whatsonwoodstockjuly2017

Community Services Guide

July 2017

Celebrate Canada 150 July 1st in Southside Park

Engineering completes successful update to Cedar Creek Pulling together Cowapolooza Pg. 7 Good reasons to get married at City Hall Pg. 30

The City of Woodstock Presents…

16

Saturday on the

Celebrating 16 Years!

Main Stage

August 18-19 Southside Park

6 time Juno Award Winner

Colin James

Friday on the

Main Stage

MUDMEN

Back by popular demand!

Tim Tyler

R&B, Funk & Blues

★ 2 FREE Concerts under the stars… ★ Soapbox Derby ★ Milking Contest ★ Strongman/Woman Competition

★ Skateboard/BMX Bike/Scooter Competition ★ Saturday afternoon entertainment from

“Soul Tripper” and the “Ben Show” ★ Petting Zoo, Kiddie Rides, Ponies ★ Demonstrations, Exhibits ★ Lion’s Club Beverage Garden ★ Great variety of tasty food and treats For all details and updates, visit www.cowapolooza.com or www.cityofwoodstock.ca for more updates 

www.cowapolooza.com

Check out the COW Tales ‘Way Back When’ contest on page 19 and enter today!

A: Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

What’s On

Image supplied

File photo

7 10 20 30

What’s involved in Cowapolooza Now recognized as one of the region’s top summer festivals, it takes an army of volunteers and a lot of co‑ordination to pull it all together. See page 7.

Making Woodstock Better

Operation Sharing says there’s a better way to fight poverty in Oxford County, and its high-profile Town Hall meeting set for September hopes to find it.

See page 10.

Update from Engineering Dept.

Our new Hazardous Waste Depot is ahead of schedule and work on Cedar Creek looks great. See page 20.

Getting married at City Hall

It’s a new trend – destination weddings! It’s also what’s behind the jump in City Hall marriages. See page 30.

Photo by Andrew Norris

City Schedules and Services

Photo supplied

2 4 12 13 16 16 16 21 22 26 27 28 31

Cowapolooza 16 Message from City Council Canada Day, July 1st at Southside Park Woodstock Small Business Summer Company WEAC: Find Tap Water Anywhere Engineering Dept.: Recycle Polystyrene Safe Driving in Construction Zones Woodstock Small Business Spotlight Woodstock Public Library Transit & Para-Transit Woodstock Museum N.H.S. Woodstock Art Gallery Canada Day celebrating 150!

Next Edition Cover includes photos by Andrew Norris, Bill Polzin and Dudarev Mikhail – Shutterstock.

The August 2017 edition of WOW will be delivered with the Oxford Review on July 27, 2017.

WHAT’S ON WOODSTOCK | July 2017 3

Message from City Council…

Photo by Jason Dunham

S

ummer is here, and the Friendly City has something for everyone!

Of course our soft launch to summer was the Victoria Day parade, with the city dressed in red and white for Canada 150. Our family enjoyed promoting active transportation riding our bikes for the third year in a row in the parade.

Summer kicks off with our Canada Day celebrations, and this year will be bigger than ever. Plan to enjoy all the great local talent and stay for the fireworks! Check the city’s website for all of the details.

Our programs have expanded and offer so many opportunities. You can swim, play ball, soccer, and stay fit and active. Get involved with some of our great community partners, or walk for a special cause. You get out of your community what you put into it.

For rainy days a trip to the Library is in order, so your child can learn the joy of reading for reading’s sake. Let their imaginations create the characters rather than have a video game do it for them. You may rediscover the joy of curling up with a good book while the hours pass.

If you haven’t been take the family to the Art Gallery.

You will be amazed at the display and maybe just slightly surprised at all of the programs that could unleash your Group of Seven abilities. Wander through the Museum

and learn about our past. Walk Dundas Street from Huron to Van Ave and discover the stores. Picnic in a park. Walk one of our trails. Swim at the Lion’s Pool or Pittock. And if you have any time left, go to Tourism Oxford and explore the County.

The most important part of an enjoyable summer is staying safe. If you are driving watch for cyclists and children. If you are cycling or walking be aware. Hope to see you out at the great events here in Woodstock!

CITY OF WOODSTOCK

PHONE DIRECTORY

CONTACTS Volume 19

Number 7

What’s On Woodstock Magazine is published monthly by the Office of the Communications & Special Events Manager of the City of Woodstock. Circulation is 19,000 copies delivered to the residents and businesses of Woodstock.

Magazine produced by Flying Squirrel Design.

E-mail: wow@flyingsquirreldesign.com.

Mail/Courier: 9-1201 Nellis Street, Woodstock, Ontario N4T 1N8 Editorial written by Jeff Culp. Ad deadline for August 2017 edition: June 28, 2017 Call Brad Janssen at 519-539-1291 x 4102 to book your advertising today.

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Art Gallery............................................519-539-6761 City Hall...............................................519-539-1291 Civic Centre Arena....................519-421-3484 x 4301 Goff Hall Rental........................519-421-3484 x 4301 Library..................................................519-539-4801 Market Centre Rental...........................519-537-8411 Museum...............................................519-537-8411 Para-Transit Services............................519-539-1291 Parks & Recreation....................519-539-1291 x 4101 Public Works............. 519-539-1291 x 3140 or x 3104 Small Business Centre..........................519-421-2129 Southside Aquatics.................. 519-421-POOL (7665) Southwood Arena.....................519-421-3484 x 4301 Transit Services.........................519-539-1291 x 3102

Trevor Birtch Mayor City of Woodstock Deputy Warden Oxford County Co-Chair Smart Energy Oxford

Have your events listed in the FREE Event List on the back inside cover or for advertising in the What’s On Woodstock Magazine, call Editor Brad Janssen, at 519-539-1291 x 4102 or fax to 519-539-3275.

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Photo by Dudarev Mikhail – Shutterstock

Volunteers drive Woodstock’s biggest summer festival P

lanning Woodstock’s big August party – Cowapolooza – begins the previous autumn, and involves dozens of people.

Finding the stage entertainment and coordinating the volunteers depends on the City’s Manager of Special Events, Brad Janssen, and his small team at City Hall.

“Cowapolooza started out featuring tribute bands, and we relied on those until the tenth anniversary, when we brought in April Wine,” says Janssen. Now with more well-known bands doing the summer concert, finding entertainment is different.

16 This is where the cooperation of the Parks Department comes in. Janssen is high in praise for Parks because of all the work they have to do to get ready for the celebration, and to clean up the park after the event is over. There are gardens to tend, fences (around the beverage garden) to install, picnic tables moved, signs, barricades and stages to set up.

Photo by Brad Janssen

Photo by Bill Polzin

April Wine performing at Cowapolooza 10, from August 2011.

“It’s not like we’re selling tickets,” he says, which means the approach to the bands and their managers is different.

“Most have heard of Cowapolooza, and I get tapes of potential entertainers starting in the fall.” By January, things are pretty much set to go in terms of booking the entertainment, but that’s really the easy part.

“We have to map out the park – is there hydro, water?

Where do we put the porta-potties, where’s the stage, can we accommodate parking? Every year it’s a bit different.”

The popular Soap Box Derby takes many hands to set-up and run.

The Works Department is also heavily involved, helping with the soap box derby, ensuring traffic flow and setting up barriers and pylons, setting signage.

But volunteers have to be coordinated as well. Some events, like the Soap Box Derby, BMX bike/Scooter/ WHAT’S ON WOODSTOCK | July 2017 7

Photo by Andrew Norris

Fire trucks on view at Cowapolooza 8 in 2009.

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Food vendors from Cowapolooza 9 in 2010.

How much does all this cost?

“Well, I have a budget (from the City),” says Janssen.

“But Cowaplooza relies on its sponsors. We have actually received as much sponsorship as the event costs.”

For sponsors, their name is front and centre for an event that draws thousands of people. Probably five to ten thousand over the course of the event.

For the City, it raises Woodstock’s profile. Cowapolooza is becoming a go-to event.

“It’s unique, and definitely draws people from outside the city,” he says. “We’re sandwiched between Kitchener and London, and they have a lot of summer festivals. We compete favourably with that.”

File photo

Once underway, the event relies heavily on volunteers for parking and traffic control. Between the volunteers and the police auxiliary, the thousands of people watching the concerts are quietly dispersed, without trouble, usually in 20 minutes.

That’s when the clean-up crews come in. Janssen says it usually requires a full day for the massive clean-up – and it’s not just garbage pick-up.

“Fences, gates, re-locating picnic tables, breaking down the stages – there’s probably 50 volunteers involved.”

There are many things no one sees that have to be done as well. Since there are food vendors, health inspectors must be involved. Water testing is undertaken. Electricity also involves a whole range of inspections and permits.

Grounding plates are already installed to simplify the process, but services for both 110V and 220V need to be installed.

“We are encouraging more food trucks to be present to simplify all that,” he says. “The food truck industry is like a fraternity. You get a few trucks, and they tell other truck vendors.”

All vendors need to have a positive experience, says Janssen, to encourage them to come back next year.

Vendors will pay a small fee to set up, and they required proof of insurance.

Photo by Nelson Simard

Skateboard competition and the Strongman-woman competition, bring their own team of volunteers. Setting up and breaking down the Soapbox Derby is a major undertaking.

“Over 200 bales of hay have to be set out, the finish line banner erected and streets temporarily closed,” says Janssen. “It takes a lot of co-ordination.”

Even the Woodstock Police Service helps out. They’ll bring out their radar guns to time the Derby races, and, of course, they have to be on hand for crowd control at the evening concerts. You’ll see many volunteer students from the Police Foundation during the concert nights August 18 and 19.

The Fire Department and Woodstock Transit are there for touch-a-truck and, of course, with any crowd, you’ll need EMS and St. John’s Ambulance there in case of an accident.

Keeping it real with cows from the Agricultural Society.

Of course, to keep up with its whimsical name, you need cows. Cowapolooza and the Woodstock Fair cooperate to cross-promote each other, and the Fair Board/ Agricultural Society can find a source of cows for the milking contest, or to just make an appearance.

WHAT’S ON WOODSTOCK | July 2017 9

Making Woodstock Better: Operation Sharing

S

ome of Canada’s leading authorities on social health and poverty reduction policies are coming to Woodstock September 26 to try to stimulate community discussion on Oxford-based solutions to this growing problem. Leading off this Town Hall Discussion is Dr. Lynn McIntyre, who will provide local insights drawn from over 30 years of research in food insecurity and poverty reduction.

It’s all an effort of Operation Sharing – the organization that created and runs the popular and successful Food for Friends initiative.

“It’s the first Town Hall discussion in Oxford,” says Operation Sharing founder Steve Giuliani. “We need to stop looking at food-based solutions and look for policy solutions,” he says.

There’s some urgency. “The problem is growing, it’s not going down, and this panel of top national and local experts will inspire discussion – backed by research and experience elsewhere – among local leaders.”

The Town Hall session will be at the Unifor Hall from 7:00 to 9:30 pm and is open to everyone who is interested.

The next day, community leaders will work with the panel experts to propose proactive solutions.

“We’ve invited all the local politicians across Oxford, other leaders – Executive Directors of various agencies, church leaders and representatives from other organizations – to participate.”

Giuliani says he hopes to start real movement in Oxford. “We want to come up with collective declarations of action,” he says. “We hope that Federal and Provincial policy makers will hear from local collective leadership and what they want to have happen, what they want to push forward with.”

Operation Sharing now runs over 14 different initiatives, and is developing new innovations. Giuliani is most enthusiastic about the Angel’s Den – an event based on TV’s Dragon’s Den. The difference is the Angel’s Den will be a panel judging ideas to promote social reform. Local groups propose new social initiatives and are grilled by the Angel’s Den panel – the winner receiving a subsidy to proceed with the initiative.

Giuliani says he’s not averse to having Operation Sharing pilot the winner locally. The idea has the backing of EDGE a United Church of Canada national initiative on community involvement. Officially, it’s called Operation Sharing Social Innovations for Poverty Reduction Challenge. Expect the results in March of next year.

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Canada Day

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Summer Company

WHAT’S ON WOODSTOCK | July 2017 13

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YOUR WOODSTOCK ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE PRESENTS

Green Tips

Find Tap Water Anywhere Wherever you are in the world, look for the Blue W symbol and stop paying for a drink of water when you are thirsty.

Polystyrene containers used in packaging of chicken and me at your local grocer are recycla Simply rinse off the container and in your blue box for recyclin

DID YOU Recycle More!KNOW? For Pete’s Sake

Polystyrene containers used in the packaging of chicken and meats at your local grocer are recyclable.

Simply rinse off the container and place in your blue box for recycling.

For more information about recycling within the City of Woodstock please www.cityofwoodstock.ca

What is Blue W you ask?

It is a unique communitybased program dedicated to promoting municipal tap water as a healthy, easily accessible, alternative to purchasing bottled drinks.

You can find Blue W participating shops by checking out www.bluew.org. Simply type in your location and you will be certain to find one of the 26,000 refill locations near you!

While walking in downtown Woodstock, check out Habitual Chocolate. They are the first local business to register with the program. Just look for the Blue W sticker on their door!

For more information about recycling within the City of Woodstock, please visit www.cityofwoodstock.ca

In an interview with owner Philippe Lehner, we asked: “Why did you decide to become a Blue W partner?” Quite simply, Lehner seeks to reduce plastic waste and promote a more sustainable option when you find yourself in need of a drink.

In need of a re-usable water bottle? Lehner will provide a free Habitual Chocolate water bottle to the first 35 customers who partake in the program!

So come in for a drink, leave with a tasty treat!

Interested in becoming a Blue W partner, you can register for free online at www.bluew.org.

Brought to you by your Woodstock Environmental Advisory Committee and the City of Woodstock

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safe driving

WHAT’S ON WOODSTOCK | July 2017 17

Building a City, Building a Future James A. Vance Construction Inc. has a connection with the foundation of NATO. Vance was a Woodstock-area engineer whose first project was assembling a prefabricated railroad bridge over Mill St. Not just an engineer, Vance was president of the Engineering Institute of Canada, Ontario director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and one of 30 select Canadian businessmen sent to Europe to hammer out the 15-nation North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1959.

Streets Named for Officers It’s well known that British half-pay officers played a major role in founding Woodstock. In times of peace, military officers were put on half-pay, to keep them on the government payroll, available for recall if there was another war.

But ordinary officers in the Oxford Militia make up many of Woodstock’s street names. Check out the Oxford Gazette’s list of * City of Woodstock Oxford Militia officers in 1838: 2nd regiment: Light, Graham, Beale, Nellis, Finkle, Burtch; 3rd Reg’t: Buller, Vansittart; 4th: Winniett; 5th: Hunter, Ingersoll, Canfield and Dundas (not THAT Dundas, however.

The main street was named for the British Foreign Secretary, Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville.)

Weaving the Fabric of History Today’s Len Mills Store once was Kirsch of Canada Ltd. Kirsch opened its original plant in Woodstock in 1921 on Tecumseh St. That building was eventually absorbed into the Eureka Foundary complex. Kirsch was founded

by American Charles Kirsch, who invented the telescoping curtain rod in 1907.

Kirsch made heavy curtain rods in Woodstock, and the company is still in operation today selling draperies and other interior designs.

Canada Day Through the Years For decades the Kinsman Club of Woodstock orchestrated the annual Canada Day celebrations. Some 20 years ago, the July 1st celebrations where held on the site of the then under construction Community Complex, complete with entertainment for all ages, a giant Canada Day cake (of course baked and presented by Dee-Lights Bakery) and fireworks.

After the completion of the three-phase facility, the Kinsman moved the festivities to Pittock Park on the north shore of the reservoir with fireworks being launched from Roth Park on the south shore. After the club disbanded some 16 years ago, the City of Woodstock took over the celebration and for the past 6 years, Southside Park has hosted the day long party that wraps up with a huge fireworks display thanks to a partnership with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada.

COW Tales have been contributed by Brad Janssen, Jeff Culp and Paul Roberts.

Visit us online at www.facebook.com/WhatsOnWoodstock

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Cow-tales

way back when

CONTEST

THE WINNER of June’s ‘Way Back When’ Contest is Terry

Greenside of Woodstock! He correctly answered that in addition to the Springbank Snow Countess, you can also find a cow statue at the Woodstock Hospital. Terry wins a $50 gift card from Kelsey’s/ Montana’s, plus he now qualifies for a $100 Kelsey’s/Montana’s gift card to be drawn from all the monthly winners in November.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Do you remember Woodstock “Way Back When?”

If so, you’re on your way to winning our contest. Send in or drop off your answer by the posted deadline. We will randomly pick one winner from the correct responses. The winner’s name will appear in the next edition of What’s On Woodstock. Here are some questions to get you thinking. Answer the last question (in bold) to enter the contest.

Q. What is the name of the “vintage” Woodstock baseball team that often played exhibition games on Canada Day? (See page 30)

Q. Name the organization that governs over the Pittock reservoir, Thames River and its tributaries? (See page 3)

Q. What fast-food restaurant once operated where “Pizza Hut” now stands? (See page 20)

Q. Name all the Friendly City radio stations that have broadcast under a Woodstock license. (See page 25)

Q. Of all the Canadian acts that have been

booked for Cowapolooza… which one has won the most Juno Awards?

Send your answer along with your name and phone number to bjanssen@cityofwoodstock.ca by Friday, July 7th, 2017.

You can also drop your answer in the contest box at City Hall.

WHAT’S ON WOODSTOCK | July 2017 19

Update from Engineering shows high-profile projects on track

Photo by Andrew Norris

accumulation of garbage, and the depot, the recycling centre on Clarke Street and on-going efforts to reduce large item pick up at the curb all have a place in improved service.

“We recognize that not everyone can put an old couch in the back of a pickup and bring it to a drop-off site, but we still have to remind people about the rules for bulkitem curbside disposal.”

Basically, if it fits in a garbage bag, it’s not a bulk item and there are limits to the number of items you can put out at once.

Southside Update Photo by Jeff Culp

While it doesn’t look like much is happening at the new Household Hazardous Waste Depot site at James and Springbank, the project is actually ahead of schedule.

A

number of high-profile projects in the city are progressing well, according to City Engineer Harold de Haan. Although work on the new Household Hazardous Waste Depot at James Street and Springbank hasn’t erected any buildings yet, the project is actually ahead of schedule.

“Right now, they’re doing a lot of underground work – storm sewers, water services, retaining walls and electrical services,” he says.

When the building does go up, it will simply appear.

“Because it’s a specialized facility, it’s being pre-fabricated offsite. About August, the building will be brought in by flatbed truck.”

Work should be finished by autumn, but it likely won’t start operations until next year. Once it is in operation, it will be a major step forward for the ever-evolving waste management service in Woodstock. The Engineering Department is always looking for ways to improve the service, including reaching out to the public in an online survey earlier in the year. The survey polled residents about pick up schedules, among other things.

“We thought about using a 6-day rotation for garbage pickup,” de Haan says. The downside of this proposal is that pick up days for individuals would vary from week to week but on the plus side, “it eliminates the problem of doubling up on days after holidays. It also increases recycling collection frequency.”

Heavy pick up days are particularly a problem in December, where, in addition to holidays, there’s always the threat of a snowstorm slowing things down. “There’s a real budget advantage to a 6-day rotation because you have fewer days when more workers are required.”

For the time being, there won’t be any change to pick up days.

The Household Hazardous Waste Depot is part of an overall strategy, in part designed to reduce curb-side

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Work on the creek in Southside Park is completed, making the course of the creek, and its banks, much more natural-looking.

Work on Southside Park is pretty much done for this year, de Haan says, and work won’t start on the pond until next year depending on budget approval.

“I think it looks nice, even though we still have a little touch-up work to do.”

Provincial environmental permits are required to start the dredging work that has to be done on the pond. It was recognized from the outset that this would take time, and the pond rejuvenation is currently scheduled for 2018.

One last project that is taking some time is the pedestrian walkway over the railroad tracks at Finkle Street. The walking bridge is closed off while structural work is done to the stairs. There were a lot of suggestions to improve the pedestrian bridge. Adding a ramp so people could walk bicycles across, for example.

“But it’s CN’s bridge,” says de Haan, so there’s basically nothing the city can do about upgrading it.

Check out the COW Tales ‘Way Back When’ contest on page 19 and enter today!

A: A & W.

small business

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SUMMER PROGRAMS FOR KIDS Summer is here and the Library has planned a July and August full of great programs for kids and teens. Registration is ongoing, in person only.

TD SUMMER READING CLUB 2017 • Free!

• Registration is ongoing • Registration in person only

Reading Crew (4–10 years) Mondays, Tuesdays............................................ 2:00–4:00 pm Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays........... 10:00 am–12:00 noon July 3–August 25 Join Captain Wolfie’s pirate crew on a summer-long reading treasure hunt. Play our pirate game to search for scrolls that will lead you to the hidden treasure. Kids will be paired with our pirate youth volunteers to practice reading, complete their scrolls, play fun literacy games and earn prizes. Register and start having fun at any of the drop in times starting July 3. Free!

SUMMER ACTIVITY AND CRAFT PROGRAMS FOR KIDS • Fees as indicated • Registration is ongoing • Registration in person only

Happy 150th Birthday Canada! (all ages)

Kids can roll the die to find great books to read, earn lots of prizes and collect stickers for their logbooks. Interact with the TD Summer Reading Club website with a link from our website. With club times every morning, afternoon and evening it’s easy to drop in to play, enter our weekly draw for great prizes and participate in our weekly scavenger hunt. Program runs from June 3 to September 2, 2017.

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Photo by Subbotina Anna – Fotolia

In the year of Canada’s 150th birthday, the TD Summer Reading Club invites kids to celebrate what makes books, libraries and Canada great, by encouraging them to open up to new ideas, new characters, new landscapes, and to one another. So look forward to some great illustrations, book recommendations, ideas, and fun with the 2017 TD Summer Reading Club. Salut!

Monday, July 3...........10:00 am–5:00 pm Join us all day as we celebrate Canada’s birthday with cake, storytimes and pop-up crafts and activities throughout the library.

No registration required.

Superhero Comic Con (all ages) Monday, July 31..........................................10:00 am–5:00 pm Celebrate everything superhero! Join Spiderman for our superhero green screen photo shoot at 2:00 pm, enter our costume contest and parade at 3:00 and try our Mario Kart tournament at 3:30!

Also, pop-up crafts and activities in the library throughout the day. No registration required.

Mad Science (6–12 years)

SUMMER STORYTIMES

Little Crafters (3–5 years)

Babytime (birth to 12 months) Wednesdays.....................................................11:00–11:30 am July 5–August 23 Babytime is an interactive program for infants and their caregivers that introduce them to a life-long love of books with songs, active rhymes and stories.

Mondays.........................2:00–3:00 pm July 10 Spectacular Space July 24 Earth Works August 14 Detective Science Have fun with science! $7 fee per program required at registration.

Tuesdays......................................................... 10:30–11:30 am July 4–August 22 A fun filled hour brimming with awesome crafts, stories and activities for preschoolers with a different theme each week. A fee of $2 per program is required at registration.

Craft Club (6–12 years)

Tuesdays.............................................................2:00–3:30 pm July 4–August 15 Join the club and try out some fun and kooky crafts with a different theme each day. A fee of $2 per program is required at registration.

Wolfie Wednesdays (6–12 years)

Photo by arinahabich - stock.adobe.com

Wednesdays.................. 2:00–3:30 pm July 5–August 16 Wolfie is celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday with a variety of indoor/ outdoor activities, regional crafts and food. A fee of $2 per program is required at registration.

Each program includes age appropriate stories, rhymes, songs and activities designed by library professionals to help children develop literacy skills and a love of reading. No registration required. Drop in.

Toddler Tales (12–35 months)

Wednesdays.....................................................10:15–10:45 am July 5–August 23 Toddler Tales is an active program for toddlers and their caregivers with stories, rhymes songs and a simple craft.

Tales & Tunes (3–5 years)

Thursdays........................................................10:30–11:15 am July 6–August 24 Tales & Tunes is a musical storytime for preschoolers that will cultivate a love of books with stories, songs, active rhymes and a craft.

TEEN SUMMER PROGRAMS Escape the Library! (12–16 years)

Tuesday, July 4, 6:30–8:15 pm Escape our room of horror! Team up to solve puzzles, riddles and the ultimate mystery. Register in advance for one timeslot: 6:30 pm or 7:30 pm. Free!

Summer Teen Drop In (12–16 years)

Cook ‘n Craft (6–12 years) Thursdays...........................................................2:00–3:30 pm July 6–August 17 This fun program combines crafting and cooking for kids with a different theme each week. A fee of $5 per program is required at registration.

Tuesdays............................................................ 6:30–8:00 pm If you love hanging out with your friends, getting techy or showing off your creative flare then make the Library your destination this summer! No registration required. Snacks provided.

July 11 PS4 Gaming Night – Pick your team and try one of our new teen PS4 games July 18 Tech Take Down! – challenge yourself with robotics and fun technology July 25 Chopped: Library Edition – join our cooking challenge!

August 1 Harry Potter Trivia Night – test your skills as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of

Friday Flicks (5–12 years)

August 8

Fridays................................................................2:00–3:30 pm July 7 Lego Batman August 4 Trolls July 14 Beauty and August 11 Smurfs: The the Beast Lost Village July 21 Moana August 18 Sing A different movie each Friday! No registration required. Free!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Poetry Slam – share your favourite poetry with other poets August 15 Virtual Reality Night – try out our new VR technology August 22 Teen Classic Movie Night – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

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Summer Book Club Photo by Lisa F. Young – Fotolia

July and August This summer come and take part in the Great Canadian Reading Challenge, to help celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. Read one book from each of five challenges, celebrating the authors and stories of Canada. Come and have some fun!

Writer’s Circle Teen Summer Volunteer Opportunities @ Woodstock Public Library (12–17 years)

6:00–8:15 pm, Wednesdays, July 5, 19 Have you ever wanted to write fiction, craft a memoir or write poetry? Would you like feedback, encouragement and the chance to share with other writers? Then join our writer’s circle open to all ages from teen to senior. The group meets the first and third Wednesday of each month. No registration required.

If you are looking for a fun and rewarding opportunity to volunteer this summer to earn experience or community service hours come into the library or visit our website at www.mywpl.ca for more information and the volunteer application form. Successful applicants will be contacted for orientation and training.

Strategic Plan

✓

10:15 am–12:15 pm, Tuesdays, July 4, 11, 18, 25 For American Mah-jongg players looking for a friendly game, join us upstairs in the Fiction area on Tuesday mornings throughout July and August. We can accommodate up to 16 players, so first come, first serve.

Photo by Samo Trebizan – Fotolia

MAKE US# M Y YOUR WPL WPL

Calling All “Mahj” Fans!

Woodstock Public Library is looking for your help. The Library is developing a new strategic plan for the next 5 years. This will map out our future for a busy growing city. The planning process will set priorities, focus our energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that employees and stakeholders are working toward common goals and most importantly align ourselves with the needs of the residents of Woodstock.

We have an active survey that you can find on our website, www.mywpl.ca. Filling it out will provide us with the insight we need as we plan for our future and it will also give you the opportunity to win some great prizes!

Creative Space

1:00–3:00 pm, Wednesdays, July 12, 26 This is an opportunity to gather and converse with like-minded One of the most important steps in this process is our focus group creative people and share your talents: knitting, needlework, meetings. It is critical to hear the voices of our community. This crocheting, sketching, however you express your creativity. is your opportunity to engage with us and to tell us your stories.

Meet in the fiction area of the Library the second and fourth Please watch our website and local media about times and Wednesday of the month. Refreshments are permitted. No locations. registration required.

Our great opportunity is driven by your wealth of knowledge.

Please take the time to share.

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File photo

Tech Coaching @ the Tech Bar

Try one or more of these quick tech coaching sessions for a variety of technology applications and devices. Please, no hardware setup or troubleshooting requests. Registration is ongoing, in person or by phone. Spaces are limited so register early.

Tech Topics

Date

Time

Downloading library eBooks and eAudiobooks for the following devices: iPad, Android, Kobo, Windows, Mac, Chromebook

Fri, July 14 Fri, July 28

10:15–11:15 am 10:15–11:15 am

Learn all the new features Fri, July 7 10:15–11:15 am available on My WPL Account Wed, July 19 2:15–3:15 pm as we migrate to our new online catalogue Navigating your iPhone, iPad or Macbook

Wed, July 5 2:15–3:15 pm Wed, July 26 2:15–3:15 pm

Learn how to use Hoopla, our new digital service. Access movies and tv shows, music, eBooks and eAudiobooks including comics!

Wed, July 12 2:15–3:15 pm Fri, July 21 10:15–11:15 am

Summer Hours

July 3–September 5, 2017 Monday–Thursday......................................10:00 am–8:30 pm Friday–Saturday..........................................10:00 am–5:00 pm Closed Sundays

Woodstock Public Library 445 Hunter Street, Woodstock, ON Phone: 519-539-4801 Web: www.mywpl.ca

Check out the COW Tales ‘Way Back When’ contest on page 19 and enter today!

A: CKOX, CKDK, K102, K104, Energy Radio,

The Hawk, Greatest Hits 103.9, MORE FM, Country 104, 104.7 Heart FM, and Hope FM. WHAT’S ON WOODSTOCK | July 2017 25

TRANSIT

Hours of Operation: (30 Minute Service) Mon. to Fri............... 6:00 am–10:00 pm Saturdays................. 8:00 am–10:00 pm (All Bus Stops display a Route Service Schedule)

Info Line: 519-539-1291 ext. 3104 (Mon. to Fri.) 8:30 am–4:30 pm

PARA-TRANSIT Effective August 2, 2016

Para-Transportation Services Available for Registered Eligible Individuals Para-Transit Service provided by the City of Woodstock

Transit Fare Rates & Special Discount Passes (effective Aug. 2, 2016)

CASH FARES* Adult/Senior $2.50 Students (age 5–18) $2.50 Children (under 5) FREE

*Note: Exact change is required on the bus.

SPECIAL DISCOUNT / SAVINGS PASSES Han-D-Ride Value Pass 12 Rides Student/Senior (60+) Pass Monthly Monthly Adult Pass (non-transferable)

$25 $48 $60

PURCHASE PASSES Monthly Han-D- Family AT THESE LOCATIONS Pass Rides Pass City Hall ✓ ✓ ✓ Community Complex ✓ ✓ ✓ Engineering / Public Works ✓ ✓ ✓ Fanshawe College (Student Pass only) ✓ Foodland ✓ ✓ ✓ Shoppers Drug Mart (East & West) ✓ ✓ ✓ South Gate Centre ✓ ✓ ✓ Southside Aquatic Centre ✓ ✓ ✓ St. Mary’s H.S. (Student Pass only) ✓ TD Canada Trust (Springbank) ✓ TD Canada Trust (Wellington/Dundas) ✓ ✓ ✓ Woodstock Public Library ✓ ✓ ✓ Please note: passes are not available on the bus.

Group Pass • 2–5 riders • $7.50 all day With the $7.50 Group Pass, up to 5 riders can enjoy unlimited travel on all Woodstock Transit routes all day long. Some restrictions apply.

26 WHAT’S ON WOODSTOCK | July 2017

Cash Fare

$2.50

Regular hours of operation Mon–Fri 6:00 am–10:00 pm

Sat 8:00 am–10:00 pm

Service must be pre-booked 24 hours in advance.

Call 519-539-2382 ext. 2510 (TTY: 519-539-7268) between the hours of 8:30 am–7:00 pm, Monday through Friday and 9:00 am–7:00 pm on Saturday.

(Voicemail is available outside of regular hours).

All passes accepted on conventional transit are now accepted on Para-Transit.

Registration forms are available at City Hall.

Note: Photo I.D. cards will be required in order to use this service.

Questions concerning eligibility criteria?

Phone 519-539-1291

museum

WHAT’S ON WOODSTOCK | July 2017 27

art gallery

City Hall Marriages Photo supplied

D

id you know that City Hall performs wedding ceremonies? In 2016 City Hall conducted 71 weddings!

City Hall is a perfect place to get married if you are looking for a simple and cost effective marriage ceremony.

There are many reasons people choose to get married here at City Hall.

One of the most popular reasons are destination weddings. Destination weddings are great! Who wouldn’t want to get married on a nice warm tropical beach?

However, different countries often have different marriage laws and cannot always provide English documentation.

That’s where we come in! In order to obtain peace of mind and ensure that all proper documentation is administered; a lot of couples choose to get legally married here and then have their symbolic romantic destination wedding.

That is just one of the many reasons why people choose City Hall as their wedding venue. Another reason is the cost. We charge $115 dollars for a marriage license and $282.50 for the ceremony. We can also provide witnesses at a cost if the happy couple requires.

Not only are the weddings here at City Hall cost effective they are also efficient in time. Depending on the service that the couple chooses, the marriage service ranges from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. The decorations, as well as the service, are simple and basic. Photographers are also welcome as well as music (if the couple brings in their own device). Do you have a lot of family and friends? No problem Council Chambers can hold up to 35 guests.

So what are you waiting for? If you’re looking for a hassle free wedding come on down to City Hall, check out our website, or give us a call!

Clerks Department Address: 500 Dundas Street, Woodstock, Ontario Website: https://www.cityofwoodstock.ca/en/living-inwoodstock/marriage-licence.asp Telephone: 519-539-2382 ext. 2502.

Check out the COW Tales ‘Way Back When’ contest on page 19 and enter today!

A: The Woodstock Actives.

30 WHAT’S ON WOODSTOCK | July 2017

Sesquicentennial Canada Day, Southside Park Saturday, July 1st The Community Events Billboard July 1 9

11 11

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29 Canada Day 150, Southside Park, 2:00–9:00 pm. Music, demonstrations, exhibits, crafters, food plus a huge fireworks display! Details at www.cityofwoodstock.ca.

Mini Airshow by Woodstock Radio Control Flying Club, Concession Rd 4. 10:00 am–4:00 pm. Free admission.

Many pilots from Southwestern Ontario with their airplanes, helicopters and drones will perform aerobatics, and combat flights. Food booth on location. Directions: take County Rd 4 north of Toyota Car Plant just before the Thames River turn right onto Concession Rd 4 go about 1 mile watch for the Club sign on the left.

Cruise Night, The Pub at 305 Norwich Ave. 6:00–9:00 pm.

50/50 draws etc, all monies raised will be donated to a charity in Woodstock/Oxford County.

Woodstock Horticultural Society Meeting, Fairgrounds Mutual Building. 7:00 pm. Free admission. Linda Yeoman will speak on Floral Design Basics. Refreshments and door prizes. For information, call 519-539-1061.

Winsafe Show & Shine, 1098 Parkinson Rd. 9:00 am– 1:00 pm. $5 Registration per vehicle (includes one door prize ticket). All proceeds raised go to local charities in the Woodstock Community! First 25 vehicles registrations receive a door prize! For information, call 519-537-2041.

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Celebration of Life in Colour, Southside Park, 9:00 am– 9:00 pm. Tickets, $5 per entry. Woodstock Youth Committee has organized a colour run, lunch and vendors, followed by a dinner, dance competition and dance in the park for youth aged 12–24. An online auction is taking place on www.facebook.com/youthnotsosilentauction.

All profits go toward the Celebration of Life in Colour community youth event with the principal mission to fund social inclusion for youth and promote positive messages regarding mental health to the community.

Hits For Hospice Co-Ed SloPitch Tournament, Cowan Fields Devonshire Ave. 8:00 am–6:00 pm. Team entry fee $225.

Spectators free. Fun Mushball tournament with BBQ and Beverage Pavilion. All Monies raised are donated to VON Sakura House.

August

18–19 Cowapolooza 16, Southside Park. 2 Free concerts, Friday featuring Mudmen and the McCartney Years, and Saturday featuring Colin James and Tim Tyler. See page 2 for details.

19 Oxford County Plowing Match, The 73rd plowing match is being held on Knoops Farm Service, 884024 Rd 88, RR1, Embro. From 9:30 am–1:00 pm.

Sponsored by Canada Day, July 1 at Southside Park Free entertainment from 2:00–9:00 pm.

Featuring Woodstock’s Got Talent winners, Winners of the 2017 Newtal Singing Competition, Finale featuring “Shania Alive” Tribute.

Also, world class busker ‘The Fire Guy’, Woodstock Taekwon-Do Club Demonstration, Kiddie Rides on west diamond, Lion’s Club Beverage Garden, Food Vendors, Crafters Alley, Ice Cream Truck.

Activities found between the east and west ball diamonds at the north end of Southside Park.

Visit www.cityofwoodstock.ca for more details.

Don’t miss the huge fireworks display sponsored by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. and the City of Woodstock.

Remember to bring blankets or lawn chairs for the fireworks.