BC Adventures – Our To Do Picks for September 4-10

See stylish thriller Tear the Curtain! at the Stanley Theatre

What to do in BC this week

Mark the End of Summer with LIVE at Squamish – Sept 4-5
Not to belabour the point, but it is Labour Day long weekend, the summer holiday’s last gasp, which, in our opinion, warrants one big blowout bash. Rising to the challenge comes LIVE at Squamish, the largest outdoor music festival the mining town has ever seen with over 40 local and international recording artists set to appear on three stages on September 4 and 5 at the Logger Sports Grounds. Along with acts like The Decemberists, DEVO, The Dudes and Bad Religion, it also features live performances at an Artisan & First Nations Village so guests can experience all the cultural diversity that the Sea to Sky corridor has to offer.

Head to the Border for Bumbershoot – Sept 4-6
Ending the summer holidays on a high note, Bumbershoot, Seattle’s biggest urban arts festival unfolds from September 4 to 6 with a lineup of musical legends like Bob Dylan, Hole, Neko Case, Weezer and the Meat Puppets. But music is only some of the fun in store at this blowout bash, featuring everything from a carnival, comedy shows and counterculture comix exhibition to a film festival, dance and food fair. Cross-border lineups or not, we think this one is definitely worth the drive down south. Check it out at the Seattle Center (305 Harrison St.). 

Check out Klahowya Village at Stanley Park
 – until September 6
Stanley Park is home to many cool things, including an aquarium, roaming raccoons, scenic seawall and, now, Klahowya Village. This temporary town, located in the Stanley Park Miniature Railway Plaza, salutes B.C.’s original inhabitants with authentic First Nations’ fun in the form of live performances, artisan booths, craft demonstrations and amazing cuisine. The highlight just might be a ride on the Spirit Catcher Train, but the Elders’ Area, Story Telling Circle and children’s farmyard are all pretty fly, too. Check it out daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. until September 6. Train tickets are sold on-site at the ticket booth, with further information available by calling 
1-877-266-2822.

Remember the Good Old Days at Burnaby Village Museum’s Fall Fair – September 6
Quaint contests like corn-shucking, watermelon-eating and bake-offs are remnants from a different age. So where better to reboot them than at Burnaby Village Museum (6501 Deer Lake Avenue), a 1920s-era town throwing an old-fashioned Fall Fair on September 6. The 10-acre site, comprised of period and replica buildings peopled with costumed townsfolk, will be teeming with musicians, children’s entertainers and games of skill and chance. So swing by from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and don’t forget to take a spin on the 1912 CW Parker Carousel, cool your heels at the ice cream parlour and check out live demonstrations at the old-time blacksmith, general store and farmhouse.

See Tear the Curtain! at the Stanley Theatre – Sept 9- Oct 10
Glamour! Intrigue! Suspense! Tear the Curtain! offers it all in the form of a stylish thriller inspired by the “reel” history of Vancouver’s Stanley Theatre. A creative combo of live action and film, this multimedia spectacle is set in the dirty ’30s, and delivers a suspenseful reimagining of the events that led to the birth of the historic venue at a time when rival crime bosses outgunned each other for territory. Catch this world premiere performance at — where else? — the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage (2750 Granville Street), where scenes will unfold at the ticket window, in the lobby, the dressing rooms and even under the stage. See it from September 9 to October 10, Tuesdays through Saturdays, with tickets available from $29 to $63, inclusive of taxes and fees, at the Arts Club Box Office or call 604-687-1644.

See Some Eclectic Theatre Vancouver International Fringe Festival – Sept 9-19
If your artistic appetite runs toward the offbeat, you’ll find just the ticket at the Vancouver International Fringe Festival, B.C.’s biggest and best-loved stage spectacular running from September 9 to 19. With more than 600 performances by more than 80 theatre troupes, this sometimes-edgy, always eclectic fest runs daily on indoor and outdoor stages throughout Granville Island, including everything from garages to a moving Aquabus. And whether your curiosity is piqued by shows like Misadventures of a Massage Therapist or When Harry Met Harry, the festival’s mandate is “Theatre for Everyone,” making it one of the most popular and populist events on Vancouver’s cultural calendar.

Catch Cheech and Chong at the River Rock Theatre – September 10
Creating a career out of cannabis-infused comedy, Richard “Cheech” Marin and Tommy Chong defined an era with their irreverent, satirical, counterculture routines in the ‘70s and ‘80s. After winning a Grammy for their 1973 album Los Cochinos and then logging in the highest grossing comedy film of 1978 with the stoner hit Up In Smoke, the toking twosome parted ways in the mid-‘80s. They reunited in 2008, and now, after more than 25 years, they’re hitting the road on a summer comedy tour called Get It Legal, which makes a one-night stop on September 10 at the River Rock Casino Resort (8811 River Road, Richmond), where Chong’s comedy-partner wife will open the 8 p.m. show. Tickets, limited to guests 19 years and over, are $69.50 to $79.50 from Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 604-280-4444.

See Yo Gabba Gabba! Live – Sept 11-12
Hipster parents, rejoice! A live version of the show that makes children’s television bearable is coming to Vancouver. Yo Gabba Gabba! Live hits the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on September 11 and 12, bringing characters DJ Lance Rock, Brobee, Plex, Muno, Foofa, and Toodee to the stage. Plus, legendary old-school rapper and beatboxer Biz Markie is along for the ride, along with some surprise musical guests. After all, it’s mostly the music that makes Yo Gabba Gabba! so appealing to parents with indie-oriented tastes. Shows run at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., with tickets at Ticketmaster.

Take a Self-Guide Tour of the Capilano Salmon Hatchery – anytime
Education alert! The Capilano Salmon Hatchery (4500 Capilano Park Road, North Vancouver) has become the site of one of nature’s greatest circle-of-life spectacles. Each year from September to December, salmon return to their birth rivers to spawn, guided on this seemingly impossible journey by chemical cues in the water. On the hatchery’s self-guided tours, you can view information panels describing the life-cycles of salmon and, even better, see them for yourself as you watch juvenile adult Pacific salmon jumping a series of steps known as a fish ladder to return to their spawning grounds. Seems you can go home again, after all! For info, call 604-666-1790.


Do the Winners Walk of Hope for Ovarian Cancer
 – September 12
“Give hope…one step at a time.” That’s the tagline for the ninth annual Winners Walk of Hope, Canada’s single largest fundraiser aimed to kick ovarian cancer to the curb. Unfolding in cities nationwide, the September 12 walkathon will see an estimated 11,000 feisty femmes (and fellas) taking to the streets on a mission to wipe out ovarian cancer by raising funds to support awareness, education and research. Check it out at 10 B.C. locations — everywhere from Comox and Kelowna to Penticton and Prince George. In Vancouver, it runs from 9 a.m. to noon at VanDusen Botanical Garden (5251 Oak St.), also the site of free post-walk refreshments, entertainment and a kids’ play zone. For info on this wheelchair and stroller-friendly 2.5- and 5-km trek, visit Ovarian Cancer Canada. Can’t make it? No worries; check out the website for details on how to become a virtual walk participant.

Take Part in the BCSPCA’s Paws for a Cause – September 12
Did you know that the BC SPCA assists, shelters and finds homes for more than 37,000 animals in need each year? Do-gooding of that degree wouldn’t be possible without the public’s help, so why not register now for the Scotiabank & BC SPCA Paws for a Cause…Walk for the Animals, a fundraising and awareness campaign taking place on September 12 in 36 locations across B.C., including the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Okanagan, and all points in between. To sign up for a walk near you, call Lorie Chortyk, general manager of community relations, at 604-647-1316.
 
Treat Yourself to The Spa at Whistler’s Four Seasons Resort – this weekend
It may be called “Labour” Day, but who wants to think about work on the last statutory holiday of summer? Instead, why not make the most of this final day of pre-fall freedom by steering yourself to The Spa at Four Seasons Resort Whistler (4591 Blackcomb Way). There, you’ll find a smorgasbord of services to soothe body, mind and spirit — everything from an Ancient Cedar Relaxation Massage to a Purely Maple Sugar Scrub, along with an array of First Nations-inspired treatments that you just won’t find anywhere else. Sound good? Book your sensory-infused experience of choice by visiting  or calling 1-800-935-2460.

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