BC Adventures – Our To Do Picks for July 10 – 16

Kokoro Dance’s Wreck Beach Butoh explores the relationship between humans and the environment

See Kokoro Dance’s Wreck Beach Butoh – July 10-11
Locals know the swimwear of choice favoured by Wreck Beach regulars is the birthday suit. Expect a variation on that theme at Kokoro Dance’s Wreck Beach Butoh on July 10 and 11, where naked dancers will explore the relationship between humans and the environment. What’s a “butoh?” It’s a collective term for avant garde performance art, and this butoh features plenty of booty, though the dancers mask themselves (mostly!) with the help of body makeup. Performances start at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday and 11:15 a.m. on Sunday. Admission by donation, with more details at kokoro.ca or 604-662-7441.

Go Green at the Organic Islands Festival – July 10-11
Kermit the Frog once said, “It’s not easy being green.” But that’s just because he never attended the Organic Islands Festival, where people passionate about the environment are planting the seeds, figuratively speaking, to help grow a greener planet. This eco-conscious exposition, taking place July 10 and 11, rolls out everyone from top organic businesses, local farmers and health practitioners to horticulturalists, restaurateurs and vintners, all guiding guests on how to make healthy lifestyle choices. Check it out from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Glendale Gardens and Woodland (505 Quayle Road, West Saanich), also the site of live music, loads of workshops, food demos and kids’ activities. For further details, go to organicislands.ca.

Attend the Strathcona and Cottonwood Community Gardens
 Open House – July 11
Not only are Strathcona and Cottonwood Community Gardens the oldest community gardens in Vancouver, the eight-acre site now holds another distinction: it’s the only such oasis in the city that is fully accessible to seniors and people with disabilities. Learn more on July 11 at their annual Open House, running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with live music, site tours, silent auction, plant sale and free gardening and sustainability workshops. And, at 11:30 a.m., don’t miss Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson opening the new accessible community garden on the east side of Strathcona Park, a 1/4-acre space specially designed to enable everyone, regardless of age or physical ability, to garden in comfort. For more information, call 604-608-0384 or visit cottonwoodcommunitygardens.ca.

Upgrade Your Image – July 15, Aug 26, Sept 30 & Oct 21
Need an image upgrade? Before you answer, take a look in the mirror: If you’re wearing mom jeans or droopy sweats, the answer is automatically yes. On the up side, this makes you a perfect candidate for a free professional image overhaul courtesy of style saviour Lilly Page, who’s offering four fun classes called Dressing Your Essence with Flair Image Consulting at Malary’s Boutique (5755 176 St., Cloverdale). Not only will you receive personalized advice on attire to suit your lifestyle, personality and body, but each time you attend a workshop, happening July 15, August 26, September 30 and October 21 at 6 p.m., you’ll get a chance to win a free makeover. For more information or to sign up, e-mail lillypage@shaw.ca or visit flairimage.ca.


Get a Taste of Victoria’s Festival of Food and Wine – July 15-18 

You’re invited to eat, drink and be merry at the second annual Taste: Victoria’s Festival of Food and Wine, rolling out 10 expert-led events from July 15 to 18 at various venues in Victoria and Saanich. First up is The Main Event on July 15 at the Crystal Garden, where you can sip 40-plus B.C. wines and sample fresh, seasonal fare prepared by top Island chefs, while enjoying live music by Greenlaw. Can’t make it? No sweat; you can still check out a slate of wine and food seminars running the range from Sips and Seafood at the Inn at Laurel Point to Swine and The Vine at the Hotel Grand Pacific to Chocoholics Anonymous at Camille’s Restaurant. For more details, visit victoriataste.com.


Experience Science World After Dark – July 16 

Too busy being a grown-up to come play at Science World (1455 Quebec Street, Vancouver)? Leave your kids at home and experience Science World After Dark, an adults-only evening on July 16 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. where you can sip beer or wine while enjoying two 45-minute improv comedy performances and a science show on the Peter Brown Centre Stage. You’re also free to explore the myriad galleries, all of which will be open for the evening — and, mercifully, free of the usual tribes of tots. Tickets, available at the door or by phone at 604-443-7500, are priced at $19.75 per person, with further details at scienceworld.ca. 


Get Your Hippy on at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival – July 16-18

Think hippies are a dying breed? You’ll likely change your tune if you swing by the 33rd annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival, which draws out former flower children from far and wide, along with their contemporary counterparts from July 16 to 18 at Jericho Beach Park. What’s got everybody so giddy about this year’s lineup? According to organizers, it boasts “an unparalleled level of diversity and variety in music genres, styles, traditions and cultures, with artists from every continent and at least 20 countries.” But people don’t just turn up for the tunes; the massive food zone and crafts fair are considered legendary by locals, too. For tickets and more info, call 604-602-9798 or visit thefestival.bc.ca.

Celebrate FraserFest – July 16-18

New Westminster owes part of its prosperity to the Fraser River, one of the greatest salmon-spawning regions in the world. Annual thanks are offered up each summer with FraserFest, a family-friendly fling from July 16 to 18 that celebrates the working waterway for its role in the city’s development, along with the important function it still plays as a highway for commerce and a recreational resource. About 65,000 people are expected to turn out for a riot of weekend festivities, including fireworks, workboat parade and harbour tours, centred on the scenic New Westminster Quay Boardwalk. For further details, call the Fraser River Hyack Festival Association at 604-522-6894 or visit hyack.bc.ca. 


Send the Kids to Heritage Summer Daycamps – July and August

What’s a working parent to do, especially a single one, when school lets out for the summer? Rather than leave your kids home alone — and we all know the trouble that can cause, thank you Macaulay Culkin — you can steer them to Heritage Summer Daycamps at Surrey Museum (17710 56A Ave.). Kids ages 8 to 10 are invited to come for a single day or more, with each session jam-packed with good times and educational lessons on how to tread softly upon the earth and a chance to explore the mysteries of medieval times with the museum’s latest history-themed exhibition. Camps take place Tuesdays to Fridays throughout July and August from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for $22.50 per day. For more info and to pre-register, call 604-592-6956. 


Dance Away the Blues at the Marine Pub – Sundays and holidays 

Even if you’ve got two left feet, you’ll find your rhythm (and blues!) fast at Marine Pub (5820 S.E. Marine Drive, Burnaby) each Sunday at the All-Star Jam. Dubbed “the Yale of Burnaby,” this popular neighbourhood watering hole gets its groove on with top talent from across the Lower Mainland, including Harry Walker of the Night Train Revue and local R&B legends Indigo. Bring your dancing shoes; because like most of the partying patrons, you probably won’t be able to resist hitting the dance floor for rousing renditions of ’60s classics like “Mustang Sally” and “Chain of Fools.” Swing by Sundays and statutory holidays from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., and enjoy a cold glass of brew against a backdrop of hot music. For further information, visit marinepub.ca or call 604-435-2245. 


Enjoy Galiano Island’s Oasis – this summer
It’s not for nothing that Galiano is called “the gem of the Gulf Islands.” The rustic retreat is a perfect spot for a restorative weekend getaway, thanks to its sweeping seascapes, rolling hills and clean island air, which can be enjoyed from your choice of quaint cottage, cozy resort, bed-and-breakfast or provincial campsite. While sedentary types can stake out a long-term spot on the sand, Type-A travelers may want to hike the 25-km Eastern Coast, test the waters at Active Pass with scuba diving and sports fishing, or explore the island’s protected western shoreline via kayak to find a private picnic spot among its many coves. Whether you ultimately opt for bird-watching, golfing or sailing, be sure to stop by the island’s many galleries and shops to snag a hand-crafted souvenir of your stay. Visit galianoisland.com for more information.

Check out the Fairmont’s Appy Hour
 – until the end of July
Everyone enjoys eating upscale appies, but no one likes swallowing the sky-high bill. Herons Restaurant & Lounge at the Fairmont Waterfront (900 Canada Place Way, Vancouver) solves the problem with a new Appy Hour promo that lets you savour 50% savings on its signature Share Platter. For just $10, you can choose three appies from executive chef Patrick Dore’s kitchen, including options like chicken satays, crab cakes, waterfront roll oysters and Korean kalbi beef ribs. Guaranteed to please your palate as well as your pocket, this offer is available Monday through Friday, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., until the end of July. P.S. Make the meal even more memorable by washing it down with a signature summer sipper like a basil and honey collins. For reservations call 604-691-1818 or go online to opentable.com.


Originally published in TV Week. For daily updates, subscribe to the free TV Week e-newsletter, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.