The BreakFest Blog
News about Ottawa Festivals and our Member festivals, special events and fairs.
Hike for Hospice fundraiser to take place May 1
Source: Ottawa Citizen
Sunday, May 1 is May Day. Nowhere else in Ottawa will it be more meaningful than for those walking to fundraise for The Hospice at May Court.
The Hospice at May Court provides its services to patients and their families at no charge. In order to be able to offer this valuable service to the community, The Hospice at May Court must fundraise $1.5 million annually. Thanks to the generosity of thousands of donors each year and funds raised through events such as Hike for Hospice and the very popular Homes for the Holidays event held every November, The Hospice continues to help those in need.
The fundraising goal for 9th annual Hike for Hospice is $100,000. The day begins with registration and opening remarks, followed by warm-up exercises for the expected 400 hikers, led by Carleton University athletes. Over 75 volunteers will be there to take care of the participants. The fun five kilometre family friendly hike will take place rain or shine. The registration fee is $20 and includes a hike t-shirt, Tim Horton’s coffee and snacks, musical entertainment by Swampland Dixieland Band, belly dancers, Ray’s Reptiles, face painting, a delicious lunch from the Red Apron and a silent auction.
If you are interested in supporting or participating in Hike for Hospice, please go to www. hospicemaycourt.com or contact Ola Spec, coordinator of Events and Sponsorships at 613-260-2906 x232 or ola.spec@hospicemaycourt.com.
To read the full article visit The Ottawa Citizen.
Sky World: Aboriginal Youth building community through theatre
Source: Fund Change
The Ottawa School of Speech & Drama (OSSD) http://www.ossd.com is a charitable organization dedicated to theatre arts education and training in the capital region. OSSD is partnering with Wabano (http://wabano.com/) as part of the school’s outreach programming. Outreach acting programs enable disenfranchised youth to learn valuable social skills as well as specific language and presentational skills.
The Sky World project will provide a series of drama workshops to 20-25 Aboriginal Youth. Working with established theatre professionals, and under the guidance of Aboriginal Elders, the participants will learn such performance techniques as building the ensemble, storytelling, writing for stage, movement, voice, mask, improvisation, and mime. The youth will also explore areas of set design, sound, lighting, and stage management.
The workshop nature of the project encourages youth development through drama. The process builds self-confidence, literacy skills, and enhanced communication skills through voice and movement. Community is built through the ensemble method of theatre training, encouraging collaboration and empathetic response.
The project will focus on developing an original theatre piece based on the theme of Sky World as interpreted by Elders, with research from participants. A final presentation for family, friends and community will take place in the theatre facilities at The Ottawa School of Speech & Drama, in Westboro, Ottawa.
The project is scheduled to start in May, with a completion date at the end of June.
Read the full story from Fund Change.
CN Cycle for CHEO – It’s what you can do to help kids with cancer
Source: The Ottawa Citizen
Being told that your child has cancer is some of the most devastating news that any parent will ever hear. For most of us, it is simply unimaginable and yet approximately 70 families in the Ottawa region hear this news from their doctor each and every year. As news spreads the question most often heard from family, friends, neighbours and co-workers is how can I help? The CN Cycle for CHEO was born of this same desire to help, and has become the region’s largest display of community support for children and families confronting pediatric cancer.
CN’s support, coupled with a community’s enthusiasm has helped raise over $1 million in support of pediatric cancer over the last two years. This is an encouraging number as we prepare for the third annual CN Cycle for CHEO.
The CN Cycle for CHEO is the Ottawa region’s largest fundraising event for pediatric cancer. It is a non-competitive, recreational event that offers cycling, in-line skating and walking events for people of all ages and abilities. This year, the CN Cycle for CHEO will take place on Sunday, May 1 with all events staged from the Canadian War Museum and the adjoining grounds of Lebreton Flats. Participants will enjoy the unique opportunity to safely cycle, in-line skate or walk along Ottawa’s most scenic, fully supported routes and share a wonderful community experience. There are new separate routes for the 70K and 35K cyclists and all of the fun and camaraderie that people have come to expect. After completing their chosen event, participants will be treated to food and family entertainment while they await the amazing prize draws and the announcement of the amount of money raised for CHEO. All of this takes place in the span of a Sunday morning with the event wrapping up shortly after noon.
For more information on events, registration and prizes please visit www.cncycle.ca.
Read the full story from The Ottawa Citizen.
12th Annual Bell Capital Cup Donates Over $259,000 to Local Charities and Minor Hockey
Source: press release
The organizing committee for the Bell Capital Cup announced today that the 12th annual festival, which was held from Dec. 30, 2010 to Jan. 3, has raised more than $259,000 for minor hockey and local charities.
Proceeds from the past tournament have allowed the Bell Capital Cup to provide support for Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa (CAYFO), St. Patrick’s Home Bed Fund, the Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre Foundation, the Ottawa Senators Alumni, the Max Keeping Foundation, the Goodwill Ambassadors, the Capital City Condors, the Ottawa Boys & Girls Club ‘Walk this Way’ program, the Lori Hyland-MacDonald Scholarship Fund at the University of Ottawa, the Regional Cancer Foundation, the Ottawa Food Bank, the Sens Foundation in support of the community rink initiative, Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Support Programs and the Osgoode Youth Association, along with the ODMHA, Hockey Outaouais and local minor hockey organizations.
Presenting the cheques to the recipient organizations earlier today were members of the board of directors of the Bell Capital Cup and its key sponsors; City of Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, Bell Canada’s Sandy Clement, and tournament chair and Ottawa Senators president Cyril Leeder. The Bell Capital Cup’s 12-year total donations toward minor hockey and local charities have now exceeded $2,226,000.
The 2011 Bell Capital Cup played host to 493 teams and more than 8,300 atom and peewee- level players, with in excess of 990 games taking place on 34 local ice surfaces across the national capital region. The 19 division finals were held at Scotiabank Place. Participating teams came from across Canada and the United States as well as China, South Korea, Finland, Germany and Hungary.
The 13th edition of the Bell Capital Cup will be held in Ottawa and Gatineau from Dec. 28 to Jan. 1, 2012. More than 500 atom and peewee entries are expected from throughout Canada, the United States, Finland, Germany, Hungary, South Korea and China.
The Bell Capital Cup is a non-profit incorporation with a mandate to support local charities and minor hockey throughout eastern Ontario and western Quebec. Established in 2000 with 94 teams, the Bell Capital Cup has grown to become the world’s premier minor hockey tournament for atom and peewee players.
New Edinburgh Players’ Benefit Performance for the Crichton Cultural Community Centre
It’s Show Time Once Again!
New Edinburgh Players’ Benefit Performance for the CCCC
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011, at 7:30 p.m.
Mackay United Church Hall
Dufferin Road and Avon Lane
Tickets: $20
Once again this year, the New Edinburgh Players will stage a benefit performance of their annual Spring production to raise funds for the CCCC. In this watershed year for 200 Crichton, when the building is to be listed for sale and the CCCC is in the throes of an all-out effort to acquire it for the community, we need your presence and support more than ever before!
Please MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW to save the night of Wednesday, April 13th for an evening of great entertainment and sociability with your neighbours in support of a vital community cause.
Tickets will be on sale at the CCCC Office and Books on Beechwood in the coming weeks, and you are welcome to pre-order by calling the Office at 613-745-2742 or sending us an e-mail at communitycentre@rogers.com.
This year’s production is a thoroughly comic murder mystery entitled Busybody, by Jack Popplewell.
Here’s a brief synopsis of the play to whet your appetite for a hilariously funny evening:
Detective Superintendent Harry Baxter, played by Anthony Pearson, is plagued by a head cold and two busybodies – a corpse that vanishes and the officious office cleaner, Mrs. Piper, played by Linda Barber, who found it.
Trying to glean the facts from the morass of Mrs. Piper’s chatty verbosity taxes Baxter’s never large store of tact and patience. Motives for murder abound – all the office staff and the corpse’s wife are suspect. His self-control snaps completely when the corpse walks in alive and well.
But Mrs. Piper still insists that there was a body, though she no longer knows whose. Baxter is persuaded to continue his investigation, enthusiastically hindered by Mrs. Piper.
PLEASE BE SURE TO JOIN US ON APRIL 13TH AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE FINAL PUSH TO KEEP CRICHTON PUBLIC!
NAC Orchestra Week – March 7-13 – 2 Free Shows!
On Wednesday, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson will declare March 7-13, 2011 to be NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE ORCHESTRA WEEK. This marks the fifth year in a row for this high-spirited series of events highlighting the role of the NAC Orchestra and its musicians in the local community. Throughout each year, NACO musicians participate in hundreds of educational and outreach events, inspiring and entertaining tens of thousands of students and adults.
This year, for the first time, the full National Arts Centre Orchestra will give two free lunchtime concerts in Ottawa/Gatineau. As always during NAC Orchestra Week, there will also be numerous concerts by smaller ensembles of NACO musicians.
ORCHESTRA CONCERTS – free, open to the public, no tickets required
Tuesday, March 8, noon
Food Court at Place du Centre — 200 Promenade du Portage, Gatineau
Wednesday, March 9, noon
Jean Pigott Hall at Ottawa City Hall – 111 Lisgar Street, Ottawa
*Mayor Jim Watson will be on hand to host the concert.
In both concerts, Richard Lee (Resident Conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra) leads the NAC Orchestra in a 30-minute program featuring Mozart’s Overture to The Marriage of Figaro; Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings (2nd movement); Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto (3rd movement), featuring Ottawa native NACO Second Trumpet Steven van Gulik; and Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony (4th movement).
We hope to see you there!
Special thanks go to the Friends of the NAC Orchestra, without whose help and support NAC Orchestra Week would not be possible.
Ontario business faces accessibility laws
As part of its 2011 Seminar and Workshop series, Ottawa Festivals is presenting a seminar titled ‘Ontario Accessible Standards for Customer Service Act’.
Melissa Magder, Financial Post
Ontario is so far the only Canadian province to introduce accessibility laws, which require private sector businesses to remove barriers that might exclude people with disabilities by Jan. 1, 2011. After this date, any business that fails to provide customer service of equal quality to all patrons, regardless of disability, can be subject to fines of up to $100,000 a day.
But legislation aside, it’s simply good business for all organizations to commit to full accessibility, which means ensuring that there are no barriers to full participation for the disabled, whether created by technological, structural, attitudinal or communications factors.
Committing to accessibility bolsters a company’s image as a good corporate citizen. Canadians with disabilities appreciate being treated as valued customers, and share this satisfaction with their friends and family. As communities become more sensitive to the needs of people of all abilities, accessibility will only increase in importance.
Full story: Ontario business faces accessibility laws
VERSeFest: the future of poetry in Ottawa — Local festival links page and stage poetry
VERSe Ottawa celebrates its remarkable poetry community with VERSeFest, a new poetry festival that runs from Tuesday, March 8 to Sunday, March 13, 2011 at the Arts Court, 2 Daly Avenue at Nicholas Street. There will also be two pre-festival events hosted by the AB Series on March 5 and 6, 2011 at Gallery 101, 301½ Bank Street – Unit 1.
Organized to satisfy the ever-increasing audience for poetry in Ottawa and across the country, VERSeFest is being staged by 14 Ottawa poetry groups (members of the umbrella organization VERSe Ottawa) representing the wide spectrum of written and spoken word—page and stage—in a series of readings, performances, workshops, and discussions.
VERSe Ottawa Administrative Director and Director of the Tree Reading Series Rod Pederson speaks to the importance of presenting a festival that incorporates different poetic styles and traditions:
―One of the most exciting things about VERSeFest is the joining together of the page-oriented and stage-oriented poets. Over time, the result of mixing and merging the two styles will be a unique early-21st century sort of poetry that transcends both originals.
Some highlights of VERSeFest include:
- Opening night kick-off on March 8 with 2010 World Slam Champion Ian Keteku and internationally acclaimed poet David McGimpsey
- An evening of female poets, featuring Ottawa‘s Christine McNair, Sandra Ridley, and Beth Anne Fischer on March 9
- A bilingual showcase featuring Mehdi Hamdad and Brandon Wint presented by the Oneness Poetry Collective on March 10
- Governor General Award Winner Richard Greene at the Tree Reading Series and National Slam Champions from the 2010 Capital Slam Team on March 12
- Local sound poet jwcurry at the Dusty Owl Reading Series March 13
- Plus workshops for children and youth, a songwriters circle featuring Ottawa‘s own Jim Bryson, a haiku event, a master class, a poetry slam, and more!
For more information go to the Ottawa VERSeFest website: Ottawa’s new annual poetry festival at the Ottawa Arts Court
Festivals face funding cuts
Jared Fisk, Centretown News
The Canada Council for the Arts has angered festival organizers in Ottawa after informing them a popular grant program that has helped underwrite innovative musical projects has been put on hold for 2011.
In a letter dated Jan. 19, the federal funding body advised officials with the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival and other groups that the fund for new program initiatives and artists’ collaborations was currently under review and that there would be no payouts in time for this summer’s festival season.
Russell Kelley, the head of the music section for the Canada Council for the Arts, says he regretted suspending the grant application process three weeks before the Feb. 15 deadline.
“We regret the timing,” says Kelly. “We understand it’s short notice.”
He (Julian Armour) says the short notice for cancelling the program is another indication of a downward spiral in government support for the entire Canadian arts community.
Full story from Centretown News Online: Festivals face funding cuts
Some fun in Ottawa
Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa is only slowly shedding its unfair reputation as the city that fun forgot. Maybe it’s the buttoned-down image of the public servant or the fact among sports types that this city is a graveyard for franchises.
Great sports teams, in particular the Ottawa Senators, plus plenty of arts and entertainment events, help make for a great city. And greatness feeds on greatness. Good quality of life attracts outstanding talent that contributes to public and private sectors, producing profit for industry and increasing the local tax base. That, in turn, generates more money for charity and increased revenue for public works. In total, a better community.
So while to some the $400,000 the city has put up for the FIFA events might look like frivolous spending, in fact it is seed money to help put Ottawa on the map as an interesting place to work and play. With more events like these, the word is likely to get out that Ottawa is one of the outstanding places of Canada in terms of affordability and quality of life.
Full Story: Some fun in Ottawa
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