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Thursday, September 29, 2016

String Bone Presents! announces second season of “Live at Revival House” concert series

News Release

Kick-off October 14 with award-winning line-up of Canadian musicians

Stratford, ON  String Bone Presents! announces the talent line-up for the second season of the Live at Revival House concert series in Stratford, Ontario. Curated and directed by Canadian singer-songwriter Barry James Payne (aka String Bone), who also performs with the Celtic-fusion band Rant Maggie Rant, the concert series features a dynamic line-up of award-winning Canadian musicians.

“We saw such a positive reaction to the first year of our concert series and I couldn’t be more thrilled for the music we have planned for this season,” explained Barry James Payne. “Revival House is fast becoming a roots music fan’s mecca in southern Ontario. Last year, we had concert-goers from as far away as Ottawa and Peterborough, and many from Toronto/GTA, as well as communities closer to home, such as London, Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph, Sarnia and Windsor. Also, we have partnered with some great local accommodations to offer affordable overnight stays.”

The 2016-2017 concert dates and artists as follows:

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Blazing colours of fall leaves: Summer we hardly knew ye



   One-Tank Trip for Sept. 24-16

   (c) By Jim Fox

   With the passing of those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, the fall season is a colourful one with plenty of sightseeing opportunities.
   The Muskoka tourist region is one of the top places to view the onset of fall – with its vivid colourful palette of vibrant reds, oranges, yellows and golds throughout the lakeside forests.
   As one of the hottest and driest summers in history, southern Ontario could see a shorter and less vivid season, said David Phillips, Environment Canada senior climatologist.
Midland Tours offers boat cruises to see the fall colours on the Trent-Severn Waterway including Big Chute Marine Railway. (Jim Fox photo)
   The weather conditions will likely result in the leaves “falling earlier because they have had to endure a little more stress than usual,” said Jordan Mulligan of Muskoka Tourism.
   At mid-week, there was about a 15-per-cent colour change but things happen quickly as the season reaches its peak around Thanksgiving to mid-October, he added.

Saturday, September 24, 2016

"Yee-Haw!" down on the farm; no place like the Toronto Fall Home Show



   One-Tank Trip for Sept. 17-16

    (c) By Jim Fox
 
How can you keep them down on the farm when their big show of the year is happening?

   Some 75,000 people – many of them “city slickers” – will get a taste of farm life at the International Plowing Match & Rural Expo.
   It’s on Sept. 20 to 24 in Minto (Harriston) in Wellington County, about an hour north of Stratford, on the farm of Earl and Anne Schneider.
Plowing competitions the old-fashioned way are a feature at the International Plowing Match & Rural Expo.
   With the theme “A Fresh Taste of Farming,” the match is more than a little bit country in its 99th year of the rural extravaganza.
   “Ontarians can explore rural lifestyles and learn about the importance of agriculture in the local, provincial and Canadian economies,” said Don Priest, president of the sponsoring Ontario Plowmen’s Association.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Shape your space at the Toronto Fall Home Show



 Enercare Centre | Exhibition Place | September 23-25, 2016


Toronto, Ontario – The Toronto Fall Home Show has taken a new home! For its 28th year, Toronto’s largest Fall Home Show will be held at the Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place (100 Princes’ Boulevard, Toronto) beginning Friday, September 23 and running until Sunday, September 25.

Over time our spaces can get away from us - they fill with clutter and fall out of date. Get the inspiration and tips you need to organize your space, big and small, effectively. Get up to speed on the latest styles, discover innovative products, explore concepts for your next reno and shop great deals from over 300 retailers.

Everything you need to shape your space is waiting for you at the Toronto Fall Home Show featuring industry pros and experts including Kimberley Seldon, Frank Ferragine, Damon Bennett, Kate Campbell, Sharon Grech, Chris Palmer, Jennylyn Pringle, Michael Penney and many more. For more information or tickets call 416-644-5400 or visit www.fallhomeshow.com.


   A renovated 1976 Airstream trailer will be on display at the Toronto Fall Home Show.

Stage schedule: Toronto Fall Home Show 2016





Organize Your Space at the Toronto Fall Home Show
Advice and Inspiration from Experts on the Main Stage

Enercare Centre | Exhibition Place | September 23-25

Toronto, Ontario – August 30, 2016 – Organize your small space with Renovation, Interior and City Living advice, ideas and inspiration on the Main Stage from industry pros and experts including Kimberley Seldon, Frank Ferragine, Damon Bennet, Kate Campbell, Sharon Grech, Chris Palmer, Jennylyn Pringle, Clare Kumar and many more. For its 28th year, the Toronto Fall Home Show will take over the Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place (100 Princes’ Boulevard, Toronto) and will transition to a sleeker three-day show beginning Friday, September 23 and running until Sunday, September 25.  For more information or tickets call 416-644-5400 or visit www.fallhomeshow.com.

Friday, September 23, 2016

12:00pm               Jennylyn Pringle – “Tones for Tots” Fusion Mineral Paint
Tones For Tots – Jennylyn Pringle, creator of Fusion Mineral Paint and President of Homestead House Paint Co. brings you an inspiring paint demonstration using the wonderful “Tones for Tots” Line from Fusion Mineral Paint. Tones for Tots is an inspiring collection of zero VOC paint designed with nurseries in mind. It is eco-friendly and does not contain harmful toxins so parents can breathe easy. Using a variety of 7 colours from the line, Jennylyn will show you how to “Paint it Beautiful” and create a child-friendly nursery solution that is easy, affordable and simply gorgeous.

Friday, September 9, 2016

Sipping and savouring at the Niagara Wine Festival; Applefest in St. George



   One-Tank Trip for Sept. 10-16

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Clink, clink – it’s time to sip and savour again at the Niagara Wine Festival.
   Or, as comedian W.C. Fields said: “I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.”
   There will be lots of opportunities to enjoy fine wine and food pairings – even sipping vino by itself – at the 65th annual festival on weekends now through Sept. 25.
Sipping and savouring

   And, in St. George, near Brantford, they’ll be celebrating the apple harvest on Sept. 17 and 18.
   Niagara’s event celebrates the “bounty of harvest,” with the Montebello Park food and wine experience “truly showcasing all that the region has to offer,” said Kimberly Hundertmark, festival executive director.
   “Experience regional cuisine presented by top local chefs and sip and savour VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) wines while enjoying Canadian talent on the centre stage,” she added.

   Raising a toast
   The wine fest features more than 100 events including “cellar-door experiences,” concerts, regional food and street parades.
   A focal point is historic Montebello Park at Lake and Queen streets in downtown St. Catharines for events on the weekends of Sept. 16 to 18 and 23 to 25.
   Local chefs cook up regional cuisine to be enjoyed with wines by the sample or glass bought with festival tokens sold for $3.25 each (one to three tokens per portion for the food).

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Doors Open Waterloo Region 2016 features science and technology theme



(News Release)

Waterloo Region Forty-eight sites, many of which are not regularly open to the public, will participate in the 14th annual Doors Open Waterloo Region (DOWR) on Saturday, September 17, 2016.
Since 2003, well over 250 participating sites have opened their doors to more than 100,000 visits during Doors Open Waterloo Region.


The Doors Open Waterloo Region 2016 sites include both first-time participants and back-by-popular-demand favourites, selected for their architecture, heritage, or for the interesting things going on inside. Some sites have all three!

Most sites are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but several have shortened hours, so visitors are encouraged to carefully read the individual listings on the map/guide or on the website.

Doors Open Waterloo Region 2016 theme: Into Science + Tech
Get into science and tech… literally! It’s the 2016 Doors Open Waterloo Region theme. Explore special places that have earned Waterloo Region an international reputation as a hub of science and technology. 

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Beatles: They love you, yeah, yeah, yeah; Lennon-Ono suite at Fairmont Queen Elizabeth



   One-Tank Trip for Sept. 3-16

   (c) By Jim Fox

   The Magical History tour is “coming to take you away” – back to the days when Beatlemania ran rampant.
   The “British Invasion” can be relived, or if you missed it then, here’s a chance to live it now.
   They love you, yeah, yeah, yeah and those mop-topped boys from Liverpool star in the Magical History Tour: A Beatles Memorabilia Exhibition.

   It’s now playing at the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Mich. through Sept. 18.
   Metro Detroit finds itself being invaded again by the mop-topped “Brits” where Motown battled it out with them back in the day.
   And, in Montreal at Fairmont’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel, all John Lennon and Yoko Ono were saying was “give peace a chance.”
   Now their suite where you can stay overnight is being given a makeover.

Have your photo taken beside the authentic replica of the Cavern Club where the fledgling Beatles played in Liverpool. (Barbara Fox photo)

Harbourfront Centre brings storytelling to life with visual arts fall exhibitions

 
 TORONTO, ON – Harbourfront Centre proudly presents five exhibitions under the thematic title, Stories We Tell – featuring works in a variety of media including photography, graphic novels, video and craft. The fall lineup has a diverse set of artists presenting distinct visual narratives, weaving tales with every stroke, mold and colour from Sept. 24 to Dec. 22 (2016).

Exhibitions include:
  • Five Ways – Curated by acclaimed Canadian cartoonist Seth, this exhibition spotlights five diverse contemporary cartoonists and their unique approach to graphic novels as mediums of artistic expression.
  • Funnies – Zines, drawings, installations and videos are on display in this exhibition by eight emerging comic and graphic novelists.

It's all happening at the Toronto Zoo on the long weekend





 What better place to enjoy the nice weather this long weekend than at the Zoo.
Grab your troop and head to the wildest adventure in Toronto!


SPLASH AROUND IN SPLASH ISLAND!
Photo: Toronto Zoo
 Cool off at Splash Island, the perfect destination for a hot summer day! With two acres of hands-on, non-stop family fun amidst waterslides, water-spouting animals, waterfalls, and tipping buckets, our splash pad is the best way to beat the summer heat.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

The miracle of migration; OK, garlic breath!



   One-Tank Trip for Aug. 27-16

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Tell us it isn’t so – our fine feathered friends are already saying goodbye and starting their long trips south.
   It seems like only yesterday when the birds and butterflies returned, while their exodus is a sure sign that the not-long-enough hot summer is winding down.
   Another signal is the Monarchs and Migrants Weekend at Presqu’ile Provincial Park in Brighton, east of Toronto, on Labour Day Weekend.
Kestrels and other birds of prey are heading south for the winter. (Photo by L. Dunlop)
   Visitors on Sept. 3 and 4 will be able to “witness a spectacular scene repeated for millennia by migrating bird and monarch butterflies,” said park naturalist David Bree.
   The critters are stopping off to refuel on their long journey south, heading for points between Mexico and the tip of South America, he added.