No doubt the Region's most popular annual event and celebrated each Thanksgiving since 1969, the 9 day Fest brings visitors from all over the world. Prosit!
There is always something going on in the Region. And if you expand your search to the surrounding communities you'll be rewarded with a variety of often unique happenings. Listed below by month are some that I've attended but this list is not at all comprehensive.
Here then are some links you might find useful:
TheRecord.com http://www.therecord.com/waterlooregion-events
Waterloo http://www.waterloo.ca
From the splash page click on Living and in the resulting menu choose Calendars. There you'll find Calendars of Events as well as Calendars of Events specific to Waterloo Park and Waterloo Public Square.
Kitchener http://www.kitchener.ca
From the splash page click on Living in Kitchener and in the resulting menu choose Calendar of Events.
Here then are some links you might find useful:
TheRecord.com http://www.therecord.com/waterlooregion-events
Waterloo http://www.waterloo.ca
From the splash page click on Living and in the resulting menu choose Calendars. There you'll find Calendars of Events as well as Calendars of Events specific to Waterloo Park and Waterloo Public Square.
Kitchener http://www.kitchener.ca
From the splash page click on Living in Kitchener and in the resulting menu choose Calendar of Events.
March
UPDATE!!! Two Canadian teams partnered with a team from Texas to win the World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri! The teams are Rick Hansen SS from Mississauga and Crescent School from Toronto. They bested more than 2500 teams from around the globe. This is an unbelievable accomplishment. Congratulations!
This year I finally got to check out the annual Robotics competition at UofW. Not knowing anything about it I had NO idea what I was going to encounter. When I walked into the gymnasium I was immediately blown away by the energy and the sound. Sound as in LOUD SOUND. The music was pumping, the joint was literally jumping - with high school kids mostly and interested observers.
So I grabbed a seat in the bleachers, (and the last time you climbed up on seats on bleachers was? it's not like riding a bicycle), and didn't understand a thing that was going on except, holy schmoley was this ever cool!
Turns out this is an annual competition first organized by Dean Kamen of Segway fame. That should be FIRST which is an acronym for - For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology - and this was a Regional Final, the winner of which would go onto the World's in St. Louis later this year.
As it turns out Canada has quite the record in this competition. I was lucky to sit beside a woman and her daughter who explained the whole thing. (That said, if I have anything wrong shoot me an email.) They were cheering for team #1114 which is in the Hall of Fame it's so good. It also has the highest score in the World in this year's competition.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. These teams are high school kids. Each January they get 'the package' which tells them what the competition is going to be that year. This year it had to do with frisbees and climbing. Last year it was basketballs. The teams are given 60 days to build their robot to accomplish the missions laid out and then the competitions begin.
What they came up with was simply extraordinary. Let me explain what's going on in the video.
The opening photo shows a team in the pitstop behind the main event feverishly working on their robot.
The opening scene shows the robots at the initial stage of the competition. There are 2 'alliances' red and blue. Each alliance has 3 teams, always numbered. #1114 for example comes from St. Catherines. They came from all over the Province and there was even a team from Indiana. The first 15 seconds of this competition had the robots operating without any human intervention, what is called 'autonomous mode'. Their task was to toss as many frisbees as they could through the slots. The middle slot counted for 3 points, the ones on the sides, two points.
You'll see that they are gathered around and under a pyramid. The last part part of the competition is to try to get their bots to climb up the pyramid, or at least hang enough so that their wheels are off the ground. But if they can climb, every level, as indicated by the horizontal bars, climbed counts 10 points. And if a bot manages to get to the top it can then try to shoot frisbees into the chain mesh on top. Each frisbee that stays counts for 5 points. In one clip you'll hear the announcer counting while the crowd is going crazy.
Remember, they had 60 days to try to figure this out. Remember, they're high school students.
As a retired high school teacher I loved it. I love seeing kids have fun anyway and I particularly like this kind of non-traditional activity that attracts this particular kind of kid. They were among their own and boy were they ever having a good time. Music was constantly playing. These kids knew the words and the dance steps to all the songs and the songs must have spanned 30-40 years.
The next clip, (and sorry for the crappy video, I just decided to pull out the iPhone and shoot something), shows the start of a competition. You can see the students standing behind the line. Once the 15 seconds is up they'll go running to the controls or to the frisbee feeding stations. Some teams manually loaded their bots (max 4 frisbees) while other bots knew how to gather them up from the floor. This must have been Friday because Saturday there wasn't a spare seat in the place.
Just when you needed it, sigh, the iPhone is out of focus, while one robot, #1114, now you know why they're in the Hall of Fame, is starting to climb the pyramid. You'll see that it not only makes it to the top but successfully fires the bonus frisbees. At the very end of the clip you'll see another bot on the team grab onto to the bottom rung and raise its wheels off the floor.
The MC you hear in the last clip is wearing a Blue Jay tunic with Delgado on the back. This guy introduced every team, every round, giving the history of the team and generally pumping them and the crowd up. He never lost his enthusiasm. Apparently he has a tradition such that in the final match he does this karate kick as he introduces each finalist. I noticed he even changed shoes to do it.
Turns out all of these competitions are streamed over the internet. The announcer at one point was talking to people in Las Vegas who were watching it.
Because of some prior placements and some other stuff I don't fully understand, all 6 finalists made it to the World's. The kids in the stands were very excited about this because they were all part of the team. Each kid with a team t-shirt on is a member of the team. They do their own travel booking, fund raising ($5,000 to enter the Regional competition, another $5,000 for the World's), transportation, promotion and on and on, as well as build these incredible robots.
This will be an annual event for sure. Check it out yourself next year.
Update:
- Found a YouTube that explains the competition in animation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wa5MGEZNrf0#!
- Totally forgot about the human input! Towards the end of the match one team member from each side can try to throw the frisbees into the slots at the other end. At this point the competition enters another level of frenzy.
- Here's a link to watch streaming video of the contests (click on 'Live"): http://watchfirstnow.com/index.asp
- And here's a link to the Canadian First Robotics where you'll find the schedules as well as other information: http://www.firstroboticscanada.org/main/
So I grabbed a seat in the bleachers, (and the last time you climbed up on seats on bleachers was? it's not like riding a bicycle), and didn't understand a thing that was going on except, holy schmoley was this ever cool!
Turns out this is an annual competition first organized by Dean Kamen of Segway fame. That should be FIRST which is an acronym for - For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology - and this was a Regional Final, the winner of which would go onto the World's in St. Louis later this year.
As it turns out Canada has quite the record in this competition. I was lucky to sit beside a woman and her daughter who explained the whole thing. (That said, if I have anything wrong shoot me an email.) They were cheering for team #1114 which is in the Hall of Fame it's so good. It also has the highest score in the World in this year's competition.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. These teams are high school kids. Each January they get 'the package' which tells them what the competition is going to be that year. This year it had to do with frisbees and climbing. Last year it was basketballs. The teams are given 60 days to build their robot to accomplish the missions laid out and then the competitions begin.
What they came up with was simply extraordinary. Let me explain what's going on in the video.
The opening photo shows a team in the pitstop behind the main event feverishly working on their robot.
The opening scene shows the robots at the initial stage of the competition. There are 2 'alliances' red and blue. Each alliance has 3 teams, always numbered. #1114 for example comes from St. Catherines. They came from all over the Province and there was even a team from Indiana. The first 15 seconds of this competition had the robots operating without any human intervention, what is called 'autonomous mode'. Their task was to toss as many frisbees as they could through the slots. The middle slot counted for 3 points, the ones on the sides, two points.
You'll see that they are gathered around and under a pyramid. The last part part of the competition is to try to get their bots to climb up the pyramid, or at least hang enough so that their wheels are off the ground. But if they can climb, every level, as indicated by the horizontal bars, climbed counts 10 points. And if a bot manages to get to the top it can then try to shoot frisbees into the chain mesh on top. Each frisbee that stays counts for 5 points. In one clip you'll hear the announcer counting while the crowd is going crazy.
Remember, they had 60 days to try to figure this out. Remember, they're high school students.
As a retired high school teacher I loved it. I love seeing kids have fun anyway and I particularly like this kind of non-traditional activity that attracts this particular kind of kid. They were among their own and boy were they ever having a good time. Music was constantly playing. These kids knew the words and the dance steps to all the songs and the songs must have spanned 30-40 years.
The next clip, (and sorry for the crappy video, I just decided to pull out the iPhone and shoot something), shows the start of a competition. You can see the students standing behind the line. Once the 15 seconds is up they'll go running to the controls or to the frisbee feeding stations. Some teams manually loaded their bots (max 4 frisbees) while other bots knew how to gather them up from the floor. This must have been Friday because Saturday there wasn't a spare seat in the place.
Just when you needed it, sigh, the iPhone is out of focus, while one robot, #1114, now you know why they're in the Hall of Fame, is starting to climb the pyramid. You'll see that it not only makes it to the top but successfully fires the bonus frisbees. At the very end of the clip you'll see another bot on the team grab onto to the bottom rung and raise its wheels off the floor.
The MC you hear in the last clip is wearing a Blue Jay tunic with Delgado on the back. This guy introduced every team, every round, giving the history of the team and generally pumping them and the crowd up. He never lost his enthusiasm. Apparently he has a tradition such that in the final match he does this karate kick as he introduces each finalist. I noticed he even changed shoes to do it.
Turns out all of these competitions are streamed over the internet. The announcer at one point was talking to people in Las Vegas who were watching it.
Because of some prior placements and some other stuff I don't fully understand, all 6 finalists made it to the World's. The kids in the stands were very excited about this because they were all part of the team. Each kid with a team t-shirt on is a member of the team. They do their own travel booking, fund raising ($5,000 to enter the Regional competition, another $5,000 for the World's), transportation, promotion and on and on, as well as build these incredible robots.
This will be an annual event for sure. Check it out yourself next year.
Update:
- Found a YouTube that explains the competition in animation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wa5MGEZNrf0#!
- Totally forgot about the human input! Towards the end of the match one team member from each side can try to throw the frisbees into the slots at the other end. At this point the competition enters another level of frenzy.
- Here's a link to watch streaming video of the contests (click on 'Live"): http://watchfirstnow.com/index.asp
- And here's a link to the Canadian First Robotics where you'll find the schedules as well as other information: http://www.firstroboticscanada.org/main/
APRIL
The first Saturday in April is always the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival. Recognized in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest single day maple syrup event in the world it's going to turn 50 in 2014! If you've ever lived in Toronto you come to see the Maple Syrup Festival as kind of like 'The Ex'. It's pretty much the same every year but you go every so often just to confirm that it's still pretty much the same.
Given the time of year you never know what the weather will be like. One year, in fact the year shown in the tractor photos above, the snow was horizontal at one point. I felt sorry for the poor guy selling sunglasses. All he could do was shrug and say, "Well, I had a pretty good year last year". But if the weather is nice you can count on one thing, Arthur Street will be jammed and Elmira will become, Shuffle City.
I'm convinced that the main attraction to events like this is the food and the Elmira Festival doesn't disappoint - providing you don't mind lines. You've got your gigantic pickles on a stick, equally gigantic turkey legs, candy apples, pancakes, bbq and baked goods - funnel cakes being a definite fave. But there's a lot more going on than Arthur Street.
"There's a crazy little shack beyond the tracks. And everybody calls it the sugar shack." Someone should write a song about that. This is just to say that there actually is a sugar shack where you can see how the stuff is made and taste some of the toffee mixed with snow. And there really are tracks. There's a vintage train that makes regular trips from Waterloo to Elmira on the day of the Festival. That would make for a very cool outing. I'll post links at the bottom.
But, if you're a city slicker like me, you'll save the train trip for another day (when it goes to St. Jacob's) and take the highway (which on a good weather day will be stop and go) where you'll be directed to park and board - a tractor! OK I might be easily amused but I LOVE tractor rides. Local farmers volunteer to do this. In fact the whole event is volunteer driven.
No Region of Waterloo event would be complete without quilts and The Elmira Maple Syrup Festival is no exception with its Quilt & Craft Show & Sale.
Here are the links:
http://www.elmiramaplesyrup.com/
http://waterloocentralrailway.com/
Given the time of year you never know what the weather will be like. One year, in fact the year shown in the tractor photos above, the snow was horizontal at one point. I felt sorry for the poor guy selling sunglasses. All he could do was shrug and say, "Well, I had a pretty good year last year". But if the weather is nice you can count on one thing, Arthur Street will be jammed and Elmira will become, Shuffle City.
I'm convinced that the main attraction to events like this is the food and the Elmira Festival doesn't disappoint - providing you don't mind lines. You've got your gigantic pickles on a stick, equally gigantic turkey legs, candy apples, pancakes, bbq and baked goods - funnel cakes being a definite fave. But there's a lot more going on than Arthur Street.
"There's a crazy little shack beyond the tracks. And everybody calls it the sugar shack." Someone should write a song about that. This is just to say that there actually is a sugar shack where you can see how the stuff is made and taste some of the toffee mixed with snow. And there really are tracks. There's a vintage train that makes regular trips from Waterloo to Elmira on the day of the Festival. That would make for a very cool outing. I'll post links at the bottom.
But, if you're a city slicker like me, you'll save the train trip for another day (when it goes to St. Jacob's) and take the highway (which on a good weather day will be stop and go) where you'll be directed to park and board - a tractor! OK I might be easily amused but I LOVE tractor rides. Local farmers volunteer to do this. In fact the whole event is volunteer driven.
No Region of Waterloo event would be complete without quilts and The Elmira Maple Syrup Festival is no exception with its Quilt & Craft Show & Sale.
Here are the links:
http://www.elmiramaplesyrup.com/
http://waterloocentralrailway.com/
Who knew a landfill tour could be so fascinating? Generally run twice a year - Earth Week in April and Waste Reduction Week in October - the Region invites residents to take a bus tour, with a knowledgable staff member as guide, of the Erb St. landfill site. This is where all of our garbage and recyclables end up (sort of) and finding out what happens to them once they get here is an eye opener. I wasn't prepared for how dynamic and complicated a landfill is.
The tour lasts about an hour and pre-registration is required. An added bonus is that the big heavy machinery, bulldozers, recycling trucks and the like are on display for kids and adults to climb and explore.
Trust me. Do this once.
Here is the link:
http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/aboutTheEnvironment/Publications_Education_Events.asp
The tour lasts about an hour and pre-registration is required. An added bonus is that the big heavy machinery, bulldozers, recycling trucks and the like are on display for kids and adults to climb and explore.
Trust me. Do this once.
Here is the link:
http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/aboutTheEnvironment/Publications_Education_Events.asp
MAY
'Waterloo Region' and 'Mennonite Community' is pretty much synonymous.
One of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received was from a neighbour when I first moved in. It was a book entitled, "This Land I Love: Waterloo Region", by Carl Hiebert. Carl is worthy of a book about himself. Suffice to say that his roots are Mennonite, he's paraplegic, he flies ultralights and he takes photos of Waterloo Region, aerial photos. The book is a collection of those photos and the photos are about the Mennonite Community.
But what makes this book all the more special is that each section of photos is accompanied by a short, descriptive story about what the photos mean. This wouldn't be all that special were it not for the fact that the stories are narrated to the author by different members of the Mennonite Community, with the condition of anonymity.
Want to know what a Doddy Haus is? Trust me, you do. It and the rest of the Haus is lovingly detailed in one of the sections as are the many other facets of Mennonite life.
OK, time to clarify something - there is no one (1) Mennonite Community. (And Amish /= Mennonite.) Waterloo County alone has more than twenty different groups ranging from the traditional conservative Old Order Mennonites to other variously more moderate and progressive groups. And they aren't just confined to Waterloo Region. There are Mennonite groups worldwide.
The last Friday and Saturday in May, this year (2013) the 24th and 25th (no sale Sunday ;-) The Mennonite Relief Sale can be found in New Hamburg, (just down 7/8 a few minutes, on the way to Stratford), at the Fairgrounds.
"All funds raised at the Relief Sale are forwarded to the Mennonite Central Committee for its relief, development, and justice and peace-building work locally and internationally."
I recall once hearing a Canadian Olympian saying how proud she was of her Mennonite background and of their commitment to service. I'm not at all religious but the Mennonite Relief Committee is a beneficiary of mine. These folks get in, get it done and get out, without proselytizing.
Like all Fairs this one has its food component. Stand in line for what the Russian Mennonites are offering or the Chinese. A tip. Get there early or you might find what you want is already sold out.
But this Fair / Sale has other components which make it unique, most notably the famous Quilt Auction. Do yourself a favour. Go in, sit down and be prepared to be amazed on more than one level. The Quilt Auction starts Saturday morning. There are other auctions as well including Silent, Furniture, Children's and Outdoors plus sales of everything from crafts to plants. Lots to do for the kids too.
I'd like to end this section with a common lament from the narrators of "This Land I Love: Waterloo County".
"You sometimes wonder about all the tourists. I've seen up to three busloads at once. People will stand right in the middle of the road staring at us through their cameras. If you weren't careful, you'd run them over. What do they really see about us? Just the horse and buggy and our different way of dressing? It almost makes me think I must be in a zoo sometimes."
"And then there are the tourists with the cameras. We prefer not to be photographed, and we are certainly not going to pose…"
"But it's no fun going through town feeling like you're on display. I know we are different, but you get tired of being stared at."
www.nhmrs.com
One of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received was from a neighbour when I first moved in. It was a book entitled, "This Land I Love: Waterloo Region", by Carl Hiebert. Carl is worthy of a book about himself. Suffice to say that his roots are Mennonite, he's paraplegic, he flies ultralights and he takes photos of Waterloo Region, aerial photos. The book is a collection of those photos and the photos are about the Mennonite Community.
But what makes this book all the more special is that each section of photos is accompanied by a short, descriptive story about what the photos mean. This wouldn't be all that special were it not for the fact that the stories are narrated to the author by different members of the Mennonite Community, with the condition of anonymity.
Want to know what a Doddy Haus is? Trust me, you do. It and the rest of the Haus is lovingly detailed in one of the sections as are the many other facets of Mennonite life.
OK, time to clarify something - there is no one (1) Mennonite Community. (And Amish /= Mennonite.) Waterloo County alone has more than twenty different groups ranging from the traditional conservative Old Order Mennonites to other variously more moderate and progressive groups. And they aren't just confined to Waterloo Region. There are Mennonite groups worldwide.
The last Friday and Saturday in May, this year (2013) the 24th and 25th (no sale Sunday ;-) The Mennonite Relief Sale can be found in New Hamburg, (just down 7/8 a few minutes, on the way to Stratford), at the Fairgrounds.
"All funds raised at the Relief Sale are forwarded to the Mennonite Central Committee for its relief, development, and justice and peace-building work locally and internationally."
I recall once hearing a Canadian Olympian saying how proud she was of her Mennonite background and of their commitment to service. I'm not at all religious but the Mennonite Relief Committee is a beneficiary of mine. These folks get in, get it done and get out, without proselytizing.
Like all Fairs this one has its food component. Stand in line for what the Russian Mennonites are offering or the Chinese. A tip. Get there early or you might find what you want is already sold out.
But this Fair / Sale has other components which make it unique, most notably the famous Quilt Auction. Do yourself a favour. Go in, sit down and be prepared to be amazed on more than one level. The Quilt Auction starts Saturday morning. There are other auctions as well including Silent, Furniture, Children's and Outdoors plus sales of everything from crafts to plants. Lots to do for the kids too.
I'd like to end this section with a common lament from the narrators of "This Land I Love: Waterloo County".
"You sometimes wonder about all the tourists. I've seen up to three busloads at once. People will stand right in the middle of the road staring at us through their cameras. If you weren't careful, you'd run them over. What do they really see about us? Just the horse and buggy and our different way of dressing? It almost makes me think I must be in a zoo sometimes."
"And then there are the tourists with the cameras. We prefer not to be photographed, and we are certainly not going to pose…"
"But it's no fun going through town feeling like you're on display. I know we are different, but you get tired of being stared at."
www.nhmrs.com
JUNE
Early in June, usually the first weekend, The Waterloo Air Show makes its annual appearance, weather permitting (although they do fly in most conditions). Have to admit I love aircraft. The nature of the event remains the same but the participants vary from year to year.
There are flying events and family events and ground events, the latter two possible only with the purchase of tickets. The flying events are available anywhere due to the fact that the aircraft, um, fly - you know, up in the sky, not just inside the airport grounds. Consequently every time I visit, on my way to ponying up the ticket price I walk by not an inconsiderable number of people who have parked themselves down on easy chairs at the end of the runway. I used to think they were pikers. But having walked the grounds a few times I think they may be on to something.
The event is well organized. Off site parking this year is either free, if you don't mind walking, or $5 which gets you a shuttle ride to the ticket counter. And speaking of tickets, they aren't inexpensive. But buying online will save you some money and there are discounted prices for Seniors and kids 5-12.
If this is going to be your first time for sure I'd walk the grounds. As you can see above there are a variety of aircraft available to explore. One big caution, this area is very exposed. Make sure to lather up with the SPF.
For more current information about this year's show, including who you'll see flying, visit the Waterloo Air Show website.
Here is the link:
http://www.waterlooairshow.com/
There are flying events and family events and ground events, the latter two possible only with the purchase of tickets. The flying events are available anywhere due to the fact that the aircraft, um, fly - you know, up in the sky, not just inside the airport grounds. Consequently every time I visit, on my way to ponying up the ticket price I walk by not an inconsiderable number of people who have parked themselves down on easy chairs at the end of the runway. I used to think they were pikers. But having walked the grounds a few times I think they may be on to something.
The event is well organized. Off site parking this year is either free, if you don't mind walking, or $5 which gets you a shuttle ride to the ticket counter. And speaking of tickets, they aren't inexpensive. But buying online will save you some money and there are discounted prices for Seniors and kids 5-12.
If this is going to be your first time for sure I'd walk the grounds. As you can see above there are a variety of aircraft available to explore. One big caution, this area is very exposed. Make sure to lather up with the SPF.
For more current information about this year's show, including who you'll see flying, visit the Waterloo Air Show website.
Here is the link:
http://www.waterlooairshow.com/
There is a lot happening in the Summer months. Also in June, generally around the 22nd, and ongoing for over forty years,
The KW Multicultural Festival takes place in Victoria Park. The food is fabulous. After biking up the Iron Horse Trail and sampling some spicy goodies I was parched. I happened upon a tent that served what looked to be just what I needed, a very refreshing looking beverage. A young woman in a hijab served it to me and boy did it hit the spot. It was delicious. I asked her what it was called and she said, "We call it lemonade". Doh!
Here is the link for the Multicultural Festival:
http://www.kwmc.on.ca/content/multicultural-festival
Individual ethnicities also celebrate their heritage with festivals throughout the year. One I've been to a number of times is the
KW Greek Festival which takes place early in June, (the 8th and 9th for 2013), at the KW Greek Community Centre, 527 Bridgeport Rd. East. There is some serious Opa'ing happening here
Here is the link for the Greek Festival Festival:
http://kwgreekfest.com/
The KW Multicultural Festival takes place in Victoria Park. The food is fabulous. After biking up the Iron Horse Trail and sampling some spicy goodies I was parched. I happened upon a tent that served what looked to be just what I needed, a very refreshing looking beverage. A young woman in a hijab served it to me and boy did it hit the spot. It was delicious. I asked her what it was called and she said, "We call it lemonade". Doh!
Here is the link for the Multicultural Festival:
http://www.kwmc.on.ca/content/multicultural-festival
Individual ethnicities also celebrate their heritage with festivals throughout the year. One I've been to a number of times is the
KW Greek Festival which takes place early in June, (the 8th and 9th for 2013), at the KW Greek Community Centre, 527 Bridgeport Rd. East. There is some serious Opa'ing happening here
Here is the link for the Greek Festival Festival:
http://kwgreekfest.com/
JULY
I have friends in Toronto who have tried, unsuccessfully, a few years in a row to get to the Beaches Jazz Festival. There's no parking to speak of. There's only one streetcar heading that way. And should you make it you get to share the act with tens of thousands of other people.
Enter The Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival. (BTW as far as I can tell there is no Downtown Waterloo, that's considered Kitchener.)
Here's what you do. You decide what acts you want to see. You drive to the event and park at any of the numerous parking venues. You walk in, grab a beverage and a seat. Sit down and enjoy. It's really is that easy.
As for the performers, while you may not get as many A-listers as the aforementioned Toronto festival what you do get is pretty awesome. Awesome and varied.
OK I have a couple of gripes…
Would you talk during a symphony? Of course not. Would you talk during live theatre, say at Stratford? Of course not. Would you talk during a movie or any other performance? Well, would you? I'm here to hear what's on the stage. I'm not here to hear you. So please, just shut up and listen.
Second gripe. Dancers. Good lord. I have no problem with dancing but why do you think you should be the focus of attention? That's why you're dancing in FRONT of the stage isn't it? To be noticed? Hey, Dancers. I'm here to see and hear what's ON the stage, not you. So if you want to dance, fine. Just go to the back where you can still hear the music and then you'll be out of everyone's way and then you can dance your ridiculous butts off.
Here is the link to this year's event:
http://www.uptownwaterloojazz.ca/
Enter The Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival. (BTW as far as I can tell there is no Downtown Waterloo, that's considered Kitchener.)
Here's what you do. You decide what acts you want to see. You drive to the event and park at any of the numerous parking venues. You walk in, grab a beverage and a seat. Sit down and enjoy. It's really is that easy.
As for the performers, while you may not get as many A-listers as the aforementioned Toronto festival what you do get is pretty awesome. Awesome and varied.
OK I have a couple of gripes…
Would you talk during a symphony? Of course not. Would you talk during live theatre, say at Stratford? Of course not. Would you talk during a movie or any other performance? Well, would you? I'm here to hear what's on the stage. I'm not here to hear you. So please, just shut up and listen.
Second gripe. Dancers. Good lord. I have no problem with dancing but why do you think you should be the focus of attention? That's why you're dancing in FRONT of the stage isn't it? To be noticed? Hey, Dancers. I'm here to see and hear what's ON the stage, not you. So if you want to dance, fine. Just go to the back where you can still hear the music and then you'll be out of everyone's way and then you can dance your ridiculous butts off.
Here is the link to this year's event:
http://www.uptownwaterloojazz.ca/
AUGUST
That's my man, Steve Strongman, an often headliner at the Kitchener Blues Festival. BTW Steve won 3 awards at the 2013 Maple Blues Awards, Canada's National Blues Awards. Steve won for Songwriter of the Year, Recording of the Year and for the second year in a row Guitar Player of the Year.
Man, what can you say about the Kitchener Blues Festival except to echo what everyone says - each year it just keeps getting better. It's gotten to the point you wonder how it can top the previous year.
The event is held at a variety of locations, all accessible. Of course with blues comes bbq and beer and there is plenty of those as well.
I've been to the Chicago Blues Festival and while there is a direct flight to Chicago from our airport I feel no need to leave home.
Here is the link to this year's event:
http://www.kitchenerbluesfestival.com/
A couple of years ago I was so stoked by an experience at the Festival I put fingers to keyboard. If you feel inclined have a read.
Man, what can you say about the Kitchener Blues Festival except to echo what everyone says - each year it just keeps getting better. It's gotten to the point you wonder how it can top the previous year.
The event is held at a variety of locations, all accessible. Of course with blues comes bbq and beer and there is plenty of those as well.
I've been to the Chicago Blues Festival and while there is a direct flight to Chicago from our airport I feel no need to leave home.
Here is the link to this year's event:
http://www.kitchenerbluesfestival.com/
A couple of years ago I was so stoked by an experience at the Festival I put fingers to keyboard. If you feel inclined have a read.
These days kids call everything 'surreal'. "That's so surreal" they say. Let me tell you what surreal really is. Surreal is standing in line to buy a ticket for a beer with the music of Dr. John playing in the background. Thing is, it really is Dr. John playing in the background. Now that's surreal.
I'm at the Kitchener Blues Festival and the reason I'm standing in line for a beer when Dr. John is playing is I'm feeling guilty.
I know people who have unsuccessfully attempted to attend the Beach Jazz Festival in Toronto. As in have unsuccessfully tried for a number of years. It's just such a major hassle to do anything that has crowd appeal in Toronto. And if you do make it there the hassles have just begun.
Now Kdub may not get the A-listers that Toronto does but I'm of a mind that Dr. John is an A-lister to anyone who loves Rock 'n Roll. I bet you've got "Gotta Be The Right Place, Gotta Be The Wrong Time" playing in your head right now. So it was at twenty to seven tonight I decided to go to his free performance, which was part of the three day Kitchener Blues Festival, which started at twenty after seven.
This would seem ludicrous in most cities. Even more ludicrous would be that I got there twenty minutes later, right at seven, (there was a detour), and parked, yes parked, for free, right across from the tent. Now I could have paid the two bucks requested, but the other drivers in the parking lot were of a mind that seeing as this was a free concert it stood to reason that the parking was free as well. I flowed with that river.
I walked across the street to the large tent coming in as I discovered from behind. There was the usual wire fence surrounding the back of the tent/stage and there was Dr. John hisself talking through the fence to a young couple. He had on the whole kit. Hat, feather, cane with a skull and other stuff on it, dressed primarily in red and stripes, out there just chatting away.
I walked into the tent and of course wanted to get as close as I could. As usual all the seats close up were taken but there were people standing right at the stage itself. I went up and asked if this was kosher. This is a concert I was told. And it was Dr. John, so you get as close as you can so you can see him play. The others at the stage front concurred and one offered me a vacant spot. Nice.
So here I am right-in-front of Dr. John's piano! The piano is curious. He doesn't have sheet music, instead he has a laminated 3-ring notebook with lyrics, no music. The piano also has a skull with a hat on it and a large mushroom. More curiously, (you expect Dr. John to have a skull and a large mushroom), he also has a clock beside the sheet lyrics, analog, natch.
The MC comes out and apparently our standing in front of the stage really is too good to be true. I kind of thought it might have been but in my/our defence every concert I've ever witnessed has had people right at the front of the stage. Thing is at those venues the stage is higher. If we stand nobody behind, make that nobody seated behind, as in the people who came hours before just to get a front row seat, can see.
I suggest a compromise - we sit as well. It's grass so it's ok. Everyone kind of mulls this over for about a second and agrees. We all sit down with the full knowledge that once Dr. John starts there'll be no more sitting down.
As you know I'm old. Sitting on anything that doesn't have armrests is uncomfortable in the extreme. I make my way down to the grass in laboured stages. I notice everyone else is sitting cross-legged. The last time I sat cross-legged was when I was a cub scout.
So I've got my legs out in front of me and my arms back behind me and I'm making sure I'm not interfering with anyone and I happen to comment how uncomfortable I'm finding this when a young woman says, "Don't worry sir, when he starts we'll all be on our feet again". To which I toss off a remark that I'll probably have trouble getting back up. This isn't Woodstock but clearly the same spirit is here. The young woman says, "Don't worry sir, I'll help you". And her companion looked at me and in all seriousness said, "We all need a helping hand sometime".
Turns out these people, who didn't know each other, were all from Toronto. One was even from the Beach. He had a camera and I imagine his video is already on YouTube.
Sound checks are over and the Dr. is led to the stage. He's not very spry but that's only walking. Singing he's an Olympian. With that distinctive raspy voice he's belting out the Dr. John classics plus tossing in some current ones.
For example, the Dr. is pissed about BP and the Gulf oil situation. To a beat he raps about a message he'd like us all to hear which he sums up thus - "there's no need for greed". Dr. John was a great guitar player until he got a finger shot off protecting a friend, so the story goes, and that's how he ended up playing piano. I had a feeling that if he had a gun no one in BP was safe. And surprisingly, later on, he did play guitar, very very well.
OK everyone at the front is now up on their feet. The young woman offers me her hand. If I took it she'd be on top of me in a second so I thank her and instead turn to the really very young woman seated directly behind me. She looks at me, I giver her my hand and pull her up. Now I have room to manoeuvre the old bones into something approaching vertical. This allows me to hear at earshot the crowd behind yelling at us to sit down. They're furious.
I'm at the front of the stage listening to and seeing Dr. John. Did I mention that?
Still, after four numbers the booing (at us) hasn't subsided and I figure, hey, I've seen Dr. John and I'm feeling really guilty so I make my way out of the crowd, past the seated patrons and out the tent where I head in the direction of the beer.
The lineup is quite long for the tickets but it's a lovely evening and there's this great Dr. John music playing plus I've discovered I have cred.
Before I left home I was wondering what to wear. I brought a polar fleece pullover just in case it got cool. Then I looked at my two rock 'n roll t-shirts. These are serious Rock 'n Roll t-shirts and I don't just have them, I've been there! One is the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame t-shirt I got at The Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. The other is the Chicago Blues Festival t-shirt where I don't have to tell you where I got it. I decided on the latter. Then, passing by the bathroom mirror I also decided I looked like a total jerk and took it off. Then I thought, when will you ever wear this and put it back on again.
For once in my life people were looking at my stomach, not to compare relative fatness but to figure out which Blues Festival t-shirt I was wearing. So ladies, I now have an appreciation of when someone is looking at your chest and you're wearing a t-shirt with some caption on it, they really are looking at the caption. Anyway, it was obvious, I had definite cred. Even the MC walked by and checked me/my stomach out and nodded approvingly.
You know, outside looking in isn't so bad. I'd been to the front of the stage so I knew what it looked like. Now I was at the back of the tent looking at all the people who were looking at the front of the tent. Being from Waterloo I understand quantum mechanics quite well so when I was actually in two places at the same time it came as no big deal.
Slowly, while drinking said beer, I made my way through the crowd until I got to a spot where, hey, I had a really good view. And I had a beer. And I was standing.
I think the highlight of the night for me was when Dr. John started "Right Place, Wrong Time". I was looking at a family and the first person to break out in a huge smile, followed by a dance, was a young woman who couldn't have been more than twenty.
I remember listening to Dr. John's music in Ottawa with friends on some fabulous sound system, on some equally fabulous weed, over thirty years ago and thinking that this should last forever. Apparently it has.
From thirty years ago...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs0epThTlpw&feature=related
such a night,
bob
I'm at the Kitchener Blues Festival and the reason I'm standing in line for a beer when Dr. John is playing is I'm feeling guilty.
I know people who have unsuccessfully attempted to attend the Beach Jazz Festival in Toronto. As in have unsuccessfully tried for a number of years. It's just such a major hassle to do anything that has crowd appeal in Toronto. And if you do make it there the hassles have just begun.
Now Kdub may not get the A-listers that Toronto does but I'm of a mind that Dr. John is an A-lister to anyone who loves Rock 'n Roll. I bet you've got "Gotta Be The Right Place, Gotta Be The Wrong Time" playing in your head right now. So it was at twenty to seven tonight I decided to go to his free performance, which was part of the three day Kitchener Blues Festival, which started at twenty after seven.
This would seem ludicrous in most cities. Even more ludicrous would be that I got there twenty minutes later, right at seven, (there was a detour), and parked, yes parked, for free, right across from the tent. Now I could have paid the two bucks requested, but the other drivers in the parking lot were of a mind that seeing as this was a free concert it stood to reason that the parking was free as well. I flowed with that river.
I walked across the street to the large tent coming in as I discovered from behind. There was the usual wire fence surrounding the back of the tent/stage and there was Dr. John hisself talking through the fence to a young couple. He had on the whole kit. Hat, feather, cane with a skull and other stuff on it, dressed primarily in red and stripes, out there just chatting away.
I walked into the tent and of course wanted to get as close as I could. As usual all the seats close up were taken but there were people standing right at the stage itself. I went up and asked if this was kosher. This is a concert I was told. And it was Dr. John, so you get as close as you can so you can see him play. The others at the stage front concurred and one offered me a vacant spot. Nice.
So here I am right-in-front of Dr. John's piano! The piano is curious. He doesn't have sheet music, instead he has a laminated 3-ring notebook with lyrics, no music. The piano also has a skull with a hat on it and a large mushroom. More curiously, (you expect Dr. John to have a skull and a large mushroom), he also has a clock beside the sheet lyrics, analog, natch.
The MC comes out and apparently our standing in front of the stage really is too good to be true. I kind of thought it might have been but in my/our defence every concert I've ever witnessed has had people right at the front of the stage. Thing is at those venues the stage is higher. If we stand nobody behind, make that nobody seated behind, as in the people who came hours before just to get a front row seat, can see.
I suggest a compromise - we sit as well. It's grass so it's ok. Everyone kind of mulls this over for about a second and agrees. We all sit down with the full knowledge that once Dr. John starts there'll be no more sitting down.
As you know I'm old. Sitting on anything that doesn't have armrests is uncomfortable in the extreme. I make my way down to the grass in laboured stages. I notice everyone else is sitting cross-legged. The last time I sat cross-legged was when I was a cub scout.
So I've got my legs out in front of me and my arms back behind me and I'm making sure I'm not interfering with anyone and I happen to comment how uncomfortable I'm finding this when a young woman says, "Don't worry sir, when he starts we'll all be on our feet again". To which I toss off a remark that I'll probably have trouble getting back up. This isn't Woodstock but clearly the same spirit is here. The young woman says, "Don't worry sir, I'll help you". And her companion looked at me and in all seriousness said, "We all need a helping hand sometime".
Turns out these people, who didn't know each other, were all from Toronto. One was even from the Beach. He had a camera and I imagine his video is already on YouTube.
Sound checks are over and the Dr. is led to the stage. He's not very spry but that's only walking. Singing he's an Olympian. With that distinctive raspy voice he's belting out the Dr. John classics plus tossing in some current ones.
For example, the Dr. is pissed about BP and the Gulf oil situation. To a beat he raps about a message he'd like us all to hear which he sums up thus - "there's no need for greed". Dr. John was a great guitar player until he got a finger shot off protecting a friend, so the story goes, and that's how he ended up playing piano. I had a feeling that if he had a gun no one in BP was safe. And surprisingly, later on, he did play guitar, very very well.
OK everyone at the front is now up on their feet. The young woman offers me her hand. If I took it she'd be on top of me in a second so I thank her and instead turn to the really very young woman seated directly behind me. She looks at me, I giver her my hand and pull her up. Now I have room to manoeuvre the old bones into something approaching vertical. This allows me to hear at earshot the crowd behind yelling at us to sit down. They're furious.
I'm at the front of the stage listening to and seeing Dr. John. Did I mention that?
Still, after four numbers the booing (at us) hasn't subsided and I figure, hey, I've seen Dr. John and I'm feeling really guilty so I make my way out of the crowd, past the seated patrons and out the tent where I head in the direction of the beer.
The lineup is quite long for the tickets but it's a lovely evening and there's this great Dr. John music playing plus I've discovered I have cred.
Before I left home I was wondering what to wear. I brought a polar fleece pullover just in case it got cool. Then I looked at my two rock 'n roll t-shirts. These are serious Rock 'n Roll t-shirts and I don't just have them, I've been there! One is the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame t-shirt I got at The Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. The other is the Chicago Blues Festival t-shirt where I don't have to tell you where I got it. I decided on the latter. Then, passing by the bathroom mirror I also decided I looked like a total jerk and took it off. Then I thought, when will you ever wear this and put it back on again.
For once in my life people were looking at my stomach, not to compare relative fatness but to figure out which Blues Festival t-shirt I was wearing. So ladies, I now have an appreciation of when someone is looking at your chest and you're wearing a t-shirt with some caption on it, they really are looking at the caption. Anyway, it was obvious, I had definite cred. Even the MC walked by and checked me/my stomach out and nodded approvingly.
You know, outside looking in isn't so bad. I'd been to the front of the stage so I knew what it looked like. Now I was at the back of the tent looking at all the people who were looking at the front of the tent. Being from Waterloo I understand quantum mechanics quite well so when I was actually in two places at the same time it came as no big deal.
Slowly, while drinking said beer, I made my way through the crowd until I got to a spot where, hey, I had a really good view. And I had a beer. And I was standing.
I think the highlight of the night for me was when Dr. John started "Right Place, Wrong Time". I was looking at a family and the first person to break out in a huge smile, followed by a dance, was a young woman who couldn't have been more than twenty.
I remember listening to Dr. John's music in Ottawa with friends on some fabulous sound system, on some equally fabulous weed, over thirty years ago and thinking that this should last forever. Apparently it has.
From thirty years ago...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs0epThTlpw&feature=related
such a night,
bob