walleye the
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ARTS CULTURE MUSIC FOOD FILM
FREE Vol l No 6
DECEMBER
2 010
t h e w a l l e y e . c a
Charity Begins at Home Thunder Bay caught in the act of doing good!
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Local Book Buzz. p 9
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Q+A With Mayor Hobbs. p 22
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Upcycling Gift Ideas. p 35
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New Year’s Eve Events. p 26 The Walleye
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Oh, the busy month of December…
By the time you read this, Mayor-elect Keith Hobbs will have moved into City Hall. During an informal interview, writer Donna Faye discovers some fun info about our new mayor. Who knew he was such a dedicated Boston Bruins fan… with the tattoo to prove it?!
Editor-in-chief Darren McChristie Editor Tiffany Jarva Contributing Editor Rebekah Skochinski Photographer Darren McChristie, John-Paul Marion Art Director Dave Koski Copy Editors Amy Jones, Nancy Saunders Business Manager Doug McChristie
The holiday charity campaigns have begun and once again Thunder Bay is proving to be a very generous city. In our cover story, we look at all the hard work local charities are doing around the city and the ways we can all help. Also, remember to be generous to our planet - we’ve included some thrifty suggestions for choosing, creating and wrapping holiday gifts.
Advertising Sales Tracy Sadgrove The Walleye is a free monthly publication distributed on racks throughout Thunder Bay and region. Reproduction of any article, photograph or artwork without written permission is strictly forbidden. Views expressed herein are those of the author exclusively. Copyright © 2010 by Superior Outdoors Inc. All Rights Reserved. Editorial and Advertising: Submissions must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Superior Outdoors cannot be held responsible for unsolicited material. Superior Outdoors Inc. Suite 242, 1100 Memorial Avenue, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 4A3 Telephone (807) 624-1215 ; Fax (807) 623-5122 E-mail: info@superioroutdoors.ca Printed in Canada Superior Outdoors Inc donates 1% of all sales to 1% for the Planet
www.onepercentfortheplanet.com
www.TheWalleye.ca
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Editor’s Letter
14 On the Cover:
Thunder Bay Firefighter Andy LeGros Shot on location: James Fire Station Santa beard, wig and sack provided by Helium Highs Photography: John-Paul Marion
The Walleye’s copy editor Amy Jones reads from her collection of short stories, What Boys Like and Other Stories at a Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop (NOWW) reading in November.
Honestly, what would the holidays be without shopping, music, food and drink? Tara George highlights where to shop, Christmasstyle. Nancy Ewachow highlights musical releases that are sure to be at the top of a few of your loved ones’ lists. John-Paul Marion lists homemade food made with more than a pinch of TLC, available at great prices from churches, legions, and mom-and-pop shops across the city. Nik Fiorito writes about multicultural celebrations in the city, including different cultural foods, and Jeannie Dubois offers her take on holiday drinks and which books to give this year. I can’t think of a more versatile gift than a book – there’s one out there for every gender, age and personality. My favourites to read and to give as gifts are the ones that steal me away into a world where I float and linger, think and imagine. Well-suited for giving as gifts are books written and illustrated by our own talented local authors, from award-winning children’s books to non-fiction stories told with flair. Recently, The Walleye’s copy editor Amy Jones read from her entertaining, lyrical, heartfelt, yet funny collection of short stories What Boys Like and Other Stories to a transfixed crowd at the Brodie Street Library. To find out more about our local literary gems check out Local Book Buzz for the Holidays. However you celebrate the season, keep reading for countless suggestions to help make this time of year festive and filled with memories. Happy holidays from all of us at The Walleye. See you in the New Year. -TJ
The Walleye
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Contents
the
Lily Korhonen
1 FEATURES
■
6 CoverStory: Holiday
Giving in the City ■ 8 Stewie’s Christmas Fest ■ 8 Operation Overseas LIFESTYLE ■ 9 Local Book Buzz ■ 9 Thunder Bay’s New Library ■ 9 Holiday Energy ■ 9 Christmas Stores FOOD ■ 13 Festivus ■ 13 Gargoyles: A Little to the Left ■ 13 Chronos Café ■ 14 Comfort Food for Sale
MUSIC ■ 16 Shy-Anne Hovorka ■ 17 Archie Fisher ■ 17 Art School Music, Weigh Anchors, Pamela Pachal and The Dirty ■ 18 Pipes and Drums of Thunder Bay with Flipper Flanagan ■ 18 Ian Tamblyn ■ 19 Tracy K ■ 19 Grady ■ 33 Reviews Off the Wall ■ 34 The Gift of Music
FILM & THEATRE ■ 28 A Christmas Carol ■ 29 Wax Philosophic ■ 31 Once Upon A... Happily Ever After ■ 28 Holiday Movies
LIVING GREEN ■ 27 Trim waste this season ■ 27 EcoSuperior’s question of the month THE ARTS ■ 36 Steve Gerow ■ 37 Evolation ■ 38 Digitally Mastered
CITY SCENE ■ 22 Q&A with Mayor Keith Hobbs ■ 24 Homegrown Christmas Trees ■ 25 Multicultural Holidays ■ 26 New Year’s Eve Options ■ 35 Upcycling
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Travel of Singletrack Bike Night Riding
Climb Sandstone Pass Lake
Canadian Pacific Train Station
The Holiday Train Program began in 1999 as a freight train with a few lights passing through a handful of communities. This year, the 14-car train is decorated with hundreds of thousands of festive LED lights and includes a live performance by Canadian band, The Odds. Since the Holiday Train’s inception, more than 4.8 million dollars and approximately one million kilograms of food have been collected for food banks in communities across North America. The schedule includes stops at several communities in Northwestern Ontario, including one at 9:45 p.m. at Thunder Bay’s CP station, 440 Syndicate Avenue. Be sure to check the website for updates as times are approximate. Visitors are asked to bring a nonperishable food item or donate online at www.cpr.ca.
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Calendar ■ 42 The EYE
Winter
Gray Wolf
r offer Free posteinside72!
Canadian Pacific Holiday Train
■ 13 Drink of the Month ■ 39 The Wall ■ 40 December EVENT
Thunder Bay’s award-winning magazine
2011 Vol.4 No.2 now available
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December 3
December 6
Alexisonfire
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
TOPfive
December 16
Celebration on Ice Fort William Gardens
This show brings together Canada’s premiere figure skating stars and emerging amateur talent, culminating in a beautifully choreographed performance. This is a rare opportunity to see world-class athletes like four-time World Champion Kurt Browning, Olympic Gold Medalists Jamie Salé & David Pelletier, Canadian Champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist Joannie Rochette, World Champion and Olympic Medalist Jeffrey Buttle and local skaters. Celebration on Ice has been touring Canada for the past decade; this year’s show is choreographed by Brian Orser-one of the most accomplished skaters in Canadian history. On ice seating, including a meet and greet with the performers, is $95; regular seating is $42.50. www.celebrationonice.ca.
JunoAward winners Alexisonfire (pronounced Alexis On Fire) will be bringing their unique brand of punk to Thunder Bay as part of a North American tour. They will be showcasing songs from their recently released EP Dog’s Blood and their recently released iTunes Originals session. Their live shows have been described as epic, stellar and “screamotional.” Here is a concert for which the seats at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium will not be required. www.tbca.com
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December 11
A Very Merry Holiday Pops
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
Part of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra’s (TBSO) popular music, a.k.a. Pops series, this is a holiday tradition that will appeal to anyone with a hankering for holiday music. Join Arthur Post, conductor, and the TBSO as they perform a variety of holiday classics along with the Thunder Bay Symphony Chorus, local choirs, community groups and special guests. www.tbso.ca
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December 31
New Year’s Eve at Fort William Historical Park Fort William Historical Park
This is the ultimate family event for New Year’s Eve. Bring your skates, sleds and toboggans or borrow a pair of snowshoes and frolic in the outdoors. For those in need of some warmth, there will be a variety of indoor activities including children’s entertainment and crafts and a crazy hat contest. The fireworks are the highlight of the event (held at 10:00 p.m. to enable the parents to get home in time to ring-in the New Year). There is also a buffet dinner served between 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. www.fwhp.ca
purchase gift subscriptions online: www.SuperiorOutdoors.ca 4
The Walleye
The Walleye
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CoverStory
Holiday Giving in the City By Lily Korhonen
Thunder Bay is a city with a big heart. There are many local organizations that give back to the community throughout the year, especially at Christmas time. Toys for Tots In the 1950s, firefighters in Port Arthur began a humble campaign in which school children donated used toys. The toys were refurbished and repaired, as necessary, and then redistributed with Christmas Cheer food hampers. This marked the birth of the local Toys for Tots Christmas Campaign. By 1962,
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The Walleye
When Port Arthur and Fort William amalgamated in 1970, the newly chartered Thunder Bay Professional Firefighters Association resolved that Toys for Tots must continue. By this time however, the nature of toys had changed. They were no longer as durable, or easily repaired because of their plastic and electronic components (it’s true, they don’t make them like they used to), so in 1973, the firefighters opted to raise money to buy new toys. Since 1973, the association has raised over two million dollars thereby providing a Christmas-morning surprise to a multitude of children in our city. The Thunder Bay Professional Firefighters Association officially launched the 2010 campaign on Tuesday, November 16th by opening their “toy” fire station near the food court at Intercity Shopping Centre. Off-duty firefighters will be manning the station in their dress uniforms waiting to receive your cash donations. “The most important thing to remember is that it’s about the kids,” says Bob Vander Ploeg, chair of the local Toys for Tots campaign. The
For more information call 620-6645. www.tbaytoysfortots.ca Shelter House Over thirty years ago, a group of concerned citizens recognized the need for overnight shelter against Thunder Bay’s cold winter nights. In 1980, the Thunder Bay Emergency Shelter was built as a ‘temporary’ solution to what people hoped was a ‘temporary’ homeless problem. Shortly thereafter, the need for food was realized and the Soup Kitchen, operated by volunteers, began providing hot nutritious meals every afternoon. By 2003, over 124,000 meals were served to those in need. Today, Shelter House provides temporary and transitional services to those people in need of shelter, food and clothing and access to the resources and services people require in order to improve their capacity to meet their basic needs. Shelter House relies on fundraising efforts and donations to sustain its various programs. There are several ways you can support Shelter House. Whether your donation is monetary, food, clothing, or other, they will gladly accept it and make
TBPFA
1965 Toys for Tots Committee
United Way The mission of the United Way of Thunder Bay is to serve the community by promoting, supporting and facilitating the organized capacity of people to help one another. To achieve this, the United Way, with the support of countless volunteers, conducts an annual fundraising campaign which enables them to provide funding to 28 local and charitable service providers.
Shelter House is located at 420 George Street, near Simpson Street. Please call ahead to arrange a delivery date and time for large donations – 623-8182, www.shelterhouse.on.ca. Members of the Thunder Bay Queens AA hockey team volunteering their time to serve lunch at Shelter House
The United Way works hard to address health and social welfare issues and their funding is allocated based on a community needs assessment. It is about people helping people. Your donations have a huge impact for others: a $25 donation can supply three children with enough art supplies for a week of after school programs or provide one hour of counseling to a woman experiencing domestic abuse or violence. A donation of $50 can provide a four-to-five day supply of food for an entire family or provide volunteer support for a terminally ill person in the St. Joseph’s Hospice Unit.
Jessie Jeronelly from the Regional Food Distribution Association, helps to load up a shipment for a local food bank
There are many ways to support the United Way’s local efforts – contact 623-6420. www.unitedway-tbay.on.ca
The Salvation Army Since 1882, The Salvation Army has offered practical assistance for Canadian children and families. In many cases, the work of this charity, now the largest non-governmental direct provider of social services in the country, tends to the basic necessities of life. They provide food, shelter, clothing and rehabilitation for people struggling with substance abuse - support that can changes lives and also gives people a sense of newfound dignity. The Salvation Army provides unprecedented support to society’s most vulnerable. Although there are many ways to support The Salvation Army, the Christmas Kettle is perhaps their most widely-known campaign. The kettles and volunteers will be located at a variety of indoor and outdoor locations in Thunder Bay until December 24. In addition to donations, volunteers are welcome contact 344-7300. www.FilltheKettle.com. Kettle Campaign volunteers Judy Kusznier and Audrey Hansen at Intercity Shopping Centre
Dave Koski
Charity Starts at Home
the effort had expanded to include a parade. The toys were loaded, along with Santa Claus, on the fire department’s aerial ladder truck, which led a line of floats through downtown streets to the Port Arthur Armoury, where the toys were wrapped and distributed.
sure it gets to those who need it most. If you are interested in coordinating a fundraising project, take a look at the “wish list” posted on their website. Or, you can host a food drive and encourage your co-workers, students, neighbours or family and friends to collect non perishable food items.
Dave Koski
2010 Toys for Tots Committee
Toys for Tots mission is to ensure that every child receives a new toy at Christmas. Every year they hope to do a little better than the previous year and they have always exceeded their expectations. Paul Penna, a local firefighter, says that he loves to see kids come by to deliver their hard earned pennies and coins in plastic bags or piggy banks - every penny counts!
Darren McChristie
Scott Chisholm
CoverStory
The Walleye
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CoverStory
Stewie’s 39th Christmas Fest
December of 1971 began as any other. That is until a group of local high school friends vowed to spend every December 23rd together, and Christmas Fest was born. In the years that followed, Christmas Fest grew, and by 1974, it became necessary that a local venue be booked in order to accommodate all the guests. A nominal fee was charged for admission to cover costs. It was soon realized that after expenses were paid a substantial surplus remained. Collectively it was agreed that the money would be allocated to charity. In later years Christmas Fest was renamed Stewie’s Christmas Fest in honor of its founding father, Dr. Stewart Kennedy. Now in its 39th year, the bash has grown both in size and popularity. “Stu” credits the success of
the yearly fundraiser to “a lot of hard work from volunteers Alan Laine, Bob Thompson, Wayne Magill, Tom Dawes and the Thunder Bay Rotary, as well as the support from the people of Thunder Bay. Over the years many local charities have benefitted. This year’s recipient is the Special Olympics fund. Tickets are $10 and are available at Dr. Kennedy’s office (43 N. Court St.) as well as the Special Olympics office. Come join the fun on the 23rd at Tonic Night Club, with great music, dancing and Christmas cheer. A definite ‘must do’ in the city. -Tracy Sadgrove
Ahnisnabae Art Gallery
Creating an Appreciation and Awareness of Native Culture through Art
7-1500 James St. S Thunder Bay, ON 807-577-2656
www.Ahnisnabae-Art.com
Corporal Antcliffe and friends with signs, drawings, and other items sent from Crestview School to Afghanistan during the holiday season as part of the Operation Overseas campaign.
Operation Overseas Help Send the Holiday Spirit to our Troops Overseas Operation Overseas was created in 2006 in honour of Private Josh Klukie, a local soldier who was killed in Afghanistan. Donations like gum, spices for rations, deodorant, nuts, socks, lip balm, cards like UNO, and of course Tim Horton’s gift cards, will be given to soldiers overseas at Christmas, boosting morale during the holidays. Items can be dropped off at both Quality Market locations in the city or at the Cash Converter on Memorial Ave. Letters of support are also appreciated. All donations must be in by December 5th on order to be packaged and sent overseas in time for Christmas. Leaving family, friends, and security behind to fight for a better world is something deserving of our support. For more information contact Alana Bencharski at 807- 472-9953 or operationoverseas@live.ca.
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The Walleye
Join host Lisa Laco, every weekday morning, for breaking news, weather, community events and more.
The Great Northwest Weekdays 6 to 8:37 am
Local Book Buzz for the Holidays Graphic Novels, Children’s Books, Novels, Short Stories and More
Jeanette Lynes
jp Rodriguez
The Factory Voice
Set during the Second World War in Fort William, Ontario, Jeanette Lynes’ debut novel is a feverishly fast-paced caper that begins, quite literally, mid-stride. Escaping to the North, far from stodgy parents and an arranged marriage, is spunky sixteen-yearold Audrey Foley, who is spurned on by super hero aspirations and a desire to ”fly to the moon.” Upon landing at the aviation factory, she is swiftly scooped up by the glamourous Ruby Kozak—former beauty queen, typist and aspiring journalist who pens the company newsletter (“The Factory Voice,” natch)—to become the snack girl and resident snoop. The characterdriven narrative is further carried by Muriel McGregor, an aeronautical engineer with a mysterious unravelling past, and Florence Voutilanien, a lumbering platypus-footed gal with a penchant for welding. Covering considerable ground—politics, friendship, longing, love, and intrigue—The Factory Voice is generously dotted with humour and lively forties lingo, making it a lighthearted adventure that roars right from takeoff to landing. Jeanette Lynes was a former professor at LU and currently teaches at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. The Factory Voice was longlisted for the 2009 Giller Prize and named one of the Top 100 books of 2009 by the Globe and Mail. The Factory Voice is available locally at the Northern Woman’s Bookstore (can be ordered in) and at Chapters. by Rebekah Skochinski
cbc.ca/thegreatnorthwest
There is nothing quite like curling up with a book and a cup of tea, or snuggling beside a little one to read from their favourite bedtime story. Books can be the perfect gift for anyone on your list. Here are some suggestions of some local literary gems worth giving during this holiday season.
The Space Between
Charles Wilkins
In the opening scene of The Space Between, the 2009 debut novel from Thunder Bay’s jp Charles Wilkins has never identified himself as Rodriguez, the unnamed naran historian. The author, whose work includes but rator finds himself trapped on is not limited to Walk to New York, Land of the a cross-Canada bus that has Long Fingernails and Breakfast at the Hoito, thought become snow-bound durhe was stepping away from his usual style of stoing a storm somewhere in the rytelling when he began writing The Wild Ride: A middle of the prairies. This History of the North West Mounted Police. When stark, isolated setting mirrors asked how he went about completing his research, the claustrophobia of the narWilkins’ response was that aside from reading ‘a lot rative: firmly in the narrator’s of books,’ he just did what he likes to do and took head, we travel back through a trip across the country. Eventually, he was able key events in his life as he to ‘reverse hours and hours of high school history tries to understand the meanclass’, realizing that the task was, indeed, the job of ing of his past. Although the young-man-in-existential-crisis a storyteller. theme is well-traveled literary Wilkins takes the reader on an authentic jourterritory, Rodriguez manages ney told from the points of view of the relatively to make it his own with lanyoung and innocent men who were recruited to guage that is at times both raw the early RCMP. Their jobs thrust them into the and poetic. This is not an easy chaotic, harsh reality of taking the law into their own hands, as a nation of primeval wilderness was read, but one that is worth the effort. transformed over 30 years into a ‘motherboard of municipalities, towns, cities, roads, telegraph jp Rodriguez grew up in lines, railways, bridges… and everything that goes Thunder Bay, ON. After living with this early civilization,’ Wilkins outlines how in Vancouver, Toronto, Tokyo the massive transformation happening in Canada and London, he returned to attracted international attention from reporters, Thunder Bay, where he now who came from all over the world to cover such works in the social work field. stories as the fate of Sitting Bull in a little town in The Space Between (Darkstar Southern Saskatchewan in 1877. The use of deFiction, 2009) is available at tails, like how to delouse one’s clothing (achieved Chapters and online at www. by placing said clothing on anthills so that ants eat napoleonandcompany.com. the lice) bring the story to life and force the under- by Amy Jones standing that ‘important RCMP officers were also important historical figures…because they were out there trying to create some order in uncharted territories,’ The journey of the early RCMP truly was a “wild ride” - and one most definitely worth exploring in this read. The Wild Ride
Susan Goldberg and Chloe Brushwood Rose , Co-Editors And Baby Makes More
Just when you thought you knew how babies were made, along comes And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents and Our Unexpected Families. This collection of essays recounts not just how Janet and Iris, or maybe Rick and Steve, get to push the baby carriage, but also provides a voice to the cast of supporting characters – in the form of sperm and egg donors and surrogates as well as the extended family and community – it took to create a new version of “queer family.” Baby comes into this world with more than the expected two-parent complement. There is no established protocol for how to garner the sperm, the egg, or uterus that does not dwell within your relationship; there is no established language for the extended family that comes with baby-making in a queer relationship. This collection is a great start. Co-edited by local writer and editor Susan Goldberg it is also locally relevant. Goldberg is a freelance writer and editor. She has taught creative writing at LU and has been featured in many different publications including The Globe and Mail. And Baby Makes More has launched in New York and Toronto, not to mention Thunder Bay, to great reviews. Available locally at the Northern Women’s Bookstore and Chapters. by Marlene Wandel
The Wild Ride was launched on Saturday, November 13th at The Kitchen Nook, where the book is available for purchase. by Tanya Gouthro The Walleye
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Kiss Me! (I’m A Prince!)
If you have wondered why a girl would ever kiss a frog just because he says he is a prince, you will like this book. A bit of skepticism and an interest in talking frogs lead Ella, star of this children’s book, to take him in and show him the wonderful fun to be had outside the castle gates. A great read for the parent as well as the child, the book is delicately but vividly illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan. Local CBC host Heather McLeod has done the local literary scene proud with this offering. -Patrick Thompson
The Imaginative Worlds of Duncan Weller Give Hardcopies for Christmas and Watch for Seven New eBooks in January When Love Won’t Die
New Novel from Jacqueline McMahon By Margaret Demillo
Set in a community somewhere along the shore of Lake Superior, When Love Won’t Die is sure to have you turning the pages into the wee hours of the night. Local author Jacqueline McMahon’s latest novel is currently available as an e-book, downloadable to print, CD-rom, iPhone and Kindle, and it has received some excellent reviews in the first few weeks of its release. “If you like Mary Higgins Clark, you will love this book,” McMahon says. “She is an inspiration to me.” In an ironic turn of events worthy of its own novel, When Love Won’t Die was sent off to a professional reviewer who happens to be best friends with Higgins Clark. The story takes place vaguely between Thunder Bay and Nipigon, with the female heroine living a comfortable lifestyle with her prominent lawyer husband until her past catches up with her. As the title hints, a past lover resurfaces and plays havoc in the lives of all. McMahon has been writing since childhood, though early in her adult years she pursued a career in bookkeeping. Then bookkeeping became automated, the local office closed and fate intervened. McMahon followed her passion for music to university and found her true calling with composition. This eventually led to a whirlwind of musical theatre productions, and by 1995 she became partners in Thunder Bay’s highly successful Slightly Off Broadway Performing Arts Studio. Along with the six to eight plays she writes every year, McMahon has also published children’s poems, academic essays on playwrighting, and has appeared as contributor in various anthologies, e-magazines and online essays. The four seasons of Northwestern Ontario help McMahon stay focussed on writing: “What else can you do on a blustery winter evening when there is nothing on the TV, except sit and write?” She hopes to create a following for her characters and their lives along the shores of Lake Superior with a sequel to When Love Won’t Die, along with another suspense novel set in the Birch Beach area. When Love Won’t Die is available for download from Red Rose Publishing (www.redrosepublishing.com)
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The Walleye
Chatting over a coffee, award-winning children’s author and illustrator Duncan Weller is visibly excited. “The first thing I thought of was I’m not limited to the number of pages,” Weller scrolls his finger across the iPad screen featuring Rats, one of his seven new children’s e-books. “You can add as much detail as you want or less. I’ve been able to add four more pages to The Boy from the Sun. There’s a sense of freedom and the chance for more play.” Weller’s The Boy from the Sun won the Governor General’s literary award in 2007. In the New Year older titles like The Boy from the Sun, Spacesnake, and Nightwall, along with older never-before published stories as well as brand new stories like The Love Ant will be available as eBooks. “It’s very exciting because I can take books that have been on the shelf and I can get them out to people.” Watch for a sneak peak of The Girl from the Moon, a muchanticipated follow up to The Boy from the Sun.
Thunder Bay’s New Library Mary J.L. Black Would be Proud By Patrick Morash Money for books was impossibly scarce during the hard years following the depression. Mary J.L. Black, a librarian on Brodie Street, encouraged thousands of children to spend time in the library and borrow books. This pioneering woman became the first female president of the Ontario Library Association, and retired as Chief Librarian of the Fort William Public Library in 1937. In 1938, a new branch library on Brock Street was named in Ms. Black’s honour. It brought books even closer to Westfort residents like Walter Zarowski, one of the children she originally inspired to read. A member of the Mary J.L. Black Builders’ Club, Zarowski’s voice is filled with emotion when he says, “If it wasn’t for Mary J.L. Black, I wouldn’t be the reader I am today.” He is proud to be helping to preserve her legacy and promote thousands more to visit the library that bears her name.
submitted
Heather McLeod
Mary J.L. Black: her pioneer spirit and dedication to literacy will be honoured with a new library in 2011
Ms. Black would hardly recognize the digital world that libraries have embraced, but she would be pleased by the plans for a new, bright, comfortable space, accessible to everyone. The new Mary J.L. Black Branch of the Thunder Bay Public Library will be a friendly gathering place with high tech gadgetry and yes, Ms. Black, books, too. Most of us didn’t have the chance to meet Ms. Black, but we can celebrate her spirit. To find out how you can help, please visit www.tbpl.ca.Thunder Bay’s newest neighbourhood gateway to the world will open in Spring 2011.
Duncan Weller’s books are available at Chapters and Amazon. -TJ Victor’s Legacy: First of the Forsaken
Chris Merkley, Matthew Jowett, and Andrew Sookram
$100
Victor’s Legacy: First of the Forsaken is a graphic novel co-created by Thunder Bay artist Chris Merkley and Winnipeg writers Andrew Sookram and Matthew Jowett. The story picks up where Mary Shelley’s tale ends – Frankenstein disappearing across the ice. Many years have passed and the story begins with William gathering food and supplies for a small community of people. The world is in ruins. People are scattered, living in small communities, fighting for their survival. The cause? A zombie plague. The undead, or ‘Romeros’ as they’ve been coined, walk the earth. William, not recognized by the Romeros as a threat or a food source, walks freely among them. But something else is out there. Something that may wipe humanity from existence. Will William die with them? Or will he stand and fight for a peoples who have scorned and hated his very existence since the day of his ‘birth’? “Originally we were posting this as an online comic in short chapters,” explains Merkley. “This summer we decided to go to the C4 Central Canada Comic Con in Winnipeg so we finished the arc, got it printed and we are quite proud of it. It’s not for everyone, but it’s us.” Check out a trailer of the graphic novel at http://3inq.com/victors-legacy. Victor’s Legacy is also available to purchase through IndyPlanet online at http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info. php?products_id=4349
It’s a perfect gift if you can bring yourself to actually give it to someone. A Keg Gift Card is an ideal gift for family, friends or business associates. Available in any denomination over $10 at The Thunder Bay Keg or online. Thunder Bay Keg 735 Hewitson Street (807) 623-1960
kegsteakhouse.com Find us on
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Food
Food LIFEStyle
To find out more about Thai Massage and Reiki, contact The Naturopathic Healing Centre: 807-345-5977 or www.drlynn.ca
Lynn Tintinalli
Hot Yoga Hot Yoga helps increase flexibility, reduce stress and increase energy levels. Be prepared to sweat – it can get really hot, especially if you go to one of the 90-minute classes. Make sure to drink lots of water before, during and after any hot yoga session. The Bodymind Centre offers a range of Hot Yoga and Yin classes from gentle beginner poses to the more intense Hot Ashtanga classes.
Thai Massage
Holiday Energy
807-344-1628; www.bodymindcentre.com Anti-Gravity Yoga Anti-Gravity Yoga is new to Thunder Bay, exclusively through membership at The Athletic Club. Strike yoga poses while hanging from a silk hammock that can hold up to 1,000 pounds. Anti-Gravity Yoga helps the circulatory and lymphatic systems.
Thai Massage, Reiki, Hot Yoga and Anti-Gravity Yoga With the busy holiday season quickly approaching, consider giving yourself, or others, the gift of health. “Yoga, Thai Massage and Reiki all deal with the movement of energy,” explains Naturopathic Doctor Lynn Tintinalli. “They can help you to relax, eliminate stress, and feel more energized.”
807-345-5977; www.theathleticclubs.ca
FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US By Jeannie Dubois, Certified Sommelier
Over the past number of years, our family holiday traditions have evolved. Some have been left behind (potato stamping our homemade Christmas wrapping) and others have been newly-introduced. My favourite of these new customs is our modified present exchange: only a bottle or a book can be given, so we come away from the Christmas tree with a heap of hardcovers for the New Year and plenty of bevvies to keep us warm while we read. The best part of this tradition, however, is the completely haphazard collection of bottles and books with which you may end up. Think Hakutsuru Junmai Ginjo Sake (Japanese rice wine), Calvados Boulard (French apple brandy), Sandeman Ruby Port (Portuguese fortified wine) and Henry of Pelham Cuvee Catharine Rose Brut (Ontario sparkling wine). We all bundle home with a wildly eclectic bunch of bevvies to try and books to snuggle down with; the excitement lies in the trying of the new and unusual. In addition to the bottle/book exchange, I’ve taken quite a shine to always giving a wine as a holiday hostess gift. I’ve never had a host at a seasonal shin-dig be disappointed by being presented with a beautiful bottle. Try a light, neutral variety in white, such as Pinot Grigio or unoaked Chardonnay for painless pairing. In red, medium-bodied, milder tannin varieties such as Syrah and Merlot provide easy drinking and are very foodfriendly. Lastly, don’t forget about rosés and sparkling wines as they run the gamut as far as cuisine combinations and are festive in the glass to boot.
Drink of the Month
Holiday Winter Spice at Steeper’s By Rebekah Skochinski
Christopher Merkley
and healing on an emotional, spiritual and physical level. Reiki is derived from Rei, which means universal energy and Ki (same as Chi in Acupuncture and Prana in Yoga) is life force energy. “The more free flowing the energy is as it circulates through the body, the healthier you become. If your energy is low or the flow of energy through the body is restricted, the more susceptible you will be to illness,” says Dr. Tintinalli. “Reiki, like yoga and Thai massage, helps to move stagnant energy that causes distress, pain and illness.”
Keeping in step with the season Steeper’s introduces several holiday blends: Holiday Winter Spice is a black tea with overtones of cinnamon, cloves and a hint of orange to round out a taste that tingles as it warms. Taken with a little splash of milk, it’s a calming respite from all the bustle. You can feel good about sipping on natural earthy goodness - a refreshing balance to the sugar-loading. Who has just one shortbread cookie? Give yourself time to peruse the assortment of tea and accessories available at Steeper’s before strolling with your tea to visit some of the unique shops just steps away. While browsing at Steeper’s I spied blossoming tea, a hand-crafted tea that blooms when steeped. It makes for a lovely hostess gift, something to help stuff that stocking, and to use as a centre piece. After enjoying the tea, keep the flower in a glass of fresh water as a hopeful reminder of spring during some of the shortest days of winter. Oh, and plan to stock up on some Candy Cane Tea which gives an instant hit of candy cane flavour without the wrapper and stickiness .
Cheers!
Thai Massage Born and raised in a small village in rural northeast Thailand, Ramduan “Puiy” Dusolt first learned to practice the art of Thai Massage from her aunt, an elder in the community, while still a young girl. She later trained at Wat Po in Thailand. “Thai Massage helps to work with the lymphatic system,” explains Dusolt. “The deep massage helps to increase blood circulation, and decrease stress levels.” Before the session begins, Dusolt bows her head, and with hands together asks, “Do I have your permission to do Thai massage?” Thai music and a light scent of Chamanard essential oil filters throughout the sparsely furnished, open yoga room with rich rust-coloured walls, a few Thai artifacts, and a traditional mat and pillow. Dusolt uses her hands, feet, knees and legs to move her clients into stretches – sort of like someone else doing yoga for you. “Thai Massage can really help the energy move through the meridian lines in your body. It is when energy is blocked or stagnant, that we experience pain and tension,” says Dr. Tintinalli. “This type of massage reduces pain and increases flexibility in the body by helping the energy flow better.” Reiki “Reiki is derived from rei which means universal energy and ki which refers to life force or the movement of energy,” explains Dr. Tintinalli. “Reiki, like yoga and Thai massage, helps to move stagnant energy that causes pain.” A Japanese meditative practice that helps to heal through the ‘laying of the hands’, Reiki promotes wellness, relaxation, and increased energy levels. Dr. Tintinalli explains that Reiki is a Japanese form of healing by the ‘laying on of hands’ and is used to promote relaxation, stress reduction
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The Walleye
Newly Opened!
Experience Fantastic Cuisine 116 South Syndicate Ave. tuesday to saturday 11am-4pm
good food lives here
Artisan breads baked fresh daily Traditional & quirky flavours Savoury & sweet selections
Slow roasted meats Chicken pot pies Vegetarian & vegan options
Bakery: 8:00am - 5:30pm
Weekday Lunch: 11:30am - 2:30pm
Heritage cakes and pastries Cutie & whoopie pies Homemade jams
Saturday Brunch: 9:00am - 1:00pm
42 S. Court St.
34 4.1100
The Walleye
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Food
Food 11 Cumberland Street South 807-345-3011
By Patrick Thompson Ahhh, the Thunder Bay service industry, how I enjoy seeing you grow and develop into something respectable! Your restaurant staff, once so unaware of patrons and their needs, have been blossoming, one restaurant at a time, into a wonderfully accommodating group to which I am proud to bring people. Gargoyle’s has been leading the way for some time now. Though they are sometimes understaffed, their servers are always nice and professional, with smiles that are so infectious you find yourself smiling back at them for no reason.
Chris Merkley
It is easy to do this when you have patrons who love your food. No one minds waiting, if wait they must (though I have not had to yet), for Portobello Bruschetta. What a wonderful mix of flavours that umami tasters will relish. If this isn’t on your list of favorite apps in the city, I will be surprised.
Gargoyles’ latest addition - A Little to the Left
Finding Homemade Food Like Mom Used to Make
you into eating more than you should. The Autumn Pear Salad was tasted by my friend and salad benefactor, the Queen of Salads, and she very much enjoyed it. Those who know her know it must be good. My filet mignon was the largest I have ever seen, and though gigantic, was cooked to perfection. Lunches are the best time to go, in my opinion. Their spiced french fries are easily the best I have ever had and the sandwiches are fresh-sounding and great-tasting.
By John-Paul Marion
Do yourself a favor---get a date and go. Not only is the food good, it has a decor that is both inviting and cooly romantic.
Food...
Dinner and drink for two 70-100$. Lunch for two with drinks 40-80$. This holiday season, check out Gargoyle’s new banquet facilities, A Little to the Left, perfect for holiday get-togethers, parties and fundraisers.
For Your Better Nature
Afterward, Gargoyle’s has a special autumn menu (until December 15th) on at the moment with some very nice combination dishes that are sure to tempt
Take-Out Kitchen As Fresh and Local as Possible Mostly Vegetarian Homemade Veggie Burgers
Cronos Café By Rebekah Skochinski
Having tried nearly everything on the menu I certainly have my favourites: the falafel with hummus, chicken souvlaki with Greek salad, the grilled tomato and pesto with spinach sandwich, and when He-Man hunger strikes, nothing satisfies my carnivorous craving like the bacon mushroom cheeseburger with a side of fries and a milkshake. The menu includes several Greek classics: gyros, souvlaki (chicken or pork), grilled pita with hummus and tzatziki, and more traditional dinerstyle fare like the BLT and clubhouse sandwiches. Add three variations on a frittata, a vegetable stir-fry and homemade soup, and I assure you that your palate will be pleased.
nobo’s o B
Cronos packs quickly at lunchtime, but wait staff hum to a rhythm that gets you fed and back to work with the feeling that your lunch has been a leisurely one. Dinner is a mellower affair with jazz music twinkling freely in the air and the coveted booths an easy snag. I like one along the windows with a view of the historic CP Rail station. Inviting urban decor, interesting artwork and a shelf of books create a comforting vibe where you can be tempted to linger over a second cup of coffee, glass of wine, or indulge in something sweet - both the baklava and crème brûlée are superb. At a time of year when we celebrate connecting with those closest to us, Cronos Café is a great place to gather. Cronos Café - 433 Syndicate Avenue South. Open M-F, 11-3 and Th-F, 5-8. Licensed. Dine-in only.
Tom Theodoropoulos, owner Cronos Café
Darren McChristie
Cronos Café was a high school haunt of mine back when it was partbookstore, part-café. Before that it was Lakehead Lunch, which I recall by name only. Always a family-run business, Tom Theodoropoulos took it over from his parents in the mid-90’s and today it is a fully dedicated café with cuisine that continues to appeal.
F o o ds
These foods, which are often lovingly prepared at home, require knowledge and time, which some people just can’t squeeze together. Fortunately in Thunder Bay we have legions, churches, halls and delis that provide homemade quality food at good prices. While perogies and cabbage rolls are the most common (and popular), meatballs, spaghetti dinners, breakfasts and even fish and chips are some other fare available at legions and halls on certain days - all for a good cause as well. The money raised is either benefitting local charities or contributing to upkeep of their respective buildings and organizations. The food will not disappoint and you are more than likely to become a repeat customer.
493A Oliver Rd., Thunder Bay
The Walleye
If you can’t always make the days and times listed, there are stores open all week that can fill your need. One charming European Delicatessen is London Variety, located at 320 Balsam Street. Operated by Roman and Aleksandra Okonski with simple style, quality food at great prices and smiling eyes. With nine different mouth-watering perogies to choose from, cabbage rolls, baked beef sausage, sauerkraut, pickles, fine desserts, artfully crafted cakes and more, this place is a gem in the food gathering journey. Homemade quality you can take home to your mother.
Here are some locations to sample great local food. Enjoy! Royal Canadian Legion branch 219 perogies, meatballs Wednesdays, 10-6 209 N. Cumberland St.
East Fort William Prosvita perogies Mon., Wed., Thurs., Friday 610 Simpson St.
345-6262
‘Best Bag of Fries in Town!’
s ’ y b b a G Spudz & More
Corner of Franklin & Walsh
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As we move along in the cold season our craving for comfort food increases - good homemade food like Mom used to make. Everyone has their own favourites and with the holiday season approaching two classics we’re sure to see are perogies and cabbage rolls.
All photos: Darren McChristie
Gargoyles
Royal Canadian Legion branch 5 Fri., fish and chips, daily lunch, breakfast Every third Sun., spaghetti and meatballs some Sundays, some regular fare available. 229 Van Norman St.
Our Lady Queen of Poland Church perogies and cabbage rolls Thurs., Fri., 10-5 85 N. Algoma St.
Royal Canadian Legion branch 179 perogies and cabbage rolls Mon., Wed., Fri., 11-5. 730 Simpson St.
The Walleye
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Food Music
Music
Art School Music, Weigh Anchors, Pamela Pachal and The Dirty
Shy-Anne Hovorka
Aboriginal Female Entertainer of the Year and Best Producer/Engineer Thunder Bay. This was their first really big project, and their first win, so it is amazing for all of us on so many levels.”
Day. Also watch for Shy-Anne playing with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra during January’s Special Olympics celebrations.
The awards ceremony took place in Winnipeg in November. Shy-Anne travels with her music all over Northern Ontario, all of Canada, and will travel to Brazil in 2011 to lead Aboriginal singers for Earth
The Thunder Mountain Singers, also from Thunder Bay, won for best traditional powwow album,One Voice One Nation.
Archie Fisher Compelling Storyteller By Judy Roche
-Nancy Ewachow
Next, Weigh Anchors and Art School Music joined forces on stage. Weigh Anchors is the latest endeavour of Dillon Whitfield, formerly of Raccoon, Jane Vain & The Dark Matter, with members of Art School Music also filling in. Members include Jay Bowcott (guitar, harmonica and vocals), Tom White (drums), Dillon Whitfield (guitar and vocals), and Michael Coughlan (bass). Their folk-inspired harmonica jams and combined efforts of the musicians are inspired by artists such as Neil Young, Dylan and Ryan Adams. The song “Keeper” showcases the strength of the band, reminiscent of early college-touring Blue Rodeo. The Sea is the latest album by Weigh Anchors, and was released in September. -TJ
Members of Weigh Anchor, Art School Music and Pamela Pachal ham it up for The Walleye.
Margaret Evans
Shy-Anne Hovorka was nominated for four Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards, and has won two: Aboriginal Female Entertainer of the Year and Best Producer/Engineer. “We were super pumped with the producer award,” says Hovorka. “I really have to thank my drummer Rob Benvegnu (RawBeats) who did so much work on the album’s production, engineered by Dining Room Studios in
On the first snow-flying night of the season, Art School Music, Weigh Anchors, and Pamela Pachal and The Dirty played for a small audience, with artistic and professional integrity, and certainly without missing a beat. “This could end up being a crazy snowstorm and we are all going to end up stuck here for the night,” laughed Pachal. There’s something about being in a near-empty bar during the season’s first storm. The light shines differently. The other patrons take on a more familiar colour and the performers start to feel like old friends. Fredericton’s Pachel opened the show. She has been on a cross-Canada tour for a month and is an impressive solo musician who commands the stage and transfixes the audience. A cross between Alicia Keys and John Mayer, Pachel is an original songwriter who banters, sings, and seamlessly switches from guitar to keyboards. “We like to jump from genre to genre. You’ll see,” she said. Part way through the set, Sean Keenan joined Pachel on the drums, creating a 70s-esque Motown beat hard not to move to, so of course dancing was inevitable.
Chris Merkley
Supplied
On a Dark and Snowy Night
I’ll admit, before attending the Archie Fisher concert, presented by the Sleeping Giant Folk Music Society, I’d not heard of the Scottish singer-songwriter. I can say with complete pleasure that I am so happy this man is out there making music. I made my way through the cold November night and arrived at the Lutheran Unitarian Fellowship Hall chilled to the bone. Upon entering the double doors I was stuck by the soft glowing light of the open room and warm, inviting smell of home baking. I was directed over to a table where, for a donation I could get coffee, tea, hot chocolate and cookies. The audience in the hall was a welcoming mixture of people of different ages and backgrounds. A typical folk music loving crowd. Thunder Bay was the last stop on his extended tour and Fisher was planning to head back home to Scotland the next day. After a very warm and friendly introduction Fisher took his place at the front of the assembly and made himself comfortable. As he entertained us all with his smooth, deep voice and flawless guitar playing, the atmosphere was relaxed, soothing and comforting. Like all good folk singers, Fisher captivated the crowd by sharing how each song came to be, the histories of the characters within them and what each tune meant to him. Though many in the crowd, including yours truly, were disappointed they could not buy his CDs, it was no surprise that he was completely sold out of all merchandise. Fisher is a true talent and compelling storyteller –he has been blessed with a good sense of humour and welcoming nature that made him seem like an old family friend who had stopped by to reminisce over tea. I am looking forward to his next tour and hope he makes another stop in Thunder Bay.
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The Walleye
The Walleye
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Food Music
Music
•
"Dedicated to providing expert, experienced legal services"
John W. Atwood Gilbert L. Labine* Christopher M. Arnone** Neil J. McCartney Terry-Lynn Miettinen Michael D. Ballantyne Kate D. Brindley
• Criminal • Real Estate • Wills
-Nancy Ewachow
• Environmental • Income Tax • Powers of Attorney Storm Carroll
• Business • Family • Estates
Fort William Born Ian Tamblyn English Songwriter of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards Fort William born musician and playwright Ian Tamblyn, writer of 1500 and counting songs, paddler of Lake Superior and other nearby waters, has won as English Songwriter of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards given out November 20th in Winnipeg. The album nominated, Gyre, is his thirtieth independent release. He headlined Red Rock’s Live from the Rock Folk Festival this past summer.
Specializing in Criminal Law Gilbert L. Labine* - After hrs: 767-7255 Neil J. McCartney - After hrs: 626-6428 Kate D. Brindley - After hrs: 623-4342
Tracy K Sings the Blues and Impresses the Crowd
*Certified by the Law Society as a Specialist in Criminal Law ** Member of the Collaborative Family Law Group
Darren McChristie
501 Donald Street E. Thunder Bay, ON P7E 6N6
Phone: 623.4342 Fax: 623.2098 www.alamlaw.ca
Grady Calls their Demons
Full House at Jacks
Southern Cowboy Metal Melts the Snow Story and Photo by Angie Valente
98th Anniversary of the Pipes and Drums of Thunder Bay with Flipper Flanagan
Smokin’ guitars and wicked decibels of sound shook the downtown core, as Austin, Texas trio GRADY set Crocks on fire on November 17th. The cowboy metal threesome delivered nothing short of an amplified set, unleashing equal parts southern gospel and satanic ritual. This of course, as anyone who’s seen them rock Thunder Bay in the past, comes as absolutely no surprise. You can always bet that Grady will deliver.
By Peter Jabs Forty yards of Cameron tartan, neatly pinned and buckled, clad the thighs of Thunder Bay’s Pipe and Drums Band standing in a circle on the floor, proudly playing heritage tunes to a full house. Unplugged, they were celebrating close to a century of rehearsing and performing their ancestral skirl for various functions.
The trio is lean and mean, hitting hard every time and never missing a boot-stomping beat. No strangers to the Northern land of Thunder Bay, Grady is Gordie “Grady” Johnson on lead vocals with his trademark powerful guitar stylings you would know anywhere. On the bass and backup vocals is “Big Ben” Richardson, who grinds out that sprawling bottom end. Sitting down but keeping time is Nina “The Queena” Singh, who hammers out the gunshot drum beats loud and proud. This feline is a monster on the drums, and holds her own with her talented male counterparts. Though tiny in physique, she plays big. Together, Grady find the common ground between punk, metal and gospel, kneeling at the alter of the one-chord stomp.
Originally meant to unnerve the battlefield enemy, the unholy wail of the bagpipes and solemn tattoo of the drums hearken back to an older country, long ago and far away. Sporrans scintillating, the majorette twirled her drumstick while Highland dancers straight off of “Export ‘A’” cigarette packages (remember those?) step danced their regimented patterns to the hum of the drone and rattle of the snares. It was truly another proud moment reflecting the light of a torch passed down through Thunder Bay history. As a bonus, another relic of our young city’s past strummed and sang their way through a variety of popular and well-seasoned melodies. Flipper Flanagan and his Flatfooted friends began making music in the early 60s, even playing at The Spike Coffeehouse.
CD Available Now at
Having recently played the Lakehead in April of this year, Grady are back on the road to promote their latest release, a live CD/DVD, Calling all My Demons.
Alive and kicking gloriously, faithful renditions of traditional sailor shanties, John Denver hits and Paul McCartney’s “Mull of Kintyre” backed with a bagpipe were played to a teary eyed, appreciative audience. Well done, minstrels. Encore.
While there is no sign of new Grady material in the works, Johnson will return home to finish making the new Big Sugar record. online at www.oliviakorkola.com
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The Walleye
Aside from smashing out those unforgiving Grady tunes spanning all three records, a few Big Sugar gems were also performed with a Grady twang. At this point the appreciative crowd was hanging off of every note. People danced, sang, clapped and yelled. And so the music kept coming, as Johnson has always delivered solid sets at length, well worth the cover charge. A sight for sore eyes was witnessing Johnson play his lovely guitar with a beer bottle.
“We’re working on it,” he says. “It’s all new material but I don’t have a street date yet. It’s getting close. We’ll tour it when it comes out.”
By Melissa Gaudette Captivating the crowd with her stunning attire, Tracy K gracefully walked to centre stage on Friday, November 12 at the Italian Cultural Centre. Tracy K performed with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and conductor Stéphane Potvin as part of the TBSO’s popular Cabaret Series. “It allowed me more freedom as a performer,” Tracy K says of performing with the talented TBSO. “Working with the orchestra also inspires the theatrical elements of performance, something I thrive on. It was a natural process to be in character. I absolutely loved it!” Tracy K’s charismatic performance captivated the audience as soon as she took the stage. Throughout the evening, she and the TBSO had the crowd emoting with both laughter and tears. After opening with Billie Holiday’s “All of Me,” Tracy K and the TBSO continued enchanting the crowd with classics by Harry M. Woods and Jimmy Davis. Billie Holiday is an inspiration for Tracy K. “Billie had passion; a fiery passion that burned in her heart and manifested in her singing. Her emotion was key to her delivery.” Holiday’s influence subtly reflects in Tracy K’s style. In the second set, Tracy K performed her own original award-winning songs. The TBSO rejoined her to finish off the night. A memorable highlight of the night was some charming kazoo solos with an added touch of slide whistle. Tracy K is now focussing on her upcoming third album, Canned Heat, which she is working on with her musical partner Jamie Steinhoff. “We have included a couple originals, but it is mostly a collection of favourite songs from our live performances. It is an acoustic album for the most part.” Her love of music and performing is undeniable. Tracy K exudes talent. Her charismatic personality couples with her strong voice. Plus, she never stops smiling even when she sings the blues; it’s all about the music for Tracy K.
The Walleye
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Food Music
CityScene
Shops Dressed in Holiday Style
‘Twas the Month Before Christmas
Photos and Story by Tara George
Tucked in the heart of Victoriaville, this little shop is full of Christmas charm. Browsing is a full-sensory experience, with the aromas of hot apple cider and scented rosehips drawing you in to the visual delight of Christmas décor. The beautifully hand-crafted vintage decorations remind you of a simpler time of Christmases past. This is the kind of store where shoppers are converted into collectors, each year acquiring a new decoration or one of many interesting characters, be it a precariously perched elf, a loveable snowman, or a fanciful faerie. This month before Christmas, succumb to the holiday wonders of this lovely shop. 504 Victoria Street East, Mon-Sat 10-5 and Sun 12-4.
Remember when you were a kid and the spirit of Christmas seemed to be everywhere? That sense of excitement would come alive when the calendar turned to December, and continued to accumulate with every Christmas-oriented activity. Sometimes as an adult, the hustle and bustle of it all can get in the way of rekindling that true Christmas spirit. Fortunately, rediscovering the magic can be as simple as visiting a few local shops that transform and capture the true essence of the season.
Vanderwees
The transformation of well-known Vanderwees Home and Garden into Ontario’s largest retail ChristmasLand is a sight to behold. A stand of beautifully decorated Christmas trees, each with a different flare, lures you into the gift shop. Decorations of every size, shape, and colour, as well as life-like and live trees, are available to create the perfect Christmas tree. Compliment your decoration finds with one of the 20,000 poinsettias that Vanderwees produces each year. A treat or lunch at Tulips Café is a nice break from Christmas shopping, or stay a bit later and take in the nightly Christmas light show. 6488 Mapleward Road, Mon-Fri 9-9 and Sat-Sun 9-6.
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Shakti Mat
6000 acupressure points help ease tension, revitalize and rejuvenate your body
HON9329_HolidayCard3carEng.indd 1
11/15/10 12:02:35 PM
Sending warm wishes from our family to yours this holiday season From the team at Gore Motors Honda
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290 Bay St. • 345–2641 under the blue and white awning
Moss Cottage
• Shop Online at www.finnport.com • Free Parking at Rear (access behind Janzens)
Home Building Centre
• 670 Beaverhall Place • 475-5300
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www.goremotorshonda.com 361 Memorial Ave.
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The Walleye
807-345-0902
1-800-486-2144
Thunder Bay, ON
We will gladly match any advertised local competitor's price on an identical in-stock item.
This offer can not be combined with any other offer.
Home Owners helping homeowners®
Moss Cottage is a reminder that Christmas is about sharing, caring, and enjoying the company of friends and family. Handmade products crafted from local and homemade materials inspire the seasonal environment of the shop. Christmas wreaths, made using locally grown and harvested greens, are all hand-tied and delicately decorated; custom arrangements and wreaths are available. Unique madefrom-scratch treasures provide the perfect thoughtful gifts that are sure to be cherished for many Christmas seasons to come. Of course we mustn’t forget our favourite Urban Farmchick products, such as handmade soaps and bags, still available during the festive season. 700 Hazelwood Drive, Wed-Fri 11-6, Sat 10-5, and Sun 12-4.
The Walleye
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Food CityScene
Film&Theatre
After winning over voters with his promise of fiscal responsibility and a safe community, former police officer Keith Hobbs will be sworn in as the City of Thunder Bay’s eighth mayor on December 6, 2010.
Storm Carroll
By Donna Faye
Q. The Walleye asked you to choose a
location for this interview that would best represent you. Why did you choose the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame?
A. Because I’ve always been involved
in sports. From a young age I played baseball. I started coaching baseball when I was 14 years old at the Balsam pits. And I’ve always been a soccer player, and a terrible hockey player. I’m a diehard hockey fan and I know there’s a lot of hockey memorabilia here. That’s how I spend my winter evenings: watching my beloved Boston Bruins.
Q. How did you become a fan of the Boston Bruins?
A. My dad was always for the under-
dog and when my family moved from England, the Bruins were in last place and we picked them as our team. To me, they’re a hard-working, lunch-bucket type team.
Q. What are your most memorable moments from your career as a police officer?
A. I was held hostage at gunpoint.
A guy had a shotgun to my chest and I had my gun in his face. It was as close as I ever came to taking a human life and I could have been killed as well. And I talked him out of it. I talked him down enough to distract him so I could escape. When I was running out the door, he blasted a shot at me and missed, luckily. I’ve been in a few situations like that. I was shot at three times in my first five years on the job.
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The Walleye
Another situation was when a firefighter was coming out of a house with a child and put him in my arms and I did mouth to mouth on him all the way to the hospital. He never made it. I’ll never forget not only the dead child in my arms, but the look on that firefighter’s face. It was anguish. That has always burned a hole in my heart. Firefighters are my heroes.
Q. Before the election, Alex
Boissonneault of French language CBC interviewed you, Mr. Pullia and Ms. Peterson about the importance of the city’s French community in the election. How significant is the place of French language and culture in Thunder Bay?
A. I think it’s important to include ev-
eryone. I want inclusion for French, First Nations and Métis. We designated Thunder Bay as a unilingual city and maybe we need to rethink that. That’s something that Council may need to revisit. My mother was a French teacher. Unfortunately, I didn’t pay attention and I’m not bilingual. I really regret that to this day because it opens up so many doors and it’s a bilingual country.
Q. What do you think it is about
Thunder Bay that keeps people here or makes them return after living away for school or work?
A. I went away after college to British
Columbia and that’s some of the most beautiful country in the world, but there’s something about Thunder Bay that gets in your blood. I think it’s the raw beauty, the isolation. You can go five minutes out of town and
go fishing and right outside your door; you have the Sleeping Giant, the Nor’Westers and Kakabeka Falls, which I consider three wonders of the world, not just of Thunder Bay. And the people here are great.
Q. Do you take part in any of Thunder Bay’s cultural events or offerings?
A. I was at the Blues Festival this year.
I love it. I was at the opening of the Art Gallery (on Cumberland Street). I was at the Broadway production Rent that was done locally. We have so much local talent it’s incredible. I’m a diehard Moody Blues fan. They’re one of the first groups that incorporated the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Someone from the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra asked if I was planning to desecrate the arts with budget cuts. I have no idea where that comes from because I think it’s an important part of our culture, but I want to make them affordable so that all walks of life can enjoy them.
Q. Having lived in Thunder Bay since
1964 you must have found some favourite haunts. What is your favourite place in town for coffee?
A. Any Timmies. Q. A drink with friends?
all the island flavours you love...
207 Park Avenue (beside the Casino)
Tues - Thurs 11am-8pm Fri 11am-11pm, Sat 4pm - 12am Sun 4pm-8pm, Mon closed
684-9614
Q. Sauna? A. Kangas Sauna. My girlfriend and I go to Kangas once in awhile.
Photo: Rob Team Rider: Matt
Q&A with Mayor Keith Hobbs
Q. Live music? A. The Blues Fest.
All your favourite styles for ladies & men, plus the NEW “WINTER” boot.
Q. What do you do to relax in your down time?
A. I’m a workaholic. As a police of-
ficer I worked loads of overtime and I sacrificed a lot of family time to do that. I can see this is going to be a continuation of that. I don’t get much time to relax, but when I do, I love driving. Last year I drove to Alaska. I love the outdoors and fishing. I used to hunt for partridge. I’ve never shot a moose. My daughter is a real animal activist and I won’t hunt any more out of respect for her. I like to read when I can: history, fiction, especially crime fiction. I used to like Joseph Wambaugh and John Sandford.
... s t f i l r i a h C ye b d o Go and wer depo h t o mo esign. ng, s d . andli , simple turn h e able y. ly m d o s n dict it e e ie t pr d stabil Aw user fr s a li •F r k-so ling. supe Roc . nd • h a unc sy h • Ea ple re-la 10 8• • Sim 6• • :4 s e Siz
December Hours Mon.
Tues.
9-5:30 9-5:30
Wed.
Thurs.
Fri.
Sat.
Sun.
9-5:30
9-9
9-8
9-5:30
12-4
blundstone.ca
122 Frederica Street West (Westfort Village)
www.SuperiorKiteboarding.ca
Ozone_AccessXT_KW.indd 3
807.627.3017
7/12/09 9:15:56 PM
Phone 475-4755
Q. What are your plans for the holiday season?
A. I’ll get some time off so I plan to
catch up with my children. My son will be back from Ottawa. It will be family time. I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe holiday.
A. The Madhouse. It’s a great place.
There are so many different walks of life that go there.
The Walleye
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Food CityScene
CityScene
Holiday Multicultural
supplied
By Nik Fiorito
legally harvesting your “free range” Christmas tree from Crown land, call the MNR’s District Office at 807-475-1471.
Scott Wiebe
Homegrown Christmas Trees by Jay Dampier
Bob and Carol Spivak welcome Christmas tree hunters onto their orchard every day in December from sun up to sun down.
A short drive out Government Road, just a bit past the Community Centre, will take you to a fantastic and little-known Christmas tree orchard. Bob and Carol Spivak planted their first spruce tree over 25 years ago in order to convert old cow pastures into a treed landscape. Back then they weren’t thinking their afforestation efforts would lead to a Christmas tree orchard. It wasn’t until family members asked Bob and Carol if they could cut a tree for Christmas that the idea for a Christmas tree orchard began.
After your Christmas tree has completed its task of greening your living room and sheltering your pile of holiday gifts, you can dispose of the tree guilt-free. You don’t have to worry about your tree ending up in the landfill because the City of Thunder Bay will set up several tree drop off sites where the trees will be chipped and composted. The sites will be set up for about three weeks after the holiday season. To find your nearest tree drop-off site, call the city at 807-6842195 or check the city website at www.thunderbay.ca.
Some Christmas tree hunters would prefer to go into the bush to find that perfect Christmas tree rather than heading to an orchard. But firsttimers looking for a “free range” tree sometimes aren’t sure where to go. What are the rules and where can you legally harvest your Christmas tree? According to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Ontario residents are entitled to harvest one Christmas tree per family each year from Crown (public) land. But sometimes it isn’t clear whether the tree you are eyeing is on Crown land or not. To make sure you are
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Fridays noon to 5pm Saturdays 11 to 3pm Dec 3rd to the 18th
Wahlay – Burma/Myanmar ART SHOP & RAINGE GALLERY 204 RED RIVER ROAD
344 - 4636
Jay Dampier is an environmental educator, freelance writer and creator of the tree video-blog: www.thunderbaytrees.ca
Teryx 750 FI 4x4 FULL-SIZE TOUGHNESS. UNCOMPROMISING HIGH PERFORMANCE
www.paintedturtleart.com
Bruce
Hyer MP
Thunder Bay-Superior North
At Work for the Northwest
Passenger Rail for Thunder Bay
Since then, the Spivaks have planted spruce and fir trees on their five acres, tending the trees without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. In the spring Bob prunes every tree to make sure the trees have that full, Christmas tree form to which many of us have grown accustomed. The couple spends no money on marketing or advertising, with all their customers coming by word of mouth. When I went out to see the orchard and meet the Spivaks, I was warmly welcomed onto the property. With a quick look around the grounds, it became immediately apparent that both Bob and Carol love tending their plants, and that they are quite good at it. In addition to Christmas trees, the Spivaks have a number of fruit trees, and well-tended grounds and gardens.
Christmas Gift Market
Should local passenger rail service be restored? Would cross-country service via the scenic North Shore be popular with tourists?
The most advanced technology and the highest performance in the RUV world, the Teryx 750 FI 4x4 mates a powerful fuel-injected V-Twin engine with a stable wide-body chassis and top-shelf suspension, then backs it all with Kawasaki’s legendary durability and reliability. The result is a line of tough, full-size machines with uncompromising high performance.
Bruce Hyer thinks so. That’s why he’s tabled Motion M-291 in Parliament to bring back rail service to Thunder Bay & the beautiful North Shore. Find out more or sign the Petition to bring rail back:
www.ReviveSuperiorRail.ca Constituency Office: 69 North Court Street, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7A 4T7 Phone: 345.1818 Email: info@brucehyer.ca
1425 Walsh Street West • 622-0007 • www.excaliburmotorcycleworks.com
Many North Americans celebrate the holiday season in similar ways, with the old standards of gift-giving, Christmas trees, big dinners with family and church services. At the same time, there are many people who celebrate the holidays with a unique brand of tradition and spirit. Where better to find information on various cultures than the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association (TBMA), a not-for-profit agency employing people from around the world who speak a combined thirteen languages and offer settlement and language services to newcomers to Canada. I spoke with four staff members originally from other countries about their version of Christmas, and how their celebrations have changed since they settled in Thunder Bay.
www.brucehyer.ca
Wahlay is a cheery and busy interpreter who assists residents of Thunder Bay’s blossoming Karen community. The Karen are a distinct people and culture from Burma/Myanmar, many of whom were forced from their homeland within Burma (the name the Karen prefer to Myanmar) into refugee camps along the Thai border. Wahlay is the Pastor of the Karen Baptist Church and is a settlement worker at TBMA, working exclusively with the growing Karen population in Thunder Bay. I asked Wahlay about the traditions his community celebrates around Christmastime and learned that many of the activities are group-oriented, often involving the entire church congregation. There are Christmas trees and carols, and a massive gift-exchange; the already tight-knit Karen community becomes even closer during the Holiday season. A meal for over one hundred people is held with traditional dishes. The group also enjoys playing games and competing in relays and running races.
Carmen – Columbia
Whether you need a document translated or an interpreter for a medical appointment, Carmen can do it. Maintaining the region’s largest language bank, Carmen heads the Language Interpreters Service at TBMA. I spoke to Carmen about the Christmas season both here and in her native Columbia. One major difference is that in Columbia, Christmas celebrations start on December 15th, with families and neighbours gathering for meals, readings and singing in the days leading up to Christmas Day. The spirit of sharing and giving is very strong. Carmen says there are very few Columbians living in Thunder Bay and her Christmas traditions have become a bit more subdued compared to the bustle and excitement of the Columbian holiday.
Neena – India
A settlement worker at TBMA, Neena is a whirlwind of quickly-delivered words and gestures. In addition to her work with clients, Neena is also heavily involved in promoting Indian cultural festivals and events. Neena has integrated the traditions of her Sikh faith, Indian homeland and culture with Canadian customs to make one busy, festive holiday season. In Thunder Bay, Neena and her family meet with members of the tight-knit Indian community to celebrate holidays. While it is not possible to observe all of the old traditions and dates, they still gather for Duvali, held in November and featuring gift-giving and communal dinners; Baisakhi, the harvest festival; and the Gurpurabs, celebrations of the Sikh gurus’ birthdays. Neena also attends several Christmas parties with colleagues and friends, having adopted an understanding and love for the lights, smells and cheer of a Canadian Christmas.
Hermie – Philippines
Although she and her husband hail from the Philippines, Hermie and her family have taken to celebrating Canadian Christmas with all of the zest of the Griswolds from Christmas Vacation. Many holiday traditions are common between her homeland and Canada. Hermie notes that caroling is a favourite among Filipinos, and that trees, gift exchanges and bright lights are joys shared by celebrants on both sides of the Pacific. One cultural holdover, however, is the lechon, a slow-roasted whole pig served at large Christmas dinners. While many immigrants continue to celebrate their homeland’s holidays after arriving in Canada, a large number integrate new traditions to create a unique winter celebration. We can all appreciate the many different ways Canadians celebrate the holiday season.
The Walleye
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Food CityScene
LIVINGGREEN
Healthy Start
For those who want to kick start their New Year’s resolutions, celebrate by putting one running shoe in front of another during the Brita Resolution Run (5 or 10 km walk/run) December 31st at 5 pm, hosted by The Running Room.
Live Music
If live bands and dancing are more your styles, a wide-range of venues offer something for everyone’s taste. Jacks, Crocks and Black Pirates Pub are teaming up for live shows – $10 will get you into all three venues. www.tbshows.com
The Running Room www.runningroom.com 807-344-7575
Local eateries in the city offer special menus to satisfy any palette. However, reservations in advance are highly recommended.
Shags
Shags are sweeping the city on New Year’s Eve. Shag organizers cannot advertise their shag- this is all about relying on word-of-mouth and Facebook. And of course, there is always the option of living vicariously through others and watching the iconic falling of the ball in Times Square, where an estimated one million people cram into the streets of New York City.
New Year’s Eve Options in Thunder Bay
Trim waste this holiday season During the holidays the volume of waste at the curb increases significantly, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Are you doing your part to keep the holidays green? There are so many small, easy ways to make a difference.
Once you’re ready to wrap it up, remember most wrapping paper is not recyclable. Canadians use an estimated 85 square km of wrapping paper each year – what a waste! This year switch to ‘greener’ options.
• Going shopping? Bring your own bags to carry your purchases home.
• Reusable paper gift bags are easy to use and are easy to pack away for next year. Better still, use fabric gift bags that last for many, many years.
• Give homemade gifts or gift certificates to a store that features sustainably produced gifts. A membership or tickets to a concert or sporting event make great gifts too. • Keep your eyes open for for products made from recycled materials. • Nothing beats a gift of your own time. Make up gift certificates for washing the car, babysitting or cleaning the house.
• Old posters, comics and even old maps are great ways to wrap gifts and last year’s greeting cards make perfect gift tags. You can avoid paper entirely and use decorative tins, baskets or boxes.
Make this your ‘greenest’ holiday season ever. There are so many ways to reduce waste, recycle and save energy.
question of the month All of the waste and excess associated with Christmas is getting me down. How can I celebrate the season in more environmentally friendly ways?
Family Fun
What better way to usher in the New Year, than to visit the past. The Fort William Historical Park offers wholesome family fun with skating, hot cider, food, fireworks and more.
✁
Fort William Historical Park www.fwhp.ca
Mink Mountain
welcome to the thunder bay film experience.
www.superiornorth.com 1-888-616-6465
Friends of Sleeping Giant www.thefriendsofsleepinggiant.ca 807-977-2526
Rustic Getaways
For those of us who are camp-challenged and want to enjoy winter hikes, snow-covered trees, cozy fires, and star-filled skies on New Year’s Eve, The Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and Mink Mountain Resort are popular choices, but you have to book early. At press time there are no cabins left at Mink Mountain for New Year’s Eve and only a few spots were still available in the main lodge. The Sleeping Giant Provincial Park offers cross-country skiing and hikes daily throughout the winter, and cabins are available to rent through the Friends of Sleeping Giant depending on availability.
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There are many ways to make it a “green” Christmas without risking accusations of turning into Scrooge. Tackle the gift list first and reduce it, if you can. There are likely a few people you continue to buy for every Christmas who would be quite happy to be removed from the list, thereby shortening their own list as well. Suggest an alternative to gifting—perhaps meet for lunch or cocktails instead. Celebrate friendship with time together instead of a purchase.
Don’t let the voicemail message about the end of the season at The Sleeping Giant Provincial Park dissuade you from leaving a message about the cabins, which are available to rent from mid-September to mid-May.
Cost-Effective
For the frugal fun seeker, festivities at home are gaining popularity. Think about potluck, fondue, ordering in, or hiring an inexpensive caterer. Have a little extra cash? Invest in a chiminea (make sure you obtain a fire permit from a local fire station), or rent a hot tub and/or a karaoke machine.
Calling all Kids! Send us your ideas and win free stuff by recycling. Entries must be received by Dec. 23, 2010. NamE
Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) P.O. Box 800 Suite 201, 34 Cumberland Street North Thunder Bay, Ontario CANADA P7C 5K4 tel: (807) 625-3960 toll Free: 1-800-668-9360 fax: (807) 623-3962 e-mail: develop@thunderbay.ca website: www.ThunderBayCEDC.ca
PhoNE NumbEr
Tell us how you and your family will make the holiday season a little ‘greener’ by reducing waste at your house. There is so much waste at this time of year. how can we reduce our impact on our environment? Mail or eMail your entry to: City of Thunder bay, roads Division Waste Diversion and recycling Po box 800, Thunder bay, oN P7C 5K4 attention: Jason Sherband Email: jsherband@thunderbay.ca, Fax: 625-3588
With your new shorter gift list in hand, take a look to see how many names can be checked off your list with items made or available locally. Think about giving experiences instead of manufactured items. For example: concert tickets; theatre subscriptions; ski passes; golf memberships; lessons or courses; gift certificates to the Community Auditorium. Check the local shops, craft shows and country markets for unique gifts—things that aren’t piled high by the dozens on the shelves of big box stores. Taxi certificates or bus passes are great for seniors who no longer drive. Consider charitable donations in someone’s name, especially for someone who has everything! There are local charitable opportunities too, such as purchasing a tree through Thunder Bay’s Tree Stewardship
program. Homemade gifts are appreciated too, if you have the skills. Put together a family scrapbook, video or cookbook of family favourites. If you’re handy in the kitchen, a single batch of salsa, jam or candy can please several names on your list all at one go. When it’s time to start wrapping, consider making the wrap part of the gift. Cozy throws, blankets, towels, and scarves make great wrapping when tied up with ribbon. Keep in mind that the brightly coloured wrapping sold in rolls is not recyclable—there’s just too much ink in it. Look for alternatives such as newsprint, plain kraft paper, old maps or bright magazine pages. Reusable gift bags are another great option. For holiday decorating, keep your electricity consumption in mind. Choose efficient LED lighting and remember that less is more. Solar powered lightstrings and floodlights are also available, and eliminate the need for all those extension cords. Inflatable decorations are popular, but waste energy with their lights and fans. Wreaths and garlands can make any home look festive without adding to your hydro bill. Make a few changes this year and consider it a gift to yourself, your budget and the planet! The Walleye
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Food Film&Theatre
Film&Theatre
A Christmas Carol
I have always found the narrative to be delightfully spooky. What do you think of the notion of it being a Christmas ghost story? I actually wonder if Victorian readers would have thought of it more as a ghost story than contemporary audiences do. The Victorians were obsessed with ghosts and the afterlife. I think it makes a great ghost story. I think we aren’t used to thinking of ghost stories as being uplifting with a happy ending.
Marty Mascarin
Why do you feel that the story makes such a great holiday classic?
Q+A with director, Jason Boesche By Rebekah Skochinski
Could you tell me a little bit about Rogue Productions? Rogue Productions was established nearly 10 years ago by me and my colleague, Crystal Legros. Our aim was to perform classic stories on stage; anything from Shakespeare to Dickens, Bram Stoker to Oscar Wilde. Many of the plays performed have been from stories that we have adapted ourselves for the stage. Your performance of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has become somewhat of a holiday tradition; what can you share about this year’s production? We try to make every year somewhat unique. It’s my goal as director to approach each character with a fresh perspective that evolves based on what the actors introduce from their own personal understanding of the role and through the discoveries made during rehearsal.
This year audiences will see some familiar faces as well as a few new ones. Krista Graham (Roxanne from Rogue’s Cyrano De Bergerac) will take on the part of the narrator and Marty Mascarin will reprise the role of The Ghost of Christmas Present. It’s great to be working with such a dynamic group of people who bring so much of themselves to the roles they play.
I think that this is a story with which we can all relate on some level. I think there is a real truth which is revealed to anyone who reads the book or watches the play or any of the numerous movie adaptations: that a life lived solely for the sake of personal gain is one which is generally filled with regret. The characters in this story—Scrooge, Tiny Tim, the Ghosts and all the others—remind us that it is the people in our lives, the ones who have come and gone and those we are yet to meet, are what is most important. It’s really what Christmas time is all about.
Devil in a Red Dress Wax Philosophic’s New Music Video Filmed in Thunder Bay
It’s fun watching the aerial views of Mount McKay and trying to identify all the Thunder Bay places in the recently released music video of Wax Philosophic’s “Devil in a Red Dress.” “We managed to shoot at over 15 different locations over four days,” explains local director and cinematographer Damien Gilbert. “During pre-production we were discussing some key locations—Mount McKay being one of them.” A local hip hop group, Wax Philosophic (Jarret Schilke, Derek Desa and Bryan Johnston) has been playing gigs around town since 2000, and have been featured on Much Music, CBC Radio 3 and the full-length snowboarder films Shred and Shred 2, starring Tom Green and Dave England of Jackass fame. Gilbert approached the group about the video concept well over a year ago, but due to conflicting schedules they couldn’t get together until this past October. With a window of seven days for pre-production and shooting and virtually no budget, Gilbert had to hunt down a helicopter because he “had thrown out the crazy idea” of getting one to shoot a different perspective of McKay. “We called up Zimmer Air and he gave us a last-minute deal,” says Gilbert. “We were all amazed we actually had a helicopter for some shots on top of the mountain.”
all photos: Jason Stasiw
Rogue Productions Presents:
the actors as they are. I think the audience leaves having had a much more intimate experience than they perhaps would have if they play was performed on a traditional stage.
Check out “Devil in a Red Dress” on YouTube - it’s well worth the view.
Is there anything special about experiencing a play set in the Great Hall at Fort William Historical Park? The Great Hall is a great space visually because it looks like you might have stepped right into nineteenth century London. The play is performed in the round, so the audience has the impression that they are seated in the scene with the characters. We really try to focus on the detail of costumes, the impression of the characters and of the overall ambiance. It amazes me to see how responsive some members of the audience become and I think that has a great deal to do with being as close to
Performances at Fort William Historical Park, December 10th-12th and 16th-19th at 8 p.m. Guests are asked to arrive at the Visitor Centre no later than 7:45 p.m. to be bussed down to the Great Hall on the historic site. Tickets: $10 for seniors and students; $15 for adults; available at Fort William Historical Park and Global Experience. For general inquiries call 473-2344.
Introducing Thunder Bay’s Newest Multipurpose meeting & Banquet Facility
Gargoyles Grille & Ale
www.gargoylesgrille.com 28
The Walleye
11 S. Cumberland st 807-345-3011
The Walleye
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Film&Theatre
submitted
Food Film&Theatre
Third World Canada
Cast members of Happily Ever After during rehearsal.
Lili from the film Third World Canada Director Spencer Hari leads the Happily Ever After cast through their first table read with the script.
Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) is one of 30 remote Aboriginal communities in Northern Ontario above the 50th parallel and accessible only by air (or winter roads). Governed by the Indian Act, the First Nation is considered one of the more prosperous remote Aboriginal communities, but in director Andrée Cazabon’s film Third World Canada, this doesn’t mean much. An honest and raw portrayal of the community, the film follows a parent’s suicide that leaves eight children orphaned and without homes or hope. Sadly, Canadian Aboriginal people have the highest rate of suicide among all First Nations people worldwide.
On Sa le NO W & Appr oved By Sa n
The film follows the fate of the eight children as they try to make sense of the death of not only their mother, but also her previous two partners. The children end up in a patchwork of care – some with their aunt, some with their grandparents, and some in foster care with Tikinagan Child Services. After over 30 unsuccessful foster care placements, Little Tyler can’t understand why he has to move again. “Why doesn’t anyone want me,” he asks plaintively. “They all think I am bad, but I`m not,” he pleads. “I just want to go home to my real family.”
Look for the Christmas Tree Drop-Off Site sign.
NORTH LOCATIONS Brent Park (Balsam At Margaret) County Park Tennis Courts (County Blvd) Grandview Arena (Madeline St) in between Grandview Arena & Westminster United Church–not in the arena parking lot
John Jumbo Recreation Centre (Toivo St.) Strathcona Golf Course
SOUTH LOCATIONS
Lakehead Employment Services, a dedicated Employment Ontario Service Provider since 1997, is honored to have the privilege of carrying out the Ministry’s vision that
“ Ontario will have the most educated people and highly skilled workforce in the world”. Having a variety of employment-related services under one roof allows us to deliver the highest quality of service and support to help individuals meet their career goals and the ability to work with employers and the community to build a competitive workforce in Ontario.
SAVE THE DATE! Please join us in celebrating the Grand Opening of the new Lakehead Employment Services Resource & Drop In Centre 277 Park Avenue, Thunder Bay, ON December 16th, 2010 From 11:00am to 3:00pm www.lestbay.com
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The Walleye
Each $100 Gift Pack Includes:
Spencer Hari, the man behind this summer’s local production of the Pulitzer Prize winning RENT, is EDCT’s new director. When it came to choosing a production for EDCT’s 2010 season, Hari took an unprecedented course: he had the actors create their characters and write the script themselves. “No one was going to be left in the wings. I wanted these young actors to realize the incredible power of imagination and creativity is already inside of them. I am surprised and amazed at what they have crafted in such a short amount of time.”
December 26 and January 9, bring your tree to one of the many Christmas tree collection sites.
Delany Arena (Legion Track Dr) Kinsmen Northwood Centre (609 N. James St) Lakehead Labour Centre (Fort William Rd) Westfort Playing Field (Off Neebing Ave) Remove all ornaments and remove plastic tree wrap before dropping your tree off at the collection site. Do not put trees out for curbside garbage collection.
o ts
For more information about the film or to arrange a screening, visit www.thirdworldcanada.ca
At
A lone pig with too many voices in his head. A giant with a confidence problem. These are just some of the classic and classically-challenged fairytale figures bringing Eleanor Drury Children’s Theatre’s 2010 production Once Upon A... Happily Ever After to life. Set against the backdrop of Humpty Dumpty’s great fall, this collision of eclectic and charming oddball characters—who can’t agree on much—could bring Fairytale Land to its knees.
After the holidays, between
t ng closi
Third World Canada presents a view of First Nations that isn`t often talked about in the press, schools or anywhere for that matter. The movie shines a spotlight on the grinding poverty, generations of damage from residential schools, and social policy that has had the intent and effect on keeping Aboriginal people powerless and mute.
Fairytales collide in Eleanor Drury’s 2010 Theatrical Production by Kyle Poluyko
my ro
The overwhelming guilt of the survivors comes through time and again. Lili wishes she hadn’t sent her sister in to check on her mother, and worries about how her sister will carry the burden of finding her mom hanging. Police officer MacKay feels guilt that he can’t stop the suicides. Aunt Tina feels guilt about not being able to take in all eight children, even though she has two of her own. Grandma feels guilt that she didn’t say the right things or reach out enough.
ta
But Here’s What Really Happened
he loop to …return me
The chipped trees are added to the compost pile at the City’s landfill site. In the spring, when the compost is mature, it is provided to residents free of charge to enrich flower gardens and lawns across Thunder Bay.
www.thunderbay.ca
*
A $50 Community Auditorium Gift Certificate.
*
A $50 Gift Certificate From One of Our Participating Restaurants
*
25th Anniversary Community Auditorium Mug & Scarf. Available At The Auditorium Box Office Or Call 684-4444 All Sales Final - No Refunds/Exchanges
For more inFormation call 684-2195
EDCT President Jill Knorr feels passionately about the organization and the actors. “EDCT provides an opportunity for creative children and youths of our community to explore a genuine acting experience, culminating with performing in a fully-staged play for live audiences.” She adds: “I’ve witnessed our actors, many of whom may have never sunk the winning basket or hit a home-run, bask in rousing recognition of their artistic talents, receiving stirring applause and ovations from families and peers alike.” This year’s production features a cast of 20, ranging in age from 11 to 16. Each will take centre stage in the show, bringing audiences along on a hilarious and magical journey that can’t be found in any tome. Following a soldout run of performances for local schools, Once Upon A... Happily Ever After takes to the stage of the Paramount Theatre for public performances Friday, December 10 at 7:00PM and Saturday, December 11 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children (under 12) and are available at Wiggles & Giggles. The Walleye
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Holiday Movies Worth Watching
REVIEWS
By Patrick Thompson
So we all know the traditional holiday movies that are aired on television every year those most of us have seen (Charlie Brown specials), those some of us have seen (The Sound of Music) and those lots of us say we’ve seen but really haven’t (It’s A Wonderful Life). Here’s a list of entertaining movies to catch, rent or download this holiday season:
Billy Wilder’s most financially successful film didn’t make him any money. He was rumoured to have said that although Stalag 17 was his favourite film, he wished he’d never made it. It’s a funny and touching film about a group of POWs during the Christmas of 1944 who are trying to find an informer who got a couple of their mates killed during a botched escape.
Jim Bryson and The Weakerthans The Falcon Lake Incident By Travis Setala
A Christmas Story (1983)
Yes, there are still some people out there who haven’t seen it. This is a funny classic about nine-year-old Ralphie Parker who wants an official Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas but his mom says he’ll shoot his eye out. For those who have seen it and will, of course, see it again, picture the original choice for the father, Jack Nicholson, in the role. They couldn’t afford him, but just imagine what it would have been like.
Christmas Vacation (1989)
Silly, stupid, wonderfully dumb. What more could you want from Chevy and Canada’s newest refugee claimant, Randy Quaid? Funny, funny stuff.
Elf (2003)
Stalag 17 (1954) The Lion in Winter (1968)
So you are the king of England, it is Christmas time in 1183, and you want to have a good time. Without take-out Chinese or 3D movies, what do you do? Well, you invite your imprisoned ex-wife, your mistress and your three sons over for dinner and discuss who gets what. Hepburn, an actual relative of her character, won an Oscar and showed novices Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton how to act.
OfftheWall
C’mon, really? You have to be told to watch this absolutely hilarious modern classic? If you don’t already love Zooey Deschanel, you will after watching this.
Joyeux Noel (2005)
A French telling of the unauthorized truce that broke out on the front lines on Christmas day, 1914. I have a greater respect for Roger Ebert who, when the film came out, pressured the Motion Picture Association of America into giving this film a PG-13 rating instead of the R rating it was going to have, as he believed a wider audience should see it. A shame not many took advantage of that. You should.
Women
Public Strain
By Nancy Ewachow These men from Alberta, two of them brothers, released their second album Public Strain with the label Flemish Eye. Chad VanGaalen produced it and if you know his music, you know he works miracles with lo-fi sounds and arranged parts. Released in September, it was only at the end of October when a news story reported that the band had broken up onstage at a gig in Victoria, British Columbia. While these reports of fisticuffs and tension are unproven, they make for great media fodder. Meanwhile, this unit of musicians that started playing together at a very young age has halted its extensive touring, with their label citing exhaustion requiring rest: public strain, indeed. Here’s to the band’s recuperation and progress, as the album is more satisfying than their first. Words like ‘post-rock,’ ‘noise rock’ and ‘art rock’ often just mean thin, ugly production and playing. That’s not so good if you like it fat (“phat”), and deep. One of the secret ingredients in this band is the bass playing of Mathew Flegel. There’s a solid drive and bottom to this music that reassures us that the kids just want to rock. Eerily, the singing sounds as though Syd Barret had joined Velvet Underground and so cured his downward depression (especially in the song “Narrow in the Hall”). It’s odd music that sticks to your ribs: the arrangements use interesting and melodic counterpoint between guitars and bass; the voice is honest; the feel is strong and upbeat in a way that’s hard to explain. Interesting sounds are created with bowed guitars and cello. The song lengths are satisfying, usually at least four minutes, and where there’s bleak repetition of discord, it’s kept up until there’s some kind of mysterious resolution of feeling. Songs that stand out are “Locust Valley” (this could be the most original Canadian single of the year), “Heat Distraction,” and “Untogether.” Criticism from an old fart: “Hey you kids, I can’t understand the words!”
Nicole Martin
Il était une fois… By Patrick Thompson
When five musicians spend a winter in a cabin on a lake in Manitoba famous for an alien encounter, you might expect to get a creepy, experimental album. With The Falcon Lake Incident, that’s not the case at all. Instead, you get a warm folk album that mixes Jim Bryson’s folk background and The Weakerthans’ softpop punk style. The album starts off with a duet between John K. Samson (of The Weakerthans) and Jim Bryson on the track “Raised All Wrong.” With all of the combined experience of the players, there is an expected level of songwriting that is exceeded. Every song is very melodic but still keeps with the strong stylistic devices for which both John and Jim are known. The Falcon Lake Incident could become a Canadian classic and should definitely make the Polaris Prize long list—if not the short list—this year.
Joey Wright Hatch
By Nancy Ewachow This deftly soft and mostly acoustic album is the third solo work of busy bluegrass and folk string player Joey Wright, who has a long list of credits playing on albums and live with Sarah Harmer, Oh Susanna, Pierre Shryer, and Jenny Whiteley among others. It’s his first that’s not purely instrumental. Wright’s voice is soft but not breathy, and creates a very gentle feel that delivers words like “summertime shadows are long/remember that love isn’t wrong” without being gloomy. There is a cast of players joining him that makes the album very effective: Jenny Whiteley, Dan Whiteley, Christine Bougie, Amy Milan (and two other members of Stars), Sarah Harmer, John Showman and Joe Philips. Many of the pieces have the feel of classic folk songs expertly sung: this is one half hour of very quiet, dream inducing music--very pretty, and not without humour.
This best-of collection consists of three CDs featuring 50 songs mined from Quebecer Nicole Martin’s 30+ albums. The tracks highlight Martin’s 40 years in the music industry, and are from her selftitled solo career rather than the music she created as Zerra. There is much to be found here, including many of the standard French pop music interpretations for which Martin is most famous.
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The discs are accompanied by a 32-page booklet that extensively details Martin’s career and includes some of her own writings. Fans will find all of their favourites on this album, including “Une photo de toi,” “Tes yeux,” “Tu n’peux pas t’figurer,” “Jimmy, Jimmy,” “Laisse-moi partir” and the song that has catapulted her back into the spotlight lately, “Il était une fois des gens heureux.” The Walleye
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Give the Gift of Music
CityScene
By Nancy Ewachow
Syd Barrett An Introduction to Syd Barrett CD, Book Syd Barrett A Very Irregular Head by Rob Chapman
Giller Books for the Holidays During the buzz of the holidays, stepping into a bookstore can not only be a bit of a respite, but is also a great place to shop for practically everyone on your list. The recent 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner and finalists are no-brainer gifts for the Can-Lit nut on your list. The Giller is the largest literacy prize in the country, awarding $50,000 to the winner and $5,000 to each of the finalists for the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English
Feist
Look at What the Light Did Now DVD & CD, release date Dec 7 For those impatient for the next gem from the meticulous Leslie Feist, this package will have to satisfy. The documentary Look at What the Light Did Now premiered in Montreal in September but is only in very limited release. It’s a behind the scenes look at both the making of The Reminder and of the traveling art show that was the live tour. Although it focuses on the contributions of visual artists, videographers and choreographers to Feist’s music, it also illuminates her approach to music making and to collaboration. The DVD includes other short films and videos, and the CD contains music from the film along with piano versions of her songs played by longtime friend and collaborator, rapper Chilly Gonzales.
Syd Barrett left Pink Floyd in 1968, after just two years with the band. The rest of his music career consists of two solo albums, both of which were hard to find until after his death in 2006. Now you can go directly to the website organized by his estate and learn more about a man who became a recluse and a painter after writing songs like “See Emily Play”, “Bike” and “Baby Lemonade.” 2010 sees the release of eighteen tracks compiled by David Gilmour, five of which are remixes. They appeal both to those nostalgic fans, and to those younger ones who can compare the depths of his depression, and heights of musicality, with those of Elliot Smith’s. This CD contains Barrett songs appearing on Pink Floyd albums as well as songs from his solo work. There’s new artwork by long-time band artist Storm Thergerson. The biography by Rob Chapman has been reviewed repeatedly as one of the best ones yet.
Bruce Springsteen
The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town 3 Blu-Ray discs or DVDs, 3 CDs booklet, poster & t-shirt This newly released boxed set includes the remastered 1978 album, unseen studio and live footage, 21 previously unreleased songs, and a 90-minute documentary on the making of the album that includes previously unreleased footage and interviews from 1976 -1978. It also includes recent concert renditions by Springsteen and the E Street Band, as well as a booklet with photos and copies of his notebooks from the period. A must-have for any fan.
Giller Finalists
The Matter with Morris by David Bergen Light Lifting by Alexander MacLeod This Cake is for the Party by Sarah Selecky Annabel by Kathleen Winter
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Tired of recycling? Try upcycling, and we don’t mean riding up the Dufferin St. Hill. Upcycling, “the process of convert-
ing useless products into new materials or products of better quality”, is the
perfect marriage of green giving and regifting. Previously loved wool sweaters get new life by being sewn into colourful, fun and warm accessories; mittens, legwarmers, puppets and scarves get a bit more funky when crafted of mixed and matched swatches of wool. If you’re crafty, you can do it yourself. Otherwise, find these goodies at The Loop, Natural Habit and at some of the upcoming Christmas craft fairs and bazaars. -Marlene Wandel
Giller Winner
The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrudcharts is about a daughter searching and hoping to understand the truth of her dying father’s life, including something that happened during his tour of duty in Vietnam. As stated by the jury, “The writing here is trip-wire taut as the exploration of guilt, family and duty unfolds.”
Sweaters revisited
www.thunderbaycraftcollective.com New December hours! Sunday: noon – 5 • Mon - Sat: 10 – 6 Dec. 13th - 23rd: 10 – 8 Christmas eve: 9 – 3
Miles Davis
Bitches Brew 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition 3 CDs, 1 DVD, 2 vinyl LPs & booklet Go ahead and buy it, even if you can’t afford it. Buy it and send the proceeds to Miles in Heaven, and he’ll deck himself out with yet another cashmere sports coat of impeccable taste, to wear while he zooms off in his sports car. He’ll even turn his back on you after you buy it and it will completely be worth it. Remember: while he’s playing, he’s in charge. Miles Davis broke through multiple musical boundaries by introducing jazz-fusion to the world, and you should listen to this recording any way you can (humbly, no doubt). It’s only one chapter of the bible that is the music of Miles Davis, incomparable jazz trumpeter, but this anniversary edition includes lots of bonus bells and whistles.
Ravi Shankar and George Harrison
Closed for the holidays on the 25th, 26th, 31st, 1st and 2nd.
Choose the Craft Collective for one of a kind, handmade, and unique gifts. Offering clothing, jewellery, art, and accessories for self and home. Gift certificates available!
197 Algoma St S. (upstairs) Tel: 285-4794
Collaborations
3 CDs, 1 DVD, booklet & numbered limited-edition box set Before there was ‘world music’, there was Ravi Shankar bringing his world to the west via George Harrison and the Beatles. This package has 1974 concert footage of Ravi Shankar’s Music Festival From India, three albums’ worth of music (Chants of India, The Ravi Shankar Music Festival From India, and Shankar Family and Friends). The book, with a forward by Philip Glass, pulls from each musician’s archives of photos and words. The release is in commemoration of Ravi Shankar’s ninetieth birthday. This is music to bring your mind to a higher plane.
The Walleye
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theArts Food
theArts
Renaissance Man: Steve Gerow By William Gross
Sometimes out of adversity rises beauty. Steve Gerow is a Thunder Bay painter and sculptor whose work is as unique as it is beautiful. As a child, Gerow was affected by an illness that put him in casts and left him unable to be a typically active child. During his all too many hospital visits, Gerow began to sketch and doodle. He found himself sketching versions of the charts and medical apparatus around him, and “skeletal” figures in various action poses. Even though he had an obvious gift for visual art, Gerow didn’t realize his potential until his wife inspired him to pursue the craft.
Evolation
Definitely Superior Art Gallery
DefSup
Evolation, a play on evolution and revelation, is the theme for the 22nd annual regional juried exhibition at Definitely Superior Art Gallery. This is the only professional juried exhibition in Northwestern Ontario, featuring 25-30 selected local and regional artists. Check out the gala opening reception on Friday December 3rd at 7 pm.
Gerow points out how his paintings reflect the medical joints and ribs that consumed his childhood. The subjects in his paintings also reflect a radiant force shaping his choice of colours to convey a positive energy. Gerow’s sculptures are organic in shape. Using soapstone, he creates animal and abstract sculptures with unique flow and folds. His soapstone creations also include functional art such as jewelry. He has also cornered a unique niche market, creating stone shifter knobs for vehicles. The original shifter knobs have been featured in national motorcycle chopper magazines with specific mention as being the “favourite part of the bike” by the builders. Steve Gerow’s artistic and creative talents are far reaching–from painting and sculpture, to chopper building, to creating pieces for aboriginal regalia.
1975 wAs A VEry gOOd yEAr –
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Steve Gerow’s work can be seen on Facebook at StevOStoneWorx.
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The Walleye
311 Victoria Ave. E. Thunder Bay, ON
fresh air walleye ad.indd 1
TEL 623-9393 ToLL-frEE 1-877-311-9393
11/19/10 The Walleye
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2:21:06 PM
Digitally Mastered
theWALL
By A. Arnone
Local self-taught artist Randy Monteith has been making a name for himself in the digital art community. He has been interviewed by the British Photoshop magazine PhotoShop Creative, his work featured on the cover of .PSD PhotoShop magazine, and had one of his images chosen by Digital Artist Magazine to be their “Pic of the Week.” He has also won a Digital Art Award in Sojie 8 for Excellence in Surrealism. His most popular piece at present is titled “Broken Beyond Repair.”Monteith’s interest in the kind of images he creates started in his teens with the cover art done by Hugh Syme for the band Rush. As a fan, Monteith was drawn to the style and imagination present in those covers, but did not begin to make art himself until seven years ago, when he received an e-mail of a composite animal and decided that he could do better. He worked after his family had gone to sleep and taught himself to navigate Photoshop by solving problems and occasionally using magazines and books for reference. “To be a creative thinker,” says Monteith, “sometimes you need to unlearn all the bad lessons you have learned. As you get older, you tend to put limitations on yourself.” He is also inspired by the work of Steve Caplin, one of the foremost PhotoShop artists in the world.
Christmas Nostalgia Holding the line of tradition, and adding strands of our own By Marlene Wandel
istock
Monteith uses his own photos, stock photos and the work of Marcus J Ranum. In one piece, “Stardust Chameleon,” he used a photo of wallpaper from his bedroom window to create the celestial pattern wrapped around the figure’s skin. Although he would be interested in displaying his work in a physical gallery, Monteith thinks that displaying his work in an online gallery is “great because you can get seen. Over 250,000 international artists subscribe to [the pay-on-demand site where his work is available] redbubble.com.” A piece that stands out for him is “The Otherside of No Tomorrow,” because he spent up to 50 hours trying to recreate the effect of a bullet tearing a playing card in the style of Dr. Harold Edgerton. To Monteith, the computer is just another tool for creating a work of art. “The only thing that matters is the end result, not how you got to it.”
CHRISTMAS SALE on til BOXING DAY! Community Arts & Heritage Education Project (CAHEP) Lake Superior Art Gallery & Framing Centre With every watercolour framing order
GET ONE FREE SHEET
of equal size Arches Watercolour Paper (while supplies last)
Support arts education for the schools and community of Thunder Bay. Purchase a set of five art cards created by young learners participating in CAHEP’s programming. You can find these cards for sale in the Lake Superior Art Gallery.
» 12 Lesson Package, choose your instrument! $248.00 - A great gift! » 80 Guitars and Basses ON SALE! » Incredible Short-Scale and Mini Guitars and Basses, $189 and $199 - Free Bag. » 20 Plus Drum Sets On Sale! $498 and up! » Dream Cymbals On SALE! » Acoustic and Digital Pianos including KORG SP 250 on Sale! $450 and up! Delivery available. » Most SALE items are one only, once gone they are GONE!
Music WORKSHOP #101-430 Waterloo St. South (Neighbouring the DaVinci Ctr.)
622-1841 • musicworkshopdirect.com Lake Superior Art Gallery 605 E. Victoria Ave., Victoriaville Centre, 622-7573 www.LakeSuperiorArtGallery.com
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The Walleye
SCHOOL & STORE
‘Tis the season: for twinkly lights and menorah, snowmen, and wet mittens on the radiator. It seems impossible for anyone not to love the beginning of winter, with the true depth of cold still a few weeks away. There is all the hope and promise of some time off work or school at the end of the month due to the cultural, religious and retail phenomenon we call Christmas. Wherever and however you grew up, you probably celebrate something this month, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanza, Solstice or Bodhi Day. From how we prepare for our festivities, to the apron we wear while we make the Christmas Eve feast or prepare for the Solstice potluck, to the glimmering lights or candelabra that shine in winter’s darkness, our choices are often rooted in tradition and nostalgia. The tradition of the season is part of the magic. There is an excitement to revisiting music, decorations and food that are lovingly stored away for most of the year. Memories of holidays past surface with these items and rituals that are earmarked for just this season. It’s almost a rite of passage to stray from your roots to some degree in adulthood; in December, in the waning light of the year, we tend to go home— if not literally, then at least in tradition. Our cultural identity is rarely as clear as it is during a holiday or festival. When I was young, it was a short walk to the eternal kingdom of weird to have a distinct cultural history that
didn’t include turkey, pumpkin pie, or Santa Claus. As a child and a first generation immigrant in northern Ontario, my biggest wish was to blend in; also, the whole pumpkin pie thing sounded intriguing. At our house, pumpkins were placed on par with turnips, which were disparaged as cattle food (along with corn), and Christmas gifts were brought by some (still) baffling incarnation of a baby flying through your window while you had dinner on Christmas Eve. No poultry graced our table, but rather sausage and sauerkraut. The tree was real and never erected before Dec. 24th. It also had straw stars and real candles on it, and a bucket of water or two standing beside it. It was lit for a grand total of about 20 minutes. We would all breathe a collective sigh of relief that the house didn’t burn down, and then carry on with the business of Christmas presents and over-eating the Zimtsterne and Springerle that were my favourites of the Christmas cookies. It certainly wasn’t a typical Christmas by anyone else’s standard—but that’s the whole point. No one’s traditions are typical by anyone else’s standard. As adults we return joyfully to those distinct rituals and traditions that we once feared were weird, and they are now comforting. Generations past live on through us as we hold the line of tradition, adding strands of our own over the years. May your holiday—whatever it is— feel like home. The Walleye
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EVENTCalendar
DecemberEVENTCalendar TOPfive
the
December 3
December 10, 7pm & 11, 1pm
December 17
Until January 9
December 11
December 26
Canadian Pacific Holiday Train
Once Upon a Happily Ever After... When Fairy Tales Collide
Portraits by Aboriginal Artists: Steeling the Gaze
“O’pltek (It is Not Right)” Ursula A. Johnson
Doug Gorrie
Wiggins Productions Presents Super Sexy Sunday
Canadian Pacific Train Station The Holiday Train is one of Canadian Pacific’s main ambassadors in working with food banks in communities across North America. The schedule includes stops at several communities in Northwestern Ontario, including one at 9:45 p.m. at the CP station, 440 Syndicate Avenue. Visitors are asked to bring a non-perishable food item. www.cpr.ca. December 3
Evolation – 22nd Anniversary Regional Juried Exhibition
Gala Opening Reception, 7-10 pm Definitely Superior Art Gallery Featuring 25-30 individual, eclectic and diverse contemporary artists in the only professional paid juried format exhibition in the region and one of the best multi-disciplinary shows of the year. www.definitelysuperior.com December 3
Break of Day Sarah Furlotte-Paintings/ Mixed Media
Gala Opening Reception, 7-10 pm Definitely Superior Art Gallery First solo exhibition of exciting new paintings and box art forms in various mediums. As Furlotte explains, she likes to approach a piece of work uninhibited, free of constraints and has learned it takes longer to free yourself than to attempt to render realism. www.definitelysuperior.com December 3
Spooks Of Hazard Vov Abraxas-MusicMultimedia Performance
Gala Opening Reception, 7-10 pm Definitely Superior Art Gallery Spooks Of Hazard and Vov Abraxas provide a Multimedia performative experience with their consistently original and innovative musical stylings and video works, with a live performance at the Fri. Dec. 3rd opening reception.
www.definitelysuperior.com www.youtube.com/thevovabraxas www.myspace.com/vovabraxas
December 4, 7pm
NOSM 2nd Annual Holiday Concert St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
An evening of music to celebrate the season performed by talented local musicians with proceeds to support the ‘Friends of Olivia’ foundation. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Doors open at 6:30. December 5, 11am
Frostbite Run
Hosted by the Thunder Bay Metre Eaters, this 7km out and back run from Loch Lomond promises prizes and a lunch at the Neebing afterwards. Entry forms can be picked up at Fresh Air Experience and the Canada Games Complex.
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Paramount Theatre Directed by Spencer Hari, this original production was written and will be performed by members of Eleanor Drury Children’s Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults and children 12 and under pay $5. December 11, 8pm
TBSO Pops - Very Merry Holiday Pops
Alongside the TBSO, local choirs and community groups will perform choruses and carols to add a festive sparkle to the season. Adults: $38. Children 12 & under: $13. 807-684.4444 www.tbca.com Dec 10-12th; 16-19th, 8 pm
A Christmas Carol
Fort William Historical Park Performances of the Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol have become somewhat of a holiday tradition in the city. The play is staged in the Great Hall at the Fort William Historical Park. Guests are asked to arrive at the Visitor Centre no later than 7:45 p.m. to be bussed down to the Great Hall. Tickets: $10 for seniors and students; $15 for adults; available at Fort William Historical Park and Global Experience. 807-473-2344 www.fwhp.ca Until December 11
Plaid Tidings by Stuart Ross
Magnus Theatre Directed by Mario Crudo, this sequel to Magnus’ previous hit, Forever Plaid, is decorated with all of the holiday trimmings. Expect high-energy entertainment through the voices and steps of Frankie, Sparky, Jinx and Smudge. 807-345-5552 www.magnus.on.ca Until December 12
“Don’t Eat the Fish” Christian Chapman
Thunder Bay Art Gallery Christian Chapman’s Don’t Eat the Fish exhibition features large-scale, mix media paintings. Champman uses a “Don’t” maxim for each piece, and includes a wide-range of silk-screened images of political leaders, wellknown icons and actors, as a way of examining the contemporary world. 807-577-6427 www.theag.ca amackay@theag.ca
Thunder Bay Art Gallery Drawing on the collections of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography and the National Gallery of Canada, Portraits by Aboriginal Artists: Steeling the Gaze explores the images of Aboriginal People’s created by twelve celebrated Aboriginal artists. 807-577-6427 www.theag.ca amackay@theag.ca December 23
Stewie’s 39th Annual Christmas Fest
Tonic Night Club At its peak, Stewie’s Christmas Fest was held at the Fort William Gardens with about 2500 in attendance-not bad for a group of local high school friends who vowed to spend every December 23rd together. For almost 40 years, Dr. Stewart Kennedy’s Christmas fest has raised money for a variety of charities. This year all proceeds go to the Special Olympics. Tickets are $10 and available at the Special Olympics office and Dr. Kennedy’s office, 24 Court Street North. December 23
The 8th Annual Ischkinakker Shaker
CLE Coliseum Having raised more than $50,000 for local charities, Kate Ischkin and Johnny DeBakker started this fundraising event while in university in 2003. This year’s proceeds will help fund the Justice Ronald B. Lester Memorial Foundation. $15 at the door.
johnny@ischkinakkershaker.com katie@ischkinakkershaker.com www.ischkinakkershaker.com
Until Christmas Fridays, 12-5; Saturdays, 11-3
Christmas Gift Market at the Painted Turtle
Sip hot apple cider and shop for handmade local gifts including cards, gem soaps, jewelery, and more. 807-344-4636 www.paintedturtleart.com info@paintedturtle.com December 31, 5 pm
Brita’s Resolution Run
Thunder Bay Art Gallery Ursula A. Johnson’s solo exhibition, O’pltek (It is Not Right) draws on traditional Mi’kmaw practices with basketry weaves to create a series of works that not always adheres to conventional basket form. 807-577-6427 www.theag.ca amackay@theag.ca
MUSIC SCENE
December 1
World AIDS Day Benefit Concert & Silent Auction The L.U. Study $10/15 December 2
Concert for a Cause Cancer Benefit Black Pirates Pub $8 or 4 with food item December 3
Art School-Weigh Anchors
December 17, 18
Dr. Buck and the Blues Bangers
Nordic Lounge, Valhalla Inn 19+ December 17
Little House w/ Locals Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA
Black Pirates Pub $7, 19+
Dowtown Cumberland Blues with Dr. Buck and the Bluesbangers The Office/Crocks $5, 19+ December 4
Sugar Shakedown
Pure Finesse The Apollo $6, 19+
Christmas Bells - Rafiki Youth Choir
Community Auditorium $33, All Ages
December 31, 6-10pm
Nordic Lounge, Valhalla Inn 19+
Shambhala DJ (Presented by Tony Dekker) Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA December 10, 11
Mood Indigo
December 29
Burnz n’ Hell Holiday Throwdown
Bellaclava & Friends Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA December 31
New Years Bash - 3 Venues, 1 Price (Jacks/ Office/BPP)
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, proceeds to Prostate Cancer Canada Network $30 adults, $15 students www.fmca.ca tickets@fwmc.ca December 4, 7 p.m.
Northern Ontario School of Medicine 2nd Annual Holiday Concert
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Proceeds to the Friends of Olivia Foundation Tickets available from PUSH Fitness Centre, Coran’s Music Centre $10 advance, $12 door www.friendsofolivia.org
December 7, 8 p.m.
Then and Now - TBSO
Hilldale Lutheran Church $27 general, $13 student 807-684-4444 info@tbso.ca www.tbso.ca December 11, 8 p.m.
A Very Merry Holiday Pops - TBSO
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium $38 adult/senior, $13 child/ student 807-684-4444 info@tbso.ca www.tbso.ca
1160 Memorial Ave Thunder Bay
Let the Valhalla Inn do your holiday cooking for you!
Wax Philosophic Waximas Party
Enjoy a slow roasted turkey with chestnut and sage stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, maple-glazed root vegetables, cranberry sauce and yule log. (serves 8 to 10 people)
December 22
Miracles Await Fundraiser Mosse Lodge #844 $6, All Ages
Specially priced at just
The Speedway Detectives Reunion Show
139
$
Black Pirate’s Pub $5, 19+
Please call in advance as quantities are limited.
December 23
Doobsie’s Band 5th Annual Christmas Show The Hodder Tavern $5, 19+
Snow Pants Romance Dance Party
Last Band Standing
December 24
Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA
Prelude to Christmas Fort William Male Choir
Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA
St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Tickets available from Coran’s Music, Finnport and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church $18 adults, $8 students
Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA
Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA
Local Artist Showcase
St. Agnes Church Tickets available from Rollason Flowers, Hull’s Family Bookstores, Finnish Bookstore/Kitchen Nook $10 advance, $12 door 577-8805 December 3 and 4, 8 p.m.
Sugar Shakedown
Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA
The Spirit of Christmas - Lakehead Choral Group
Celebration of Christmas - Dulcisono Women’s Choir
The Promise w/ Amelia, Maraday Park, The Other Colour & Flash Gordon
December 10 Kilroys $5, All Ages
December 28
December 1, 8 p.m.
December 5, 3:00 p.m.
December 20
Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA
Alexisonfire
Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA, 19+
December 30
Black Pirate’s Pub $10, 19+
December 5
December 6
Helliday Bash - The Wayback’s Last Show
Drive - Cover Show
December 21
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium $40
December 27
December 18
Black Pirates Pub $TBA
The Irish Rovers
Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA, 19+
Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church $8 adults, $5 students 345-3423 rafikiyouthchoir@shaw.ca
Celebration on Ice
GENERAL FOOD ART SPORTS MUSIC
Scuttlebutts Bar and Grill $5, 19+
Jean-Paul De Roover
December 16, 7pm
Fort William Historical Park Ring in 2011 with an evening of family fun, offering plenty of entertainment both indoors and out. Enjoy live music, theatre, a magic show, sleigh rides, plenty of hot treats and fireworks. www.fwhp.ca
Christmas at Scuttlebutts, DJ MC Dirty
December 19, 3 p.m.
December 8
New Year’s Eve Family Frolic
December 16
The Apollo $TBA
The Running Room Kickstart your New Year’s healthy pledges by signing up for this year’s Resolution Run – 5 and 10 km walk/ run. 807-344-7575 www.runningroom.com
Fort William Gardens 901 Miles Street See some of the brightest Canadian figure skaters on home ice - including recent Olympic Bronze medalist Joanne Rochette as well as several local performers. www.thunderbay.ca/fwgardens www.celebrationsonice.ca
Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA
OTHER MUSIC EVENTS
Bean Fiend/Red Earth Christmas Mega Party Black Pirate’s Pub $TBA
1 Valhalla Inn Road • 577-1121
www.valhallainn.com
The Walleye
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theEYE Food
Christmas at the
Local, handmade gifts at Artisans Northwest & the Potters Guild Show and Sale
Top of the Harbour Custom Framing
8 Court St. S.
www.chenierfinearts.ca
All photos: Darren McChristie
interior design for today’s lifestyle
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The Walleye
With metered on-street parking spaces (2 hrs FREE on weekends), a nearby parking garage, as well as a surface parking lot off of Park Ave., the Top of the Harbour is the perfect place for your Christmas shopping and entertaining! The Ruby Moon, Chenier Fine Arts and Locomotion are located just south of Red River Rd. in Ruttan Block on Court St. South and Living Concepts is just around the corner on Park Ave.
Updated website!
Debra, bfa
346-0409
Looking for the Perfect Gift? New Studio: 2 7 5 Pa r k A v e Thunder Bay, ON Ph: 807-623-5004 Fa x : 8 0 7 - 6 2 3 - 9 2 5 5
The Walleye
43
THE ALL-NEW 2011 JETTA Lease the 2011 Jetta Trendline+, with Air Conditioning from
$199
/month
for 48 months
at
4.9%
APR *
A small price to pay to make your neighbour jealous.
2011 Golf
$ 229 /month 3.9 % APR *
48-month lease
2011 Tiguan
$ 329 /month 3.9 % APR *
48-month lease
Downtown Volkswagen
2011 CC
$ 399 /month 3.9 % APR *
48-month lease
vw.ca
www.downtownvw.com or visit allnewjetta.ca
manual transmission / 5-speed manual transmission / 6-speed manual transmission / 6-speed manual transmission. Dealer may lease for less. $1,365/$1,365/$1,580/$1,365 freight and PDI included in monthly payment. 48-month term. January 3, 2011 and are subject to change or cancellation without notice. Dealer order/trade may be necessary. 2011 Jetta Sportline 2.5L as shown is $25,098. 2011 Golf 2.5L as shown is $25,698. 2011 Tiguan 2.0T as shown is $43,238. 2011 CC 2.0T as shown is $41,073. Models may not be exactly as shown. “Volkswagen”, the Volkswagen logo, “Jetta”, “Golf” and “Tiguan” are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG. “Das Auto & Design” and “CC” are trademarks of Volkswagen AG. © 2010 Volkswagen Canada.