MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Science World CEO Scott Sampson and party chair Tristan Sawtell staged a sneak peak of their upcoming Science of Cocktails benefit at the Marriott鈥檚 Showcase Restaurant. Now in its third year, the Science of Cocktails showcases the talents of the city鈥檚 top mixologists and has become Science World鈥檚 major fundraiser attracting the city鈥檚 top movers such as Ernst and Young鈥檚 Lui Petrollini, Discovery Park鈥檚 Paul Geyer, Blakes Cheryl Slusarchuk and Sierra Wireless鈥檚 Andrew Harries to the annual tipple fest. Last year, the drink event concocted $240,000 to support Science World鈥檚 Class Field Trip Bursary Program for underserved schools. Celebrated bar stars Grant Sceney from the Fairmont Pacific Rim and JS Dupuis of the Wentworth Hospitality Group provided ample shakin鈥� to quench the thirsts of bloggers, Instagrammers and hypesters with their science experiments. Featuring a brigade of mixologists on Feb. 8, Science World will be transform into Vancouver's largest cocktail laboratory, declared Sawtell.
IN LOVING MEMORY In 2008, Andrew Dolejsi died from a tragic car accident days before he turned 27 years of age. His funeral would be held on his birthday. Turning the tragedy into something positive, Andrew鈥檚 parents Eva and Lad began hosting an annual fundraiser every January in their son鈥檚 memory at the Shark Club. What began as a modest gathering of friends and family quickly outgrew the social confines of the downtown bar and lounge. Five years later the couple moved the event to larger venues, eventually into a dinner and auction format. Since that time, the Kitz4Kids tribute event has raised some $50,000 for the Children鈥檚 Wish Foundation, helping kids living with life threatening illnesses, and $50,000 for Andrew鈥檚 second passion, dogs 鈥� specifically the Autism Support Dogs program. This January, on what would have been Andrew鈥檚 37th birthday, 200 guests 鈥� two and four-legged 鈥� gathered at Richmond鈥檚 River Rock Resort for the 10th anniversary of the Kitz4Kids benefit. Andrew鈥檚 parents and younger brother Doug greeted attendees, who enjoyed a sumptuous meal before raising funds to support more kids on the autism spectrum waiting for a support dog.
SHADES OF BLACK: Whether coincidence or by design, the 麻豆传媒映画East Cultural Centre鈥檚 latest offerings squarely puts theatregoers into the crossfire of today鈥檚 Me Too, Black Lives Matters and Trump conversation. At the York Theatre, Hot Brown Honey continues to smash female stereotypes with its fight the power dance party, while the Cultch鈥檚 Historic stage, in partnership with Zee Zee Theatre, hosts the loud and proud, critically-acclaimed Black Boys. On the heels of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, artistic director Heather Redfern welcomed a capacity crowd to the West Coast premiere of Stephen Jackman-Torkoff, Tawiah Ben M鈥機arthy and Thomas Olajide鈥檚 one act play, a timely and provocative exploration of queer male blackness. Written and performed by the three men, and created from the men鈥檚 own experiences as gay black men in Toronto, Black Boys is a play about what it means to be queer, black and male today. Similar to Hot Brown Honey, Black Boys unapologetically addresses the politics of gender, race and colonialism, forcing the actors and audience members to confront their own assumptions of 鈥渂lack on black loving,鈥� black men and racism.
MATCH GAME: Fans of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are acutely aware, despite the 鈥渉appy ever after鈥� ending that concludes every sappy season, the likelihood any of the gorgeous men and women making it to the altar are slim. Even our very own Love It or List It star Jillian Harris failed to launch (though she has since found love and is happily married). There are exceptions: Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter, Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici, and Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum. Now add Bachelor in Paradise鈥檚 Marcus Grodd and The Bachelorette鈥檚 Ally Lutar to the short list, although their union was not a result of a reality show hookup. (Grodd originally hooked up with BIP season one girl Lacy Faddoul, but split a year later.) Grodd and Lutar met privately, and it was love at first sight. The Medicine Hat businessman proposed to Lutar 鈥� a B.C. native 鈥� under a Lynn Canyon waterfall earlier this year. The couple would continue their love affair with Vanhattan, recently checking their wedding party 鈥� six groomsmen, five bridesmaids and one bride鈥檚 man 鈥� into Yaletown鈥檚 Opus Hotel before exchanging I Dos around the corner at Brix & Mortar.
Hear Fred Mondays 8:20 a.m. on CBC Radio鈥檚 The Early Edition AM690 and 88.1FM; Email: [email protected]; Twitter: .
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