Fun and adventure can be found at the most unlikely places.
In front of our door step so to speak.
Fun can be found during a stroll through your own neighbourhood, on a snow covered trail hike or watching and listening to eight speakers working their magic during an evening of the 20th Public Salon at the Vancouver Playhouse!
Vancouver's population is as diverse at a good artisan bread shop: immigrants from all around the globe and locals alike can be found here! Each and every one of them carries their own, unique story.
Most Vancouverites are fond of community building. The buzz words are Shop local, Eat local, Support local! Platforms for sharing community building inspiration can be found everywhere. Like the one I am going to tell you about.
Public Salon is similar to a TEDx event, several speakers, all on a mission to make their community a better place to live in!
Public Salon is the brainchild of Mr. Sam Sullivan, former Mayor of Vancouver and Ms Lynn Zanatta. For over 10 years they hosted private dinner parties at their home and invited a diverse (eclectic?) group of individuals to share their individual views, experiences, world view and passion with each other. As you know, the best conversations always happen over a shared meal with a few glasses of tongue loosing beverages!
Instead of being invited into the private dinning room of the couple we were invited into the Vancouver Playhouse to listen and watch eight speakers, dancers and musicians!
Here is how the 20th Public Salon looked like:
A welcome dance,
And now, my friend Vicki and |I, ready to get dazzled:
But before the action starts, a few shots from the crowd - and what a shame, they didn't turn out well, too dark!
Mohamed Assani- Sitarist - Music teacher who teaches Indian Music at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music. (What an interesting instrument,. My son plays the guitar, five strings is enough for him)!
Dr. Lance Barrett Lennard, Director of the Vancouver Aqaeium's Marine Mammal Research Program - interesting stuff about the health of killer whales.
Martha Carter, Choreographer
More entertainment was provided by Ms. Becky Wenham, playing her cello while dancer Hayden Fong put his talents on show:
Furthermore we had Mr. Paul Draggan, "Reckless Bike"shop owner. On a mission to get Vancouverites on a bike.
Genevieve Ennis Hume, of Hume Atelier, specialises in custom made jewellery Their atelier supports artisanal miners.
Ms Kwiaahwah Jones of Haida and Nishgaa descent
is the curator of the Bill Reid Gallery. This First Nations woman put her love for native art on display:
Claudia Li, Co-founder of HUA foundation (dedicated to creating solutions for the Hua, ethnic Chinese community). She read us a letter, addressed to her grandma, revealing her years of struggle: torn between meeting expectations of her demanding parents and finding her own voice and way in Canada.
And last but not least it was
Jason Lindstorm of Bucket List.org. Bucket List is one of the largest data bases of life goals on the web with over one million visitors per year. Funny story about Jason wanted to meet Richard Brenson- and just like that, Voila, Sir Richard kite surfed right into his arm and needed to be rescued by Jason!
As I just said, as diverse as Vancouver's population!
Nothing was too heavy to digest, too complicated to understand, too controversial or mind blowing. It was a representation of what Vancouver stands for and represents: Nice people supporting their local community,
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