Recycle Your Christmas Tree

Each year, Winnipeggers recycle an average of over 15,000 trees, resulting in 68 tonnes of wood chips. Since the "Chip In" program began, more than 285,000 trees have been recycled and 1,300 tonnes of chips made. 

The chips are used as mulch for landscaping throughout the city. Christmas tree chips are great for coniferous shrub and tree beds. A two to three-inch layer of mulch reduces moisture loss and prevents weed growth.

Remember to remove all decorations, tinsel and plastic tree bags. The city will provide wood chip mulch free of charge (while quantities last) at all depots starting in early January. Please bring your own container.

Depots are open to January 20, 2011. Drop it off at any of the following depots:

• Vimy Arena New

24-hour access

255 Hamilton Avenue (parking lot)

• Fire Station No. 17 New

24-hour access

1501 Church Avenue at Sheppard Street

• Winnipeg Soccer Complex New

24-hour access

900 Waverley Street (North-west parking lot)

• Assiniboine Park

24-hour access

West Zoo parking lot

2355 Corydon Avenue

• Kilcona Park

8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

McIvor Avenue Gate at Lagimodiere Boulevard

• Kildonan Park

8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Rainbow Stage parking lot

2021 Main Street

• King's Park

8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

King's Drive and Kilkenny Drive

• St. James Civic Centre

24-hour access

2055 Ness Avenue

• St. Vital Park

8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

South parking lot, 190 River Road

• Transcona

24-hour access

Chrislind Street at Ravelston Avenue

• Whittier Park

24-hour access

Tache Avenue and Messager Street

Note: the depot at Pan Am Pool has been discontinued.

Aqua Books: Writer Workshop Series

Aqua Books, 274 Garry Street (between Graham & Portage), is presenting an Emerging Writer Workshop Series.

Cost: $30 or $100 for all 4 workshops 

(MEA members pay $25). 

Contact kelly@aquabooks.ca or 

943-7555 to register. 

Copy Editing with David Jón Fuller

Saturday, January 8, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Whether you're working on a rewrite, polishing a manuscript for submission, or sending an article on deadline, this workshop will teach you how to clean up your prose. 

This workshop is presented in partnership with the Manitoba Editors' Association.

*******

The following workshops are presented in partnership with the The Writers' Collective of Manitoba:

Writing Dialogue with David Jón Fuller

Saturday, January 15, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

It's a lot more than just He said/She said.  Dialogue can make or break a scene or story. 

++

Writing for Newspapers with David Jón Fuller

Saturday, January 22, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Deadline. That's the first thing you need to know, because if you blow that, you're finished. 

++

Performing Your Work with David Jón Fuller

Saturday, January 29, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Note: This workshop is limited to 12 people. 

Learn how to get past stage fright and concentrate on what really matters: letting an audience enjoy your work.

Participants must bring a sample of their own writing (up to 250 words for prose, 30 lines for poetry) which they will read out loud as a part of the workshop. 

David Jón Fuller, Aqua Books Emerging Writer-in-Residence for January, has proofread and copy edited books on a wide array of subjects, from lesbian feminist drama to pre-Y2K mania to Aboriginal cultural stereotypes. 

In the late ’80s, he earned an honours degree in theatre.

He currently works as a copy editor for the Winnipeg Free Press.

Puppies, Puppies, Puppies!

There are nearly 30 puppies and over 20 dogs available for adoption at The Winnipeg Humane Society.  Dogs and puppies of every age, shape and colour.  

In an attempt to get dogs out of the shelter and into homes, on 

December 29 and 30 

The WHS will be offering adult dogs at $75, puppies at $175. 

“Many people take some time off during this week.  If you’ve been thinking of adopting a dog, now is a great time,” said Bill McDonald, WHS CEO.

“There is something so sad about watching a puppy grow up in a shelter,” continued McDonald, “we have great dogs available, including Bongo, one of the Gull Lake dogs.”

The price still includes spay/neuter surgery, tattoo, first set of shots, de-worming, a two-week health check, six weeks of pet insurance, and a City of Winnipeg dog license. 

Each dog undergoes a temperament test before entering adoption. WHS Adoption counsellors spend time with each adopter ensuring they select a dog that suits their lifestyle, as well as counselling adopters on pet tips, care and training.

Visit the shelter or call 982-2035 to know what they have available.

In addition, The WHS Gift Shop is featuring regular priced dog toys and coats at 20% off.  

The Double Diamond Winter Coat is a warm and stylish dog coat which offers superior quality and a fresh sporty look for your dog.  Features include a water resistant nylon shell, a warm fleece liner & 3M reflective piping.

All proceeds from the shop go to the animals in The WHS’s care.

Speaking Crow: Jonathan Ball

Aqua Books, 274 Garry Street (between Graham & Portage), is pleased to be the permanent home of the venerable poetry series Speaking Crow. 

The Crow starts at 7:00 pm and is followed by two open-mic sets and short breaks in between. Come take up the mic and wax poetic about life, the universe and everything!

The next Speaking Crow is on Tuesday, January 4, and is featuring Johnathan Ball.

Jonathan Ball is the author of two full-length books of poetry: Ex Machina and Clockfire. 

Both texts gift us with cool-hued, formal sentences that investigate many serious concerns, but in such an impertinent and thoughtful manner that the result is often mournful, uneasy, and volcanically funny.

Jonathan Ball is a former editor of Dandelion magazine.  He’s currently teaching Creative Writing at both the universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba.

Some Thoughts

 1. Throw out nonessential numbers - age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them'.

 2. Keep only cheerful friends. 

 3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.'

 4. Enjoy the simple things. 

 5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

 6. Tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with you your entire life is yourself. Be ALIVE while you are alive. 

 7. Surround yourself with what you love - family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies. Your home is your refuge. 

 8. Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is not, improve it. If you can't improve it, get help. 

 9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall or a foreign country, but not to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them.  Tell them again. 

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Live life to its fullest each day!

  

Worry about nothing, 

Pray about everything!!

Volunteer Manitoba

The Volunteer Manitoba's Winter/Spring 2011 Training Calendar is up and running! 

Check out all of the topics!

Volunteer Manitoba offers workshops and events throughout the year, delivered in their Training Room in Winnipeg, in communities across Manitoba, and through contract training delivered straight to your organization. 

View the workshops currently being offered for registration.

For a complete list of workshops available through contract training, click on the appropriate links.

2010 Scholarship Winner's Recital

The Women's Musical Club of Winnipeg is presenting the 2010 Scholarship Winner's Recital on Thursday, December 30 at 7:00 pm. at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, 300 Memorial Blvd.

The WMC Scholarship winners are:

1st Place: Soyoun Kim, piano

2nd Place: Caroline Nicolas, cello

The Madeline Gauvin Scholarship was awarded to Jinsung Kim, piano.

The Holtby Scholarship was awarded to Madeline Hildebrand, piano.

The Berythe Birse Scholarship was awarded to Heather Stewart, violin.

Tickets: 

$20 from McNally Robinson Booksellers (credit cards accepted) 

or at the door (cash or cheque only).

Student tickets $5, available at the door only. 

For more info, call (204) 944-9431.

Concert sponsored by Investors Group and Wawanesa Insurance

NEVER FORGOTTEN

You are cordially invited to attend a ceremony honouring the many missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls of Manitoba.

All are welcome to the Manitoba Legislature: The Rotunda, 450 Broadway 

on Tuesday, December 21 from 10:30 am to 11:30 am.

Family and community members are asked to bring ornaments and to hang them on a special Christmas tree on display in the Legislature’s Rotunda to commemorate the spirit and strength of their missing and murdered loved ones.

Refreshments will be provided, alongside the playing of Traditional Honour Drum Songs.

A special advertisement will be published in the December 21 edition of the Winnipeg Free Press in concurrence with the morning’s honouring ceremony. 

Versions of this advertisement will be on display in the Rotunda, with poster-sized copies to be given to family and community members.

For further information, please contact Nahanni Fontaine, Special Advisor on Aboriginal Women’s Issues, at:

ph: 204.945.0460

e-mail: Nahanni.Fontaine@gov.mb.ca

Meegwetch.

This honour ceremony sponsored by the Manitoba Department of Aboriginal and Northern Affairs.

Amnesty International Winnipeg (Group 19)

Amnesty International Winnipeg (Group 19) exposes torture, helps stop human rights violations and promotes global awareness. 

They are advocates of human rights for all. 

Founded in 1961 by British lawyer Peter Benenson, Amnesty International grew to 70,000 members in 65 countries during its first ten years. 

Today there are almost two million Amnesty members around the world. 

Amnesty International works to free prisoners of conscience.  

Amnesty is an independent, democratic movement.  

Members always decide on any new directions for Amnesty’s mission. 

The monthly meetings take place on the second Thursday of each month at 

397 Carlton Street (Welcome Place Conference Room). 

They run from 7:00 pm to 8:50 pm 

Orientation to newcomers at 6:30 pm 

There is no cost.

Everyone is welcome.

Come and see what AI is about!

Monthly letter writing nights are on the first Tuesday of the month. 

More info 

amnestywinnipeg@gmail.com

http://amnestywinnipeg.ca

204-786-2480

JUSTICE, EQUALITY, FREEDOM

The Craziest Soul Night EVER!!

The Solutions wanna know: Are you naughty or nice? 

We've got so much to celebrate - Christmas, Janet's homecoming, Amy's birthday - we can't do it on our own! 

Come join in the festivities at The Cavern, on Osborne Street,
on Tuesday, December 21 at 10:30 pm.  The fun lasts till 2:00 am.

So get crazy and boogie down to the funky soul all night.

Don't worry - Santa won't be looking...

Clothe the City

During these tough economic times and with another harsh Winnipeg winter upon us, more Winnipeggers than ever need assistance in keeping warm. 

Clothe The City is currently accepting donations for adults and kids. 

We need: coats, snow pants, mittens, toques, scarves, boots, and new socks and underwear.

*Please wash all items before donating*

For the past five years Clothe the City has been creating opportunities for everyone to stay warm, by collecting and distributing winter outerwear free of charge to Winnipeggers in need.

All of this is made possible by the generous support of residents in our city and surrounding communities. 

This holiday season please give the gift of warmth and donate to Clothe the City. 

Contact 

clothe.the.city@gmail.com

or call Andrea: 771-6906

to make arrangements to have your donations picked up 

McNally Robinson: Children's & YA's Authors

Come to McNally Robinson on Saturday December 18 at 10:00 am to meet your favorite author!!

It will be a special day of signings featuring prominent local authors.

The fun takes place at their Grant Park store, by the stairs to the 100 Acre Wood.

These authors will be doing signings:

10 to 11: Anita Daher, Martha Brooks, Jake MacDonald

11 to 12: Duncan Thornton, Brenda Hasiuk, Craig Russell

12 to 1: Rae Bridgman, Chris Rutkowski, Susan Rocan

1 to 2: Margaret Shaw McKinnon

2 to 3: Joe McLellan, Larry Verstraete, Colleen Sydor

3 to 4: Perry Nodelman, Gabriele Goldstone, Eva Wiseman

Ariel Gordon: Signing Her Hump

Come meet Ariel Gordon on Thursday, December 16 at McNally Robinson Booksellers, Grant Park Shopping Centre, 1120 Grant Avenue.

In addition to signing her latest book Hump from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Ariel will have a BIG bowl of candy, a few broadsheets, and a hopeful expression.

So, whether you're in it for the fistfuls of chocolate, the up-close-and-personal heckling, or because you really desperately need a SIGNED copy of the book for your second cousin twice removed, she'll be happy to see you.

And if you have a hump, she'll sign it.

Hump is a mash-up of pregnancy/mothering poems and urban/nature/love poems that functions as an anti-sentiment manifesto.  Gordon attempts to represent adequately the wonder and devilment of being with child.  

Hump is a love poem written to a father and a child, to a lover with a glimmer in his eye, and to a city that is gritty and faded but still greener than most. 

PLATFORM Gallery - 8 x 10

Tickets for the PLATFORM Gallery's fundraising party, 8 x 10, are now available.

Artwork preview:

December 16 & 17: noon to 5:00 pm 

  

RAFFLE / PARTY:

Saturday, December18, beginning at 7:00 pm

Tickets: $45.00 each

Every ticket guarantees you leave with a print!

Participating artists include:

Karen Asher   C. Graham Asmundson   Jaimz Asmundson   Irene Bindi       

Derek Brueckner         Jack Butler       Marian Butler       Sandra Campbell      

Sarah Crawley    Leah Decter        Erika DeFreitas           Derek Dunlop           

William Eakin         Cliff Eyland     Adrian Fish    Ryan Foerster      Lori Fontaine         

Larry Glawson         Dave Grywynski           Bruce Hanks           Dylan Hewitt          

Karen Hibbard           Richard Hines        Beth Johnson       Glen Johnson           

Kevin Kelly       Meghan Kinita         Bruce Kirton                     Jen Loewen              

Kegan McFadden           Duncan McNairnay           Erika McPherson                 

Doug Melnyk          Andrew Milne        Tracy Peters          Natasha Peterson

Paul Robles           Scott Stephens           Lisa Stinner-Kun          Brenda Stuart        

Ho Tam       Diana Thorneycroft          Collin Zipp      and more! 

Music by Mama Cutsworth all night long!

Hope to see you at the party!

J. J. Kegan Mc Fadden, Director,Curator

121-100 Arthur Street

204-942-8131

www.platformgallery.org 

AIN'T NO SUNSHINE!

Shed your winter shivers and dance to Bill Withers at The Lo Pub, 330 Kennedy Street, on Friday, December 17 from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am!

Dance through the long winter night with DJ Dryhump and Mama Cutsworth!!

Doors open 9:00 pm

Party begins 10:00 pm

Just $5

Sponsored by UMFM

Joe & Matrine McLellan: Nanabosho

Bring the children to Aqua Books on Wednesday, December 15 at 7:00 pm for the launch of Nanabosho and the Butterflies, the newest story in the McLellans' Nanabosho series. 

When the world seems sad and family is far away, a single butterfly can make all the difference. Joe and Matrine weave a funny and touching story of how the legendary friend and trickster created beautiful butterflies, bringing wonder and laughter to children everywhere.

Author, educator and storyteller Joe McLellan is a deacon assigned to St. John Brebeuf Parish.  Joe is a skilled facilitator and storyteller who has travelled across North America giving workshops for teachers and students.

Matrine Therriault McLellan has co-authored the Nanabosho stories with Joe.  Matrine wishes all Aboriginal children to learn their language and be proud of their heritage as she is.

Aqua Books: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Join science writer and UFO Guy Chris Rutkowski at Aqua Books tonight at 7:00 pm.

Chris will hosts a special screening of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, an amazingly bad 1964 movie about Martians who kidnap Jolly Old Saint Nick because Martian children need to celebrate Christmas too! 

Voted #82 on the Internet Movie Database worst 100 movies of all time, the low-budget cult classic is so bad, it deserves a live heckling, which is what we'll do during the screening!

Chris, Kelly Hughes and a few of their friends will share the mikes watching the film with you, adding improvised dialogue to help it along!

After, Chris will share a few of his favourite UFO and alien stories, and answer some of your questions about space stuff.

Prizes? 

There'll be giveaways of presents suitable for keeping or re-gifting.

So get into the true Christmas Spirit at Aqua Books on Saturday, December 11, at 7:00 pm. What better way to celebrate the season than by sharing this experience with your family and friends?

Power97: 12 Hours of Christmas Auction

The auction is happening on Friday, December 17, from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Check out the auction list at 

http://www.power97.com/ChristmasAuction/Home.aspx

and choose your favourite to bid on!

Call 779-HOPE (779-4673) to place a bid. 

All funds raised will support Hunger for Hope, because no child should go to bed hungry!

The fantastic items include:

Ultimate Golf Package 6:00 am - 7:00 am 

Ultimate Manitoba Moose Fan Package 7:00 am - 8:00 am

Ultimate Bomber Fan Package 8:00 am - 9:00 am

Join Wheeler in the Morning 9:00 am - 10:00 am 

Father and Son Fishing Trip Package 10:00 am - 11:00 am  

Romance Your Wife Package 11:00 am - 12:00 pm 

Ultimate Rockstar Collector Package 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm  

Romance Your Husband Package 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm 

Fairmont Hotel and Finger Eleven Concert Package 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm 

Power 97 Backyard Invasion 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm  

Power 97 Throws Your Bachelor Party 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm 

Tickets to Everything 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm 

WITH ART

The Winnipeg Arts Council Public Art Program invites applications from Winnipeg artists of all disciplines and Winnipeg community groups for the community-based WITH ART program.

WITH ART is a program for collaborative art projects.  The program is based on the belief that WITH ART communities can explore issues, express identity and create dialogue by working with professional artists on a shared goal, to create a project plan with an emphasis on the art-making process. 

Community groups from diverse sectors who have a history of working together are welcome to apply. 

Please visit the website for full eligibility criteria.

Deadline for receipt of applications is January 12, 2011. 

A complete application package must be submitted by all applicants.  

For full details and to download the forms, please visit 

http://www.winnipegarts.ca/index.php?/wac/article/3790/

Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra: Frank Sinatra Christmas

The Rat Pack never recorded a Christmas album together.  

But, there’s no reason why their same energetic irreverence can’t spark up a holiday event.  

On Sunday, December 12, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra will conjure up some of that era's fun when it presents a “Frank Sinatra Christmas”.  

For this special holiday celebration at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the WJO will be joined by its own Rat Pack of singers: Gary Grosvenor, Adam O’Connor and Johnny Summers.

Tickets $29.50 / $15

Performances: 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm 

Gary Grosvenor and Adam O’Connor have guested in past WJO and Winnipeg Jazz Festival performances.  

Grosvenor fronted the Swing Cats and worked with the Janice Finlay Dance Band.

O’Connor has opened for jazz greats such as Cassandra Wilson and was a featured performer at a tribute to Oliver Jones. 

Johnny Summers brings his talents as a singer, trumpeter and arranger.  Summers is the Director of the Calgary Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece unit he founded in 2004.  

Expect to hear some Yuletide favourites in familiar arrangements as well as swinging settings of seasonal tunes.  

This is one December event that will be a Ring a Ding Ding-er.

DJs Co-op & Hunnicutt's Holiday Mixer

Winnipeg's favourite DJs are back with The Holiday Mixer: a CD release/dance party at The Pyramid Cabaret, 176 Fort Street, on Saturday, December 11, from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am.

Cover $7 before 11, $10 after

In addition to spinning the hottest dancefloor jams, Co-op and Hunnicutt have enlisted some Winnipeg local celebrities to join them!

Radio host Ace Burpee, journalist Bartley Kives and singer/songwriter John K. Samson will be taking turns on the decks.  Although all of the guests are music enthusiasts, none has ever played selector in a live club setting.

"We're always looking for a way to get out of working, and these suckers are playing for free!" said Co-op, who was quickly interrupted by Hunnicutt.

"What he means is we're always looking for ways to make our parties exciting both for our fans and for ourselves!  Plus, we're donating the proceeds from this event to a local drop-in centre, Resource Assistance for Youth (RaY)."

RaY is a non-profit street-level agency working with homeless youth up to the age of 29.  RaY is non-judgmental and non-partisan, employing a harm reduction approach to youth in need.

Mondragon's Holiday Party

Come down to the Drag, 91 Albert Street, for a daylong holiday party. 

The party will be on Saturday, December 11, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.

There will be gingerbread house decorating, hot apple cider, warm rum and egg nog, all you can eat vegan brunch, and deals to be had in the bookstore.

MAWA's Holiday Party

MAWA, located at 611 Main Street, would like to welcome you to their space for a happy holiday fête on Thursday, December 9 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. 

Please bring friends… all are welcome. 

Join them for a raised glass to art, community and mentorship.

Grant Guy's Theatre of Adhere and Deny

OPEN FRAGMENTS: The Theatre of Adhere and Deny 1997-2010 will be launched on Thursday, December 9 at Aqua Books, from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

OPEN FRAGMENTS, filled with epigrams by Grant Guy and others, documents the history of Guy's independent theatre since 1997.

Guy will do a short table top object theatre piece called The Shorter Spectacle (The Circus is Back in Town).  It will be a quiet tribute to Stuart Sherman.

Grant Guy, founder and artistic director of Adhere And Deny, has worked in the arts since his graduation from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1973.  He is a director, designer, playwright, arts programmer/curator, video producer, performance artist and writer. 

Guy has worked with organizations ranging from Tarragon Theatre to the Winnipeg Art Gallery. 

He has also programmed or produced projects for Video Pool, Ace Art, and Main/Access Gallery, and was the programmer and executive director for the 1986 International Intermedia Performance Festival. 

Clint Enns: Prepare to Qualify

Gallery 1C03 proudly hosts the video installation Prepare to Qualify by Winnipeg artist Clint Enns as part of send+receive: festival of sound to December 11. 

Free and open to everyone!

Jennifer Gibson

Art CuratorGallery 1C03

University of Winnipeg

(204) 786-9253

uwinnipeg.ca/index/artgallery-index

gallery1c03.blogspot.com

International Women's Day March Meeting

Join us on Tuesday, December 7, at 6:00 pm at the West Central Women's Resource Centre, 640 Ellice Ave., for a meet and greet session for the 2011 International Women’s Day March and Feminist Community Fair. 

We are so excited to hear all of the innovative ideas folks have for this year’s event, and ways to make the event fully representative of all of our communities!

We welcome ideas for:

- the theme of the march

- dates for the event

- where the events will take place

- how to get communities involved

We will have snacks.

There will be child-minding services and bus tickets available. 

For more info, e-mail us at iwgsuw@gmail.com. 

We hope to see you there!

Speaking Crow: Andrew Courtnage

Aqua Books is pleased to be the permanent home of the venerable poetry series Speaking Crow.  

Join us on Tuesday, December 7, from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm to spend an evening with the freelance mystic, Andrew Courtnage. 

There'll be two open-mic sets with short breaks in between. Come take up the mic and wax poetic about life, the universe and everything!

Andrew Courtnage is a whistler of forgotten tunes on Sherbrook street at midnight.  Currently Courtnage embodies his muse The Smoky Tiger regularly in musical establishments.  As well, he is preparing for the Winnipegasus Solstice event of 2012.

Winnipeg Humane Society: Paws, Pre-Paws & More!!

Join The Winnipeg Humane Society for Paws for the Season 

on December 5 from 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm. 

Enjoy holiday music, a craft and bake sale as well as tree lighting and other festive treats. 

There will be activities for the kids.

Santa will be there!!

**** 

Job Opportunity: Client Service Representative (part-time)

The CSR is the first point of contact for clients visiting The WHS.  They are responsible for greeting clients and all reception services, determining client needs and directing them accordingly.

**** 

Winter Tips: 

Your pet's ears and paws are especially susceptible to frostbite in the winter. 

Frostbite requires immediate medical attention! 

Sweaters are important to short-coated dogs when they are being walked. 

Boots are also a good idea.  Allow your pet some time to get used to them.

****

Pre Paws for Adventure is offering winter sessions for campers who are 5, 6 or 7 on Wednesday, December 29 at 9:00 am. 

Campers will participate in age-appropriate crafts, games, workshops and activities. 

WHS Educators will provide safe pet interactions giving children an introduction to responsible pet ownership. 

The fee is $18 for each session. 

The deadline for registration and payment is December 22. 

For more information, contact The WHS 

at 982-2046 or 

education@winnipeghumanesociety.ca. 

We can only accept 18 campers for each session so register today!

Connecticut Handiworks

We are Mary Ellen and Jimmy Halloran, and we offer you only the best items produced, designed and created in Connecticut by local farmers, handcrafters and artists.

Once we conceived the idea for our online store we began looking for products that we thought our customers would appreciate and enjoy.  We did not have to look far.  We had a sense that we were surrounded by extremely talented neighbors, but we had no idea that we were about to uncover so wide a range of products.  In the process of working with our vendors to place their items on our online shelves, they have become our friends.

The vendors whose works are offered here take pride in their specialties.  Many sell their wares only at local fairs and farmers' markets.  You now have the opportunity to enjoy these unique products through our online store!

Email us at   

sales@connecticuthandiworks.com

ConnecticutHandiworks.com continually adds to its array of products.  It's the perfect place to visit when you're looking for a special gift or when you just feel like browsing on the Internet. There's something here for everyone.

When local products are not available to you, our own local artisans can fulfill your shopping needs with a click of a button.

Think of us first when you're looking for a wide selection of products made with care and creativity!

Nestallation: Jennifer Still & Jennifer Beaudry

As a part of  Aqua Books' Crafty Minions Handmade and Vintage Craft Sale, Jennifer Still and Jennifer Beaudry will take over one of the writers' studios and create a "nestallation" that draws from their recent collaboration, Nest, on Friday, December 4. 

The event begins at 11:00 am and lasts until 5:00 pm

Screenprinted in a laced concertina design, Nest is hand-assembled with salvaged 1970s vintage materials including kitchen wallpaper, couch upholstery, owl needlepoints and baby yarn. 

Each limited-edition copy is wrapped in a needle-felted slipcover. 

Guests are invited to join in a sewing-circle style reading and book talk with the opportunity to add their own stitches/layers to the room. 

* * *

Jennifer Beaudry and Jennifer Still have been crafting together since learning how to tie rollerskate shoelaces. 

Jennifer B. applies her nimble hand to photography, willow furniture building, knitting, bookbinding, sewing, felting, and quilt-making. 

Jennifer S. writes poetry and papers her walls in a tall yellow house in Winnipeg.  NEST will appear in her second collection, Girlwood in Spring, 2011.

Sunrise Memorial

There will be a Sunrise Memorial to mark 21 years since 14 young women were killed in Montreal on December 6, 1989, and to commemorate Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

Manitoba Legislative Building

8:00 am

Guest Speaker:  Ms. Stephanie Forsyth President and CEO, Red River College 

Refreshments to follow.

This year they are collecting new unwrapped toys for children at the Central Park Women’s Resource Centre. 

Hosted by:  Manitoba Women’s Advisory Council

                    (Manitoba Status of Women)

Please RSVP by Friday, December 3 

945-6281

If you know of any young women who would be willing to light a candle in memory of one of the 14 women, please contact Crystal Gartside at

Phone: (204) 945-5969

Email: crystal.gartside@gov.mb.ca

A Child's Christmas in Queens (part 6 - by Margaret Ullrich)

After Mass, when we were leaving the church, I saw a pale cloud in the sky.  It looked long and thin, with a sort of bump on one end.  For a moment I thought it looked like Santa and his sleigh with eight tiny reindeer.  

I kept looking at that cloud.  It seemed to follow us from St. Leo’s to Uncle Des’ house, where we had panettone.  

When we left, the cloud was still in the sky.  I watched it from the car.  The cloud followed us from Corona to College Point. 

I had never noticed clouds before.  Did clouds always follow people from one town to another?  Was it really a cloud?  Sister had told us that Santa had millions of helpers.  They were tiny people called elves.  Could that cloud have been an elf picking up the letter from La Befana?

Christmas morning, Pop was eating breakfast while Ma was cleaning Barbara.  Ma sent me to the basement to get some dry diapers that were hanging by the furnace.  

Being a big sister wasn’t much fun.

  

I pulled down two diapers.  

Then I noticed some lumps by the furnace.  

I thought some clothes had fallen off the line.  I walked toward the furnace to pick them up.  I hoped they hadn’t gotten dirty.  Ma was tired and wouldn’t want to wash them again. 

But the lumps weren’t clothes. 

They were boxes.

  

They were wrapped.

They were presents!

They were for me!!

Santa had found me. 

MAWA: Amy Karlinsky

NOTE: THIS LECTURE WILL BE RE-SCHEDULED


Feminist Pedagogy and Art Education?

Come to MAWA, 611 Main Street, on Friday, December 3, at 12:00 pm, for the First Friday Lecture on Lessons from Real Life by Amy Karlinsky.

Finding the female voice, making space, celebrating the female body, creating independent thinkers, rewriting ritual, reflecting on and asserting needs are aspects of feminist pedagogy. 

Join art educator Amy Karlinsky as she discusses strategies and looks at projects undertaken with female students and artists at a university, the public school system, a cultural art centre, an adult women’s group and a woman’s shelter.

Amy Karlinsky is a writer, curator and teacher with experience in galleries and museums in New York State, Manitoba, Ontario, British Columbia and Nunavut.  She has taught in rural, northern, public and private schools, as well as universities. 

Her art criticism has appeared in Border Crossings, Canadian Art, the Winnipeg Free Press and more.

Daniel Mac & St. Matthews Raise the Roof

DMSMCA Presents... The Raise the Roof Fundraiser Social!!

Come down to 823 Ellice Avenue for great music and a great cause! 

All proceeds of the Raise the Roof Social will be put towards renovating our new space to make it a fully functional Community Resource Centre for the communities of Daniel McIntyre and St. Matthews!

Featuring: 

DJ Mama Cutsworth

DJ Greg MacPherson 

DJ Nemo

Tickets are $12 

$6 for low income 

They can be purchased at 202-583 Ellice Ave. 

Doors open at 8:00 p. m. on Friday, December 10.

This event is 18+

Silent Auction and 50/50 Draw, too.

A Child's Christmas in Queens (part 5 - by Margaret Ullrich)

The lebkuchen , zimtsterne, springerle, pfeffernuesse, pfefferkuchen and jam-filled spitzbuben settled like a leaden weight in my stomach.  It was all just too much change for a five-year-old to cope with in one year: a new sister, Kindergarten and now Santa Claus.  Would the changes never end? 

    

In Kindergarten we learned about God the Father, about how we should pray to Him and tell Him what we needed.  I didn’t need another Father.  I figured if my Pop was always so busy working, this Father who took care of everything and everybody in the whole wide world would really never have time for me.  

I heard my classmates talk about how their Grandmas were always able to fix things in their homes.  Both my Grandmas were in Malta. 

I needed a Grandma.

The next time we went to Corona, Nonni diNoto saw that something was troubling me.  She asked me to help her in the kitchen.  There she asked me what was wrong.  I told her about Santa Claus and explained that he was in charge of Christmas in College Point.  I didn’t know if La Befana would be allowed to visit me there anymore.  Nonni listened patiently as I explained how Christmas was handled in College Point.

She repeated the main points.  “Santa Claus.  A letter.” 

I nodded.

“I fix.  I write Befana.  She give Santa.  No hard feelings.  Christmas come.” 

I had my doubts.  Nonni had never been to College Point.  Maybe nobody ever had to change from La Befana to Santa Claus.  Maybe Christmas was lost forever, like some of the packages we'd never gotten from Malta.

On Christmas Eve we again gathered in Corona at Uncle Des and Aunt Betty’s home.  We had the Christmas Eve dinner.  Then we went to St. Leo’s for the Midnight Mass.  

Everything was familiar.  Latin and Italian.  

Why couldn’t we have stayed there?