Kitchissippi Times | July 20, 2017

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July 20, 2017

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It’s our fourth annual summer reading issue!

See what books notable folks in Kitchissippi are reading and recommending

Lose yourself in the world of words with our summer reading issue. This year we’re spreading the love over two back-to-back editions of KT, so don’t forget to pick up a copy on August 3 for more book recommendations and profiles.

Photo of Ottawa Riverkeeper Meredith Brown by Ted Simpson

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KT KITCHISSIPPI READS

Meredith Brown explores her passions The Ottawa Riverkeeper’s book picks delve into some of the issues she encounters on the job Story and photo

by Jacob Hoytema

KitchissippiTimes

We often see her at Westboro Beach, but the Kitchissippi Times travelled to the beaches of Petrie Island, north of Orleans where Ottawa Riverkeeper, Meredith Brown, was taking part in an interprovincial, multi-organizational effort to reintroduce eels into the Ottawa River. Before she was able to discuss her summer reads, Meredith and the rest of the team boated into the middle of the river to dump out bucketfuls of the slippery critters, which were once common before becoming threatened by modern infrastructure like dams and hydro generators.

This eel project is just an example of the many responsibilities Meredith has as the Ottawa Riverkeeper (which is both her title and the name of her organization, based in Kitchissippi) but even with a busy schedule keeping on top of river basin issues,

Ottawa Riverkeeper Meredith Brown has a “huge stack of books” by the side of her bed. What does she have on the go right now? Read on!

their connection to water, and it’s complicated — it’s really complicated,” Meredith says of the volume.

One River is also related to her profession, as it details the journeys of explorer and ethnobotanist Wade Davis as he travels along the Amazon River, encountering the native plants and people of South America.

“I don’t always have enough room for adventure in my life… this is my way of doing some exploring and travelling by reading,” Meredith says of the book.

For Meredith, both of these books are her way of exploring the passions

and issues she encounters with her job in a more engaging way.

“For work I read research papers sometimes, or I read reports, more and more short snippets instead of getting into big, long books; there’s nothing like a book,” she says.

“It’s about learning and increasing my knowledge,” she continues. “A lot of my reading now [is] really related to my work — not mandatory, but I’m interested in really expanding my knowledge, as everybody is who reads.”

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Meredith’s passion for reading and learning still shines through.

“I have a huge stack of books by the side of my bed,” says Meredith. “I almost always have a couple of nonfiction books on the go,” adding that she will also get into a good fiction every now and then.

She’s picked two books to showcase for this summer, both non-fiction

by Canadian authors: The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King, and One River by Wade Davis.

Meredith describes the former volume as an account of Indigenous people in North America and their imbalanced relationship with European settlers. While it is historical and fact based, she says it is made “easy and accessible,” as well as funny, through the author’s powerful storytelling skills.

“I have really been trying to understand the history of indigenous people in the [Ottawa River] watershed, and

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KT KITCHISSIPPI READS

Non-fiction pick for this “news junkie”

Dave Adams is an avid reader, and not just of books Story and photo

by Andrea Tomkins

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Globe and Mail – and he enjoys reading both paper and electronic books.

Dave is currently reading a book he borrowed from the Ottawa Public Library called, Thank You For Your Service by David Finkel.

“It follows four servicemen coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq, and their six-month tour of duty,” describes Dave. He points out that the ones who make it home have a mountain to overcome. “These were perfectly sane people, and then they returned permanently scarred,” he says.

“The introduction is written by my hero, Canadian Romeo Dallaire and the prologue is written by [CBC radio host and journalist] Carol Off,” he says. He is a keen admirer of both.

It’s not light reading, that’s for certain, but as a self-described news and political junkie, it seems to fit the bill for Dave.

SJAM fans are encouraged to stay tuned to the official trail website at wintertrail.ca for fundraising info and other seasonal updates as they arise.

KitchissippiTimes

Those of us who enjoyed the SJAM Winter Trail along the Ottawa River this past winter probably already know that Kitchissippi’s Dave Adams, also known as Groomer Dave, was instrumental in its planning and upkeep. The snow melted long ago, but it doesn’t mean that Dave is resting on his laurels.

The groomer (not Dave the groomer, but the Ski-Doo, a.k.a. the towing unit) is currently getting a tune up at Gifford Automotive on McRae Avenue, but the summer months are not just about equipment prep. There are also strategy sessions for a fundraising campaign to launch in the fall, which will hopefully build on the momentum that has been generated to date. Dave has big plans for the future of Kitchissippi’s newest recreational winter trail.

“I want to make [the trail] bigger and better every year,” says Dave. “I also want to make the trail sustainable. Right now we have a volunteer staff, and we’re cobbling together a grooming program and trying to prove ourselves. This year we’ve shown the potential of the trail. Now we just want to build upon that.”

Happily, this is not an “all work and no play” situation for Dave and there is still time to read.

Dave gravitates towards non-fiction and contemporary political histories.

Biographies are a special favourite; so is news. “I’m a practical guy,” laughs Dave. “I’m kind of a news junkie.”

The New York Times is at the top of his news reading list. In fact, it was the election of President Donald Trump that drove him to make the leap to paying subscriber. His book recommendations come from similar high-level sources – the CBC and The

Kitchissippi Times caught up with Dave Adams at Gifford Automotive.

Tradition tastes good.

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KT HUMANS OF KITCHISSIPPI

250 City Centre Ave., Suite 500 Ottawa ON K1R-6K7 www.kitchissippi.com Kitchissippi, meaning “the Grand River,” is the former Algonquin name for the Ottawa River. The name now identifies the urban community to the west of downtown Ottawa. Newswest is a not-forprofit community-owned publication that is distributed 12 times per year inside the Kitchissippi Times.

Editor/Associate Publisher Andrea Tomkins editor@kitchissippi.com twitter.com/kitchissippi Contributors Ellen Bond, Judith van Berkom, Jared Davidson, Jacob Hoytema, Andrea Prazmowski, Bradley Turcotte Proofreader Judith van Berkom Advertising Sales Eric Dupuis 613-238-1818 x273 eric@kitchissippi.com Annalisa Pareja 613-238-1818 x274 annalisa@kitchissippi.com Creative Director Tanya Connolly-Holmes creative@greatriver.ca Production Regan Van Dusen regan@greatriver.ca

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Meet Courtney Mellor

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Collected by Ellen Bond

“I was born at Grace Hospital on Wellington, east of Parkdale, and I grew up in Ottawa. I love the fact that I get to work in the Kitchissippi area. My two favourite places here are the Deschenes Rapids, and Mia’s Indian Cuisine for my takeout lunch.

“I am currently reading all eight Canadian YA titles from the Ottawa Public Library Battle of the Books. Each week

the eight titles will battle against each other via online voting, and people vote for their favourite book. The books with the most votes survive to the next week and the book with the lowest votes, unfortunately, will not survive.

Every week teens have a chance to win prizes.

“I recommend EK Johnston’s Exit Pursued by a Bear. It’s a compelling, brief, yet overall

captivating read. I couldn’t put it down. Hermione Winters is captain of her cheerleading team, and in tiny Palermo Heights, Ontario. This doesn’t mean what you think it means. The cheerleaders don’t cheer for the sports teams, they are the sports teams – the pride and joy of a tiny town.

But during a camp party, someone slips something in Hermione’s drink. And it all goes black.”

Humans of Kitchissippi is a special street photography project designed to introduce readers to some of the people who live, work, and play in Kitchissippi. Each instalment of HOK contains three elements: a photo, a name, and a quote from the subject that reveals a little bit about who they are. Go to kitchissippi.com to view our ongoing collection of humans.

Distribution A minimum of 17,600 copies distributed from the Ottawa River to Carling Avenue between the O-Train tracks and Woodroffe Avenue.

Most residents in this area will receive the Kitchissippi Times directly to their door through Ottawa Citizen or Flyer Force.

If you did not receive your copy, or would like additional copies, please contact us and we’ll deliver to you. Bulk copies delivered to multi-unit dwellings and retail locations. Copies available at Dovercourt Recreation Centre and Hintonburg Community Centre. distribution@kitchissippi.com 613-238-1818 x248 Tips and ideas We want to hear from you about what’s happening in our community.

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KT KITCHISSIPPI READS

A tall list of books on the nightstand This young basketball star is the person you go to for a recommendation

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girl, Asha, adopted by the American family, yearns to know about her On the basketball court, Heather Indian origins. She travels to India Lindsay is the player her Carleton and that decision changes the lives of Ravens teammates watch for and rely both families. upon to rack up the points. Off the “I didn’t have any idea about court, they rely on her for book recIndian culture, so the book really ommendations. opens that up for me,” says Heather.

Heather, 22, is a star forward with For learning about different cultures, the Ravens and led them to the she also recommends The Art of Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philip championship this past season. She’s Sendker, in which a New York lawyer tough as nails in the game, but back travels to a Burmese village searching on the team bus it’s another story. for her missing father.

Books that put her in the place of historical events are also a top choice. On her summer list is The Villa Triste

by Lucretia Grindle, about two sisters in Florence, Italy in 1943, under Nazi occupation. Sixty years later a police inspector discovers the diary of one of the sisters while investigating a murder of an old man. Through the diary he learns of the lives of the Partisans in the Resistance.

“I really like history but I find it so much easier to learn when it’s a really good story,” says Heather. Another memorable book was Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, about Japanese internment camps in the US during WWII. Heather’s “favourite book of all time” involves a different kind of internment and another diary. What She Left Behind, by Ellen Marie Heather Lindsay is a star forward with the Carleton Wiseman, is about a modernRavens and led them to the Ontario University day teenager, Izzy, who reads Athletics (OUA) championship this past season. the diary of Clara, a woman She also has a lot of books on her list. committed to a state asylum in New York in 1929, placed “My teammates always make fun there because her father disapproved of me,” she laughs. “Because on the of her marriage choice. It’s a disturbbus I’ll start crying when I’m reading ing account of mental health treata book. When it’s emotional I just get ments at that time and also tells Izzy’s swept up into it.” personal story of having a mother And then? “I’ll finish a book and diagnosed as criminally insane. stand up in the bus and say: ‘Really Heather learned that the novel depicts good book, who wants to read it?’” an actual place, the Willard Asylum, Heather keeps a detailed list of which closed in the 1970s. each book she’s read, and gives it a Heather’s also looking forward to rating. If a friend wants a recommenreading a book of short stories by dation she has her list at hand.

Ernest Hemingway that belonged to “In the summer, reading is my her great-grandfather, which her favourite thing to do,” she says. Right father, John, gave her. It seems reading now she’s enjoying Secret Daughter by is a family affair for the Lindsays: her Shilpi Somaya Gowda, about two grandmother, Mary, gives her a big mothers – one in Mumbai and the box of books for each birthday and other in San Francisco – and the Christmas, and she regularly swaps daughter they share. As a teenager the books with mom, Margo.

Story and photo

by Andrea Prazmowski

Building a healthy, active and engaged community through recreation

KT KITCHISSIPPI READS STAFF PICKS Since this issue is all about summer book lists, we thought it would be fun to share what Kitchissippi Times staff and contributors are reading as well.

DAVE ALLSTON, CONTRIBUTOR

I’m reading Whiskey and Wickedness - Rideau Valley by Larry Cotton, the newest volume in his series profiling the local history of small towns in eastern Ontario, particularly recounting the prevalence of alcohol and taverns in the 19th century. With stories in bite-size format, Cotton details the most interesting bar fights and liquorrelated deaths, making for truly captivating local history!

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JUDITH VAN BERKOM, PROOFREADER AND CONTRIBUTOR

I am tackling a 713-page historical novel by Annie Proulx (author of The Shipping News and Brokeback Mountain), published in 2016. The book follows the lives of two young Frenchmen and their descendants over a 300-year period (from the late 17th century on) and their involvement in the lumber trade or Barkskins, the title of this book. The second book I am reading was given to me by my dear friend, Lois, and came out in 2006, winning several awards, including Irish novel of the year. The author, Sebastian Barry, lives in Ireland. The Secret Scripture is described as a great novel of a 99-year-old woman trying to understand the truth of her life.

a murder he did not commit. I also had the opportunity to meet Bill’s mother, the only person in his family who believed he was innocent. The others believed the doctor because, why would a doctor lie? I had great conversations with Bill about the Toronto Maple Leafs, his love of music, among other topics. He struck me as kind and gentle, and not a typical “criminal.” This story of justice gone wrong is sad and details some of the life that is lost forever. I will definitely have the Kleenex ready.

I have picked up from these directly onto the lake with great success. I also get great ideas for vacation spots from them as well.

ANNE BOYS-HOPE, CONTRIBUTOR

BHAVANA GOPINATH, CONTRIBUTOR

I’m addicted to reading travel books in preparation for my family’s road trip to the East coast this summer. I love using paper guides and maps because I can jot down notes and ideas as I go along. This helps me map out interesting stops along the highway, lesser known historic museums, parks, coffee shops and bookstores—the little details that make a trip memorable and help pass the time in the car. I am partial to vintage travel books, and I’m currently immersed in the 1991 edition of the Reader’s Digest Canadian Book of the Road, “a complete motorists’ guide to virtually every part of Canada you can reach by car.” Not only does it celebrate the Great Canadian Road Trip, but it gives fascinating tidbits about the history (ghost stories included), culture, flora and fauna, people and places that we will encounter on our journey. I guess I’m carrying on my dad’s legacy of “it’s the journey, not the destination.”

ELLEN BOND, CONTRIBUTOR

The book on my “to read” list is Death In The Family by John Chipman. It details some of the lives affected by disgraced former Ontario coroner Dr. Charles Smith. This story is personal to me, as I personally know one of those affected, William Mullins-Johnson. I met Bill while volunteering in the Warkworth prison, where he spent some of the almost 12 years in jail for

TANYA CONNOLLY-HOLMES, ART DIRECTOR

Two books that I have on my ‘next to read’ pile and so looking forward to them: Sunday Sketching by Christoph Niemann and Scandinavian Design by Charlotte & Peter Fiell.

ERIC DUPUIS, SALES AND MARKETING

As an avid year-round fisherman, I subscribe to both Outdoor Canada and Ontario Out Of Doors magazines.

The techniques, tackle, and hot spots in fishing are always changing and reading these every month helps me to stay at the top of my game and know the latest trends in fishing and camping. I have been a longtime subscriber to both for a year and have been reading them on a regular basis since I was a teenager. I have used much of the info

REGAN VAN DUSEN

I just finished reading The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I’m not sure what to say about it, other than the fact it seemed far-fetched way back when it was written, however, it suddenly seems like real life, especially in the States. It was a really good, fast read.

This summer, I am rereading Annabel,

by Kathleen Winter. This was one of the finalists for the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize. It describes the journey of an intersex child born in remote Labrador. I’d borrowed Annabel from the library three or four years ago, and Kathleen Winter’s description of the raw beauty of Labrador stayed with me. Her prose is sparse, yet evocative, and the story and the protagonist are very compelling. When I saw this book on sale (for a dollar!) at the library, I grabbed it. Since I’ve read it before, it feels easy enough for a summer read.

I’ve already started on it, and I’m looking forward to re-enjoying it.

JACOB HOYTEMA, CONTRIBUTOR

I recently finished reading Fifteen Dogs, by Canadian author André Alexis. I can attest that its numerous accolades – namely the Giller Prize in 2015 and Canada Reads in 2017 – are well-deserved. The premise sounds frivolous enough: the Greek deities Hermes and Apollo give human intelligence to a group of dogs as an experiment. Nonetheless, I couldn’t stop turning the page and discovered a story that was funny, touching, and ended up teaching me as much about people and art as it did about canines.

SHAUN MARKEY, CONTRIBUTOR

The book on my nightstand is Maud Lewis, The Heart on the Door by Lance Woolaver. As a collector of Maud Lewis’ paintings, I have a keen interest in this folk artist, the Canadian equivalent of America’s Grandma Moses. Most of what has been written about Lewis’ life to date, the bulk of it

by Mr. Woolaver, has tended to focus on her artwork and the naive, colourful images she created amidst her stark,

impoverished existence that included, at times, abusive behaviour from her husband. In this book, Woolaver has attempted, what has been missing to date, a detailed biography of Mrs. Lewis’ life. It is detailed, ambitious and definitely provides much more information on what was a troubled life but one, because of her art, still brimmed with hope, optimism and humble pride.

ANDREA PRAZMOWSKI, CONTRIBUTOR

I’ve got two non-fiction books on the go. The Global Forest by Diana Beresford-Kroeger has been on my list and got promoted to the top because it’s recommended reading for my practicum to become a Forest Therapy Guide. Beresford-Kroeger writes with the voice of scientific authority and the passion of a poet, about ‘forty ways trees can save us.”The other book is Boundless: Tracing Land and Dream in a New Northwest Passage, by Kathleen Winter, about her 2010 trip on a ship across the Northwest passage. She discovers that “the first words I encountered in the North were made not through symbols but by rock, sky, and water...” and the book continues to explore that theme of how the land and the animals speak to and shape human lives.

ALYSON QUEEN, CONTRIBUTOR

So one morning I’m driving on the highway and tune into a radio interview that’s underway. It’s a soft-spoken woman who said she listened to Bach’s Goldberg Variations thousands of times while writing her book.

Intrigued, I picked up the book and dusted off my CD collection to hear the inspiration while reading.

Madeleine Thein’s Do Not Say We Have Nothing is as delicate and deep as the famous music itself, weaving a beautiful story of classical musicians before, during and after the Cultural Revolution in China. The book starts off with 10-year-old Marie (Li-Lang) who has emigrated to Vancouver with her mother; her father has died and she befriends Ai-Ming, a young woman who has fled the Tiananmen Square uprising and helps unravel their connected history. Pair this book with a complex Chardonnay (or matcha), stream the Bach that inspired the prose, and disappear for a while in the music, art, and emotion of families living, loving, suffering and surviving in one of the most politically explosive times of the 20th Century.

PAULA ROY, CONTRIBUTOR

I’ve just started reading The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kierman. I chose this book because it meshes two of my passions: history and food. Set in France during the time of the Nazi occupation, the central character is Emmanuelle, a young woman who has taken over as the town’s breadmaker after her Jewish uncle (and mentor) was taken away by the Germans. She shrewdly and bravely finds a way to help the townsfolk while also demonstrating that resistance is not futile, thereby offering her frightened neighbours both sustenance and hope.

While I enjoy historical fiction immensely, there is so much information about the art of breadmaking woven into the book that I am finding it doubly satisfying so far. It’s an easy read, but I feel like I am learning a lot plus getting to spend time with some fascinating characters.

Massie. I knew very little about her until now. The author provides a very knowledgeable and vivid look at her life and her rise in a very male-dominated, Russian court and it’s been a really interesting book so far. On the flip side, I’m also reading the seventh book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon called An Echo in the Bone. The series is about a modern day woman who accidentally walks through an ancient stone circle in Scotland and goes back in time to the 1700s. It’s a very fun read – a bit of a bodice ripper at times – but it’s rich in historical detail and adventure that makes a perfect summer read for me. I love the main character – she’s gutsy, funny and smart – and I don’t want this series to end. Also on my library loan list: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and Life Sentence: Stories From Four Decades of Court Reporting, by Christie Blatchford.

TED SIMPSON, CONTRIBUTOR

If you’ve been really into the new Twin Peaks series, (like me), but are kinda struggling to make sense of the whole thing, (also me), then you need to check out The Secret History of Twin Peaks by Mark Frost (Twin Peaks co-creator). I found the audio book version of this novel particularly amazing, but whichever format you choose, you get a fleshed out backstory on how Twin Peaks ended up getting so damn weird.

Of course, this doesn’t answer every question, but that’s half the fun of the series. It’s got murder mystery, historical fiction, and conspiracy theory all rolled up into one surreal package.

MARK SUTCLIFFE, CEO OF GREAT RIVER MEDIA/KITCHISSIPPI TIMES

Submitted by Bella Crysler

Can you imagine if the prince of England went to your school? What if he was friends with your friends, and pretty cute too. What if, by some crazy twist of fate, he started to like you? And I mean, like like you!

Well that is exactly what happens to main character Charlotte Weston in Nadine Jolie Courtney’s new book Romancing the Throne. The ultimate summer read, this book takes you through the not-so-fairytale-like romance between Charlotte and Edward, the future king of England.

In the beginning, Charlotte’s school year seemed promising. Star athlete on the Sussex Park Private School Field Hockey and Track team, in with the coolest kids on campus, and getting flirty with a Royal, it looked to be the best year yet.

That is, until her older sister Libby transfers to the same school as her.

At first, Charlotte is over the moon that she and Libby will finally be at the same school and can’t wait to introduce her to all her friends. In particular, Charlotte can’t wait for Libby to meet her new boyfriend, Edward.

After some adjustment, shy, star student Libby begins to get along easily with all of Charlotte’s friends and is a great fit at the new school.

Charlotte couldn’t be happier that all her favourite people are getting along so well, until, Charlotte and Edward start getting along a bit too well.

As the year goes on, loyalties will be tested, friendships will be broken and strengthened, and Charlotte and Libby will learn the true meaning of sisterhood.

Add Romancing the Throne to your summer reads list, you won’t regret it!

Bella Crysler is one of Carlingwood Library’s Teen Advisory Group members and the Ottawa Public Library’s Teen Blogger in Residence.

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE TO READ THIS SUMMER? Here’s are some suggestions from Bella Crysler: • Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer

JACKIE WHALEN, CONTROLLER

I am currently reading The Whisky King, by Trevor Cole. It is the real life crime story of Rocco Perri, one of Canada’s most notorious criminals – King of the Bootleggers – and Frank Zaneth, Canada’s first under cover Mountie, in constant pursuit of Perri. It is a very detailed account of the two Italian men who came to Canada in the early 1900’s, on opposite ends of the moral (and legal) scale.

• The Hate You Give,

by Angie Thomas • Fireworks, by Kate Cotugno • The Bell Jar, by Silvia Plath • The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom • 1984, by George Orwell

Visit the Rosemount library this summer

• The Rest of Us Just Live Here, by Patrick Ness • The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B, by Teresa Toten • The Upside of Unrequited,

by Becky Albertalli

• Words in Deep Blue,

by Cath Crowley • The Great Gatsby,

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

7 • July 20, 2017

• Once and For All,

by Sarah Dessen

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It’s that time of the year again! Summer is here, and the free, summer reading fun is about to begin. All children 13 years old and under, are invited to participate in the TD Summer Reading Club (TD SRC). This summer, children will explore and celebrate Canada through the magic of reading!

Last year, more than 22,027 children registered for the TD Summer Reading Club at the OPL and read more than 262,585 books. Registration goes until

September 3. Participants can register in person at any OPL branch, or bookmobile stop, including Rosemount.

All children participating in the club will receive a special notebook to track their progress, a web access code for the virtual club on the TD SRC website (at tdsummerreadingclub.ca), stickers, and the chance to win prizes. Kids can participate in the TD SRC anytime, anywhere –at their local library, at home, online, on the road or wherever their summer takes them.

Continued on page 12

• The Handmaid’s Tale,

by Margaret Atwood

@Kitchissippi

• Catcher in the Rye,

by J.D. Salinger • Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard

Submitted by the Rosemount branch of the Ottawa Public Library

kitchissippitimes

ANDREA TOMKINS, EDITOR

I am in the position of having too many books on the go, and I’m racing against library deadlines this month! Generally speaking, fiction outweighs non-fiction on my nightstand but lately I’ve been drawn to biographies about strong women who hold a prominent place in history. Right now I’m reading a biography of Catherine the Great by Robert K.

Recent reads include Chuck Palahniuk’s Doomed, which is dark and delightful yet deeply disturbing in Palahniuk’s way, and Throwing Muses bandleader Kristin Hersh’s memoir Rat Girl, chronicling the band’s beginnings and the battle of living with mental illness. I’m currently commiserating with Laura Kightlinger’s essays Quick Shots of False Hope: A Rejection Collection. Written in the late ‘90s after her stint on SNL, it’s apparent Kightlinger’s wit has sharpened as she’s matured and gone on to star and create one of my favourite shows, The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, and produce shows like Will & Grace and 2 Broke Girls. Kightlinger’s comical recollections are sardonically pointed, and range from finding a nude photo of her mother splayed in a dentist’s chair to ridding herself of a puritanical roommate with a teddy bear in a noose.

Romancing the Throne, by Nadine Jolie Courtney

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Born to Run is a marvellous and absorbing narrative of Bruce Springsteen’s unyielding passion for music and persistent battle with the demons of depression. “I was not a natural genius,” Springsteen writes. “I would have to use every ounce of what was in me – my cunning, my musical skills, my showmanship, my intellect, my heart, my willingness – night after night, to push myself harder, to work with more intensity than the next guy just to survive untended in the world I lived in.” Born to Run powerfully enumerates the lengths to which he pushes himself, the E Street Band and the rest of his team to meet his own almost impossibly high standards. And it relates his family’s long history with mental illness, including Springsteen’s complex relationship with his mercurial father and his own recent depression in his 60s – “It comes in darkness or in broad daylight, each time wearing a subtly different mask” – in a way that is both touching and heartbreaking.

BRADLEY TURCOTTE, CONTRIBUTOR

Teens! Check out a great new book

July 20, 2017 • 8

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D

r. Ian Stiell leads The Ottawa Hospital Emergency Medicine Research Group and is an active emergency room physician and clinical epidemiologist. His research has changed the way emergency room doctors across the world diagnose certain patients.

Funnily enough, it almost didn’t happen. His mother thought he was too “squeamish” to be a doctor so he never considered medicine as a career until he got to university, enrolled in math (“it wasn’t so exciting after all”), and transferred to biology.

A successful career trajectory involves a lot of hard work and a bit of good timing. When Dr. Stiell was a med student, the field of emergency medicine was just emerging. Prior to the 1970s, physicians on a rotating basis staffed hospital emergency departments. It takes a unique set of personality traits to be an emergency room doctor.

“We have very short attention spans,” quips Dr. Stiell, describing himself and his fellow emergency room physicians. “We want to fix things right away, and we’re stimulated by the fact that people are coming constantly and we need to sort them out and deal with them very quickly. So I think that appeals to a lot of us, the action-oriented types.”

Dr. Stiell describes his early days as the era of “eminence-based” medicine. Young doctors simply did what the older doctors told them to do. Happily for all of us, we’ve moved into an evidence-based age.

Dr. Stiell had been in practice for a few years when he decided to take on a Masters of Epidemiology, an area of medicine that studies diseases – how often they occur in different groups of people and how they can be controlled – knowledge that plays a major role in public health. Of course, a master’s degree requires a thesis, and a thesis requires research.

“I needed to do a thesis which required me to collect a lot of patient data in a very short period of time,” explains Dr. Stiell. “In those days, we saw ankle sprains all day long and I knew that we really didn’t pay much attention to them.”

There was no shortage of data. He was able to study 750 patients over six months at the Civic and the General Campuses. That research was the foundation of the Ottawa Ankle Rules.

These are “clinical decisions rules,” which result in a better, research-based way for medical professionals to diagnose medical problems.

Imagine a series of Yes/No questions. The Ottawa Ankle Rules consist of a list of questions the doctor asks the patient (such as, “Can you walk?”), while checking specific areas on the foot to assess the degree of pain. The answers determine whether the patient needs an X-ray or can go home.

If a patient with a sprained ankle is sent home, it frees up medical staff, and space, for other patients. This is especially important

in smaller hospitals with limited personnel.

“Ninety per cent of patients who have twisted their ankle just have a sprain and the X-ray will be normal,” explains Dr. Stiell.

The Ottawa Ankle Rules are now part of medical school curriculum and known around the world, but more importantly, as Dr. Stiell explains, they were also “the seedling that started a whole program of decision rules that we’re now studying.”

Clinical decision rules are the ideal way to expedite other conditions that tend to create higher volumes in emergency rooms and decision rules have been developed for conditions that are far more serious than a sprained ankle. Dr. Stiell has also been part of the team which developed the Ottawa Knee Rule, the Canadian CT Head Rule (for patients with minor head injuries and possible concussions), the Canadian C-Spine Rule (which helps physicians determine which trauma patients need imaging for potential cervical spine fractures), and, more recently, The Canadian Heart Failure Risk Scale and

170,000 VISITS TO THE OTTAWA HOSPITAL’S EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT EVERY YEAR.

DR. IAN STIELL, LEADER OF THE TOH EMERGENCY MEDICINE RESEARCH GROUP. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON the Ottawa COPD Scale for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

“These are more complex cases where we’re trying to decide whether to admit the patient to the hospital because that’s a burden for the patient and for the health care system,” explains Dr. Stiell. “We have so few beds, so we’re trying to provide some objective guidance for doctors as to who really needs to be in the hospital.”

Other doctors and researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are working on their own decision rules. Dr. Jeff Perry, for example, has been developing clinical rules regarding TIAs. A transient ischemic attack (TIA) occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is suddenly reduced by a blood clot. Early treatment can help prevent a stroke. Dr. Venkatesh Thiruganasambandamoorthy has been developing rules for fainting, or syncope, because patients who faint might have a serious underlying heart condition.

“It’s how you identify those cases that are the needle in the haystack,” says Dr. Stiell.

Since the introduction of the Ottawa Ankle Rules, fewer ankle sprains are showing up in the emergency room. Dr. Stiell speculates some patients might be self-diagnosing (with a search for “Ottawa Ankle Rules” on YouTube, for example), or that walk-in clinics – which don’t usually have quick access to X-ray machines – have implemented the rules too.

Knowing how much research goes into medical care, even into something as seemingly mundane as a sprained ankle, should be reassuring for Ottawa residents.

It’s just one more thing that sets The Ottawa Hospital apart from other hospitals.

“I think if they come to The Ottawa Hospital they’ll know the doctors here are using the most up-to-date techniques and often are well ahead of the curve because of the research environment they’re exposed to here,” says Dr. Stiell.

“We’re trying to base our practice on good solid evidence and in this field – emergency medicine – it’s new and there’s relatively little evidence, so the fact that more and more, we’re creating good evidence to help patients is great. I hope that continues for a long time.”

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DOCTORS HERE ARE USING THE MOST UP-TO-DATE TECHNIQUES AND OFTEN ARE WELL AHEAD OF THE CURVE BECAUSE OF THE RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT THEY’RE EXPOSED TO HERE. — DR. IAN STIELL, LEADER OF THE TOH EMERGENCY MEDICINE RESEARCH GROUP

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KT KITCHISSIPPI READS

What does a mystery writer like to read on a summer evening?

British crime novelists are on Brenda Chapman’s reading list this year Story and photo by Judith van Berkom

July 20, 2017 • 10

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Local mystery writer, Brenda Chapman, retired last year from the government as a senior communications advisor to commit more time to her writing. Before that, she worked as a Special Ed teacher.

Currently, as a writer, she is working on two different contracts – an adult literacy series with Grassroots Press out of Edmonton and the Stonechild and Rouleau mystery novel series published by Dundurn Press. The first book in the series, Cold Mourning, was nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel, 2015.

Grassroots Press gave

Brenda 35 different topics to write on for adult comprehension but written at a Grade 3 or 4 level. She finds the work fun, interesting and rewarding and is hopeful that she can continue working with them.

She is the mother of two active daughters who started out many years ago to curl at the Granite Curling Club on Scott Street in Westboro and whose curling team won the World Championship in China last year. Brenda has travelled across Canada over the years, often with the curling club to places like Moosejaw and Winnipeg, giving talks to adult literacy teachers. Many new Canadians are using

her books. They are also used in prisons in California, the New York school system and aboriginal communities.

Traditionally, her day starts with exercise or biking. She starts writing around 10 a.m., and usually works in the evenings and weekends.

Her husband, Ted, is still working, yet he finds the time to putter around the house and garden, which features stones collected from Georgian Bay and their various trips across Canada.

Brenda has published 17 books, some of them novellas in the adult literacy series. Her latest Stonechild & Rouleau (an aboriginal cop paired with a French Canadian

cop) book, Shallow End, published in 2017 and set in Kingston, is the fourth in a series of seven novels. Missing Her, the latest novella in the adult literacy series, is set in Hintonburg with murders taking place throughout the city of Ottawa and investigators coming to Westboro to hang out.

An avid reader, she chose three British crime novelists for her summer reading. Ann Cleeves’ Cold Earth is the latest in her Shetland series (also on Netflix). Ann lived in the Shetlands and met her husband there. Many of her books are set there as well. “They are quite atmospheric; she does the settings so well,” explains Brenda, who is currently

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Brenda Chapman at her home garden in Westboro.

working her way through Ann’s series in anticipation of an upcoming interview she will be conducting at the Writers Fest in October.

Ann won a lot of awards for the first book in the Shetland series, Raven Black.

Claire Douglas’ Local Girl Missing is about a missing girl whose girlfriend comes back

many years later – the body never having been found – and is told from both perspectives.

Fiona Barton’s Widow is about a husband accused of killing a child.

Brenda finds it interesting because the characters are flawed, the protagonist doesn’t have it all together and the narrator is unreliable.

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Good people. Great lawyers.

Grant McSheffrey’s picked up these two books at the Elmdale Book Fair.

Summer book lists for $200, Alex What is Ottawa’s Jeopardy champ reading this summer? interesting how close it ended up being.”

Looking at the future through the lens of the past seems to intrigue Grant. It’s for a similar reason that he picked his second recommendation, Jane Eyre. Grant was interested in Brontë as a feminist of her time, who depicted an independent woman who made her own choices. Having recently become a father of a young girl, he also wanted to read the book with that perspective.

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The book was, in Grant’s words, “Not something [he] would naturally gravitate to,” but he found it to be a gripping, compelling read that is still relevant today. One thing that he found interesting was how often the book seemed to lapse into cliché, and whether it really was cliché at the time.

“I was left wondering how much of that is because this is such a well-known book and it influenced so many other books,” says Grant.

Grant is the kind of man who likes to put things in context, and so it makes sense that his books would be so interesting within their context. These are the kinds of summer reads that you’ll want to read more about once you’re finished.

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Grant McSheffrey’s Jeopardy winning streak ended in March. Taking his nearly seventy-thousand dollar winnings, Grant retired from the world of televised trivia and came home to Westboro to his family.

His boyhood dream of being on the game show fulfilled, Grant now had time to focus on other things, one of which was reading.

A visit to the Elmdale Book Fair netted him two books he had been meaning to read: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. He had heard good things about both books, and knew both were considered to be “classic literature.” He was curious about the books, and Grant likes to follow his curiosity; it’s part of why he did so well on Jeopardy.

“I’ve always just been naturally curious about things and wanting to know more, learn more,” he says. “Pop culture is one of those categories where it’s really important but at the same time it’s so broad that it’s hard to really study for it.”

Grant naturally gravitates to unexplored areas of pop culture. Since these titles are considered essential reading, they made sense for Grant, and he enjoyed both books. Snow Crash, a 1992 novel about the dystopian future of software was fascinating to Grant as a study, not into the future, but into the past.

“It’s interesting to me to see how people in different times thought, and what they thought the future would be like,” he says. It turns out in the distant past of 1992, people had a relatively good idea of what the Internet would become.

Stephenson’s virtual world is habitable, with avatars representing characters in the world.

“He’s basically describing The Sims. It’s really

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KT KITCHISSIPPI READS Working for you

Summer reading suggestions from a new neighbour Immaculate Nyashema became a reader when she moved to Canada

July 20, 2017 • 12

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Story and photo by Andrea Prazmowski

In 2015, Immaculate Nyashema came to Canada and started reading books, and she hasn’t stopped since.

Immaculate, 15, was born in Congo and lived in Kenya for seven years before moving to Canada with her family. It was here where she really became a reader.

“I couldn’t speak English very well so I would read to learn, and if I didn’t know how to pronounce something I would ask a friend.”

Now, she’s known among her friends at the Parkdale Food Centre as one who usually has a book on the go. Immaculate is a member of Thirteen, a muesli-making social enterprise for youth at the Food Centre.

“Today everyone thinks ‘if I don’t have WiFi then life is really boring’, but if you can read a book then it isn’t!” she declares. “When I read I am totally in the book. I imagine myself as a camera in a movie.”

In that case, books and her imagination have taken Immaculate on more than a few adventures.

She loves the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, which are full of mythological creatures for the teenage demi-god Percy and his friends to battle.

“The books are a mixture of drama, adventure, action. And they’re also funny,” she says. “I like how it’s a series and you get to meet new characters in every book.”

On her summer reading list are the Charlie Bone/ Children of the Red King books by Jenny Nimmo, a fantasy adventure series about the descendants of the Red King who inherited his mysterious powers.

Charlie can travel through photographs and pictures. The series is aimed at Grades 4-8.

“I couldn’t speak English very well so I would read to learn, and if I didn’t know how to pronounce something I would ask a friend.”

Immaculate just finished reading A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston, about a murderous king who comes to a village looking for his next victim, and the girl who goes with the king in order to save her sister’s life.

“It took her a thousand nights to find out what was after the king, and to know how to save him from the evil possessing him,” explains Immaculate.

She recommends the book for ages 14-17.

If there is one book Immaculate recommends to all her friends, it is the young adult book Fifteen Lanes by S.J. Laidlaw, about two girls living very different lives in Mumbai; one raised in a brothel and living in poverty, the other rich and privileged.

A personal crisis propels the wealthy girl to a

Immaculate, 15, was born in Congo and lived in Kenya for seven years before moving to Canada with her family. It was here that she really became a reader.

support program where she meets the other, and the lives of the two girls intersect.

“I felt very bad for the girl who was poor and then I saw how she much she made a difference to herself and the other people. It kind of made me feel like anyone can accomplish anything.”

It’s excellent inspiration for a young woman who hopes to be a surgeon some day.

Visit Rosemount library this summer!

Continued from page 7 Rosemount is your site for free Wi-Fi access, public computers, Chromebooks, and tablets.

Rosemount is the link you need for Ottawa Public Library databases, whether you read international newspapers or are a prospective or current entrepreneur. Trained staff is available to provide guidance, getting you to the most relevant and verified resources quickly and efficiently.

Rosemount library has a wide variety of items available such as picture books, Early Readers, children’s fiction, adult fiction and information books. There are also magazines, DVDs, music CDs, Books on CD in English and French as well other languages. Many resources are streamed, so that you can watch on your device, or download the titles on your booklist in e-book format. If Rosemount does not have it, you can request titles from other OPL branches using the OPL holds service. We also offer program materials in alternative formats, such as audio or Braille.

During the summer, OPL branches across the city will offer Canada-themed programming featuring arts and crafts, dance, games, puppetry, storytelling, science, sports, technology, and much more! The wide range of programming options is on the website at biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/ program.

KT KITCHISSIPPI READS

A true story to inspire new challenges Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild had a “profound impact” on Alex Néron Story and photo by Jared Davidson

Before starting Railbender with his girlfriend, Marta Jarzabek, Alex Néron was in a bit of a rut. He wasn’t enjoying his life as a corporate salesperson.

He decided to completely reinvent himself, leaving behind his old life in favour of a new adventure, but what it would be he did not yet know. It sounds like the start of a novel, and it is.

The decision was catalyzed in part by Alex’s experience with the film Into the Wild, and later with the book upon which it is based by the author Jon Krakauer. The book charts Christopher McCandless’s journey out of civilization and into a new way of understanding oneself as apart from society.

“It unlocked a lot of things,” says Alex. “The story itself left a profound impact on me.”

The book’s central themes of self-discovery and survival unlocked Alex’s own need for independent creativity. And the risks that Christopher McCandless takes in the book inspired him to take risks of his own, one of which resulted in the opening of Railbender Studio, Alex’s tattoo parlour in Hintonburg.

The place is unusual as far as tattoo parlours go.

On the walls, instead of pictures of tattoos, Alex has hung local art. The atmosphere is comfortable and clean.

An international best seller inspired Alex Néron to strike out on a new path.

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The studio space was first discovered when Alex and Marta happened upon an empty space in a relatively derelict building after a Beyond the Pale brewery party. They noticed the ‘for rent’ sign, and the very next day they picked up the keys and launched into the renovation. That’s the kind of risk that Alex associates with Into the Wild. It is a book that celebrates self-reliance and struggle.

“It’s a story about survival,” says Alex. “It can apply to anyone’s life, whatever you’re going through.”

For Alex, the book has remained a source of inspiration and strength throughout the building of Railbender to his cancer diagnosis two years ago. He recommends the book to anyone who is going through struggle, but also admits that the book holds a special place in his heart because he identifies with McCandless on so many levels. Alex is an outdoorsy guy. He’s spent most of his life camping and hiking, and for him, the woods are a place of rejuvenation.

McCandless’s journey into the wild is, for Alex, a journey away from the structures of society that hold one down.

This rebellion against the norm is central to Into the Wild and to Alex’s own life. He has worked for corporations like Ford and Pepsi, but you wouldn’t know it to talk to him. Alex’s unhappiness with that life, like McCandless’s, came from a feeling that it wasn’t right for him. “I played the role but I was very unhappy,” he says. “I decided one day to change everything.”

And it all started with a book. So, for some summer reading that may open up new life paths, Alex’s recommendation is Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.

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“It’s a story about survival,” says Alex. “It can apply to anyone’s life, whatever you’re going through.”

KT KITCHISSIPPI READS

Soul in the City Festival co-founder recommends an essential Canadian novel and Mandela bio

By Bradley Turcotte

talents, other than trying to put out a lower budget music video on YouTube?”

Ali, an avid reader and book collector who performs under the stage name Captain, asks. “There’s nowhere to perform or to hone and nurture their skills.

Part of being an artist is getting your chops out there on the stage and interacting with a crowd.”

Now in its second year, the artists appearing at Soul City are an eclectic mix ranging from hip-hop and soul to spoken word and dance.

The diverse roster includes Ottawa’s English poet laureate, JustJamal the poet, and

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July 20, 2017 • 14

vocal artist, JENNA Nation.

Gaining exposure through conduits other than the Internet is a formidable task for up and coming artists, JENNA agrees. “[Performing at grassroots festivals] is another way for artists to be seen and heard, to be able to share their music with their fans and create new fans,” JENNA notes.

An Ottawa-born soul singer, JENNA has collaborated with notable songwriters all over North America and Europe and will debut fresh material from her upcoming album at Soul City. Her new compositions have “a strong 90s R&B influence… while still keeping it contemporary.”

While some compare Soul City to Westfest and Bluesfest, Ali maintains Soul City is truly Ottawa’s only festival that is entertaining for all ages.

Several interactive children’s events will grace the grounds and performers will keep their language kidfriendly. For the mature music fan, reggae and hip-hop tug of wars invite musicians to form teams of four along music genre lines and

Join us during

FUSE

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When Ali Misana began performing as a rapper and hip-hop breakdancer in the early ‘80s, finding an outlet to exhibit his talents was as challenging as executing a one-handed air flare.

After years of performing in talent showcases, Ali found success as a member of groups like New Tower of Power and 2 Hype and opened for De La Soul and Maestro Fresh Wes. His years of exertion inspired Ali to create Soul City Music Fest, along with co-founder, Cleavon Langlott, as a platform for emerging artists.

“Where do they go to showcase their

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Festival co-founders Ali Misana (left) and Cleavon Langlott are staging an eclectic event filled with music and games on July 22 at Laroche Park.

yank for the crown.

“Because hip hop is a little braggadocious, with a lot of male bravado… it’s for bragging rights until next year,” Ali explains.

“Instead of making songs about each other, let’s take it to the tug of war.”

One of Ali’s picks for summer reading chronicles the ultimate power struggle: Nelson Mandela’s 1994 autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.

Profiling the South African president’s life and fight against the racist apartheid system,

Ali describes the book as “captivating.”

Another read on the Soul City co-founder’s shelf is by awardwinning Canadian writer Lawrence Hill.

The book shares its title with a document that allowed slaves to escape America and settle in Canada as free people of colour.

“I just started The Book of Negroes. I saw the miniseries. I remember hearing the story when I was young, at a Black History Month event, but I never really knew all the details. The book is

always better than the movie. I like Lawrence Hill as a writer.”

Echoing back to music, one of Ali’s favourite books is 2005’s Thru My Eyes: Thoughts on Tupac Shakur in Pictures and Words.

“I know Tupac’s life through and through but reading about his life, filling in a lot of the gaps and learning more about his life since his passing, that’s one book that stuck with me.”

Soul City Music Fest is at Laroche Park on Saturday July 22, from noon to 9 p.m.

JULY 21 & JULY 27- ROMEO AND JULIET Passions soar and hearts break in this 90-minute version of Shakespeare’s love story for all time. Here is love as obsession, love in a time of darkness. Here is craziness in the face of a culture where honour killings are rampant, and death is a better option than marriage to a chosen suitor. Join us outdoors to celebrate the long evenings and warm weather and enjoy theatre that stands the test of time. Bear & Co. brings you an experience close to the touring companies of four hundred years ago. Bring a cool drink or a full picnic, raingear in case it mizzles, and bug spray, and watch six actors conjure the warring families of Verona in front of your eyes, while letting you in on the technical fun of staging a play in the open air.

Suggested donation: $20 per person.

July 21 at Hintonburg Park (behind the community centre), and July 27 at Clare Gardens Park in Westboro. For information go to bearandcompany.ca.

JULY 27 - ESCAPE THE LIBRARY The library is turning into an escape room! Can you and your team solve all the clues and escape before time runs out? For teens 12-18. Happening at Carlingwood Library on Tuesday, July 27 from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Registration is optional. For more information go to biblioottawalibrary.ca.

WESTBORO LEGION’S BINGO AND LEAGUES Bingo every Wednesday night at the Westboro Legion. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. for Café 480 and games begin at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Join us with your friends, or come and meet new friends. Funds raised are donated back to community organizations. We also have bid euchre, darts, pool and sandbag leagues on a weekly basis. For more information visit rcl480.com or call 613-725-2778.

AUGUST 8 &12 – INGENIOUS INVENTIONS Be the next Canadian inventor. For children 9-12. Happening at Carlingwood Library on August 8 & 12 at 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. Registration is required. For more information go biblioottawalibrary.ca.

AUGUST 15 - BATTLE OF THE BOOKS TEEN BOOK CLUB The Teen Book Club will be reading and discussing 8 Canadian YA books (as part of this Summer’s Battle of the Books) voted on by YOU the reader.

One YA book will win the top spot. For teens 12 to 18. Happening at Carlingwood Library on August 15 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Registration is optional. For more information go to biblioottawalibrary.ca.

Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association Chnaottawa.ca Friends of Churchill Seniors Centre friendsofchurchill.com Hintonburg Community Association hintonburg.com Hampton-Iona Community Group hamptoniona.wordpress.com Island Park Community Association islandpark.wordpress.com

WESTBORO LEGION’S SATURDAY POOL Free Pool from noon to closing upstairs at the Westboro Legion. Everyone is welcome. For more information visit rcl480.com or call 613-725-2778.

McKellar Park Community Association mckellarparkcommunity.wordpress.com

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY Do you love fair trade? Have four hours twice a month? Apply to join the volunteer team at Ten Thousand Villages!

Volunteers spend time doing tasks around the store like receiving inventory, interacting with customers, ringing in sales and helping with other tasks that make for the smooth running of the store. Stop by 371 Richmond Road to get an application.

Wellington Village Community Association wvca.ca

YOUR COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS For up-to-date news on your neighbourhood, stay in touch with your community association. Information about events, traffic changes, development, neighbourhood clubs, volunteer opportunities and board meetings is available from the following Community Association websites.

Mechanicsville Community Association facebook.com/MechanicsvilleCA

Westboro Beach Community Association www.westborobeach.ca Westboro Community Association lovewestboro.wordpress.com

Deadline for submissions:

July 27

editor@kitchissippi.com Please include “Community Calendar” in the subject line of your email.

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OCTOBER 21 - NEPEAN HS CLASS OF ‘67 FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY REUNION Members of the Nepean HS Class of 1967 are organizing a Fiftieth Anniversary Reunion, to be held at Nepean High School on Broadview Ave on Saturday, October 21, 2017. All grade 12 and 13 graduates from 1967 and classmates who graduated after grade 12 in 1966 are invited to come back and relive memories of their high school days, meet their former class-

Champlain Park Community Association champlainpark.org

kitchissippitimes

JULY 26 - LEARN STORYTELLING THROUGH PLAY Aboriginal storyteller, Lesley Parlane, will show you how to create and use your own storytelling cards to build

mates and mingle with current staff and students. For more detailed information, please visit the reunion web site: https:// sites.google.com/site/nepean67reunion/ welcome-1

KitchissippiTimes

JULY 25 & AUGUST 15 - A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM IN WESTBORO This year marks the 15th anniversary of Torchlight Shakespeare. Company of Fools, a local Torchlight Shakespeare theatre company, are making their annual return to Westboro with this year’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Clare Gardens Park (July 25 at 7 p.m. and at Lions Park (August 15 at 7 p.m.) Admission is paywhat-you-can. Tickets are not required, but Torchlight accepts donations and both credit and debit cards can be used on site. It is also suggested that you bring a lawn chair or blanket. For information go to fools.ca.

your own stories. Ages 4-12 at the Rosemount branch of the Ottawa Public Library. Registration required.

Wednesday July 26 at 10:30 a.m. For information go to biblioottawalibrary. ca.

For the love of food!

From July 21 to August 3, in foodie-favourite Little Italy, come discover Preston Street’s eclectic collection of cuisines, talented chefs and exciting menus.

Enjoy three-course table d’hote dinner menus priced at $28 or $38 for a limited time.

To view the full Presdelicious menus and for more information, go to

www.prestonstreet.com/Presdelicious