From food to art, we have you covered in Niagara this weekend!

What a weekend to get out and enjoy all that Niagara has to offer!  Where to begin as far as weekend events are concerned...well let's give it a try.

I spent some time this afternoon at the Scotiabank Convention Centre for the 3rd annual Niagara Food & Wine Expo and as usual, it was a tasty event.  Lots of new vendors this year, including Rosewood Estates Winery with their wonderful Mead, AG Inspired Cuisine at The Sterling Inn, and Paris Crepes Cafe Bistro among the many notables on location.  I took the time late afternoon to catch the show while listening to lovely Juliet Dunn and her husband perform on the mainstage, as the crowds had not yet started to build.  It will continue Saturday and Sunday, with admission at the door if you don't already have your tickets.  Go with an appetite!

Also this evening the 5th annual In The Soil Arts Festival kicked off in downtown St. Catharines, with a stellar program of music, media, theatre, dance, poetry, installations and one-time, out-of-the-box performances throughout the downtown area through until Sunday.  Some of the festival highlights this year include The Sadies performing at the Mikado Bar and Lounge Saturday at midnight; Christine Fellows from Winnipeg performing Sunday afternoon at 3 at The Hub, and the Arts Hop Workshop, a free family event with lots of events planned including a performance by Chorus Niagara's Children's Choir at The Hub Sunday afternoon at 1 pm.

In addition to musical performances, there will be art exhibitions as well, including the launch Saturday afternoon, as I reported in this space last week, of Sandy Middleton's photographic essay on New York City, with an opening reception at NAC from 2 to 4 in the afternoon.  You can also visit any number of downtown restaurants for special deals throughout the festival weekend.

For Festival Passes, contact Brock's box office at the Centre for the Arts at 905-688-5550, ext. 3257 between 11 am and 6 pm.

The Niagara Symphony (NSO) features their final performances in this season's Family and Pops! series, with the 75-minute no-intermission family performance Saturday afternoon at 2:30 at the Sean O'Sullivan Theatre, Centre for the Arts, Brock University, and the full-length Pops! performance at 2:30 Sunday afternoon.  The concerts feature Maestro Bradley Thachuk leading the NSO in a concert titled The Magical Music of Disney, which will feature a multimedia extravaganza on stage for both performances this weekend.  Also featured is St. Catharines native Vanessa Fralick, daughter of NSO principal trombone Steve Fralick and french horn player, Janice Fralick.  Vanessa is currently the acting associate principal trombone of the St. Louis Symphony and is currently one of two finalists in an international search for a position in the trombone section of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

I will not be at the Family concert in the afternoon on Saturday due to the fact it is performed without an intermission, but I will be in the lobby before, after and during intermission of the Pops! concert on Sunday afternoon, so if you go be sure to stop by to see what music I have available for purchase this weekend.  Incidentally, I will also be attending a special "Sneak Preview" for the 2013-2014 season announcement at the Centre for the Arts Saturday evening, so I will be reporting on that in this space in the near future.

Finally, the Avanti Chamber Choir wraps up the Department of Music Viva Voce! choral series Saturday evening at 7:30, as the choir directed by Harris Loewen perform a springtime concert that includes the Gloriana Dances by Benjamin Britten and Frostiana by Thompson, among other works.  The concert takes place at the acoustically warm-sounding St. Barnabas Anglican Church on Queenston Street, and tickets will be available at the door.

So there you go, lots to see, hear and experience in Niagara this weekend, along with enjoying the sunshine and perhaps even getting some work done in the yard.

Enjoy your weekend!

April 26th, 2013.