walleye the
Thunder Bay’s arts & culture alternative
ARTS CULTURE MUSIC FOOD FILM
FREE Vol l No 1
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Our Persian the true story
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Gait autet ametummy nostisi. Quam velesectetum iure vullumm odoleni smolore tin hent delit praessi. p 14 The Walleye
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JULY EVENTS CALENDAR
EVERY WEDNESDAY
TOP 40 - HIP HOP - DANCE - HOUSE
BLUESFEST AFTER PARTY WARPED 45’S JULY 9TH & 10TH
BLUESFEST WRAP UP LIVE MUSIC - JULY 11TH
HIGHJULYON FIRE 14TH
Tickets $15 Advance Available At The Urban Boutique - Valentes - Ozone(Memorial), Extreme Pita & Online At Loffredo.ca
FIVE ALARM FUNK JULY 27TH Twelve-piece Afro-Funk, Rock, Latin Band
ALL CONCERTS AT THE OFFICE / CROCKS 16 Cumberland St. S
Loffredo & Associates strives to be the leader in live entertainment in Thunder Bay. Loffredo & Associates hosts national and international acts as well as supports homegrown talent.
www.loffredo.ca - 807-344-3123 - promo@loffredo.ca
Contents
walleye the
Thunder Bay’s arts & culture alternative
Editor-in-chief/Design Darren McChristie Editor Tiffany Jarva Art Director John-Paul Marion Contributing Editor Michelle McChristie Copy Editors Nancy Ewachow Business Manager Doug McChristiie Advertising Sales Shannon Everett 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.
From the Editor
Why Walleye?
As a child most of the fish I would consider eating was fake: frozen fish sticks dipped in tartar sauce and fish burgers complete with fries, with one exception: butter-fried, beer-battered, freshly-caught walleye. I remember thinking: this melts in my mouth and it doesn’t smell or taste like “fishy” fish at all. When fishing off a dock or in a small boat it was always exciting to reel in a fish, but then slightly disappointing when it wasn’t a walleye but a boney, pointy pike. As kids, our goal was always to try to catch as many walleye as possible. Although, growing up in Thunder Bay, we always called our walleye pickerel, which apparently isn’t technically correct (a bit of a misnomer because pickerel actually means a diminutive pike, which it is not.). As an adult I still love to eat walleye, although now I like it with just a little butter, garlic, lemon and a pinch of pepper.
Superior Outdoors Inc. Suite 242, 1100 Memorial Avenue, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 4A3 Telephone (807) 627-3017; 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
When brainstorming names for the magazine, we wanted to choose something reflective of Thunder Bay and the northwest. Hinterland, The Birch and Amethyst were all considered but the one name we kept returning to was The Walleye. Perhaps, we thought, it’s time to look at ourselves differently. To be walleyed means to have one eye looking off, or wandering, in a different direction. The existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre was nicknamed “Walleye” because of his off-eye peering into the distance. When I first read Sartre’s
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Nausea in university I was struck by his ability to capture the feeling of existential “angst”. I knew of the “nausea” he described but didn’t quite know what it was and it was a revelation to me, at the sweet age of twenty-one, that this feeling of angst could be captured in writing and become a shared experience or emotion. As a new monthly arts and culture magazine, we want to be a shared experience. We want to be the publication that looks off in different directions, uncovering the less-known, and revealing the stories of the people, events and things that help shape and define us – the eye on the wall. When I used to live in North Van, I looked forward to reading the free arts and entertainment magazine, The Georgia Straight, on my seabus ride to work, and although I couldn’t attend all the events, I certainly felt more connected to the city when I knew what was going on. And there’s a lot going on in Thunder Bay. In our inaugural issue, the photo essay “The Not-So-Known TBay” looks at some of our lessknown local people, places and things from an outsider’s point of view. It’s hard to ignore the success and civic pride emanating from Jordan Burnell’s viral YouTube sensation, My Hometown, and it seems many of us want to spread the good word about our city. Having consulted with the public in March, The City is trying to coordinate the complex task of creating and implementing a cultural plan with more details to be announced in September. In our city feature story Diverse Derby (page x), we take you behind the scenes of a growing sport that promotes skill, strength and friendship. Chef Rachel Globensky dishes on the summer trend of cooking with local edible flowers. Also, summer is in the air and that means music festival season (page x) is upon us. Check out what some of our local musical talent is up to, including the very busy aboriginal singer Shy-Anne Hovorka and behind the scenes of musician JP DeRoover’s new video. Walleye season is open. Kick back and enjoy the read. TJ A special thanks to all of our supporters and contributors. This could never have been done without you.
Contents
FEATURES
■ 5 Cover Story: The Persian ■ 5 Chambers on Cue ■ 5 Cover Story: The Persian
MUSIC ■ 5 The Persian ■ 5 The Persian ■ 5 The Persian
LIFESTYLE ■ 5 Living off Grid ■ 5 Thunder Bay Culture ■ 5 Cover Story: The Persian
message from the publisher
Welcome to The Walleye. Darren McChristie
The launch of this publication comes after two years of careful thought, discussion and consideration about Thunder Bay’s burgeoning arts and culture scene. The scene has developed at a grass roots level, much like The Walleye. Our goal is to provide a fresh, new look on the people, places, and events that shape the cultural identity of Thunder Bay. By providing independent and local media coverage, we will support and nourish the strong art, music and film industry and the evolving face of Thunder Bay. As publishers we want to make a few promises to you - the reader. We do not, nor will we ever, sell editorial space. While flipping through many of the publications currently available in Thunder Bay, you may have noticed an obvious trend – an ad conveniently placed beside a glowing article on the same business that placed the ad. We call this an advertorial - an advertisement promoting the interests or
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opinions of a business, often presented in such a way as to resemble legitimate editorial content. While this is ideal for some advertisers, it insults the intelligence of the reader while undermining the true success stories in our community. At The Walleye, our content is authentic, timely and informative. Our readers will not have to wade through a sea of ads to find editorial and our stories will be presented to you by local writers and photographers. Our event listing aims to be the most comprehensive and useful found anywhere in the city – look to us to discover the myriad of events going on in and around Thunder Bay. Look to us for positive reinforcement on why we’ve chosen to live in this great community. We want your feedback. Let us know what you like or what we can improve (constructive criticism, please). Let us know what would you like to see in
upcoming issues. If you have a story idea, share it with us through our facebook page or website (snail mail works too). Most importantly, please support the businesses that have supported our first issue. They didn’t buy ads because we promised them a glowing article on their business – they are progressive businesses and true supporters of the arts and culture scene in Thunder Bay. As enthusiastic members of the community, the staff of The Walleye are itching to bring you insightful stories and commentary on Thunder Bay’s arts and culture scene. For the past two years we’ve felt like a team of sled dogs being held back at the start of the race. With this, our first issue, there’s no stopping us.
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Taj Mahal
Sunday July 11, 9:30 pm Thunder Bay Blues Fest Marina Park
How many artists are walking encyclopedias of American and world roots music? The American with the rich voice and a forty year music career, Taj Mahal (whose name came to him in a dream while in college) brings his trio and a new album to this year’s Thunder Bay Blues Fest.
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The Wailin’ Jennies July 12 The Great Canadian Rendezvous, Fort William Historical Park
If you’re craving sweet, high harmonies, the Wailin’ Jennies are playing the Great Canadian Rendezvous. They’ve been honing their three voice sound, touring from Winnipeg around the world. If we can’t see Linda Ronstadt, Emilylou Harris and Dolly Parton together again, this will do nicely, thanks. $10 at the gate.
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The 100th Anniversary of Finlandia Club July 22-25 Bay + Algoma
An iconic building in Port Arthur, the historical Finlandia Club not only houses The Hoito and hosts Finnish wedding receptions where polka reigns, it is also used by a wide-range of community partners including The Bay Street Film Festival. Celebrate its 100th birthday along with Finn culture all weekend long including live music on the hour, a street festival, food, beer tent and a golf tournament. For more info check out: www. finlandiaclub100.com
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12th Annual Dragon Boat Festival July 16 & 17 Boulevard Lake
Watch diverse teams race in colourful dragon boats to the beat of a drum, all for charity. The weekend festival on Boulevard Lake includes plenty of races, paddlers of all ages, food, vendors and live entertainment.
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World Junior Baseball Championships July 23 to Aug 1 Port Arthur Stadium
Watch international-level baseball competition at the Port Arthur Stadium, as Thunder Bay hosts the IBAF 2010 AAA 18U World Junior Baseball Championships. Twelve teams from all over the world including South America, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific will compete in a total of 46 games. www.tbibaseball.ca
The Walleye
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CoverStory
THE PERSIAN: Incontestably Unique
Having been born and raised in Thunder Bay, I’ve eaten more than a few persians. As an elementary and high school student, I supported many persian sales – the quintessential school council fundraiser. I’m not sure why, but Persian Day always seemed to fall on a Wednesday. Maybe the teachers acknowledged that even kids need a little push to make it through the week. While eating the oblong-shaped, cinnamon-swirl doughnut minus the hole plus pink icing, I never contemplated the history of the persian. It was not until my sister moved to Toronto that I learned that the persian was unique to Thunder Bay. Since then I’ve heard a few accounts of the persian’s genesis. One story claims that the persian was invented by Bennett’s bakery in the late 1940s and named after an American Army General - John Joseph Pershing, one of the most famous military men in U.S. history. A variation on this theme claims that the name was suggested by a visiting colonel with the surname Persian. I’ve also heard that the first persian was created for and served to a visiting dignitary from Persia. Perhaps nobody has contemplated the history of the Persian more than Professor Gary Genosko at Lakehead University. In an effort to trace the origin of the persian, Professor Genosko’s research team interviewed Hazel Bennett. Mrs. Bennett credited Art
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Bennett as the creative force behind the persian and held fast to the Colonel Persian story. The persian recipe was passed from the Bennetts to the Nuccis, who own and operate the Persian Man. There is strong connection between the military and doughnuts. The lineage of the cream-filled Bismarck can be traced to Germany as the Bismarck was one of the most famous battleships of WWII. During WWI, the Salvation Army “Lassies” delivered doughnuts and hot cocoa to American troops. This might also explain the name of the icing-encased Sally Anne, another treat that is rumoured to be unique to Thunder Bay. The link to John Joseph Pershing might be true, albeit difficult to verify. Perhaps coincidentally, other bakeries, including Pillsbury, have honoured the distinguished General with a glazed, not iced, cinnamon-swirl doughnut. But, the Thunder Bay persian is incontestably unique – we know because, well, we googled it! Thanks to Professor Gary Genosko for his help in sorting out the history of the persian.
THUNDER BAY CULTURE More than just a tasty treat. Most people know that we’re “outdoorsy” on Lake Superior and that the Staal brothers and Paul Shaffer are originally TBay boys. Many know about the Sleeping Giant, Terry Fox Monument, Old Fort William and The Hoito. So, we thought for the inaugural issue of The Walleye, that we’d compile a list of some of our known and perhaps not-so-well-known landmarks, places, things, and people.
The Norval Morrisseau Permanent Collection
The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is home to a permanent collection of Norval Morrisseau, the very influential artist who founded the Woodland Art movement.
The Stanley Burger
The Stanley Tavern is well-worth the trip for a burger and as a departure point for tubing down the Kam River. Our editor reminisces about her first Stanley burger: I was home from university, taking a semester “off”. After burying my head in a friend’s back and squeezing his bush jacket clad body on the back of a snowmobile in what I insisted was a whiteout, but being told, “No, no, no, visibility is fine”, I was grateful to be somewhere warm, playing pool, listening to jukebox tunes, drinking beer and enjoying the unpretentious, greasy deliciousness of a Stanley burger.
The Daredevil
Born in Thunder Bay, Jay Miron is a BMX legend, credited for inventing over 30 crazy tricks including the dou-
The Thunder Bay Restaurant
This is a do-it-yourself, throw-back diner on Bay Street and the owner Denyse Friday would have it no other way. Help yourself to coffee. If busy, you may have to go back to the kitchen to get your order. Language at times like a truckdriver but with a heart-of-gold, Denyse encourages hugs and lots of laughter.
The Persian (see side story)
A sticky treat that’s hard to define to outsiders: a donut and cinnamon bun hybrid with pink icing, sold in gas stations, bakeries and as a fundraiser in schools across town.
The Filmmakers
Kelly Saxberg and Dave Clement co-directed and produced the award-winning 2007 drama Seeking Bimaadiziiwin about depression and suicide among First Nations youth. Watch for Saxberg’s Citoyens du Monde, a 2009 series about international development, filmed in 15 countries.
Find a hall, prizes, a DJ, 50/50 tickets, and don’t forget someone to marry, and you’re good to go. In this city, going to your friend’s shag is a social obligation: it’s the way we get married around here.
Since 2008, the very tall Kevin Durand has been playing Martin Keamy in Lost. Watch for him as Little John alongside Oscar-winner Russell Crowe in the recently-released Robin Hood. Not too shabby for a St.Ignatius boy who used to like to rap in his hometown.
Amethyst
Just outside of the city is the largest amethyst deposit in North America. Take a tour, mine for amethyst or pick your favourite glittery, purple piece at a local gift shop or gallery.
The Gold Olympians
Haley Irwin and Katie Weatherston have proven that in Thunder Bay hockey isn’t just for boys. Irwin, a 2010 Gold Olympian, was the first female to play on an AAA-level boys team in Thunder Bay. Fluent in Italian and also a highlevel soccer player, Weatherston earned Olympic gold in Turin. Although we are well-known for our hockey, perhaps we’re not so well-known for our kick-ass girls that play hockey just as good as the boys.
The Sauna
Apparently we have the largest number of Finns outside of Scandinavia (although a recent rumour indicates that a city in Minnesota has surpassed us), and along with all that sisu, comes pulla, pancakes and, of course, the sauna. Whether we’re heating up in basements, at camp or booking a Friday night at Kangas, the sauna has become one of our city’s embedded past times.
The Folksingers
The Shag
The Hollywood Actor
Fort William is Ian Tamblyn’s birthplace. A Juno Award winner in 1976 for Best Folk Music recording, Tamblyn was also nominated in 2007 as best artist by the Canadian Folk Music Awards for his critically acclaimed Superior: Spirit and Light about life around Lake Superior. The Big Lonely by local folk staple, Rodney Brown, is a rare tribute to our northwest past: complete with songs about voyageurs, the Ojibway, and William McGillivray.
ble back flip. He revolutionized vert and park riding, especially in the early nineties. He is a multiple X-Games medalist, started his own bike company and has influenced many riders worldwide with his innovative style of riding.
Silver Islet
About an hour away from Thunder Bay, Silver Islet is on the tip of The Sleeping Giant. In the late-1880s the local mine was the largest producer of silver in the world. An extremely popular summer spot for kayakers and home to a range of artists, Silver Islet has slow charm, a lovely view of Lake Superior, cute gift shops and very yummy homemade cinnamon buns at The General Store.
The Theatrical Triple-Threat
A well-known local musician, composer, musical director and singer/songwriter, Danny Johnson has worked with a legendary roster of talents including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Tragically Hip, George Jones, Bo Diddley and Paul Shaffer. Johnson’s spot-on portrayal of Hank Williams in Magnus Theatre’s 2009’s Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave proves that not only can he sing and play guitar, he can act too.
The Largest Lake
Perhaps we don’t celebrate it enough - we live on the WORLD’s LARGEST LAKE. While some may prefer to debate this (by volume or by area), nothing denies the beauty and enormity of this greatest of the great lakes.
The Outdoors
Our abundant wild spaces, countless lakes and rivers are the perfect playground for those who enjoy nature and all it has to offer.
The Tallest Cliffs
The Authors
The author of over a dozen books, magazine articles and a children’s book, Charles Wilkins is probably best-known for Walk to New York and Breakfast at the Hoito: And Other Adventures in the Boreal Heartland. A native of Toronto, Wilkins may have walked away from Thunder Bay in a “mid-life” funk to New York, but he returned. The multi-talented artist, poet and children’s author and illustrator Duncan Weller won the Governor-General’s Award for Illustrations in The Boy from the Sun. Watch for the release of the highly-anticipated The Girl from the Moon.
The legendary Sleeping Giant visible across the great expanse of Thunder Bay is well known for its unique resemblance to a giant lying on its back. But it is less known for its shear cliff face, the highest uninterrupted cliffs in Ontario. For a great view, check out the Thunder Bay Lookout located in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.
The Bon Bon
The Walleye’s crack team of investigative reporters have learned that the Bon Bon sparerib popular in local Chinese food restaurants is a Thunder Bay original. The deep-fried battered rib can be found on the menus of most Chinese restaurants in Thunder Bay.
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When we say we’re going to camp, we don’t mean camp as “fishing”, “bible”, “hunting”, and or “summer” camps. There isn’t a tent or group involved, but instead it’s a getaway place of our own (from shacks with no running water to high-end cabins), usually with some good swimming, an outdoor fire pit, beer and a sauna.
Surf Culture
The best freshwater surfing in found right on the shores of Lake Superior. A bona fide surf community exists in Thunder Bay. You have to look for it though, they can be spotted anywhere from Grand Portage, MN to beaches of Terrace Bay during the best months for surfing, January and February.
The Pick-up Truck
Love ‘em or leave ‘em, the pick-up truck is the vehicle of choice for many Thunder Bay residents. Whether it is for hauling around stuff for camp, or to get into your favourite fishing hole, the truck is the ideal vehicle for our tough northern roads.
The Crazy Canuck
Born in Thunder Bay, Dave Irwin is a two-time Olympian and Alpine Skiing World Cup champion. He was a key member of the “Crazy Canucks”, a group of Canadian downhill racers who rose to prominence on the World Cup circuit in the late 1970s.
The Neil Young Connection
Internationally renowned singer songwriter Neil Young played regularly in Thunder Bay during his early career in the 60s. While here he played a concert at Westgate High School - an image of which can be found on his box set. Young played regularly here at a venue called The Fifth Dimension where he first met and played with Stephan Stills. He would later go on to form the band Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
The Camp
The Pagoda
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Pagoda, the oldest operating tourist bureau in Canada. Built in 1910, this unique landmark was almost demolished in the 70s to make way for urban renewal. Thankfully, its designation as a historical site guaranteed it would never fall victim to the wrecking.
Surf Culture
The best freshwater surfing is found right on the shores of Lake Superior. A bona fide surf community exists in Thunder Bay. You have to look for it though, they can be spotted anywhere from Grand Portage, MN to beaches of Terrace Bay during the best months for surfing, spring and fall.
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FEATURE
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Chambers on Cue
Grand Master Pool Player Vince Chambers Puts TBay on the Map In a back room of Thunder Bay’s Hodder Tavern, there are four pool tables amongst the framed concert posters of The Rolling Stones, The Monkees, Kiss, and a 1977 poster of Elvis. Grand Master pool player Vince Chambers catches a break on his third game (during the final tie-breaking round of the city’s eight-ball team tournament) when his opponent misses while trying to bank the eight-ball. “I think that he was ripped off because that’s a dead rail,” explains Jarmo Huovinen, one of Chambers’ teammates. “Lucky for Vince though.” Chambers proceeds to clear the table accumulating ten points for the team: one point for each ball sunk and three for the eight ball. Lucky this time perhaps, but luck is only part of the game: Chambers is also a very highlyskilled player. “Vince proves year after year that he is the best player in town,” says tournament ref Warren Cottrell. “A lot of this is a mental game. It’s a finesse game, and Vince is very consistent.” Not only the best player in his division in Thunder Bay year after year, Chambers is one of the best amateur singles in the world, placing second in front of a crowd of thousands last year during the 8-Ball Masters single competition in Vegas, part of the BCA National Championships (biggest pool tournie in the world). This year, Chambers has moved up to the Grand Master division (only the top 32 Master players in the world move on to Grand Master designation). This May, Chambers played with the pros and Grand Masters for the first time. “I liked it because there was more pressure. More people watching. It was more exciting because you’re in the elite group of players, playing
in front of bigger crowds. I really like the competitive aspect to it. I play better against better opponents, and when I know there is a crowd expecting good pool.” Overall, Chambers finished a respectable 13th. “Vince is a quiet and very concentrated player,” says Master player Dwight Boucher. “He always has good etiquette and would never do anything to disrupt another player.” Chambers learned how to play snooker as a boy living in small town England. “It takes hours and hours and hours of practice to be any good at snooker,” explains Chambers. “Maybe because I’m used to the bigger snooker tables, it’s easier for me to play on the smaller eight-ball tables,” he says modestly. Choosing to play with a “snooker’ cue, which is smaller and lighter than what most players use, you think it would put a player at a disadvantage. Not the case with Chambers. “I don’t know. The snooker cue just feels right. It’s what I’m used to.” Chambers used to compete in snooker tournaments in Montreal and Toronto, including reaching the semi-finals in The America’s Tour in 2002. “That was a big highlight for me. There were so many people watching.” Another highlight was when Chambers played the 1980 Professional World Snooker Champion, Cliff Thorburn, and blew him away twice. “That was pretty cool.” Chambers eventually traded in snooker for 8 and 9 ball because snooker wasn’t that popular in Canada, “especially in Thunder Bay.” Chambers leans very still against a wall for the majority of his games, arms crossed, watching quietly, chewing gum, strategizing. “I don’t think of the
safeties that he does,” comments Margaret Chambers, Vince’s wife and a former pool player in her own right. “It’s amazing to watch.” Chambers walks briskly around the table, analyzing the position of the balls. “Watch his chin go back and forth like the Six Million Dollar Man,” she advises as he sets up his cue to take a shot. “That means he’s trying.” In addition to Chambers, Thunder Bay sends many talented players who qualify to compete internationally in Vegas. “I don’t have any stats to back me, but I think we send the highest number of competitive pool players per capita in the world to Vegas,” says Cottrell. League coordinator Jodi Mason hazards a guess as to why there are so many good players in Thunder Bay: “Pool goes all year round in this city. And like any sport, you have to practice, practice, practice to be any good. Players from here play a lot.” With three leagues running in the city, pool is a huge subculture with a diverse cross-section of players including engineers, millrights, business owners, students, and police officers. “Let’s go Vince,” team members clap, clap, clap quickly and rather quietly when Chambers steps up to play his fourth game at The Hodder. He quietly and quickly clears the table after the opposing player misses a shot, increasing the lead significantly, and eventually securing the team a victory and a trip to Vegas. Interested in playing league pool (Senior’s Singles, Women’s, Open Mixed, True Mixed, Team, Men’s, 8 and 9 Ball)? Check out: www.tbaypoolleague.com The Walleye
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Food
Have Your Rose and Eat it Too Rachel Globensky
When they’re hungry and in need of a nice, light snack, I bet most people don’t think of nibbling from the flower garden. Wouldn’t be my first choice, either, but, edible flowers, a popular garnish in Michelin-starred European restaurants in the ‘70s and ‘80s, have recently popped up again in foodie magazines and home kitchens across Canada. People have been eating flowers almost since the beginning of recorded time. Who knows what triple-dog-dare prompted Cro-Magnon frat boys to graze on strange-looking wildflowers? Flowers have long been used globally in food preparation: ancient Romans had a soft spot for violets and roses; Chinese cooks used daylilies to spruce up their culinary offerings; rose petals have been a staple in Asian-Indian cookery; and the Hispanic culture has often included squash blossoms, in some form, on their dinner plates. Queen Victoria, thought by some to be hard-nosed and unsmiling, must’ve fancied a little floral adornment on her plum pudding: edible flower garnishes were especially popular during her reign. Most flowers are roughly 95% water, and are therefore not very nutritionally dense. However, the pollen contained therein is rich in vitamins and minerals. Roses and rosehips (the fruit of a rose bush) are very high in vitamin C. Marigolds and nasturtiums contain vitamin C. Dandelion blossoms and leaves are loaded with both vitamins A and C, and their leaves are high in iron, calcium, phosphorous. Artichokes and President Bush’s nutritional nemesis, broccoli, are both flower buds and are stars for providing fibre and vitamin C, with artichokes also providing magnesium and potassium. All kidding aside, please remember that not all flowers are edible, and that eating the wrong ones can make you incredibly sick. Also, if you’re buying from a grower, make sure your floral edibles have been grown without any chemicals. That being said, after you’re sure you have the right type of organically-grown blooms, have at’er, but be forewarned – eating flowers in large quantities (e.g.: a salad composed solely of pretty blossoms) have been known to cause ‘digestive complications’ (insert bathroom jokes here). The following is a listing of some of the edibles locally available during Northwestern Ontario’s short-ish growing season. • Dandelions – Taraxacum officinale – Officially, the bane of lawn perfectionists everywhere. Turns out, their young blossoms have a sweet, honey-like flavour, whereas the mature flowers are bitter. I guess by then, they’ve become beat down by life! Apparently, dandelion buds trump the yellow blooms in taste and texture—it’s best to pick the gumball-sized prizes when they are tightly bunched in the centre and are very close to the ground. You can steam, eat raw, or make a spectacularly potent wine. • Chive Blossoms ¬– Allium schoenoprasum – Being the culinary word-nerd that I am, I noticed that chives are a direct relative to regular, plain ol’ garlic (Allium vinale). What I didn’t
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Great Things Happening On Paul’s Street
We Forecast an Amazing Summer filled with World-Class Entertainment! Visit The Box Office at 1 Paul Shaffer Drive or call 684-4444 to order up your summer fun.
• Borage – Borago officinalis – These lovely, blue flowers taste reminiscently of cucumber, and are great in punch, lemonade, gin and tonic (hello!), sorbets, chilled soups, and dips.
Visit www.tbca.com for the full line-up
Tuesday July 20
Saturday July 24
Saturday July 31
Saturday August 14
Too busy to save the planet this weekend?
Try a few quick and easy ways to protect Lake Superior…
Keep cigarette butts off the
ground – they do not biodegrade, and they leach a host of toxic chemicals into lakes and rivers. Return old or unneeded
medicines to your pharmacy - flushing them or pouring them down the drain can impact fish, wildlife and drinking water sources. Don’t burn garbage—at home or at camp – recycle what you can and landfill the rest. Burning creates serious toxins harmful to human health and the environment.
see coming, was the familial tie to Asparagus officinalis, or asparagus, They are all part of the Liliaceae clan. That’s why grilled asparagus drizzled with garlicky-olive oil and sprinkled with chives taste so darn good – it’s in the genes. Chive blossoms have a mild, onion-y flavour, and can be used in a salad to amp it up a notch.
Call or visit our office for help with all your environmental questions. Rain Barrels and Composters on sale now!
212 Miles St. E. 624-2140 www.ecosuperior.org
• Chamomile – Chamaemelum nobile – The tiny, daisy-looking blossoms have a sweet apple-y flavour, and are especially good infused into a tea to help soothe a headache – maybe you’d need this if you indulged in too many G&Ts loved-up with borage. • Lilac – Syringa vulgaris – Quite beautiful and fragrant, and not at all vulgar, lilac blossoms have a distinct lemony/floral taste, and are good in salads or crystallized with egg whites and sugar. • Nasturtiums – Tropaeolum majus – Though most of the plant can be used in various incarnations for food preparation, the blossoms impart a sweet, spicy flavour akin to that of watercress. If you’re feeling fancy, you can use a cream cheese-chive mousse, a piping bag, and some patience to stuff the whole blossom. • Pansy – Viola X wittrockiana – used primarily as garnishes in fruit or green salads, desserts or soup, this simply-shaped relative of the violet is both strong and beautiful. Eaten alone, the petals have a mild, grassy taste, but if you eat the whole flower, there is a wintergreen overtone. Who needs breath mints when you have pansies around?
• Roses – Rosa rugalis or R. gallica officinalis – The unofficial flower of love has a taste that is, “reminiscent of strawberries and green apples,” and “sweet, with subtle undertones ranging from fruit to mint to spice.” (www.whatscookingamerica. net) I’ve had rose petals, rose hips and rosewater, and they all just taste like, well, roses. Maybe I have an uncultured palate, but to me, there’s no mistaking the taste of a rose. All organically-grown rose varieties are edible, though their flavours depend on type, colour and soil conditions. You can use them to garnish ice cream, desserts and bath-water, a la cheesy hair-band video. • Squash blossoms –Curcubita pepo – As already mentioned, these delicate, orangey flowers are edible and taste like, get this: squash! Usually, only the blossoms taken from the male plant are used, but because I’m not up on my monoecious pollinating plants, I don’t really know how to tell the difference. What I do know, is that squash blossoms are delish—and versatile, culinarily speaking. You can eat them battered; you can eat them in frittata. You can eat them in quesadillas; you can eat them in soup. You can stuff them, or hush puppy them. I wonder if Dr. Seuss ever wrote about squash blossoms… This list is by no means exhaustive, but please double-check with your friendly neighbourhood botanist before tucking into a delicious-looking floral buffet.
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Food Chef Ellchook does his best to provide it for you. The best part of this arrangement is that he sometimes provides beef that he raised himself. It is a breed called blonde d’Aquitaine, which, from what I have read, gives delicious a whole new meaning, with little marbling and a soft texture. When he can’t provide his own meat, don’t worry, he has a local supplier that he knows well who makes sure the cuts are as good as he would want, and trust me, he knows better than most of us (call ahead to find out if Ellchook is serving his own cattle or not, usually the fall or spring).
Dining Out
This Old Barn
Swiss-Trained Chef, Blonde d’Aquitaine Beef, and Rural Charm This Old Barn is an honest restaurant that does not pretend to be anything other than what it is: an inviting place to have a great meal. More functional than elaborate in décor, it has a rustic charm that at times tricks you into thinking that you are at someone else’s house for dinner. When you sit down to have a meal with friends, you feel comfortable; and if you are ill at ease, it might well be because you feel like you should have taken your shoes off at the door. Never intimate or quiet, it is also never obnoxious or loud, allowing you to enjoy your meal and watch others do the same.
everything from dog shows to private parties to weddings and then goes out and volunteers as a first responder. He then comes back and makes what are probably the best meals, or at the very least, the best made steak in town for us lucky restaurateurs.
The chef, Mike “Hoss” Ellchook, may be the hardest working chef in Thunder Bay. The man works
And for all those who, like me, have been looking for a restaurant that serves locally grown produce and meat,
Elchook sincerely enjoys what he does and has been doing it for a long time. His previous experience working in restaurants (in places as diverse as the Valhalla, Armani’s, the Jasper Park Lodge and Switzerland) led him to open TOB 13 years ago with a simple mission: to make good food at honest prices that was locally grown.
Drink of the Month The X-Factor
I had the blackened beef flavored with a homemade peppered seasoning that augmented the provolone cheese, daintily blanketed on top of the cut. The locally grown veggies were lightly cooked and perfect. This was preceded by ‘pierogie soup’: an original creation, and worth the trip alone. It contains no pierogies, but I won’t say more— you need to go have it. The only complaints that could be made about the restaurant are that 1) it sometimes runs out of, or doesn’t have, the liquor and wine listed 2) it is closed in August for the busy wedding season. I should mention that you need to make a reservation ahead of time. TOB is not open anytime other than Fridays and Saturdays for lunch and dinner. If you are looking for a wedding reception to be taken care of, or are looking to book the back room for a large function, remember, the chef is in great demand, so again, call ahead.
The Walleye
The Best Bag of Fries in Town Gabby Cross, a former “carny”, certainly knows her coney dogs and fries. Three years ago, Gabby’s was launched catering to mostly high school students Today, with a Chamber of Commerce nomination for best new business under her belt, a wide-range of people, including “suits” from downtown, city workers and moms, are making their way to the Walsh and Franklin location to chow down on the best fries in town. The yummy Pina Colada milkshake is also worth the trip. -TJ
Patrick Thompson This Old Barn Murillo 807-935-3015 www.thisoldbarn.ca
Summer heat calls for cool, refreshing drinks whether you’re indoors or out. Mix up The X-Factor martini, a new Lot 66 premium creation that blends fresh lime with a bloodorange infused liqueur. The result? An easy sipper that tastes a lot like ruby red grapefruit juice. -Bianca Garofalo.
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Gabby’s Spudz and More
The X-Factor
1 oz X-Rated Liqueur 1 oz Tanqueray 10 1/2 oz fresh lime juice 1/2 oz fresh orange juice Orange twist for garnish
Food
Wayside Jamaican Take-Out Bar 207 Park Avenue Open for a couple of months, The Wayside Café is a small urban hole-in-the-wall specializing in Caribbean food. The beef patties are delicious, with just the right amount of heat. The carrot juice is not your typical carrot juice: it’s like a dreamy glass of carrot cake. Regulars come back time and time again for the goat roti. -TJ
FOOD
The Growing Season: A Juice Collective (We Love Their Eco Take-Out Containers) A very lovely addition to Bay + Algoma, The Growing Season is a collective of four local women dedicated to providing local and organic items whenever possible: freshly extracted juices including wheatgrass shots, vital shakes, fresh salads, sandwiches made with fresh sprouts and local Two Hands bread , as well as vegan and gluten-free options. The green vital shake (banana, pineapple, blueberry, greens and soy milk) and the grilled flatbreads are super tasty. “We try to focus on foods that are as alive and as close as possible,” explains co-owner Jelena. Art work on the wall rotates every four to five weeks. All menu items are available in eco-friendly compostable containers or bring your own. Open Tues-Fri. 9:30-5:30; Weekends 11:00-4:00 201 S. Algoma
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Food LIVINGGREEN
Thinking Beyond the Grid By Larry Hogard
I was hiking along a creek, scouting my new property for a building site. I turned from the bank and started to ascend a hill covered with river maples, tag alders, spruce and birch. Reaching the climb I stopped in step. I found it. The property was nestled in the high hills of the boreal forest, north of the small village of Lappe, Ontario. The location was past the end of the hydro line, but not too far away that I couldn’t tie into it. A power source was a concern, yet the issue at hand was to build. Fortunately, the opportunity to construct with logs was presented to me. The offer came from two brothers and long time friends of mine, who were both motivated and resourceful carpenters. I was raised in Northwestern Ontario where wilderness, lakes and streams abound and the thought of a log home was alluring. It reminded me of this landscape. It was art. As well as beauty, it was shelter; it was warmth. A log building is unlike a framed house, stuffed with R value rated insulation. R value ratings are used to measure insulation’s ability to resist heat flow, whereas logs possess what is
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called thermal mass. Thermal mass is the capacity for materials such as logs, stone or concrete to absorb increases in temperature. Once absorbed, heat is held in the material and then released slowly. As a result, log walls not only warm up and hold heat within a building during winter, but in summer keep out the hot weather and maintain a cooler temperature inside. My attraction to a log home was multiplied. There was beauty, there was function and it gave the impression it was going to live and breathe. A 1 ½ story, post and timber frame log home was carved with precision over the course of the year. Between shifts from my full-time job, I prepared the building site, formed and constructed the foundation and assisted my friends in building. Most importantly I kept them well fed and fuelled. Enter a new millennium. My home was enclosed and livable, complete with a wood cook stove, a small generator and a primitive 12 volt power system. Still, it was far from finished. Aside from the obvious carpentry duties required to complete the home such as stairs, flooring, interior wall
framing, etc., I still had to consider an electrical and plumbing system suitable and practical for this unconventional location. I was willing to take my time and ‘live it rough’ for a few years while I worked slowly at the house and planned my home’s future. Now, I was in a position where I had to ponder all of my energy needs such as cooking, refrigeration, plumbing, heating, and electrical. Until this time, I had been using propane appliances for cooking and refrigeration and I was quite happy to keep doing so. The issue of heating was simple for me. I had a high efficiency woodstove, my own source of firewood and a propane furnace would be installed for backup heat. Plumbing was also a straightforward matter (being the son of a retired plumber). It was going to operate on a pressure system. From a drilled well, a submersible pump would fill a forty gallon pressure tank that could store the water until needed. Once a tap was turned on the pressure would force the water through the pipes, with all the waste draining into a septic tank and field. Furthermore, the issue of hot water would be resolved by installing a gas fired, on-demand, tankless hot water heater (the greatest invention since fire – everybody should own one!). From the beginning I had mentally laboured over what the source of my electricity was going to be. How was everything going to be powered? Throughout the course of construction, I had engaged myself in a long and thoughtful process of researching many designs of electrical systems. These included combinations of solar, wind, hydro-turbines and gas or diesel powered generators. Connecting to the power grid was still an option, in addition to the possibility of a hybrid system blending any of the above. Yet, overwhelming all of my thoughts was a powerful desire to remain autonomous. I wanted to have control over how my electricity was produced; at least to the extent of how much the sun would shine or the wind would blow. After crunching and comparing numbers I charted out all possible combinations of electrical systems with their price tags. I realized no matter which type of system I installed my initial investment would be between
OPA Micro-Fit Program As part of Ontario’s Green Energy Act, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has launched a program called microFIT. Homeowners, farmers and businesses have the opportunity to generate electricity through renewable resources such as solar, wind, water and bioenergy. OPA will buy electricity produced at a guaranteed price for a contract of 20 years. The solar microFIT program pays 80.2 cents a kilowatt. FIT is an acronym for Feed In Tariff and the microFIT program allows electricity generation projects of up to 10 kilowatts to be metered and tied into the grid. Project owners will get paid for the power they produce and at the same time contribute to renewable energy development in Ontario. To participate in the program you must apply for a microFIT contract. It is free of charge to apply and can be done on-line. Once your application is accepted you must work with your local electrical distribution company to get your project connected to the grid. To finalize your project you must accept your microFIT contract offer and you can start producing electricity and receive regular payments from the OPA. Due to the popularity of this program all applications currently submitted will take until the fall to be processed. Anybody interested in participating can go on-line to microfit.powerauthority.on.ca and read more on how to participate.
Food
FOOD
$20-30 000. As well, over the course of twenty years I projected I would be paying out an equal amount of money to either hydroelectric utility costs, replacement of deep cycle batteries, propane and/or gasoline consumption, solar/turbine/generator maintenance, etc. In the end, my conviction told me to forgo connecting to the grid and remain independent. Besides, I didn’t want unreliable rural utility services or rising hydro-electric costs. By now I had developed a solid understanding of how electricity worked (aside from the advantages of being the son-in-law of a retired electrician). I knew how to work out electrical conversions and how to apply them towards calculating my own energy needs. I also understood what would be required of an alternative energy system to meet those needs. This was the foundation that led me to confidently invest in and install my own interactive solar/generator power system. I collected energy rating information from all sorts of household appliances to determine how large of a system I needed. Generally, devices drawing the most energy use motors or cooling/heating elements. I didn’t want to short change myself with power, especially if this was going to be a home with an expanding family. As well, it was important I had a battery bank large enough to supply future energy demands. By mid-summer I decided to purchase a four kilowatt (kW) inverter with a large 24 volt, deep cycle battery bank and four 170 watt solar panels. The battery bank and inverter were large enough to store and deliver power for the demands of a midsize family. I knew I would need more charging capability, but I could add that to the system at a later date. This would keep my initial cost down by a few thousand dollars. Until then, I had a 6600 watt, remote start generator that provided charging on
Raw Food Gourmet Classes
The raw or “living” food movement has been raging on the West Coast for years. Now gourmet raw food has made its way to Thunder Bay, thanks to raw food chef Helen Liba. In an intimate dining setting, learn about the philosophy of eating raw, while Liba shows you in the kitchen how easy and tasty raw recipes can be: cashew mayonnaise, wheat-free flax crackers, spiralized zucchini “noodles”, organic tomato and sundried tomato marinara sauce, and a delightfully deceiving chocolate mousse made from avocado, raw cacao and sucanet sugar (you would never guess it’s avocado). You may never want to go near a stove or oven again.
Backyard Sharing An avid gardening couple turns to Thunder Bay Symphony Pianist Heather Morrison’s urban backyard when they run out of growing room in their own yard. “I already knew about sharing gardening space after visiting friends of mine in Victoria a few years ago,” says long-time symphony pianist Heather Morrison. “At the time I thought it sounded like a neat concept. And then shortly after that I was approached by Mark to share my yard and I was thrilled.” Mark and Melody Allaire have always had gardens in their lives. They met while working as volunteers on an organic farm in Nova Scotia. Having recently moved to Thunder Bay after living on a farm in southern Ontario, the Allaires are waiting to buy a new farm. “We ran out of room in our own garden,” says Melody. Now Heather is sharing her unused yard space.
“The way I see it, it’s a win-win situation,” says Heather. “I’m learning so much from Melody and Mark, plus I don’t have to do any of the work,” she laughs. When it comes to harvesting, the Allaires will take what they need and whatever is left over will go to Heather. On a misty late-April morning, Melody encourages her children to help prep the beds and plant the seeds. “Having kids involved is important so they have a sense of being able to do something.” Today they are adding spinach and lettuce. Melody points out to the boys how the celery, garlic and onion previously planted are starting to sprout. She also shares a favourite snacking recipe using only fresh chives and coarse salt with Heather. Before leaving, Melody says to her boys, “Come look at all we accomplished today.” The boys come running, and Heather smiles watching. Looking for gardening space? Want to share your backyard? In Thunder Bay, Sharing Backyards is managed by the Food Action Network; www.sharingbackyards.com
Raw recipes may vary. To book a class or to find out more about raw food email helenliba@gmail.com or call 472-0514. The Walleye
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Travel
The TBay-Finland Connection
Coming Home: by Tiffany Jarva
As the 100th Year Celebrations of the Finlandia Club quickly approaches, our editor reminisces about her first trip to rural Finland. Standing on a faded wooden dock in July, a dark-blue lake waves in the sunlight, the scent of pine trees floats by, and my soon-to-be two-year-old wades in the cool water picking and dropping rocks, creating glorious splashes. I feel like I have just traveled over 4ooo miles by plane and land, simply to come home again: saunas, salted black licorice, dark rye bread, viili, warm summers and cold winters, berry picking, moose hunting trips, fishing on cool inland lakes, miles and miles of forest (Europe’s most heavily-forested country) with tall pines, spruce and birch trees winking in the wind. This is my first visit to Finland. I am here with my mother and my son to bury the ashes of my grandmother Edla. My grandma Etti (as she was more affectionately known) grew up in a farmhouse, was one of nine children and the only one in her family to move away from Finland. We will be spending our first two weeks visiting with relatives in Toholampi, a small agricultural and retiree town, not far
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from the farmhouse where Etti was born. After two nights recovering from jet-lag in beautiful cobbled-street Tampere, we drive four hours northwest. Long stretches of pine and birch trees blur by, and eventually give way to rolling hills of golden rape seed, dairy, and berry farmland. With a population of about 3500, rural, sleepy Toholampi is no Helsinki. Here it’s unilingual and I get by on my mother’s translations, lots of smiles, and nodding. We are staying with my 89-year old great-aunt Aino, who, every early morning, hops on a retro blue bicycle, with a mounted front basket, and rides around the very tidy town and countryside collecting herbs, flowers and of course dandelions for her trademark tasty homemade wine. Aino, the eldest of all the siblings, smiles with her eyes and tells me (through my mother’s translation) that my grandmother Etti was always feisty, independent and knew from a young age that she would one day leave Finland to go to Canada. And she did. She, my grandfather and young daughter (my mother) eventually moved to Port Arthur in the 50s. My grandparents weren’t the only ones to leave Finland for Thunder Bay and surrounding townships that now bear Finnish names such as Intola, Kivikosk, Lappe, Tarmola and Finmark. There are approximately 12,000 of Finnish descent living in the area: for years we have claimed to be the largest Finnish community outside of Scandinavia. As the 100th Year Anniversary of The Finlandia Club closely approaches, Thunder Bay continues to celebrate its Finnish community and its early and continuing impact on the city. “When I graduated from high school forty years ago, I remember looking at the honour roll at school and at least 40 percent of the names were Finn,” my mom tells me. “There is often a hardworking ethic associated with the Finns.” As early as the 1870s, the first Finnish immigrants came to Port Arthur and Fort William, enticed by the promise of work and free land. Displaced agricultural labourers due to the industrialization of Finland, and those wanting to get away from home politics, were drawn to the opportunities of western Canada, thanks in
The Ultimate Buffet
Timbers welcomes you to enjoy one of 2 flavorful international buffets our celebrated chefs have prepared for you every Wednesday through Saturday evening.
Italian Night - Wednesday/Thursday
Includes a zesty selection of Italian favourites including fresh pasta cooked to your specifications. Plus, caesar salad, garlic toast and homemade lasagna.
Chinese Night - Friday/Saturday
Our Chinese food buffet includes flavourful delights from the orient, prepared to your liking, including fresh stir fry, soft noodles, egg rolls and fried rice. Timbers Restaurant in the Valhalla Inn, it’s where any occasion is the right occasion.
For reservations call 577-1121 1 Valhalla Inn Road • Thunder Bay
large part to the building of the national railway, and new opportunities for farming, road construction, and logging. My grandfather, Kauno, a carpenter by trade in Finland, came here knowing he wanted to work in the bush. “He loved nature,” my mom shares, “He wanted to be outside as much as he could.” For decades, Kauno worked hard as a cutter for Abitibi and Great Lakes. As a bush camp cook, Etti worked hard as well, including a stint at Great Lakes and her final working years at Buchanan. “You have to try this,” my mom translates as my great-aunt Kylikki passes pickled herring to me. Because beef is quite expensive in this area, my relatives eat mostly fish and pork, reminiscent of the salted pork my Aunt Birgit cures herself every Christmas. Contrasting the smaller, compact but very efficient houses and apartments in town (most have saunas and none have basements), we are having lunch in Kylikki’s spacious farmhouse outside of Toholampi. My son has gobbled down homemade pulla (sweet bread), his first solid food since arriving in Finland. I’m pleasantly surprised by the sweetness of the herring and quite enjoy it with a few slices of locally-produced Edam. The tastiest culinary treat is last to be served: unelmaa kakku (dream cake) is a light, creamy and dreamy cake made with the first cream from a cow that has just calved. It is divine. Historically a dairy farming area, in the late-80s there was a big campaign to switch from dairy to berry farms in Finland because of increased heart disease. Over the years, more vegetable and berry farms have cropped up in the area, including our cousin Leo’s tomato hobby farm. Barley is also a popular Finnish crop. We visit the annual barley festival, where we taste-test barley porridge and where my son and Aino (the youngest and oldest competitors) compete in the local boot toss competition. Over the next two weeks we do a wide-range of activities including: a beach day at Kalajoki’s coastal white sands beach; experiencing the deeply-rooted Nordic folk music and dance at the annual Kaustinen Folk Festival; enjoying sauna evenings and eating Finnish wieners; quietly rowing down the meandering Lestijoki River while slowly adjusting to the midnight sun; and paying respects to ancestors at a variety of different graveyards. As morbid as it sounds, it’s a tradition in Finland: you can actually take bus tours visiting cemeteries. At one cemetery we see two fully-loaded buses arrive and depart within an hour.
Thunder Bay is home to 12,825 people of Finnish descent, the highest concentration of persons of Finnish origin per capita in Canada, and the second largest Finnish population in Canada after Toronto which has 14,750 persons of Finnish origin.
After two weeks and a lovely memorial service for Etti, we gather our stuff and hop on a train southbound to Helskinki and Estonia for the second-part of our adventure. My great-aunt and uncle, who have never left Toholompi, are all-smiles, waving to us as we pull out of the quiet station. With Aino’s homemade dandelion wine clasped in her hand, I watch as my mother smiles and waves goodbye to rural Finland, her roots and her home away from home.
Thinking of going to Finland? We used Thunder Country Travel on Bay Street to help plan our trip OR check out:
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FoodArts & Entertainment The
BLUES TRAVELER
Hank 3 and Assjack The Office/Crocks’n Rolls Friday June 11/10
Hank Williams III, grandson of country legend Hank Williams, and his band Assjack took the stage at The Office/Crocks for over 3 powerhouse hours of music. With only one 10 minute break, this show was a freight train to the chest.
Improvisational Jamming at its Best
The Grammy Winning, New Jersey Band Headlines this Year’s Blues Fest
During my first year living in North Van, the Blues Traveler’s very catchy “Run-Around” was on top of the charts. I swayed to that song a lot in my beat-up Honda Prelude and we danced to it often on my impromptu living room dance floor. One of the longest charting singles in Billboard history (almost a year), “Run Around” is a song that you can’t help but like, and want to dance to, especially when front man John Popper’s harmonica solo kicks in. Like one guy recently posted on YouTube: “This guy is sick!” Devoted fans know it: the chemistry between the members of Blues Traveler is palpable and that’s why after twenty years of performing, the crowds keep coming. With nine studio and four live albums, more than two thousand live shows and ten million albums sold, Blues Traveler is a jam band that sparked a revival in the early 1990s. In 1992, Popper founded the H.O.R.D.E. (Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere) festival which attracted performers ranging from Beck to Neil Young, as a means to unite with like-minded, jam-oriented bands for outdoor summer shows. Blues Traveler gained wide recognition for their fourth album, simply called four. Songs “Hook” and, of course, “Run-Around” (which earned the group a Grammy in 1995 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with vocal) pushed them into the mainstream. After the pop success of four, Blues Traveler released a Live from the Fall double album to appease the fans
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that were more familiar with their live improvisational marathon-like jam sessions, worth checking out whenever possible. Don’t miss Blues Traveler. Thunder Bay Blues Fest is the band’s only Canadian stop on their tour this summer. Not familiar with the Blues Traveler? It’s worth checking out John Popper’s harmonica solo with Ziggy Marley performing Bob Marley’s classic. No Woman, No Cry on YouTube.
Blues Traveller Discography Studio Blues Traveler (1990) Travelers and Thieves (1991) Save His Soul (1993) Four (1994) Straight on till Morning (1997) Bridge (2001) Truth Be Told (2003) Bastardos! (2005) Cover Yourself (2007) North Hollywood Shootout (2008)
Live
Live from the Fall (1996) Live: What You and I Have Been Through (2002) Live on the Rocks (2004) Travelogue: Blues Traveler Classics (2002)
The Office, located at 16 Cumberland St. S, is the future home of the new Crocks’n Rolls. Crocks was originally located a few doors down the block and is “the original home of independent music.” As the doors opened and the crowd gathered for Hank 3, the atmosphere of Crocks’n Rolls came alive again. With the mix of people, music and now a venue, Thunder Bay has “a new home of independent music.” Hank III’s music has been described as country, hellbilly and metal, but Hank is an uncompromising character and so is his song writing, language and sensibility. H3 and Assjack are rulers of a musical art form that transcend shape and style. Throughout the show, the ghosts of music past, present and future were in attendance. There was a performance of Hank Sr.’s last recorded song “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive.” The audience sang along to Hank III songs like “Dick in Dixie,” “It Must Have Been Those Pills I Took” and “Even Though I’m Broke (I’ve got a six-pack of beer.)” When Gary Lindsey, Assjack’s lead vocalist, took the stage, an otherworldly blend of sound, growl and insanity erupted. His huge stage presence and the blood on his face told the story. Song by song, the show played on and the experience was baffling and indescribable. But it didn’t matter because this was pure entertainment. Hell’s house band was on stage and the crowd loved it. When it was all over and the hot, heavy air settled, H3 and Assjack were packed up for Winnipeg and we were all left behind, driftin’ on a higher plain.
wall
Fredheads Unite Ten friends with ten bucks. That’s what it took to see Fred Eaglesmith 17 years ago, at the Bellevue Valley Lodge near Sault Ste. Marie. Finding ten friends with ten bucks was not a problem, and by the end of the night, there were ten more Fredheads in the world. It’s hard to describe a musician like this in just a few words. He’s traveled many roads and many genres, and he’s not done yet. He’s played many an unconventional venue, and sometimes tours by train. Find him in the folk section at the record store, but you’ll find bluegrass, gospel, alt country under his name and you’ve still only scratched the surface. He’ll sing about tractors and trains, guns and girls, dogs and despair, but you’ll love him anyway. He’ll tell jokes about snails, cows, and since he’s in Thunder Bay, he’ll try out a few jokes about Finnlanders. He’ll probably tell off a few people in the crowd, but only the ones that deserve it. At the end of the night, there will probably be at least ten more Fredheads in the world. -Marlene Wandel Fred Eaglesmith plays at the Finlandia Hall Sunday July 4th
Henry Hajdinjak, Shiva 2005, cast epoxy resin, 64.6 cm x 64.0 cm x 18.5 cm,Thunder Bay Art Gallery Permanent Collection
OUTDOORS IS INDOORS This Summer C O P P E R T HU N D E R B I R D - T h i r t y Y e a r s : s e l e c t e d d r a w i n g s a n d paintings by Norval Morrisseau, (1958 - 1988) DRAWINGS BY FRANK BIG BEAR, (organized by the Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota Duluth) A LO F T : R av e n s an d O t h e r F l y e r s f r o m t h e P e r m a n e n t C o l l e c t i o n All exhibitions end September 5. Visit the website for details.
See Yourself Here
www.theag.ca info@theag.ca 807 577 6427 Confederation College Campus
FoodArts & Entertainment The
SHY-ANNE’S RISING STAR This June, Thunder Bay’s Shy-Anne Hovorka headlined the 2010 Indigenous Festival with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, closed the G-8 Interfaith Summit and released her first video It’s 11:30 am on a June Friday and there’s already a busy lunch crowd at The Hoito. “I think I should be able to make it back to the school in time,” singer/ songwriter Shy-Anne Hovorka glances at the clock while in line. No doubt about it Hovorka is busy. “I’ve been getting only three to four hours of sleep a night.” In addition to preparing for both the G-8 Summit and the Indigenous Festival with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Hovorka is about to launch her new video for her song Can’t Change the World, teaches music in the evenings, and teaches high school Ojibway language courses during the day because the school was desperate to find someone qualified. “I felt that I was too busy and I couldn’t take on anything else, but when I heard that students were dropping out and that they wouldn’t get their credit, I knew I had to help out.” Hovorka has often demonstrated that she is committed to supporting youth from around the region. She will be bringing eight youth (four from Thunder Bay and four from Whitedog) to sing harmonies with her for the G-8 Interfaith summit, where an additional twenty to thirty Winnipeg children will join her as well. “It’s a lot to orchestrate,” she admits. “But it’s worth it. My most heartfelt moment on this journey has been working with the kids.” As part of a now-annual Northwestern Ontario Aboriginal Music Tour, Hovorka tours with two other professional groups as well as a younger musician selected each year that they mentor. “Last year’s winner was 19-year-old Dakota Lands from Eagle Lake. He’s so excited.” “I’m not a city girl.” Hovorka moved to Thunder Bay from Red Lake almost two years ago.
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Thunder Bay in Song By now , we all know that Jordan Burnell sang about TBay in his youtube viral hit My Hometown. Here aresome other tunes that mention our city by name: Come Home Loaded Roadle by Amy Millan (from Montreal’s Stars) ln her folk-inspired, finger-picking 2006 solo album Honey from the Tombs Millan sings: I can heor your wheels on the lonely highwoy/ tced kicked up in the Februory sun of the town Thundet Bdy. An American Draft Dodger in Thunder Bay by Sam Roberts He’s on his way to Thunder Boy/Crossed the border lote ot night/And it wds high stokes til he sow the Greot Lokes/ond he felt the cold wind bite Prairie Town by Randy Bachman (featuring Neil Young on guitar) On the other side of Winnipeg/Neil ond The Squires played the Zone/But then he
CONNECT
“Thunder Bay is the biggest place I’ve lived in. I like that it’s a city but still has a small town feel. It’s rich in culture. I’m inspired by Lake Superior, The Sleeping Giant, The Cascades—the natural beauty that surrounds us. I love that as an artist you can do your own thing and other artists are very supportive. It doesn’t feel competitive at all.” A grad of Lakehead’s Bachelor of Education and the Honours Music program, Hovorka was selected as one of Lakehead’s three most successful grads in the past decade. She has been singing since she was three, performing since she was nine and also plays the piano. She performs in many different genres, ranging from pop to classical, including a stint as the featured soloist with the Thunder Bay Symphony. “I
feel very grateful for all of my opportunities.” Hovorka released her second album, Pseudo, in the spring. Today she plays with guitarist Jordan Elcheson, who has performed classical shows for the likes of Justin Trudeau, and percussionist Rob Benvegnu, featured on CBCs Rock Camp. Hovorka has opened for Tomson Highway, and is a multi-time nominee for the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award (APCMA). A youth advocate, and a spokesperson for global issues, “My main inspiration comes from spirit and global issues,” Hovorka’s star continues to rise. Up Next: Singing alongside The Wailin’ Jennies during The Great Canadian Rendezvous Celebrations; opening act for The Winnipeg Folk Fest.
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The Arts & Entertainment
B.o.B
The Adventures of Bobby Ray With The Adventures of Bobby Ray premiering on the Billboard 200 in the #1 spot, it’s likely your soundtrack of summer 2010 will include at least one song from this fun-loving and wellrounded collection Hearing radio-friendly tracks like Nothin’ On You (featuring Bruno Mars) and Airplanes (featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore) will probably be enough to entice you into giving the rest of the record a spin. 5th Dimension (featuring Ricco Barrino) brings the outer space themes touched on throughout the album to the forefront, blasting listeners to the farthest reaches of the hip hop galaxy. One listen to “Magic” (featuring Rivers Cuomo of Weezer) and you won’t disagree next time you hear someone compare B.o.B to Outkasts Andre 3000. Fans of Vampire Weekend will want to check out The Kids. B.o.B effectively utilizes the beat and spirit of the song while using most of his own lyrics, making it a fresh interpretation of The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance. You’ll find the albums only skipworthy song mid-way through with the track Ghost in the Machine. The song’s weak vocals coupled with the slightly dark and almost depressing tone mark this one the worst the album has to offer. The song simply doesn’t live up to the rest of the record and seems out of place as a result All in all, this is a promising debut album for the young rapper and a welcome alternative to the slew of sub-par hip hop artists currently flooding the airwaves.
Cancer Bats
Bears, Mayors, Scraps and Bones It is evident that with Bears, Mayors, Scraps and Bones, the Cancer Bats have taken a definite step forward in honing their sound. Liam Cormier’s vocals have never been more powerful and neatly compliment their evolving work. This coupled with Scott Middleton’s trudging yet furious guitar riffs make Bears a pit turning juggernaut that’ll leave your pulse beating as if you had just run around the block. From start to finish the record rarely slows to catch its breath. With a heavy dose of head bang inducing break downs and scream along choruses, the Cancer Bats have supplied listeners with a plethora of hardcore gems. Dead Wrong and We Are the Undead are prime examples of this, but next to tracks like Fake Gold or Snake Mountain, which just bleed the very essence of the genre, they seem like easy listening. Along side the thirteen original tracks, the album also includes a rocking cover of the Beastie Boys classic Sabotage. While they’re not currently slated to play any shows in Thunder Bay, they have preformed here more times than you can count on one hand, and it’s likely you won’t have to wait an eternity to catch one of their explosive live shows.
Black Keys Brothers
With the release of Brothers, the Black Keys have no doubt produced one of the best albums this year. This is the kind of record you could listen to for three days straight and still want to hear it again on the fourth. The lack of filler on Brothers makes it flow seamlessly. As a result you’ll likely find that you have no problem listening to the album from start to finish, but you may find it nearly impossible to nail down a favourite track. The record has elements of rock, blues and soul that present the listener something different every time they hear it. Everlasting Light is the kind of up-beat song that is not only the perfect daystarter, but a perfect example of how to kick off an album. The first single Tighten Up, produced by Danger Mouse, has a funky ear-catching break down that will have you bobbing your head with a smile on. If you’re looking for the kind of soul Marvin Gaye would approve of then listen to their cover of Jerry Butler’s Never Gonna Give You Up. If you are in the need of some heavy blues look no further than the instrumental Black Mud. Brothers is an honest heartfelt attempt at making music and the resulting fifteen tracks are simply legendary. The Black Keys have created a record that will not only be loved by their fans, but will become a staple in the ever-expanding libraries of fans of music in general.
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FoodArts & Entertainment The
Diverse Derby
In the basement of the former Eaton’s building, I’m lagging behind the pack of skaters after falling on my padded knee. I have three seconds to get up. I make the mistake of uttering “sorry”, almost inaudibly, through my mouth guard. “There is NO sorry in derby,” yells pivot Julie “Juana Piece” Harmer. Head hung low, I stare at my red Riedell Diablo skates, quicken the pace, and smile. Not having to say you’re sorry is one of many reasons why I’m having a love affair with roller derby. It’s been about eight weeks now and the honeymoon period still isn’t over. “Sorry if you can smell my knees,” says Kari “Dr. Unk” Shedden at the dimlylit Black Pirates Pub in downtown Port Arthur, where a couple of black-clad girls sit at the bar and about half a dozen others dot tables around us. It’s an early Thursday evening and Shedden has just run her first successful fresh meat (new skaters) practice. “I was kinda nervous about it,” she smiles. Shedden, the eighth person to join the Thunder Bay Roller Derby League (TBRDL), will celebrate her one year anniversary next week. “I
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love the girls. It’s a community.” Music pulsates in the background. “And today I’m sad because there is no derby tomorrow. I have to wait until Sunday to get my fix.” In her charming Fort William house Shedden has started a roller derby shrine: framed newspaper articles about the “Babes of Thunder” team, a Derbylicious Birthday Bash poster, Sure Grip and Radar Cayman wheels, TBRDL plaid boxers and a headband. “Derby saved me from myself,” she says. “I do it for the release. I’m in retail and I need to choke down my feelings all day and smile… then I get to come out to derby and beat up my friends,” she pauses, “It’s great.” Shedden is not alone in her sentiment about derby saving her: just ask the 1500 + fans of the “I don’t need therapy, I have Roller Derby!” Facebook page. When I tell people that I joined roller derby, the most common reaction is “There’s a roller derby league in Thunder Bay?” Most people think of smash and bash showboating derby like in the movie Whip It, but the Flat Track style of derby
that we practice is not like that--it is a legitimate sport. We practice three to four times a week. Skaters must be insured, pass basic skills in endurance, hitting, blocking, and checking, as well as pass a written test on the rules of the game in order to play in a bout. “Testing and rules differentiate the game from being an entertainment-only venue. It is an actual sport with certain guidelines,” explains derby ref Diane “Clint Taurus” Meronyk, who has taken on the responsibility of testing our league’s girls on the 35-page flat track derby rules book. “A really good team can strategize using rules and can get another team to break the rules.” Derby involves two teams of five women, each with a jammer who tries to pass the pack, scoring points when she passes opposing team members. The players (pivot and blockers) in the pack try to assist their own jammer while impeding the other jammer using strategies like blocking, checking and hitting. Each “jam” can be up to two minutes. Major penalties (illegal use of elbows, hitting to
The Arts & Entertainment
the back, tripping, etc.) or an accumulation of five minor penalties will get you thrown into the penalty box for a minute, a huge disadvantage to your team. “Derby is a sport. And derby is diverse,” explains league founder Judy “Judzilla” Roche. When Roche founded Thunder Bay’s league (she simply put an ad on Kijiji), she was recovering from post-partum depression. “I felt anxious for that first meeting but then when I sat down and met the girls who wanted to do this with me, the anxiety melted away.” Many women are choosing derby as a way to get in shape, and bust some stress. A couple of years ago, Jill “Jacked Up” Sauve was dealing with the stress of not knowing if she’d be able to walk again. “I had cancer. It was a tumour on my spine, and I ended up being paralyzed for three months after my surgery,” she tells me matter-of-factly during “boot camp” training on Dufferin hill one day. Sauve was going for follow-up treatment at the cancer clinic until recently when she received a clean bill of health. “I decided then that I no longer wanted to be watching life from the sidelines, so I joined derby.” There are over 500 Flat Track Derby Leagues worldwide, most of them in North
America. “It was a tiny, tiny idea, and look at it now,” says Roche. “In the beginning I had no idea what I was doing. Now I’m so proud of what we have accomplished and how we continue to grow.” The league has grown to over 40 women of all ages including university students, teachers, administrators, and moms. With derby names like MisoEvil, No Pity Kitty, Gabbatron, and Apocalyx, “You can be whatever you want to be when you’re on wheels,” says Shedden. Some skaters are drawn to the subculture-ish almost punk feeling of roller derby (Rink Rash is Sexy!), where they feel safe being someone other than who they are in “real” life. Others, like Roche and Shedden, come because this is where they feel like they belong and can truly be themselves. Many have never participated in any other team sport, including my cousin Christy “Hurlington” Pugh, who after years of dedicating her life to work and raising her children, finally has something of her own. Others come for the workout and competitive nature of the sport. “I discovered the community of roller derby while in Montreal,” says Meronyk, who is currently studying to be a mid-wife. “And although there are some
good party times, the truly great thing about derby is how everyone is so very supportive. I find it’s really empowering for women of all shapes and sizes.” I’m becoming addicted to derby. Case in point: I am in my pink flannel pajamas, folding laundry on a chilly March evening, when I notice a package from Rollergirl sitting on a chair in my entryway. I can’t believe I actually forgot about picking up my new 187 knee pads from the post office earlier in the day. I fly off the couch, tear open the box, put my knee pads over my pink flannels and practice my falls (left knee, right knee, two knees, and barrel roll) right there on my hardwood floor. It feels a like Christmas but better, at least better than Christmas ’84 when I so pined and wished for a pair of white roller skates with red wheels, back in the Wheelies days when “snowball” and huge fuzzy dice dictated our roller moves. The days when I roller skated to tunes like “Jesse’s Girl” and YMCA, with an orange Ziggy comb in my back pocket, a rock shirt on my back, and feathered hair. Sadly, I broke my wrist and rarely roller skated after that…that is until now, more than twenty years later.
Art Classes for children, teens and adults Check us out at www.paintedturtleart.com
344-4636
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Food wall
Behind the Scenes of JP De Roover’s New Video “You” Strolling onto Jean-Paul De Roover’s music video set, an immediate interruption to my vision occurred: a stark contrast of modern vehicles nicely juxtaposed the rustic Pioneer Village buildings. The setting was perfect for the 1930s love story for De Roover’s recently released video, “You.” The community hall in Pioneer Village hosted most of the non-filmed action. Within the confined walls, hair/makeup was beautifully done, dinner was served, dance lessons were offered, and a constant flow of coffee ensured warmth – at least for those drinking from the (appreciated!) environmentally-friendly mugs. Inside this building, the extras patiently lingered, all dolled up with hair, makeup, and costumes. Although the crew and the main characters bustled around with a persistent attentiveness, the extras floated around in the community hall and played the waiting game. Perhaps the waiting game initially sounds tedious,
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however, the personalities of the extras revealed their love of performance. Somehow between the relaxed atmosphere of card playing, book reading, and costume donning, an impromptu piano performance of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ united the extras into a very random and spontaneous group sing-a-long. A choreographer was on hand to teach any beginner dancers a simple waltz step; this seemed to be a challenge for those not brimming with grace à la Ginger Rogers or Fred Astaire. A few pros danced circles around the room enhancing the atmosphere of a time travel into the 1930s. As the night fell upon the crew, the cold air made its appearance well known. The temperatures were below zero and successfully chilled and numbed every cast and crew member. The final scene for the extras was shot around midnight in a beautiful pagoda. Every crew and cast member deserves a round of applause for this feat. With the temperature drop-
ping to about -5, the ladies wearing summer, sleeveless dresses rocked out on the dance floor. Watching the crew manoeuvre lights, cameras, props and seeing their often gloveless hands sparked a new and deeper appreciation for those who love performance art. Even in the very cold night, their dedication shone. I can only imagine how the lead roles performed a few days later in similar temperatures only this time with the steady beat of an ice cold ‘rain’ pouring down on them. Jean-Paul De Roover’s single, “You” is from his latest album, “Windows and Doors.” In the next month or two, watch for the launch of “You”, with a surprise twist… Melissa Gaudette
wall THUNDER BAY: THE NEW HOLLYWOOD THIS SUMMER Feature Film 10‐57 Starts Filming In Thunder Bay NEXT WEEK; Cast & Crew From All Over Canada Descend On The City; Mayor Supports Local Filmmakers. Filmmakers and industry professionals descend on Thunder Bay this summer for the shooting of feature film ‘10‐57’. The city will see road closures, car chases and SWAT teams storming the city amongst a fully equipped film crew and professional actors from all over Canada. Rodney Dwira (Bay City, Neila) is bringing his next project to the streets of Thunder Bay and it’s a film with the weight of a budget behind it. In collaboration with industry professional from Vancouver and Toronto, Mr. Dwira has assembled a crew with over 10 years’ experience in the movie industry. Director of Photography for 10‐57, Dale Shippam (The Watchman, A‐Team) says: “With our team in place we can make, not just a good movie, but a great one.”
Rodney states, “My vision for this film is to take the viewer into the world of this life and the harsh reality of the horrors of child kidnappings, police corruption, and injustice to experience it like they never could… I want this film, to be a compelling and entertaining film that will include intelligent, divergent voices of the victims who suffer unfairness. I want to put the audience in the perspective of the characters inhabiting our story, thus giving one the feeling of experiencing the instances of helplessness and the rare moments of victory in day-to-day life. I plan to create something gritty and real, in the streak of those great films that stand out for being relevant and, at the same time, classic in their style. I will tell the story in a simple, uncomplicated manner and allow the situations and emotions to penetrate.” Filming will take place in locations all over the city, starting next Wednesday 23rd June, showcasing Thunder Bay with its impressive landscape and urban environments. According to the Director, Rodney Dwira, without the support of Thunder Bay,
The Mayor, local businesses and local citizens “we would never have the opportunity to work on this truly incredible project”. The film is a riveting Police Action Drama, entirely shot in Thunder Bay, featuring local professional crew and actors as part of the extensive filmmaking team. SYNOPSIS: Missing Person Unit Detective Jane Scott is considered a hero, even though the humbled woman is simply doing her job when she investigates kidnapped cases and recovers hostages held for ransom. However the rules of the game change when she is tasked with a missing person’s case and the suspected abductor is her former partner and one time lover…… Ray Unic. This time, they are chasing one of their own. Thunder Bay has so much to entice filmmakers from all over the country. Our incredible landscapes reveal our unique cultural settings. We intend on waking the giant.
-Shannon Everett
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Food Arts
In Honour to Our Grandchildren, 1994
acrylic on canvas, 121 x 121 cm Purchased with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program
Frank Big Bear, Broken Hearts/Broken Dreams, 1991,
colour pencil on paper 30 ¼” x 44”, Courtesy of the Tweed Museum Museum of Art, University of Minnesota Duluth.
Morrisseau Returns to Thunder Bay Copper Thunderbird – Thirty Years A Selection of Paintings and Drawings by Norval Morrisseau (1958 – 1988) From the Permanent Collection of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery
Drawings by Frank Big Bear
June 4 – September 5, 2010
Organized by the Tweed Museum of Art
Organized by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery
University of Minnesota Duluth June 4 – September 5, 2010
Tattoos by Véroniqué Beaupré Véronique Beaupré’s unique style of tattoos flaunts beautiful designs. Expressive use of colours and shadings illuminate the detailed pieces of art. Her tattoo portfolio ranges from simplistic and small to large and intricate. So whether you’re looking for a subtle or bold piece, a sweet sleeve, a cover up (do you regret getting that ex’s name?), or even expanding on a tat you already have, Beaupré might be the one to lend you a hand. Her tattoos are distinct, beautiful, and definitely worth a look. Veronique Beaupré can be found at Think Tank Tattoos at 240 Red River Road. -Melissa Gaudette
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wall
The Art of Shifting Pixels Mat Noble’s Pixelshifting is the digital manipulation of picture elements or quite literally the shifting of pixels. Photographer Mat Noble can distort reality in the most beautiful of ways. Over the last decade Noble has played with a variety of methods and styles of photography, including his earth shifting, planet-like panoramic technique. “I especially love the way it can take an ordinary scene that might normally be taken for granted and present it in a fascinating new way,” says Noble. “It also presents an interesting set of challenges, not the least of which is trying to create a composition when you have to take into account literally everything around you.” Noble was enrolled in the Fine Arts program at Lakehead University where he was cultivating his creative interests, when he was offered a job in Toronto as a web designer before graduating. “I developed a considerable interest in digital photography because of the experimentation it allowed and the endless possibilities provided by image editors,” explains Noble. To see more of Noble’s planet and tunnel like photos, visit www.pixelshifting.com
From Figurative to Landscape
Internationally-Known Painter Geoff Farnsworth Finds Inspiration in Thunder Bay Canadian artist Geoff Farnsworth is an internationally-known painter. He moved to Thunder Bay with fiancé singer-songwriter Rita Visser, “a Thunder Bay girl”, just before giving birth to their daughter. “Thunder Bay influenced my painting at a critical time in my life. After painting in big cities (Vancouver, New York City, and Toronto) for 12 years, I was now inspired by a baby on the way, and driving up and down Red River Road gazing at the Giant,” smiles Farnsworth. “Also, living in a house again with a yard, and reentering a family environment (after so many years of bachelor life with painting in dark industrial spaces in off areas of large metropolises) created a circle back to my early years of living in North Vancouver.” While in Thunder Bay, Farnsworth experienced a shift from figurative to landscape in his painting. “Elements of water and Pie Island began to creep into my scenes as I wrestled with new ways of working with figuration and abstraction,” he explains. “The sheer beauty of Thunder Bay with its inspiring landscape began to enter my compositions.” Born in Kimberly, BC, Farnsworth grew up in North
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Vancouver. After earning a business degree and after a couple of years of sales and a tough breakup with a girl in Mexico, Farnsworth began studying art at Emily Carr and Capilano College. “I had always been good at drawing, but had rebelled against my mother who kept pushing me into art,” says Farnsworth. “But I went back to things and began building a portfolio to gain entrance into a graphic design program at Capilano College in North Van. This introduced me to figure drawing and things went from there.” While at Cap College, the influential artist and teacher Kiff Holland urged Farnsworth to move to New York City to attend the Art Students League in Manhatten. “Living and painting in NYC was tremendously inspiring,” says Farnsworth. “You have exposure to so much art of the past and present, while working in classes with teachers who are so influential and informative.” After five years in New York, Farnsworth spent time in Toronto, close to his artist sister, before moving to Thunder Bay. Farnsworth’s paintings have been shown in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg Thunder Bay, New York, Washington,
Minneapolis and Stockholm. At the end of June, Farnsworth and his partner Visser, along with Larry Bitner, launched Fundraising through Fine Art, which provides a unique opportunity to raise significant funds for charities or non-profit organizations using a donated Farnsworth original painting. The original painting is also replicated in a variety of ways: from signed limited-edition prints to post cards and bookmarks and sold to individuals. “Recently I helped out at a gala for Toronto People with Aids, by donating one of my large pieces,” explains Farnsworth. “Then I was approached by Larry about Fundraising through Fine Arts and it all sort of felt like things were happening for a reason. We are really excited about combining all of our talents with the desire for giving back.” To find out more about Geoff Farnsworth or the Fundraising through Fine Art program, check out: www.fundraisingthroughfineart.com His paintings are available locally at Chenier Fine Arts on Court Street.
the
TOPfive
theEYE
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TOPfive EVENTCalendar
the the
June, September through November (various dates)
July 10-14
July 31 – August 3
September 26-27
October 27-28
Lifelong Ecological Consciousness Community Learning Program
The Great Rendezvous
Sault Ste. Marie Source Water Festival
Minnesota Water Resources Conference
Thunder Bay, ON The focus of this program is on understanding ecological systems, our role within these systems and how these systems impact our lives. Dr. Tom Puk, Professor of Ecological Consciousness, will help you gain a new perspective on living, knowing that others are striving for the same harmonious future. This program is open to all citizens. (807) 629-6214 inquiries@feea.ca www.feea.ca
Fort William Historical Park Thunder Bay, ON The Great Rendezvous celebrates the spirit of the Canadian fur trade with re-enactors from across the continent. The arrival of the David Thompson Brigade will coincide with the Rendezvous on July 12. This will mark the end of their 3600 km journey that began in Alberta on May 10. Contact Chaltrek/Ostrom Outdoors if you are interested in volunteering. (807) 473-4477 For information on the Great Rendezvous. (807) 473-2344 www.fwhp.ca
Fisherman’s Picnic
July 1
July 11-13
Canada Day Celebrations
Pukaskwa National Park, ON The festivities include a Pipe Ceremony to open the Anishinaabe Encampment, Aboriginal drumming, raising of the four colours flag, bannock and berries at the Anishinaabe Encampment and a sunset ceremony. (807) 229-0801 ont-pukaskwa@pc.gc.ca www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/on/ pukaskwa July 5-August 30 (Saturdays)
Sugarloaf Cove
Sugarloaf Cove, MN Sugarloaf Cove is located on Lake Superior, 73 miles north of Duluth and 4 miles south of Schroeder. The interpretive center offers opportunities to learn about the natural and human history of the North Shore, with a State Scientific and Natural Area at its core. (218) 525-0001 molly@sugarloafnorthshore.org www.sugarloafnorthshore.org July 5-6
Women of Fiber - Art Exhibition
Lutsen, MN This unique exhibition features the work of Debbie Cooter, Nancy Daley, Judie Johnson, Erika Mock, Jo Wood and others showing their work, with periodic demonstrations and live music. Contact the Last Chance Gallery (218) 663-7008 www.lastchancefab.com
Lake Superior Sand & Sun Weekend
Neys Provincial Park, ON A weekend of exciting family programs by the Natural Heritage Education staff. Enjoy the spectacular Superior sand & sun while strolling down the beautiful beach. (807) 229-1624 July 12-13
Grand Marais Arts Festival
Nipigon, ON This weekend features various family events and loads of blueberries. Shuttles will transport pickers to and from blueberry patches. Come and celebrate and have a berry nice time. www.nipigon.net/events August 8-10
Festival of the Giant
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park , ON Join us for the 22nd annual Festival of the Giant. Hosted by the Friends of Sleeping Giant, this is a great event for the entire family that includes games, a corn roast, a sand sculpture contest, demonstrations and a theatrical program. (807) 977-2526.
July 14-19
Wind Power Workshop
Isle Royale Sailing Adventure
Grand Marais, MN Join the North House Folk School aboard their schooner and explore the rugged and isolated waters in and around Isle Royale. (888) 387-9762 info@northhouse.org www.northhouse.org July 20
Lake Superior Day
Lakewide The Lake Superior Binational Forum looks forward to a successful Lake Superior Day this and every year, and hopes each community will join the celebrations taking place around the lake. Contact the US Forum Coordinator: (715) 682-1489 lradke@northland.edu, or the Canadian Forum Coordinator: (807) 343-8811 nicol@lakeheadu.ca.
Duluth, MN This festival offers a variety of concerts, lectures, dance performances, tours and art exhibitions, and nightly dancing. www.finnfest2008.com
Sault Ste. Marie, ON The goal of this Festival is to educate students about the importance of water conservation, protection, technology and ecology. Contact Christine Aasan. caasen@ssmrca.ca
Blueberry Blast Festival
September 1-6
FinnFest 2008
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August 1-3
Grand Marais, MN This is an outdoor event on the shore of Lake Superior. The weekend-long family event also features a juried art show with all original works, live music, food booths, a pie social, fiber arts demonstrations, and children’s activities. (800) 385-9585 arts@boreal.org www.grandmaraisartcolony.org
July 23-27
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Grand Marais, MN This event offers a wide variety of activities, games, contests, live music, fireworks, and special food (fishburgers, of course!). www.grandmarais.com www.gmlions.com
Straw Bale Building Workshop
Nolalu, ON Come and learn about strawbale buildings and gain hands-on experience while participating in building a strawbale cabin. (807) 474-3968, www NolaluEcoCentre.org September 20-21 Nolalu, ON Learn about wind power and participate in the installation of a wind tower. This event is weather permitting, please call to confirm the dates. (807) 474-3968 www.NolaluEcoCentre.org September 21
Beach Sweep, Lakewide
Volunteer some of your time for this annual event to help keep Lake Superior’s shoreline clean. Contact your local information centre for details. September 24-26
Children’s Water Festival
Thunder Bay, ON The Thunder Bay Children’s Water Festival provides hands-on activities, discussions, demonstrations, displays and exhibits that challenge students to consider the importance of groundwater and surface water. Contact Joanne Wolnik. (807) 344-5857 www.lakeheadca.com
St. Paul, MN The Minnesota Water Resources Conference presents innovative and practical water resource management techniques, and highlights research about Minnesota’s water resources. Contact Sara Van Essendelft. (612) 624-3708 Cceconf5@umn.edu www.wrc.umn.edu/waterconf
HOT, HOT, HOT
Summer Music Festivals
From Sudbury to Winnipeg, there is no shortage of musical talent on the festival scene. Gord Downie is back. Staid and true performers like Emmylou Harris and Taj Mahal honour the stage. Canadian Indie sweethearts like Sarah Harmer, The Sadies and The Wooden Sky make it tough to choose what festival to attend. July 7-11
July 9-18
Winnipeg Folk Festival
The Great Canadian Rendezvous
Birds Hill Park Must See: Emmylou Harris, Wed. July 7 John Hiatt and The Combo, Thurs. July 8 Gord Downie & the Country of Miracles, Sun. July 11 Sarah Harmer, Sunday July 11
TBay Group to Check Out: Shy-Anne Hovorka, Wed. July 7 July 9-11
Thunder Bay Blues Festival Marina Park Must See: Blues Traveler, Sat. July 10 Taj Mahal, Sun. July 11
TBay Groups to Check Out: Slap Johnson & The Trowellers, Sat. July 10 The Chain, 3:45-4:45 Sun. July 11 July 9-11
Northern Lights Festival Boreal Ramsey Lake, Sudbury Must See: The Sadies Gord Downie & the Country of Miracles Cuff the Duke
Fort William Historical Park Must See: The Wailin’ Jennies, Mon. July 12
TBay Groups to Check Out: Shy-Anne Hovorka, Folk at the Fort Mon. July 12 Jazz on the Kam with Mood Indigo, Tues. July 13th August 6-8
“Live From the Rock” Folk Festival Red Rock, ON Must See: Ian Tamblyn The Wooden Sky
TBay Group to Check Out: The Auditor General August 13-15
Trout Forest Music Festival Ear Falls Waterfront Park Must See: Oh Susannah (TBA) Fred Eaglesmith (TBA)
TBay Group to Check Out: Rodney Brown (TBA)
Summer in the Parks, Marina Park, Wednesday Evenings Wednesday, July 7: Suitcase Stanley Southern Comfort The Scott Van Teeffelen Band
Wednesday, July 21: Good News Jazz Band The Bottom of the Barrel Shaken Not Stirred
Wednesday, July 14: Flipper Flanagan and the Flat Footed Four Private Eyes Vinyl
Wednesday, July 28: Passive Revolution Night Train Powerhouse
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STAY LOCAL THIS SUMMER & WE’LL SPARK YOUR IMAGINATION Summer in Thunder Bay is Fun, Festive & Fabulous! There is no better time to plan a Staycation if Thunder Bay is home or a Vacation if it’s not! Get inspired at www.visitthunderbay.com
It’s in our nature.