Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce    held a Business After 5 event at Andrews’ Scenic Acres, which is a beautiful farm located in view of the Niagara Escarpment which rims almost half the horizon at this point.

     It’s a pick-your-own farm with a shop and a winery. Strawberries are beginning to ripen and later in the season you’ll be able to pick raspberries, cherries, currants, gooseberries, blueberries, corn, pumpkins and cut flowers.

     Andrews have won many awards for their Scotch Block Winery wines. They also had their Oak Aged Black Currant wine chosen as one of three fruit wines to be served at Queen’s Park for 2008 to 2009. Black Currant, Black Raspberry and Raspberry Rhapsody were some of the wines being offered at the Chamber event, as well as a delightful strawberry lemonade.

     In addition to the standard cheese and crackers, the food treats were fresh strawberries and whipped cream, strawberry frozen yogurt and chocolate-covered strawberries, all enjoyed despite the heat wafting through the tent and the tree-shaded picnic table area. You don’t get more of a summer experience than this.

     The farm, shop and winery are for sale, so if you know someone wanting an established rural retail operation, send them down the 10th Sideroad for a look.

     What’s your favourite pick-your-own farm?

Tags: local food | Click here to view 2 Comments, or to add your own comment »

     Last Thursday we had back-to-back receptions to go to. The first was the opening of Burlington artist Ann Kloppenburg’s exhibition “The Beauty of Halton” in the Visitor Centre of the Halton Region Museum. Ann had been kind enough to send us an invitation herself, and we were happy to attend.

     The exhibition is a collection of Ann’s watercolours of natural scenes. She says she has “a great feeling for sky and water” and her style is “loose and free.” She works in both large and small sizes, featuring local landscapes. She has taught at the Burlington Art Centre and I believe she told me that she’ll have an exhibition there this fall. But until Sept. 7, you can see her moody scenes at Halton Region Museum.

     After this opening reception, Mike and I were off to Hamilton’s waterfront. Giant’s Rib Discovery Centre organizers held their third annual summer solstice fundraiser at Parks Canada Discovery Centre. The Giant’s Rib group was formed to interpret the natural and cultural heritage of the Niagara Escarpment.

     A wine and cheese reception presented wine from Vineland Estates and three fine cheeses from Mickey McGuire’s of Dundas. A film of Escarpment photographs by The Spirit of Nature was shown in the theatre. A highlight of the evening was the introduction of the new Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Wall of photos and text. There was also musical entertainment, a silent auction of great products and a gorgeous sunset over the Escarpment.

     How did you spend the summer solstice?

Tags: events | Click here to view 2 Comments, or to add your own comment »

     Guitar music and laughter filled Theatre Orangeville last night as The Arrogant Worms added an Escarpment town to their summer tour. Chris Patterson, Trevor Strong and Mike McCormick, dubbed “Canada’s Clown Princes of Musical Comedy,” performed their humorous and satirical songs, which are winning them a cult following. From their “We Are the Beaver,” their patriotic and family-friendly compositions and emphasis on audience participation during “Rippy the Gator” and “Rocks and Trees” provide fun for all ages. Their tongue-in-cheek anthem “Canada’s Really Big” was voted onto CBC’s contest for Barack Obama’s Playlist.

     Their full evening of entertainment was preceded by talent of another kind: Jay Calder performing instrumental music on guitar. Calder plays guitar like no one else I have ever heard. He plays a steel string acoustic guitar in what he calls “finger style,” which means he doesn’t use a pick. Instead, he uses his fingers and nails, thumbs and palms to produce melodies, harmonies and drum beats. He plays like a one-man band that you have to see to believe!

     The evening was organized and introduced by Grant Jennings, who’s a relative of mine, but despite that, he managed an impressive job.

     If you get a chance to see or hear The Arrogant Worms or Jay Calder, do it.

Jay Calder

Arrogant Worms

Tags: arts & entertainment | Click here to view 2 Comments, or to add your own comment »

     It’s the time of year when farmers’ markets ramp up. While their peak season is likely the traditional harvest time of August through September, it’s fun to get out for a stroll in the open air and check out what’s on offer early in the year. Seedlings and potted herbs and flowers are available, as is maple syrup from the spring harvest, fresh baked goods, rhubarb, and green, but not white, asparagus. Mike even bought some early and expensive strawberries from the Niagara Region. But they were big, sweet and ripe, not the hard, sour half-white berries you might find in big grocery stores. Local products often have superior flavour.

     Another pleasure of farmers’ markets is the socialization. While we barely nod at acquaintances in supermarkets, we stop and chat even with strangers at outdoor markets, especially if there’s a dog involved. There’s definitely something special about markets.

     Three markets we’ve attended recently are Ottawa Street Farmers’ Market, open year-round in Hamilton, Downtown Georgetown Farmer’s Market, which opened just this past weekend, and Milton Farmer’s Market which opened on May 16.

     There was a busy Milton Street Festival on June 6. Downtown Georgetown will hold Festival on Main this Sat. June 20. We hope to be there as well.

     There is a lot going on in our communities in the warm seasons. Which farmers’ markets do you enjoy, and why?

Tags: local food | Click here to view 5 Comments, or to add your own comment »

     We’ve had some gratifying responses to our feature article on Canadian Civil War re-enactors in our summer issue. The communications officer for the American Civil War Historical Re-enactment Society (ACWHRS), also sometimes known as “Miss Annabelle,” wrote “I was very pleased with the article you wrote and thank you very much, photos were great too. Also can I order more from you, of course I’d pay for them. I know some of our members would sure like to see the article.”

     Then I got a letter from Tom Brooks of Gravenhurst, who stated “I was duly impressed. Rare is it for the flavour of Civil War re-enacting to be captured to the degree in which you did it. Kudos.”

     He added, however, that contrary to what I had written, only 7,000 Canadians died in the Civil War. I had taken the figure of 14,000 from the ACWHRS program.

     I checked with the communications officer, who replied “To receive a complimentary letter from Tom is a good thing…He is very impressed with your article and you. He thought it was one of the best articles he has seen.” She also said “Tom is the most knowledgeable person that I know of on Canadians in the Civil War… I would believe him as no one knows more than Tom on this subject and he has spent years researching it.” She said she had not seen the program handout but will look at getting it corrected.

     Then she added the kind note “I can see that you are a person who likes to have their facts straight, which is a rarity to us when we have seen some of these articles that come out. That is one of the reasons I was also very impressed by yours and again for Tom to be complimentary about it is also a rarity.”

     Although I made an honest mistake, I do like to get things correct, so I’ll be happy to make this correction. And this series of letters has to be one of the most appreciative ways of pointing out an error, that I’ve ever had!

Tags: history | Click here to add a comment »