The Downtown Hamilton Business Improvement Area presents the 3rd annual “Downtown Localicious Experience” from Sept. 17 to Oct. 3 in conjunction with The Art Gallery of Hamilton 2010 World Film Festival and The James St. North Supercrawl. This 17-day event showcases local chefs creating delectable lunch specials and prix-fixe dinner menu items made with the best of the area’s bountiful harvest. Downtown restaurants called the “Delicious Baker’s Dozen” participating in this year’s Localicious program will include Acclamation, al Centro, Bistro Parisien, Boo’s Bistro, Brownies Downtown, Capri Ristorante, Claudio’s Ristorante, Dalina’s Egyptian & Mediterranean Cuisine, Incognito, La Cantina Ristorante, La Piazza Allegra, London Tap House, and Slainté’s Irish Pub. A special “Night on the Town” prize draw package will be featured in each restaurant and will include two tickets to the Broadway musical “SPAMALOT” at Hamilton Place Oct. 26, compliments of HECFI with overnight accommodation at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, dinner for two and limousine service to and from the hotel, provided by Hamilton Limo.

     To kick off this year’s event everyone is welcome to attend an exciting Downtown Localicious Launch Party on Sept. 14 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. Guests will enjoy local samples from downtown restaurants, winery and brewery, local music and a chance to meet guest local chef Margarita Tsanganitas of Barangas on the Beach who will do a cooking demonstration of some of her favourite local dishes. Tickets are $10 per person and will be available at all participating restaurants and at the BIA office. See more information on this year’s program or call 905 523 1646. 

     This year the BIA has joined forces with the Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH) to bring together The Downtown Localicious Experience and the 2010 AGH World Film Festival (WFF), marrying delicious fresh foods with art and entertainment. The festival takes place from Sept. 24 to Oct. 3 centered downtown with local viewings of world-class films and other exciting activities. See the list of festival events. The BIA will be hosting “GOREmét Movie Night” on Sept. 25 from 7 to 11 p.m. in the James St. North Supercrawl area as part of WFF. A large screen will display short films, music videos and animation shorts and will feature live streaming of the surrounding events including restaurants, other features of super crawl, music and the art galleries between viewings.

     The other partner is the James St. North Supercrawl on Sept. 25 from 1 to 11 p.m. Dozens of galleries and studios launch new exhibitions, musicians perform in the street, local artists display their work and hundreds of people fill the sidewalks as they weave through the event, all for free. There’s more information for this year’s Supercrawl.

Have you attended one of these Hamilton events in the past? Will you be going to any this year?

Lorraine Roberts welcoming guests to Delphinium Day.

Dining among the delphs as Christine Gill speaks.

Christine discusses delphs with nursery beds in the background.

An important event somehow was missed from our Autumn Events section. OK, it’s entirely my fault as editor, but I honestly don’t know how it slipped from my list.
     The annual Delphinium Day on July 3 at Plant Paradise Country Gardens in Caledon was a lovely event on a beautiful summer’s day. Hosts Lorraine and Robb Roberts had everything organized for the garden luncheon and talk. Guests first strolled past the lavish nursery beds and display gardens and then gathered under a white tent at dining tables decked with vases of delphinium bouquets. A light, fresh lunch was provided by Léna Valliquette of Tea Boutique in Caledon East.
     We were pleased to see some friends and acquaintances who had come to Delphinium Day after reading our feature interview with Lorraine in our summer issue. After lunch there was an informative presentation about growing delphiniums by Christine Gill of the Ontario Delphinium Club. After a flurry of questions from the audience, there were draws for gardening prizes. Mike was lucky enough to win a new compost holder, which he promptly gave to me as I’m more of a gardener than he is. He prefers to plant native species of trees and shrubs.
     Delphinium Day ended with each guest choosing a potted Asiatic Lily to take home. This event is a must for gardeners who’re fond of delphiniums, but it’s a lovely way to spend a Saturday even if all you want is to enjoy a stunning flower garden at a peak season. One of their spectacular flower beds is in one of Mike’s photos that are in rotation at the top of this page.
     For information on next year’s Delphinium Day, you can email the Roberts. For more about delphiniums grown at Plant Paradise Country Gardens, see “Delphinium: Queen of Perennials” in our summer issue. It will appear online at this website soon.
     If you grow delphiniums, what’s your secret? What other memorable gardens have you seen?

     Escarpment Views is NOT closing down. But we ARE cleaning out! As we approach the end of our third year of publication, we find that we have too much stuff! It’s good stuff, but there’s a limit to everything. Also, I’d like to live with less clutter, so I’m saying bye-bye to my poo-poo and making room to breathe and move.

     What we have a lot of is books. Good books. Literature. Non-fiction. Hardcovers. First editions. Some brand new, just published, that I received for review but don’t have room to keep forever. The super brand new are priced at three for $20. Older titles are a steal at $1 each.

     Christmas is not that far away, so this is a good time to scoop up gifts for your bibliophile friends and relatives!

     While we’re clearing out, we’re getting rid of some small tables and a bookcase, and some big wood lawn chairs. Also golf clubs and various other treasures like kitchen stuff and office supplies.

     As well, we’ll be set up to give out free back issues of Escarpment Views, plus take subscriptions for you or as your gifts for others. We have a special deal for multiple subscriptions: two for $42, three for $63 and four for $84! As a friend of the magazine says, it makes a great stocking stuffer. Some notecards will be available, and you can even talk to Mike about ordering prints of any of his great photos. Remember Christmas and Hannukah and Kwanza and the winter solstice are coming!

     This Sat. Aug. 28, rain or shine, from 8 a.m., our great stuff will be available at 50 Ann St. in the north end of Georgetown. Signs will be at the big curve on Hwy 7 at the Moore Park end of town.

     Come and say hello, get some free copies of the magazine, and pick up some gifts and treasures for yourself or others. And help us clear out our offices!

The day after this was posted, I received a complaint about our offer of selling old review copies. The person wrote that publishers would object to us making a profit from the books and that the money raised should be donated to “something worthwhile.”

     I replied with a long note about how selling review copies is a common practice among all the media outlets I have experience with, that used bookstores get good inventory this way, and that “profit” is an interesting question. I know of non profits that pay annual salaries of $300,000!

     But really, the only point I needed to make is that this person doesn’t object to selling review copies as such. She’s annoyed that the money isn’t going to “something worthwhile,” presumably a charity or non-profit group of her choice.

     At Escarpment Views we have to be thrifty to survive. We’re also committed to the practice of reuse as much as possible. Any money we make goes toward the magazine’s survival. Extra money will go toward paying our staff, contributing writers and photographers, better rates.

     I guess the main point of this person’ complaint is her impression that we’re making piles of profit, and that Escarpment Views is not something that’s worthwhile.

     There’s good news as well as bad in her impression. It’s disturbing that she doesn’t think our environmental, pro-world biosphere reserve mandate is important. But I guess it’s great that the magazine seems highly successful and profitable. It’s only by becoming financially viable that we’ll be able to do all the good work we have as goals for the magazine.

Front Yard Gardens: Growing More Than Grass is a revised edition of a previous book. Author Liz Primeau has updated and expanded on her previous collection of gardens, and is finding a whole new audience. I’m one of them, having missed seeing the first edition.

     I love this book! The photographs are plentiful, large and inspiring. The captions are extensive and informative, highlighting and explaining what is shown.

     Keeping up with the quality of the photos and captions is the text of the book. Primeau was the founding editor of Canadian Gardening magazine and writes in a style that is both engaging and educational. She tells the stories behind the many real-life gardens that are featured, exploring how each front garden evolved to take its current form. Some of the gardens are in the Niagara Escarpment communities of Dundas and Oakville. [And Hamilton as well, I noticed later.]

     I read this book front to back, then skimmed the garden stories in reverse order, and frequently dip in again to study the beautiful photos and captions. Oh, for time, money and energy enough to create a garden like these!

     If you like houses and gardens, get this book.

Firefly Books, 2010, $24.95

How do you describe your front yard?

Halton Peel Communications Association (HPCA) Display

Visitors flock to the HPCA booth

WINNER!!!!!! Thanks Oakville Chamber of Commerce

     The four Chambers of Commerce in Halton Region held their annual joint networking event on Aug. 11 at the Regional offices in Oakville. Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville Chambers hosted a tradeshow with free finger food, wine, beer and other beverages. Some individual companies and groups had display tables of information, including Halton-Peel Communications Association, whose members talked to visitors and took business cards for a draw for a gift card for office supplies — a good promotional idea and way to build a contact list.
     Mike and I cruised around meeting people and learning about new community efforts and business ventures. My name was then called as the winner of a door-prize gift basket given by the Oakville Chamber of Commerce! The Regional Chair of Halton, Gary Carr, shook my hand, then Sonny Jelinek of Oakville’s The Cork House presented me with the prize, a large, heavy basket of wine and chocolate, possibly the best combination in the world. Enclosed was a box of fine chocolates from Bernard Callebaut of Oakville, plus a 2009 Trius Cabernet Franc, and Peller Estates 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, 2009 Riesling, 2007 Cabernet Franc Icewine, and Ice Cuvee, which is a sparkling wine “enhanced with a dosage of icewine.”
     Wow. We’ve already sampled the chocolates — excellent and delicious. The icewine and Ice Cuvee will keep for special occasions.
     Thanks to those who contributed to the Oakville Chamber of Commerce gift basket. Tradeshows like these are great opportunities to discover some of the special organizations and offerings available nearby.
     Are you taking advantage of promotional opportunities in your community?

The following is an opinion piece by Arlene Kennedy of Tobermory. We’re pleased to post it in full here.

     True confession…I am beginning to suspect that I am a megalomaniac. I like big ideas, overarching theories and the “big picture,” both figuratively and literally, since as an art collector I own several rather large paintings, but that’s not what I’m talking about right now.

     A friend just lent me A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright, a 2004 Massey Lecturer. Talk about “big picture” – this vast sweep at the tenure of mankind on the planet is a gallop through where we’ve been, how we got here and where we might be heading. It’s not pretty.

     Today’s preoccupation with the debt crisis and how many of us appear to be living beyond our means truly pales in contrast with the debt humanity is taking on with our use and abuse of the earth. The author believes that “If civilization is to survive, it must live on the interest, not the capital, of nature.” We are using nature up at a rate far faster than it can regenerate itself.

     So I’m thinking about my home here in the Bruce Peninsula in terms of a sustainable community. So are a lot of other people, as evidenced by last fall’s creation of The Meeting Place, the regular occurrence of Transition Communities get-togethers, the educational initiatives at the Lion’s Head school, the numerous grass-roots organizations including the Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory and lately, some relatively  independent efforts to generate local “clean” energy. Solar power is a focus that seems to be in favour over giant turbine wind farm power.

     What can I do to contribute to securing in the future a quality of life and standard of living I am now privileged to enjoy? How do we conserve and preserve the balance between development and preservation of this unique gem of a Biosphere?

     I am hoping that the knowledge generated by residents and researchers in this area will be part of the solution. Which brings me to another initiative worthy of attention and support: the Sources of Knowledge Forum presented at the Parks Canada Visitor Centre this May. Researchers presented brief sessions on their impressive work carried on in this region.

    Applied research is the latest buzz that attracts government funding, and although I admire the utilitarian bent of this trend, there is also room in my view for less directed research out of which may grow future but as yet unforeseen applications.

     There is some interest in the community to attract an outreach “campus” of sorts, perhaps affiliated with a university or other institute of higher learning that already has access to external funding and has the infrastructure to establish and support a “Bruce Peninsula Research Centre.” A wealth of learning occurs here now. How might it best be maximised?

     There’s no place like it in the world. There are instructive parallels and contrasting locals, but we are a one-and-only. So is the earth. How do we avoid bankrupting nature and watching humanity become extinct in the process?

     That’s the “big picture.”

Do you have more information about some of the initiatives and ideas that Arlene mentions? Is anything like this going on in your community? Feel free to add a comment. Or write your own opinion piece and send it to us. We may be able to print it in the magazine or post it here as a blog comment. We’re happy to be a forum for discussion!

Here’s an interesting post from the people behind the new farming initiative called FarmStart:

     FarmStart started with an idea that Ontario needed an organization that could support a new generation of entrepreneurial, ecological and locally oriented farmers. Our farming communities are aging as fewer farm kids take over the farm. Our farm landscape is changing as more farms are sold to developers, international corporations and non-farmers. Our family farms are disappearing as we lose independent small and mid-scale farm operations.

     FarmStart is a not-for-profit organization that provides practical support, provincial leadership and a voice for a new generation of farmers. Over the last four years we have begun to sort out how best to encourage a new generation of enterprising farmers. We aim to provide new farmers with the resources, tools and support necessary to not only get their businesses off the ground, but to thrive.

What is The McVean Farm?

     Our McVean incubator farm facility in Brampton is the first of its kind in Canada. It provides a working, vibrant example of near-urban agriculture: a place where new farmers from around the world can thrive, grow delicious food and contribute to the health of their communities. Located in the developing north end of Brampton, the McVean Farm is leased to FarmStart by Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA). FarmStart is bringing new life to this farm by providing new local farmers with access to land, equipment, and infrastructure as well as support during the first years of their farm business-start up.

     The McVean Farm is a refreshing island of diverse, ecological food production surrounded by suburban development. This year, 19 new farmers are digging in with 11 different farm enterprises on-site. These farmers, from all over the world, are growing over a hundred kinds of different vegetables, which are fresh picked and often sold directly to their consumers through farmers markets, restaurants and through farm you-pick.

Harvest Celebration Fundraiser: Sept. 26

What Will the Fundraised Money Go Towards?

We want to build a sustainable, rewarding annual fundraising event.

The tickets will be $75/plate, with reduced rates for children. We will also be seeking sponsorship and donations to make the fundraiser viable. All the proceeds from the event will go to FarmStart to continue to develop the McVean Farm and other farms and programs for new farmers.

Our current funding needs include:

• Onsite equipment and infrastructure: As the farm grows and more farmers start on-site we need funding to help with capital improvements such as irrigation lines, a wash station and new equipment.
• New incubator farms: Other partners and landowners, such as the Rouge Park, have approached us to build similar incubator farms. Funds may go towards helping us work with these other partners and develop a growing network of near-urban incubator farms.
• FarmStart up Grants: We are also looking to sustain our small grants program in which we provide often-critical grants up to $5,000 to new farmers for start-up expenses. Over the last three years we have supported 30 new Canadian farmers through these grants and we hope to continue and expand this program.  

     Two years ago Cross Town Kitchens held a fundraiser on the farm and $7,000 was raised. This money went towards the purchase of a small walk-behind tractor that our farmers now regularly use to cultivate their fields.

     FarmStart is currently funded through grants provided by private foundations and several federal and provincial government-funded agriculture funding streams. With no stable funding, we constantly face challenges in ensuring that the delivery of our programs and services for new farmers continues. The proceeds from our fundraiser will go towards the most critical and timely expenses needed to sustain our programming.

OUR FARMERS, OUR FUTURE, OUR VISION

     Every day, we meet passionate and dedicated new farmers who are exploring planning or making the leap into the thrilling, exhausting and rewarding journey that is becoming a farmer. It is these people who continue to inspire us. We believe that part of the renewal of our food system relies on protecting land for farms like McVean, as well as enabling the growth of new farmers who can pass on to future generations, ecologically restored methods of cultivation, and a healthier way of life.

     The farmers we work with come from all over the world, with all types of backgrounds and such different stories. While they approach agriculture in many different ways, they are all committed to producing healthy, high quality food in ecological and financially viable ways. These innovative and dedicated people take the support, resources and opportunities that we can offer at FarmStart, and create real, healthy, delicious change that begins within their own lives and spreads far into our communities and farmlands at large.

McVean Farm Coming Events:

Aug. 29 Open House to meet the farmers and learn more about near-urban, small-scale farming.      

Sept. 26 from noon to 5 p.m. McVean Harvest Celebration featuring local, organically grown food.

If you’re interested in successful local farm operations, read our feature “Snack Heaven: 150 Varieties of Picard’s Local Products.”

     The second production of Theatre Collingwood’s summer theatre season stars Leisa Way in Sweet Dreams: A Tribute to Patsy Cline featuring the Wayward Wind band, live onstage at the Gayety Theatre for one week only, Aug. 16, 17, 19, 20 & 21 at 8 p.m. with one matinee on Aug. 18 at 2 p.m.

     Created by and starring Way, the one-woman show is a new concert tribute to the legendary country singer. The two-hour presentation is set on the eve of her final concert in Kansas City before a fatal accident. In 1963, just 30 years old, Patsy Cline died tragically in a plane crash. In the six years since she’d had her first hit song, she had already made her mark on the music world paving the way for female solo singers. Cline was as comfortable with hillbilly and gospel music as she was with the emerging ‘60s rock and roll genre.

     There are 29 of Patsy Cline’s most popular hit songs highlighting a special era of country music history. Included are several songs that Cline only ever sang live and were never professionally recorded. Expect to hear classic signature tunes like Crazy, The Tennessee Waltz, I Fall to Pieces, Just a Closer Walk With Thee, Bill Bailey, Walkin’ After Midnight and many more.
     The show was conceived after Way starred in the 1997 stage play, A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline which she notes is vastly different. Ten years later, after researching books and bootleg copies of Cline’s live shows, she discovered it was the generous, big-hearted woman behind the music she wanted most to convey. It was after releasing a musical CD that Way was encouraged to take the show on the road. She does not impersonate; she pays tribute using subtle similar soulful vocal styling and physical mannerisms, with patter between songs to tell stories and little-known anecdotes about the highs and lows of Patsy’s life. Way charms with personality, passion and powerful vocal delivery. Raised in northern Ontario, the perky petite blonde soprano is a long-time fan of country music though her career has spanned jazz, music theatre and opera, as well as spoken plays.

     The Wayward Wind Band which accompanies her is composed of outstanding musicians. Guitarist Bruce Ley was in the Tommy Hunter and Ronnie Prophet Shows.  Pianist Michael Mulrooney has served as music director, conductor and arranger for major music theatre productions. Drummer Dave Wilson and bass Bob Hewus have worked in Toronto orchestra pits for the past two decades with the finest performers in the theatre business.

     Artistic Director Steven Thomas comments: “No one can possibly imagine the scope and even greater impact Patsy Cline might have had on the country western musical community had she not died so young. To have someone of the stature of Leisa Way in the Canadian musical theatre scene pay tribute to Patsy in this way speaks volumes to the importance of this unforgettable icon. I am delighted that Leisa is returning to Theatre Collingwood audiences, after starring in our past productions of Side by Side by Sondheim and The Long Weekend, with this very personal interpretation of Cline.”

     Here is what the critics say:

“Leisa Way’s tribute to Patsy Cline must be unprecedented! A very difficult repertoire to master - with Cline’s trademark deep voice and the ability to hit those low guttural notes - but Way causes shivers with her grandiose voice.” - Banner Review (2005)
“Leisa Way’s brilliant portrayal of this unforgettable country music icon, has to be her greatest triumph, to date.” - Country Music Jukebox, Germany (2006)
     Visit the Theatre Collingwood website for a sneak preview of the show.
     Single adult tickets are $33, Youth $17, High School Eye-GO $5, Group $28 (10 or more booked in advance, receive bonus $5 Downtown Dollars). All prices plus tax and handling charge.
     Theatre Collingwood’s year-round box office is located in the Rail Car beside the Collingwood Museum, 45 St. Paul St. (corner of Pretty River Parkway), (705) 445-2200 / 1 (866) 382-2200. Theatre Collingwood’s summer performance location is the historic Gayety Theatre in downtown Collingwood, 161 Hurontario St. at the corner of Ontario St., open one hour prior to performance.
     Performed in well over 20 theatres to date, this concert commemorating the heart and soul of an unforgettable musical icon has sold out virtually everywhere it has travelled.  This is a limited engagement of six performances only. 

     Any Patsy Cline fans out there? 

     Here’s another event for the whole family to enjoy, or people of any age! Sounds charming, romantic and mysterious…

     Summer evenings in Ontario’s natural areas are a time of magic. The summer breeze stirs forest leaves, crickets sing and owls call. Adults can slow down and reconnect to the world around them and children thrill at the excitement of moonlight nature walks, or storytelling around a crackling fire. You do not have to travel far to experience the wonder of a traditional summer evening, as on Sunday, August 15, Crawford Lake Conservation Area will host its annual Spirit Sings event.

     Spirit Sings allows visitors of all ages to experience the excitement of a summer night. The evening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and includes a variety of guided activities. First Nations teacher Joe Paquette will share past and present First Nations traditions around a crackling fire in Crawford Lake’s reconstructed Iroquoian village. Staff will also guide visitors through a quiet forest path to a starlit lake. Finally, guests will sample traditional First Nations food, and create a craft to take home.

     The Spirit Sings event begins as the moon rises, however, registrants may explore Crawford Lake for the full day as part of the registration fee. The park boasts hiking trails on the Niagara Escarpment, a rare lake, beautiful woodlands, and a Visitors Centre with giftshop and picnic areas. The Iroquoian village is also open daily for the summer between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

     Spirit Sings is a pre-registered event and runs from 6 until 9 p.m. Spots fill quickly so please register early. The cost is $24 for adults, and $5 for seniors and children between 8 and 14. To register, visit the Conservation Halton website and go to Spirit Sings in the Events Calendar.

     Crawford Lake Conservation Area is located on the corner of Conservation Road and Guelph Line, 5km south of Hwy 401 or 15 km north of the QEW. Crawford Lake is one of six Conservation Areas operated by Conservation Halton. To learn more about recreation activities or any of the special events taking place at the parks, visit the website.

Floyd Elzinga will be exhibiting works in “The Broken Landscape” at Jordan Art Gallery from Aug. 3 to 30. The launch opening, with everyone welcome, will be on Sat. Aug. 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. Here’s a bit about the artist.
     Floyd Elzinga grew up actively involved in the landscape on a dairy farm outside Jarvis, Ont. He could draw the best elephant in grade one and everyone knew he was predestined to be an artist.
     Floyd Elzinga’s work is fundamentally inspired by the natural world. Elzinga’s recent work explores the traditional landscape through non-traditional techniques and this show focuses on the idea of a broken landscape.
     The landscapes are broken in several possible ways. In some the subject matter breaks the frame of the landscape. In others the landscape is cobbled together of different panels and there are visual breaks in the picture or story. And finally through the features of the landscape, some trees show the telltale signs of history of brokenness through the deadwood still clinging to the living structure. In the title piece for the show all three types of brokenness are present.
     As a sculptor, Elzinga’s work has been predominately three dimensional, but after a bout of “painter envy” he was inspired to create a series of flat wall hangings of traditional landscapes. The process became an integral part of the content, with the welder as his pencil and the grinder as his paintbrush.
     He was initially drawn to create these paintings in steel because the material (steel) is forgiving. It is a common, fast-working material that is very malleable, allowing him to sketch his thoughts in quick line-drawing style panels but also spend great time and skill on creating persuasively formed objects.
     Elzinga currently lives and works in the landscape surrounding his studio in Beamsville.

If you enjoy art and artists’ homes and gardens, check out a couple of our published feature articles: “The Creative Hands of Benitta Wilcox” and “Brigitte Schreyer: Continuing the artistic tradition.”