Earlier this week on Facebook I posted an article from HuffingtonPost.com dealing with the age-old dilemma of knowing when it is time to say goodbye to a family pet. Essentially, the article disputes the typical vet's advice that "you'll know when it is time."
We oftentimes may know when it is time, but more often than not, at least for me, we stretch out that "time" as long as we possibly can. This I think is a natural reaction, as we have great difficulty coming to grips with the loss of a family pet that is more than just a pet but quite often a true member of the family.
You have probably faced this dilemma yourself at least once over the years. I know I have. In fact, my far better half and myself have faced that decision with one dog and four cats in the fifteen years we have been together. I can tell you from personal experience, it never gets any easier. Never.
The first loss we suffered was our dog, a Cavalier King Charles named Brittany back in 2004. A couple of years later our senior cat, Minou, passed away at the age of 20. We had a quiet period for a couple of years before my beloved best friend for 15 years, Pushkin, succumbed to cancer. Just a few months later, our other senior cat, Mr. Kitten, also passed away from cancer at the age of 20.
Most recently, tiny Pia, all of five pounds of pride and attitude was diagnosed with diabetes just over two years ago and after trying everything possible to work around the situation, we had to say goodbye the day after Christmas in 2013.
Of all the pets we have lost over the years, Pushkin and Pia hit us the hardest. Pushkin was diagnosed with a tumour just months after I lost my father in the spring of 2009, and he bravely hung on while I was in and out of hospital that summer three times with various operations of my own. When I finally got back home after the third stay in late September, it was if Pushkin said "okay, you're strong enough now to go on without me. I'm done."
Two weeks later we made the heart-wrenching decision every pet owner makes, and I must admit the loss very nearly crushed me after the year I was having.
Pia, on the other hand, was not that old. All of seven years when we found she had diabetes, and the vet suspected it was with her from the very beginning and we just didn't know it. Much care both in St. Catharines and the emergency clinic in Oakville bought us a few short months but ultimately, the difficult decision once again was made.
Whether we knew it was time or not is open to debate, I suppose. With Pushkin I readily admit I prolonged his life longer than I should of, but given what I was going through at the time, I needed some time with him once I got home. With Pia, as long as we felt she had fight in her, and she had lots of fight always, we would do everything we could to help her through it.
The end comes and you do what you have to do, and after a grieving process, you move on. It is never easy, and those who don't own pets have no idea the grieving process is sometimes so overwhelming with pets.
For many, that pet is their only companion, and they spend the entire day together, every day. Others, well, the pet is part of a busy family and sometimes might get lost in the shuffle of everyday life. But in each and every case, that pet means something to someone and that someone feels a void that can take weeks, months or maybe even years to overcome.
This past week, our special neighbour, a tuxedo cat named Siggy passed away at the age of about 12 or 13. Siggy, properly named Sigmund, wandered into our neighbourhood and made himself at home before being adopted by our neighbours, Mark and Sandy.
My earliest recollection of Sig was our last garage sale here at the house, when Siggy, still quite young and apparently homeless at the time, wandered up the driveway and promptly climbed up into my lap, curled up and had a nap while I sold former treasures to strangers.
That's how he was. He basically made the neighbourhood his home until he was finally adopted officially, and even then, the entire street was his domain. Sig would patrol, lounge, schmooze passers-by and generally ingratiate himself to everyone and anyone at a moment's notice. He also knew what a camera was for, and probably posed for more photographs than anyone else on the street over the years.
Siggy also had no idea anything might not actually belong to him. Many a time I would come out of the house and Sig was lying on the hood or roof of the car in the driveway, sunning himself with a look that suggested "What, you want me to move? Where?" He also parked himself on my wife's clients cars in similar fashion, all the while making sure he looked good should a camera enter the conversation.
On one memorable occasion, he climbed up on the roof of a client's car and discovering the sunroof was open, jumped in and made himself at home on the front seat of the car until the owner returned.
That's the way Siggy was. The world was his playground and he revelled in it. He was a formally-dressed bon vivant who was known throughout the neighbourhood. But he knew where his home was, and a more loyal, loving cat you would not find anywhere.
In the past few weeks Siggy began losing weight and bringing up his food, and there was considerable concern from all sides. Things worsened in the last few days and the difficult decision again was made to end his life with dignity and love.
So it was on Friday morning we visited next door and said our final goodbyes to Sig, and it was done.
The heartbreak of a loss cannot be measured, I think, other than by how much of a mark that pet left on your heart. With Siggy, everyone he met welcomed him into their hearts. He was just that kind of guy. You could not help but love him.
You can rest now, Sigmund, Siggy, Sig, Sigaroonius. Your job is done. But you will be greatly missed by those whose lives you touched in so many ways for so many years.
This is why we love our pets so much. They are family members who love us unconditionally and we we love them right back. Even though the pain never gets any easier to handle, I will willingly do it again and again and again. They are worth the trouble, the time, the effort and yes, the love.
If you are lucky enough to share your life with a pet, be it a cat, dog or whatever, take a moment this weekend and spend some extra snuggle time with them. You never know when you won't have that opportunity again, so bank as much love as you can now.
They will love you right back. And that is something special.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
May 22nd, 2016.
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Thoughts from a traveller
It has been a couple of weeks now since I posted in this space, and my apologies for that. On the spur of the moment, I decided to join my far better half this year on her annual pilgrimage to Cancun, Mexico, as I decided it was time for a rest.
A busy winter delivering the mail, writing news for the Brock radio station and posts in this space had simply burned me out, so off we went for a week of rest and relaxation in the sunny south.
Having arrived home on the weekend, I come back with some thoughts accumulated from my travels I thought I would share with you this week. I know it has nothing to do with the arts, but hey, bear with me on this. I allow myself to run off on a tangent every now and again...
First off, my straw Panama hat is off to the exemplary staff both on the ground and in the air with Westjet, my favourite airline. These people know how to make you comfortable, happy and relaxed, all at a reasonable price. Even the captain on both our flights gave us a few good laughs along the way.
My second tip of the Panama is to the staff who take care of us at the other end of the trip, at the Royal Resorts location we stayed at along the so-called Hotel Zone in Cancun. Pretty much everything is taken care of, and you are certainly treated, well, royally. Thanks everyone for making us feel welcome at our home away from home.
Now, it's not all hearts and flowers this week, so here is the other side of the coin, if you will...
Even with luggage restrictions clearly spelled out everywhere you look these days, I still managed to get caught with something in my carry-on bag heading down that should not of been there. I know about carrying liquids in your carry on, that is a given. But peanut butter? Well yes, they say gels are included too, but I never for the life of me thought peanut butter fell into that category. Oh well...I had to dispose of a brand-new jar of peanut butter in the trash at the airport as my checked luggage had already gone through, and buy a new jar at the resort when I got there. You know where it was on the way home, though...
Airport crowds are not my thing. Sorry, I just don't enjoy the hustle and bustle and looking for your gate and all that. But it's what we do, so early in the morning we are walking the airport departure area like zombies in need of caffeine trying to find our way through the maze of passengers also doing the same thing.
Incidentally, when did dressing for the beach begin before the flight even started? There was a time you actually dressed nicely while on a flight, and I still do that myself today. But in most cases, flip flops, bathing suits and questionable t-shirts are the norm on flights today. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but this has always irked me.
I know I have written before about the unavoidable digital world we now live in, but after two flights in the past week, I have some things to say on the matter - again. Especially since when I last flew down there in 2008 the ubiquitous iPhone was only about a year old and still something of a novelty.
No more. Now, they are everywhere, along with the larger iPads and all the Android brethren as well. Choose your poison...
There was a time you had in-flight movies. Now, people just connect through an app and watch their favourite movies and videos on their own devices, often from the moment you take your seat on the plane. All very well and good, I suppose, but wait a minute.
Again, call me old-fashioned, but I still marvel at the fact this huge tube with wings filled with people can lift off the ground, fly through the air and land safely, almost always. Not so the present generation, for whom the idea of actually watching yourself get airborne is yesterday's news. While I marvelled at the scene outside my window on both flights, everyone around me barely noticed as they watched the latest shoot-em up or Disney flick on their personal device.
There was one man, however, who took my fascination to the extreme on the way down last week, as he trained his small video camera on a tripod at the window he was seated next to, and proceeded to film the entire takeoff and landing. I had to wonder - who is going to watch this video anyways? Who has not experienced at least one flight in their lives in this day and age? Sorry, bud, but why not put the video camera down and just live the moment and leave it at that? Mind you, he could send copies to the others around him who hadn't noticed we had actually taken off in a jetliner...
On the return trip, I was struck by the number of people around me who had iPads and used them the entire time during the flight to watch something. I counted at least 10 in my immediate vicinity. The young lady across the aisle from even had hers set up for a film while she held her iPhone in her hand, texting the entire time. Do we really need to be that connected at all times, even while on vacation?
This was the same young lady who managed to lose her phone at the end of the flight and everyone had to wait while she found it on the floor underneath the seat, then commenting "Can't do without my phone!" Well, maybe you should learn to...
Incidentally, what is it with people and selfies? The young people in the seats across the aisle from me were busy taking selfies of themselves throughout the flight, and I can't understand why. But then, the whole selfie thing is lost on me, frankly.
At the resort, the number of people having paid good money to get away from it all still managed to stay connected to it all while walking around like zombies with their devices was frightening. For me, I used the wifi at the resort to check my emails at the start and end of the day only, and used the phone in airplane mode for pictures the rest of the day. That's it. I didn't feel I missed out on anything, really.
There is a tendency in this digital age to stop living your life because you are too busy filming and/or posting about it in social media. It is a sickness, really. I fear the day will come when social-media anonymous meetings will be held to help people cope with their addiction, and everyone there will be posting about being there. Is this what we've become as a society?
Okay, other than that, I had a great time. Walked a lot, read some books (remember them?) and ate far too much. But that, from what I remember, is what makes a vacation a vacation.
Facebook can wait. It will still be there when you get home. Trust me.
Have a good week!
May 17th, 2016.
A busy winter delivering the mail, writing news for the Brock radio station and posts in this space had simply burned me out, so off we went for a week of rest and relaxation in the sunny south.
Having arrived home on the weekend, I come back with some thoughts accumulated from my travels I thought I would share with you this week. I know it has nothing to do with the arts, but hey, bear with me on this. I allow myself to run off on a tangent every now and again...
First off, my straw Panama hat is off to the exemplary staff both on the ground and in the air with Westjet, my favourite airline. These people know how to make you comfortable, happy and relaxed, all at a reasonable price. Even the captain on both our flights gave us a few good laughs along the way.
My second tip of the Panama is to the staff who take care of us at the other end of the trip, at the Royal Resorts location we stayed at along the so-called Hotel Zone in Cancun. Pretty much everything is taken care of, and you are certainly treated, well, royally. Thanks everyone for making us feel welcome at our home away from home.
Now, it's not all hearts and flowers this week, so here is the other side of the coin, if you will...
Even with luggage restrictions clearly spelled out everywhere you look these days, I still managed to get caught with something in my carry-on bag heading down that should not of been there. I know about carrying liquids in your carry on, that is a given. But peanut butter? Well yes, they say gels are included too, but I never for the life of me thought peanut butter fell into that category. Oh well...I had to dispose of a brand-new jar of peanut butter in the trash at the airport as my checked luggage had already gone through, and buy a new jar at the resort when I got there. You know where it was on the way home, though...
Airport crowds are not my thing. Sorry, I just don't enjoy the hustle and bustle and looking for your gate and all that. But it's what we do, so early in the morning we are walking the airport departure area like zombies in need of caffeine trying to find our way through the maze of passengers also doing the same thing.
Incidentally, when did dressing for the beach begin before the flight even started? There was a time you actually dressed nicely while on a flight, and I still do that myself today. But in most cases, flip flops, bathing suits and questionable t-shirts are the norm on flights today. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but this has always irked me.
I know I have written before about the unavoidable digital world we now live in, but after two flights in the past week, I have some things to say on the matter - again. Especially since when I last flew down there in 2008 the ubiquitous iPhone was only about a year old and still something of a novelty.
No more. Now, they are everywhere, along with the larger iPads and all the Android brethren as well. Choose your poison...
There was a time you had in-flight movies. Now, people just connect through an app and watch their favourite movies and videos on their own devices, often from the moment you take your seat on the plane. All very well and good, I suppose, but wait a minute.
Again, call me old-fashioned, but I still marvel at the fact this huge tube with wings filled with people can lift off the ground, fly through the air and land safely, almost always. Not so the present generation, for whom the idea of actually watching yourself get airborne is yesterday's news. While I marvelled at the scene outside my window on both flights, everyone around me barely noticed as they watched the latest shoot-em up or Disney flick on their personal device.
There was one man, however, who took my fascination to the extreme on the way down last week, as he trained his small video camera on a tripod at the window he was seated next to, and proceeded to film the entire takeoff and landing. I had to wonder - who is going to watch this video anyways? Who has not experienced at least one flight in their lives in this day and age? Sorry, bud, but why not put the video camera down and just live the moment and leave it at that? Mind you, he could send copies to the others around him who hadn't noticed we had actually taken off in a jetliner...
On the return trip, I was struck by the number of people around me who had iPads and used them the entire time during the flight to watch something. I counted at least 10 in my immediate vicinity. The young lady across the aisle from even had hers set up for a film while she held her iPhone in her hand, texting the entire time. Do we really need to be that connected at all times, even while on vacation?
This was the same young lady who managed to lose her phone at the end of the flight and everyone had to wait while she found it on the floor underneath the seat, then commenting "Can't do without my phone!" Well, maybe you should learn to...
Incidentally, what is it with people and selfies? The young people in the seats across the aisle from me were busy taking selfies of themselves throughout the flight, and I can't understand why. But then, the whole selfie thing is lost on me, frankly.
At the resort, the number of people having paid good money to get away from it all still managed to stay connected to it all while walking around like zombies with their devices was frightening. For me, I used the wifi at the resort to check my emails at the start and end of the day only, and used the phone in airplane mode for pictures the rest of the day. That's it. I didn't feel I missed out on anything, really.
There is a tendency in this digital age to stop living your life because you are too busy filming and/or posting about it in social media. It is a sickness, really. I fear the day will come when social-media anonymous meetings will be held to help people cope with their addiction, and everyone there will be posting about being there. Is this what we've become as a society?
Okay, other than that, I had a great time. Walked a lot, read some books (remember them?) and ate far too much. But that, from what I remember, is what makes a vacation a vacation.
Facebook can wait. It will still be there when you get home. Trust me.
Have a good week!
May 17th, 2016.
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Things are looking up in downtown St. Catharines!
As I was preparing to write my weekend blog post, a caught a tweet from Mayor Walter Sendzik that says the City of St. Catharines is celebrating 140 years today. Oh the town was around long before that, of course, but the city was incorporated today in 1876.
Well, Mr. Mayor, I share your optimism our great city has a bright future ahead of it, and here's why.
Just this week, for instance, the Niagara Ice Dogs advanced to the OHL Finals against the dreaded London Knights at the Meridian Centre Tuesday night, as they swept the Barrie Colts in four games straight.
A capacity crowd at the Meridian Centre saluted their red & white-shirted heroes as they advanced to the Big Round, confident and raring to go. The exuberant fans certainly celebrated in downtown St. Catharines throughout the playoffs, bringing some welcome business to the many eateries catering to the downtown crowd these days.
That certainly will continue into the next round, with the first home game still a week away. Incidentally, all the tickets available to the public that went on sale Friday were snapped up in 17 minutes flat. How's that for supporting our local team? Everyone loves a winner...Go Dogs, Go!
Then we had the 8th Annual In The Soil Festival wrapping up tonight in downtown St. Catharines, primarily on James Street and over at the new Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts at 15 Artists' Common.
The three-day music and arts fest has grown considerably over the years, attracting larger crowds each and every year with an ever-expanding artist roster. This year hundreds of participants presented music from a wide variety of musical genres to large and appreciative audiences under the big tent erected on James Street.
In addition, art exhibits and interactive displays popped up throughout downtown St. Catharines, catering to a wide audience including families. My neighbour Sandy Middleton, for example, hosted guests throughout the weekend in her upstairs studio overlooking James Street with a wide variety of her creative art on sale.
I toured the James Street area twice this weekend, and the variety of displays was intriguing to say the least. There was literally something for everyone this weekend, and for the price of a weekend pass you could take it all in from Friday to Sunday.
In The Soil continues to provide outstanding value for money every year, giving Niagara residents yet another reason to come downtown and see what's happening in our city core.
While all that was going on, the Niagara Symphony wrapped up their Pops! concerts for the current season at the new FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre with a Gershwin-themed programme featuring Artist-in-Residence Stewart Goodyear and the NSO conducted by Music Director Bradley Thachuk.
Partridge Hall has established itself as one of the premiere concert halls in Ontario already, and it provides a great home for the Niagara Symphony along with a myriad of performing artists catering to almost every musical taste.
The Cairns Recital Hall hosts all sorts of events as well, and I was pleasantly surprised by the large turnout for the Royal Bank Tuesday Music@Noon recitals hosted by faculty and music students with the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts at Brock University. I finally had a chance to catch a recital there in February, and these free events are a perfect opportunity to check out the new space and hear some of the great young talent we have right here in Niagara.
The newly-opened Film House at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre is filling a need many of us in the city have known to exist for years now - a top-notch venue for screening films both old and new right in the heart of the city. Gone are the days of the movie palaces downtown, of course, which numbered I believe five at their height of popularity about half a century ago. But the Film House is right for the times, and just right for downtown St. Catharines.
Meantime Robertson Hall has been the new home for much of the live theatre presented at the PAC this season, including the inaugural season for Essential Collective Theatre at their new home. Both times I attended ECT shows the crowds were large and appreciative and the shows were exceptional.
Although the days of traditional department stores in downtown St. Catharines are long gone, many smaller, trendy and quirky locations have sprung up to replace them, offering unique gifts and one-of-a-kind items in almost every price range.
You just have to visit places like the Craft Market on James Street, for example, to see what the new face of downtown St. Catharines retail looks like.
Another retail shopping experience is in the planning stages, of course, with the current capital campaign for the future Garden City Food Co-Op well underway. Another Investment Sunday event today at the offices of Cowork Niagara on St. Paul Street raised the fundraising total to over $60,000 at this moment, and that will certainly continue to grow as the campaign rolls along. The need for a downtown grocery store is acute, and a food co-op looks to be the way to go. You can find out more about how you can help to make it happen in downtown St. Catharines by going to the Garden City Food Co-Op website or Facebook page.
The variety of restaurants and eateries both large and small is second to none right now, with everything from Beechwood Doughnuts and Rise Above offering vegan fare to exceptional fine dining at Wellington Court, and everything in between. You will never go hungry in downtown St. Catharines!
We even have a new micro-brewery opening on St. Paul Street in one of the old Dani's Bistro locations. Plan B should be open shortly, and that will be a perfect fit for the downtown core with the new influx of people for events on a weekly basis.
Speaking of an influx of people, the opening late last year of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts downtown has helped to create a need for considerably more student housing in the downtown core, so two new developments from Pen Terra Developments on Raymond at James Street and also just below Welland Avenue at Lake Street are moving along at a good pace these days. I can see both from the sunroom of our downtown home, and they are encouraging signs more people will be living and spending in our downtown core in the not-too-distant future.
A further student residence is nearing completion on Queenstown Street on the site of the former CHSC studios, while plans are moving forward on a residential development of some sort at the site of the former St. Catharines General Hospital on Queenston. On the other side of town, the former Hotel Dieu hospital site is to be home for a seniors residence in the coming years if all goes well.
So what does all this mean? It means the major cash infusions from all levels of government as well as private investors and developers have literally changed the face of our downtown in a relatively short period of time.
While it took several decades for the decline to reach critical levels, it has really taken less than a decade to reverse much of the stagnation and decay of the downtown as a result of that prolonged decline.
It has also infused residents of St. Catharines with a lot more pride in their city, I believe, and many more reasons to celebrate what we have right here in the Garden City. You can see that with the many people attending events downtown on a regular basis.
Sure, nothing is perfect. We have lots of work still ahead of us, from completing the transition of two-way traffic in the core to the completion of the Burgoyne Bridge on St. Paul Street West. But the face of the city has fundamentally changed in the last decade, and now we can start to reap the benefits of all that infrastructure spending.
If you still have not found time to come downtown and see what we have to offer, now is as good a time as any to find out.
A whole new world of interesting tastes, experiences and shopping await you downtown. It's time to discover, explore, celebrate and yes, tell others about what's been happening right in our own backyard.
Have a great week!
May 1st, 2016.
Well, Mr. Mayor, I share your optimism our great city has a bright future ahead of it, and here's why.
Just this week, for instance, the Niagara Ice Dogs advanced to the OHL Finals against the dreaded London Knights at the Meridian Centre Tuesday night, as they swept the Barrie Colts in four games straight.
A capacity crowd at the Meridian Centre saluted their red & white-shirted heroes as they advanced to the Big Round, confident and raring to go. The exuberant fans certainly celebrated in downtown St. Catharines throughout the playoffs, bringing some welcome business to the many eateries catering to the downtown crowd these days.
That certainly will continue into the next round, with the first home game still a week away. Incidentally, all the tickets available to the public that went on sale Friday were snapped up in 17 minutes flat. How's that for supporting our local team? Everyone loves a winner...Go Dogs, Go!
Then we had the 8th Annual In The Soil Festival wrapping up tonight in downtown St. Catharines, primarily on James Street and over at the new Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts at 15 Artists' Common.
The three-day music and arts fest has grown considerably over the years, attracting larger crowds each and every year with an ever-expanding artist roster. This year hundreds of participants presented music from a wide variety of musical genres to large and appreciative audiences under the big tent erected on James Street.
In addition, art exhibits and interactive displays popped up throughout downtown St. Catharines, catering to a wide audience including families. My neighbour Sandy Middleton, for example, hosted guests throughout the weekend in her upstairs studio overlooking James Street with a wide variety of her creative art on sale.
I toured the James Street area twice this weekend, and the variety of displays was intriguing to say the least. There was literally something for everyone this weekend, and for the price of a weekend pass you could take it all in from Friday to Sunday.
In The Soil continues to provide outstanding value for money every year, giving Niagara residents yet another reason to come downtown and see what's happening in our city core.
While all that was going on, the Niagara Symphony wrapped up their Pops! concerts for the current season at the new FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre with a Gershwin-themed programme featuring Artist-in-Residence Stewart Goodyear and the NSO conducted by Music Director Bradley Thachuk.
Partridge Hall has established itself as one of the premiere concert halls in Ontario already, and it provides a great home for the Niagara Symphony along with a myriad of performing artists catering to almost every musical taste.
The Cairns Recital Hall hosts all sorts of events as well, and I was pleasantly surprised by the large turnout for the Royal Bank Tuesday Music@Noon recitals hosted by faculty and music students with the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts at Brock University. I finally had a chance to catch a recital there in February, and these free events are a perfect opportunity to check out the new space and hear some of the great young talent we have right here in Niagara.
The newly-opened Film House at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre is filling a need many of us in the city have known to exist for years now - a top-notch venue for screening films both old and new right in the heart of the city. Gone are the days of the movie palaces downtown, of course, which numbered I believe five at their height of popularity about half a century ago. But the Film House is right for the times, and just right for downtown St. Catharines.
Meantime Robertson Hall has been the new home for much of the live theatre presented at the PAC this season, including the inaugural season for Essential Collective Theatre at their new home. Both times I attended ECT shows the crowds were large and appreciative and the shows were exceptional.
Although the days of traditional department stores in downtown St. Catharines are long gone, many smaller, trendy and quirky locations have sprung up to replace them, offering unique gifts and one-of-a-kind items in almost every price range.
You just have to visit places like the Craft Market on James Street, for example, to see what the new face of downtown St. Catharines retail looks like.
Another retail shopping experience is in the planning stages, of course, with the current capital campaign for the future Garden City Food Co-Op well underway. Another Investment Sunday event today at the offices of Cowork Niagara on St. Paul Street raised the fundraising total to over $60,000 at this moment, and that will certainly continue to grow as the campaign rolls along. The need for a downtown grocery store is acute, and a food co-op looks to be the way to go. You can find out more about how you can help to make it happen in downtown St. Catharines by going to the Garden City Food Co-Op website or Facebook page.
The variety of restaurants and eateries both large and small is second to none right now, with everything from Beechwood Doughnuts and Rise Above offering vegan fare to exceptional fine dining at Wellington Court, and everything in between. You will never go hungry in downtown St. Catharines!
We even have a new micro-brewery opening on St. Paul Street in one of the old Dani's Bistro locations. Plan B should be open shortly, and that will be a perfect fit for the downtown core with the new influx of people for events on a weekly basis.
Speaking of an influx of people, the opening late last year of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts downtown has helped to create a need for considerably more student housing in the downtown core, so two new developments from Pen Terra Developments on Raymond at James Street and also just below Welland Avenue at Lake Street are moving along at a good pace these days. I can see both from the sunroom of our downtown home, and they are encouraging signs more people will be living and spending in our downtown core in the not-too-distant future.
A further student residence is nearing completion on Queenstown Street on the site of the former CHSC studios, while plans are moving forward on a residential development of some sort at the site of the former St. Catharines General Hospital on Queenston. On the other side of town, the former Hotel Dieu hospital site is to be home for a seniors residence in the coming years if all goes well.
So what does all this mean? It means the major cash infusions from all levels of government as well as private investors and developers have literally changed the face of our downtown in a relatively short period of time.
While it took several decades for the decline to reach critical levels, it has really taken less than a decade to reverse much of the stagnation and decay of the downtown as a result of that prolonged decline.
It has also infused residents of St. Catharines with a lot more pride in their city, I believe, and many more reasons to celebrate what we have right here in the Garden City. You can see that with the many people attending events downtown on a regular basis.
Sure, nothing is perfect. We have lots of work still ahead of us, from completing the transition of two-way traffic in the core to the completion of the Burgoyne Bridge on St. Paul Street West. But the face of the city has fundamentally changed in the last decade, and now we can start to reap the benefits of all that infrastructure spending.
If you still have not found time to come downtown and see what we have to offer, now is as good a time as any to find out.
A whole new world of interesting tastes, experiences and shopping await you downtown. It's time to discover, explore, celebrate and yes, tell others about what's been happening right in our own backyard.
Have a great week!
May 1st, 2016.
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Making a case for a food co-op in downtown St. Catharines
It has been awhile since I wrote about the Garden City Food Co-op, the dedicated group of individuals working together to bring a dedicated grocery store to the downtown core. There has been a lot of activity as of late, so I thought it was time for an update.
The last two years, volunteers from the co-op have been out in public - in particular at the St. Catharines Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings - getting the word out about the venture and signing up new members. On many Saturday mornings I was one of those volunteers last summer and fall, spreading the word.
To date, the membership is healthy and growing steadily, but more members are certainly needed. More importantly, those members who have joined are being asked to step up to the plate and help fund the newly-launched capital campaign.
I am mentioning these two rather obvious points and separating them to make clear the stages of building a solid base on which to build our downtown grocery store. The reason for this relates to a comment I found recently posted on Facebook in response to a news update Karena Walter of the St. Catharines Standard recently posted.
The article spelled out the current situation and the need for the capital campaign to now get underway. But one person - who obviously saw the post but didn't bother to read the article - posted a snide remark saying in essence "these people have been asking for money for years now...the downtown grocery store is doomed to failure."
I'm paraphrasing here, but that was the gist of the comment. And it angered me greatly.
First of all, the people behind the Garden City Food Co-op have not been going hat in hand begging for donations here for a pie in the sky idea that has not been thoroughly researched. Proper due diligence has been done every step of the way, and I can say in my experience this is a very dedicated group of individuals who are in it for the long haul.
Once it was determined a food co-operative would work in downtown St. Catharines, the next stage was to secure enough members through the membership drive the last two years to prove the idea is a viable one and worthy of the public's consideration.
Yes, when you join, you pay a one-time membership fee of $120. That money goes towards funding the ongoing planning processes of bringing the food co-op to fruition. If enough members join, there is obvious interest within the community to proceed further.
That is where we arrived recently, when it was announced at the 2nd AGM last month the capital campaign was set to roll out and we needed all hands on deck to make this thing happen.
Now the capital campaign is different from the membership drive. The latter set the foundation in place on which to build the framework with the former. Think of it as building a house, if you will, and one can't succeed without the other. No foundation? No framework. It's that simple.
So why are members and non-members alike now being asked to pony up to fund the capital campaign? Essentially to keep the ball rolling and move the ball further towards our goal of opening the co-op in the near future.
We know the interest is there. But it takes money to build, and some of that money has to come from the members who believe in the concept. If the membership is willing to collectively put their money where their mouths are, if you will, it will demonstrate the financial security of the whole idea to potential leading partners.
Those leading partners are the movers and shakers in the community who also share the vision but who invest in viable investment opportunities.
The Garden City Food Co-op is very much a viable investment opportunity.
Okay, let's look at the numbers. The overall budget for the project is $1.4-million, with the Preference Shares being sold in the capital campaign making up 40 to 60% of that budget. The funds raised through this campaign will be used towards the renovation and outfitting of the co-op location at 57 Carlisle Street, as well as inventory and start-up costs.
The co-op is designed as a for-profit business and is projected to return a profit by its fourth year of business. That means investors in the capital campaign should expect to be investors for the long-haul; this is not a get rich quick scheme by any means.
But you will get a return on your investment once the co-operative turns a profit. How much?
Here's where things get a little more technical, but bear with me.
The community is being asked to invest in either Class A shares or Class B shares. Class A shares are $5,000 per share paying an annual dividend of 4% once the co-op is profitable. Class B shares are $1,000 per share and earn a 2.9% dividend once the co-op is profitable. Both Class A and Class B shares are purchased for a 7 year term.
You can purchase up to 50 Class A and 100 Class B shares, and you can buy a combination of the two if you wish. You can also purchase shares now and more later in the campaign if you wish.
But don't let those numbers frighten you. The co-op knows either investment is a big decision for most of us, so even buying a single Class B share is a significant undertaking for a member. But each share purchase brings us a step closer to making the Garden City Food Co-op a reality. So don't for a minute think buying just one share will not make a difference. It will.
The money raised in this campaign will not be used until the end of the campaign. So in the meantime it is held in escrow until the secured minimum amount necessary is raised to make the project a success. Should the minimum not be met, the Offering will be abandoned and subscription receipts (i.e. funds raised during the campaign) will be fully refunded.
The capital campaign runs from now until September 1st, so we have a lot of work ahead of us. Should the minimum amount be raised before that date, all the better. But it cannot be extended. September 1st is the cut-off and if the necessary funds are not raised by that date the campaign will be deemed unsuccessful.
But let's think positive here. We will do it. And the community will respond as best they can. I am confident of that.
Last Sunday for example, we held a launch event at Co-Work Niagara in downtown St. Catharines, where the Garden City Food Co-op has office space to plan for the various stages of the birth of the new co-op.
In just two hours, $30,000 was raised in the capital campaign to get things going, making up the first 6% of the campaign goal. That is a promising start to be sure, but we have a long way to go towards reaching our goal, and that means we need your help.
Every day now, volunteers are calling members to explain the capital campaign and solicit funds to be invested into the project. I am one of the people known as "closers" - I and my colleagues then go out to meet with the prospective investor, answer any questions they may have, and essentially "close the deal" by signing up the member as a part of the capital campaign.
So if you have not already considered making an investment, now is the perfect time to do so. We need you! And each and every member of the Garden City Food Co-op will be thrilled to have you on board as an investor and believer in the co-op concept in our downtown core.
Want to know more? Go to the Garden City Food Co-op Facebook page or website for more details on how you can help, and consider saying yes when you receive a call. If you are not already a member, perhaps it is time to consider becoming a member and get involved in making this idea a reality.
I'm just scratching the surface here in explaining what you need to know to become an investor, but hopefully this will arm you with enough knowledge and confidence to take the next step and show your support when the call comes.
There will also be another investor sign-up event on Sunday afternoon, May 1st at Co-Work Niagara and you are most welcome to attend and see how you can help out.
It is going to be an exciting time once the Garden City Food Co-op finally opens. But right now things are exciting too as we work towards the goal of actually being able to afford to open it.
Come and be a part of the growth and investment in downtown St. Catharines. We can't do it without you.
Have a great weekend!
April 23rd, 2016.
The last two years, volunteers from the co-op have been out in public - in particular at the St. Catharines Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings - getting the word out about the venture and signing up new members. On many Saturday mornings I was one of those volunteers last summer and fall, spreading the word.
To date, the membership is healthy and growing steadily, but more members are certainly needed. More importantly, those members who have joined are being asked to step up to the plate and help fund the newly-launched capital campaign.
I am mentioning these two rather obvious points and separating them to make clear the stages of building a solid base on which to build our downtown grocery store. The reason for this relates to a comment I found recently posted on Facebook in response to a news update Karena Walter of the St. Catharines Standard recently posted.
The article spelled out the current situation and the need for the capital campaign to now get underway. But one person - who obviously saw the post but didn't bother to read the article - posted a snide remark saying in essence "these people have been asking for money for years now...the downtown grocery store is doomed to failure."
I'm paraphrasing here, but that was the gist of the comment. And it angered me greatly.
First of all, the people behind the Garden City Food Co-op have not been going hat in hand begging for donations here for a pie in the sky idea that has not been thoroughly researched. Proper due diligence has been done every step of the way, and I can say in my experience this is a very dedicated group of individuals who are in it for the long haul.
Once it was determined a food co-operative would work in downtown St. Catharines, the next stage was to secure enough members through the membership drive the last two years to prove the idea is a viable one and worthy of the public's consideration.
Yes, when you join, you pay a one-time membership fee of $120. That money goes towards funding the ongoing planning processes of bringing the food co-op to fruition. If enough members join, there is obvious interest within the community to proceed further.
That is where we arrived recently, when it was announced at the 2nd AGM last month the capital campaign was set to roll out and we needed all hands on deck to make this thing happen.
Now the capital campaign is different from the membership drive. The latter set the foundation in place on which to build the framework with the former. Think of it as building a house, if you will, and one can't succeed without the other. No foundation? No framework. It's that simple.
So why are members and non-members alike now being asked to pony up to fund the capital campaign? Essentially to keep the ball rolling and move the ball further towards our goal of opening the co-op in the near future.
We know the interest is there. But it takes money to build, and some of that money has to come from the members who believe in the concept. If the membership is willing to collectively put their money where their mouths are, if you will, it will demonstrate the financial security of the whole idea to potential leading partners.
Those leading partners are the movers and shakers in the community who also share the vision but who invest in viable investment opportunities.
The Garden City Food Co-op is very much a viable investment opportunity.
Okay, let's look at the numbers. The overall budget for the project is $1.4-million, with the Preference Shares being sold in the capital campaign making up 40 to 60% of that budget. The funds raised through this campaign will be used towards the renovation and outfitting of the co-op location at 57 Carlisle Street, as well as inventory and start-up costs.
The co-op is designed as a for-profit business and is projected to return a profit by its fourth year of business. That means investors in the capital campaign should expect to be investors for the long-haul; this is not a get rich quick scheme by any means.
But you will get a return on your investment once the co-operative turns a profit. How much?
Here's where things get a little more technical, but bear with me.
The community is being asked to invest in either Class A shares or Class B shares. Class A shares are $5,000 per share paying an annual dividend of 4% once the co-op is profitable. Class B shares are $1,000 per share and earn a 2.9% dividend once the co-op is profitable. Both Class A and Class B shares are purchased for a 7 year term.
You can purchase up to 50 Class A and 100 Class B shares, and you can buy a combination of the two if you wish. You can also purchase shares now and more later in the campaign if you wish.
But don't let those numbers frighten you. The co-op knows either investment is a big decision for most of us, so even buying a single Class B share is a significant undertaking for a member. But each share purchase brings us a step closer to making the Garden City Food Co-op a reality. So don't for a minute think buying just one share will not make a difference. It will.
The money raised in this campaign will not be used until the end of the campaign. So in the meantime it is held in escrow until the secured minimum amount necessary is raised to make the project a success. Should the minimum not be met, the Offering will be abandoned and subscription receipts (i.e. funds raised during the campaign) will be fully refunded.
The capital campaign runs from now until September 1st, so we have a lot of work ahead of us. Should the minimum amount be raised before that date, all the better. But it cannot be extended. September 1st is the cut-off and if the necessary funds are not raised by that date the campaign will be deemed unsuccessful.
But let's think positive here. We will do it. And the community will respond as best they can. I am confident of that.
Last Sunday for example, we held a launch event at Co-Work Niagara in downtown St. Catharines, where the Garden City Food Co-op has office space to plan for the various stages of the birth of the new co-op.
In just two hours, $30,000 was raised in the capital campaign to get things going, making up the first 6% of the campaign goal. That is a promising start to be sure, but we have a long way to go towards reaching our goal, and that means we need your help.
Every day now, volunteers are calling members to explain the capital campaign and solicit funds to be invested into the project. I am one of the people known as "closers" - I and my colleagues then go out to meet with the prospective investor, answer any questions they may have, and essentially "close the deal" by signing up the member as a part of the capital campaign.
So if you have not already considered making an investment, now is the perfect time to do so. We need you! And each and every member of the Garden City Food Co-op will be thrilled to have you on board as an investor and believer in the co-op concept in our downtown core.
Want to know more? Go to the Garden City Food Co-op Facebook page or website for more details on how you can help, and consider saying yes when you receive a call. If you are not already a member, perhaps it is time to consider becoming a member and get involved in making this idea a reality.
I'm just scratching the surface here in explaining what you need to know to become an investor, but hopefully this will arm you with enough knowledge and confidence to take the next step and show your support when the call comes.
There will also be another investor sign-up event on Sunday afternoon, May 1st at Co-Work Niagara and you are most welcome to attend and see how you can help out.
It is going to be an exciting time once the Garden City Food Co-op finally opens. But right now things are exciting too as we work towards the goal of actually being able to afford to open it.
Come and be a part of the growth and investment in downtown St. Catharines. We can't do it without you.
Have a great weekend!
April 23rd, 2016.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
I'd like to go Guelph-ing this weekend...
Last week I received an email from Patricia Eton-Neufeld, the wife of Gerald Neufeld who is the longtime conductor and Artistic Director of the Guelph Chamber Choir. I've known Patricia and Gerry for some time now, and they often send me reminders about their upcoming concerts in Guelph.
In my younger days I would think nothing of hopping in the car and driving up for an evening concert, even after working all day, but with age (supposedly) comes wisdom, so I don't do that as much any more. But I do love to hear the choir, so have promised myself to catch the choir again soon, perhaps the next concert which is on a Sunday afternoon in May.
For those of you up in Guelph or willing to make the drive, tonight the Guelph Chamber Choir presents a concert entitled Virtuoso Baroque at St. George's Anglican Church in downtown Guelph at 7:30 pm.
The concert features the choir along with the Musica Viva Orchestra playing on period instruments, along with soloists Sheila Dietrich, soprano; Carolynne Davy, mezzo-soprano; Janice Coles, mezzo-soprano; Chris Fischer, tenor; Lanny Fleming, tenor; and bass Gordon Burnett.
The music will range from Vivaldi's wonderful Gloria to Handel's Dixit Dominus (Psalm 110), and will sound perfectly at home in the glorious and spacious confines of St. George's, truly one of the area's finest churches.
If you want tickets they should be available at the door tonight, or call in advance at 1-519-763-3000. And allow me to live it vicariously through you tonight!
Now as I thought about the concert this evening the last few days, I got to thinking about my long association with the City of Guelph, and how much I love that part of the province. So allow me to reminisce a little bit about my connection with the city and what could have been.
Probably my first regular contact with Guelph came in the early 80s when I started attending concerts during the heyday of the late, lamented Guelph Spring Festival. I recall attending many concerts either at a school auditorium or the venerable War Memorial Hall on the Guelph University campus.
The school's name escapes me now, but I was always fascinated by the fact in was very close to the Bullfrog Mall. You cannot help but love a city that calls a mall by the name bullfrog! I think it was 1985 I attended a memorable performance in the school auditorium there of the one-act opera The Lighthouse, featuring among other people, a very young and much slimmer Ben Heppner.
War Memorial Hall was home to many wonderful musical events in those days, most involving the Guelph Spring Festival as well. Natalie McMaster was one, and Canadian mouth-organ virtuoso and Guelph native Tommy Reilly was another. I recall in his performance he actually stopped a piece of music and asked to start again as it was not sounding right - it raised a few eyebrows in the audience.
Probably my most memorable visit to War Memorial Hall was for a recital featuring the inimitable Anne Russell, who by that time was living in semi-retirement in Unionville, and gave a textbook recital of her famous routines to a sold-out audience. Afterwards I had the great good fortune to go backstage and interview her for a radio show I did at the time, and she remains one of my all-time favourite interview subjects.
My last visit to the hall and indeed, my last Guelph Spring Festival visit I think was in 2003 and a recital by soprano Suzie LeBlanc. It was a great show, and little did we know at the time the Festival itself would not survive much longer.
My connection to Guelph is not entirely musical, however. My sister attended the University of Guelph in the late 80s and I often went up to visit her or give her a ride home or back again. It was in those days we would often visit the Stone Road Mall and I marvelled at the fact it was open to 9 pm on Saturday nights year-round at a time most others were not.
It was also at that time you would not hit any residential development south of the city core much beyond the University of Guelph campus, but now the city extends south almost to Aberfoyle.
In the late 80s and early 90s I also frequented the Carden Street Music Shop in downtown Guelph whenever I was in the city, and eventually when the owner decided to put the store up for sale and retire, I made the trip up there to talk to her as I was very seriously considering buying the shop at the time.
It would have been a big move for me, leaving my Niagara home of many years, but I was so intrigued by the musical culture in the area I thought the shop would almost last forever. I ultimately decided against the purchase, however, as I was working part-time at a music store here in St. Catharines at the time along with my full-time duties at CKTB Radio, so I decided to stay put.
Eventually, though, my old friend Paul Gellatly purchased the store and renamed it Twelfth Night Music Shoppe. Funny how things turn out though, as I was tapped to help out in the store on Saturdays back around the winter of 2003/2004 for several months, so I made the commute up from Niagara early every Saturday morning.
I soon learned to leave extra time before the store opened at 10 to park and walk down to the Guelph Farmer's Market, delightfully cramped and brimming with character. I still think of the guy I used to see every week who had the biggest, baddest cinnamon buns you can imagine!
On one of those working trips to Guelph, I was faced with a long, slow drive home in the eye of a tremendous snow-storm that moved in late morning. The afternoon was pretty quiet in the store as a result, so when I closed up shop at 5, I was already pretty tense from the knowledge this would not be a pleasant drive. It wasn't. About 20 kil. per hour all the way down to Niagara with very treacherous road conditions, but I made it, totally exhausted, about two-and-a-half hours later.
A couple of summers ago on our way back from a concert at the Elora Festival, my wife and I stopped in Guelph for a bite to eat and enjoyed the new civic square, marvelling that we could not do the same here in St. Catharines. It remains a delightful addition to a downtown that already sports many delights.
Other memories of Guelph? Oh, there's the late, lamented Guelph Mercury I always picked up on my way through town, with the masthead that read "The only newspaper on earth dedicated to the news of Guelph and Wellington County" or words to that effect. I loved that.
Butter tarts at the restaurant next door to the music store. Wimpy's diner downtown. Budd's department store. The shops on Quebec Street. The Paisley Food Shop. Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Church up on the hill. Curry in a Hurry. The list goes on and on.
More recently, there is the innovative My Kitty Cafe, where you can grab a coffee or snack and curl up in the cat-room with a new purr-pal, all of them up for adoption so you can take a loving kitty home with you. What could be better than that? I have to visit the cafe on my next trip up that way.
If I sound like I'm writing a love letter to Guelph, well, I guess I am. I have such great memories of visiting the city over the years, and you owe it to yourself to do the same if you have not been in some time or - heaven forbid - ever.
After all, you have to love a city that can laugh at itself, as they did during a radio broadcast of the Royal Canadian Air Farce in the city years ago when they made fun of the city's name, likening it to what one does when one expels involuntarily whilst sick. Or the fact people like to go "Guelph-ing" on the weekend...
Yes, I have such fond memories of the Royal City. I must get back to hear the Guelph Chamber Choir again sometime soon.
I'm due to go Guelph-ing again this year...
Have a great weekend!
April 9th, 2016.
In my younger days I would think nothing of hopping in the car and driving up for an evening concert, even after working all day, but with age (supposedly) comes wisdom, so I don't do that as much any more. But I do love to hear the choir, so have promised myself to catch the choir again soon, perhaps the next concert which is on a Sunday afternoon in May.
For those of you up in Guelph or willing to make the drive, tonight the Guelph Chamber Choir presents a concert entitled Virtuoso Baroque at St. George's Anglican Church in downtown Guelph at 7:30 pm.
The concert features the choir along with the Musica Viva Orchestra playing on period instruments, along with soloists Sheila Dietrich, soprano; Carolynne Davy, mezzo-soprano; Janice Coles, mezzo-soprano; Chris Fischer, tenor; Lanny Fleming, tenor; and bass Gordon Burnett.
The music will range from Vivaldi's wonderful Gloria to Handel's Dixit Dominus (Psalm 110), and will sound perfectly at home in the glorious and spacious confines of St. George's, truly one of the area's finest churches.
If you want tickets they should be available at the door tonight, or call in advance at 1-519-763-3000. And allow me to live it vicariously through you tonight!
Now as I thought about the concert this evening the last few days, I got to thinking about my long association with the City of Guelph, and how much I love that part of the province. So allow me to reminisce a little bit about my connection with the city and what could have been.
Probably my first regular contact with Guelph came in the early 80s when I started attending concerts during the heyday of the late, lamented Guelph Spring Festival. I recall attending many concerts either at a school auditorium or the venerable War Memorial Hall on the Guelph University campus.
The school's name escapes me now, but I was always fascinated by the fact in was very close to the Bullfrog Mall. You cannot help but love a city that calls a mall by the name bullfrog! I think it was 1985 I attended a memorable performance in the school auditorium there of the one-act opera The Lighthouse, featuring among other people, a very young and much slimmer Ben Heppner.
War Memorial Hall was home to many wonderful musical events in those days, most involving the Guelph Spring Festival as well. Natalie McMaster was one, and Canadian mouth-organ virtuoso and Guelph native Tommy Reilly was another. I recall in his performance he actually stopped a piece of music and asked to start again as it was not sounding right - it raised a few eyebrows in the audience.
Probably my most memorable visit to War Memorial Hall was for a recital featuring the inimitable Anne Russell, who by that time was living in semi-retirement in Unionville, and gave a textbook recital of her famous routines to a sold-out audience. Afterwards I had the great good fortune to go backstage and interview her for a radio show I did at the time, and she remains one of my all-time favourite interview subjects.
My last visit to the hall and indeed, my last Guelph Spring Festival visit I think was in 2003 and a recital by soprano Suzie LeBlanc. It was a great show, and little did we know at the time the Festival itself would not survive much longer.
My connection to Guelph is not entirely musical, however. My sister attended the University of Guelph in the late 80s and I often went up to visit her or give her a ride home or back again. It was in those days we would often visit the Stone Road Mall and I marvelled at the fact it was open to 9 pm on Saturday nights year-round at a time most others were not.
It was also at that time you would not hit any residential development south of the city core much beyond the University of Guelph campus, but now the city extends south almost to Aberfoyle.
In the late 80s and early 90s I also frequented the Carden Street Music Shop in downtown Guelph whenever I was in the city, and eventually when the owner decided to put the store up for sale and retire, I made the trip up there to talk to her as I was very seriously considering buying the shop at the time.
It would have been a big move for me, leaving my Niagara home of many years, but I was so intrigued by the musical culture in the area I thought the shop would almost last forever. I ultimately decided against the purchase, however, as I was working part-time at a music store here in St. Catharines at the time along with my full-time duties at CKTB Radio, so I decided to stay put.
Eventually, though, my old friend Paul Gellatly purchased the store and renamed it Twelfth Night Music Shoppe. Funny how things turn out though, as I was tapped to help out in the store on Saturdays back around the winter of 2003/2004 for several months, so I made the commute up from Niagara early every Saturday morning.
I soon learned to leave extra time before the store opened at 10 to park and walk down to the Guelph Farmer's Market, delightfully cramped and brimming with character. I still think of the guy I used to see every week who had the biggest, baddest cinnamon buns you can imagine!
On one of those working trips to Guelph, I was faced with a long, slow drive home in the eye of a tremendous snow-storm that moved in late morning. The afternoon was pretty quiet in the store as a result, so when I closed up shop at 5, I was already pretty tense from the knowledge this would not be a pleasant drive. It wasn't. About 20 kil. per hour all the way down to Niagara with very treacherous road conditions, but I made it, totally exhausted, about two-and-a-half hours later.
A couple of summers ago on our way back from a concert at the Elora Festival, my wife and I stopped in Guelph for a bite to eat and enjoyed the new civic square, marvelling that we could not do the same here in St. Catharines. It remains a delightful addition to a downtown that already sports many delights.
Other memories of Guelph? Oh, there's the late, lamented Guelph Mercury I always picked up on my way through town, with the masthead that read "The only newspaper on earth dedicated to the news of Guelph and Wellington County" or words to that effect. I loved that.
Butter tarts at the restaurant next door to the music store. Wimpy's diner downtown. Budd's department store. The shops on Quebec Street. The Paisley Food Shop. Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Church up on the hill. Curry in a Hurry. The list goes on and on.
More recently, there is the innovative My Kitty Cafe, where you can grab a coffee or snack and curl up in the cat-room with a new purr-pal, all of them up for adoption so you can take a loving kitty home with you. What could be better than that? I have to visit the cafe on my next trip up that way.
If I sound like I'm writing a love letter to Guelph, well, I guess I am. I have such great memories of visiting the city over the years, and you owe it to yourself to do the same if you have not been in some time or - heaven forbid - ever.
After all, you have to love a city that can laugh at itself, as they did during a radio broadcast of the Royal Canadian Air Farce in the city years ago when they made fun of the city's name, likening it to what one does when one expels involuntarily whilst sick. Or the fact people like to go "Guelph-ing" on the weekend...
Yes, I have such fond memories of the Royal City. I must get back to hear the Guelph Chamber Choir again sometime soon.
I'm due to go Guelph-ing again this year...
Have a great weekend!
April 9th, 2016.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Thoughts on lives lived and lives lost.
It's been a few weeks since I last posted in this space, and I offer apologies for that. With a hectic work schedule and getting tax stuff ready for the accountant and such, I just had a lot of my plate. Besides that, I just felt burned out and needed some time to rest a little bit, and I think the rest was most helpful.
Today I went to a visitation for a gentleman I knew who passed away suddenly late this past week. His name was Dr. Bill Combe, a long-time veterinarian in St. Catharines, who along with his daughter Heather have operated Fairview Animal Clinic in north St. Catharines for many years.
When I acquired my very first pet, my beloved cat Pushkin, Fairview Animal Clinic was recommended to me as a good place to take my cat when the need arose. Bill and his staff took care of Pushkin as if he were their own pet, and I know they all shared my sense of loss when Pushkin passed away several years ago.
Bill made it easy for me to adjust to having a pet with timely advice and help whenever I needed it, and I was always grateful for that help.
Heather tells me her father was at the clinic as usual on Thursday morning, so it was a very brief illness. But that doesn't lessen the pain or sense of loss a family feels at a time like this.
I remember our own family suffered a tragic loss exactly a year ago this past week when my sister's father-in-law died suddenly, and again it was very quick.
In both of these cases, family and friends came out for the visitations in huge numbers, comforting the respective families and reliving happier times they had shared in the past. That's what we do. But when the visitations and the funeral are over and the family members are alone, that's when they need others the most, I find.
I got to thinking about lives lived and lives lost on my drive home from the visitation today, and how prepared we are for the inevitable. We as in those left behind.
There is no way to know what the future holds, and no way to prepare emotionally for what is to come. But when you suffer a loss in your family or close circle of friends, you find the strength to carry on and do what you can for those directly affected by the loss.
While we might not be in a position to prepare fully for the inevitable, there are things we can do right now to ease the pain when the time comes. Some are practical and some are more emotional and spiritual.
Have you made any plans regarding your wills and powers of attorney, for example? This is such a basic requirement of life and yet so many others either overlook it or put it off as long as possible.
Sometimes, too long.
The worst possible thing you can do is not be prepared in this most basic, simple way. Everyone needs a will, and everyone should give some thought to what may happen after they are gone. To add to the pain of loss felt by those you leave behind by saddling them with tremendous bureaucratic red tape is unfair and so unnecessary.
It is never too early to start thinking about this.
Planning your own funeral may sound morbid and absurd to some, but pre-planning relieves a lot of the stress on your loved ones when the time comes. Even if you don't go that far, just making sure the basics are in place before it is too late helps with the planning your family faces once you are gone.
When my father passed away six years ago, a full nine years after mother passed away suddenly, he had the plots bought and paid for, the powers of attorney and wills in order, and someone else joint on his bank account so there was access to funds when the time came.
As an executor of the estate, I can tell you these basic planning steps made a huge difference for me and the rest of the family, and helped us out immensely.
But beyond all that, how can you reduce the emotional toll on your friends and family on either side of the equation? How to minimize the inevitable grief and sense of loss you feel when someone close to you passes away?
The simple answer is to forgive past transgressions and make sure the people closest to you are at peace as much as possible. It is never easy to "bury the hatchet" as it were and let bygones be bygones, and there will always be extenuating circumstances in a lot of cases.
But in most cases, not carrying a grudge to the grave can make things a lot easier for all concerned.
Don't be afraid to let people know how much they mean to you and yes, how much they are loved. I know this is sometimes difficult for some to do, but there must be some small way you can let others know they matter to you without going overboard.
When my mother was still alive, in later years I called her every evening to check up on her. It didn't need to be a long conversation although often it was. But keeping in touch just seemed to be the right thing to do. And at the end of every conversation we had, every single night, I told her I loved her, and she told me the same.
They were not just words, but true expressions of love and affection on both sides.
This went on for years, and then one morning after our regular evening conversation, I found out she had suffered a massive stroke. If nothing else, the grief I felt at that moment was tempered somewhat by the knowledge less than 24 hours earlier, I had told her I loved her. It helped me through that difficult period immensely. I knew she knew.
We can't always be that fortunate, of course. People may live in far corners of the world and not be in contact every day as I was with mom. But when you do have contact, making sure they know they matter to you can help somewhat with the grieving process.
Basically what it comes down to is this: live your life well, and with love. Have as few regrets as possible, and don't carry them with you like an albatross. Let go of them and free yourself from the burden of guilt if at all possible.
We can't prepare for the inevitable completely, and it will always come as a shock no matter when it happens, but making sure you are at peace with yourself and those closest to you can go a long way towards preparing yourself emotionally for the day when either you suffer a loss, or other family members suffer your loss.
Something to think about this weekend...
April 3rd, 2016.
Today I went to a visitation for a gentleman I knew who passed away suddenly late this past week. His name was Dr. Bill Combe, a long-time veterinarian in St. Catharines, who along with his daughter Heather have operated Fairview Animal Clinic in north St. Catharines for many years.
When I acquired my very first pet, my beloved cat Pushkin, Fairview Animal Clinic was recommended to me as a good place to take my cat when the need arose. Bill and his staff took care of Pushkin as if he were their own pet, and I know they all shared my sense of loss when Pushkin passed away several years ago.
Bill made it easy for me to adjust to having a pet with timely advice and help whenever I needed it, and I was always grateful for that help.
Heather tells me her father was at the clinic as usual on Thursday morning, so it was a very brief illness. But that doesn't lessen the pain or sense of loss a family feels at a time like this.
I remember our own family suffered a tragic loss exactly a year ago this past week when my sister's father-in-law died suddenly, and again it was very quick.
In both of these cases, family and friends came out for the visitations in huge numbers, comforting the respective families and reliving happier times they had shared in the past. That's what we do. But when the visitations and the funeral are over and the family members are alone, that's when they need others the most, I find.
I got to thinking about lives lived and lives lost on my drive home from the visitation today, and how prepared we are for the inevitable. We as in those left behind.
There is no way to know what the future holds, and no way to prepare emotionally for what is to come. But when you suffer a loss in your family or close circle of friends, you find the strength to carry on and do what you can for those directly affected by the loss.
While we might not be in a position to prepare fully for the inevitable, there are things we can do right now to ease the pain when the time comes. Some are practical and some are more emotional and spiritual.
Have you made any plans regarding your wills and powers of attorney, for example? This is such a basic requirement of life and yet so many others either overlook it or put it off as long as possible.
Sometimes, too long.
The worst possible thing you can do is not be prepared in this most basic, simple way. Everyone needs a will, and everyone should give some thought to what may happen after they are gone. To add to the pain of loss felt by those you leave behind by saddling them with tremendous bureaucratic red tape is unfair and so unnecessary.
It is never too early to start thinking about this.
Planning your own funeral may sound morbid and absurd to some, but pre-planning relieves a lot of the stress on your loved ones when the time comes. Even if you don't go that far, just making sure the basics are in place before it is too late helps with the planning your family faces once you are gone.
When my father passed away six years ago, a full nine years after mother passed away suddenly, he had the plots bought and paid for, the powers of attorney and wills in order, and someone else joint on his bank account so there was access to funds when the time came.
As an executor of the estate, I can tell you these basic planning steps made a huge difference for me and the rest of the family, and helped us out immensely.
But beyond all that, how can you reduce the emotional toll on your friends and family on either side of the equation? How to minimize the inevitable grief and sense of loss you feel when someone close to you passes away?
The simple answer is to forgive past transgressions and make sure the people closest to you are at peace as much as possible. It is never easy to "bury the hatchet" as it were and let bygones be bygones, and there will always be extenuating circumstances in a lot of cases.
But in most cases, not carrying a grudge to the grave can make things a lot easier for all concerned.
Don't be afraid to let people know how much they mean to you and yes, how much they are loved. I know this is sometimes difficult for some to do, but there must be some small way you can let others know they matter to you without going overboard.
When my mother was still alive, in later years I called her every evening to check up on her. It didn't need to be a long conversation although often it was. But keeping in touch just seemed to be the right thing to do. And at the end of every conversation we had, every single night, I told her I loved her, and she told me the same.
They were not just words, but true expressions of love and affection on both sides.
This went on for years, and then one morning after our regular evening conversation, I found out she had suffered a massive stroke. If nothing else, the grief I felt at that moment was tempered somewhat by the knowledge less than 24 hours earlier, I had told her I loved her. It helped me through that difficult period immensely. I knew she knew.
We can't always be that fortunate, of course. People may live in far corners of the world and not be in contact every day as I was with mom. But when you do have contact, making sure they know they matter to you can help somewhat with the grieving process.
Basically what it comes down to is this: live your life well, and with love. Have as few regrets as possible, and don't carry them with you like an albatross. Let go of them and free yourself from the burden of guilt if at all possible.
We can't prepare for the inevitable completely, and it will always come as a shock no matter when it happens, but making sure you are at peace with yourself and those closest to you can go a long way towards preparing yourself emotionally for the day when either you suffer a loss, or other family members suffer your loss.
Something to think about this weekend...
April 3rd, 2016.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
News and notes in the arts around Niagara this weekend
There are a few things on my plate at the moment I've collected in this weekend's potpourri of arts news and events, ranging from community theatre and theatre criticism to a master class coming up on Monday in St. Catharines.
First off, a tip of the collective hat to a group of volunteers who year in and year out continue to produce some great community theatre in Niagara. I finally had a chance to attend a performance of the latest show by the Firehall Theatre in Niagara Falls last night, and I was very impressed.
Firehall is the region's only community theatre with a full season of plays and musicals. They have their own rehearsal space and performance space available year-round, the former Niagara Falls firehouse on Walnut Street retired in 1967. They are all volunteers, doing the job because they love live, local theatre.
The theatre group actually started as the Niagara Falls Music Theatre Society back in 1963, and they have continued to grow ever since. But as you can imagine it is no easy task, and they depend heavily on ticket sales to keep the lights on and the actors on stage. The formula seems to be working, as they have a devoted audience base to show for it.
The final weekend of the current show, Ken Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor, wraps up tonight with an 8 pm performance that I believe is almost sold out. You can go online to www.firehalltheatre.com to check seat availability and book online if you want to catch the final performance tonight.
Lend Me a Tenor premiered in 1985 and is set in a Cleveland hotel room during one hectic day in 1934. It is a farce in the classic sense, although I found it not quite as harried as some British farces I've seen over the years, such as One For The Pot.
That being said, there is a lot to recommend this production of Lend Me a Tenor. First off, the set is amazing for a community theatre production. It looks elegant, solid and perfectly suits the era in which the play is based.
Director John Dickhout and his team have kept the pace moving and ensured the timing is bang on with this show.
The action centres around bombastic Saunders, an erstwhile theatre impresario in Cleveland who has landed the foremost opera star of the day to star in a single performance of Verdi's opera Othello, one of his signature roles. The opera star is late arriving; Saunders is doing a slow boil waiting for the big moment to arrive, and he entrusts young, aspiring singer Max to supervise in his place when he has to attend to other business.
Wouldn't you know it, the opera star is unable to appear that night due to unforeseen circumstances, but both Max and Saunders have a plan...
Can't give anything more away than that, but suffice it to say there is plenty of farce-requisite door-slamming, mistaken identities and general shenanigans allowing the action to veer almost out of control.
The actors, all volunteers also, clearly love what they do. Although not professionals in the true sense of the word, they take their jobs seriously enough that standout performances abound in this production. Of particular note are Jerome Black as Max, Jim Kitchen as Saunders (love that name!) and Kieran O'Callaghan as the bellhop. Also worthy of mention are Paul Lewis as the opera star Tito Merelli, Chelsea Di Franco as his hot-blooded wife Maria, and Nikki Morrison as Max's love-interest Maggie.
If you can get a ticket tonight and don't have plans already, why not catch the final show and see what great local community-based theatre is up to? You will be entertained and not disappointed for sure!
In other news, I was very pleased to receive word on Friday Brock University Professor Karen Fricker has landed a plum role for herself: the role of theatre critic for Canada's largest, most-read daily, The Toronto Star.
Karen is an assistant professor in Brock's Department of Dramatic Arts at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts, and has been instrumental in educating her students in the fine art and difficult task of objective theatrical criticism. She founded the blog DARTcritics.com in 2013 in order to publish critiques her students write and edit.
Fricker returns to the the theatre beat, actually, as she has 25 years of experience as a theatre critic for The Guardian and Variety, and was also founding editor-in-chief of Irish Theatre Magazine that operated from 1998 to 2014.
I first met Karen a couple of years ago when I was doing my weekly interview show Inquisitive Minds on the Brock radio station, CFBU-FM. I regularly interviewed Brock professors about their research and other related stories, and Karen was busy that February organizing a panel discussion at Brock on theatre criticism. She joined me in the studio to talk about the profession as well as the public forum that ran an entire weekend up at Brock.
There was no shortage of panelists over the course of the weekend, each one having an interesting take on the often-criticized role of theatre critic. I spent part of the weekend in the audience myself, and found the discussions both enlightening and stimulating.
In an odd twist of fate, my new career as an on-call letter carrier for Canada Post meant I have often delivered mail on the route that includes Karen's home here in St. Catharines!
In addition to continuing her duties at Brock, she will begin her new duties at The Star later this month.
Good luck, Karen, and break a leg!
Finally, a musical note to end things this week. The Department of Music at Brock and the Niagara Symphony Orchestra are presenting a master class with pianist Stewart Goodyear this coming Monday evening from 7 to 9 pm. The event will take place in the Cairns Recital Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.
Goodyear, Artist-in-Residence this season with the NSO, is a pianist who has achieved a great amount of acclaim in his career thus far. His work with the NSO this season has included the kickoff Beethoven Marathon in which he performed all five of Beethoven's Piano Concertos over the course of a weekend last fall. He also performed his piano version of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet score at the PAC in December; that particular work featuring Goodyear is now available on CD, and available through www.finemusic.ca.
On Monday, students in the piano program at Brock will play for Mr. Goodyear, and benefit from his direct commentary on their work. Covering interpretation, technique and score study, the class is open to all Brock music students, although only a chosen few will play for him.
The public is also invited to attend and observe from the audience, free of charge. However, tickets are required for the event, so contact the PAC box office at 905-688-0722 to reserve yours for Monday night.
Have a great weekend!
Much 5th, 2016.
First off, a tip of the collective hat to a group of volunteers who year in and year out continue to produce some great community theatre in Niagara. I finally had a chance to attend a performance of the latest show by the Firehall Theatre in Niagara Falls last night, and I was very impressed.
Firehall is the region's only community theatre with a full season of plays and musicals. They have their own rehearsal space and performance space available year-round, the former Niagara Falls firehouse on Walnut Street retired in 1967. They are all volunteers, doing the job because they love live, local theatre.
The theatre group actually started as the Niagara Falls Music Theatre Society back in 1963, and they have continued to grow ever since. But as you can imagine it is no easy task, and they depend heavily on ticket sales to keep the lights on and the actors on stage. The formula seems to be working, as they have a devoted audience base to show for it.
The final weekend of the current show, Ken Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor, wraps up tonight with an 8 pm performance that I believe is almost sold out. You can go online to www.firehalltheatre.com to check seat availability and book online if you want to catch the final performance tonight.
Lend Me a Tenor premiered in 1985 and is set in a Cleveland hotel room during one hectic day in 1934. It is a farce in the classic sense, although I found it not quite as harried as some British farces I've seen over the years, such as One For The Pot.
That being said, there is a lot to recommend this production of Lend Me a Tenor. First off, the set is amazing for a community theatre production. It looks elegant, solid and perfectly suits the era in which the play is based.
Director John Dickhout and his team have kept the pace moving and ensured the timing is bang on with this show.
The action centres around bombastic Saunders, an erstwhile theatre impresario in Cleveland who has landed the foremost opera star of the day to star in a single performance of Verdi's opera Othello, one of his signature roles. The opera star is late arriving; Saunders is doing a slow boil waiting for the big moment to arrive, and he entrusts young, aspiring singer Max to supervise in his place when he has to attend to other business.
Wouldn't you know it, the opera star is unable to appear that night due to unforeseen circumstances, but both Max and Saunders have a plan...
Can't give anything more away than that, but suffice it to say there is plenty of farce-requisite door-slamming, mistaken identities and general shenanigans allowing the action to veer almost out of control.
The actors, all volunteers also, clearly love what they do. Although not professionals in the true sense of the word, they take their jobs seriously enough that standout performances abound in this production. Of particular note are Jerome Black as Max, Jim Kitchen as Saunders (love that name!) and Kieran O'Callaghan as the bellhop. Also worthy of mention are Paul Lewis as the opera star Tito Merelli, Chelsea Di Franco as his hot-blooded wife Maria, and Nikki Morrison as Max's love-interest Maggie.
If you can get a ticket tonight and don't have plans already, why not catch the final show and see what great local community-based theatre is up to? You will be entertained and not disappointed for sure!
In other news, I was very pleased to receive word on Friday Brock University Professor Karen Fricker has landed a plum role for herself: the role of theatre critic for Canada's largest, most-read daily, The Toronto Star.
Karen is an assistant professor in Brock's Department of Dramatic Arts at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts, and has been instrumental in educating her students in the fine art and difficult task of objective theatrical criticism. She founded the blog DARTcritics.com in 2013 in order to publish critiques her students write and edit.
Fricker returns to the the theatre beat, actually, as she has 25 years of experience as a theatre critic for The Guardian and Variety, and was also founding editor-in-chief of Irish Theatre Magazine that operated from 1998 to 2014.
I first met Karen a couple of years ago when I was doing my weekly interview show Inquisitive Minds on the Brock radio station, CFBU-FM. I regularly interviewed Brock professors about their research and other related stories, and Karen was busy that February organizing a panel discussion at Brock on theatre criticism. She joined me in the studio to talk about the profession as well as the public forum that ran an entire weekend up at Brock.
There was no shortage of panelists over the course of the weekend, each one having an interesting take on the often-criticized role of theatre critic. I spent part of the weekend in the audience myself, and found the discussions both enlightening and stimulating.
In an odd twist of fate, my new career as an on-call letter carrier for Canada Post meant I have often delivered mail on the route that includes Karen's home here in St. Catharines!
In addition to continuing her duties at Brock, she will begin her new duties at The Star later this month.
Good luck, Karen, and break a leg!
Finally, a musical note to end things this week. The Department of Music at Brock and the Niagara Symphony Orchestra are presenting a master class with pianist Stewart Goodyear this coming Monday evening from 7 to 9 pm. The event will take place in the Cairns Recital Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.
Goodyear, Artist-in-Residence this season with the NSO, is a pianist who has achieved a great amount of acclaim in his career thus far. His work with the NSO this season has included the kickoff Beethoven Marathon in which he performed all five of Beethoven's Piano Concertos over the course of a weekend last fall. He also performed his piano version of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet score at the PAC in December; that particular work featuring Goodyear is now available on CD, and available through www.finemusic.ca.
On Monday, students in the piano program at Brock will play for Mr. Goodyear, and benefit from his direct commentary on their work. Covering interpretation, technique and score study, the class is open to all Brock music students, although only a chosen few will play for him.
The public is also invited to attend and observe from the audience, free of charge. However, tickets are required for the event, so contact the PAC box office at 905-688-0722 to reserve yours for Monday night.
Have a great weekend!
Much 5th, 2016.
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