Newsflash

THE RUNDOWN

A former Musicland student and teacher, Bethany D’Alimonte, has recently been given the opportunity to take over Musicland as her own establishment and transform it into an arts hub for musicians in Amherstburg and Windsor Essex. She assumed ownership of the business — situated at 59 Richmond Street in downtown Amherstburg — as of July 12. Musicland is a recording studio, lesson centre, retail and repair shop. There is also a stage inside for live music on Fridays and Saturdays with the occasional Sunday matinee. “My dream for this place is to enhance the music scene closer to home while providing a space for others to perform,” says D’Alimonte. “I’m excited to see where this takes me, and am very grateful for the opportunity to follow in my father’s footsteps by taking over the store that he initially opened in 1986.” The original owners of the business, John D’Alimonte and Trevor Marshall, changed the local music scene by educating future musicians in the area, as well as playing in the band Revolver four to five nights a week. As the years went on, and the music scene in Windsor was slowly dying, John decided to leave the music business and branch out to a new career, leaving Marshall as the sole proprietor. Now in 2022, things have come full circle for Bethany who started piano lessons at Musicland in the early 2000s. She also began taking vocal lessons from Pete Palazzolo at the Canadian Conservatory of Music in Windsor and started writing her own music and producing with him from his studio. “He taught me everything that I needed to know to sing, and to teach the future rock stars in the area as well,” she expresses. In 2014, Bethany landed her first job at Musicland and then eventually started teaching vocals, piano and ukulele there in 2019. This same year, she started performing in bars and restaurants around Windsor Essex and has put out eight songs — four of which are on her first EP, titled More Time, which came out in 2021. For further information on the shop go to: Musicland-dev.github.io.

The Hospice of Windsor and Essex County Inc. 20th annual Face to Face campaign kicked off August 15 and runs until September 30, 2022. Canvassers are pounding the pavement and generous sponsors are on board to support the cause to make sure this year’s Face to Face campaign is another resounding success! Funds raised support the Hospice, so they can continue to provide care, programs and services at no cost to patients and their loved ones. The 2022 Face to Face campaign (supported by YourTV and Face to Face TV Host John Fairley) operates similarly to previous years (asking 10 people for $10 each) with canvassers able to collect donations both online and in person. Community members can show their support by making a pledge to a specific canvasser, or supporting the cause as a whole, either online or in person. To access the canvasser kit or for more details, log onto: TheHospice.ca.

The Comfort Inn South Windsor hotel — for the fourth year in a row — has earned a prestigious Gold Guest Satisfaction Award from Choice Hotels Canada. The hotel’s General Manager, Justin Barker, was also recently awarded the 2021 APEX Marketing Star Award for his outstanding local marketing efforts. The Gold Award designation goes only to the top 10% of hotels in the Choice Hotels Canada portfolio, representing a tremendous accomplishment. As one of the top properties operating under the Comfort Inn brand, the hotel’s staff has demonstrated an exceptional focus on guest satisfaction and dedication to superior guest service. Award criteria are evaluated by Choice Hotels through its official property ranking reports. “It is an honour to work with a team of professionals who consistently exceed expectations of our guests and our franchisor,” says William Zhao, President and Owner of WBSZ Holdings carrying on business as Comfort Inn South Windsor. “Thank you to my GM, Justin Barker, and to our great team for their dedication to excellence.” Brian Leon, CEO, Choice Hotels Canada comments: “Congratulations to William, Justin, and the team at Comfort Inn South Windsor. Winning a Gold Award is an achievement in itself, but winning it four years in a row shows consistency, commitment, and dedication.”The Comfort Inn South Windsor hotel participates in the award-winning Choice Privileges loyalty rewards program, rated a top rewards program by both USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards and by U.S. News & World. Membership is free and offers fast rewards, instant perks, and exclusive member rates when booking directly at: ChoiceHotels.com. To make a reservation at Windsor’s award-winning hotel, located at 2955 Dougall Avenue, visit their website: ChoiceHotels.com/cn318.

Congratulations to the winners of the

Amherstburg Chamber of Commerce

(ACOC), 17th annual Business Excellence Awards, presented in late June. “We had a great turnout of 174 people and a lovely warm evening under the tent at GL Heritage Brewing Co., to recognize and celebrate excellence in the Amherstburg business community after two difficult years of COVID Public Health measures,” states Anne Creery, General Manager. ACOC President Dan Gemus emceed and Town of Amherstburg Mayor Aldo DiCarlo brought greetings to the guests. The list of recipients is as follows: Business of the Year: Bright Child Montessori; Business Legacy: Nuccelli’s Frozen Yogurt; New Business of the Year: The Panetteria; Employer of the Year: The Garage Gym; Professional of the Year: Dr. Beth Cozens, Fort Malden Animal Hospital; Entrepreneur of the Year: Anna Marano and Simon Briggs, The Panetteria; Non-Profit/ Charitable: Fighting Island Boxing Club; Tourism/Hospitality: GL Heritage Brewing Co.; Community Service/Involvement: Ron Giofu, River Town Times; Welcoming Accessibility: Libro Credit Union and Most Attractive Improvement: Fieldcraft Holdings Inc. View a complete member directory on: AmherstburgChamber.com.

NEW IN BIZ

In true fashion, guests staying in the True North suite at The Little White Church are dressed in Canadian Lumberjack attire enjoying a delicious pizza from OG Pizza in Harrow. Photo courtesy of Katlyn Paige Photos.

The Little White Church, a boutique hotel experience, officially opened in April 2022. Long time friends Drew Coulson and Greg Grondin, had a vision for the iconic Little White Church at the end of Howard Avenue in Amherstburg. Keeping the history alive, the more than 100 year old Little White Church was turned into a themed-room Air BnB. “The area was in desperate need of accommodations and since being inspired by the Retro Suites in Chatham, the church was set up beautifully for this experience,” says Coulson. “Plus Greg and I have spoken about doing a project together and this seemed to be a great fit — wine country and all.” The hotel is located at 7860 Essex County Road 20 near Dancing Swallows Vineyard, GL Heritage Brewing Co. and Ure’s

Country Kitchen, Ice Cream Parlour and

Mini Golf. “Both of us are business owners in the town, and we want to see the town grow into its potential,” adds Coulson. “This offers a solution to one of those missing puzzl e pieces. Personally, my design and build experience was very helpful in bringing this all together.” For more details and to see a brief description of the suites available refer to: TheLittleWhiteChurch.com.