HASTINGS-SUNRISE
Learn more about the ongoing legacy of former Indian residential schools and the long-term impact they had on First Nation communities as former students share their experiences with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. B.C. Reconciliation Week wraps up this weekend with free events, work and sharing circles at the Pacific National Exhibition (2901 E Hastings St.). Visit trc.ca for more information.
WEST SIDE
The Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association (VOKRA) invites animal lovers to step up for its fourth annual “Walk for the Kitties” fundraiser this Sunday (Sept. 22) event. The five-kilometre walk begins at Jericho Beach at 10 a.m. and features appearances by beauty queens Patricia Celan (Miss Charity B.C. 2013) and Elisabeth Yoon (Miss Greater Vancouver 2013) to help keep kitten enthusiasts motivated. Food and refreshments will also be available from Big Dogs Street Hots and BikeCaffe Canada. Run entirely by volunteers, VOKRA relies on community donations and adoption fees to pay for the forsaken felines it rescues. Last year, it rescued more than 1,800 abandoned cats and kittens from the streets of the Lower Mainland and hopes to raise $50,000 at this year’s walkathon. Cash and credit card donations will be accepted onsite. See orphankittenrescue.com to find out more.
ROBSON SQUARE
The Vancouver Table Hockey Extravaganza, an inaugural event that hopes to set a new world record for the longest continuous table hockey game while also raising money for Canuck Place and Five Hole for Food, begins Friday at Robson Square. The attempt will see eight people try to play table hockey for 30 consecutive hours. An open tournament will also take place Saturday (Sept. 21) starting at 1 p.m. Advance registration is available online at vantablehockey.eventbrite.ca or in person for $25. Participants are guaranteed five round-robin games of five minutes each. Prizes include Vancouver Giants tickets and a table hockey game signed by many of this year’s Vancouver Canucks. B.C. Floorball will also have a demonstration site for people who want to play a game closer to actual hockey.
KITSILANO
Get yourself to the Greek Food Festival this weekend at the Hellenic Community Centre (4500 Arbutus St.) for a three-day event featuring Greek cuisine, wine tastings, cultural performances, a public market and a kids’ area with an inflatable slide, a dunk tank, balloon artists, face-painters and more. Visit helleniccommunity.org for more info.
DOWNTOWN
Coast Mental Health’s annual art show and sale starts next week (Sept. 27-29) showcasing the work of more than 100 artists involved with the city’s mental health system. The non-profit group’s resource centre opened 20 years ago as a small operation helping some 25 people a day and has since grown to serve more than 150 budding artists a day in their art room, which helps people struggling with mental health issues heal through the creation of art and social interaction. Organizers are still accepting submissions from interested artists, who have until this Saturday (Sept. 20) at 4 p.m. to drop off their work at the gallery space at 1225 Seymour St. Visit culturedays.ca for more information.
DOWNTOWN
It’s been 20 years since Vancouver author William Gibson sparked a minor international incident after penning an article for Wired magazine about the Republic of Singapore evocatively titled “Disneyland with the Death Penalty.” Find out more about life in the squeaky clean South Asian city-state — a country where it is illegal to chew gum, hug in public or walk around your own house in the nude — during the Vancouver Singapore Film Festival, running Sept. 21 at Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour St.). The one-day cinematic celebration of all things Singaporean features screenings of That Girl in Pinafore, Menstrual Man, Sex.Violence.Family Values and the world premiere of Prema Menon’s Change. More information available at vsff.org.
