West Point Grey
The West Point Grey Community Centre is offering a free falls prevention workshop entitled “Walk Tall, Don’t Fall.”
The workshop, designed with baby boomers and older adults in mind, will teach participants proper gait, posture and the body’s balance systems and provide an overview of how to effectively train for better balance both at home and at the gym.
The workshop, taught by Kate Maliha from Love Your Age Fitness Inc., takes place Saturday, Feb. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon. To register, contact the West Point Grey Community Centre at 604-257-8140 or visit vancouver.ca/westpointgreyrec.
Oakridge
An art exhibit taking place at Oakridge Centre is the result of the first large-scale Chinese arts competition specifically featuring Canadian artists.
Last August, Katherine and John Chan of the International Arts Gallery, launched a call to artists across Canada to submit their work in one of three categories: Western painting, Chinese painting or calligraphy. Supported by the federal government of Canada, the Arts Bridge Competition endeavoured to connect Western and Chinese cultures and showcase both established and emerging artists.
A jury made up from several Asian community arts groups and members of the Federation of Canadian Artists worked together to determine the winners in each category. The paintings will hang in the West Galleria at Oakridge Centre, 650 West 41st Ave., now through Feb. 9.
Downtown
The Vancouver Public Library wants to demonstrate how one person’s trash is another’s treasure.
At a workshop dubbed “TRASHy Books,” participants will learn how to make a personal, one-of-a-kind notebook with materials typically thrown away.
Using thrift store items and a bit of ingenuity, participants can make their book as romantic as a mixed tape or funny as a comic. Instruction and materials will be provided. The workshop runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Central Library.
Also at the Central Library is an afternoon of big band jazz with Urbana, Saturday Feb. 14 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Urbana, an 18-piece big band, is directed by renowned jazz musician Robin Schier. Both events are free and take place at 350 West Georgia. For more information, call 604-331-3603.
Downtown
Enjoy an afternoon of Tea and Trumpets with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the Orpheum Theatre.
This charming matinee series offers popular, lighter classics, woven together with stories about the composers and their music. Take a world tour through music with Mozart’s Prague Symphony, Mendelssohn’s ode to the Scottish Hebrides islands, Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia, Grieg’s Norwegian Dance No. 2 and Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole with conductor Gordon Gerrard. Christopher Gaze, artistic director of Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, hosts and narrates the performance. Colleen Venables is guest violinist. Tea and Trumpets comes complete with tea and cookies served in the lobby one hour before each concert, compliments of Tetley Tea and LU Biscuits. Tea and Trumpets takes place Feb. 5 from 2 to 3:15 p.m. at the Orpheum, 601 Smithe St.
Mount Pleasant
“I drink beer whenever I can get my hands on any,” Thomas Merton once confessed. “I love beer, and by that very fact, the world.”
This Saturday, Jan. 31, the Thomas Merton Society of Canada and friends will celebrate what would have been Merton’s 100th birthday with beer and jazz. To that end, they’re hosting a “Beerthday” party in celebration of the American author, poet, social activist, monk and mystic at Our Town Café, 245 East Broadway, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. At 8:30 p.m., local Merton scholars Donald Grayston, Judith Hardcastle, Angus Stuart and Ron Dart will read from their contributions to the 2015 testimonial volume We Are Already One: Reflections in Honor of Thomas Merton’s Centenary. Beer, wine, coffee, non-alcoholic drinks and edibles will be available for purchase. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call 604-988-8835.
Killarney
In partnership with the Alzheimer Society, Killarney Community Centre is offering a new session called Minds in Motion, which combines a fitness class with social programs for people experiencing early stages of memory loss. Participants are welcome to attend on their own or with a friend, family member or caregiver. A certified fitness instructor conducts the exercise section of the program while a facilitator ensures participants are welcomed and assists with social interaction and involvement in activities, guided by the needs and interests of the participants. The sessions take place Thursdays from 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. now through March 26 in room 203 at the community centre, 6260 Killarney St. The cost is $58.50 per couple. While the Killarney location is new, the program is ongoing at Kitsilano, West End, Marpole-Oakridge and Hillcrest community centres.
Mount Pleasant
Mayor Gregor Robertson and council invite the public to a Black History Month launch celebration this Friday, Jan. 30 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Enjoy a celebration of community and cultural performances as the mayor proclaims February as Black History Month in Vancouver. The accomplishments of the Honourable Justice Selwyn Romilly will be recognized, and Canada Post will unveil the 2015 Black History Month stamps. A light, catered reception will follow. This event, open to all ages, takes place in council chambers on the third floor of city hall, 453 West 12th Ave. The celebration is free, but registration is a must by emailing rsvp@vancouver.ca to attend.
sthomas@vancourier.com
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