Wednesday, August 29, 2012

End of Summer Reflection

Well, I’ve reached the end of the summer and with that, it’s time to return to school. This is my final weekend with Sudbury Tourism, and what a great weekend it’s turning out to be!
Downtown Sudbury is having its annual Ribfest, which is one of the largest festivals of the year! There’s a great turnout of people all wanting some of those delicious ribs. There are six professional rib teams on site, as well as various vendors. I’ve been coming to Ribfest every since it began and each year it gets bigger and better!
I’ve learned a lot about the city I call home this summer, and I’ve decided that Sudbury is an extremely interesting place. It has such a rich history and culture, and the future is looking wonderful. How many places can claim to be more beautiful as the years pass? The re-greening effort has returned Sudbury to its natural, beautiful state. I have traveled to various places but nowhere can touch Sudbury’s natural beauty.

Of all the positions I held this summer, my favourite was working at Market Square. I’m the type of person that needs to be up and about, and the Market offered that. I loved getting to know the vendors and chatting with tourists who had never been to Sudbury. Prior to this job, I had never been to the Market. But now I know it’s a great place for finding unique things and I’m looking forward to see how the move goes.
Working at Tom Davies Square was interesting as well. I’ve always heard people talk about “the city”, but now I feel to have obtained some knowledge about what goes on around city hall. Coming from an arts background, business is quite foreign to me. Nevertheless, I found everybody’s jobs cool.
I really enjoyed this summer job, to the point that it didn’t feel like a job sometimes. I hope future Tourism students take full advantage of the opportunities that this job presents, and most of all have fun!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Wahnapitae First Nations Pow Wow & Rocky’s

Last weekend, I had the chance to return to beautiful Lake Wahnapitae. I was brought up on the lake; my family had a camp there as did many family friends. It gets harder to find the time to get out to the Lake as I get more involved with University and work, so this was a welcomed treat.
I arrived at the Pow Wow just in time for the day’s opening ceremony. It was very interesting to watch, and it was nice to see people of all ages joining in on the tradition. On the grounds, there were various craft vendors selling wonderful creations. From where I was sitting, I had a great view of the large teepee in which the ceremony was taking place.
After leaving the Pow Wow, I went down the street to Rocky's. I remember going to this restaurant by boat when I was younger, and thought it would be a good opportunity to see how time has changed it. Fortunately, Rocky's is just as good as I remembered! The food is excellent and the view from my table was perfect; all you could see was the clean water of the Lake! It’s definitely a restaurant everyone should check out, and if you haven’t gone recently, go treat yourself.

Bell Park Custom Auto Show

Last weekend I made the trip to beautiful Bell Park for different type of car show. I’ve been to many car shows in Sudbury in the past, including the recent Copper Cliff Classic Car Show. But this show was unique because it was one of the first events that younger people could bring out there modern rides and show them off. Sure, there were a few older vehicles, but the day belonged to the 2000s.
The highlight of the show was a stereo contest being held. It was funny to watch the 105.3 SUV participate!
There were a large number of vehicles and spectators on the Bell Park grounds, which was great to see for a first time event. Not only were there cars; automotive enthusiasts brought out there motorcycles and trucks to display. Overall, I found this event to be very well received and I’m certain it will become an annual event!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Spring Awakening

The YES Theatre Company has been getting better and better each year; the productions get bigger and the actors grow. In previous years, they have staged the musicals Hair and Rent, which I had the honor of seeing. So I was excited to see their latest musical, Spring Awakening.
The production far exceeded my expectations and it is by far their best show yet! The fact that a handful of the cast members were fellow Thorneloe students only made it better. Jake McNeil and Richard Barlow, who I have both worked with on stage, were absolutely terrific in their roles. McNeil was the standout of the night, displaying singing and acting talents fit for a Hollywood A-lister. But the whole cast was amazing! The amount of choreography that went into the show is very impressive, and the entire cast made it look effortless.
I’m looking forward to seeing Yes Theatre’s next production, Jesus Christ Superstar, next summer. Spring Awakening runs until August 25th, so get your tickets!


                          

Friday, August 10, 2012

Market Square

When I’m not helping visitors at the information booth at Tom Davies Square or going to local events, I’m working at Market Square. Along with my co-workers, I’ve been at the visitor booth there every weekend.
The best part of this summer job with Sudbury Tourism is that I get to meet new fascinating people all the time. The Market is where this happens the most, which probably makes it one of my favorite places to work. There are the regulars, who quickly become familiar faces. They are very friendly individuals that love chatting with you. But everyday offers new people from different regions of the world, and it is exciting to meet them. We have had people from America and Europe make inquiries at the booth, who are not only new to Sudbury but Canada as well.
The best part about working at the Market is getting to know the vendors. They are all very interesting individuals, who make wonderful food and items. Everything is unique to the Market, and therefore makes for great birthday and Christmas gifts. Perogy Princess sells delicious food that you can eat right at the Market, and Sweet Nothings offers some of the best baked goods I’ve ever tasted! Heavenly Sweets does very cool things with chocolate; I tried a bar of white chocolate that had full blueberries baked inside!
It’s not just the vendors that bring people out though. We have incredible musicians at the Market performing on the deck. Last weekend, the duo Chicks With Pics performed. During the Blueberry festival in July, the Sud-berry bear was on location making children smile with its goofy antics. We also had face-painting and balloon animals. But just because the Blueberry festival is over doesn’t mean the fun’s over. Sudbury RibFest takes place August 31-September 2, and it is the biggest weekend for the Market! So if you’re planning on getting some of those tasty ribs, drop by the Market and say hello!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Sudbury Classic Cruisers Car Show

Today was the Sudbury Classic Cruisers car show in Copper Cliff, and the weather couldn't stop the event from being a success. I arrived at Copper Cliff park around 11:30 and it was already packed with cars! I have gone to many of the cruise nights at the Rio Can Centre, which is held every Sunday night. I was expecting to see alot of familiar vehicles, but to my surprise many of them were new to me!
 Everyone that brought their cars out were having a great time getting together with other car lovers and chatting about their rides. It was hard to ignore the weather, which wasn't exactly amazing, but it didn't stop us from enjoying such a large turnout.
This is an excellent event for anyone who likes to remember the good old days, or the younger generation to be a apart of vintage Canaian car culture. Another car show will be held at Bell Park on August 12th, and is sure to be just as great! Come September, Sudbury has another great car show as part of the annual Rib Fest festival. This is sure to be a spectular time, so come on out!