Bacon and Ale and Barn Quilt trails; Sloman Museum; Hike the Hullet; Ontario Parkbus

   One-Tank Trip for June 30/12

  

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Time for another look into the e-mail bag for some tips on trips from readers and publicists across “one-tank trip” land.

   Bacon and beer, eh

   First there was the Chocolate Trail and now there’s the Bacon and Ale Trail for a tasty treat in Stratford.

   “Stratford Tourism Alliance has combined two of life's greatest pleasures – bacon and ale – on a trail to 11 Stratford and area unique restaurants and retail locations,” said marketing manager Cathy Rehberg.

Enjoying a cool one on the Bacon and Ale Trail in Stratford. (Photo - Stratford Tourism Alliance)

  

Gorilla Climb Ropes Course takes adventure to new heights at Toronto Zoo

News Release

Starting Friday, June 29, 2012 Toronto Zoo visitors will be able to hang out like Charles and the
Western lowland gorilla gang do at the Toronto Zoo's new Gorilla Climb Ropes Course.

Visitors of all ages (and up to 300 pounds) will be able to safely swing, crawl and balance
while guiding their own path through the almost 33 foot high climb's 26 elements,
resulting in a different adventure every time!

Russell Peters returns to Casino Rama with his Notorious World Tour

Casino Rama is thrilled to confirm we have been added to the much anticipated new tour by Canadian comedian Russell Peters:

Russell Peters

2012 The Notorious World Tour

Thursday, October 18

SHOWTIME: 8 PM, DOORS OPEN: 7 PM

Friday, October 19

SHOWTIME: 9 PM, DOORS OPEN: 8 PM

Tickets are $65/$80

It's been three years since his last record-breaking, sold-out tour of Canada, and now the pride of Brampton, Canada's biggest comedy export; RUSSELL PETERS is BACK, with ALL-NEW MATERIAL on his 2012 THE NOTORIOUS WORLD TOUR!

What's happening this summer at Toronto museums

Events are listed by date below. These include Bicentennial events, Summer Day Camps, National Aboriginal Day, Multiculturalism Day, Canada Day activities and more.

For events organized by site please visit www.toronto.ca/museum-events

John Cawthra: An Upper Canadian Abroad in the War of 1812  

Part of the Community Exhibits Program at the Ontario Legislature

Until November 2

This exhibit, organized by City of Toronto Museum Services, looks at the life and artifacts of a militiaman from York who served with General Brock at the capture of Detroit. You must join a free public tour (no reservations required) to see the community exhibits in the Legislative Building:  http://educationportal.ontla.on.ca/en/tours/public-tours/public-tours.

Queen's Park is in downtown Toronto, just north of University Avenue and College Street. The street address is 111 Wellesley Street West. For directions and parking information visit http://bit.ly/MgxIZl

Toronto Jazz Festival closing weekend happenings

TD TORONTO JAZZ FESTIVAL PICKS

Friday, June 29

FEATURED PERFORMANCES

Tedeschi Trucks Band (The Stone Sparrows open)

The musical coming together of husband-and-wife team, backed by an 11-piece powerhouse band

8pm, Toronto Star Stage, Nathan Phillips Square

Radio Deluxe with the John Pizzarelli Quartet featuring Jessica Molaskey and Special Guest Emilie-Claire Barlow

World-renowned jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey’s nationally syndicated program literally hits the open road

8pm, Koerner Hall at The Royal Conservatory (273 Bloor Street West)

Karl Jannuska “The Halfway Tree” featuring Sienna Dahlen

Original drum compositions featuring Canadian vocalist Sienna Dahlen

8pm, Music Gallery (197 John Street)

Kneebody

The depth of jazz, the swagger of hip hop, and the conviction of rock merge in sophisticated compositions

10pm, Rivoli (334 Queen Street West)

Hang out at the Toronto Zoo on the Canada Day weekend

What's new at the Zoo... Celebrate Canada Day at Canada's PREMIER ZOO! What better place to visit on Canada Day where you can see some true Canadian iconic species, including the polar bears, Arctic wolf, moose and more!  Weekly feature Hang out like Charles and the Western lowland gorilla's - NEW Gorilla Climb Ropes Course! Toronto Zoo visitors will have the opportunity to safely swing, crawl and balance while guiding their own path. Located outside of the Gorilla Rainforest exhibit, the new family ropes course attraction combines a series of moderate to challenging climbing elements up to three stories high. Tickets for the attraction will be $8.00 per person. Open from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm, daily.    CLICK HERE for more information on the Zoo's latest wild attraction!

The Power Plant’s Summer 2012 season in Toronto

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 19 JUNE 2012

The Power Plant opens a new group exhibition and celebrates with a
lakeside summer opening party on Friday, 29 June 2012

The Power Plant’s Summer 2012 season opens with a group exhibition of work
united by the idea of art as tools. Tools for Conviviality features artists from
Toronto, Vancouver, Paris, and Vienna, some emerging and some more
established, who create and engage tools to comment on how we live in this
world.

Participating artists include: Abbas Akhavan, Raymond Boisjoly,
Geoffrey Farmer, Claire Fontaine, Kyla Mallett, Swintak/Don Miller, Reece
Terris, Oscar Tuazon, Ulla von Brandenburg, and Franz West.

Canada Day/Independence Day weekend events in Niagara Parks

Media Release

June 27, 2012

Niagara Falls, ON – The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) is pleased to announce an exciting line-up of events for the upcoming Canada Day / Independence Day holidays.

Free Coca Cola Concert Series and Falls Fireworks

Spectacular fireworks displays are scheduled at 10 p.m. for June 29 and July 1 – 4. (Note: the July 3 fireworks display will be 25 minutes long and will be fired from the U.S. side, courtesy of the Seneca Casino).

The free Coca Cola Concert Series will take place at 8 p.m. on the Illumination Tower Stage in Queen Victoria Park, before the Falls Fireworks at 10 p.m. Concert goers will have a prime view of the fireworks displays, making for the perfect family outing.

Oak Ridge Boys, Bill Medley, Gary Puckett and 5th Dimension headed to Casino Rama

News Release

Casino Rama is pleased to announce the following additions to our Summer 2012 
concert line-up:

The Oak Ridge Boys
Saturday, August 4
SHOWTIME: 9 pm, DOORS OPEN: 8 pm
Tickets are $30/$40
One of country’s most enduring groups, best known for their many hits like: 
“It’s Hard To Be Cool (In a Minivan)”, "Elvira", "Bobbie Sue" & "American Made", 
return to the Casino Rama stage


The Righteous Brothers' Bill Medley & Gary Puckett and The Union Gap
Saturday, August 18
SHOWTIME: 9 PM, DOORS OPEN: 8 PM
Tickets are $25/$35

Come celebrate the '60's with The Righteous Brothers' Bill Medley (“You've Lost 
That Lovin' Feeling”, “(I Had) The Time of My Life”, “Unchained Melody”) and 
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (“Young Girl”, “Woman Woman” & “Lady Willpower”).



The 5th Dimension
Featuring Florence LaRue
Saturday, August 25
SHOWTIME: 9 PM, DOORS OPEN: 8 PM
Tickets are $20/$25
This popular super group will perform their signature soaring harmonies on 
greatest hits such as: “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”, “Wedding Bell Blues”, 
“Never My Love” & “If I Could Reach You”.

TD Toronto Jazz Festival picks for June 28; Esperanza Spalding, Benny Green

Thursday, June 28

 

FEATURED PERFORMANCES

Esperanza Spalding Radio Music Society (with special guest Gretchen Parlato)

Jazz becomes mainstream when this energetic jazz bassist and singer takes the stage

8pm, Toronto Star Stage, Nathan Phillips Square

Benny Green

A solo piano show featuring hard-swinging, hard-bop jazz keyboard mastery at its finest

7pm, Church of the Holy Trinity (10 Trinity Square)

Angelika Niescier Quartet

A Polish-German saxophonist with luscious tone and virtuosic technique

8pm, Incubator Music Gallery

Chris Tarry

Eclectic, soulful, and memorable cutting-edge jazz led by an esteemed Canadian bandleader

9pm doors, Rivoli (334 Queen Street West)

Dominion Day at Fanshawe Pioneer Village in London, Ont.

MEDIA RELEASE - For Immediate Release: 26-Jun-12

June 26th, 2012, London Ontario - Join Fanshawe Pioneer Village on  
Canada Day to celebrate the birth of the Dominion of Canada! 

On the 1st of July, 1867, Canada became a self-governing colony within the  
British Empire.

Relive the past and discover the events surrounding the first Canada Day.

Historical debates, patriotic speeches, and vintage baseball are a few of

the activities that bring the past to  life at this historic Dominion Day event.

Toronto Jazz Festival picks for June 27: Ziggy Marley, Trombone Shorty, Phil Dwyer

TD TORONTO JAZZ FESTIVAL PICKS

Wednesday, June 27

FEATURED PERFORMANCES

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (with special guest Saidah Baba Talibah)

A mash-up of jazz, funk, and soul, laced with hard-rock power chords and hip-hop beats

8pm, Toronto Star Stage, Nathan Phillips Square

Phil Dwyer: A Canadian Songbook Featuring Laila Biali

Fresh arrangements of music by Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, and many more

7pm, Church of the Holy Trinity (10 Trinity Square)

Ziggy Marley – Wild and Free Tour (with special guest Jay Douglas & The All Stars)

Ziggy carries on the torch of his iconic father, spreading the message of reggae, love, and peace.

9pm doors, Phoenix Concert Theatre

Spectrum Road feat. Jack Bruce, Vernon Reid, John Medeski & Cindy Blackman Santana (with special guest KC Roberts & The Live Revolution)

A sensational jazz-fusion supergroup guided by the musical spirit of Tony Williams

9pm doors, Sound Academy

Canadian Jazz Quartet with Special Guest Ken Peplowski

The all-star Canadian Jazz Quartet is joined by renowned clarinetist Ken Peplowski

5pm, Quotes Bar & Grill (200 King Street West)

CN Tower in Toronto's summer events update

 

  News Release

Canadian icon, Toronto landmark, engineering wonder…on June 26, 2012 the CN Tower will mark the 36^th year since it opened to the public in 1976.  The CN Tower is Toronto’s ultimate urban adventure - here are some of the exciting events coming up at the CN Tower during the summer 2012 season:

NEW - CN TOWER Takes Flight with new 3D Movie

Beginning June 29, 2012, the CN Tower’s Maple Leaf Cinema will feature Legends of Flight, a 3D journey exploring the history of aviation.  www.cntower.ca.  Legends of Flight is a 20 minute movie that propels audiences on a 3D journey across a century of aviation to explore the gravity-defying world of flight and to witness the unfolding of one of the greatest aviation projects of our age: the creation of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. As this radical new airplane evolves in the assembly bay, test pilot Mike Carriker takes us into the sky with classic aircraft to explore the ingredients that can make or break a great flying machine.

New Canadian play Best Brothers starts previews at Stratford

News Release

June 26, 2012… Acclaimed Canadian dramatist Daniel MacIvor’s new play is a hilariously touching and emotionally compelling piece about a pair of brothers grieving the loss of their mother. The world première, which is directed by Associate Artistic Director Dean Gabourie, begins previews at the Studio Theatre on June 26.

Written by Daniel MacIvor, Best Brothers tells the story of Hamilton and Kyle Best, two brothers with very different dispositions: one is more serious and introverted, the other ebullient. The siblings are driven together by their mother’s accidental death, forcing them to contend with their different modes of mourning as they sort out the details surrounding the funeral – as well as who gets their mother’s voraciously omnivorous dog.

Harbourfront Centre on Toronto's waterfront celebrates Canada Day weekend; let's party

Harbourfront Centre is Open for Canada Day Weekend:

Canada Day: Going Global presented by CIBC celebrates our international footprint

June 29-July 2

WHO & WHERE:       Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto

WHEN:                    Friday, June 29 through Monday, July 2, 2012

WHAT:                    Canada Day: Going Global presented by CIBC

A long-weekend-long festival celebrating and showcasing the amazing culture that our nation has to offer.

Toronto Jazz Festival picks for June 26; George Benson, Peter Appleyard

Tuesday, June 26

FEATURED PERFORMANCES

George Benson (with special guest Treasa Levasseur & The Daily Special)

The jazz guitar legend is back and will blow you away with his great vocal range

8pm, Toronto Star Stage, Nathan Phillips Square

Peter Appleyard & The Sophisticated Ladies

Diana Panton, Emilie-Claire Barlow, Lily Frost, Jill Barber, Ranee Lee, Carol McCartney, Jackie Richardson, Heather Bambrick and Elizabeth Shepherd

Nine of Canada’s top female jazz singers join legendary vibraphonist Peter Appleyard

8pm, Koerner Hall at The Royal Conservatory

Mississauga's boutique Glenerin Inn & The Spa joins Ontario's Finest Hotels, Inns and Spas

News Release

Mississauga's boutique inn, The Glenerinn Inn & The Spa, has joined the quality-based Association, Ontario's Finest Hotels, Inns and Spas.

This charming property was built in 1927 and has a long history of welcoming guests to linger in a quiet setting, just minutes from the hustle of major highways and business centres in the city.  

Over the years the Inn has been transformed from a family estate, girls school with resident bee keeper, rest home for ailing executives of the Robert Simpson Company to an inn, beginning in the mid-1980's. 

http://www.ontariosfinestinns.com/inn_member.asp?inn=glenerin

50th anniversary celebration for Ferris Provincial Park

 

News Release

 

The Friends of Ferris are excited to announce the 50^th Anniversary Celebration of Ferris Provincial Park.  “Ferris Park is a hidden treasure, “says Lisa McPherson, Park Naturalist, “I have really enjoyed getting to know the Park and am excited to have a chance to share it with everyone, through this monumental celebration.”  

The event will commence at 1:00pm at the Picnic Shelter.  Starting at 1:30pm, there will be presentations by Ontario Parks, Hector Mamillan – Mayor of Trent Hills, Kinette Club of Campbellford and Mary Costello, followed by a cake cutting.   Cold refreshing beverages will also be served.

The park is 30 kilometres east of Peterborough.