Cord Community Edition: June 2014

Tri-City Roller Girls hammer Kingston

CAFK+A and Open Ears ready the biennial

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THE CORD

Kitchener Central Library’s new look

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The perfect drinks for your backyard or a patio

As it heats up in K-W, we found 25 ways to keep you cool and happy for the rest of the summer. H*2,0M Grab a tube and head to the Grand River

Walk like an Egyptian at THEMUSEUM

And yet more drinks - because they’re the best part of summer

Cool off by heating up with all the tacos on offer in K-W

THE CORD

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75 University Ave. W Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5 519-884-0710 x3564 Volume 2, Issue #9 Next issue: July 3, 2014 Advertising All advertising inquiries should be directed to Angela Endicott at 519-884-0710 x3560 angela.taylor@wlusp.com Editor-in-Chief (Outgoing) H.G. Watson hwatson@thecord.ca Editor-in-Chief (Incoming) Allison M. Leonard aleonard@thecord.ca Publisher Bryn Ossington bryn.ossington@wlusp.com Cord Editor-in-Chief Kate Turner kturner@thecord.ca

Arts & Culture Editor Anna Beard abeard@thecord.ca Photography Manager Will Huang whuang@thecord.ca Photography Manager Heather Davidson hdavidson@thecord.ca Copy Editor Erin O’Neil

Production Editor Tegan Thuss tthuss@thecord.ca CONTRIBUTORS James Blake Laura Buck Bob Egan Samantha Estoesta Scott Glaysher Juliana Gomez

Andrew Harris Stacey Jacobs Anya Lomako David Worsley

WLUSP ADMINISTRATION President Executive Director Advertising Manager Treasurer Vice-Chair Director Director Director Corporate Secretary Distribution Manager Web Manager

Dani Saad Bryn Ossington Angela Endicott John Pehar Abdiasis Issa Shelby Blackley Neha Soni Taylor Berzins Laura Buck Angela Endicott George Liu

The Cord Community Edition is the monthly magazine version of the Cord, the official student newspaper of the Wilfrid Laurier University community.

Started in 2012, The Cord Community Edition is an editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. WLUSP is governed by its board of directors.

Opinions expressed within The Cord Community Edition are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, The Cord, WLUSP, WLU or The Guelph Mercury. All content appearing in The Cord Community Edition bears the copyright expressly of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent.

The Cord Community Edition is created using Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.5 using Adobe Creative Suite 4. Canon cameras are used for principal photography.

The Cord Community’s title font is Bebas, an open source font created by Dharma fonts (formerly Flat-it).

The Cord Community Edition is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ontpress.com or call 416-340-1981.

The Cord Community Edition circulates monthly. Normal circulation is 33,000 and enjoys a readership of over 60,000. Cord Community Edition subscription rates are $20.00 per term for addresses within Canada.

PREAMBLE TO THE CORD CONSTITUTION The Cord Community Edition will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. The Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy.

The staff of The Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly. When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to reply at the earliest time possible. Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff.

The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so The Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on the community of KitchenerWaterloo. Ultimately, The Cord Community Edition will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate.

The Cord has an obligation to foster freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

This obligation is best fulfilled when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through The Cord’s contact with the community.

The Cord will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of neither repercussions, nor retaliation. The purpose of community press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so shall conduct the affairs of our magazine.

• MATT SMITH. CCE CONTRIBUTOR

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SUMMER GUIDE PAGE 8 CCE shares their secrets to keeping cool in KW during the summer months $%>: 3 4 5 6 6

Alternative candidates in Ontario Makeover for King St. bike lanes Vote for your childrens’ children Library renovation complete Food truck culture revitalized

#2?4$!! %@A5+2-$B 7 Not so innocent brewing 10 Grapefruit is the culprit 10 Tri-City hammers Kingston 42.6!C!*#5.#2% 11 11 12 13 14 15

The beauty of porches Hip-hop gets sweetened Biennial for CAFK+A and Open Ears Tri-Pride celebrates community Reviews Listings

5%..%26!.+!.1%!%3-.+2 All letters to the editor can be sent to communityeditor@thecord.ca

A community is made up of stories.

That’s what I wrote in my introduction to the first Cord Community. It wasn’t even in print yet — just a Tumblr page announcing that the arrival of a new community newspaper was imminent.

Almost two years later, on the eve of my departure from Waterloo, this statement rings more true to me than it did then. So here’s one more that I’m certain you haven’t read yet. The story of how I was fortunate enough to become the editor-in-chief of the Cord Community Edition.

When I applied for the position, it was just shortly after I had decided to give up pursuing a career in law — despite sticking it out to get my law degree — and become a journalist.

I had only been in Waterloo for a week or two at most.

I didn’t grow up here, I didn’t go to school here and aside from a few booze-filled visits to friends during my undergraduate days, I had never visited here. Yet, somehow, I had convinced the folks at WLUSP to let me lead their new community newspaper.

Sometime in that first month, I was out for beers – probably at Ethel’s – with my boss and publisher Bryn Ossington. “You know, you’ll probably look back at your first ever issue and cringe,” he told me. I said no — I wanted the first issue to be great.

For the first, and not the last time, Bryn was frustratingly right. Over the past 20 issues I have overseen as the editorin-chief we have changed dramatically, for the better.

And I changed as the paper did, pushing myself well out of the scope of my editor role in the process. That’s probably how I found myself corralling actors on a moving train party last June — and why I’m doing it again on Steel Rail Sessions this June.

And I did what I came here to do — I told stories. I sat one long, freezing night with a local historian in the Victoria Park museum while he told me about local legends. I surprised the hell out of University of Waterloo’s administration when I called them to say I knew a famous astronaut was coming to teach at their school. I sat through long regional council meetings where I saw the full breadth of passion people in this city have for transit.

But what I will always remember about my time in Waterloo is the unflagging generosity of everyone in the community. This paper could have failed if the community rejected it. But they didn’t.

Instead they volunteered to be writers and editors. Some, like the staff of the Cord, made time to work on the CCE in between putting out their own paper and going to school.

Our administration, including the last two presidents of the paper, fought for the paper behind the scenes when its future was questionable.

Many will remember that last fall, the CCE was in danger of ending, and with it, my job. But because of the work of community members who threw us a fundraising party and donated their time and money to us, we survived. I still don’t have the words to adequately express my gratitude for that outpouring of support.

I was also incredibly lucky to have Bryn as my boss. The CCE was his brainchild, and while he could have strictly overseen the development and content of the paper, he gave me the space to be creative and fall flat on my face, which happened. When I came to him with ideas — like, for example, to devote an issue entirely to ideas — he never shot them down. Instead he always asked how we could make them better. I’m a better journalist and editor for that.

When you become a lawyer, there’s a ceremony — you are called to the bar. Journalists don’t have anything like that. The Cord Community Edition made me a journalist, so I suppose this last issue is my graduation.

I leave the paper in the very capable hands of Allison Leonard, former WLUSP president. She will do great things, but she’ll also do things that won’t work or that will be experiments. That’s the beauty of the CCE — we can learn here as we report.

But at the end of the day, she will do what we set out to do. To tell the stories of this community — H.G. Watson

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News beat ! TIRE RECYCLING COMPANY WINS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD

This year in Kitchener-Waterloo there are five candidates for voters to choose from. • NICK LACHANCE CCE CONTRIBUTOR

VOTING OUTSIDE THE NORM

Outside the big three in the Ontario election JAMES BLAKE CCE CONTRIBUTOR

I

t’s election time again after the New Democratic Party forced the Liberals into calling a snap June election. While the three main parties – Liberals NDP and the Progressive Conservatives – battle it out for the right to form the Ontario government, there are several other options.

Ontario has the benefit, most likely because it has the largest provincial population in Canada, of having the second highest number of candidates per riding based on numbers from the last provincial election.

Although Ontario fielded 655 total candidates in the 2011 provincial election, this year only 616 candidates are running, providing an average of about 5 candidates per riding.

This is second to only Quebec who fielded an average of around 6 candidates per riding in the election earlier this year — 814 in total.

In Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo, Kitchener-Conestoga and Kitchener Centre, there are candidates from the three major parties as well

as the Green Party and the Libertarian Party.

Both alternative options to the electoral norm in Ontario are ones that are on the rise.

The Green Party of Ontario saw large growth in the 2007 election, garnering over 8 per cent of the popular vote.

In 2011 they fell back down to just under 3 per cent but have shown recent growth in election polls for June 12. They are running candidates in all 107 ridings.

While it was once seen as a specialized party, the Greens now have a fully rounded platform.

Local Kitchener-Waterloo riding candidate Stacey Danckert explained some of the big issues that are driving the Green party this election.

“I think that somewhat we’re hearing is that the big issue in this election is really more about the type of people we are electing and the system overall,” she said.

With other party’s platforms and ideas having recently been in the news for their alleged inaccuracies, she explained their platform ideas have been financially planned for.

“So we know how much they will cost and where we are getting the money from,” she said.

Of course, the Green party is not the only alternative party option for K-W residents this election.

The Ontario Libertarian party is running 74 candidates, the most ever as they partake in their twelfth Ontario election campaign. In 2011, 51 candidates garnered just less than half of a percent of the popular vote.

Their rising popularity may be in part a reaction to recent government scandals involving misspent finances.

The Libertarian party runs on a platform of ensuring there is less government in Ontario.

Danckert believes there needs to be more than just three options for voters this June.

“It is important to vote for the party that you think represents the sort of ideologies that you would prefer to have to put forward in Ontario,” she said.

“If the party that you are voting for does not align with your values, then the message you are sending them is that the job that they are doing is okay. What I am hearing from people over and over again is that what’s happening in Ontario politics is not okay.”

G=H6I%H=<J We went to UpTown Waterloo and asked:

Would you use bike lanes on King Street?

“Yes. When you go by the garden things that stick out you have to take over the whole right lane.”

Wayne Dyson, Currency Trader

“Yes. It makes it safer, it doesn’t feel safe to bike on the roads, traffic is chaotic.”

Mariam Hewson, Student, Wilfrid Laurier University

“Yes, I bike to work everyday.”

Jamieson Cox, University of Waterloo

The home-grown Tyromer Inc. company – which breaks down rubber tires without the use of chemicals – was recently recognized for its efforts in clean technology. The company was awarded the 2014 TiESO by TiE, a Silicon Valley based organization that recognizes technology start-ups. Invented by Professor Costas Tzoganakis, from the department of chemical engineering at University of Waterloo, the method breaks down tires for reuse or recycling.

! MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON THE HORIZON The Region of Waterloo is hoping to create 350 new affordable houses and replenish 350 existing ones by 2019. Affordable housing is in high demand, with some 3,100 on the wait list, These 700 houses would be newly built or refurbished homes, to be sold to low-income families, seniors or those in the flexible housing assistance program. However, the plan is dependent on funding from higher levels of government – otherwise the expected short fall for the plan is $30 million.

! CITY OF KITCHENER CUTTING INDUSTRY FEES Kitchener is hoping that by cutting industry fees in half they will attract companies hoping to expand.

Council approved halving the fees until March 2019, provided Waterloo Region does the same. The hope is that by creating this incentive, companies will be persuaded to stay and develop in Kitchener, instead of heading to larger areas such as Toronto.

Which means an influx of jobs and property taxes to the area. Regional staff will be recommending the same discount, which will be voted on at the end of June.

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BIKE LANE MAKEOVER FOR KING A public consultation on segregated bike lanes reveals public support ALLISON M. LEONARD INCOMING EIC

C

yclists and advocates alike gathered in Waterloo City Hall on May 29 for a public consultation of the proposed introduction of segregated bike lanes on King Street.

Delegates from the Region of Waterloo and IBI Group, a consulting firm hired for the project, circled the room, explaining the artists’ renderings that lined the walls.

“This could really brand the city,” says Eric Saunderson, project manager at the Region of Waterloo. “There is a movement in place.

Cyclists have been very vocal in that sense.”

Between Erb St. and Central St., the initiative will reduce the current four-lane section and introduce two travel lanes with a centred, two-way left turn lane. North of Central St., a two-lane section with left turn lanes at major intersections will be implemented.

This revised streetscape accommodates pedestrian islands and an elevated, segregated bike lane.

“King St. isn’t functioning as a four-lane road today,” said Saunderson. “It has some of the highest collision rates in the region and you’ll often see a vehicle straddling both lanes.”

Attendees’ concerns stretched beyond urban design and focused largely on safety.

Jonathan Baltrusaitis, who made his way through the bulletin boards of information with one son on his shoulders and another in tow, expressed his support for the revised streetscape.

“I’ll be advocating for the most separation we can get. Luke here, [pointing to his son] who is five, got his training wheels off and he’ll start earnestly biking now. The raised curb looks good but a physical separation is even better.”

This sentiment was shared by a cross section of attendees.

“I’ll ride beside traffic without being worried, but [segregated bike lanes] are important for younger people or less experienced cyclists,” said Stephen Denault, 20, a student at the University of Waterloo. “A segregated lane gives physical security from vehicles and especially busses.”

Safety for cyclists, however, does not come without some losses for uptown Waterloo’s current transportation culture. Twenty-two street-side parking spots will be removed from uptown Waterloo, presenting some concern about parking near business fronts.

The Uptown Waterloo BIA was contacted and said they could not provide a comment

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AB>=C!!D89E0 Stephen Denault, 20 year old student at University of Waterloo

on the sentiment of King St. businesses due to a lack of information.

David Worsley, co-owner of Words Worth Books located at King St. and Willis Way expects an increase in foot traffic from the changes.

“What’s not to like? If anything, I’m more concerned about LRT, for which the main concern is getting people to malls on time.

Every business on King St. is concerned about the ION.” Though the timing of construction has yet to be determined, Saunderson explained that the Region aims to maintain pedestrian flow at all times by working outside of peak hours and business hours.

“Bike lane advocates say traffic to businesses will increase, that people stay longer,” said Baltrusaitis. “Sure, there will be a few less parking spaces, and that will have some impact, but it was walkability and bikeability that brought my family to Waterloo in the first place.”

The revised streetscape is the second recommendation from the Region and IBI consulting, following a version released in November that had a non-segregated, street level bike lane.

Saunderson said next steps include reconvening as project team to evaluate information, look at areas of improvement and develop a third recommendation to present to both city and regional council.

The public consultation process will be open for a two-week period. Further input can be submitted online.

Beginning such an initiative in a city centre was described as progressive movement by attendees and Region representatives.

“This will take [cycling] from a subcultural thing to actual part of the city’s culture,” said Denault.

“Everyday people on their bikes, getting from point A to point B, having eye contact with people on the street, hearing people talking, interacting - it’ll be a more human city.”

GRAPHIC COURTESY TRITAG

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WATCH Vote for your children’s children SAMANTHA ESTOESTA CCE CONTRIBUTOR

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he most animated that my family gets comes during election time.

Growing up with a family of teachers, a social justice centered mother, nurses, immigrants, incredibly vocal students and the odd farmer tossed in there, every two years, dinner discussion is dedicated for talking about municipal, provincial, or federal elections.

My first real memories of an election came during the Mike Harris years, mostly hearing about my dad’s experiences on the picket lines, but also seeing how my hometown changed.

Dad would come home from a day on the lines and I would listen to my parents talk about the politics during dinner, calmly

explaining the different parties and why voting is such a big deal.

My grandmother immigrated over with my grandfather and her three daughters, including my mother, in 1974, during a time that the Azores and Portugal were under a dictatorship.

Even after becoming a Canadian citizen, my grandmother has faithfully voted in every single Portuguese election, remembering very clearly the years that Portuguese people could not vote.

Perhaps it is my upbringing from two people who have constantly advocated on poverty and education issues, or perhaps it is that both of my families left horrid political climates to come to Canada.

Maybe it is the fact that we lived on a teacher’s salary until I was in grade 7, or that discussing politics and elections were just a common occurrence in my upbringing, but I cannot imagine a time where I would not

NICK LACHANCE CCE CONTRIBUTOR

of when we vote, not just our current situations. What if my child fell below the poverty line as an adult and couldn’t afford childcare for my grandchildren – would I vote the same way?

What if my child was about to leave post secondary education as a teacher or nurse, only to realize that their only option for work was a few precarious contract jobs or retail – would I vote the same way?

What if my child owned a business and red tape just made it impossible for the business to attract clients – would I vote the same way?

We are so fortunate to live in a nation that regularly allows its citizens to exercise their democraticcrights on voting, to be a part of a system that can impact the lives of our childrens’ childrens’ children, not just our current system.

So vote. Do it for the kids.

vote.

The right to vote is something we as Canadian citizens and citizens of Waterloo Region should not take for granted.

We should be thinking about how our actions will impact the next seven generations to follow.

Think of the things that matter to you right now: the cost of paying off student loans, childcare, accessible transit systems, social services, employment opportunities, the growing needs of your family.

The current policies, services, and systems in place were not decided over night nor were they put in place right after a party was elected. They were created after rounds and rounds of decisions made by people who were elected long before this election.

The people we elect this year will be deciding and creating pieces of legislature that will be discussed during our childrens’ lifetimes.

These are the people that we need to think

CITY OF WATERLOO | OUR COMMUNITY A Message From City of Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran ...

There is something special about springtime in Waterloo ...

When the weather warms up and the sun comes out the entire city seems to come alive – and June is the perfect month to get reacquainted with all of the fun outdoor activities and events that Waterloo has to offer.

June is Recreation and Parks month, and what better reason to get out and enjoy some of our beautiful outdoor facilities and green spaces? Take a stroll through Waterloo Park, or enjoy a bike ride along the Iron Horse Trail. If team sports are more your speed, join one of the many leagues hosted by CARL or sign up for a class offered in our Summer Program and Activities Guide. To register, please visit waterloo.ca/programguide, or pick up a copy of the guide at the WMRC, ARC, or RIM Park.

Throughout June there will also be some wonderful community programing in the public square. Try out a DrumFit or Thai Chi

session, or stop by over lunch to take in the indie hour concert series. On June 21, 2014 starting at 5 p.m. the very popular Solstice Sampling event will also take place throughout the uptown core. Come out and enjoy some fantastic food and drink offered by local vendors. It might be the tastiest way to get to know your neighbourhood!

One of my favourite aspects of June is that the city puts out a call for Waterloo Award nominees. The Waterloo Award is the city’s highest civic honour, and it is a great way to recognize those who have shaped Waterloo into the successful city that it is. For more information, or if you would like submit a nomination, please visit waterloo.ca/waterlooaward

As always, I’m open to any questions or comments you have. Please send me an email or call 519-747-8700 to get in touch. And be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Visit us online and join in the conversation at

— Mayor Brenda Halloran

/citywaterloo

The City of Waterloo is committed to providing accessible formats and communication supports for persons with disabilities. If another format would work better for you, please contact:

P. 519.886.1550

E. communications@waterloo.ca

TTY. 1.866.786.3941

W. waterloo.ca

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LIBRARY RENOVATION COMPLETE On May 28, Kitchener’s Central Library opened its doors after closing in March for the final stage of their $40 million renovation. It was worth the wait. The new facility is double the size of the old, and comes with a ton of new amenities – and 72,000 new library materials. The CCE shows you what’s new at the library. By H.G. Watson CCE EIC LET THERE BE LIGHT

THE ART OF READING

Architects opened the space up dramatically to ensure that natural light would be the primary light source in the space during the day. The airy library has also been opened up with new seating areas and display style bookcases that make it easier for patrons to browse their reading options.

Library patrons should look up when they enter the new library. An installation called Flux now adorns the ceiling of the foyer. The work is meant to evoke pages of a book blowing in the wind. Go to the second floor and take a closer look – each piece of paper has English and Chinese words stamped on it.

DIGITAL FUTURE

FIT FOR A KID

While the library will always trade in books, they also want to make sure the public is tech literate. The new media lab includes a 3D printer and computers with film-to-digital conversion and music mixing programs on them. The public can use all of the library’s new toys for free.

The new children’s area is so much fun your little ones might confuse it for a playground. Early learning literacy toys line the end of each bookcase and there are nooks set in to the shelves where your Matilda or Encyclopedia Brown can sit and read.

FOOD TRUCK CULTURE REVITALIZED Loosening licensing restrictions bring food trucks to the street side BRYAN STEPHENS CCE CONTRIBUTOR

O

nce a not very visible industry in Kitchener, food truck vendors will be bringing their mobile cuisine options to more venues across the city.

From the recent partnership between Centre in the Square and United Food Trucks Unlimited, local food truck vendors will be positioned outside of the Centers’ Otto Street entrance for several shows between May 8 and 13.

“The ability through the food trucks to build the experience both pre and post shows was a phenomenal opportunity,” said Sandra Bender, CEO for the Centre in the Square.

“Food trucks are the only vehicle to do that for us, because we don’t have a restaurant on site.”

The demand for food trucks at the Centre before and after shows was from audience input to have more options for food.

“Our audiences told us in focus groups that outside of parking, their second biggest beef was there was nothing to eat once you get down here. There are restaurants around us, and some of them are phenomenally successful and supportive of the Centre, but they have a capacity issue,” Bender said.

From the perspective of the food trucks operators, the ability to work around the Centre

is a multi-beneficial partnership.

“What we can do is reintroduce Centre in the Square, which exists but is out of sight and mind, so we are going to create a daily hub where we are going to try and attract as many people as possible,” said Reuben Salonga, co-owner of the Lunchador Gourmet Streatery and founder of United Food Trucks Unlimited.

“We want people to look at food trucking not like it was ten or 20 years ago. These aren’t chip wagons; that’s not the new food truck movement. You have people who are passionate about food, and these are people who are pushing the very threshold in our greater food services.”

May 5 also brought a victory for food truck operators within Kitchener. New legislation was passed that allows food trucks to operate in identified parks and business areas across the city under new licensing agreements. The approval from the City is viewed very positively.

“The fantastic thing is now both Waterloo and Kitchener have comparable legislation, in terms of cost and opportunities. What UFTU hopes to do with the new legislation is to help coordinate some of the sites, so that we have representation of food trucks being showcased in both cities,” Salonga said.

Looking at how the new legislation will affect the regional food truck movement, Salonga pointed out how it looked a year ago.

“I’ll be honest. If you were to ask what food

HEATHER DAVIDSON PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

trucking was like in Kitchener-Waterloo one full year ago, we were at the very bottom.

We didn’t have viable downtown core locations that we could operate from; the picture was bleak. When UFTU brought together all the food trucks within this region, we were able to create an impetus for the city of Waterloo to change their laws, and now, Kitchener-Waterloo is the new frontier for food trucking.”

Scott Yates is the owner of the Chef Scotty Cooks food truck that is a member of UFTU and one of the trucks outside of the Centre as a part of the new partnership. He sees the new licensing agreement from the city as a reason to stick in the city for business.

“It’ll make me want to stay here more, because I didn’t want to be driving out of the

city if I didn’t have to. If I can stay home, and spark our local economy, teaming up with local businesses like [Centre in the Square], it just brings the City of Kitchener more to the forefront.”

Bender believes that with the food trucks being on site, it will further the Centre’s ability to reach out into the community.

“Food trucks are not going to make us rich, but again, it was trying to think of a way to engage with the community and audience.

Right now, people come and go for shows. If we can make this a destination that is fun and exciting, and at the same time a place were people can get drinks and food, then it will allow people to enjoy the space around the Centre in a more broad manner.”

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Urban beat ! THE STREETS ARE OPEN

Brewmaster Innocente pours a pint of Innocente Fling, a lighter ale with floral, spicy undertones • MATTHEW SMITH CCE CONTRIBUTOR

INNOCENTE BREWS IN K-W There’s a new microbrewery in town H.G. WATSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

When you visit Waterloo’s newest microbrewery, Innocente Brewing Company, be prepared to expand your palate.

“I’m not going to shy away from flavour,” said owner and brewmaster Steve Innocente. “If it says it’s on the label, you are going to taste it.”

A scientist by training, Innocente has a PhD in molecular biology and a post-doctoral fellowship in “saccharomyces cerevisiae” – growing yeast. It’s a combination that certainly comes in helpful when concocting his brews.

But it was his time spent as a post-doctoral fellow in Scotland that helped him hone his craft. Though he was a home brewer all through university, after moving in 2004, he

started again with renewed vigor, and ended up entering his brews in a local craft beer contest.

While one beer didn’t fare so well – “the term barnyard was used quite a bit [to describe the flavour,” Innocente said – the other, a beer that formed the basis for an IPA he calls Innocent Bystander, won.

After that, Innocente entered other contests and started brewing on contract at a Scottish microbrewery. But it was his return to Canada that gave him the chance to fulfill his dream of opening a brewery to call his very own.

When the CCE visited him in February, the space was still undergoing heavy renovations.

But since the brewery opened to the public in mid-May, Innocente has installed a large bar where he serves up pints, plus growlers people can bring home.

It’s a light and airy space where people can enjoy their beer and also get a sneak peek at the process that goes into making it. Innocente doesn’t believe in hiding the tanks away

– he even believes that having them out in the open is part of the appeal.

His current line-up of beers include Innocente Fling, a lighter ale with floral and spicy undertones, Innocente Conscience, a hoppy IPA that registers 80.2 on the IBU scale, and Innocente Bystander, the pale ale that he’s been tinkering with since he lived in Scotland.

Though the names of his beer show off his sense of humour, beer is a craft he takes seriously. Innocente isn’t afraid to try some strange combinations – he’s even made chocolate and wasabi flavoured beer.

Just don’t ask him to make a winter holiday beer. “I’m not a fan of spiced or Christmas ale,” he said.

But everything else is fair game for the scientist, whose laboratory is now a brewhouse.

“This is science – I just get to drink the outcome of the experiments now.”

Innocente Brewing Company is located at 283 Northfield Drive East, Unit 8, Waterloo (innocente. ca).

Once again this year, the UpTown Waterloo BIA will be bringing the community Open Streets. There will be three Sunday afternoon events and one Saturday evening event. The first Open Streets is scheduled for Father’s Day, June 15 from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m..

There are tons of things to enjoy, including chalk art, wrestling matches, fashion shows, street foods and play areas for the kids. Get out and enjoy King Street without the hassle ofwatching out for cars.

! CONESTOGA COLLEGE RECREATION CENTRE TO RECEIVE MAKEOVER By 2015, the dark and dingy recreation centre on the Doon Campus of Conestoga College will have a complete facelift. The projected $16-$18 million project will feature a wall of windows, white interior, triple gyms and a four-lane, 200-metre indoor track.

While the building will be losing the ice rink, it will be developing a social area, as well as changing the main doors to the other side of the building, to connect it with the rest of campus.

! NEW RESTAURANT ON THE BLOCK Proof Kitchen & Lounge will be opening shortly at the historic Barrel Yards in Waterloo. This restaurant’s main goal is to focus on upscale food in a hip and casual atmosphere, and to be a first choice dining destination providing guest-focused service. If you want to get a taste of what they will be serving, head to Solstice Sampling, a food event held by the Uptown Waterloo BIA, on June 21, where they will be a featured restaurant.

Other local restaurants will be serving up sample sizes to highlight their specialty foods. For more information about this event visit uptownwaterloobia.com.

Innocente feels that the vats in his brewery are part of the appeal • MATTHEW SMITH CCE CONTRIBUTOR

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1. The Pink Salty Dog • • • •

Rim glass with Himalyan sea salt Add ice Add one ounce vodka and a half ounce Campari Top with freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice and a splash of Pompelmo San Pellegrino

As it heats up in K-W, we found of the summer. Words by the C 5. Take in a movie in the park

2. Blueberry Lavender Mojito • • • • •

Muddle half a lime with a handful of fresh blueberries and lavender syrup Add ice and one half ounce white rum Top with sparkling water Garnish with mint and fresh lavender Get extra fancy and make lavender syrup by boiling five sprigs of fresh lavender in one cup of sugar and one cup water

Taking place at the band shell in Waterloo Park, Music & Movies in the Park offers movies under the stars. Admission is free with a donation to the food bank. What you’ll need to bring is a blanket or chair and snacks you want to consume. If you forget the snacks, don’t worry, there are vendors there serving popcorn and other foods. The music begins at 7 pm and usually features a local band or artist. At dusk, they blow up Canada’s largest outdoor screen and play a family friendly movie. 50 Young St. W., Waterloo parkmovies.ca

8. Pilfer the Kitchener Market If you’re minding your budget this summer, a picnic on a nice day is your best bet for a good meal on a shoestring. Head to the Kitchener Market, St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market or the Uptown Market (which runs on Thursdays starting June 5) and pick up local, fresh ingredients. Go French style and pick up some bread, cheese, cured meats, grapes, olives and bring your favourite reusable bottle of water – don’t forget that drinking alcohol in public could cost you a fine. No cooking, no dishes and no worries – this is what summer is about

3. Strawberry Hibiscus Iced Tea • • • •

Fill a high ball glass with ice Add a large squirt of strawberry puree Top with chilled and brewed hibiscus tea To make strawberry puree, blend one pint fresh strawberries with two tablespoons sugar and two tablespoons fresh lemon

• ARTIFACTS AND IMAGES COURTESY OF FASHION HISTORY MUSEUM

6. Improve your style Check out K-W street style of old as the Waterloo Region Museum partners with the Fashion History Museum to connect architecture and women’s fashion from the 1800s onward. Running until January 2015, the runway relics are said to mirror the architectural construction of Waterloo Region and depict the ever-changing role of women.

10 Huron Rd, Kitchener waterlooregionmuseum. com

4. Enjoy them all at Jane Bond Our favourite bartenders at Jane Bond came up with these scrumptious set of drinks. If muddling your own lavender isn’t your scene, we recommend heading over to the Bond where they have one of the best patios in the city and a fantastic vegan menu. The drink menu includes far more than just these delicious cocktails. 5 Princess St W, Waterloo, janebond.ca.

• COURTESY ELORA GORGE TUBING

7. Enjoy art in Cambridge

9. Tube Elora Gorge

A former industrial town, Hespler isn’t necessarily known for its art and music scene but A Day & A Night is working to change that. From 11 a.m. to 11p.m., Waterloo Region’s top artists and musicians showcase their talents to the public all for free. Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 23, 2014, put aside your food bank donation, and be sure to check out adayandanight.ca for updates and information. adayandanight.ca

This isn’t your leisurely ride in a tube down a lazy river - Elora Gorge tubing offers excitement from start to finish. From the high cliffs around you to the white water tubing, this is both exhilarating and refreshing. Just remember, this is a very popular activity, so make sure you get there early for equipment rentals. From the last week in June through August, tubing is open from 9 am - 7 pm. grandriver.ca

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Indulge in Waterloo’s favourite food - tacos

d 25 ways to keep you cool and happy for the rest CCE staff, Photos by Matt Smith and contributed.

12. Turn on to Summer Lights The first day of summer is a momentous occasion – the tilt of the planet’s semi-axis is the most inclined toward the sun. It’s also the perfect day to celebrate the community we live in. The first Summer Lights Festival kicks off at 9 p.m., runs until 2 a.m. and stretches from uptown Waterloo to downtown Kitchener. With eight hubs of entertainment, over 200 artists, organizations, and merchants, it’s a great way to kick off the season. summerlightsfestival.com

13. Run for your life

• COURTESY THEMUSEUM

10. Walk like an Egyptian

Conestogo Rivers Horseback Adventures offers four, two and one hour rides for anyone 11 years or older. Looking for more than a leisurely mosey? Trek on foot through the county in a live-action Mantracker scenario.

Groups start in St. Jacobs and have two hours to make it back to Horseback Adventures’s barn without being caught in a game of extreme hide-and-seek! 535 Northfield Dr E, Waterloo, horsebackadventures.ca

Summer learning and leisure is under wraps in downtown Kitchener at THEMUSEUM’s Unwrapping Eg Egypt exhibit. Focusing on the tomb oof King Tutankhamen, the exhibit features hundreds oof other artifacts that have toured internationally and spans Pharaonic, Greek, Coptic and Islamic culture. At $8.95 per day pass, you’ll have cash le left over for a craft brew at Imbibe. 10 King St W, Kitchener, cra themuseum.ca

• COURTESY AMBROSIA PASTRY

11. Camp in your backyard This summer there is no need to leave your home to enjoy the great outdoors – spend the night camping in your own backyard.

Essentials for a great night outside: a good tent, a Hibachi or BBQ, camp chairs and food. Treat yourself with specialty s’mores.

Ambrosia Pastry, open Saturdays from 10 am - 3 pm, offers several different flavours of their bean to bar chocolate. To give it that extra kick, grab some of Ambrosia’s handmade flavoured marshmallows – treat both kids and the adults with lemon or bourbon flavoured ones. 150 Roger St., Waterloo, ambrosiapastry.com

Treat your ears to tunes 16. Big Music Fest A new festival comes to Waterloo Region this summer. Held at Kitchener’s McLennan Park, Big Music Fest runs July 11-13 and carries some big names along with it, including Bryan Adams, Styx, Aerosmith, Slash and Kim Mitchell. While Big Music Fest isn’t a free festival, it is all ages, which is a bonus.

Big Music Fest may be a bit rougher around the edges in comparison to the more established festivals but we’re hoping this head banger will be a success. Bigmusicfest.com

With more than 90 free acts it’s no surprise that the TD Kitchener Blues Festival is one of the most attended festivals in Ontario.

Running August 7-10, this four-day festival does blues right and gives flattened and bent chords a whole new meaning. This year brings Lee Harvey Osmond, the Otis Taylor Band and Beau Soleil avec Michael Doucet to the downtown stages. kitchenerbluesfestival. com

14. Scream for local ice cream What started as a way to make friends for Ann Simmons has now become one of K-W’s tastiest ways to cool off. Silver and Boots Craft Creamery makes delicious home-made ice cream using organic milk and local ingredients. “It’s a throwback to simpler times when we knew where our food came from and we ate what was in season,” said Simmons. This summer you can expect flavours like rhubarb crumble, strawberry custard and honey lavender. To place an order or find a pop up shop follow Silver and Boots on Twitter at @silverandboots. silverandboots.ca

15. Canoe the Grand Dip, dip and swing this summer with Canoeing on the Grand. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced canoer, Canoeing on the Grand has a variety of trips and packages available to explore the glorious Grand River that runs through Waterloo Region. In addition to offering canoes and kayaks, they also offer a shuttle service for select trips so you can enjoy your journey to the fullest. canoeingonthegrand.com

The beauty of Ethel’s tacos are their simplicty. A hard shell, fresh cheese, lettuce and beautifully cooked ground beef are all it takes to create one of the most popular taco nights in Waterloo - though, the $2 price tage per taco doesn’t hurt either. For an added price you can go veggie and get refried beans instead of meat. $2 tacos every Tuesday night starting at 5 p.m., 114 King St N, Waterloo, ethelslounge.ca.

21. Bauer Kitchen

17. TD Kitchener Blues Festival

• COURTESY SILVER AND BOOTS

20. Ethel’s Lounge

Jostling for Tuesday night taco supremacy, the Bauer Kitchen also has their own special deal on Tuesday nights. In addition to their Hoisin chicken taco and Baja fish taco, their chefs whip up two new tacos sure to delight picky gourmands. 187 King St. S, Waterloo, thebauerkitchen.ca

22. Taco Farm Every night is taco night at Taco Farm. The restaurant is coming quickly up on its first anniversary, and we are all the better for having such a great taco option in uptown Waterloo. Taco Farm has also worked hard to become a destination for foodies, offering special events like tequila tasting nights.

8 Erb St. W, Waterloo, tacofarm.ca.

18. Sun Life Financial Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival Hold your hats and get ready to experience three days of syncopated beats at the Sun Life Financial Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival. The Jazz festival enters its 22nd year and continues to be 100 per cent free, with a mission to enhance cultural experience found in Waterloo. With more than 35,000 attendees, 20 acts, a youth jazz ensemble, jazz workshops and two stages, the 2014 festival will no doubt be the best yet. www. uptownwaterloojazz.ca

19. Go party on a train What would a list for cool summer activities be without the coolest party on a train in KW. Join the CCE and 300 of your closest friends in celebrating Steel Rail Sessions’ fifth anniversary with the best art, food, performances and drinks in the region.

While we can’t reveal much about the event, you’ll have to trust us that this is one of the weirdest, funniest and unforgettable events of the summer. The train leaves the uptown Waterloo Central Station on June 20 and embarks on a unique-to-everyone journey to Elmira, St. Jacobs and beyond. Community. thecord.ca/steelrails

23. Imbibe Maybe you don’t need fancy tacos, or a lot of taco options. Maybe you just want one taco, made really well, with a pint of Ontario craft beer to wash it down with. Look no further than Imbibe’s fish taco. With their rotating tap selection, there’s also always a new beer to try. 10 King St W, Kitchener, imbibefooddrink. ca

24. MPC Public Okay, we’re cheating a bit - yes MPC occasionally offers tacos. But believe it or not, not every one likes tacos. So we offer MPC Public’s oyster night as an alternative.

Think about it - are oysters not the tacos of the sea? They carry their shells with them.

Anyway, take our word for it and try some of the best “sea tacos” in town. Oyster night every Wednesday, reservations recommended. 295 Lancaster St W, Kitchener, mpcpublic.com.

25. Let us know your summer plans! @cordcommunity

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ROLLER DERBY GIRLS DOMINATE Venus Fly Tramps crunch Kingston Disloyalists JAMES BLAKE CCE CONTRIBUTOR

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n May 24, the Tri-City Roller Derby house league kicked off its season with a double header featuring all three of its house league teams as well as the Kingston Disloyalists of the Kingston Derby Girls.

The high paced and physical sport has risen over popularity over the past few years with the Tri-City Roller Girls club currently ranked 40th in the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), out of a 196 clubs.

For those who are not too familiar with the sport, here are the basics. Two teams of up to 14 face off in an hour long game split into two-halves made up of individual jams. A jam can last anywhere up to two minutes.

Five skaters from each team make up two positions, jammers and blockers. Each team can only have one jammer, whose goal is to beat the other jammer through the pack of blockers to obtain lead jammer status.

Once a lead jammer is declared they can call off the jam at any time, unless they are penalized and battle with the other jammer to score points for their team. To score points, a jammer must pass the blockers after the first lap before the jam is called off. When a jam is over, another one starts 30 seconds later.

This continues until the game finishes.

In the first game, the TKO’s took on the Vicious Dishes. After coming out to a commanding 20 point lead after the first jam, the defending league champion TKO’s could not be slowed down as they powered through to a 169-88 victory over the ten player Dishes team. MVP’s were Aggrosaurus from the TKO’s and Lippy Wrongstockings from the Vicious Dishes.

In the second game, the Venus Fly Tramps hosted the Kingston Disloyalists. The Disloyalists kept it close in the first few jams until the Fly Tramps built a lead too large to come back from, leading to a 187-119 win for the

Members of the Tri-City Roller Girls in action. • HEATHER DAVIDSON PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

Fly Tramps. The MVP’s were Slaughterhouse Streeter from the Fly Tramps and Queen Blitz from the Disloyalists.

Slaughterhouse Streeter from the Fly Tramps explained the team’s training preparation after the game.

“With the Tramps we actually just go with the basics,” she said. “Staying together, communication, just work with the things that you know and keep with a level head.”

“Some of the other teams, they go with more of a strategic approach in doing plays and we just find that if you are good with your basics, that’s what you need to know,” she added.

With both winning teams from Saturday building leads that were maintained and increased until victory, Streeter explained how vital a strong start is to the sport.

“With roller derby it can be a toss up at the beginning,” she said. “Some teams are known

as the second halfers... but at the beginning if you have a strong lead there is not really a way to overcome that unless the team that’s advantaged breaks down.”

What does Streeter like best about this up and coming sport?

“How it is so goal orientated,” she said.

“There is so much you can do. It’s a very complicated sport to understand and become good at...you don’t reach your plateau, you always have another goal to go to.”

For those who are interested about the sport but reluctant to get involved or watch games because of a lack of knowledge, Streeter explained people shouldn’t worry.

“It is a very inclusive sport,” Streeter said.

“If you don’t know how to skate or you don’t know how the rules go, you always have an endless amount of women that are there to teach you and help you no matter what.”

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR DERBY NAME Roller derby players choose the name they want to play under. These names can be funny (1 UP from the Queen City Roller Girls), scary (A.lice Murder from the Cannibales Dolls) or reference the player’s own interests (Pain Eyre on the Border City Brawlers).

However, if you can’t think of your own derby name here is an easy way to find it – pick the name of your favourite childhood cartoon character and the weapon you would use to fight zombies. For example, CCE EiC H.G. Watson’s derby name would be Helga Chainsaw.

THE GRAPEFRUIT IS THE CULPRIT STACEY JACOBS Stacey Jacobs is the Community Sexual Health Educator at Planned Parenthood Waterloo Region, ppwr.on.ca, and has taught sexuality classes at the University of Waterloo. She has a Master of Science from the University of Guelph and is thinking about completing a PhD.

Y

our alarm goes off at 7 a.m. You stumble to the bathroom to get ready for your day. You have been trying to eat healthy so you have a grapefruit for breakfast. You also take your birth control pill, as you do every day at 8 a.m. because the pill must be taken every day at the same time to be effective.

But you’re worried because your period is late, so you take a pregnancy test to be on the safe side – and you’re pregnant, despite always taking your pill every day at the same

time.

The grapefruit is the culprit. Grapefruits, as well as grapefruit juice, can interfere with the way the body metabolizes medications.

This is seldom mentioned when discussing birth control pills.

It’s not the only thing that can interfere with hormonal birth control. Antibiotics, antacids such as Tums, antihistamines, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, sedatives, muscle relaxants and St. John’s Wort (to name a few) can make the pill less effective.

It is also important to be aware that no method of birth control is 100 per cent effective. Not even getting a tubal ligation or a vasectomy is 100 per cent effective, although it is considered permanent.

According to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, male sterilization is 99.9 per cent effective and female sterilization is 99.5 per cent effective. I have actually met a couple where the man had a vasectomy and the woman had her tubes tied - they were pregnant, and not very happy.

Your body weight can also play a role in the effectiveness of birth control. The patch may not be effective for women over 198 pounds.

Recent research from the European pharmaceutical company HRA Pharma found that emergency contraception such as the morning after pill may not be effective for women over 176 pounds, and has reduced effectiveness for women over 165 pounds.

Canadian research has not been conducted on how weight contributes to the effectiveness of emergency contraception, however, this new research is something women should be aware of as Statistics Canada reports that 54 per cent of Canadian women are over-weight or obese.

People rely on their health care providers to offer information regarding their medication. Ask questions and be pro-active. This includes talking to your pharmacist.

If you are using hormonal birth control let a pharmacist know this when you are prescribed another medication. Ask how the two will interact and if the effectiveness of the birth control will be diminished. Also ask about over-the-counter medications. Collect information about natural medications, vitamins and home remedies you may be using. Street drugs can also interfere with birth control.

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5678%%9% :;<7;6= THE BEAUTY OF PORCHES BOB EGAN CCE CONTRIBUTOR

!26TH ARTS AWARDS GALA

T

ake a walk through the neighborhood behind the Waterloo Town Square and you will find quiet streets with well-kept homes and nice porches. Take that walk on Sunday, June 8 and you will find 20 of those porches turned into live music venues featuring a smorgasbord of local and regional musicians.

This description, of course, is of the fourthin-series Grand Porch Party, one of the most imaginative musical happenings in the area and brainchild of Aussie expat, Tenille Bonoguore.

“I was inspired by my brother-in-law (noted guitarist Michael Reinhart) who practices at our home when he visits. Since it was the first time I lived in a house with a porch, I thought that might be a pretty cool use for it. Then I thought ‘What if there were musicians on all of the porches?’ I was also inspired by the Frederick Street Art Walk and the concept of turning a neighborhood into a space for culture,” explained Bonoguore.

So, within months of moving to KitchenerWaterloo, Bonoguore found herself knocking on doors with the crazy idea of transforming her neighborhood into a venue.

“I had never organized anything before so it was a bit of a challenge. Actually, there was a bit of resistance, but I think my Australian accent helped.”

After months of networking, hanging posters, cajoling and even pestering, Bonoguore cobbled together the first Grand Porch Party in June 2011.

Twenty porches rang out with music that day and the event was deemed a smashing success.

“The response was overwhelming. Neighbours sent me notes and flowers. Strangers stopped by to thank me. Everyone wanted it to happen again,” Bonoguore said.

Since 2011 the Grand Porch Party has matured. The musicians now get paid, thanks to long-term sponsors such as Words Worth Books, Insight Eyecare and Tamarack Institute, and new sponsors like the Waterloo Juice Cartel.

There is also a tent for musician merchandise,

June 18 marks the 26th annual Arts Awards Waterloo Region. The award ceremony and performance highlights the latest and greatest in the Region’s.

Juno nominated musician and former Leading Edge Arts Award recipient Alysha Brilla headlines an impressive onstage lineup that includes Janice Lee, The Water Boys, The Suns, and winner of this year’s “Last Band Standing” competition, co-sponsored by Maxwell’s Music House.

With gourmet food tastings, local performers, and an artwork silent auction, the night promises to be a special one.

!40+ YEARS OF MULTICULTURALISM

The 4th Grand Porch Party takes place on June 8, 2014 • ANNA BEARD ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

a music garden for kids, a porch for sponsors and a porch dedicated to creating awareness for environmental issues.

This year there were even more musicians wanting to perform than there were porches for them to play on. “Although it is hard to turn down musicians, we want to keep this event scaled to the neighborhood,” Bonoguore said.

That means one or two performances on each porch.

Social media and word of mouth are the keys to the success of the Grand Porch Party and act as tools for sourcing musicians and informing fans about the street-side tunes.

Getting an event like this off the ground

year after year is a lot of work, so what keeps Bonoguore at the helm? “When I see people enjoying the music…they may be young or elderly, from the neighborhood or not, it doesn’t matter…that enjoyment makes it all worthwhile.”

Kitchener-Waterloo is fortunate that Bonoguore acted on her inspiration and saw a simple porch as a gateway to culture and community.

Visit grandporchparty.wordpress.com for information about the artists and sponsors and images from the volunteer staff photographer.

HIP-HOP GETS SWEETENED SCOTT GLAYSHER CCE CONTRIBUTOR

T

here is an abundance of unearthed talent in Waterloo Region. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy for rising stars to find their way to a spotlight – even less so when those soon to be artists hope to one day, be hip-hop legends. Cambridge’s Candy FunHouse hopes to change that.

On June 14 Cambridge’s pioneer candy emporium, in association with the Argus Residence for Young People, is playing host to the first Candy Hip-Hop Fest and putting on a youth hip-hop concert at Preston Towne Centre.

Aspiring emcees, 16 and under had the

Arts beat

opportunity to audition for the concert on May 24th at Candy FunHouse. In order to move forward in the competition, contestants needed more than just skill – they needed passion.

The finalists, Kayla Jensen, Abiel Lopez-Yada, Antwon Keosavanh, Aiden & Dax, Emily Hartman, and Griffin Theroux, will have the chance to perform at the June 14 festival. They will be judged on criteria determined by local, established hip-hop artists. In addition to performing an original composition, they will perform alongside these established hip-hoppers, who will also be kicking a rhyme or two. The winner of the fest will be awarded $250 and $1000 worth of recording time at Brixton Music.

So why is this festival so important to the region’s youth? It’s simple. Aspiring artists get to push their creativity and love for the genre

further than just the confines of their bedrooms.

A hip-hop festival like this can show residents that rap can be pursued close to home and it has a place in our community. Giving young people the chance to perform in front of an audience including family, friends, and veteran emcees can give them the support they need to follow their rhyme-slinging dreams.

Candy FunHouse and the Argus Residence for Young People are showing how easy it can be for hip-hop to have a slice of Waterloo Region’s cultural pie, while promoting partnerships that give new and creative opportunities to young people.

With community backing youthful passion, the sky is the limit. However, until then, make sure to check out the Candy Hip Hop Fest on Saturday, June 14, from 11am-6pm at Preston Towne Centre.

The cusp of summer is the perfect time to celebrate multiculturalism in Waterloo Region. For more than 40 years now, residents in the Region have been celebrating the ethnic diversity found within its boundaries in a two day festival that takes place in Victoria Park. June 21 and 22 are jam packed with international cuisine, traditional folk songs and dance, and artifacts and crafts. The festival brings together cultural groups from all across Waterloo Region in an effort to build a more comprehensive working model of the area’s cultural mosaic.

!WATERLOO PUBLIC SQUARE GOES INDIE Now that the sun is out and people aren’t always freezing, indie hour concerts are back in action at Waterloo Public Square.

Every Friday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. take a seat in a comfy chair and listen to the hottest music on the scene. Both local and touring bands will be stopping by so lend your ears and soak up a free concert along with the sunshine.

Don’t forget to drop by Nick & Nat’s Uptown 21 and grab a brown bag lunch for just $5.

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CAFK+A & OPEN EARS TEAM UP

2014 Biennial celebrations are the biggest yet

Veda HIle is just one of many artists performing at the 2014 biennial celebrations for CAFK+A and Open Ears Festival of Music & Sound • PHOTO COURTESY OPEN EARS

2014 biennial highlights CAFK+A Darren Copeland & Andreas Kahre (Toronto & Vancouver), SITCOM Victoria Park Gazebo, Roos Island, Jubilee Dr, Kitchener, ON N2G 1J2 SITCOM is the work of Darren Copeland, a Toronto sound artist and Andreas Kahre, a Vancouver-based interdisciplinary artist. They will transform a Victoria Park Gazebo into an interactive bench that is activated by sitting, producing pre-recorded and manipulated sounds of nature and human interaction.

Ruth Gibson and Bruno Martelli (London, UK), In Search of Abandoned Hub Interactive Virtual Environment, Communitech Hub, 151 Charles St W, Kitchener, ON N2G 1H6 London, UK artists Gibson and Martelli fuse digital reality and human perception of reality in In Search of Abandoned using an interactive height map data. A computergenerated world will be affected by the user’s experience and imagination of reality under digital constraint, the product of observation materializing itself in a three-dimensional stereoscopic landscape.

OPEN EARS Radio Wonderland + Weird Canada The Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener ON Watch off-beat music being born as performer Radio Wonderland samples radio music on his ghetto blaster and manipulates it using unconventional objects, producing sound ranging from Negativland to Techno. The second part of the event will feature Weird Canada, a movement to celebrate creative expression, will guide the audience through a curated evening of undancable music.

ANYA LOMAKO CCE CONTRIBUTOR

T

his will be a year of firsts for Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area’s (CAFK+A) biennial exhibition of modern art.

Working under the idealistic theme and title It Should Always Be This Way, this will be the first year the event will begin in June instead of September since the exhibition’s start 11 years ago.

Gordon Hatt, CAFK+A’s executive director, cites the seasonal change as being an effort to make the multidisciplinary festival more accessible to the public. “[We’re] excited to shift to the spring and early summer, a time that provides us with ideal conditions for outdoor installations,” he said.

Aside from becoming a spring event, It Should Always Be This Way is the first time CAFK+A will pair with Open Ears, a music and creative sound festival, to co-present their organization’s biennials in what promises to be the most ambitious collaborative exhibition yet.

The collaboration allows both organizations to expand their appeal, offer a more diverse program for visitors, and create prime networking opportunities for artists.

CAFK+A’s Artistic Director Karie Liao notes that while each initiative has its own mandate, the union has done nothing but broaden horizons for arts and culture in the region.

“Our alliance has strengthened our programming and created a critical mass for the arts,” she said.

Open Ears General Director, Cheryl Ewing, shares the sentiment. “We will always maintain our own identities but we will continue to find ways to enhance the experience of the staff, volunteers and attendees through creating a vibrant and exciting scene in Waterloo Region,” said Ewing.

Behind this year’s theme, It Should Always Be This Way, is Marcel O’Gorman, a Professor of English and Director of the Critical Media Lab at the University of Waterloo.

O’Gorman believes cultural events like CAFK+A give the public a glimpse into a “utopian daydream”, which celebrates a sense

of curiosity and creative play devalued in our culture.

O’Gorman says that as a society, “we have shifted from an information economy to an attention economy.”

Events like CAFK+A empower the general population with “the capacity to disrupt this economy in wildly creative ways, provoking surprise, contemplation, laughter, and faceto-face conversation.”

With the support of CAFK+A, Open Ears will expand from a four-day showcase to an 11-day program, which includes a sound installation that will be accessible to the public for an extended three-month stay at THEMUSEUM. “We are a festival of the unknown,” says Ewing. “If you are interested in how sound permeates our world and the profound impact that a piece of art can have on an individual, then you should be coming to Open Ears.”

The CAFK+A exhibition will lengthen in duration to 30 days; another celebratory change for the biennial.

As always, various locations throughout KW will curate multimedia installations crafted by local artists – no platform is offlimits, including decrepit buildings set for demolition shortly after playing host to interactive installations.

In addition to working with Open Ears, It Should Always Be This Way has a number of sound and curatorial partners, including the University of Waterloo Art Gallery, City of Kitchener, Critical Media Lab, City of Waterloo, Cambridge Galleries/Idea Exchange and Cambridge Sculpture Garden.

The talent featured in the biennial and the geographical space used is drafted partner organizations across Waterloo Region highlighting the artistic beauty in unexpected urban spaces.

That said, talent isn’t exclusive to Waterloo Region. International artists like Christian Bök (Toronto), José Luis Torres (Quebec), Mary Mattingly (New York) and Krzysztof Wodiczko (New York) are among the artists in attendance this year.

Attendees of CAFK+A and Open Ears can expect installations and interactive exhibits such as video projections, gigantic doodles, a digital tabernacle, a tree organ, an avantgarde poetry tea event and many spoken word and visual performances.

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TRI-PRIDE CELEBRATES COMMUNITY The 19th annual festival looks at progress and advocacy

Sydney Savage takes the stage as she is awarded the 2012 Miss tri-Pride title • PHOTO COURTESY TRI-PRIDE

ANNA BEARD ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

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dging on their 20year milestone, the 19th annual tri-Pride celebrations kicked off on May 9. With events ranging from bingo, fundraisers, baseball and dance parties, each event has added excitement leading up to Saturday, June 7 – tri-Pride’s live music festival which will be held at Kitchener’s Civic Square.

“This year we have taken the Festival to a new level by extending the hours to run into the evening and bringing in an award winning performer,” said tri-Pride Vice President, Karen Ferguson.

That headlining act is none other than R&B Grammy winner Thelma Houston.

“Thelma was picked because of her support for the LGBTQ community. She is also well-known to the crowds for her hits in the disco era,” said Ferguson.

Other artists performing at the 2014 festival are Canadian Idol Season six winner Theo Tams, Cambridge band Brave and Crazy, Stiletto Flats featuring Elana Harte and a number of DJs. In addition to the music festival, there will be a variety of events happening in downtown Kitchener.

The Kitchener City Hall rotunda will play host to a massive silent auction with all proceeds going to help the local LGBTQ community.

Kitchener’s council chambers will be screening Rainbow Reflections – a fulllength documentary co-produced by The Grand River Rainbow Historical Society, which explores the history of the rainbow community and celebrates inclusion and positive social change progress.

The Skylounge is a licensed lounge overlooking the festivities where visitors can stop

in to hear spoken word, local performers, DJs and catch a play by put on by the Modus Vivendi Village Players. Finally, there will be a vendor market, kids zone, food trucks and more along King Street.

While the festival is a great opportunity to celebrate social change and progressive attitudes towards the LGBTQ community in Waterloo Region, its members still face challenges.

“An aging population that requires a support system for their needs, access to proper medical care for the transgender community, bullying in schools,” said Ferguson. “Raising public awareness of any issue, regardless of what section of the community it affects is always a good thing. Without awareness, there is no drive for change.”

“The community has continuously supported the festival over the last 19 years, attendance is up every year. Events leading up to the Festival also have great attendance.

The support of the City of Kitchener has allowed the festival to grow exponentially over its history,” she continued. “To my knowledge there has never been an issue from anyone over the festival.”

Like all tri-Pride events, the live music festival is dedicated to promoting a sense of community, inclusion, and advocacy.

“The festival is open to anyone who would like to attend. While it is a pride celebration, we welcome all members of the community, be they LGBTQ, allies or friends. There is no cost to attend the festival. There are numerous fundraising events prior to the Festival as well as Sponsors who support us that allow us to provide a day full of entertainment at no cost to attendees,” said Ferguson.

The 2014 festival kicks off at 11:45 a.m. in Kitchener’s Civic Square and runs until 11 p.m. Visit http://2014festival.tri-pride.ca/ for a full schedule of events and more information.

The 2014 tri-Pride Community Awards will be given out during the live music festival as well.

Award categories include: OUTstanding Individual An award that recognizes a person who has made contributions to the Region’s LGBTQ community through community service, political activism, and advocacy.

OUTstanding Youth An award that recognizes a person between the ages of 14 and 24 who has made contributions to the LGBTQ community.

OUTstanding Business Awarded to a local business that stands up for and supports LGBTQ residents through community involvement, positive and fair business practices, progressive attitude and support of LGBTQ initiatives.

LGBTQ community builder Which recognizes a local non-profit that provides services to the LGBTQ community.

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ABBC6 Bound in Venice Alessandro Magno Europa Editions DAVID WORSLEY CO-OWNER WORDS WORTH BOOKS

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dison, Alexander Graham Bell and Eli Whitney are readily noted inventors of tools that have been ubiquitous for generations or centuries, and most can figure Gutenberg as the inventor of the printing press. But what of the humble book?

The answer, or at least a well overdue exploration comes in the form of Bound in Venice, a new book from the Italian journalist Alessandro Magno.

The book explores the bustling Venetian state when it was both a cultural and financial powerhouse in the late 15th and early 16th century. It follows Aldus Manutius, a noted printer, statesman and dilettante, who basically invented the modern notion of distributing newly bound books to what passed for the middle class of his day.

The entire idea of books as portable portals of knowledge, as storehouses for both important and forgettable information and as a source of cheap entertainment, as well as everything that books have made or done, can be traced to Manutius and his luck, foresight and ability to work around the fractious and paradoxical nature of marrying art and commerce – something that still keeps publishers (and booksellers) up at night.

>?6;@ In God We Trust Jimmy Johnson (2014) OVO-Sound SCOTT GLAYSHER CCE CONTRIBUTOR

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o far, 2014 has been a banner year for hip-hop. With major tours, releases and singles being dropped left and right, it’s normal to think that the Canadian hip-hop scene would follow suit.

Unfortunately, that is not the case. After Drake and Shad released critically acclaimed albums in late 2013, mainstream Canadian hip-hop news took a vacation. In order to find a new urban Canadian sound, you’ve got to dig a little deeper.

This past month, Toronto’s Jimmy Johnson emerged with a new project that could rejuvenate the Canadian hip-hop scene.

Johnson’s EP entitled In God We Trust, is not your average hip-hop project. It features extremely dark imagery and neo-soul production. This may sound strange to hip-hop traditionalists, but this melodic, young rapper defines his rap skills on a variety of beats that paint a very clear picture; Toronto is the place to be.

In God We Trust is full of two things: first, a plethora of references to the current lifestyle of Toronto’s urban youth and second,

Everything from reading for pleasure, to the paperback book, to the illuminated manuscript, came on Manutius’ watch and it’s time he got the nod for this.

Magno has done a great job getting the feel of the time right. Bound in Venice reads like a travel memoir, a political thriller, and a love letter to the durability and power of the book.

With e-book sales leveling off, and indeed dropping in some genres, it would seem that the humble book would be around awhile yet and Bound in Venice is a great look at where it found its start.

language. Johnson uses an arsenal of terms that can only be found from Square One to the Scarborough Town Centre.

The most recurring of them all is how he refers to his hometown. He calls his native city “the 6” which derives from its two major area codes in Toronto (416 and 647). This may seem insignificant to most but the small cadences in Johnson’s project, like expressions local to Toronto youth, makes In God We Trust the summer soundtrack for the GTA’s

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UWAG presents: This Could BeThe Place University of Waterloo Art Gallery, 8:30 a.m.

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Tri-pride Music Festival Kitchener Civic Square, 11:45 a.m.

Uptown Gallery - Expressions of Warmth Uptown Gallery, 12:00 p.m.

Ted’s Warren Commission The Jazz Room, 6:30 p.m., $18

Art & Music in the Afternoon Grand Cafe, Cambridge, 1:00 p.m.

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Grand Porch Party Uptown Waterloo West, 2:00 p.m.

The Elora Piano Exhibit Elora Centre for the Arts, 12:00 p.m.

Matthew Barber w.s.g. The Franklin Electric Jane Bond, 8:00 p.m., 19+, $10 adv

Insights into Creativity Opening Reception The Button Factory, 12:00 p.m.

Veda Hille The Jazz Room, 9:30 p.m., $25

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I@=F%(J Alysha Brilla Sextet The Jazz Room, 8:30 p.m., $25

I@=F%() Hip Hop Candy Fest Central Park, Preston, 11:00 a.m.

Landon Vieira Duo The Jazz Room, 6:30 p.m., $20 Mike Murley Trio (w Steve Wallace and Reg Schwager) The Jazz Room, 8:30 p.m., $20

I@=F%(H Hey Ocean! w.s.g. Highs, Rosie June Starlight Social Club, 8:00 p.m., 19+, $12 adv

I@=F%(K David Braid + Penderecki String Quartet The Jazz Room, 8:30 p.m, $30

I@=F%&' David Buchbinder Quintet The Jazz Room, 8:30 p.m., $20

I@=F%&L Rich Aucoin w.s.g. Zorch Starlight Social Club, 8:00 p.m., 19+, $12 adv

I@=F%&G Jason Raso Quartet w.s.g. Robi Botos The Jazz Room, 8:30 p.m, $20

I@=F%&H Laila Biali The Jazz Room, 8:30 p.m., $25

I@=F%&K Brian Regan Centre in the Square, 7:00 p.m., centreinthesquare.com

BC78 I@=F%G CAFK+A & Open Ears Various locations, cafka.org

Art Attic Silent Auction & Affordable Art Sale Cambridge Centre for the Arts, 9:00 a.m.

!@=F%() Dimension in Dance Centre in the Square, 7:00 p.m., centreinthesquare.com

I@=F%&( KWSA | Insights into Creativity The Button Factory, 7:00 p.m.

AD??@=<7E I@=F%5% Ignite Popup 1: Beginnings Cambridge Arts Theatre, 6:00 p.m., $10

I@=F%(5 Open Streets Uptown Waterloo Waterloo Public Square, 1:00 p.m.

I@=F%(H 26th Annual Arts Awards Waterloo Region Centre in the Square, 6:00 p.m., $10, centreinthesquare.com

I@=F%&' Steel Rail Sessions, Waterloo Central Station, 6:30 p.m., 19+, $45

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St. Agatha Strawberry Festival St. Agatha, 10:00 a.m.

Cambridge Arts Festival Cambridge City Hall, 10:00 a.m.

Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Festival Victoria Park, 12:00 p.m.

Solstice Sampling Waterloo Public Square, 1:00 p.m and 7:00 p.m.

Summer Lights Festival Uptown-Downtown, 9:00 p.m.

To feature your event listing in the Cord Community email details to culture@thecord.ca

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