Free Things To Do In Ottawa This Summer

free –adjective
[free]
1. provided without, or not subject to, a charge or payment

On an ever pursuit of saving a buck or two, I have decided to share with you my list of FREE things to do in Ottawa this summer:

Events

May

International Museum Day - although I wasn't able to find which Ottawa museums are participating, May 18th is International Museum Day and admission should be FREE.

Canadian Tulip Festival is FREE until May 23rd.

The Great Glebe Garage Sale it's FREE to walk around, but will cost ya to buy someone else's junk and takes place on May 28th.

June

Orleans Festival, yup, that’s right, Orleans has its own festival, and it's FREE. If you want to drive all the way out there, it runs from June 3rd to June 4th.

Bicycle Rodeo - I'm not really sure what it is, but it is on June 4th and it's FREE.

Auto Classic in the ByWard Market - Sunday, June 5th and the admission is FREE.

Westfest is a FREE multidisciplinary art festival, which runs from June 10th to June 12th.

Summer Solstice Aboriginal Arts Festival is a celebration of everything aboritiginal. Admission is free and the event takes place from June 17th to June 19th.

The Ottawa Fringe Theatre and Arts Festival provides some FREE shows and takes place this summer between June 16th to June 26th.

The Community Cup is a FREE one-day multicultural event that takes place on June 26th.

July

Canada Day at the Parliament Hill it's FREE and if you don't know already, it's on July 1st.

Ottawa International Jazz Festival offers some FREE shows and takes place June 23rd to July 3rd.

August

Ottawa GreekFest is annual event that features live Greek music and traditional Greek cuisine. The event is FREE and runs from August 11th to the 22nd.

Colonel By Day is a free heritage festival that celebrates the founding of Ottawa and the construction of the Rideau Canal. There event runs on On August 1st, 2011, between 11am - 4pm and will feature live music, such as the local FiddleGround and Heritage Hands Ottawa Drum Club, and performances by Scottish dancers, step dancers, English country dancers, and local story teller Ruthanne Edward. There is also free admission to the Bytown Museum.

Ongoing Events

Parliament Hill Tours are offered FREE everyday of the year.

Jane's Walk, a festival of free neighbourhood walking tours that runs throughout the summer and the service is offered FREE.

Mosaika, Sound and Light Show is offered for FREE every evening from July 6th to September 11th, on Parliament Hill.

Supreme Court of Canada provides FREE guided tours daily.

Music Under the Stars is a FREE event every Thursday from 7pm to 9pm, which takes place June 16th to July 21th.


The Great Outdoors

Gatineau Park is always FREE and you can explore such sites as the Lusk Caves, Pink Lake and the Eardley Escarpment.


Museums

National Gallery of Canada - FREE admission every Thursday after 5 pm.

Canadian Museum of Civilization - FREE admission every Thursday from 4 pm to 8 pm.

Canadian Warm Museum - FREE admission every Thursday from 4 pm to 8 pm and all day on Canada Day.

Bytown Museum- FREE admission every Thursday from 5 pm to 9 pm.

The Currency Museum of the Bank of Canada - Admission to the Museum, including its programs, activities and guided tours are always FREE.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Stable - Admission is FREE between May and August, seven days a week from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

The Canada Aviation Museum - FREE admission between 4 pm and 5 pm every day.

Canadian Museum of Nature - FREE admission every Thursday from 5 pm to 8 pm


Workshops

Art Engine.ca. is offering a series of workshops this summer, and best of all they are FEEE.


Parking

The city actually has free parking, can you believe it? FREE parking is offered every weekend at the The World Exchange Plaza.

Side Clapper™

side clap·per -noun
[sahyd klap-er]
1. A music festival device that allows the wearer to clap along with the band while holding their beverage

The Side Clapper™


This summer I did a bit of the music festival tour starting with the NxNE music festival in Toronto. During NxNE I began to realize a certain fact, when holding a beverage, especially one that comes in a brown bottle, it is almost impossible to clap.

During the shows I looked around at my fellow festival goers and noticed that many in attendance holding their own form of beverage would do the same thing as I would, they would either hoot and holler or slap their hip to show their appreciation for the band. I thought to myself, 'the band can't hear me slapping my hip… there's got to be a better way!' For the rest of the festival I shopped my idea around a bit and asked those in attendance that I spied slapping their hip if they think they would benefit from some sort of side clapper. I received some mixed reactions, some for, some against, some "Get away from me you drunk!"… I think they might have been still on the fence about the whole idea.

It was during the next festival, the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest where I really decided that this device had to be made, if not for me than for the hips of festival goers all over the world. During our late night Bluesfest brainstorming sessions, (where many good ideas are formed dontcha' know?), my pitch was met with much enthusiasm. It was time turn this dream into a reality.

For the next festival, the Wolfe Island Music Festival, I recruited a few friends and together we designed the first ever prototype of the Side Clapper™. Producing only 20 prototypes for the festival my goal was to spread the word, create some buzz and hopefully convince a band to wear them on stage during the festival. Well Dear Reader I am ecstatic to stay that I exceeded my goal. Not only did I create some buzz, but I also pitched the Side Clapper™ to front man Rolf of The Acorn. Much to my surprise, and those festival goers that were wearing their own Side Clapper™, Rolf even took a few seconds out of his performance to explain the Side Clapper™, using almost the same pitch that I had given him the night before.

But don't just take my word for it, I'll let Rolf explain it himself:



The final music festival of the season was the Ottawa Folk Fest, where I once again produced a few more prototypes and tried creating some buzz. It didn't hurt that The Acorn were also performing at this festival. At one point I overhead the following: "See that guy over there? He's the inventor of the Side Clapper™. I was at Wolfe Island last week when he was handing them out."

So where does the Side Clapper™ go from here? Well I'm going to take the Fall and Winter months to design and produce a permanent version and hopefully you'll see me at the 2011 SxSW where you too can get your very own Side Clapper™.


Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site

5 Books For Your Fall Reading List

book·worm –noun
[book-wurm]
1. a person devoted to reading or studying

Once again I have been neglecting this poor blog, for that Dear Reader I am sorry.

I've been so busy Chasing Distractions this summer that I haven't been able to find the time to post any updates. Lots to fill you in on, but one of the top things to scratch off my To Do List is an update for the quasi-Book Club. Plus it will help me to clear off the number of books that are beginning to pile up on my desk.

If you remember my last Book Club update, way back in September of 2009, the next book on the list was Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer. Well I finally finished it... it only took me about six months. What to say about Tropic of Cancer, other than Miller sure does love to throw the 'C' word around. I'm not sure if this is a work of pure fiction or just the drunken ramblings of a starving American writer living in Paris with the stories of his cohort's exploits thrown in for good measure. But who knows, maybe I missed the point entirely.

After those gruelling six months the book reading was back to one every week or so. The next 4 books for your reading list are as follows:

Bite Me is the next instalment of Christopher Moore's own Vampire trilogy. In typical Moore style Bite Me is a funny easy read. In fact I chewed through this one over a long weekend in May while lounging at the cottage.








I went back to another of my favourite authors and read back-to-back Palahnuik novels. The first was Pygmy. With its broken language writing style it reminded me of an Irvine Welsh novel. Not too much to say about this one, unfortunately once you know the author's style the ending becomes a little predictable. Overall Pygmy was a good read.





Ever wonder what goes on backstage of a porn set? Well Chuck Palahniuk's novel Snuff will answer that very question. Cassie Wright is going for a gangbang record, 600 guys, and each one has their story to tell. Although this novel also summed up with a predicable ending, the path taken to get there was enjoyable.






Last on the list was a novel I really enjoyed, The Unbearable Lightness Of Being by Milan Kundera. Although quite sad at times I really felt connected with a number of the characters. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes a good read.







Next on the list, and currently 130 pages in, is The Master and Margarita written by Mikhail Bulgakov. I can't wait to tell you all about it.

Well that about sums it up for me tonight. Until next time, happy reading.


Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site

Where'd ya go CD?

MIA -noun
[ěm'ī-ā']
1. A member of the armed services who is reported missing following a combat mission and whose status as to injury, capture, or death is unknown

So I've been away for some time, neglecting this poor blog, for that I do apologize to both you Dear Reader and to you poor blog.

So lets play some catch up shall we?

Around mid April I was given notice that my contract would be ending on May 31st, it's been two whole weeks now that I've been underemployed, and a whole month since I have gotten a pay cheque. For a guy that unfortunately lives hand to mouth, this friends is not a good situation to be in. On the plus side I have managed to get a couple of writing jobs and am still slowly working on my Freelance Writer website.

On May 1st I headed back to Golden BC for a few weeks to visit with the most amazing girl. It was a bittersweet visit however, as I do not think I will ever get a chance to see her again.

After that I came back to Capital City for a week, then headed off to the Muskoka's to hang out at a cottage and clear my mind. I did some visiting back in Hometown and returned once again to Capital City. In my downtime, while looking for some means of gainful employment I put together a little blog network, which I have called My Big List Of Blogs. I'm not sure what I am going to do with it, but hopefully I'll get a little traffic and gain some much needed income with this pet project of mine.

So where does Chasing Distractions go from here?

I should be putting my efforts into finding some work, getting my life back together, but my ever-muddled mind still has the urge to chase distractions. Lately I've been focusing that energy on entering contests, you all know how I love winning stuff. Yesterday I won a ride in the Bluesfest limo, got treated to a Subway lunch and was handed 4 day passes for the festival. Today I put my efforts into winning some NXNE passes, but sadly I didn't win. But never fear Dear Reader, this story does have a happy ending, fellow CBC Radio3 blogger MoniSki graciously offered me one of her own NXNE passes. How awesome is that?

On Thursday morning I plan on taking what little funds I have, jumping into my Granpa mobile and heading down to the Big Smoke for one last weekend of music and excitement. Maybe I'll even run into The Details again.

Oh speaking of The Details, in an old post I mentioned testing out recording audio with my digital handheld recorder, it worked and the quality was much better. So I'll leave you with a video from that show back in March.




Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site

Please Support Your Local Food Bank

char·i·ty –noun
[char-i-tee]
1.generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless

My situation has once again become dire. My current full time writing contract has recently been terminated and will wrap up at the end of this month. Devoting myself to paying down my debts, and probably chasing too many distractions, I have not saved enough to weather the storm.

I have approximately $600 to my name until I find some sort of gainful employment. Originally I had set out to branch out on my own, looking for my own clients, but realistically I will not make enough income to survive the next month. So it's back to the job boards once again.

It's funny, tragic funny not haha funny, how history repeats itself.

Five years ago when I first relocated to Capital City it was mainly due to a transfer within the company I worked for. Eight months later they laid me off and I found myself unemployed during my first summer here. Visa helped weather the storm that time by paying for my rent and groceries; sadly I'm still attempting to pay off that decision. At that time I was recommended to go to the Food Bank to help make ends meet, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it because I didn't think I needed the assistance.

Well I am one that learns from my mistakes and decided to go to my local Food Bank today for some support. I'm glad I did. Upon arriving I was shocked to see the amount of people milling about waiting for their turn to grab what limited items where available on the shelves. People of all walks of life and ages. Families with young ones. Everyone with a look of despair in their eyes. It was the most depressing site I think I have ever seen. They were serving number 19 when I arrived and I was number 47. I couldn't bring myself to stay. What meagre items they had left on the shelves, these other 46 people needed it more than I did.

I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do next, but for any of you that read this blog and have the means to donate to your local food bank, please do so. Whatever community you live in, there is bound to be someone in need of assistance from the local food bank, and from what I have observed, the local food bank needs your help too.


Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site

The Twelve Days Of Bluesfest

per⋅fect at⋅tend⋅ance –noun
[per-fekt uh-ten-duhns]
1. the act of attending an event without missing a day
The Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest was twelve days long this year, and being a trooper I managed to go every single day, no matter how much it hurt me. I would love to do a review of every single show I saw, but after seeing over 80 artists I think this post would take me forever. So this is going to be less of a review and more of a list of bands I saw. Please feel free to read them in the tune of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’:

On the first day of Bluesfest I went to go see:
Amanda Rheaume, Van der Graaf Generator, Amos the Transparent, Monkey Junk, The Black Keys, Sergent Garcia

On the second day of Bluesfest I went to go see:
Brothers Chaffey, Holy Fuck, Iron & Wine, Metric, Oumou Sangare, Ben Harper, The Road Hammers, Elliot Brood

On the third day of Bluesfest I went to go see:
The Stills, Okkervil River, Sam Roberts, Jackson Browne, The Dodos, Steve Earle, DeVotchka, King Sunny Ade & His African Beats, Arrested Development, Peter Voith Trio

On the fourth day of Bluesfest I went to go see:
Jill Barber, Hey Rosetta!, John Vanderslice, Rachael Yamagata, Punch Brothers, Curumin, Matisyahu, FEMI KUTI, Jesse Cook

On the fifth day of Bluesfest I went to go see:
Girl Talk, Land of Talk, King Khan & BBQ Show, Jenn Grant, Neko Case, Thunderheeist, Joe Cokcer, Mother Mother, Kid Koala

After my fifth day of Bluesfest Grant Lawrence of CBC Radio3, who had found me on Facebook to ask if I would do a live fan review of the festival, tracked me down. Hungover, and maybe even still a little drunk I agreed. If you ended up missing my live radio debut you can still give a listen to it. Look for the entry that says 'Live on CBC Radio 3: All Request with Wintersleep!' and hit the Play button for Ottawa Blues Fest Fan Review (Crozon Ottawa)

On the sixth day of Bluesfest I went to go see:
Gym Class Heroes, Stone Temple Pilots, Basia Bulat, Great Lake Swimmers

On the seventh day of Bluesfest I went to go see:
The Zombies, Ice Cube, The Yardbirds, Xavier Rudd, Toots & the Maytals

On the eighth day of Bluesfest I went to go see:
The Arkells, Silent Disco, The National, KISS, Beast, Skydiggers, K'NAAN

On the ninth day of Bluesfest I went to go see:
Shout Out Out Out, Busta Rhymes, Mick Taylor, Les Claypool

On the tenth day of Bluesfest I went to go see:
Cake, Blue Rodeo, Paolo Nutini, Dave Mason, Clem Snide

On the eleventh day of Bluesfest I went to go see:
Poorfolk, Woodhands, Otis Taylor, Ludacris, Drive-By Truckers, Black Mountain, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Low Anthem, Louisiana Red, Rhythm Council, David Lindley, The Deep Dark Woods, That 1 Guy

On the twelfth day of Bluesfest I went to go see:
Deer Tick, Handsome Furs, C.R. Avery with the Sojourne's, The Dead Weather, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I ended up winning the Perfect Attendance Award. I think it was the first time ever in my life that I have had perfect attendance. My Mom would be so proud.



Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site

NxNE – Day 4

missed out –verb
[mis]
1. to fail to take advantage of
I awoke feeling a little rough so decided to take advantage of the late checkout and sleep in. Unfortunately I slept in too long and wasn’t able to use the pool, sauna, fitness centre or waters slide… not that I would really have done all that, but the sauna might have helped the hangover a bit.

After checking out I decided to head back to my cousin’s apartment for a little more rest. I passed The Details on my way to the subway station and they invited me to the Six Shooter BBQ. I asked them to call me once they confirmed I was able to get in for sure because the BBQ was all the way down by the beaches and I didn’t want to go to just be turned away. Plus it was raining. And did I mention I was hung over? In the end I never ended up going. I needed to rest up for the Boat Cruise.

Since I was in town I got in contact with The African Accent and tried to coax him out. He declined the night before, but was a maybe for the festivities for the Boat Cruise, where there was to be DJ’s, bands and as the fuzzy picture shows, nude painted models. He never showed and definitely missed out.

After the boat cruise I was planning on going to The Horseshoe to thank Grant Lawrence personally for the passes, but the cruise was so good hic I never made it.



Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site

NxNE – Day 3

fate –noun
[feyt]
1. the universal principle or ultimate agency by which the order of things is presumably prescribed
The day started off slow, I had a bit of writing to catch up on so I didn't end up going out until the late afternoon. I decided I was going to give my cousin and his wife a break and rented a room downtown at the Delta Chelsea. They set me up on the 15th floor with a view of Yonge Street. I could almost make out the stage set up at Yonge Dundas Square, so after I settled in I strolled down to catch Black Hat Brigade’s set.

After some dinner and a shower I was ready to see a show that I was really looking forward to, Coeur de Pirate. Apparently I wasn’t the only one as I arrived at the Dakota Tavern the line-up was already around the block. The doorman told me that they were overcapacity and it was now a case of one-in-one-out. Later I would find that this was not true and in fact it was another case of the industry guest list ruining it for the rest of the fans. In fact I have a credible source that says not only was the Dakota way below capacity, but Coeur de Pirate’s manager had to come out and ask why they were not letting anyone in. The answer – industry guest list first.

Feeling dejected, again, for having my beginning of the night ruined by NxNE’s industry guest list policy I was at a loss of where to go next. I almost planned to work my way up to College street to see some of the 9pm concerts before making my way back to Yonge Dundas Square for the Wintersleep show, but at last minute decided to cross the street to The Painted Lady to enjoy a pint of Guinness and listen a few minutes of a PEI band by the name of Boxer The Horse. That decision proved fateful as the rest of the night could have been quite different if I decided to walk up to College Street.

Not wanting to miss any of the Wintersleep show I left The Painted Lady early and walked down Dundas Street in search of a streetcar that would take me to Yonge Dundas Square. I ran into a couple asking a man about the very streetcar I was looking for. I asked if they wanted to just split a cab, but the girl said she was really looking forward to experiencing a streetcar for the first time. As it turns out our NxNE experience was very similar. The girl, originally from Winnipeg, who I am dubbing Superfan Jenny, arrived from Ottawa on Wednesday, where she had been visiting her sister. We both had tried to get into the Coeur de Pirate show but were turned away and ended up going to The Painted Lady for a pint of Guinness. Amused by our coincidences I mentioned that I was staying at the Delta Chelsea, and of course they were as well. I said they had me on the 15th floor, they were on the 14th floor. It turned out that her boyfriend Jon is the front man for a band called The Details and they were performing at NxNE. I missed their show on Thursday by a matter of minutes when after Papa Groove I decided to take in a documentary, which I also missed. Furthermore, every show the night before we were all at the same venue, probably even standing right near each other.

We ended up taking in the Wintersleep show together and bought each other rounds of Mill Street Organic Drafts from the beer tent. Although Wintersleep put on a great show it paled in comparison of the new friendship we were forming. I met the rest of the band members from The Details after the show and we all headed down to the Drake Hotel to take in Halifax’s Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees. Afterwards the band and Superfan Jenny called it a night and we planned to meet up the next day. I would see the band one more time in the morning, where they invited me to a party, which in the end I declined.

After I left the Drake Hotel I ended up at The Reverb and attempted to dance the night away to the sounds of the Parallels, 84.85 and Kenny Glasgow, but in the end the drink was too much for me and I headed back to my hotel room to pass out, alone, but happy for the experiences I had.

And that, Dear Reader, was my 3rd, and what would be my last, night at the North by Northeast festival in Toronto.



Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site

NxNE – Day 2

ac⋅quaint –verb
[uh-kweynt]
1. to make more or less familiar, aware, or conversant
2. to bring into social contact; introduce

My cousin decided to blow off work and join me for a day at NxNE. I haven’t seen him in awhile and we were never really that close so it was a good chance to get to know him better.

We started the day out at the Hyatt Regency with Rah Rah, a pretty good band from Saskatchewan. Followed by Papa Groove, a very unique band from Montreal. During the Papa Groove show my cousin leaned over to me and said “They look like a bunch of tour buses crashed and these guys are the survivors.” And he is right. The lead singer resembles Lenny Cravitz, the bass player is a white guy with long dreadlocks sporting a cowboy hat, there was a 5-piece brass section, two guys on keyboards dressed as pimps, three drummers and I think one or two other guys on guitars. You really have to see it to believe it.

We rushed over to the National Film Board to check out a documentary but, still feeling the pints from the previous night, I misread the schedule. The documentary was being screened at the Hyatt Regency – the very place we just left. I begged off doing anything else for the rest of that afternoon and took a much-needed nap.

Feeling refreshed, we headed back out on the town. Our first stop was Lee’s Palace for the Outlaws and Gunslingers show. I ran into Amanda Putz and listened to The Swallows and a compilation of Jim Cuddy, Royal Wood and Oh Susanna. The line-up was a little too country for me so we jumped the streetcar to Queen St. West and just made it in time for The Burning Hell show at the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern, followed by The United Steelworkers of Montreal. Apparently the Horseshoe does not follow the maximum capacity requirements, so by the end of the Steelworkers show the place was jam-packed. Feeling slightly claustrophobic we left and ended the night off at the El Mocambo with You Say Party! We Say Die!, and die I did. Exhausted, I made it an early night and went back to my cousin’s place to rest up for the weekend.






Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site

NxNE – Day 1

let⋅down –noun 
[let-doun]
1. disillusionment, discouragement, or disappointment

On Tuesday night the great people at CBC Radio3 hooked me up with two passes to the North by Northeast music festival in Toronto. So Wednesday morning I woke up early, jumped in my car and made the 500 or so kilometre drive to The Big Smoke.

The first night was a bit of a bust; the rain began just as I got in line for the Arts & Crafts show at The Courthouse, and to add insult to injury they were only letting in people on the industry guest list. After standing in the rain for 2 hours, dejected, I decided to leave and hailed a cab to The Drake Hotel. A cool pint of Guinness and the sounds of The D’Urbervilles, lioness and Woodhands made up for the disappointment from the beginning of the night.



Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site

Free Events In Ottawa This June

fru⋅gal –adjective
[froo-guhl]
1. economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful
2. entailing little expense; requiring few resources; meager
Yesterday I brought my car in for it’s semi-annual inspection and an oil change. Well the total tab ended up costing me close to $600. With the months entertainment budget now blown I decided to look for some free things to do in Capital City for the month of June.

June 12th (to 14th)
Westfest
This year you can look forward to the best in Canadian and Local Ottawa multidisciplinary arts, including music, performance art, literature, spoken word, media art, visual art, dance, theatre, and live animation. Westfest is located on Richmond Road, between Golden Avenue and Island Park Drive. Tonight’s musical acts include:
Arctic 7:00 - 7:45 PM
Jenn Grant 8:00 - 9:00 PM
Danny Michel 9:30 - 11:00 PM

Check out Danny Michel’s video for Feather, Fur and Fin:



June 13th
Indonesian Festival 2009
Embassy of Indonesia will be presenting “Indonesian Festival 2009”. There will be a bazaar (furniture, handycraft and traditional food), kid’s activities, traditional cultural performance and workshop, and trade/tourism promotion for the whole family. This event will be held at the Embassy’s premises at 55 Parkdale Ave from 11:00am-4:00pm.

June 16th
Bloomsday In Ottawa
National Irish Canadian Cultural Center is proud to announce the’ Inaugural Celebration’ of ‘James Joyce Bloomsday ‘ to be held at St. Brigid’s Cultural Center, 310 St. Patrick Street. Readers, Musicians and Dancers from the Irish Community, will combine to present Drama, Music and Irish Dance in a mosaic of the Performing Arts, reflecting every day life in Dublin around 1904, the year of ‘Ulysses’ debut. Doors will be open at 6:30 pm and the event will conclude at 10:30pm with the Cash Bar closing 11pm. Information: 613-225-1830

June 17th
Mens' Health: Golfing Injuries
Free seminar on Men’s health: Golfing injuries, presented by Joel Villenueve, Naturopathic Doctor, at Rainbow Foods 1487 Richmond Rd. 630-7:30pm.
Information: 613-726-9200

June 19th
Arts Cafe concert, Austrian Embassy
Love, Rage and Altered States: The Mind in Austrian Music Concert by Justin KOLB (piano) and François MAI (text) with music by Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert and Robert Starer. How do emotions affect the music of great composers? In this duo performance virtuoso pianist Justin Kolb and psychiatrist-author François Mai will address this question and highlight how Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert and others expressed specific feelings in their music. Sheraton Hotel, 150 Albert St. 7pm

June 24th
Seasonal Allergies Seminar
Free seminar on Seasonal Allergies, presented by Mark Orbay, Naturopathic Doctor, at Rainbow Foods 1487 Richmond Rd. 630-7:30pm.
Information: 613-726-9200

June 25th
A Free Home Buyers Seminar
Learn how to avoid common pitfalls when buying a home. Speak to the professionals. There will be a Lawyer, Home Inspector, Mortgage broker, and Real Estate Agent there to answer all your Real Estate questions. There will be light refreshments, discounts and The seminar will be held at the Royal LePage Gale Real Estate office Located at 591 March Road, Kanata from 6:45pm – 8:00pm
Information: 613-763-0772

June 25th (to July 26th)
OSA’s 2009 Graduating Class Exhibition
A showcase of emerging artists in the Ottawa region. Work will be on display from June 25 to July 26, 2009 at the OSA Gallery, 35 George St., 5pm-8pm.

June 25th (to July 1st)
Canada Day Festival
The Canada Day Festival has talented performers, unique entertainment and fun for the whole family all weekend until the finale on July 1st 2009 Canada Day! Check out the events in Andrew Haydon Park in the city's west-end to savor foods for every palette and enjoy the colourful entertainment and activities offered by a variety of stellar performers. There's something for everyone - midway rides and games, a mini-circus, a petting zoo, a car show, a water park, face painting, live DJ, band shell entertainment, cultural events and a Canada Day fireworks display.

June 27th (to July 2nd)
Unisong Choir Festival
Over the Canada Day weekend, ensembles of over 400 choristers from across Canada will present four days of free concerts throughout the Capital.

Budget blown and all, I am still hoping to make it to Toronto next weekend for NxNE - so wish me luck.




Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site

SEARCHLIGHT! Winner Phog Lounge Announces Concert Details

head⋅lin⋅er –noun
[hed-lahy-ner]
1. a performer whose name appears most prominently in a program
Tom Lucier, of the Phog Lounge, announced live today on CBC Radio 3 the concert details for winning the Searchlight Contest for the Best Live Music Venue in Canada back in February.

So without further ado, here are the details:

Phog Lounge, Windsor, Ontario
Saturday, July 11th, 2009

Many local Windsor Bands will be performing during the Free All Day Event (charges for the VIP section).
CBC Radio 3 will be there for a live broadcast of headliner Holy Fuck.

I wish I could make it down to Windsor for this concert, but I already have passes for Bluefest here in Capital City. For all those that are going to attend, enjoy!



Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site

Wolfe Island Musicfest 2009

line⋅up –noun
[lahyn-uhp]
1. a particular order or disposition of persons or things as arranged or drawn up for action

Today Virginia Clark, the Artistic Director of the Wolfe Island Musicfest 2009, released the 2009 line-up on CBC Radio3.

This year’s festival will be taking place Aug 7th and 8th and a weekend pass goes for $50, which includes camping.

I'm not very good at typing, so I was only able to get a few of the bands down, so here is the small list:

Holy Fuck
Apostle of Hustle
Rural Alberta Advantage
ohbijou
Woodhands
Attack in Black
P.S. I Love You

Per Virginia these are only a few of the confirmed ones (minus the two our three I missed) and there are still many more to be added to the show.

I went to the 2008 Wolfe Island Musicfest, had an amazing time, and will sure to be back this year.

Update:
CBC Radio3 finally released their blog post, so here are the three artists I missed:

Busdriver
The D'urbervilles
Julie Fader

You can also hear the interview with Virginia Clark.





Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site