Sheri Radford

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Hot Entertainment: Vancouver International Children’s Festival

ZooZoo at the Vancouver International Children's Festival

You don’t have to be young to enjoy the Vancouver International Children’s Festival (May 29 to Jun. 3), but it sure helps to be young at heart, considering the roster of giggle-inducing activities: creating unique spin art using a bicycle, learning circus skills, making crazy sock puppets, face painting. Various venues on Granville Island overflow with fun shows such as ZooZoo (pictured), Kutz & Dawgs, The Happy Prince and Little Red and the Sea Wolf, guaranteeing six days of revelry for folks aged 1 to 101.—Sheri Radford

Hot Entertainment: Rick Hansen, Man in Motion

Photo courtesy Rick Hansen Foundation

To mark the 25th anniversary of his Man in Motion World Tour (pictured), last August Canadian Paralympian Rick Hansen kicked off a cross-country relay in North America’s easternmost point, Cape Spear (Newfoundland and Labrador). The 12,000-km (7,450-mi) endeavour, which raised money for spinal cord injury research, is finally coming to an end, as the relay travels through various communities in British Columbia this month, finally reaching Vancouver May 21. Jann Arden, David Suzuki, David Foster, Sarah McLachlan and several more Canadian icons are helping Hansen celebrate, with a special concert May 22 at the Pacific Coliseum. Find out more at www.rickhansen.com.—Sheri Radford

Hot Dining: Cactus Club Cafe’s New, Sustainable Location

Cactus Club Cafe's English Bay location

The newest Cactus Club location is more than just a pretty face. Sure, the restaurant is situated right on the beach, offering a stunning view of English Bay, but it’s also eco-friendly, with its living roof, organic herb garden and plentiful bike racks. The green building has been constructed to meet LEED Gold Certification. So, as you take in the spectacular scenery while nibbling on divine dishes created by Iron Chef Rob Feenie, raise a glass to Vancouver-style sustainability.—Sheri Radford

Hot Dining: Italian Opera Buffet at Cafe Pacifica

Italian Opera Buffet at Cafe Pacifica

Bring a healthy appetite for both fresh pasta and opera music to Cafe Pacifica in the Pan Pacific Hotel. Every Saturday evening, singers from the Burnaby Lyric Opera Society serenade diners during the Italian Opera Buffet. Be sure to make a reservation, as this popular event usually sells out. Added bonus: the view from the restaurant is spectacular.—Sheri Radford

Hot Entertainment: Rock of Ages Comes to Vancouver

Rock of Ages photo by C. Scott Suchman

When aspiring rock star Drew meets aspiring actress Sherri, their love is as formidable as a 1980s power ballad. Rock of Ages is sweet, silly and superfluous, but it’s also one heck of a fun Broadway musical, filled with songs by the likes of Journey, Bon Jovi and Styx. Catch all the big hits—and big hair—at The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts (May 8 to 13).—Sheri Radford

Red Bull Divide and Conquer Race

Photo by Christian Pondella courtesy Red Bull Content Pool

Get ready to run, bike and paddle your way to glory in the Red Bull Divide and Conquer, a new multi-disciplinary endurance race taking place Jun. 16 on the North Shore. Teams of three cover 70+ km (43+ mi) by mountain running and mountain biking on Grouse Mountain and whitewater kayaking on the Capilano River. Don’t delay: registration is only open until May 15 (or whenever all 100 team spots are full), and this scenic race is sure to be popular with adrenaline junkies and weekend warriors alike.—Sheri Radford

Hot Dates: Meet Dessert Cookbook Author Alice Medrich

Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts, a cookbook by Alice Medrich

May 6 and 7

Don’t know your rolling pin from your pastry brush? Don’t worry. Alice Medrich’s Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts (Artisan Press; $29.95) is filled with foolproof recipes grouped under enticing headings such as Pudding Pleasure, Lickety-Split Cakes, and Sweet Bites. Beginners and experts alike will be baking up a storm in no time. Meet the “First Lady of Chocolate” at two events at Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks: Alice’s Tea Party on May 6 and Alice in Dessertland on May 7.—Sheri Radford

Win a Trip to the Calgary Stampede

Look for the lucky white hats

Attention, cowpokes: mosey on down to the plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery at 11:30 a.m. on May 9 and you could win a trip to this year’s Calgary Stampede (Jul. 6 to 15), complete with red-carpet and white-hat treatment. To celebrate the 100th birthday of “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” the Stampede is giving away three VIP prize packages, one each in the cities of Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. Round-trip airfare, tickets to the Stampede, gift cards for clothing and fine dining, tickets to a Garth Brooks concert, and passes to Calgary attractions are just some of the goodies in store for the lucky winners. Simply select the one lucky hat—out of hundreds of white hats—in each city that contains a red envelope. Then yeehaw! Find out more at www.calgarystampede.com.—Sheri Radford

Hot Entertainment: VanDusen Botanical Garden’s Green Design

VanDusen Botanical Garden's visitor centre. Photo by KK Law

From the top of its green roof to the depths of its geothermal energy system, the new visitor centre at VanDusen Botanical Garden is blazing a path in sustainable design. The building, with its eye-catching undulating roofline that resembles an orchid, uses green strategies such as rammed-earth walls, reclaimed lumber, on-site water capture and treatment, a photovoltaic system to generate electricity, and a giant skylight/solar chimney (pictured) that functions as a natural air conditioner. Designed to exceed LEED Platinum certification, the centre is also on track to be the fourth building in the world (and first in Canada) to meet the stringent Living Building Challenge (www.ilbi.org), which analyzes seven key components: site, water, energy, health, materials, equity and beauty. Even for those who don’t know anything about eco-friendly design, there’s no denying the building’s beauty. See it for yourself this month, and be sure to stop by on Plant Sale Day (Apr. 29), when admission to the garden is free. —Sheri Radford

Hot Dates: Meet a Vancouver Cookbook Author

Local foodie Stephanie Yuen's new cookbook

April 28

Meet local foodie Stephanie Yuen and sample tasty treats from her new cookbook, East Meets West: Traditional and Contemporary Asian Dishes from Acclaimed Vancouver Restaurants (Douglas & McIntyre, $29.95), in a free event at Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks.—Sheri Radford