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August 29th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
They have been operating as a cultural organization for more than 20 years. They hold an
which takes place Saturday September 9th at the Holiday Inn. 
August 28, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
The next provincial election gets more real every day. Nothing on who the NDP candidate is going to be. The McMahon Liberals are doing a repeat of the operational organization that Karina Gould did that propelled her into office. McMahon proved to be solid campaigner and a good debater during the least provincial election when she took a riding that the Conservatives had held for more than 70 years. Add that organizational heft to a superb campaigner and there is something formidable moving through the streets of the city.  Jane at the door step – where is the voter? Jane McKenna has been doing her own door to door work. McKenna hasn’t said much publicly – other than a few pictures from her Facebook page there is little to go on. McKenna has always been close to Opposition leader Patrick Brown – it will be interesting to see if she convinces Brown to campaign on her behalf in Burlington.  One wag commented on the footwear – can’t walk many miles in those shoes. Maybe it was just a photo op? McMahon is running on what the Liberal government has done – she is a member of cabinet so she is part of the decisions that are made. As a member of Treasury Board she oversees where and how the dollars are spent.  Lunch is on the MPP – McMahon wants you to show up and enjoy yourself. McMahon can bring in Premier Kathleen Wynne if she feels she needs the clout. She will be holding her annual end of summer BBQ at LaSalle Park on Sunday September 10th. McKenna will want to focus on what the provincial government has not done. Time for you the voter to begin thinking about what you like and are happy with and what you think needs to be changed.
August 27, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
If you are putting together your schedule for the week don’t forget RibFest – Friday September 1st through to Sunday September 3rd, 2017 – 11AM – 11PM Monday September 4th – 11AM – 7PM Sponsored by the Lakeshore Rotary club – a sixty strong membership that makes the event happen every year. This time they have made some changes to the model – not the menu.  Burlington’s Ribfest – If you looked around there was still some sitting room. The weather was close to perfect and the music was good – great way to bring a summer to a close. The event is the major fund raising initiative for the Lakeshore Rotary. In 2014 – the year of the flood – the Rotary used the occasion to raise funds for those families that had been wiped out by the flood. It was successful enough for the Association to look for new ways to serve the community. This year the focus is on the Carpenter Hospice which is in the process of close to doubling the size of the facility.  VIP tent – open to the public Sunday afternoon and evening. A VIP tent has been set up, courtesy of Carriage Gate Homes, that will be open to the public Sunday afternoon and evening. Your ticket, available on line, gets you a spot at the front of the line to buy your selection of ribs and then saunter over to the VIP tent and enjoy the chow where the beverage selection is a little more varied – includes some specialty cocktails. This is a Sunday only occasion – the tent is open to the public. It is a space that is sheltered, has a great site line to the stage and a bar that has an upscale selection of beverages. And, an upscale biffy. More details on the ticket offering for this can be found HERE. The event will serve up the same ribs people in Burlington have been enjoying since 1996 when there were less than ten ribbers offering a food that was new to many. While it rained most of the one day event in 1996 – it was successful enough financially for the Rotary to make a long term commitment. That commitment has resulted in the raising of more than $3 million – nothing shabby about that number.
August 22, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON After publishing this piece we got a note advising us that “we are nearing capacity… word of mouth effect is fierce with this run.” This is the time of year to get out and enjoy the weather – and if you have room in your life for some classical theatre – check out Trevor Copp’s Tottering Biped production of the Merchant of Venice at the RBG Rock Garden. A fine cast with some superb performances.  Michael Hannigan, on the right, as Antonio Michael Hannigan has trod the boards of many of stages in the province. He is part of the opening scene in the Merchant where he gives the audience one of the most welcoming smiles you are likely to see. Theatre is a sheer love choice and guilty pleasure for Hannigan; he has served as an Associate Artistic Director for both the Tivoli and Citadel theatres, helming several productions for each; as well as for The Players Guild, DLT, Theatre Burlington, Shooting Star Productions, and others in the GTHA.  Michael Hannigan preparing to give that “pound of flesh” As impressive as his past performances have been his Antonio in the Merchant just has to be seen to fully appreciate what one man on a stage can do with a smile and a couple of words. Chris Reid, a school teacher when he is not on stage, plays Shylock, needs a close listen to fully understand how he views the money he has loaned. Alma Sarai who plays Portia beautifully – her coyness in determining just who her husband is going to be will delight you – almost as much as Claudio Spadafora’s performance where she introduces the various courtesans.  Jamie Kasiama and Alma Sarai Sarai could have been a little stronger as the lawyer who interprets the law that applies to the Shylock loan. The phrase “a pound of flesh” that has become part of our everyday language, turns out to be exactly that – and nothing more which saves Antonio some pain and ends of requiring Shylock to become a Christian – such is the beauty of what William Shakespeare has given us. It is a cast of nine that is well worth watching. The choreography is as good as it gets – better than some of the stage movements at Stratford and Shaw.  Trevor Copp during a rehearsal. Trevor Copp’s life as a dancer comes through again and again as he directs the movement of his cast on a stage where a tree serves as a backdrop that has different coloured lights splashed on the thick branches and change the mood of the play in an instant.  Trees become part of the backdrop for outdoor theatre. Performed on a stage set out on the grass where the fire flies fit in rather nicely. The sound of a freight train in the background doesn’t detract from the antics of the of the courtiers seeking the hand of Portia. Zach Parson plays Bassanio and did some of the composing. Jesse Horvath plays three role: Lancelot, Tubal and Salerio as well as working as director of Development. Jamie (Milay) Kasiama plays Nerissa opposite Alma Sarai where she is superb in her attempts to direct Portia and her choice of a husband. Copp wanted the cast members to be paid for the work they do – each gets a stipend of $100 for each day. Some support from the federal government summer employment program has helped but private sponsorship is always going to be needed. Ticket prices are very affordable. Arrive early – seats are on a first come first served basis. Play dates are Monday to Friday @7 pm. Plenty of parking across the road Last performance is September 2nd.  The cast: In no particular order: Chris Reid/Shylock; Michael Hannigan/Antonio, Alma Sarai/Portia, Shawn Coelho-DeSouza/Prince of Morocco and Lorenzo, Claudia Spadafora/Jessica, Isabel Starks/Ensemble, Jamie Kasiama/Nerissa, Zach Parsons/Bassanio and Jesse Horvath/Launcelot Treat yourself to a fun performance and some impressive choreography and Hannigan’s smile.
August 16, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
The plans are almost firm. Fred Fox – Terry’s older brother, will be in Burlington on the afternoon of August 24th to view the monument created to celebrate Terry’s achievement. Fred Fox has seen just drawings and sketches when the family approved the design.  The monument to Terry Fox’s run through Burlington was paid for by a group of citizens. The schedule is to hold a meet and greet at city hall followed by a walk to the Terry Fox monument in Spencer Smith Park after which the group will head over to the Art Gallery of Burlington to see the exhibit that has been in place for a month or so. At the gallery Fred will be joined by Leslie Scrivener who will sign copies of her Terry Book which will be on sale at the gallery (all proceeds to cancer research) as well as talking on her experience travelling with Terry on the Marathon of Hope.  Terry Fox waving to a Burlington resident as he runs through the city during his 1980 Marathon of Hope. The gallery portion will start between 3:30 and 4:00 pm. Craig Gardner reports that “other parts are still a bit fuzzy”. Fred Fox will be arriving in Burlington from a visit to Oakville. Gardner said the city hall portion of the tour is still a little iffy. He shouldn’t worry – it’s a photo op with the name Fox attached to it. The Mayor will be there.
August 15th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Mention school buses and the mind goes to getting ready for school – it is that time of year again. School buses in Halton Region – Milton, Burlington, Oakville and Halton Hills – are managed by the Those operators hold a “School Bus Orientation Day” which will be held on SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 2017 starting at 9:00 a.m.
Parents of all first time riders are encouraged to bring their children to the free sessions, which will feature a classroom presentation on school bus safety, including Off We Go! a special video on school bus safety and a demonstration on a school bus. School bus company safety officers and bus drivers will talk to the children and their parents about safely getting on and off of the bus, proper behaviour on a school bus, crossing the street to get to a waiting bus and overall school bus safety. In addition, a handout will be provided to all young riders with tips on school bus safety. Both HSTS and the school bus operators hope the orientation sessions will help students and their parents feel more comfortable riding a school bus before the first day of school. The sessions begin at 9 a.m. on August 26, 2017 at the following five locations throughout Halton. To register students and secure a preferred time slot, parents must contact the host bus company at the phone number listed next to the desired location. If you need to follow up for additional information, please contact: Karen Lacroix, General Manager
August 10th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
The 2017-18 Fall/Winter Live and Play Guide – the City of Burlington’s guide for information on recreation, sport, culture programs and festivals and events is now available online. Printed copies are available for pick up at recreation centres, City Hall (426 Brant St.), Burlington Tourism (414 Locust St.) and Burlington public libraries. The online Live and Play guide allows you to review and share program information as well as register for programs directly from any computer or mobile device. View the online guide.
An interesting program that has become quite popular is pickle ball, a trending sport that is taking the world by storm. Easy to learn, Pickleball can be geared to a wide range of ages and skill levels, from those new to the sport to the most seasoned players.
In coming years, Pickleball in Burlington will expand to include more advanced lessons, advanced drop-in times, and tournament play. For now, we encourage advanced level players to play with similarly skilled partners and opponents or to respectfully adjust their level of play to the level of others. More on the program online.
August 8th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
The London Majors powered past the Burlington Herd in a lopsided 15 – 2 romp Sunday night. Justin Gideon hit a solo home run, while Kevin Hussey had the other RBI. Ryan Beckett (0-1) gave up seven runs (five earned) on seven hits in 1.2 innings. He walked one and struck out one. On the London side Byron Reichstein and Michael Ambrose each hit two home runs. London leads the best-of-seven quarter-final 3-1 and can advance with a win Tuesday at home. The Toronto Brantford series has the Leafs leading the best-of-seven quarter-final 2-1. In the Hamilton Kitchener series – Kitchener leads 2-1. With all three quarter final playoff teams playing this evening how things are going to fall out should be clearer. In the meantime the Barrie Baycats patiently wait to learn who they will be playing in the final round. The only team that has been able to beat the Baycats has been the Toronto Leafs. Future games Wednesday, Aug. 9
August 7th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
It was clearly a difference of opinion that got out of hand.
During the fight, one of the suspects used a small pocket knife to stab two other people involved in the fight. Those people have been treated at hospital for minor injuries and are expected to make a full recovery. Detectives have since identified each of the persons involved in the incident and are continuing conduct interviews and investigation into this matter. Police are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the altercation or may have any information concerning this incident to contact Detective Joe Barr of the #3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau, at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2385. Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
August 3rd, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Every artistic director wishes for words like these: KooGle Theatre Company is very excited to announce that they are presenting a Youth Musical Theatre Summer Intensive for youth ages 8-18 – culminating in a production of ANNIE Jr.
Tickets are on sale now! Only $10 each! Saturday August 19, 2017 1:30pm – SOLD OUT Performances at For tickets, please email us at Excited they should be. Leslie and Christopher Gray, Co-Artistic Directors at KooGle Theatre work very hard at getting productions to the stage and then hoping that the audience reaction is good and that tickets are bought based on the reaction to the show. When they brought the Putnam County Spelling Bee to Burlington a few years ago and put it on a stage at the Performing Arts centre the response was good. There were a couple of SOLD out nights, but nothing like this. Weeks before the curtain goes up for the first time there is just the one performance left for which tickets are available. Extending this show would make real sense. Has something like this happened in Burlington before?
August 3rd, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
For Canada’s 150th birthday, the Museums of Burlington are celebrating Joseph Brant Day at LaSalle Park with all things Canadian.
Enjoy the main stage entertainment by local performers. Interact with local organizations and businesses, hosting a variety of fun games and activities. You will sure find something to love from our long list of exciting features, including: a “Made in Canada” vendors market, henna tattooing, live art performance, community mural project, and many more!  The Joseph Brant Museum as it looks today. It has been closed for close to a year and probably will never again be open to the public. But you may not hear very much about the $10 million expansion that is to take place at the Joseph Brant Museum on Lakeshore Road. Before packing things in for the summer city council approved the provision of a $1 million dollar top up sum to ensure that all the funding was in place for the construction of the new updated museum that will turn the replica structure into an administrative office that the public won’t get anywhere near. What is now the museum will be pivoted and moved a short distance while construction of the new museum, much of which will be underneath a large pile of earth.  Artists rendering of the proposed re-development of the Joseph Brant Museum. Neither the Museum staff or the Museum Foundation have said very much about just what is going to be in the new structure other than to say that it will be 300% bigger than what is in place now. One would have thought that the Joseph Brant Day would have been an excellent opportunity to tell the public about these big big plans. This time next year the construction will be well underway. For this year what the public gets is 11:30 Opening Ceremony At various times during the day there will be Interactive First Nations Drum Circles FOOD TRUCK RALLY  Food Trucks have proven to be very popular at the annual Joseph Brant Day celebration. Feast at the Food Truck Rally. This is a really smart addition to the Brant day celebration. The dishes being offered are said to be inspired by Canadian ingredients. Enjoy a smokey maple bacon poutine, a True North burger, maple cotton candy and more! There’s something for everyone: Dora’s Express, Luchadore Gourmet Streatery, Cafe du Monde Creperie, Pappas Greek, Sweet Temptation Cupcakery, MeatVentures, and Triple Treats. MADE IN CANADA VENDORS MARKET Explore the vendors market which will showcase the work of local artisans and businesses. Plan to visit the Purpal Paisley Soapery, Ruff Trade Ties/ Little Kitchen Helpers, The Davidson Co., She’s Got Leggz, In Front Design Studio, Voxx Life, Healing Treasures, Woodfully Wooden World, The Good Red Earth Soap Company, Pandamonium Publishing House, Rubber Ducky Co., Life lounge Chiropractic and Health Centre, Papas Pens by Bill and more. What would Joseph Brant have said about all this? Maybe his peers knew what was best for Brant when they moved his remains from Burlington to Brantford where they rest in peace today.  The Brant tomb sits just outside the Mohawk Chapel near Brantford. Joseph Brant – the man. Just who was this man Joseph Brant, the corner stone of the city’s history ? The Museum staff tend to tell the public very little about the man who was given the land grant that Burlington was built on. Lest he be totally forgotten – here is a short version of his story: Mohawk Leader. Born on the banks of the Ohio River to Tehonwagh’ kwangeraghkwa of the Wolf Clan of the Mohawk. In his early youth, Thayendanega became a favorite of Sir William Johnson, the British Superintendent of Northern Indians of America. Thayendanega was among a number of young Mohawks who were selected by Johnson to attend Moor’s Charity School for Indians at Lebanon, Connecticut where he became known as Joseph Brant. That school evolved into what today is known as Dartmouth University.  Joseph Brant was frequently painted by British artists who were keen to capture his image – he was very popular during his several visits to the United Kingdom. Brant left school at about age 13 and followed Sir William into battle during the French and Indian War. He became Sir William’s aide in the Indian Department, administered by the British out of Quebec. In August 1775, the leaders of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League met in council and decided that the growing conflict was a private affair between the British and the colonists, and that they should stay out of it. Brant denounced the Iroquois League’s decision to remain neutral and called the Americans the enemy of all Indians. He feared white expansion would push the Iroquois off their lands if the colonists achieved independence. Brant used his influence to engage the League for the British, four tribes, the Mohawks, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas entered into an alliance with England.  The oak tree on Allview, a street that runs off the North Shore Road, marks the western boundary of the land grant given to Joseph Brant. The Oneidas and Tuscaroras ultimately sided with the Colonists splintering the confederation. Brant received a Captain’s commission in the British army and was placed in charge of the Indian forces loyal to the Crown. Brant took part in the Battle of the Cedars in 1776, German Flats, and Cherry Valley in 1778, establishing a formidable reputation for himself. At war’s end, Britain abandoned its Indian allies in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, when it ceded the Crown’s claim to land south of the Great Lakes and accepted peace terms that contained no mention of tribal rights.
 In this portrait Joseph Brant is seen wearing the gorget given to him by King George III. That gorget is the most important piece in the collection at the Joseph Brant Museum. This land grant was separate from the 3000 plus acres he was granted in what became Burlington and whee he built a home. The current museum is a replica of the house he built. Brant traveled to England in 1785 and succeeded in obtaining compensation for Mohawk losses in the American Revolution. He encouraged the Mohawk to adopt Christianity and support British style schooling. His translations of Saint Mark’s Gospel and the Book of Common Prayer into Mohawk were published in 1787. Brant died at about 65 years at his home in what was then known as Wellington Square which came to be known as Burlington.
Community needs tools to complete the building of a neighbourhood playground on Sunday August 13th..
August 1, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
The KaBOOM! Aldershot community planning committee are looking for gardening and construction tools to help build a new playground at Bolus Gardens Parkette on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017. A few volunteers are also needed to join Foresters FinancialTM, and non-profit KaBOOM! to create the new play space, which will serve more than 1,200 children and their families in the local community. The design for the new playground is based on drawings created by neighborhood children at a special Design Day event that was held in June when community members met with organizers from KaBOOM! and Foresters Financial to design their dream playground. The drawings inspired the final playground design.  Designed by the kids – assembled by the community – they need to borrow some tools to get the job done. Volunteers are asked to bring tools and community residents and businesses are encouraged to loan or donate items such as garden hoes, wheel barrows, various drills, hammers and saws. Please see the complete list at www.burlington.ca/bolus or contact Kim Napier at 905-335-7600, ext. 7900. or kim.napier@burlington.ca. Those interested in volunteering are encouraged to register at https://www.tfaforms.com/4618494. There are limited spots for this opportunity. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has been dedicated to ensuring that all kids get the balance and active play they need to thrive. KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all kids, particularly those growing up in poverty in America. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy lives and communities. Foresters Financial is a KaBOOM! Founding Partner and National Partner. Bolus Parkette is on Francis Road south of Plains Road East. Related article: Parkette adjacent to proposed community re-development.
August 1. 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
This could be a very short play-off season for the Herd. The schedule is as follows: SERIES “B” – LONDON (3) vs. BURLINGTON (6)
July 30th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
If you do what many of us do – plan your week on Sunday you might want to give some thought to slipping up to Lowville to take in a performance of Othello at Thinkspot where you can sit outside on a large large lawn and watch gifted actors perform one of Shakespeare’s plays. Getting out in the middle of the week to watch a play isn’t the way most people spend their time – unless of course they are on vacation.  Driftwood Theatre performing at Thinkspot in Lowville Whether you are on vacation or putting in time at the office – Wednesday evening – 7:00 pm the Driftwood Theatre Company will take to the outdoor stage and give you an interpretation of Othello that you will not have seen before. Lowville has been the locale for a number of artistic endeavours. The annual Lowville Festival is now an established event that has shown admirable resilience getting off the ground. With three years behind them and respectable sponsorships in place – they can be expected to do nothing but grow. Thinkspot has been welcoming the Driftwood Theatre to their location for a number of years. Lowville has become one of the more than 20 locations that Driftwood performs at each year. At the end of the production, always to boisterous rounds of applause, some of the deeply committed audience for the works of William Shakespeare gather around a fire place and talk about the merits of the performance and the how’s and why’s of what the director chose to do.
The experience is well worth the time and the locale is one to be treasured. This is a Pay what you can event with a suggested $20.
July 28th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Youth Soccer Club (BYSC) is hosting its “Burli Blast Festival” this Saturday, July 29th to celebrate the end of the soccer season for the U3 – U6 age groups in their Outdoor House League program.
Burli Blast will take place from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm at Sherwood Forest Park (at the end of Fairview Street past the Appleby GO station) in Burlington. The festival will feature 60 mini soccer matches and medal presentations spread throughout the morning and afternoon.
For more information about Burli Blast Festival or other BYSC programs, visit www.burlingtonsoccer.com or call 905-333-0777.
July 27th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
She wants you to join her on the Pier for a bike ride and a chat next week.  Eleanor McMahon before she was elected to the provincial legislature. Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon has used riding a bike to great advantage in her political career – she was one of the driving forces on Share the Road before she was tapped to run for public office in Burlington where the Tories had owned the seat for more than 70 years. There is a provincial election on its way – June 7th, 2018 and McMahon, like every MPP, is out and about meeting people. She is a strong campaigner, one of the best in the Region and bonds well with people.
But don’t drive your bike – that’s a no no. Not sure the MPP was fully aware that bikes are not permitted on the Pier
July 26th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Herd took advantage of 13 walks in a 9-4 win over the Hamilton Cardinals Tuesday night. Burlington collected eight hits but used the free passes to build a 5-0 lead after three innings and a 9-1 advantage in the seventh.  Giving that incoming ball a close look. John Whaley drove in a pair of runs, and Justin Gideon scored twice and swiped a pair of bases. He also had an RBI. Ryan Freemantle, Matt McCue and Nolan Pettipiece each singled, scored and had an RBI, while Andrew Mercier drove in a run. Ethan Cummins singled and scored twice. Rich Corrente (2-3) went six innings and allowed a run on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Mike Hart singled twice and had an RBI and run for the Cardinals. TJ Baker had a pair of singles, and Connor Bowie went 2-for-2 with an RBI. Luke Tevlin drove in a run and scored once. Jackson Jones (0-3) took the loss, giving up five runs (two earned) on three hits with eight walks and two strikeouts in five innings. Future games Thursday, July 27 Standings
July 24, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON The first ever Halton Everesting challenge Saturday along Kerns Road didn’t end the way organizers had hoped. After beginning the one-day vertical ‘climb’ of Mount Everest at 4:30 a.m. Saturday, remaining riders George Orfanogiannis and Matt Zielinski had to call the event at lap 69 (just short of 73 laps of the 4.9-kilometre loop)) due to malfunctioning measuring equipment. What are a bunch of cyclists doing on Kerns Road pretending they are climbing Mount Everest? They were “Everesting”. George Orfanogiannis’s eight year old son Joey was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in January of 2016 and has been battling the disease since then. Joey is currently at a point where the disease is being maintained. His doctors hope to be able to say it is in remission if his current maintenance program goes well through to 2019.  Joey – ready to take on whatever comes his way. Joey is now on daily chemotherapy medication and monthly visits to the hospital. He had to be homeschooled for a year but has returned to his school and is looking forward to getting back to class in September. The “Everesting” was to raise funds and awareness of the cancer that has invaded Joey’s young body. George was a cyclist with the Oakville Morning Glory cycling club; they took up the challenge of driving up and down Kerns Road in Burlington until they had ridden the equivalent of 29,029 feet in elevation – which is the height of Mount Everest from its base camp. They did all the paper work and set up stuff with the Everest organization – they are the people who oversee the challenge for any group that wants to create a target they can work towards achieving. The day of the “climb” turned out to be less than stellar, drizzly rain was an on and off thing throughout the day but that didn’t deter Joey for as much a minute. He was running all over the place serving people lemonade. His day took a huge surge when a Burlington Fire department truck rolled into the parking lot and Joey was made an honorary fire fighter and got to wear fire fighters clothing and have his picture taken. Big moment for Joey Orfanogiannis.  Non the worse for a stern lecture from a police officer fr blowing through stop signs one of the cyclists checks in with the family. Half an hour earlier a police cruiser slide into the parking lot. The officer had pulled over a couple of the cyclists who were blowing through stop signs at speeds in the 60km range – on the downhill portion of Kern Road. No tickets – but stern warnings. All was forgiven when the police officer bought himself a tall lemonade. Things weren’t going as smoothly for the “climb” At the approximately 315-kilometres point, the cyclists were “feeling good and ready to go the distance” said Orfanogiannis. But something didn’t seem right, the riders “did a quick recalculation” and found that the device that measured altitude had been affected by the day’s air pressure, and had “robbed us of 60’ for every climb we did.” “That would have taken the ride to 88 laps and pushed us to 6 a.m. We were ready to go to 6 a.m., but the issue became was going to rain again and we thought if we get to 6 a.m., what happens if the rain robs us of more laps; does it become too dangerous to finish?” “We stopped just short of what should have been 27,064’ but on the device doing the actual measurement was reading 23,000’ (Everest is 29,029’) The ride doesn’t count unless it is measured on by the software that takes all the data and calculates just how many feel of elevation the cyclists have completed. What no one told the riders from Morning Glory was that atmospheric conditions were part of the calculation – lots of clouds meant a different barometric pressure reading on the measurement device. But these riders wouldn’t be considered hard-core cyclists if they gave up after their first attempt. Orfanogiannis came up with Halton’s first Everesting attempt, not just as a challenge for himself, but to raise funds and awareness in support of research into pediatric oncology; his son Joey, 7, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in January of 2016.  George Orfanogiannis “When my son was going through treatment I always told him I wouldn’t ask him to do what I wouldn’t do. I asked him to climb a mountain so I owe him a mountain,” said Dad. Orfanogiannis said the event was incredible nonetheless based on the hundreds of people who came out to support the cyclists, not just fellow riders but members of the community and those touched by cancer. Two thousand dollars was also raised. “Four young children came down at midnight with their parents to donate their allowance money,” said Orfanogiannis, a selfless act that moved him to tears. The next day a small group of girls had set up their lemonade stand on Kerns Road, raised $130 and donated that to the cause as well. The residents along Kerns Road were so moved by the effort that they said they will ask the city to close the road next year and make it a much bigger event. Orfanogiannis and his team “knew what we were in for physically and emotionally, it was devastating when we realized we came this far only to be robbed by technology.”  Lap chart at 2:00 pm on a rainy Saturday afternoon. The challenge began at 4:30 am. They made it to lap 69 George Orfanogiannis isn’t all that good at giving up. He reports that “there is currently open dialogue with Strava the software that manages the data for rides and there may be a chance the realize the error in the technology and be willing to correct it – if that is the case I would need to climb the hill eight more times which I am prepared to do.”
July 24th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
When the weather works for us this time of year the days get described as those lazy hazy days of summer. The evenings still have warmth in the air and a bit of a breeze makes being outside pleasant. Being in the country gathered with friends and enjoying a play and then talking about it with people around a camp fire is about as Canadian as you can get. That’s what it is going to be like in Lowville on August 2nd – when those who were taken enough with the Driftwood production of Shakespeare’s Othello gather with the director to talk about why he produced the play he did. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and settle in for an evening of Shakespeare’s Othello as done by the Driftwood Theatre. It is usually a small group that gathers around the pit in which a nice fire glows. Deep seated Muskoka chairs are pulled into the circle and the conversation goes on late into the evening. Othello is being produced by Driftwood Theatre and put on in more than 20 locales around the province this summer. Debra Pickfield of Thinkspot has brought the travelling troupe into the hamlet of Lowville for the past three years. Pickfield believes that it is the sense of community we have that helps us survive as a society and that community happens when people come together to listen to each other, take part in a social event. Bringing people together is the vision and mission of Thinkspot – it made sense to extend that vision more deeply into the community. People drift into the open space yards away from the fire pit bounded by trees on three of the four sides, set up their lawn chair or spread out a blanket and settle in for an evening of Shakespeare.  Othello – at Thinkspot in Lowville – one night only. august 2nd – actors take to the stage at 7:30 pm. Driftwood is known for the interpretations they do of whichever Shakespearian production taken on. Othello, a searing tale of race, jealousy and revenge, is being done against the backdrop of the 1974 Canadian Peacekeeping initiative in Cyprus where our Armed Forces were caught in a life and death struggle on that small island in the Mediterranean. The production is one of those Pay what you can events with $20 suggested. The actors take to the stage at 7:30 pm
July 18th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
There is no free lunch – right? But a slice of pepperoni and cheese pizza slices for 99 cents – from a brand name operation is as close to free as you’re going to get. And onion rings at 50 cents is reason enough to head out to a Pizza Pizza this Saturday. To entice you to get there early – there are $10 gift cards for the first twenty five people who show up at the four Pizza Pizza locations in Burlington, Why the close to free lunch?
WHEN: Saturday, July 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. WHERE: Pizza Pizza 2184 Mountain Grove Avenue
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