walleye the
Thunder Bay’s arts & culture alternative
ARTS CULTURE MUSIC FOOD FILM
FREE Vol 2 No 8
AU G U S T
2 01 1
t h e w a l l e y e . c a
A Berry Good Time
+
Northern Ontario Blueberry Festivals
Outdoor Spaces p 11
+
Captain John & the Polka Pirates p 16
+
Big Summer Theatre p 25
+
Zygote Bop p 28 The Walleye
1
TacTic
No.40 S T U D E N T S U R V I VA L 1 0 1
Make the most of both your worlds with Tbaytel
samsung Galaxy s Captivate
Decisions, decisions. Girls night out, midterms in the morning. This year, if you want to survive student life you need a 4G mobility plan that has the power to keep up. With Tbaytel’s affordable voice and data plans, and Student Smart Value Pack, you get the best of the internet, right in the palm of your hand. So now, when it comes to being productive or sociable you don’t need to choose.
VOICE PLANS AS LOW AS
30
$
.00 per month
100 peak minutes Choose one Free Option: • Hi-5 • Double your Peak Minutes • Unlimited Tbaytel Mobile to Tbaytel Mobile • Canadian Text/MMS Unlimited Free evenings and weekends starting at 6pm No SAF | No 911 | No Connection Fee
Visit an Authorized Tbaytel Mobility Dealer — Call 623-4400 or 1-800-264-9501 | www.tbaytel.net 1. Compared to buying each feature Seperately. Student plans are available on new or upgrades only, proof of valid student ID required. Offer available only on the 4G HSPA+ network. Cannot be combined with any other mobility offer. Offer available until September 30th, 2011. Regular price of Student Pack is $20 per month. 2. Competitive Contract Credit of up to $150 after taxes when swiching to Tbaytel from an eligible compeitior.
+ 2 MONTHS FREE STUDENT SMART VALUE PACK call display canadian Text/MMS Unlimited Enhanced Voice Mail & Msg Notification 5GB Data Plan REGULAR $20/MTh AnD sAVinG of $68/MTh 1 $150 CoMpETiTiVE ConTRACT CREDiT 2
August Blue
walleye
It is August, and I’m wrapped in blue.
the
Blue skies. Blue waters. Lingering threads of Blue Rodeo and Blues Fest memories. And of course, blueberries, the focus of this month’s cover story. Contributors share their blueberry recipes, memories of picking and eating blueberries, pop culture blueberries and insight into First Nation initiatives that are all about blueberry ventures.
Thunder Bay’s arts & culture alternative
Editor-in-chief Darren McChristie Editor Tiffany Jarva Contributing Editor Rebekah Skochinski
I don’t think anyone would ever describe me as someone who is easily star-struck. But when I met Jim Cuddy during Thunder Bay’s Blues Festival last month, I have to admit, as a longtime Blue Rodeo fan, I was a little smitten. Cuddy exudes charm, is laid back, and easy to talk to. No stranger to Thunder Bay, both Cuddy and Blue Rodeo have been here often (for the past few years Cuddy has performed and chatted “wine” during the The Thunder Bay Community Auditorium’s annual Wine Affair in November). “We love coming to Thunder Bay,” says Cuddy. “There’s the wine affair, breakfast at Kangas Sauna and great conversations with the knowledgeable music fans here.” And his advice to local musicians thirsty for success? “Leave Thunder Bay and tour,” he says. “We had to leave Toronto. It’s just something you have to do.”
Photographers Darren McChristie, John-Paul Marion, Storm Carroll, Chris Merkley, Dave Koski, Tara George, Cole Breiland, Amy Vervoort Art Director Dave Koski, R.G.D. Copy Editors Amy Jones, Nancy Saunders, Diane Piovesana Business Manager Doug McChristie Advertising Sales Tracy Sadgrove The Walleye is a free monthly publication distributed on racks throughout Thunder Bay and region. Reproduction of any article, photograph or artwork without written permission is strictly forbidden. Views expressed herein are those of the author exclusively. Copyright © 2011 by Superior Outdoors Inc. All Rights Reserved. Editorial and Advertising: Submissions must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Superior Outdoors cannot be held responsible for unsolicited material. Superior Outdoors Inc. Suite 242, 1100 Memorial Avenue, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 4A3 Telephone (807) 624-1215 ; Fax (807) 623-5122 E-mail: info@superioroutdoors.ca
Superior Outdoors Inc donates 1% of all sales to 1% for the Planet
www.onepercentfortheplanet.com
www.TheWalleye.ca
On the Cover Photo by Storm Carroll The scrumptious fruit of the lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
Dave Koski
Printed in Canada
Editor Tiffany Jarva interviews Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo during Thunder Bay Blues Festival
One regional musician proving she’s getting out there and heard is Atikokan’s Sunday Wilde (this month’s music profile), recently nabbing a Voters’ Choice Independent Music Award for Best Blues Song—the only Canadian and the only woman nominated. Watch for Wilde at this month’s Sioux Lookout Blueberry Fest. And of course, local talent from our shores and beyond will be playing at this year’s Red Rock Festival, including local favourites Alaska Army Band and ShyAnne Hovorka, folk mainstays Jack de Keyzer and Connie Kaldor, and the multi-talented all-female bluegrass quartet Oh My Darling (check out our preview this month). Now that it’s summer, who doesn’t want to maximize their time outside? Writer Mark Piovesana catches up with Brenda Adams (owner of Janzen’s Pharmacy) and husband Bob Tinsley in their stunning outdoor space complete with fireplace, outdoor kitchen, pool and a view of the Nor’westers. As we roll into August, make sure to take some time out to enjoy the blue skies, outdoor music and nibble on a berry or two. -TJ
In Error In our July issue we incorrectly mentioned that Stanley burgers are available at River Rat Rentals – the well-known Stanley burgers are only available at the Stanley Tavern.
The Walleye
3
Storm Carroll
Contents
FEATURES
■
6 CoverStory: Wild about Blueberries
■ 7 Local Blueberry Vignettes ■ 8 Boreal Berries ■ 8 Blue Gold ■ 9 Blue Pop ■ 10 Tracy’s Blueberry Crisp ■ 10 Blueberry Parfait ARCHITECTURE ■ 11 Living Outdoors ■ 11 Outdoor Living Spaces
11
CITYSCENE ■ 12 Kakabeka Street Fair ■ 13 Photography Workshops ■ 13 Cars as Art FOOD ■ 13 Poutine Planet ■ 14 Ice Cream Breakfast ■ 14 Adult Ice Pops ■ 15 Superior Summer Pairings
16
MUSIC ■ 16 Captain John and the Polka Pirates ■ 16 Lynyrd Skynyrd ■ 17 Polaris Award Finalists ■ 17 Mason Rack Band ■ 18 Bill Durst ■ 18 Oh My Darling ■ 18 Sunday Wilde THE ARTS ■ 20 Chenier Fine Arts ■ 21 Tazeem Qayyum ■ 21 Norman Moonias
20
Profit Sharing Announcement Bay Credit Union reports a 20% rate of return to our members this year! We have returned 2.1 million in profit to our members as dividends, bonus interest payment and loan/mortgage rebates since 2002.
Our members have been refunded as much as
$15,000
4
The Walleye
START EARNING BONUS INTEREST AND LOAN REBATES.
FILM&THEATRE ■ 24 Biindigaate Film Festival ■ 24 Lee Chambers ■ 25 Under the Red Star ■ 25 Big Summer Theatre
■ 17 Drink of the Month ■ 28 ZYGOTE bop ■ 19 Off the Wall Reviews ■ 26 August EVENTS Guide ■ 29 The Wall ■ 30 The EYE
24
(807) 345-7612 142 S. Algoma Street Toll Free 1-877-249-7076
CALL RAIJA 620-7417
LIVING GREEN ■ 22 Home Reno Grants ■ 22 Excuses 101 ■ 23 Question of the Month
CALL MISTY 628-3585
SUBSCRIBE! t o
T h e
details online:
W a l l e y e
www.TheWalleye.ca
the
4
Nipigon July 29 - August 1
Over the past ten years, the Blueberry Blast has grown into one of Nipigon’s marquee summer events. A $5 Blueberry Button is required admission to most events, including the Blueberry Bus that shuttles pickers to some of the plumpest and tastiest berries in the region. The Blueberry Bus departs daily (Friday thru Monday) at 9 am from the Nipigon Legion and Marina. Pickers must bring their own pails, but water is provided. Other highlights of the event include pancake breakfasts (with blueberries, of course), live music, children’s activities and entertainment, and a fish fry (with our favourite—walleye!). www.nipigon.net, nipigonblueberryblast@gmail.com.
2
Red Rock Folk Festival
Storm Carroll
1
Blueberry Blast
TOPfive
Superior Youth Festival
Marina Park August 24
As the International Year of Youth comes to an end, the youth of Thunder Bay can celebrate with a party at Marina Park. The festival features local and regional youth talent, and national headliners, like the Sheepdogs from Saskatoon (finalists in a contest to grace the cover of this month’s Rolling Stone). Their latest album, Learn & Burn, features psychedelic grooves, southern soul and rapacious rock—a perfect party soundtrack. Other performers include Maraday Park, Drive, CoNcEpTs, Down Converter and Trevor Potts. There will also be alternative performers, on-site concessions, free draws, an artisan market, community group booths and a variety of other activities. www. facebook.com/Superior Youth Festival
Red Rock August 5-7
The Walleye loves the Red Rock Folk Festival. The scenic backdrop, low key atmosphere, cocktail blend of musicians, cozy campground, and late night bonfire make the event a unique northern experience. If you’ve never been, grab your tent and pack your car and head to Red Rock. If you want to integrate a little cardio other than dancing, pack your runners or hiking boots for the Paju Mountain Run (the view is worth the climb, really!). Don’t miss Shane Philip’s performance on Saturday night—in addition to the didgeridoo, he plays acoustic/electric six-string guitars, Weissenborn and kona lap steel guitars, djembe and kick drums, and shakers. And he sings. www.livefromtherock.com
3
Fred Eaglesmith
Atikokan, Stanley, Nipigon August 7, 8 and 9
This month, Fred Eaglesmith and his band will bring his Back Roads Rock ‘n Roll Hayride tour to Northwestern Ontario. On Sunday August 7, you can catch him in Atikokan at Errington Hall, on August 8 he’ll rock the Stanley Tavern and on August 9 he will barnstorm the Nipigon Legion Hall. Advance tickets for all three shows are available at Chaltrek/Ostrom Outdoors and Fireweed. Be sure to bring some extra cash to buy a copy of Eaglesmith’s new album, 6 Volts, a limited edition live album that is being put together on the road. There are four different front covers and three different backs— it’s a collector’s piece. According to Eaglesmith’s drummer, Kori Heppner, “it’s a one mic, analogue, reel to reel recording, that has an awesome, swamp rock, songwriter sound.” www.fredeaglesmith.com
5
120th Annual Murillo Fair Murillo Fairgrounds August 27-28
When the British crossed the agricultural improvement society with traditional trade fairs/carnivals, the tradition of the agricultural fair was born. British settlers introduced the tradition to the colonies and, in Ontario, agricultural fairs spread west with the first settlers in the late 1790s. The first Murillo Fair was held in 1891 and continues to promote agriculture and the rural lifestyle. The fair includes a variety of competitions, ranging from homemaking activities—like arts and crafts, baking, vegetables, honey and homemade wine—to livestock (watch for the first ever beef cattle show). There is also great food and live entertainment. We recommend the ranch rodeo and gymkhana events, like the barrel races. www.murillofair. net The Walleye
5
CoverStory
Wild abo
Storm Carroll
ut...
By Mark Piovesana
If you have ever asked a true connoisseur of blueberry pies what the secret ingredient is, they will most certainly tell you it is freshly picked wild blueberries. To gain some insight into the seasonal gathering ritual, we spoke with Ron Doughty, a true veteran of the craft. Now a spry 81 year old, Ron honed his skills under his grandmother’s tutelage at the tender age of 10. It was 1940, and war was raging in Europe. Times were tough, and having enough blueberries to last the winter was important if you wanted dessert. The family would pick 122 quarts of blueberries, which were then cooked in a huge vat on an outdoor wood stove. They were then preserved and stored in a cold room hidden beneath a trap door in the family homestead. Blueberries can be elusive, because the place you found the great berries last season may not be there the next. Ron’s favourite place to look for blueberries is at the base of large rounded rocks found almost anywhere in the Canadian Shield. The base of these rocks is where the biggest, juiciest berries can be found, as the rainwater inevitably flows down, giving the berries the natural irrigation they need. According to Ron, places that have been cut recently— along pipeline routes, clear cuts from forestry activity, and burn areas, for example—will typically provide ideal growing conditions approximately two years from the time of the clearing. “I’ve never looked for blueberries on or near a lake shore” says Ron. Over the years, he has found that Spruce River Road, Dog Lake Road, and in and around the Kakabeka area have all offered some choice picking spots.
6
The Walleye
There are people out there who will go to great lengths to gather their pie ingredients. Ron describes a yearly ritual at Rocky Lakes Resort, owned by his late brother Ed Wilson, located east of Kenora. A group of female Hutterite university students arrive by bright blue Greyhoundstyle bus. There are only two men on this bus: the elderly gentleman who runs the show, and the bus driver. Within 20 minutes of arriving, their tents are pitched and they are ready to pick in a previously scouted location. The pickers are instructed to pick a five gallon pail each, with swimming as a reward once they’re done. The women pick until their pails are full, and leave the next morning, bus brimming with blueberries, as quickly and quietly as they arrived.
Where there are blueberries, there are bound to be bears. Ron advises simply backing away and letting the bear go on its merry way. If the blueberries are plentiful, the bears are full and there likely isn’t anything to worry about. With all of his years’ experience, we had to ask Ron for his predictions on this year’s crop. “I think they will be plentiful starting about the beginning of August but I don’t think it will be a bumper crop year,” was his carefully considered response. “You won’t have to go far,” he says, “driving up Spruce River Road might be a good starting place but you gotta keep moving.” Armed with these words of wisdom and advice, we wish you much success in finding your own patch of wild blueberries—the secret ingredient to making a perfect blueberry pie.
Rebekah Skochinski
Ron Doughty has been picking blueberries in the region for over 70 years and shares some of his stories and berry finding tips.
Sioux Lookout Blueberry Festival July 29-August 7
Since 1983, the ten-day Sioux Lookout Blueberry Festival has been welcoming visitors from the region and elsewhere to celebrate everything the community and area has to offer. “With over 130 events in this year’s festival, it is hard to pick just one event or even just one day,” explains Rebecca Crane, festival assistant coordinator. “We have events that appeal to people of all ages.” For instance on opening day on July 29, you can check out the Northwest Farmer’s Market, a Bannock Bake-Off, Cedar Bay Wagon Rides and even a Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament. The opening ceremonies feature the Kenora Scottish Bagpipers, and music by Edible Rex. www.blueberrybert.com
CoverStory
Storm Carroll
Local Blueberry Vignettes
Blueberry drumming. Staying ahead of a blueberry-munching dog. Baba’s blueberry pierogi.
Darren McChristie
Living in Thunder Bay with easy access to wild blueberry patches on the Canadian Shield, chances are pretty good that we each have a blueberry story to share. We ask a few of our contributors for their memorable blueberry moments.
Blueberry Drums By Jeannie Dubois
Growing up in Thunder Bay, our parents would invariably drag us out to some scorched, spare patch of Canadian Shield to pick blueberries each summer. Sent on our way each toting a three quart pail, we were given the explicit direction not to return until the bucket was full. Naturally, we earnestly collected (for five whole minutes!) until boredom, heat, hunger and monotony caused us to eat our small gains. Thus sated we found that the empty quart pails made excellent improvisational drums and proceeded to play ‘bongos’ to our one line song: “You got a nice bum, nice bum. You got a nice bum!”
Sun-Warmed Blueberry Goodness
Picks, Eats, and Leaves
By Tanya Gouthro
By Rebekah Skochinski
Blueberry picking was always part of long August days as a kid. Our camp was situated just before Jellicoe, one of the ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ towns along Highway 11, where there were absolutely perfect spots for blueberries - rocky, sunny spots just off the highway where we never saw another soul, save the odd black bear that would join us on the hunt for the heaviest, plumpest berries. Donning one of many classic mesh baseball caps that hung on the wall and arming ourselves with lots of bug dope (back in the day when it was still acceptable to oil ourselves up with that “stuff” that came in the tiny clear bottle) and empty yogourt containers, we would head off with our dog to go picking. The best part of this memory is the image of my dog, head completely buried in bush after bush, which she cleaned out - our job was to stay ahead of her so that we could still manage to fill our containers and head home, mouths and hands stained purple, bellies full of sun-warmed blueberry goodness.
Growing up in the country, I had access to all of the wild things: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and saskatoons. My favourite by far was, and still is, the blueberry. Maybe it was because they were the easiest to pick (I used to be a lot closer to the ground),the sweetest, and also the most abundant. Summer days were spent coasting by the blueberry patches on my bike, stopping to check on the white buds and praying for blue. When the berries were ready, I would lie stomach down in a patch and pluck those baby blues right off of their tender shoots. There was always enough for pies of course, but nothing excited me more than blueberry “pedaheh.” I’m certain I danced around the kitchen, hands clapping together with glee as the assembly line in the kitchen formed: the bowl of fresh berries, the rolling out of tender dough, the cutting, stuffing, and pinching. Cookie sheets, strewn around the kitchen and layered with tea towels, sprinkled with flour and lined with crescent shaped dumplings awaiting the pot of boiling water. It always seemed like magic watching them bob happily to the top. Then we would toss them into a large bowl with melted butter, bread crumbs and sugar, and call it dinner.Today, I have to venture out farther for those beloved berries. I keep the places I find a secret, crouch low in hot sun, and ignore the cramping muscles as I scavenge for a pailful of summer and a taste of my childhood.
Storm Carroll
Needless to say this comes up at every family reunion…
The Walleye
7
CoverStory
Boreal Berries Great for tea By Lee-Ann Chevrette
Our northern climate does not favour the production of most fruit. The harsh winters, short growing season, and inconsistent precipitation can challenge even the hardiest of varieties. Berries are an exception and, in the boreal forest, we are fortunate to have an annual abundance of these fresh, delicious, exceptionally nutritious little fruits. Blueberries are a lifelong favorite of mine, and I have vivid childhood memories of harvesting blueberries with my grandmother in Timmins. Today, I harvest blueberries with my own children.
Boreal Forest Teas, my small, northern-inspired organic herbal tea business located in Thunder Bay, includes blueberries in three tea blends: Boreal Berry Blend, Northern Lights and EverGreen. Boreal Forest Teas is proud to support a local Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) initiative by purchasing blueberries from the Aroland Youth Blueberry Initiative, which is run by Aroland First Nation’s Youth Council.
Blue Gold
Aroland Blueberries: A Youth Initiative By Larry Hogard
The First Nation community of Aroland, located approximately 350 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay and 25 kilometres west of Nakina, has developed an annual youth initiative in picking and selling blueberries. This effort helps fund programming for the Youth Council of Aroland and supports the purchase of sports equipment and day/overnight road trips. Jokingly called “Blue Gold,” these delicious, wild blueberries are hand-picked from the near 20,000 hectares of reserve land that surround the community. The Youth Council’s picking operation started four years ago as a way for students to earn volunteer hours and experience. It was originally organized by Band Councillor Sheldon Atlookan, Economic Development Officer Mark Bell and Joseph LeBlanc, Co-chair of the True North Community Co-Operative. As it turned into a fund raising event, it also developed into a model for youth that ‘anything can be done.’ As of last year, the youth have taken over most aspects of the operation, including the buying and selling. All ages participate in the picking, making this venture an alternative to conventional modes of income and development—everybody involved is on a volunteer basis. Blueberry picking is not a new venture to Aroland. Over 40 years ago blueberry picking provided employment for many people. Baskets were sold to travellers riding through the community on the passenger train. One challenge facing Aroland and its blueberries is contamination due to spraying from forestry companies. This threatens the viability of production and the confidence of a clean picking site. Nonetheless, all blueberries from Aroland are picked from clean, unsprayed sites. Last year, Aroland blueberries were available by mid-July, but due to this year’s late arrival of spring, the blueberries will be available starting in early August for four-to-six weeks.
Serena LeBlanc
Pre-orders and fresh baskets are available at the True North Community Co-Op, located inside The Green House on Bay Street, for $10/litre (5% off with Co-op membership). Baskets are also available at Quality Market and Valley Fresh—look for the Aroland label!
8
The Walleye
Sheldon Atlookan
Botanically, the blueberry plant is a deciduous shrub belonging to the heath (Ericaceae) family (genus Vaccinium). Nutritionally, blueberries contain the highest antioxidant capacity of all fresh fruit. They are very rich in antioxidants like anthocyanin, Vitamins A, C, E, and B complex, and minerals like potassium, manganese, copper, selenium, iron and zinc. Blueberries enhance immune function and prevent infections.
CoverStory
Blue Pop Blueberries in books, films and songs By Tiffany Jarva
“Lardass” Blueberry Pie Eating Contest in movie Stand By Me (based on Stephen King’s novella The Body)
Dare to Dream Join Paddle-To-The-Sea’s journey throughout the waterways of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. Help share the richness and wonder of Canadian culture.
www.nipigon.net
1-877-596-1359
“Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino Anyone who grew up inhaling the TV show Happy Days should be familiar with the classic song “Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino. You know things are good for main character Richie Cunningham when he saunters down the stairs singing “I found my thrill…”
Oh, who doesn’t remember the outof-control blueberry pie-eating contest in the movie Stand By Me. Main character Gordie Lachance (played by Wil Wheaton) shares one of his fictional stories with his friends. “Lardass’ Revenge” is about a pie-eating contest gone awry. Obese teen Davie “Lardass” Hogan (played by Andy Lindberg), ridiculed by the townsfolk, plots his revenge. Prior to entering the contest Lardass consumes a dozen raw eggs and bottle of castor oil, then devours five pies. Needless to say that the “barf-a-rama” that follows may have put a lot of folks off of blueberry pie for a while.
Blueberry Lyrics “ He call me Blueberry, Blueberry/Blueberry, very blue.” “Blueberry” by Lita Ford
Hit the road with a few friends this Summer! Caribou Charity Ride © Conor McGoey
(We know bikes.)
Violet Beauregarde morphs into a human blueberry in Road Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; film adaptations by Mel Stewart (1971) and Tim Burton (2005)
When the rude, gum-smacking Violet Beauregarde (the third child to win a Golden Ticket to tour Willy Wonka’s eccentric chocolate factory) chews an experimental blueberry pie dessert gum, she turns blue, fills up with juice, and inflates into a human blueberry! Apparently during the 1971 film, the actress Denise Nickerson scored 13 cavities from chewing so much gum, and for the blueberry sequence was stuck in an inflatable rubber suit and Styrofoam ball for eight hours.
“ I love a Blueberry. I hug a Blueberry/Oh yes I do. You know I do.” “Blueberry Pie” by Bette Midler “ Blueberry kisses/My lips they miss his, oh yeah.” “Blueberry Kisses” by Lady Gaga “ I found my thrill/on blueberry hill.” “Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino
The Walleye
9
a n a z i Mel
CoverStory
While blueberry mixture cools, beat cream with the remaining 1/4 cup maple syrup in a bowl using an electric MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Stir lemon juice, zest and remaining 1 1/4 cups blueberries into cooled blueberry-maple mixture. Spoon about 2 tablespoons blueberry mixture into each of 6 glasses and top with half of the crumbled cookies and half of the whipped cream. Repeat layering of remaining blueberry mixture, crumbled cookies, and whipped cream. Sprinkle chopped candied ginger on top of parfaits as garnish.
Tiffany Jarva
Serve parfaits immediately.
Tracy’s Blueberry Crisp Prep Time: 10 Minutes Baking Time: 30-35 Minutes 3-4 cups large blueberries (fresh is best) washed and dry. 3 to 4 tablespoons white sugar (or to taste) 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 1/4 cup flour (or rice flour) Topping: 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (can equally substitute rice flour for gluten free) 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/3 cup butter (or margarine) 1/4 cup oats (large works best) 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
801
Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix berries with sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and cinnamon. Place berries in 9 x 13 pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Blueberry Parfait with Maple and Ginger By Rachel Globensky
3 1/2 cups blueberries (18 ounces), divided 3/4 cup pure maple syrup (preferably Grade B), divided 1 cup heavy cream, chilled 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 6 ounces thin ginger cookies, coarsely crumbled 6 pieces of candied ginger, chopped finely Cook 2 1/4 cups (3/4 pound) blueberries with 1/2 cup maple syrup in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until blueberries have burst, 3 to 8 minutes. Cool in an ice bath, stirring occasionally.
Topping: in a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon, oats and walnuts (optional). Cut in butter using a pastry blender, or gently work through with hands until you have coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the berry mixture. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until berries are tender and crumbs are golden. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped topping or ice cream. Experiment with different flavours of ice cream, or add 1 tablespoon orange juice to one cup of cool whip for a little zest. Hint: prepare ahead of time but don’t bake until dinner is on the table and then serve when hot and extra tasty.
Makes 6-8 servings -Tracy Sadgrove
10
The Walleye
Home Building Centre
• 670 Beaverhall Place • 475-5300
PRICEMATCHPROMI$E
®
We will gladly match any advertised local competitor's price on an identical in-stock item.
This offer can not be combined with any other offer.
Home Owners helping homeowners®
Architecture
Summertime … and the livin’ is outdoors A state-of-the-art outdoor kitchen. Customized saltwater in-ground pool (on bedrock!). Outdoor fireplace. Infrared heat lamps. A pergola to provide shade. Comfy lounge areas and a coveted view of the Nor’Westers. Writer Mark Piovesana catches up with Brenda Adams, owner of Janzen’s Pharmacy, and husband Bob Tinsley, a nurse practitioner, in their outdoor living space. Story and photos by Mark Piovesana
New trends in outdoor furniture, area rugs and even artwork provide many options for creating an outdoor living space that allow us to take advantage of our precious summer season. Brenda Adams and Bob Tinsley invited me to their Mount Forest home to share some of their ideas on outdoor living. “Because we are so busy,” says Brenda, “we built the outdoor space so we could hide out.”
With the pool as a focal point, a comfortable sitting area was their next logical project. A pergola and a large outdoor fireplace help to define the space. “The pergola offers a surprising amount of shade, yet allows for an open air feel,” shares Brenda. Infrared heating lamps mounted in the top corners of the pergola extend the season. “We will sit out here well into October.”
Brenda and Bob installed a kidneyshaped saltwater pool, complete with a hot tub-like sitting area that jets out warm water. “The salt water has a different feel on the skin,” explains Brenda , “and I really like that—it’s very soothing.” They were told an in-ground pool was not an option because their house is built on bedrock. Undeterred, they found a local contractor, Coconut Bay, who could blast out the bedrock to allow for the pool. “It was an expensive project but it was worth it to us,” says Bob. The bedrock that was removed to fit the pool was then incorporated as design elements by Artistic Landscaping.
Their Mount Forest property offers a spectacular view of the Nor’Wester mountains, and one sitting area was not enough to fully utilize their space. Flagstone walkways lined with colourful perennials lead to a couple of strategic sitting areas. Imported granite benches and seats add a rugged and of course weatherproof element to the design. “We do have a great view, and we want to take advantage of it,” explains Bob. A outdoor living space would not be complete without an outdoor kitchen. “I cook all of our meals out here in the summertime,” says Brenda. They have built a large island on their deck area just
Outdoor Living Spaces Creating secret spaces with gardens, a fire pit, meandering paths, dining areas and cozy seating Story and photo by Marlene Wandel
There are secret gardens all over this town, hiding behind fences and dense hedges. Every now and then, a gate is open, and a garden’s secret is revealed for a moment. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to be invited in by the green-thumbed gardeners that have transformed a city lot into a colourful and varied landscape.
outside the kitchen. The deck is raised above the pool area allowing the cook to enjoy the view of the mountains as well as the flower gardens, fountains and the pool with a mosaic of three dolphins swimming in a circle on its bottom. The island has a large grill, hot and cold running water, an outdoor fridge, dishwasher and a seating area for four guests. “The key is to know your bottom line and find contractors that you are comfortable working with and know will do a good job for you,” explains Bob. As I was leaving, I said, “This a truly spectacular space, and obviously took a lot of time, energy and resources to complete.” For Brenda and Bob, the time, energy and resources to create this proved a worthy investment. As Brenda explains, “Bob and I work very hard and often very long hours. It is nice to come home at the end of the day and relax and unwind in our little oasis.”
A ramble up the alley revealed an open gate, and a glimpse of this magical yard. Tucked quietly away in a north side neighbourhood is a private paradise; this secret garden is an outdoor living space, decorated with a living, changing palette. The walls are decorated with a tapestry of clematis, with rich purple blossoms that tremble in the breeze. Overhead is a canopy of leaves and blossoms accenting the patches of blue summer sky. This space is truly outdoor living—a herb garden not far from the fire pit, and a vegetable patch to provide food. There is a dining area nestled in the corner between two buildings, sheltered from the sun and wind. It’s easy to picture an evening spent here, drifting from fire to table to the cozy seating spots strewn with colourful cushions, and back to the fire to ward off the evening chill. For neighbours, the only clue of this secret garden’s existence is the occasional waft of music down the alley, and the sound of happy voices of friends soaking up the rich, green atmosphere. The Walleye
11
Dan Gaudette
Food CityScene
Let the good times roll
Kakabeka Street Fair returns Melissa Gaudette
15 years ago the Kakabeka Street Fair began as promotional tourism and since, attendance has tripled. Last year, over 28,000 visitors attended the free fair. “There is something for everyone of all ages,” says Kakabeka Street Fair spokesperson Marlis BommesDudzinski. This year, the fair offers local goods from artisans and crafters, local garden foods, musical entertainment, a ladies fastball tournament, and midway rides. Although the fair is free, the midway charges ticket admissions for rides. To avoid parking congestion this year, the fair offers shuttle service to and from the Kakabeka Legion. Simply park at the Legion and take the bus into the fair. Buses run every ten minutes. “Camp at the park, check out the falls, and see what Kakabeka has to offer,” Bommes-Dudzinski recommends. “Make this your stay-cation this year.”
We’re Growing New Roots! 205 South Algoma St. Open Mon to Sat 9:30 to 5:30
12
The Walleye
Tara George
It’s back. The highly anticipated Kakabeka Street Fair returns August 19-21. Starting Friday at 6pm, the fair opens with bands and midway rides, but the full spectacle begins Saturday at 10am.
Giant Photography Digital Workshops People in Parks Workshop By Tara George
I glance around the room at the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park Visitor’s Centre, noting ‘point and shoots’ to more sophisticated DSLRs. I think to myself, “How could someone possibly teach a course to participants with such a wide range of equipment and experience?” But he does, and he knows his stuff. Barry Wojciechowski has been a professional photographer for 11 years, and he leads the class with ease, teaching us the fundamental settings on our cameras, and demonstrating how they relate to taking effective photos of our subjects—people in the park.
In partnership with Ontario Parks and Lake Superior Visits, Barry is in his third year of leading the Giant Photography Digital Workshop series. The series offers an introductory evening course, three individual one-day workshops, and a fall weekend workshop—each focusing on a different aspect of photography. Barry explains that the workshops are intended for average hobby photographers, with the day split between the classroom and the field. Jeremy, who participated in three workshops last summer, and then signed up again this summer, finds the workshops empowering. He explains that in each workshop he learns something new, and that he is forced out his comfort zone of ‘automatic’ mode, and into the more advanced features of his camera. I couldn’t agree more with his assessment. I left the course feeling like the fragmented pieces of knowledge I had about my camera were finally pieced together into one clear picture. I look forward to checking out future workshops. For details on the upcoming ‘Landscapes’ and ‘Fall Colours’ workshops check out www.superiorvisits.com
Rebekah Skochinski
CityScene
Poutine Planet 845 N. May St (807) POUTINE
By Amy Jones
Cars as Art Fine vintages must be savoured not gulped. Photos and Story By Julian Holenstein
Warm summer months signal a time for some of Thunder Bay’s finest art to literally roll out onto the streets. No longer threatened by winter’s harsh environment of metal-eating road salt or paint-chipping sand, vintage and collector automobiles creep out from their hidden lairs. During the dark days of winter they are carefully stored in lockers, workshops, underground parking and dry garages until these vehicles finally get their chance to show their shine in the summer sun. Painted and polished to their original form and glory or customized with a car enthusiast’s unique vision, they are truly fine art pieces that should be seen in person. One might spot some of these beauties cruising the roadways around town, but nothing beats coming out to one of the many summer parking lot gatherings to see first hand some of the many fine vintages Thunder Bay has to offer. While attending the regular Thursday evening gathering at the mall on West Arthur Street, I was astounded at the beauty and diversity of automobiles present. Everything from Fargo trucks, original Mini Coopers, old Chevys and Mercurys from the 50s, custom Rat Rod composites and even an antique Porsche. Somehow
seeing these restorations makes one feel like a kid again with all the memories of playing with matchbox toys or Hot Wheels—but these babies are the real McCoy! In speaking with Joe Bamford, owner of a fabulous shiny red Mercury Monarch creation, I quickly realize that car restoration is a passion for these owners. Many of these enthusiasts sport custom plates to reflect their creation and/or attitude. Bamford’s license plate reads “Lo Joe,” a fitting name for his vehicle that shows itself riding only inches above road level. He worked on his creation for over five years, combining an Oldsmobile 88 chassis with a Delta 88 frame to create a grafted body that gives the exceptional appearance of a low rider. Special attention is also given to a louvered hood and Monarch grill. Bamford proudly notes that his vehicle won “Car of the Year” back in 1997. Bamford explains that car enthusiasts can come from all walks of life and careers around Thunder Bay. Many have drifted from former interests in racing when Riverview Raceway and other tracks existed. He jokes about how many learned a hard lesson that racing can burn through a whole lot more money when compared with car restoration and customization. Some have also developed their skill and expertise through trades work in industries, like the ship yards, Bombardier and local mills. Metal workers, tool and die workers, machine mechanics and many others have retired from local industries but stay active by working on their hobby vehicles.
Gatherings for these car owners generally serve two functions. First they provide an opportunity for these drivers to share their experiences, tips and knowledge—a wonderful venue for information exchange. And secondly, parking lot showings/cruise nights provide a wonderful occasion to share their art and passion with others in the community—many who may never restore vehicles themselves but nevertheless can enjoy the passion of others and be treated to some of the finest art our city has to offer.
For information about local clubs:
Northern Ontario Classic Cruisers www.northernontarioclassiccruisers.com
Thunder Bay Vintage Sports Car Club www.tbvscc.ca Superior Classics Car Club (Terrace Bay & Schreiber) www.superiorclassics.ca
Ever since the sign first appeared above a doorway on May St. across the street from Silver City, Thunder Bay has been eagerly awaiting the opening of Poutine Planet. And while their web presence (and their sign!) have been around for months, it was only July 4 that Poutine Planet finally opened their doors. So excited were the city’s poutine lovers that when we got there at 5 pm, they had actually run out of ingredients. We tried again a few weeks later, after the initial rush had subsided and the picnic tables had been installed outside. Although we were disappointed that not all the items listed on their website were available (being a Halifax girl, I was especially looking forward to trying the Donair Poutine), there was still enough variety on the limited menu to intrigue us. We decided on the Original—fries, curds, and gravy—and The Works—fries, sour cream, green onions, ground beef, and nacho cheese sauce. After watching them put our orders together (the kitchen is open, with the toppings in full view in front of you a la Subway), we took our orders outside to try them out. The Original was exactly the right balance of cheese, curds and fries—the gravy perfectly seasoned, and the obviously hand-cut fries crispy and golden. Although my dining companion (a self-professed poutine newbie) would have preferred the cheese to be more melted, I actually thought they were delicious (and more authentic) the way they were. The Works, while pushing the limits of what could be considered poutine, were swimming in sour cream and nacho cheese sauce (which I think might actually secretly be everyone’s guilty pleasure)—a super creamy combination that would have benefitted from the spicy heat of some chilli as opposed to the simple ground beef scattered on top. Although true poutine connoisseurs might balk at the more unusual toppings, Poutine Planet has mastered the basics well enough to please even the staunchest purist. And even though it might have taken a while for them to get things up and running, this poutine connoisseur thinks it was well worth the wait. The Walleye
13
Food
Summer Breakfast Ice Cream & Cookies? By Rachel Globensky
Sometimes, getting the kids to eat breakfast is a battle of wills, and sometimes, when you win and make them eat something, the kid can make the cereal/toast/eggs last forever in front of them. Time to bring out the big guns: fun food that’s delicious and (shhhhhh!) healthy! Enter Breakfast Ice Cream and Breakfast Cookies. The following ice cream recipes are ridiculously easy to make – just put all the stuff in a food processor and blend away! It’s best to dice up the fruit fairly small before freezing it, otherwise you’re in for quite a ride once you press the On button! Both recipes make enough for two kids, and they will be begging for seconds!
Strawberry Ice Cream
1 ½ cup frozen (diced) strawberries ¼ cup milk ¼ cup yogurt (plain or strawberry) A dash of sugar
Monkey’s Lunch Ice Cream
1 frozen banana, diced 2 tablespoons plain yogurt 2 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon chocolate powder (like Nesquick)
If you’re going for Parent of the Year, you can serve your ice cream along with a couple of these gems:
Hearty Breakfast Cookies – makes about 24, depending on how big your cookie dough scoop is! ¼ cup butter, softened ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce 1 cup peanut (or other nut) butter ½ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup honey 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 eggs 1/3 cup milk 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 cups quick-cooking oats ½ cup wheat germ or ground flax seed 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons baking soda ½ cup chocolate chips ½ cup raisins or craisins 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Cream all of these ingredients together with an electric mixer. (You’ll be there all day if you do this by hand!)
The Walleye
Adult Ice Pops By Rachel Globensky
Add in to above mixture and beat again. Mix all the dry ingredients together, and then stir into the buttery/eggy mixture.
Who says ice pops are just for the kiddies? Here are three that are definitely rated 19+: Mojito – Combine 2 ounces of rum, ¼ cup of fresh lime juice, 2 cups of lemon-lime pop, a handful of fresh mint leaves & 2 cups of ice into a blender; puree until slushy. Freeze in moulds.
Stir in to cookie dough.
Drop by spoonfuls/scoops onto a cookie sheet (lined with a silicone baking sheet or just plain old tinfoil), about 3 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake at 350⁰F for about 15 minutes, or until the edges of your cookies are a bit firm. These cookies taste really great if they’re a little underbaked – they stay chewy that way.
14
Brain Freeze With A Twist
Pineapple Pina Colada – Puree half a pineapple in the blender. Mix in ¼ cup lime juice, 2 ounces of coconut rum & 1 tablespoon of sugar. Pour into ice pop moulds & freeze. Watermelon Margarita – Combine 2 ounces of tequila with 2 cups of seedless watermelon in a blender and 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. Puree until mixture is smooth. Freeze!
Food Food
Superior Summer Pairings
Drink of the Month
By Jeannie Dubois, Certified Sommelier
Strawberry Ginger Ale
Known by the Ojibway as the ‘big water’ or Gitchigami, our great lake of Superior didn’t come by its English name lightly. As the world’s largest freshwater lake by surface area, Superior is home to a whopping 80 species of native fish and a plethora of introduced species to boot.
Caribou Restaurant + Wine Bar By Rebekah Skochinski
Off the shores of Thunder Bay, in the cool, clear depths of Lake Superior, a veritable smorgasbord awaits the patient pole man (or woman). The most plentiful of the edible varieties that frequent our coastline are Lake Trout, Chinook Salmon and Lake Whitefish; sadly our eponymous Walleye prefers a warmer and murkier habitat!
Chris Merkley
The real beauty of having such a bountiful great lake in our very own backyard is the opportunity to be our own hunters and gatherers. In our relatively untouched northern sphere, that means hooking a healthy fish, heading home and hitting the barbeque with a cold one in hand.
Sipping on a tasty, refreshing beverage tops my list of favourite ways to quell the heat of summer. And the Strawberry Ginger Ale from Caribou boasts a combination that I can assure you is the ultimate cool-down. It owes its liveliness to the freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice and bright snap of lemon, its crispness to Hendricks Gin, and has a soothing sweetness that only strawberries can deliver. Life, especially at this time of year, is also about enjoying the simple things—like, say, a few stray gin-soaked strawberries rolling around in the bottom of your glass. Ahhhh.
Try these ‘superior’ pairings with your fresh catch of the day! GRILL: Cedar plank Chinook Salmon with a smooth Canadian Pinot Noir – Mission Hill Five Vineyards Pinot Noir VQA LCBO No. 145128 - $16.45
Strawberry Ginger Ale 2 Lemon Slices 1 oz Hendricks Gin .5 oz Fragoli Strawberry Liqueur 2 oz fresh squeezed grapefruit juice Splash of Ginger Ale as required Muddle the lemon in a cocktail shaker. Add the gin, Fragoli, and grapefruit juice. Shake. Pour into highball glass; top with ginger ale. Caribou Restaurant + Wine Bar is located at 727 Hewitson Street.
SMOKE: Alder smoked Whitefish with an aromatic Islay Scotch – Bowmore 12 Year Old Islay Single Malt LCBO No. 330803 - $48.80
POACH: Lake Trout amandine with a crisp Canadian lager – Moosehead Cracked Canoe LCBO No. 121822 - $12.50 (6 pack) The Walleye
15
Music
Captain John and the Polka Pirates By Kathryn Lyzun
Amanda Zawacki
Arrr, matey! Forget folksy costumes — these polka pros take the stage in full-blown pirate garb.
Together for four years, the Polka Pirates are made up of local accordion aficionado (Captain) John Scaffeo, Wayne Faulconer, Cliff Redden, Enzo Riccio and Sonia Poniatowski. For select shows they’re joined by a three-piece horn section, The Buccaneers of Brass. Clearly Captain John and the Polka Pirates like to storm the seas with polka tunes, but they also mix in a little Cajun music, a few waltzes and even some blues and rock ‘n’ roll if the mood is right. Missed them at Summer in the Parks this July? They are also regulars at Oktoberfest.
Lynyrd Skynyrd Southern Comfort By Tracy Sadgrove
On the heels of the Thunder Bay Blues Festival, the Community Auditorium delivered once again, hosting one of the most prolific bands ever to hail from the South. The lights dimmed and the crowd erupted as an iconic southern rock deity had come a-calling: Lynyrd Skynyrd was on the stage. Hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, Skynyrd has seen many changes and tragedies over their 40+ years, including a fatal plane crash that killed singer Ronnie Van Zant and two other band members. It is no wonder their music is so reflective of real life and real emotion.
www.livefromtherock.com
Dave Koski
Fronted by Johnny Van Zant (younger brother of Ronnie), Gary Rossington on guitar (the last original member), and a confederacy of musical brethren, Skynyrd gives credence that with age comes perfection. They opened the show with songs from the recent God and Guns album and then segued to fan faves like “That Smell,” “Call Me the Breeze,” and “What’s Your Name,” as well as many other classics. There was a sincere tribute to military personnel and their families, followed by the timeless “Simple Man.” Returning to the stage for one last encore, “Freebird ,” synonymous with Skynyrd, was their farewell to an appreciative Thunder Bay audience.
16
Get your Folk on at the Rock! The Walleye
y a B r e Thund
T E K R A M Now Open
THURSDAYS 3:30Pm-7pm
SATURDAYS 8am-1pm @ C.L.E.
thunderbaycountrymarket.com
Music Arcade Fire The Suburbs Austra Feel It Break Braids Native Speaker Destroyer Kaputt Anton Corbijn
Galaxie Tigre et diesel
Finalists for the Polaris Award Announced By Nancy Ewachow
Hey Rosetta! Seeds Ron Sexsmith Long Player Late Bloomer Colin Stetson New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges Timber Timbre Creep On Creepin’ On The Weeknd House Of Balloons
The Mason Rack Band Downunder Thunder By Tracy Sadgrove
The Port Arthur downtown core was a flurry of post-Blues Fest festivities when I happened upon The Mason Rack Band, playing to a full house at the Apollo. Mason, from the Gold Coast (Queensland, Australia), blends hard rock with blues and punk influences. The vibe was electric and the dance floor hopped to covers like “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” by The Stones and Zeppelin”s “Whole Lotta Love.” The latter was fused with a pounding drum solo that evolved into a drum duet with Mason wailing on a steel beer keg and the band’s drummer feeding off of it. The next time The Mason Rack Band comes to town, I highly recommend that you go—unless, of course, you want to be “that guy” who sullenly listens to friends rave about the show. I had the opportunity to chat with Mason—he is a humble and passionate man who plays for the love of music. He told me he’s very strongly influenced by his parents and greats Jeff Buckley, Muddy Waters and Tom Waits. A centred musician, Mason tours mostly in his home base of Australia, and Canada, stating he” loves the energy of the Canadian audiences.” Good on ya mate!
Canada’s non-commercial music prize, the Polaris, is now in its sixth year, and finalists have been named to vie for the September award. Floating up and out of group consciousness are the opinions of 217 music journalists. From the hundreds of releases in Canada that fulfill the Polaris prize’s criteria (fulllength and released between June 2010 and May 2011), 40 were selected and narrowed down to ten. The top prize has been raised to $30,000 from $20,000, plus the other nine final nominees get two grand each and a free ride to the award ceremony, indicating that starving artists should indeed apply. Past winners have usually been surprising choices. Comparing contenders for the best album with the Juno’s, Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs and Neil Young’s Le Noise (which made the long list only) share jurors’ esteem. Since The Suburbs made all kinds of ‘best of ’ lists, it would only be surprising if it wasn’t at least a nominee, and some would argue, a winner as well. Like a slow distillation that is catalyzed by public opinion, hindsight is 20/20 in music. If this album stays on as a bestseller for the better part of a decade like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon did, it qualifies for institutional greatness. If this is where jurors are expected to point their intentions, then possibly they have no choice but to vote for Arcade Fire. Looking at past winners with the same glasses, there are interesting stories to tell. Caribou’s win in 2008 can rightly claim to have produced a disc that will stand in ten years’ time. One might say Owen Pallett’s inaugural win (under the name Final Fantasy) reflects a great album from an inventive musician who kept on staying inventive, but for my taste--’schmeh,’ his music is way too square, in that there’s not an ounce of swing in it. It’s probably useful at this point to realize that music criticism has to be based on personal aesthetic; however, one can have an opinion about quality. Take
Patrick Watson’s win, which was good for his career and, thankfully, his music improved, and yet it’s not so great that the best album of the year for 2007 was such a tawdry affair, especially compared with its contenders. Then let’s talk of genres: with the field wide open, there are few ‘rock’ albums, let alone polka, jazz or classical, perhaps understandable in a decade that opened with the prevalence of the word ‘twee’ and ended with that of ‘chamber pop’ (to be challenged only by 80s synth revivalism). Old that I am, I often mix up Holy F*** and F*****Up. The latter’s 2009 win was refreshing. Back to the germinal idea supposedly behind the award: not just artistic merit, but album making. Who listens from cut one to 12, say, uninterrupted? Presumably music journalists do, all 217 of them. I do, when it’s sent to me gratis, unless of course I find a track interminably horrid 25 seconds (or less) in. Karkwa’s album, last year’s winner, is compelling beginning to end and reflects back to the era where the album’s musical arc was regarded as an art form itself (and it also qualifies as a rock album). To be cruel, however, it’s not A Love Supreme, and the Acorn did better. Maybe a snob’s tastes are gratified when her choices don’t win, but I’d say Feist’s The Reminder or K’naan’s Troubadour satisfied ‘critics’ and ‘masses’ alike, and they didn’t win, although nominated. It must be fun, in an odd way, to be a juror: does one wonder who would best use the money? Are one’s own preferences lost trying to touch a cultural definition of ‘artistic merit?’ Or does one indulge, and say in the end, I like THAT ONE? The award will be given on September 19. There is time to explore the nominees’ offerings and take part in what is, after all, an exercise in promoting Canadian music.
The Walleye
17
Music Food
Sunday Wilde A Performance Artist
Storm Carroll
In July, Sunday Wilde won the Voters Choice Award for best blues songshe was the only Canadian and the only woman nominated in this category. By Jamie Monastyrski
Virtuoso Guitarist By Travis Setala
Bill Durst played a blues-filled set to a full house at Ruby Moon in July. On stage solo with just a guitar and a microphone, Durst, who has opened for Aerosmith, Rush, The Yardbirds and more, quickly impressed the audience while he plucked his guitar. A virtuoso guitarist, Durst performed one of the most energetic sets I’ve ever seen. Members of the audience clapped along to every song as he powerfully sung from his heart. A set complete with a slow sentimental “Tiny Heaven,” along with slides and covers of Joni Mitchell and The Cohen Brothers, Durst was definitely the man to see on a warm Friday night.
She may sing the blues laced with everything from jazz infusions, honky-tonk stomps, Gothic timbres and spoken beat poetry but it’s her unconventional performances that capture attention. From venue to venue her performances are never a repeat. She can break into a closed-eye spoken word bit about her lover being “like crack cocaine” in the middle of a rousing jazz set, then minutes later play so fiercely you worry her keyboard keys might just break away into the first row. You never know—it’s about performance and passion for Sunday Wilde.
Uriel Lubuk
Bill Durst
Her latest album, What Man? Oh That Man, hit number one on the Global Blues Chart on AirPlay Direct and, most importantly, Wilde won a Voters Choice Independent Music Award for best blues song for “That Man Drives Me Mad.” “I was the only Canadian and the only woman in the category, so that’s pretty cool, pretty exciting,” Wilde said. An eclectic and pint-sized newbie to the music scene—Wilde is a self-taught pianist who only picked up music as a way to escape five years ago. She is turning heads in the national blues/folk sector and has received glowing reviews from across the border and overseas.
Oh My Darling Red Rock Folk Festival By Robin Cooper
Can these girls play! Live From the Rock Folk Festival is pleased to host Oh My Darling, a bluegrass quartet from Winnipeg that is winning fans everywhere they play, including “across the pond” as they return home from a successful European tour. Their sound is described as prairie roots mixed with bluegrass, Appalachian old time, southern twang and Franco-folk—they are a melting pot of musical languages. Allison plays the banjo, Rosalyn the fiddle, Vanessa the guitar and Marie-Josee the upright bass. Their music will get your toes tapping and your hips swinging as you dance the night away. Check out their sound and learn more about their visit to the Red Rock Folk Festival by visiting www.livefromtherock.com
18
The Walleye
Her current album, an almost vaudevillian heartbreak record with an eclectic mix of delta blues, folk-tinged moods and joyous jazz is her third in five years. It is only now that this eccentric artist based in Atikokan, Ontario is making waves in the business.
Start the day with Lisa Laco for breaking news, weather, daily events and compelling stories.
Weekdays 6 to 8:37 am
Her brother died of an overdose, her mother passed not along ago and she lost a baby. “My songs are based on emotion. I do a lot of crying at the piano when I write. And I know it’s therapy for me and it’s working,” she said. “I’m excited about my music and where it can go.” You can catch Sunday Wilde perform live at this year’s Sioux Lookout Blueberry Festival on July 31.
cbc.ca/thegreatnorthwest
CityScene
Lady Luck Smiles Only Once
Peter Fergus-Moore The recent release of the novel Lady Luck Smiles Only Once by local author Peter FergusMoore brings back some characters from his earlier novel The Demon Dragonfly and the Burning Wheel. The year is 1937 and Port Arthur is trying to work through the Great Depression while something mysterious lurks beneath the waters of Lake Superior. Gumshoe Laurence Speke is hired to find out who is sinking ships. Will he survive to collect payment? -Chris Waite, Library Assistant
The Pineville Heist
Lee Chambers
The Pineville Heist, based on the award-winning screenplay by Lee Chambers and Todd Gordon, is a young adult thriller with a slick plot, believable characters, and a breakneck pace that will no doubt appeal to adults as much as teens. But the most compelling aspect of the novel, set to be released both as an eBook and in paperback this fall, is the setting. The town of Pineville is so carefully rendered that it almost becomes a character in itself—and with more than a few echoes of Northwestern Ontario, it makes perfect sense that the film version will be shot right here in Thunder Bay.
Books Music Video
REVIEWS
Little Hell
City and Colour Little Hell is the third album release by Alexisonfire’s front man Dallas Green as City And Colour, but this side project sounds nothing like his hard-core past. City and Colour brings out Dallas’ slower side showcasing his amazing voice. Little Hell starts off with the beautiful folk song, “We Found Each Other In The Dark,” which sounds similar to his first album Sometimes but soon after the first track, the sound quickly changes into something new. The next song “Natural Disaster” is a lot fasterpaced than other City and Colour songs. Another stand out song and the first single, “Fragile Bird”, brings about a blues-enriched song, that sounds like a Black Keys song. The album has a good mix of slow and fast songs. As far as progressing as a musician, I think that Dallas Green and City and Colour are just beginning. -Travis Setala
A special advance release of The Pineville Heist will be available as an eBook on Amazon and the iBookstore in early August. Visit www.leechambers. com for information. -Amy Jones
Revolution Per Minute
Big Sugar
June 28 marked a very special day for Big Sugar fans. The fans rejoiced at the release of Revolution Per Minute (RPM), the band’s sixth album and first release in ten years. Front man Gordie Johnson, who is also an acclaimed producer and session musician, was a very busy man during the band’s ten-year hiatus. Lending his hand to several solo projects, Johnson sang vocals and played guitar for Grady and worked with the likes of Taj Mahal, Government Mule, Warren Haynes, Jonny Lang and The Respectables. With exposure to many different talents and genres, it’s not surprising that the Toronto-based Big Sugar’s new album blends rock and blues while drawing heavily on their soulful ska influence. RPM is sure to be another fan favourite. Big Sugar will be touring Canada for the next few months. Check www.bigsugar.com for updates. -Tracy Sadgrove
OfftheWall
New from Borealis Press:
Brandy and Summer Wine
Bill MacDonald At first glance, Brandy and Summer Wine is reminiscent of reading someone else’s high school yearbook. At second glance, it’s like reading the Misanthropist Club $ .95 18 pages of said yearbook. Taken at face value, this “anBrandy & Summerwine thology” of biography, verse and critique would be both A poetic flight of fancy titillating and puzzling. The cast of curmudgeons is enby Bill MacDonald tertaining, and the history between them unfolds in the Author of Voyage of the Pelican glimpses we at: see in each biography. The verses are sandAvailable Fireweed: 807-767-2705 wiched between a cutting introductory biography of the www.fireweedcrafts.ca poet, and a generally misguided and jealous critique of the poem. Deeper reading of the biographies brings a slow dawning of what this book is really about. One clue is the 13 or so photos scattered throughout the book, all of the same subject. Further clues are found in the fictional tidbits popping up in otherwise real-time Thunder Bay. Spoiler Alert: another alternate title for this book might well have been The 40 (dissonant) voices of Bill MacDonald. This book is a sneaky pleasure! -Marlene Wandel The Walleye
19
Chris Merkley
theArts Food
Chris Merkley
Chenier Fine Arts A Tradition of Framing Beauty By Rebekah Skochinski
Arriving to the soulful strains of opera, I step alongside a stunning life-sized wire mesh figure to stand in the centre of a room surrounded by incredible works of art in every medium imaginable. There is no question that I am in the right place.
Get comfortable with recycling your plastics.
Debra Chenier opened Chenier Fine Arts four years ago (marking the milestone just last month) but the family tradition goes back much further. Her parents, Jean and Denis Chenier, opened Gallery of Fine Arts in 1964. For 32 years they offered framing and showcased art, including pieces by Henry Moore, the Group of Seven, Alex Colville and Salvador Dali. From washing the floors as a young girl, to working in their store for ten years, to a degree in printmaking and experience in framing and gallery shops, Debra readily admits that a life of art and aesthetics is all she’s ever known. “I developed my love of all different mediums— that includes sculpture and figurative and canvas and paper—because of it,” she says. That love is felt in every inch of the space. And today, it is Jean who helps Debra in the gallery. “When I opened my gallery I wanted to carry artists—primarily Canadian— who show nationally as well as internationally,” says Debra. “Most of the artists at my gallery make a living at their art. It was important for me to show original art, which includes paintings and mixed media on canvas as well as original prints. I have also introduced sculpture and three-dimensional art.” Roughly half of the artists who are featured at Chenier were born in other countries and immigrated to Canada. “That’s why you see such a diverse subject matter and style: because they bring to our country what was an established style there,” she explains. Offering advice for choosing a piece of original art, Debra says “Let your mind be open to what you are looking at. And always, always buy what you love.” Visiting an art gallery can be intimidating, but Chenier isn’t intimidating in the least. The charming window “galerie” is a great place to start. You can peek in and see at least one hundred pieces of original art in one fell swoop. Push the door open to go inside and you will be rewarded with everything a gallery should be: a place where beauty, imagination, and inspiration meet. And remember, art always starts the conversation.
20
The Walleye
And what happens next will amaze you. They'll come back as useful items, like Muskoka Chairs. Recycle every #1 and #2 plastic bottle with a neck or screw top. To learn more, visit the City of Thunder Bay website at www.thunderbay.ca One can make a difference! Space provided through a partnership between industry and Ontario municipalities to support waste diversion programs
theArts
Tazeen Qayyum A Modern Miniaturist By A. Arnone
It is definitely worth a visit to the Thunder Bay Art Gallery this summer for the exhibit entitled It’s Complicated by artist Tazeen Qayyum. Qayyum studied miniature painting at the National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan, and her training is evident in the detail and style of her tiny paintings. The show features a suspended grid of intricately hand painted hot water bottles, each representing the story of a different woman. The narratives are posted on the wall next to the installation, allowing you to first move around the rubber bottles, and then to find each woman’s words. In contrast, for the series Thee Only Do I Love, Qayyum has arranged a collection of ice bags stiffly erect in a case next to the free-hanging hot water bottles. The ice bags are decorated with a variety of flowers that represent virtues like fidelity and faithfulness. While the ice bags and hot water bottles are an exploration of gender roles, sexuality and relationships, the third series in the exhibit, which consists of paintings encased in Lucite, interprets the geopolitical situation of the world with the feel of an insect collector. Contact the Thunder Bay Art Gallery by phone at 807 577 6427, by e-mail at info@theag.ca or visit their website www.theag.ca for more information.
Norman Moonias A Life Carved in Wood
By Kathryn Lyzun
In February 2009, 87-year-old Norman Moonias visited an exhibition of his work at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. Holding pieces he carved decades before, Moonias shared memories and stories about traditional ways of life in a northern Ontario community. The 87-year-old artist had lost his sight, but his hands reconnected him with the work he is known for—a life carved in wood. The exhibition, From Lansdowne House, ran for several weeks that winter. Today several of Moonias’ carvings are housed in the gallery’s permanent collection. Carved from black spruce, poplar and driftwood, the sculptures are often grouped together to form a picture of daily life in the North: cooking, trapping and travelling the land and water.
Alastair MacKay
Through an interpreter, Moonias described each piece in his native Ojibway. The result was an incredibly rich experience that brought to light the true meanings behind Moonias’ work—something the gallery hadn’t had before. “We observed him as a happy man, sharing his happiness and his culture with a current generation of students from Northwestern Ontario,” said Alastair MacKay, the gallery’s communications and marketing coordinator. “Here at the gallery, this was one of those wonderful moments when art and all it has to offer crystallizes into a unifying human experience…we are all wiser, improved, elevated and educated.” Born and raised in Lansdowne House (Neskantaga), the artist embraced a traditional lifestyle, living off the land as a hunter and trapper. He began carving as a hobby in the 1970s. His work is now revered as a snapshot of the Anishinabe way of life. Norman Moonias passed away on May 23, 2011. The Walleye
21
Food LIVINGGREEN
Government Grants are Back for Home Renos
Focused on Food Featuring fresh & locally produced food
By Larry Hogard
The Federal Government’s ecoENERGY Retrofit Program has been reinstated to help homeowners with energy efficient upgrades to their homes. Upgrades, such as replacing older air conditioners and high flush toilets, and installing high efficiency furnaces, solar thermal or tankless hot-water heaters, and HRVs are eligible. Grants are also available for replacing doors and windows, adding extra insulation, and air-sealing the home.
66 Court Street S. 6 8 3 ~ 7 7 0 8 Call for reservations
w w w. l o t s i x t y s i x . c o m
To participate in the program, homeowners must register with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) online. Log onto www.nrcan.gc.ca and follow the links to the Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE). Only upgrades purchased as of June 6, 2011 and installed after a pre-retrofit evaluation from a certified ecoENERGY Advisor are eligible for a grant. Up to $5000 in grants per home are available and the program ends on March 31, 2012.
A Tankless hot-water heater
Contact a local Energy Advisor or a local service organization to arrange an energy assessment for your home.
Excuses 101 By Tara George
Part of discovering anything new is learning the lingo. A good understanding of an activity’s vocabulary is essential for conversing with like-interested people, conducting comprehensive Google searches, and more importantly, coming up with excuses when things aren’t going smoothly. With the proper verbiage, it is possible to blame most mishaps on something other than yourself. For example, with some cleverly played words I can pretty much blame the fact that I am incapable of growing a row of carrots on Mother Nature; because it can’t possibly be my fault! I don’t think I’m alone on the excuses end of things. It seems like for every new gardening skill I’ve acquired so far this summer, I’ve also picked up a potential excuse. My favourite, and now staple excuses for my somewhat patchy garden include: it was a late growing season this year; we haven’t had enough heat; and we haven’t had enough rain. I think these excuses are all somewhat reasonable and realistic, and thus believable —all essential elements of a good excuse.
Cathy Carlson
But enough excuses. I must admit that, despite the failings of my carrots, the garden is looking not too bad. After being gone a week in mid-July, I came back to a lush and flourishing crop of potatoes, beets, squash, and peas. Even my seemingly small tomato plants have some blooms, I’m thinking that has to be a good sign. I do periodically find myself standing over my garden thinking how amazing it is that these seeds have come to life and are prospering, despite my three staple excuses. The week to week transformations are impressive and I’m looking forward to seeing what next month will bring. Perhaps in the end, those staple excuses won’t be necessary after all.
22
The Walleye
LIVINGGREEN Q- W e’re careful about shutting off lights, I’ve changed all our light bulbs and use a clothesline, but our electricity costs are still high. What else can we do?
The Growing Season juice collective
• delicious local summer lunches and dinners • eat in or take-out • garden seating now available
201 S. Algoma 807-344-6869 mon-fri 11-7 • sat 11-4
A- When we think about electricity, very few of us view it as a limited resource. Most of us treat it like a game of Hungry Hungry Hippo. We all clamour to get at and use as much of it as we can. Who doesn’t want the latest big screen TV, Wi-Fi internet and air conditioned home? The fact that you’ve already made some changes by turning off lights, changing your light bulbs and hanging laundry outside shows you’re willing to make some commitments. But what’s the next step? Picture your living room. Do you have an entertainment system, with the big screen TV, 7.1 surround sound stereo, Blu-ray/DVD player, DVR and cable box and maybe a computer/Apple TV to tie it all together? When the lights are off at night it all shines like Christmas with all the different coloured lights and displays. Although it’s all very impressive, it chugs down electricity. To reduce your energy bill you don’t need to stop using it, but you do need to make sure that when you’re not watching/listening, the system is not continuing to consume electricity. The solution is to plug everything into a power strip and cut the power once you’ve finished using everything. There are now smart power strips which turn off automatically. For example, you plug your TV into the main plug and all other devices into the auxiliary sockets. When the TV is off, the power is cut and when the TV is turned on, power is provided to all other devices. It’s quick and easy and effectively lowers your electrical bill.
Watch for those little glowing lights on all your charging devices throughout the house: cell phones, shavers, cordless tools etc. When they’re done charging, don’t leave the charger plugged in. You will be surprised to learn how much electricity is wasted with these devices. Heating and cooling are also big costs on your electrical bill. With the summer sun shining in, we now find our homes getting quite toasty but, if you have air conditioning, that handy refrigeration unit keeps the home at a very comfortable temperature. There are several steps you can take to ease the workload of the AC which will save money on electricity. First, close the blinds and curtains on all south, southwest and southeast facing windows. This blocks the sun from heating up your floors, walls and furniture and turning your home into a greenhouse. Secondly, if you’re not home, turn off the AC—there is no point cooling a home when no one is there. Use your programmable thermostat to vary the temperature during the day to meet your requirements. For more tips, visit EcoSuperior and pick up a copy of the EarthWise Net-Zero Home Guide brochure. It’s a free, easy-tofollow guide on how to conserve energy in your home. You can also find it online at EcoSuperior’s website under “Energy.” -Derek Tessler
Comprehensive Vision Care • Complete Eye Examination $70 • Weekend / Evening Appts Available • Fashionable Eyewear
285-4790 Centrally Located at 1144 Oliver Road (Across from Tim Horton’s)
www.thunderbayoptometrist.ca The Walleye
23
FILMTheatre
Third Annual Biindigaate Film Festival (Sept. 23-25) supplied
Celebrating Indigenous Films & Filmmakers By Tiffany Jarva
Thunder Bay’s Biindigaate Film Festival will once again offer a mix of international, national and local indigenous films and filmmakers. Of special note, watch for Michelle Latimer’s Choke – a stop-motion animated short, inspired by the tragic death of youth artist Kyle Morriseau who passed away while in Thunder Bay to attend high school. Choke received a Special Jury Honorable Mention at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. A Metis filmmaker, Latimer was born and raised in Thunder Bay and is currently directing and producing a documentary series based on John Ralston Saul’s bestselling book A Fair Country.
www.biindigaate.ca
Lee Chambers From Thunder Bay to Hollywood By Amy Jones
Lee Chambers, the co-writer, producer and director of The Pineville Heist, set to begin principal photography in Thunder Bay in 2012, sees nothing about living in Thunder Bay that should keep a screenwriter from achieving global success. “We are only a hop, skip and a jump away from anywhere these days,” he says. “Whether it’s selling eBooks in China or streaming movies in LA, there’s nothing in our way.” Chambers should know—a filmmaker whose work has been screened at top festivals around the world, he also teaches in the Film Program at Confederation College, and since 2005 has been running the Make It Short Film Project, an award-winning non-profit community film workshop that has given hundreds of people in the area the opportunity to learn about filmmaking.
We know you’ve WAITED ALL YEAR for this. Our annual Lobster Summer special menu is back. Featuring a fresh 2 pound whole Atlantic Lobster, as well as other tasty lobster dishes. INDULGE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 4. 735 Hewitson Street (807) 623-1960
Find us on
24
The Walleye
www.kegsteakhouse.com
The Pineville Heist, which has already picked up several awards, including 2nd Grand Prize Winner for Best Screenplay at the 2011 Canada International Film Festival, is clearly a labour of love for Chambers, who spent three years perfecting the project. “First and foremost is good content,” he says. “Opening the doors to distribution is all fine and dandy, but let’s not forget that content is king.” And judging by the accolades it has already received, The Pineville Heist appears to be holding court. Watch for The Pineville Heist live on Amazon in August.
Julie Siegfried
theTOPfive FILMTheatre
Under The Red Star Director Kelly Saxberg’s film Under The Red Star (aka Big Finn Hall) is a poignant piece about the labour movement and the collective of like-minded pioneers that forged forward in Thunder Bay’s Finnish community circa 1915. Using dramatizations and archival footage, the film depicts the uprising and fortitude of one of the strongest labour movements in Thunder Bay’s history. The film will premiere at this year’s Bay Street Film Festival (Sept.29-Oct.2) and is a definite must-see. Check for updated info through Facebook, Twitter and www.baystreetfilmfestival.ca
Amy Vervoort
By Tracy Sadgrove
From Left to Right: Holly Wyder (Lucy), Pauline Wyder (Red-Headed Girl), Alex Onsk (Charlie Brown), Victoria Garofalo (Linus), Stephani Philp (Snoopy).
Big Summer Theatre This City’s Got Talent By Tiffany Jarva
Director Spencer Hari gives last-minute suggestions to performers during the final dress rehearsal of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, the day before it opens at The Paramount Theatre. “Watch your volume girls…support yourself when you speak…turn down your mic…turn up your mic,” Hari directs calmly. The girls adjust instantly. Local actresses, ranging in ages from 15 to 20, play all the characters, including the male parts–and, yes, these girls can act and sing. “They just get it—they’re all naturally and candidly good,” says Hari, who directed last year’s runaway hit, Rent. Like Rent, Charlie Brown is also a full Broadway musical. “It’s a comic strip adapted,” says Hari, “with great energy levels.”
FEATURING
THE
SHEEPDPOAGRSK
MARADAY RIVE D N Co cEpTs ERTER DOWNCOVNOVRPOTTS TRE
4-2672, or please call 68 ival information **For more erioryouthfest erbay.ca/sup www.thund
visit
er
fac
witt & T k o o b e
Two ensemble numbers are performed—“Beethoven Day,” and “T.E.A.M (The Baseball Game),” maximizing to entertaining effect the simple set, the cast’s singing voices and animated expressions, and the span of the stage. During “The Baseball Game,” when the actresses react to a missed fly ball, Hari still laughs out loud even after weeks in rehearsal. “I laugh every time because it’s different every time,” he says. “The potential for theatre in Thunder Bay is unlimited,” explains Hari. After studying theatre in Toronto, Hari came back to Thunder Bay because he noticed the city was “lacking someone to drive the scene.” Hari insists that there is no need to
look any further than our own backyard for talented, professional singers and actors. His preference is musicals, although he does recognize having to mix it up at times so “you don’t let it get stale.” Hari’s next production, Cabaret, is premiering in August. If you missed the performance of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown , no worries—watch for these other upcoming homegrown productions: August 5th - Rapunzel (Children’s Program) directed by Holly Wyder. The classic tale of Rapunzel performed by the children part of Paramount Live! August 9th to 12th - Cabaret directed by Spencer Hari. Set in the tumultuous city of Berlin just before Hitler’s rise to power. The main action of the play revolves around a cabaret performer, Sally Bowles, and the brief affair she has with an American writer who takes her in after she is kicked out of the Kit Kat Club where she performs. August 24th to 27th - True Directions directed by Yolanda Bonnell. Based on the movie But I’m a Cheerleader. A hilarious comedy about a camp that “cures” homosexuality. September 1st and 2nd - Bugsy Malone Jr. (Children’s Program) directed by Mary Armstrong. A cast of youngsters play prohibition-era mobsters in this tongue-incheek tribute to the 1920s gangster flick. The Walleye
25
AugustEventsGuide theArts Food August 2, 7pm
August 8-12
August 18, 8:30am
August 25-September 4
Daniel Tosh Comedy Tour
Wilderness Day Camp
Chamber Annual Golf Classic
Gas & Candles
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium Get ready to laugh with the host of the successful Comedy Central series “Tosh.0” www.tbca.com August 3
Clothesline Art Sale
Local Colour Art Gallery Starting August 3 and every following Wednesday and Saturday, the gallery is hanging it outside. Meet and chat with local artists and peruse the selection of local art for sale, including matted original paintings, photographs, etchings, fine art prints and art cards. 768-3232
Hazelwood Lake Nature Centre For ages 8-11, highlights include nature crafts, water activities, outdoor games and wilderness skills. info@lakeheadca.com 344-5857 August 8, 8pm
Fred Eaglesmith & his band
Good Food Box
Northwestern Ontario Women’s Centre (184 Camelot Street) The Locally Grown Good Food Box is a fundraising initiative making fresh, healthy produce available while supporting local agriculture and the main Good Food Box program. Purchase a cloth shopping bag filled with fresh and prepared food monthly from July through October; cost is $60. All proceeds support the program. 345-7819 August 3, 6-8pm
Bike Lane Open House
Confederation College, Shuniah Building, Main Floor Experts from City Engineering and the Active Transportation Committee will be on hand to answer questions about Thunder Bay’s bike lanes. Maps and take-home materials will be available. No cost. www.thunderbay.ca/Living/Getting_ Around/Active_Transportation.htm
August 19-21
Kakabeka Falls Street Fair
Stanley Tavern See Fred and his band up-close and enjoy a Stanley burger. Limited seating. Advance tickets $25 on sale at the Stanley Tavern, Chaltrek/Ostrom Outdoors and Fireweed.
Kakabeka Falls This fair is three days of music, midway rides, local garden foods and tons of fun close to the famous falls. Shuttle service offered from the Kakabeka Legion.
August 9-12, 7:30pm
August 20
Cabaret
August 3
Play 9 holes or 18 in this all-day event that includes lunch, after golf appetizers, dinner and prizes. Register as a team of four or as an individual. www.tb-chamber.on.ca/golf 624-2621
Conquer the Dog Triathlon
Paramount Theatre Directed by Spencer Hari. Set in the tumultuous city of Berlin just before Hitler’s rise to power. The main action of the play revolves around a cabaret performer, Sally Bowles, and the brief affair she has with an American writer who takes her in after she is kicked out of the Kit Kat Club where she performs. www.paramounttheatre.ca
Kaministiquia Participate in a 5km canoe/kayak/paddle on Dog River, an 18km cycle along the river and a 5km race through the scenic country backroads. The children’s event is a shorter version of the paddle, bike and run. Go it on your own or as a team. www.conquerthedog.ca
August 13, 8am
Thunder Bay Polo Open
Nordian Triathlon/Go with the Flow
Stanley Hotel Test your moxie with a 900m swim, 30km bike ride and a 7.5km run or compete as part of a relay team. 622-8852 August 13, 9-11am
Boogie Boot Camp for Charity
Frank Charry Park Join a team or volunteer in this inaugural bike polo tournament. Search “Thunder Bay Polo Open” on Facebook for more information. August 20, 10am-5pm
Giant Digital Photo Workshop: Nature Photography; Landscape
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park Visitor Centre Register online for a cost of $59 (plus HST). www.superiorvisits.com
August 4-7
Fisherman’s Picnic
Until August 14
No Frills 5km Run
August 4, August 18, September 1
Open Paddle Night, 5:30-8:30pm
Lakehead Canoe Club Boathouse Thursday night paddle night is back! Enjoy an evening out on the water in either a canoe or kayak for just $5 per person or $10 for a family. The club will provide PFDs. No experience is necessary and all proceeds support the club’s paddle sport programs. August 5, 7pm
Rapunzel
Paramount Theatre A classic tale of Rapunzel put on by the children of Paramount Live. www. paramounttheatre.ca August 5-7
Festival of the Giant
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park A campfire singalong, a corn roast, and a horseshoe tournament are just a few things planned for this full weekend. Great activities planned for the entire family. www.friendsofsleepinggiant.ca August 8, 6:30pm
Slow Food Superior’s 5th Annual Pig Roast & Silent Auction
Belluz Farms Chefs from Caribou, Good News, Sweet Pea Catering, Rose Valley Lodge and Northern Unique Catering will serve an all-local menu. Get your tickets at the farm or at Fresh Air Experience. www.slowfoodsuperior.ca
Always, Patsy Cline/Shout!
Grand Marais Playhouse Two shows on alternating days. The first, based on a true story about Cline, is a musical play complete with down-home country humour, emotion and audience participation and includes many of Patsy’s unforgettable hits. The second is cause to revel in the fashion, the freedom and the music of the 60s. This smashing review tracks five groovy gals as they come of age during those liberating days that made England swing. *This production may not be suitable for children under 12. Performances run alternately Thursday to Saturday at 7pm and on Sundays at 2pm. Tickets: $15. Or buy one ticket to each production for $25. www.grandmaraisplayhouse.com August 14, 9am-3pm
Fish for Life Derby
Lake Shebandowan at Malcolm’s Landing (Shelter Bay Road) Fish for your chance to win $1000 in cash for the biggest catch, along with many other prizes. Tickets are $30 and available at D&R Sporting Goods and Malcolm’s Landing. $30 for adults; $15 for youth. 624-2680 August 14, 10am-4pm
Garden and Farm Discovery Tour
The communities of Pass Lake and Pearl are hosting a self-guided tour around the countryside. Stroll through flower and vegetable gardens; visit local farms and animals. The Pass Lake community hall will be hosting a country market, bake sale, penny auction and raffle draws and more!
August 27, 10am
Sawtooth Mountain Bike Challenge
Grand Marais A race for all levels of riders offering races with distances from 8-24 miles. sawtoothchallenge.org August 27-28
Murillo Street Fair
August 20-21, Saturday at 10am, Sunday at 6pm
Sportsdome This event supports Camp Quality and Our Kids Count. Pre-register at 8am. Minimum donation is $10 to participate. 630-2949
Grand Marais It’s always a full weekend of fun like the fish toss, professional log rolling and rock skipping contest. And don’t forget to visit the famous fishburger stand.
Grand Marais Playhouse First produced at the Haymarket in London, this humorous and yet poignant play concerns an old couple’s attempt to attract a little attention to themselves and thus avoid starvation. The scheme devised by this couple is to appear to be taken hostage and held in their own apartment. Their hope is that someone will become aware of their desperate straits and that help...a decent meal, anyway...will follow. The results are often funny and, at the same time, a little heartbreaking. Shows run Thursday to Saturday, 7pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets: $12; Students 17 and under pay $7. www.grandmaraisplayhouse.com
August 22, 10am Chapples Park Entry forms are available from Fresh Air Experience and Confederation College Fitness Centre. You can also enter on race day. Entry fee is $2 (free for Metre Eater members). This is a K-star event.
August 2
Punk Show Crocks $5, 19+, 8pm
Diemonds with Prophet Jacks $TBA, 19+, 9pm August 3
Summer in the Parks: Showcase Night Free, All Ages, 6pm
Scott Nolan with Chris Carmichael The Apollo $TBA, 19+, 8pm
Disband’s Chasing Amee with Eject, Black Tie Affair and more
August 22 - September 2, 9am-3pm, Performance 7pm
Bugsy Malone Jr.
August 4
August 24-27, 8pm
True Directions
Paramount Live Based on the movie “But I’m a Cheerleader,” it’s a hilarious comedy about a camp that ‘cures” homosexuality. Directed by Yolanda Bonnell. Tickets are $15 and are available at The Paramount Theatre, The Bean Fiend and Steepers. Cash only. www.paramountheatre.ca August 24, 6-10pm
Superior Youth Festival
Marina Park This outdoor concert features local youth performers and national headliners. Food concessions available as well as youth organizations and community groups providing on-site activities and programming. Free admission. 684-2672
In Medias Res
26
The Walleye
August 7
Today I Caught the Plague Black Pirates Pub $8, All Ages, 7pm August 9
Allison Brown with Uncle Dan Henshall The Apollo $TBA, 19+, 9:30pm
Tyler Gilbert
Calico Coffee House 8pm August 10
Summer in the Parks (Women in Music Night) Marina Park Free, All Ages, 6pm
Cecile Doo-Kingue The Apollo 8pm
Laika
Jacks $TBA, 8pm August 13
BonJourney Canada PA Prosvita 8pm August 16
Eyeswide Cross Canada Tour Jacks $5, 19+, 10pm August 17
Summer in the Parks (Blues Night) Marina Park Free, All Ages, 6pm
The Avenues The Apollo $5, 19+, 7pm
Juliann Robbins
August 19
August 5
Shooters Tavern $5, 19+, 7pm
Jacks 9pm
Suspect
Jacks $TBA, 10pm
Wax Philosophic Live Crocks $7, 19+, 9pm August 5-7
Live from the Rock Folk Festival Red Rock $60 in advance, All Ages August 6
A Night at Backstreet Dance Klub presents “Fine” Kilroys $10, 19+, 8pm
Titan, Norris, Vilipend Black Pirates Pub 8pm
GENERAL FOOD ART SPORTS MUSIC
Jacks 8pm
Crocks $5, 19+, 9pm
Concepts
EVENTS GUIDE KEY
Shotgun Dolls
August 12
Music Events
Black Pirates Pub $5, all ages, 8pm
Paramount Live This two-week summer camp for kids of all ages ends with a two-day performance of a 1920’s gangster flick. Camp cost: $200. Performances on September 1 and 2. 285-3324 paramountlive@shaw.ca
August 6
Crocks $5, 19+, 8pm
Tight ‘n Bright Party
Arvel Bird
Fort William Historical Park 6pm
Juliann Robbins-Dysis Jacks 9pm
August 20
Toronto featuring Holly Woods CLE Coliseum $18 day/$22 evening, All Ages, 8pm
Forever Dead CD Release Party Black Pirates Pub $5, 19+, 10pm August 27
Laika
Kilroys $TBA, 7pm
2011 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN
BEAUTY IS SKIN DEEP, THE REST IS ALL LUXURY. Congratulations to David Funk David was the winner in our Name Our Pet Page Contest with his entry
“Tails of Endearment”
Apart from bragging rights, David also won a nights stay at McVicar Manor Bed & Breakfast
2011 ACCORD SE SEDAN
ENTER OUR PET PHOTO CONTEST IT LIKES TO ENTERTAIN
The Accord Sedan plays host to a wide variety of available fun features and must-have amenities. For example, how does a 7-speaker, 270-watt AM/FM/CD premium audio system with 6-disc in-dash CD changer, MP3/Windows Media® Audio playback capability, and XM® Satellite Radio** or an available Honda SatelliteLinked Navigation System™ with bilingual voice recognition and HandsFreeLink™ billingual Bluetooth® wireless mobile phone interface sound?
AND IT LIKES TO SPOIL
Is the Accord big on luxury? Sophistication? Comfort? Yes, yes and yes. From the available leather-trimmed seats to the available heated front seats, to the available dual-zone automatic climate control with air-filteration sytem, the Accord likes to pamper its passengers.
WIN PRIZES
Here at Gore Motors Honda, we are passionate about our vehicles, our customers and their family, including their extended furry four legged family members. We have made a special “Pet Page” with contests and more to come! Enter a funny or cute picture of your pet for a chance to WIN prizes in our “Pet Photo Contest”! We’ll post your entry on our Pet Page. Have your friends visit www.goremotorshonda.com and vote for your entry. Every month I’ll count up the “votes” and the top winners will receive a fabulous prize.
HOW TO ENTER...
Simply email your pictures to promo@goremotors.com including your name & contact information and we’ll do the rest. Enter now...enter often. Thanks to all who enter. CLEO, Pet Page Web Master
Enter! Now Enter Often!
Visit us at: www.goremotorshonda.com
361 Memorial Ave. Thunder Bay, ON 345-0902
TOLL FREE 1•800•486•2144 The Walleye
27
Plein Air Painting Competition & Exhibition celebrating the unique beauty of the North Shore
ParticiPate
August 26 - September 2
Learn
Plein Air Classes:
Plein Air, Plain & Simple with Brian Stewart
August 26-28
Creative Breakthrough with Mary Pettis
September 3-4
w w w . g r a n d m a r a i s a r t c o l o n y . o r g
ParticiPate : Learn : Observe : Purchase Over 40 artists venture outdoors to capture the magic of the North Shore landscape. Embark on a self guided artist scavenger hunt to witness blank canvasses become exquisite moments in local history.
Observe
Quick Paint on Artists’ Point September 1 at 5:00pm
Purchase
Exhibition at the Johnson Heritage Post September 2-25
:::::: 120 West 3rd Ave : Grand Marais, Minnesota : events@grandmaraisartcolony.org : (218)387-2737 ::::::
28
The Walleye
WALL TOPfive
thethe
Edible Beauty The alchemy of sun and water By Marlene Wandel
It’s summer in the bay of Thunder; our senses have been blessed and beleaguered by the storms that give this place its name. More so than usual, it seems, these weather events have darkened our skies and watered our gardens. For most of us, a summer storm is a spectator event; sometimes it brings hail, and with it dented and damaged cars and roofs. The aftermath is sometimes sunny, with a rainbow offering to make up for nature’s tantrum.
Exclusively at
Mon. to Fri. 10am ‘til 6pm Sat. 10am to 5pm • Sun. Closed
• Shop Online at w finnport.com w. www.finnport.com • Free Parking at Rear (access behind Janzens) Janzens
Connect
forms a heart when the candleholders are placed together.
Unique Wedding Gifts to remember a very special day.
290 Bay St. 345–2641
under the blue and white awning
There is another, less ephemeral, rainbow all around us. Our gardens, fields and dinner plates glow bright with all the colours of the growing season. This is the season of show-off, yet all that floral beauty is not just for show. It’s the beginning of August and the lilacs are a distant, fragrant memory. The small white strawberry blossoms have been transformed into red, delicious jewels nestled beneath shiny green leaves and plucked with berry-stained fingers. The fragrant apple blossoms that perfumed the streets at night in June have been replaced by tiny, hard, green apples, waiting for the alchemy of sun and water to turn them into red-cheeked treasures. Zucchini plants are shouting their beauty through their golden trumpets, and the mind reels with the myriad of culinary possibilities even before the first of a zillion zucchini are ready for harvest. Raspberry bushes in my yard will never be laden with masses of sweet and tart rubies, as chubby hands on bare feet steal out each morning to glean what may have ripened since bedtime. Even the nasturtiums, with no lush fruit offering, grace our plate with their peppery petals. Tomatoes can’t be far behind, and I’m all aquiver with the edible beauty all around. The magic doesn’t just happen on the vine. Though the pea flowers are shy and delicate, and the scarlet runners live up to their name, the underground rainbow is waiting its turn. Frothy greens diligently channel sunlight into golden carrots. There’s nothing much prettier than a freshly harvested and scrubbed carrot, except maybe a freshly grated beet. Tom Robbins said, “The beet is the most intense of vegetables.” This sanguine tuber, whose foliage barely hints at what lies beneath, has an intensity of hue and flavour that is loved and hated, but rarely just liked. Pickled, they are even lovelier; the edible summer rainbow can be captured and canned, put on a shelf and admired all year. We have more than just the sun and rain to thank for this bounty of beauty. These lovely flowers evolved not just to make me happy on a foray through my garden, but to lure the birds and the bees. The deep throated flowers bring the iridescent hummingbird to the garden, and the bees bring a sweetness all their own. Their diligent pollination is appreciated, but even more appreciated is the thick honey sweetness that brings summer to our dessert all winter long. This is summer in Thunder Bay; nature’s palette tempts our palate and graces the sky. The Walleye
29
- Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
Dave Koski
TheEYE
30
The Walleye
Be a borderline bad influence. It’s hard to be good all the time. Thankfully, there’s a vehicle like the Volkswagen Tiguan to indulge your occasional vices. Making a case for the good influence side, you’ll find features like an Electronic Stabilization Programme (ESP), available 4MOTION all-wheel drive system, and room for five with sliding back seats to take all their stuff. Then, on the wild side, you’ll find a 2.0L turbocharged 200-horsepower engine, available panoramic sunroof and Dynaudio ® 300-watt sound system. To find out more about how being bad can be so good, visit www.downtownvw.com
Tiguan . Responsibly wild. Downtown Volkswagen www.downtownvw.com
Please don’t try this at home. We used the magic of computers to create this image. No irresponsible driving was involved. European model shown with features and options that may not be available at the time of purchase. The Walleye
31
Canada’s greatest outdoor City.
36,000 acres of park + the highest cliff in ontario — it’s in our nature. visitthunderbay.com
8826 Tourism_Walleye.indd 1
6/22/11 10:11:29 PM