The art of the ‘errand hang’

Doing errands with friends

Photo: Contributed

I don’t think I’ve seen a newscast lately that doesn’t include a report on the economic strife that is hitting the holiday season this year. Inflation. Rising food costs. Painful interest rates. All of those factors are leading to less shopping.

Of course, we are entering the season of parties, dinners out, indulging in special treats, gift-giving, heading to special holiday events. Yes, it’s been a rough few years of not doing many of the activities that make the season special, and maybe many of us just need a distraction from world events, but do we need to add more financial stress to ourselves?

A solution? How about an “errand hang?”

Making the rounds online for a while now, an errand hang is quite simple. You have errands to run. Your friend has errands to run. You do them together, collectively crossing items of your to do list, and enjoy low key socializing that avoids both the expense and the awkward small talk that happens while you’re waiting for the cheque to be dropped on the table.

Here re a few suggestions for how to make it work.

List some specific tasks with an itinerary and save some gas by going together. Post office, check. Fetching a book on hold at the library, check. Delivering donations to charity such as the food bank, animal shelter or thrift store, check. You’ll catch up in the car while sipping coffee.

An errand hang doesn’t eliminate shopping and we should all do our best to support local. Instead of a long lunch, make your “friend hang” (another name for the errand hang) a stop by your favourite spot to buy a gift card to use in the New Year.

I’m planning on taking my dad shopping for a variety of cream liqueurs so we can create recipes for a future column, and for my mom to use in some of her holiday baking. My maternal errand hang will then be me plating this year’s treats and giving them a spin.

Share the load at grocery shopping. Be the “declutter” friend and help clean out a closet or locker, then take the clutter to recycling, charity or have the more technical pal sell unneeded items online. Pack your old papers together and take them to be shredded or recycled. Wouldn’t that be satisfying?

I had a virtual errand hang with a pal in another city that might make a few chefs proud. On Zoom, we both chopped the ingredients for mirepoix, the flavour base of carrots, celery and onions for many dishes. We cooked some of it with some different spices and fats, left some of it raw and then prepped it all for freezing.

Now we’re both ready to text each other recipes and make soups all winter, but no Zooming for that. No one needs to see my mess on screen.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

Save these dates for wintery fun

Season events coming up

Photo: Contributed

The District Wine Villlage.

It’s not officially winter, but it is definitely winter event season and time to “calendarize” a few things.

This includes pre-ordering and planning to pick up holiday culinary feasts. A personal favourite is getting a Coulombe Family Tourtière from VinAmité Cellars just south of Oliver. It feeds six. You do the assembling and you can take all the credit when it comes out of the oven. Pick up on Dec. 22 or 23, but before then, plan on exploring Oliver-Osoyoos wine country.

Winter in Wine Country takes place in the southern part of the Okanagan Valley Nov. 24 to 25 and Dec. 2 to 3 as wineries celebrate the season. Highlights will include Hester Creek Estate Winery, which will have complimentary mulled wine, Culmina Family Estate Winery will welcome Audrey’s Breads with their baked goods and Nostalgia Wines will have a pop-up shop with gift ideas.

The South Okanagan Fire and Ice Festival will run from Nov. 24 to Dec. 3. The Fire and Ice Carnival at Spirit Ridge Resort will surely be memorable.

Further north, the wineries around Okanagan Falls and Kaleden—collectively known as the Heart of Wine Country— will host Holiday Cheer this coming weekend (Nov. 18 to 19). Highlights will include Santa at Blasted Church Vineyards, Lakeboat Winery will pair up with the famous Doug’s Homestead for meats and cheeses, Uppercase Winery will pair sips with soups, and side-by-side wineries Mayhem and Meyer will have a firepit for roasting marshmallows.

Near Penticton, indulge in the inaugural Naramata Bench Winterfest Nov. 24 to 25, with winery, cidery, and distillery tastings. Highlights will include mulled wine and s’mores at Daydreamer, baked goods and spiked tea at Maple Leaf Spirits and complimentary Provenance series tastings at Township 7.

Tip: While in Penticton, book your holiday dinner at BRODO for pick up on Dec. 22 and check out the happenings at the Naramata Inn.

Summerland hosts its famous Festival of Lights on Nov. 24 with Light Up the Vines on Bottleneck Drive the next day. Don’t miss mini cocktails at Controlled Entropy Distilling, fire pits and apple cider at Lightning Rock or grilled cheeses at Summerland Heritage Cider. As a bonus there will be multiple weekends for the Winter Wine Experience at Haywire.

In West Kelowna, Quail’s Gate will host its Winter "Wanderland” and a holiday gala this weekend and will raise funds for wildfire relief. Grizzli Winery will have events through mid-December and Mission Hill will hosts its annual Festival of Trees.

And finally, in Kelowna prepare for the holidays by taking a class at the Okanagan Table.

This should take us all well into the season and when you need to get in some exercise, strap on some skates and head to the District Wine Village.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

A taste of the conferences and courses available this winter

Tasty education

Photo: iStock/abdoudz

In the middle of this unpalatable economy, there may not be much taste for spending funds on anything educational.

That said, I was recently reminded of something said in a marketing committee meeting many years ago when I worked in post-secondary education: “If you can’t invest in anything else right now, at least you can invest in yourself.”

With several upcoming conferences, you can invest in your current business or the dream of starting a new one, especially if you’re pondering agriculture, the business of fermenting or distilling, or getting certified in beverages.

Interested in organics? Organic BC will bring the 30th anniversary of its conference to Penticton from Nov. 7 to 9. A grassroots network of organic certifiers, farmers, processors and consumers working to build healthy soil, ecosystems, people and communities, this organization’s conference promises a wide range of sessions, an off-site farm tour, a research facility tour, a packed trade show, and organic meals. Everyone is welcome to attend

Not long after, and also in Penticton, the Fortify conference will return. Fortify is a business conference and trade show for fermenters and distillers, featuring presentations from industry professionals and experts. If you’re in the booze business, adjacent to it or thinking of diving in, register to attend on Nov. 15. Sessions throughout the day will cover the themes of finance, marketing and HR. The day will start with a plenary session that’s been somewhat of a hot topic this year—Alcohol and Health – Why You Need to Worry about Changing Views.

Speaking of wine, UBC Dialogues will host Championing Climate-Resilient B.C. Winemaking on Nov. 7 in Kelowna, presented by UBC Okanagan and Alumni UBC in partnership with UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems. Also a hot topic, no pun intended.

Food, Wine, and Tourism at Okanagan College offers a number of classes and certificates, and some programs are a part of the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant, which can cover all or part of your tuition.

For something a little less formal, explore the remaining events of the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival, which run through Nov. 3, or pencil in an upcoming winter event. After all, sometimes simple networking over a glass of wine can present an unexpected opportunity.

If you missed the recent Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association Summit, you missed hearing from experts and leaders from key provincial and regional tourism sectors. The key takeaway, as our region recovers from this past season. Was now is the time for collaboration, planning, and preparation.

And now is the time to invest in yourself, your staff and your business.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

From collaboration to cold brew, beer week is coming

Penticton Beer Week

Photo: Penticton Beer Blocks/Penticton Beer Week.

Once you’ve recovered from your holiday feast this coming weekend, the countdown to October’s next seasonal festivities begins.

The fifth annual Penticton Beer Week will begin Oct. 12 with the official release of the annual Do Good brew, a collaboration creation, brewed at Yellow Dog Brewing. It is a fundraiser supporting the South Okanagan-Similkameen branch of the SPCA. Watch for it on sale during the 10-day Beer Block Party from Oct. 13 to Oct. 22.

On lucky Friday the 13th, events kick off with a barrel beer release and pizza party, a classic pairing, at Tin Whistle Brewing; the Brewer’s Showdown at Cannery Brewing, where staff members have created eight unique beers and attendees vote for their favourite; and the Nightmare on Westminster, featuring spooky tacos and a costume contest, at Neighbourhood Brewing.

Speaking of costumes, they are encouraged at the 10 km walk or run Penticton Beer Run Oct. 14. There’s still time to register.

Starting at Abandoned Rail Brewing for their first sip, participants will take a scenic route starting down the KVR trail as they sample their way through tastings from the Barley Mill Brew Pub, the Cannery, Tin Whistle, Neighbourhood, Yellow Dog, Slackwater Brewing, Highway 97 Brewing Company, Oliver’s Firehall Brewery, and Summerland’s Giant’s Head Brewing.

A highlight of a week of activities will be the third annual Square Mini-Mural Project at the Cannery on Oct. 18. A joint event with the Penticton Art Gallery, these murals have been on display at the Cannery since March. If one caught your eye, this will be your chance to bid on it.

From a beer mug workshop to a pretzel making class to a sip ‘n’ spin fitness class, there are plenty of pints to explore and enjoy, with the festival concluding on Oct. 21.

The second annual BrewHaHa takes place at the Penticton Lakeside Resort and Conference Centre, where you can take advantage of the resort’s Sips & Suds package, available until the end of November.

Beer, food, live music and there’s a chance to win a night’s stay at the Lakeside if you purchase your tickets before Oct. 10.

In case that isn’t enough ales, pilsners and stouts, plan on booking Oktoberfest at the District Wine Village – bonus, there’s a shuttle, but book early – on Oct. 23.

Learn more about B.C.’s burgeoning craft beer scene by visiting the BC Ale Trail online here.

Photo: Penticton Beer Blocks/Penticton Beer Week.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.