Hamilton’s “Downtown Localicious Experience”
September 02nd 2010The 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?
Delphinium Day at Plant Paradise
August 29th 2010
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’ Office Clear-Out Yard Sale
August 23rd 2010Escarpment 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.
Halton’s Joint Chamber Event
August 13th 2010
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?
McVean Incubator Farm & Fundraising Event
August 06th 2010Here’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:
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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 Spirit Sings at Crawford Lake on August 15
August 03rd 2010Here’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.
Westfield’s Ice Cream Festival
July 22nd 2010Westfield Heritage Village is hosting a cool and delicious summer family event this Civic Holiday weekend! Enjoy the fun and flavour of Canada’s favourite treat, ice cream, and the nostalgia of simpler times. Surrounded by period music, you can join the pioneers as they make homemade ice cream from start to finish. Experience the fun and nostalgia of ice cream from Pioneer to Victorian times. Live music, horse and wagon rides, magic shows, face painting, period crafts and games combined with living history make for the perfect topping for a perfect family outing. The theme of this year’s event is candy-flavoured ice cream, including honey. You may even be able to get close to Westfield’s own bees in their new observation house. The Ice Cream Festival takes place Sun. Aug. 1 and Mon. Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $11 for adults, $6.50 for youth 6 to 12 years, and $10 for seniors. Children 5 and under get in free! Annual membership pass holders receive free admission for the passengers of their car to a maximum of seven occupants. Parking is free.
Have a sweet tooth? Read about maple syrup in “Sweet Tastes of Spring.”
Like to learn about what’s happening along the Niagara Escarpment? Why not subscribe to Escarpment Views?
Cycling at Le Tour de Terra Cotta
July 06th 2010On Aug. 2, cycling enthusiasts from across the entire province and beyond, from serious racers to beginners, will descend upon the village of Terra Cotta in Caledon, to participate in the annual one-day Le Tour de Terra Cotta bike race and cycling events.
The multi-event classic starts at 7 a.m. The signature event, Le Tour de Terra Cotta Classic, a 108-km course completed at speeds of over 45 km/h begins at 11 a.m. Prior to this, Le Tour de Terra Cotta Kids, a great way to introduce children aged eight to 16 to the fun and health benefits of cycling, will take place. A third event, Le Tour de Terra Cotta Adult Short Course, is a 27-km race designed for new riders, tri-athletes in training or those who prefer a shorter course.
Held in the scenic hills of the Niagara Escarpment, this event continues to gain popularity as the number of cyclist and spectators continues to grow each year. 2010 expects to see up to 600 participants. While the majority of participants come from the Golden Horseshoe area, riders from across Canada and the United States have attended; Le Tour de Terra Cotta has even welcomed cyclists from Italy.
“Le Tour de Terra Cotta is fast becoming an elite event that attracts the best teams in Ontario to race the challenging and scenic Caledon hills. The warm support of the residents creates a fun festival atmosphere, great for families, spectators and riders,” says Amy Moore, former pro cyclist and cycling coach.
The nine-km course, with full road closure, is sanctioned by the Ontario Cycling Association and is unique in Ontario. This year it has attracted the support of Share the Road, a cycling coalition raising awareness for bike safety and healthy lifestyle. It offers a rare opportunity to participants on every level because they can experience the thrill of the only European-style race held in the province. The race both starts and finishes near the Forge Pavilion on King St. in Terra Cotta.
Created in 2005 through the efforts of local resident Ted Webb, with the support of the community and the Brampton Cycling Club, the race became solely a community event in 2009, run entirely by volunteers from surrounding communities and cycling clubs. Proceeds from Le Tour de Terra Cotta will support the Terra Cotta Community Centre Heritage Restoration. The refurbishing of this structure built in 1862, and designated a Caledon Heritage building, has been a labour of love for the local community for over 12 years.
Nestled in the beautiful Niagara Escarpment, this community event provides an unforgettable experience to children, beginners, cycling enthusiasts and elite athletes. More information is available.
What kind of cycling do you enjoy?
For more about serious youth cyclists, see our feature article “Kids of Steel Conquer Collingwood.”
If you like learning about what’s happening close to the Niagara Escarpment, you might want to subscribe to the magazine!
Doors Open in the Hills of Headwaters
July 05th 2010On Sat. July 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 17 heritage sites in Erin, Hillsburgh, Alton, Caledon and Orangeville will participate in the Ontario Heritage Trust Doors Open program.
Special events in Erin Village include a guided walking tour at 10:30 a.m. to the site of the Woollen Mill ruin, and another, more challenging, guided walk at 2:00 p.m., across the top of the moraine.
The Victorian ambiance of the Main Street will be enhanced throughout the day with actors from Century Church Theatre in period costume. All Saints Anglican features Kersti Finnie on the pipe organ built in 1947 by Casavant Freres of Saint‐Hyacinthe, Quebec. All Saints also features Anna Marie Holtom and John Wright screening Stars of the Town, one of a collection of 85 black and white films depicting day-to-day life in small town southwestern Ontario captured by the Rev. Leroy Massecar between 1947 and 1949.
From the Charles Street dam visitors will likely be able to watch kingfishers trolling for chub, and an enterprising pair of muskrats who have set up residence under a huge black willow behind the Porcupine’s Quill.
Complete details of the day’s events are available, where background documents available for download include the complete text of The Cromaboo Mail Carrier, a novel written by Mary Leslie which offers an unflattering fictionalized depiction of Erin Village as it was in 1878. On a more positive note, A Backwoods Hero by Alexander McLachlan eulogises in verse the considerable achievements of Daniel McMillan, whom many consider to be the father of Erin Village. A Brief History of Erin Village documents the architectural history of the Main Street. A Brief History of McMillan’s Mills looks at the industrial history of the village.
Have you been to any previous Doors Open event? What have you enjoyed seeing? Is there any place or building that you would like to see open its doors?
For other events happening along the Niagara Escarpment, see our Calendar of Events.
These articles in Escarpment Views give you more insight into some of the interesting people of Erin Village and surrounding areas:
“The Creative Hands of Benitta Wilcox”
Help Plant Trees at Mountsberg on May 8
April 23rd 2010Conservation Halton invites you to join a team of between 300 and 400 volunteers to help plant 3,000 trees on Sat. May 8. The planting will take place from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Mountsberg Conservation Area as part of the Trees for Watershed Health Program.
The event is open to individuals, families or groups who pre-register. It is free of charge and includes a complimentary barbecue. Spaces tend to fill up early so register your group or family now .
In addition to the tree planting, volunteers can enjoy a day full of activities. Take a wagon ride, check out a birds of prey show, play in the Play Barn and visit the farm animals at the Cameron barnyard. The Mountsberg Raptor Centre staff is also making plans to introduce their newest addition to the community at the Trees for Watershed Health barbeque.
“The Trees for Watershed Health planting is a highlight of our spring calendar every year, and it’s wonderful to see the community participation,” said Hassaan Basit, Conservation Halton’s director of communications services. “This year, we are pleased to be celebrating the International Year of Biodiversity and planting trees is a great way for all of us to help promote biodiversity in the watershed.”
Volunteers are reminded to dress according to the weather, wear waterproof boots and bring a shovel. The event will happen rain or shine. Registration for the event is required by Friday, April 30, and space is limited.
Launched in 2006, Trees for Watershed Health is a Conservation Halton community outreach program designed to engage watershed residents and community groups in tree planting. The program was started to bring communities and nature together to help increase forest cover in the Halton watershed.