participants since it started It is a number only expected to grow this month, when the event celebrated its first anniversary, July 8 ♦

Visit parkrun ca/ambleside for more information

sip➞ continued from page B9

basically to showcase the Shipyards Brewery District because there’s just not a lot of info out there We all do our own thing,” she said

But the bright patio location, facing thousands of tourists pouring out of the adjacent SeaBus terminal, is sure to attract more awareness

Inside the pop-up is a casual atmosphere, featuring picnic benches, artificial turf, a jumbo Connect Four game and a photobooth People that wander in from the marketplace are welcome to bring their food with them into the venue

Large logos of the brewery district businesses are pasted on the pop-up ’ s windows, and patrons can collect maps and other information about the local craft beverage producers

“We wanted this space to be treated like a tourist office for the district,” Kom-Tong said One of each of the producers’ beverage offerings will be on display, but only a select few will be on sale at one time

“Then we rotate out every week to get different offerings, so that you ’ re not just staying here instead of doing a brewery tour,” she said “This is just like a little hint of what there is”

In the works is a painting on a partition wall that will feature a timeline of the brewery district’s history, which features firstcomers Beere Brewing Co , House of Funk and Streetcar Brewing, who fought for and won more progressive zoning in 2019 – and continues on with new additions like Braggot Brewing and Shaketown Brewing Co ♦

■ MINA KERR-LAZENBY Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As summer makes its grand return, so too do the Shipyard Pals, MONOVA’s two long-standing history buffs who offer Shipyards tours across the warmer months

Shipyard Sam and Shipyard Sal are characters created by the museum, who take guests on a trip to yester-year when The Shipyards was home to bustling waterside operations

Their costumed characters represent the countless people who lived and worked in the area in the 1940s, with Sam and Sal using local anecdotes and tales to tell the history of shipbuilding at Burrard Dry Dock on Vancouver’s North Shore

“As actor interpreters, when Charlie and I are Sal and Sam, we are immersive storytellers,” said Kelsey Ranshaw, who takes on the role of Sal alongside actor Charlie Cook’s Sam

“In character, we lead participants through The Shipyards, ‘discovering’ the area together through stories,

songs and dance, and bringing the history, people, and stories to life through the context of the major shipbuilding operations which took place here during World War II”

The two are “ very recognizable” she said, “stylishly dressed” in 1940s style coveralls

“Over the course of approximately 45 minutes to an hour, the Pals highlight the lesser-known history of the area which is hidden in plain sight, and emphasize the

importance of The Shipyards to women ’ s labour rights, Canada’s contributions to the war, and as a place of community in past, present, and future,” she said Designed to be informative and engaging for all members of the family, the tours comprise stories, songs and historical learning in one package

Kicking off at the museum itself, the free tours will run every Wednesday and Sunday, at 11 a m and 1 p m , until late September ♦

MONOVA’s Shipyard Pals “Sam” (Charlie Cook) and “Sal” (Kelsey Ranshaw) will be conducting historical, theatrical walking tours of North Vancouver’s Shipyards district.

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