Posted on

Juno-winning singer/songwriter Susan Aglukark headlines Wainfleet Summer Games event

Juno-winning singer/songwriter Susan Aglukark headlines Wainfleet Summer Games event
Juno-winning singer and songwriter Susan Aglukark will headline the special one-day Canada Summer Games event taking place in Wainfleet on Aug. 16
Juno-winning singer and songwriter Susan Aglukark will headline the special one-day Canada Summer Games event taking place in Wainfleet on Aug. 16

It’s not every day that a Juno Award-winning artist makes the trek all the way to Wainfleet, but ‘Fleeters will get to see a big-name Canadian act perform — for three, to boot — when the township hosts its 2022 Canada Summer Games 13 for 13 Cultural Festival event next week.

The Games, which kicked off Aug. 6 and have brought more than 5,000 athletes, coaches and managers, and volunteers from across Canada, are seeing each of Niagara’s 12 cities and towns hosting events. They will showcase the unique cultural heritage, entertainment, art and culinary experiences of different provinces and territories.

Wainfleet is hosting the Nunavut experience on Tuesday, Aug. 16, in Wainfleet Arena park at 31943 Park St. The event will feature headliner and Juno Award-winning Nunavut performer and songwriter Susan Aglukark.

The event kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with kids/francophone programming, followed by a performance by local artists Great Lakes Swimmers at 7 p.m. and Aglukark at 8:30 p.m.

Last fall, Wainfleet Township’s director of operations, Richard Nan, told township council that the regional Summer Games committee suggested each municipality establish their own Games committee to hold special one-day events. Nan, who sits on Wainfleet’s committee, said the committee lucked out by having one member with deep connections with the tourism and culture industry in Nunavut in the far north.

That helped pave the way for the township to land Aglukark.

Nan said the township was also moving its local farmers market from its regularly scheduled day to coincide with the 13/13 event on Aug. 16.

 

Posted on

Trews to headline Fort Erie’s Canada Summer Games event

Trews to headline Fort Erie’s Canada Summer Games event
The Trews will headline the 13 For 13 Cultural Event Aug. 12 at Old Fort Erie. The event is being held in conjunction with the Canada Summer Games.

Old Fort Erie will be rockin’ when the Trews come to town.

The Juno Award-winning band is a part of the 13 For 13 Cultural Festival taking place at the Old Fort on Aug. 12 as a part of the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games.

The festival, which runs from 3 to 10 p.m. that day is Fort Erie’s contribution to a series of events taking place during the games. All 12 municipalities and Niagara Region are collaborating with all 13 provinces/territories to showcase the unique cultural heritage, entertainment, art, and culinary experiences of each pairing during their assigned special night. The 13 For 13 Cultural Festival will rotate, changing from one municipality to another over 13 days in August.

For the purposes of the festival, Fort Erie has been paired with Nova Scotia. This one-of-a-kind initiative has never been done before by any other Canada Games host. Admission to each of the 13 municipality events will be free. 

In partnership with host sponsor Niagara Parks and provincial partner Tourism Nova Scotia, the Fort Erie event will offer food trucks, local vendors, a liquor licensed area, children’s programming, Scottish heavy sports demonstrations, the Creator’s Game, musical entertainment culminating with the Trews concert.

“What an amazing opportunity for our community to celebrate athletic excellence, cultural heritage, arts, and entertainment on the historically significant grounds of Old Fort Erie,” said Mayor Wayne Redekop. “The history of our nation unfolded here.”

On July 2, the Games torch will be coming to Fort Erie from 9 to 11 a.m., starting with a pep rally at the Crystal Ridge Arena at 99 Ridge Rd. South and conclude with an end-of-run party at the Fort Erie Leisureplex at 3 Municipal Centre Dr.

Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games take place Aug. 6 to 21 at sites across the region.

For event details, visit forterie.ca

 

Posted on

Canada Day event at Niagara-on-the-Lake vineyard encourages donations for residential school survivors

Canada Day event at Niagara-on-the-Lake vineyard encourages donations for residential school survivors
This year's Canada Day event at the Ravine Vineyard Estates Winery marks the return of the annual event since 2019.

With Canada Day just around the corner, the Ravine Vineyard Estates Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake has announced the return of its annual celebration of the country’s confederation this Friday, July 1.

However, in a move that reflects the nation’s growing contention with the holiday as it unpacks troubling aspects of its past and present, the business is asking people to help a national organization aiding survivors of the residential school system.

The event will kick off at 5 p.m. at 1366 York Rd. in St. Davids, featuring an evening of drinks, barbecue-style food, live music, and a large fireworks show starting around 10:15 p.m.

This year, the winery is offering free attendance to the event for those who make a donation to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS), a British Columbia-based organization that provides services to the survivors of Canada’s residential schools and their families, helping them to heal from the trauma many former attendees of the schools experienced.

Tony Milana, general manager of the Ravine Vineyard winery, said the idea came from Paul Harber and the family that owns the winery.

“They’re very conscientious of these issues that have arisen,” Milana said.

Like others in Canada and around the world, they’ve been taking in news since last year’s of the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves on the grounds of former residential schools across Canada, believed to contain the remains of previously unaccounted for children who attended the schools. 

This countrywide search began after the discovery of a suspected 215 unmarked graves in Kamloops, B.C. on May 27 last year. Last year, many called for the cancellation of Canada Day celebrations to honour those who lost their lives, and conversations around Canada’s legacy continue.

“As Canadians, it’s been a hard thing to swallow,” Milana said.

The winery has set up a GoFundMe page to collect donations (the page is set up to give donations directly to the IRSSS). Since setting up the page on June 24, it’s received nearly $3,000 in donations, out of its goal of $10,000.

“We just want to make sure we’re doing our part,” he said.

The event will also have QR codes on-site on July 1 to allow people to make a cashless donation before entering the vineyard. Those who donate online will be asked to provide proof of their donation when entering the event.

This is the first time Ravine Vineyard is hosting its annual Canada Day fireworks events since 2019, putting off the event for two years due to the pandemic.

Milana said the winery’s team is keeping an eye on the latest news around COVID-19, such as a potential new wave of cases this summer or the spread of the Omicron variant BA.5 in Ontario, and will be trying to host the event as safely as possible.

“We’re very excited about it,” Milana said. “It’s a lot of fun and it’s family fun.”

The winery notes this is a cashless event, and that parking on-site is limited. There will be spots available around the property for attendees to lay blankets or set up chairs.

For more information, including the food and drink menu, visit ravinevineyard.com/events/winery-events, and to donate to the IRSSS for this event, visit gofundme.com/f/indian-residential-school-survivors-society.

Posted on

Opinion | Have an event happening in Niagara? Help us spread the word.

Opinion | Have an event happening in Niagara? Help us spread the word.

It’s about trust. Our relationship with our readers is built on transparency, honesty and integrity. As such, we have launched a trust initiative to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This column is part of that project.

After more than two long years following the great shutdown in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, business, attractions — and especially events — are back up and running.

This week our newspaper featured a special section, Best of Summer, which highlights some of the best festivals and attractions taking place across Ontario. The feature will continue throughout the month of June.

One of the pieces, by Abby Green, centred on Pride month and all the ways in Niagara to celebrate it — from flag raisings to a selection of curated films to the fan favourite Pride in the Park event.

But unfortunately, we don’t know about everything and we know the difficulties non-profit groups and grassroots organizations have trying to get the word out about their events and press releases with small teams and varied budgets.

The good news is we can help.

Whether it’s a fundraiser, festival, farmers’ market or holiday happening, we invite community groups and organizations to share news of their events on our website.

Our online events calendar is a popular feature. And the best part? It’s absolutely free.

Looking to submit an event? Follow these simple steps:

• Visit www.niagarathisweek.com

• Register for a free account or login using your existing credentials

• Under your username, select “Submit Your Content”

• Click on “Submit Event” to create an event

• Fill out the required fields and click submit.

If you run into issues, you can download an easy-to-follow guide or reach out to a member of our team at news@niagarathisweek.com

With life starting to return to normal — or perhaps the new normal — people are anxious to venture out again and enjoy the places and events they took for granted in the past. Perhaps your event can become a new favourite.

Mike Zettel is the online editor for Niagara this Week.