The Drive Magazine // Summer issue 114

The

DRIVE

Issue 114

KATZMAN REVEALED

LIFESTYLE | CULTURE | PEOPLE | TRENDS

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The

DRIVE

PAUL ST-PIERRE

Publisher

KEN STEWART

Managing Director

DAVID HUNTER

Sales Director

SABINE MAIN

Editorial and Creative Director

CONTRIBUTORS MEL MONCZAK

Sales

SYX LANGEMANN

Photographer

JOEY ACOTT

Photographer

KARITAS PHOTOGRAPHY Photographer VERONIQUE MANDEL Writer MICHELLE LARAMIE

Writer

ALLEY L. BINIARZ

Writer

ELAN DIVON

Writer

SUZY KENDRICK

Writer

JESSE ZITER

Writer

DEIDRE RITSCHE

Writer

CHRIS EDWARDS

Writer

DANIELLE NICHOLSON Interior designer JEN HALE

Copy editor

JULIE WARD

Love & Intimacy coach

SAMANTHA BOULOS

Make-up, stylist, trend forecaster

ROBERT CORY

For Cabello Hair and Bumble and Bumble

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TYLER POKORSKI

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Art director

Hair stylist

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CONTENTS

SPRING/SUMMER II 2018

2 14 2

WELCOME

PEOPLE DRIVE Rob Katzman

6 Editor’s letter TREND DRIVE

CREATIVE DRIVE Fear to flow

9 What's on trend?

CREATIVE DRIVE 10 From go, go, go to go with the flow 13 Raising the EQ bar 14 Fear to flow SEX DRIVE 18 Igniting the passion PEOPLE DRIVE 22 Rob Katzman: Regrets...he's had a few 28 Anthony Sheardown: Shooting through a lens of courage 32 April Shaye, doing what it takes SPORTS DRIVE 34 From the Babe's bat to Brooks lumberyard HOME DRIVE 37 Danielle Nicholson talks home trends TREND DRIVE

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40 Punchy & Passionate '18 fashion trends 43 Look The Part with the hottest eyewear trends 44 Spotlight. Catwalk. Real Talk.

LIFE DRIVE 48 LGBTQ community: Fearless & feeling the fantasy

PEOPLE DRIVE Anthony Sheardown

44

TREND DRIVE Atelier Fashion Show

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Embrace your creativity and free your inner critic “Creativity takes courage”—wise words by the painter, Henri Matisse.

Creativity is inherent in all of us, whether we believe it’s true or not.

But it takes a lot of honest soul-searching to identify our creative side. It takes courage because most of us have diluted our creative thoughts and ideas to conform to society's imposed norms. How brave and bold do you need to be to express your ideas in front of the world?

The people in this issue will give you a lot to think about—from the creative writing styles in which the writers express themselves to the images and layout of every page that is meant to evoke your thoughts and feelings.

We’ve written about creativity in several different ways. The Creative Drive section gets into the psychology behind creative thought processes, what develops them and what stunts them.

In our Sex Drive, we speak to our expert intimacy and relationship therapist to coach us through igniting the fire in creative ways with our lover and in our lives.

Our People Drive celebrates the ones who have had the courage to explore their lives in unconventional ways, and while some have had regrets, others are scratching the surface of what's possible.

We take you on a journey in our Sports Drive, where we share how one man’s passion to collect baseballs became his hobby in his own creative way.

Our Home Drive and Fashion Drive both delve into what’s trending this spring and how to get your creative juices flowing.

Lastly, we share a series of heartfelt interviews with and creative photographs of the LGBTQ community.

All these people at some point of their lives faced failure, judgment from others, financial risks and/ or self doubt, but none got through to the other side without a bit of soul-searching to find what drives them creatively. Now that’s courage.

What is one thing you could do this week, month and year to express your creativity in some way? Try something that feels like a stretch and an expression of your heart’s instinct and desires.

Whether it’s making a dish you’ve never made before, taking time to try and draw or dancing to some of your favourite tunes (even though you think you can’t dance). Take on something that expresses your uniqueness and creativity. Celebrate with courage and be creative!

We hope you enjoy our third re-launch issue. We welcome your feedback on our website at www. thedrivemagazine.com/contact, or by email at editorial@thedrivemagazine.com

Photo by Nick Fewings.

Sabine Main

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Ca fé /D rin ks

SOCIAL DRIVE

INTERIOR: Say farewell to the pastel palettes of last year and be prepared to see a trend toward inky blues. Bolder colours bring an artistic quality to an interior, especially when paired with eye-catching, gold accessories. Using indigo blue as an accent wall paired with a retro-inspired light fixture, local artist Megan Cornwall and her husband have managed to use their record collection as a fantastic feature of their home.

In te rio r

DINING: It’s official: the garage doors are finally open for spring at Erie Street’s Tiki Sushi.

Their breezy cantina offers up a twist on traditional sushi with Spanish and South American–influenced dishes that are a true celebration of all things seafood. Daily, their raw bar serves up delicacies such as torched tuna tetaki, and fresh P.E.I. oysters for two bucks a shuck. Open Monday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

TR EN DS

St yle

STYLE: This season is all about effortless, ‘cool girl’ waves that aren’t straight but not quite curly; not overly styled but not messy either. To get the look, use R+Co’s line of rule-bending, luxury products to add texture and subdued volume. Keep the roots quite a few shades darker and blend into a natural-looking, dirty blonde. (Available exclusively at downtown’s Voce Hair Lounge.)

Di nin g

CAFÉ/DRINKS: A stroll through Walkerville isn’t complete without a pause at the local indie favourite, Anchor Coffee House.

This buzzing café features homemade baked goods, lunch fare, and coffee made with exclusively Canadian roasted beans.

As the weather warms up, their cold brew and other iced drinks hit the menu—perfect to grab on the fly or for relaxed enjoyment at one of their outdoor tables.

By: Deidre Ritsche - www.bordercityliving.com | Photography: Karitas Photography

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CREATIVE DRIVE

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FROM GO, GO, GO TO GO WITH THE FLOW UNLOCKING THE CREATIVE FLOW BY LETTING YOUR MIND WANDER

By Alley L. Biniarz

“Look at that beautiful woman,” I said to my friend Brittany, as I nodded toward the elderly yet vibrant server gliding from table to table at the Greek restaurant we were patronizing on day three of our adventure in Greece. The spirited lady danced from table to table, bringing colourful plates to new diners or collecting the used dishes from satisfied patrons. I couldn’t take my eyes off her sturdy hands. She looked as old as my grandmother, yet had the hands of someone half her age.

“Ready for dessert, yes?” she asked, as she floated back toward our table. “And are you young ladies going dancing later? There is a spot just down the street to go.” Both were more directives than questions, as if suggesting that both dessert and dancing were mandatory on the island. I looked at Brittany and then back at the woman, her warm brown eyes hinting at the excitement

that awaited me and my friend. However, the sun-filled day had exhausted these two tourists, so we politely suggested neither was in the works.

“What a shame,” she responded. “I will be going dancing after my shift is over.

Maybe I will see you. If not, will I see you for breakfast tomorrow?” My eyes widened at the thought of this older woman dancing into the late night and then rising early to serve breakfast the next morning— and wondering where she got the energy to do both. “Do you work breakfast to dinner every day?” I asked. She just smiled, collected our used plates and continued her dance around the restaurant.

This amazing woman I met four years ago, with the joie de vivre in her step, pops into my mind whenever I pick up the pace in life and forget to hit the pause button.

She appears to me with her effortless energy in having succumbed to what I like to call “working with stillness.” She lives in my mind as a fiercely hard worker, but one that takes the time to—as we like to say—stop and smell the roses. When my deadlines come up for writing, business or any other creative endeavours, it’s easy to forget the need to stop and smell those roses. I carry my deadlines with me like a trophy: proudly, but noticing the heaviness setting in when holding onto it for too long.

We all have a habit of carrying around our loads every single day. We load ourselves up with extra hours at work, missed lunches and booking our time back-to-back, thinking that if we work harder, longer, faster, that “more” will come out of it. But a test done out of Bar-Ilan University in Israel says otherwise. The test showed that those trying to participate in a creative word association, while simultaneously carrying the mental load of an eight-digit pairing, responded with a common answer, diminishing their originality. Those carrying only two digits gave varied pairings and had the most creative responses. If you don’t leave space in your mind for creative thoughts, how do you expect to grow?

mastery. In other words, the more time you let your mind wander during a break, the less stressed and more receptive your brain will be to creative thinking. Your brain is like an elastic: if stretched out too far, it can snap or be mauled to the point of no return to original form. If allowed the rest, your brain will maintain firm elasticity.

The happiness that radiates when giving your brain this rest is attached to a positive reaction of safety, says Dr. Alice Boyes, a psychologist turned writer. Her study links creativity to specific emotions: feeling upbeat, serene or uneasy. She notes that feeling elated is associated with an increase in creativity, and that contrary to popular belief, sadness doesn’t actually deplete creativity. However, feelings of anxiousness, fearfulness or tension are associated with decreased creativity, which can derive from workplace stress, having too much on our plates or even avoidance tactics (sprung on by taking too much on at once).

Finding the right positive signal to the brain that releases the craving for novelty or exploration is exactly what’s going to get those creative juices flowing. Her book, The Healthy Mind Toolkit: Simple Strategies to Get Out of Your Own Way and Enjoy Life, explores wellresearched strategies on how to increase these moments of fulfillment, such as: 1. Developing closer relationships 2. Spending time in nature 3. Reducing avoidance 4. Expressing gratitude 5. Mindfulness meditation

Running, dancing or finding time with friends are just a few ways to step away from a task and to get your creativity boost. Travelling to a new place is what set in motion my own creative inspiration and is my constant reminder to stop and smell the roses. But you don’t need to wait for a vacation to find inspiration; you can begin by diversifying your everyday experiences and giving yourself that daily rest. This is enough to ease a Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, a psychologist at “creatively blocked” mind.

Let go of whatever load you’re carrying Florida State University, mentions the benefits of following in the footsteps of some of and let in the creativity that is locked inside history’s greatest thinkers. They found their somewhere—maybe you’ve just been too busy best thoughts or ideas while going for walks to notice it hiding in there. What do you or playing cards with friends. This ability think would happen if you broke through to pause, to reflect, relax and let the mind the busyness, let it all go and let your mind wander, he says, is the true sign of time wander into spaces reserved for creativity? D. 11

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RAISING THE BAR

EQ

By Michelle Laramie

Emotional intelligence. For many, it’s just another business buzzphrase that will be relevant only until the next fad comes along. But as more businesses and people begin to take emotional intelligence, or EI, more seriously, the importance of the concept is becoming harder and harder to ignore.

CREATIVE DRIVE

You might be at a place in your life where you consider yourself pretty successful, with everything you’ve been working to achieve coming to fruition. You know who you are, you know your strengths and weaknesses. You can read people like a book and you have great empathy for those around you. You are emotionally intelligent.

But if an unexpected trauma hits, your world could be blown apart. Your emotions, reactions and interactions with others may not line up with your core beliefs of who you are as a person. When your life blows up in front of your face, those calm healthy decisions and behaviours can go straight out the window. Are you going to let this incident stop your life? Or will you be willing to learn from it?

Emotional Intelligence is a skill that helps people manage their emotions, actions and relationships without a second thought.

Those with a higher EI find they can navigate through life as if hiking with a map instead of stepping carefully through a minefield. Learning emotional intelligence can be a life-changer when it comes to health and wellness in our everyday lives.

HERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS TO GET YOU THINKING ABOUT YOUR OWN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE:

According to Merrilee Associati, a Mental Health Registered Nurse at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare’s Transitional Stability Centre, EI is a skill that helps you recognize your own emotions and those of others, as well as how those emotions affect your feelings and behaviours.

A) Continue what you are doing, paying little to no attention to the turbulence.

B) Become vigilant, watch the cabin staff and read the emergency instructions card.

C) A little of both A&B.

“It is a very important tool that can help combat mental illness and create strong mental awareness,” she said. Many people become emotionally dysregulated and understanding our own emotional intelligence and where to improve can help build the resilience one needs to cope.

You took a test on which you thought you would get an A but you received a C-. How do you react?

A) Make a plan to improve your mark and follow through with it.

B) Decide it doesn't matter how well you do in the class—focus on classes where your marks are higher.

C) Decide you don’t have what it takes for this career.

“Being more aware and taking responsibility for our own thoughts and behaviours can develop and improve our EI,” said Associati.

With emotional intelligence we can make changes within ourselves rather than seek outside help or, in some cases, medication. EI can help keep us in a state of wellness and living our daily lives better prepared for mental health issues that may arise.

Here are the four main components of someone who has Emotional Intelligence: 1) Self-awareness: You recognize your own emotions and how they affect your thoughts and behaviours. You know your strengths and weaknesses and have self-confidence.

2) Self-management: You are able to control impulsive feelings and behaviours, manage your emotions in healthy ways, take initiative, follow through on commitments and adapt to changing circumstances.

3) Social Awareness: You can understand the emotions, needs and concerns of other people, pick up on emotional cues, feel comfortable socially and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization.

4) Relationship Management: You know how to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team and manage conflict.

You are on an airplane that suddenly hits extreme turbulence. What do you do?

You are trying to calm a friend who is enraged because someone cut her off in traffic. What do you do?

A) Tell her about an incident where you were angry until you saw they were heading to the hospital.

B) Join her in criticizing the other driver.

C) Tell her to forget about it; after all, she is okay now, so it's no big deal.

A discussion between you and your partner has escalated into a screaming match with personal attacks. What do you do?

A) Agree to take a 20-minute break before continuing the discussion.

B) Stop for a moment, collect your thoughts and restate your side.

C) Go silent, regardless of what your partner says.

These questions are a short snippet from the quiz given at the Transitional Stability Centre Wellness program to get clients looking into their own emotional intelligence. The more A’s you answer, the higher your emotional intelligence.

(To take the full quiz, go online to www.thedrivemagazine.com/ posts/raising-the-emotional-bar) D. 13

You are energy. Your thoughts, emotions and physical body are all forms of energy—Einstein figured that out a hundred years ago. And energy, by definition, needs to flow and move. In fact, that’s what energy is: a dynamic movement of life force.

From the micro to the macro, from atoms and cells to galaxies and stars, all matter moves in a state of dynamic flow. The universe is never static.

FEAR TO FLOW

Until something, called fear, comes along and spoils the party. What does fear do? It freezes and constricts. It traps your energy and obstructs the flow.

If energy is the movement of life force through your body and mind, then fear is the constriction and abatement of that life force. It blocks your power.

Fear makes you contract rather than expand; shrivel up rather than sound the trumpet horns.

THE ORIGINS OF FEAR All fears share a common mother. There is nothing unconventional about your fear. Notwithstanding the fight-or-flight kind of fear of someone putting a gun to your head, all fears stem from one thing: the fear of rejection, ridicule, disapproval, failure and humiliation. Simply put, we fear that someone will see our flaws, that we’ll be “exposed,” and that we’ll be deemed unworthy in the eyes of another—and ultimately, by our own selves.

The fear of public speaking, for example (the #1 fear in the world), is really the fear of being heard and seen because deep down we feel unworthy and don’t want to make a fool of ourselves.

The fear of flying, otherwise known as aviophobia, is essentially the fear of crashing.

And the fear of death is nothing but the fear of not having lived, of arriving at your deathbed riddled with regret and misgivings. “Oh, I should have done this or I could have done that.” Fear is therefore not about the “thing” you fear, but the negative aspect or outcome of what you believe will happen when you face it.

The fear of the unknown? Same story. How many times have you heard someone say they are scared of what will happen if they leave their job, or move to a new city or dump a boyfriend who’s mistreating them? As adults, we fear the unknown.

5 PROVEN WAYS TO MASTER YOUR FEARS

By Elan Divon

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CREATIVE DRIVE But as babies, we revelled in it. Everything we did was a step into uncharted territory. Trying a new food, petting an animal, taking our first steps, saying hello to strangers—all these things were steps into the unknown, but as babies we did it willingly.

As we grow older things change and the sense of mystery we had as children toward the unfamiliar mutates into fear. It’s not the “unknown” we fear; it’s the negative thing that might happen to us when we enter it, namely rejection, failure, disapproval, ridicule and humiliation.

CONQUERING FEAR So how can you conquer fear? There is one tried and tested way: you must accept it. Embrace it. Even love it. Remember the adage, “the only way to change someone is to love them?” The same applies to ourselves.

We must accept our fear because it represents a rejected part of our psyche.

Our fear is energy in our being we haven’t yet mastered. Hence it appears (often in dreams) as a monster; a wild and uncontrollable energy that we don’t know how to handle. But the monster is your mentor. It is here to teach you something about yourself and make you whole. Your fear is a part of you. Don’t reject it: befriend it. Get acquainted with it. Move towards it. That is the first step.

Have you ever had a recurring dream of a monster or wild animal chasing you? The demon chasing you in the dream world is symbolic of a demon you have not mastered in the real one. And this monster, this wild energy, will keep pulling obstacles, people and situations into your life that make you conscious of your fear. As Carl Jung once said, “The goal of life is to make the unconscious conscious by shining a light into the darkness of your being.” Your fear represents that darkness, and your going forth to meet it is the light.

Why do you keep attracting the same kinds of people and situations? Maybe it’s the same type of difficult partner, or the same abusive boss or people who take advantage of you and put you down. You move to another country, change jobs, get a makeover and buy a new suit but these people keep showing up. They stick to you like super glue.

Why? Because the problem lies not with of 11. Then repeat. them, but in you.

Step 2: Visualization The demons won’t go away until you If you get anxious about an upcoming release the power (in your own psyche) they task or situation, you'll notice that just frustrate and bring to the surface. So the thinking about that interview, speech or task first step is awareness and acceptance. will cause unwarranted physical responses— Fear therefore has an important function in your life: it illuminates the place where your power lies. It will point you in the direction of your greatest opportunity for self-growth and development. It may even lead you to your life’s purpose.

namely anxiety. This fear conditions your body to become even more anxious in the actual situation. By breathing in a relaxed way whilst imagining the dreaded situation, you calm the association down and prompt your mind to feel more relaxed when the Winston Churchill, one of the greatest moment of truth arrives. leaders of the 20th century, inspired Britain Step 3: Activate your brain to victory over the Nazis. And what made When we become anxious, it’s hard to Churchill an exceptional leader was his think clearly—everything’s a blur. But if we amazing public-speaking skills. But Chur- force ourselves to use our ‘rational thinking chill stuttered as a boy, and his speech brain,’ we instantly dilute the emotion and impediment caused him to face ridicule and calm the anxiety and nerves. The easiest way bullying. Learning to speak without fear was to do this is by thinking about numbers. the area on which he focused because it held You might grade your fear from 1 to 10, the key to his power and purpose. He had 10 being the worst and 1 being your most to face his fear to find his power. relaxed state. When you're feeling anxious, James Earl Jones, the iconic voice of Darth Vader and CNN, shares a similar story (Jones was a mute for several years as a child), while many other influencers had to face their fears to find their voices .

ask yourself, “What number on the scale am I right now? Am I an 8, or a 5?” Doing this will lower anxiety because it ignites the thinking brain and weakens the grip your emotions have on you.

So if there is something you fear, see it Step 4: Exercise as an opportunity for growth, as a flickering Fear creates nervousness and tension light in the darkness of your being that can in your body. But if your nerves have been reveal a great treasure. Embrace your fear worn out by physical activity, your fear will and walk right to it. lose its bite. Exercise is a way of moving your body into flow by getting your blood circulating. Try exercising a few hours before OF COURSE, THIS IS EASIER you give a big speech or do something that SAID THAN DONE! WE ALL KNOW causes you anxiety. The effects will be THAT FACING OUR DEMONS IS unmistakable.

TERRIFYING. SO HOW CAN YOU MANAGE FEAR WHEN EMOTIONS TAKE OVER AND REALITY BECOMES A BLUR?

Step 5: Power Poses

Harvard Business School psychologist Amy Cuddy demonstrated through her now famous TED Talk that if you assume simple “power poses,” you prompt your body to feel more confident and energized. The HERE ARE FIVE SIMPLE STEPS: simple act of holding up your hands in a sign of victory, for example, will trick your Step 1: Breathe body into feeling triumphant. Try it before Quick, shallow breathing is the first facing a daunting task—it works! trigger (and sign) of being anxious. By In summary, we all have fears but need controlling your breath, however, you control all the other anxiety symptoms. In not punish ourselves because of them. fact, exhaling longer than you inhale will Instead, the only way to destroy fear is to instantly calm you down. Focus on your embrace it while appreciating that it has breath; inhale to the count of 7 in your a unique function to play in our lives by mind, and then slowly exhale to the count showing us where our power lies. D.

Heralded by Deepak Chopra as an emerging spiritual leader for the next generation, Elan Divon is an author, social entrepreneur, speaker and mentor. His approach blends ancient wisdom with proven personal development strategies into a unique system called Initiation.

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IGNITING THE PASSION

By Julie Ward

“You can’t start a fire without a spark” is my favourite line in Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” as it is so true when it comes to passionate play.

In my work with couples, the most common complaint is that their sex life is dampened, and has become rather boring and infrequent. They remember having fiery, hot sex, and now they are worried, wondering, “How do we get that back?”

Sex is not a once-vibrant act that has burned out completely, lying in the ashes of a love-hearth. It’s still there—what’s missing is how you stoke life into the cooling embers of your relationship with each other.

I remember watching a man build a fire.

He constructed this most impressive pyre of logs—an engineering structural masterpiece.

The problem was that those large logs simply would not light. The logs required the smaller kindling in order to light. When that kindling was tended to, it smoldered for a time before quickly igniting into quivering flames. By fanning those tentative flames, the heat slowly spread along slender limbs until finally those logs burst into a roaring delight.

Passion is like that. It starts with tending to the small stuff and will spread with enduring patience. It requires delaying instant gratification and using some creative ingenuity so that the fire of love can be easily reignited time and time again.

SEX DRIVE

So how do you fuel foreplay to reignite passion for the experience of strong love or sexual desire? patience while you find novel ways to connect with your partner that are outside your norm. With connection being key here, you can use ‘love notes’ with careful, deliberate intention to have them feel loved and Cleaning up may not be the kind of in return, to be more loving. dirty talk you were expecting but a messy Go beyond, “Do you want me to pick up space is one of the top pet peeves I hear repeatedly. So let’s get that mess out of dinner?” or “Thinking about you.” Touch your way. Look around your home for them deeper. Say heartfelt words like “I things that need putting away, throwing loved watching you sleep this morning, you out or fixing up. What causes any form looked so beautiful. I wanted to just hold of irritation to either of you or between you close and never leave.” Be direct, saying you? Take care of it. When you deal with something like, “I’m going to slowly kiss you it, it sends the message that you care about all over later tonight, starting with your toes your partner. Creating orderly ambience is and working my way up.” a welcoming invitation to feel more at ease Know what your partner would love to and relaxed together, even if all you can hear and then say exactly that. You want to manage is one ‘love-in’ room. warm them up, love them up—the way they In the book, The 5 Love Languages, an receive love. If you do not know what that act of service is one ‘love language’ that you is, try innovative angles. Make it your study or your partner may need in order to feel until you elicit the warm response you know loved. I had a pair of previous clients, both is there. with very busy careers, who went so far as to hire a house cleaner whom they agreed was a huge relief and a marriage saver. It’s hard enough these days with all the tension and stress outside the home to be able to let your hair down, put your feet up and open up when everywhere you look there are things that need attention. Remember, Try leaving surprise love messages strateit’s the small stuff that will fuel a fire, one gically placed around the house or send way or the other. playful texts or warm voice messages. The choices are endless, as are your word choices.

Constantly fan that flame with your partner by stirring their imagination and their heart.

Creating exciting adventures together can surely heat you up with the anticipation—in and out of the bedroom. Yes, take that dream vacation and yes, head to that new restaurant, but consider it may be hotter to play an adventurous adult version of dress-up. One client, dressed provocatively, met her husband as if they were total strangers at a distant hotel bar. They both assumed personas of each other’s fantasy lover. I’m told it was a rather sexy, hot and fun-filled evening.

In the beginning of a relationship, everything is shiny new and passionately hot as you haven’t done this ‘thing’ together before. After a while, the heat It’s said that patience is a virtue and for dies down and you now need to add some passionate loving it certainly is. So practise purposeful passion planning.

Julie Ward, an intimacy and relationship coach, offers deep insight and wisdom in a light-hearted, earthy manner. Her expertise has been showcased in Canada’s #1 magazine, Canadian Living, with many other contributions to radio, TV and speaker panels. Visit her at www.julieward.com

Clean up the ashes

Turn up the heat

Create a slow burn

Let’s be honest, everyone has unexplored fantasies and most are harmless and worthy of some edgy exploration. If he dreams of spanking sexy redheads or platinum blondes, and you’re into that idea, get a wig. If she secretly swoons over a cowboy or a biker, get leather chaps. (Spurs or lassoes are optional.)

Just turn on your energies and playful expressions from time to time; otherwise you will get into fixed patterns that leave one or both of you bored. Go to edgy creativity instead and talk about it with good humour and enthusiasm, co-creating a loose fantasy script to spark your passions back to life.

It’s the small stuff that matters the most— focus on the loving kindling, and in no time you’ll stoke that roaring fire of passion back to life. D.

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BETTER BLINDS & DRAPERY

By Veronique Mandal | Photography: Syx Langemann

he’s had a few

REGRETS...

PEOPLE DRIVE

As a young man he was a driven entrepreneur, but as he inches toward retirement age, Windsor’s Rob Katzman would like to make some changes in his life, and that’s making him evaluate the road he’s taken for the past 40 years.

Katzman burst onto the business scene when he was 29 and soon became known, for better or worse, as an adult entertainment mogul. While Katzman was studying business and religious studies at the University of Windsor, he and his fellow student and boyhood friend Van Nifores noticed the strip club—Jason’s— was doing a roaring business. Wanting to cash in, they approached Katzman’s father with a proposition.

“My father owned a bar called The Beanery that was not very successful and I told him Van and I would like to go in there and make some changes” says Katzman. “We decided to bring in dancing girls and things really took off. I bought Lee’s Imperial House and purchased adult entertainment facilities in different cities in New Hampshire, Michigan and Florida for a short while and also in Toronto.

I also owned the Hi Way Tavern on Walker Road in Windsor which I bought in 1979 and sold in 1986.”

“On snowy winter days I’d wake my mom and she would drive me around.

We had many great talks on those mornings. She was a very smart lady,” said Katzman. “At 15 I cut lawns; at 16 painted houses. When I turned 18, I worked temporary part-time at Chrysler. I was also friends with John McIver and his father, Bill, was president of Kelsey-Hayes and gave me jobs in the summer.”

and trust. I grew up with values and felt guilty when I didn’t work hard. I wasn’t the brightest boy, but I felt God did give me talents of creativity and instinct. I’m an ideas person, a deal junkie.”

Every day when the temperature soared to 86 degrees in the plant, people would head home to their air conditioning.

Katzman wanted to join them, but he had to walk past a group of European men who did not see heat as a good enough reason to put down their tools.

lous, and pays a lot of attention to detail.

That characteristic in business has enabled him to succeed. He has idea after idea and once he gets started he’s like a dog with a bone, making sure it is executed properly.

He is exceptionally well read and I learn a lot from him. I have never met another person so intrigued by the people he talks to—he genuinely wants to know everything about you. He is an incredibly compassionate man and has given so much to his community, but you don’t hear about it because he does it quietly.”

And, according to one of Katzman’s greatest friends, his creativity is the foundation of his success as a businessman.

Barry Zekelman has known “Robbie” for more than 30 years as both a friend and, At Kelsey-Hayes he learned a defining at times, working on business ventures lesson from the immigrants who staffed together. They talk or see each other almost the plant. He laughs now at the memory every day. of how they helped shape the businessman “He has always been a driven guy,” said he was to become.

Zekelman. “He’s creative, bright, meticu-

“Those Europeans used to say to me ‘don’t be a weakling, work through the heat.’ I just knew they were right and what they did, it fit together with my mother’s feelings that you should work hard and feel good about working hard. I could never put down my gloves and leave. I wouldn’t be Zekelman, an international businessman able to face them in the morning.” and owner of businesses such as Atlas Tube He is also grateful to a high school in Harrow, Ontario, and hardly a slouch teacher at Hugh Beaton Public School himself, said he has many times told his who told him discipline is about pushing friend he is too hard on himself and not to yourself and finding the strength to put so much pressure on himself.

He was always looking for the next exciting challenge, always taking risks. At times, when he might have been better off hunkering down to squeeze maximum value from a company, he was on the move. move forward even when you don’t want “I always admire those guys I see who to make the effort. Katzman was never have one business and work so hard at without a job, always had a few bucks in it and are so successful. I was always the his pocket, always had a clean car—which person who wanted to grow, and then was important to him—and was always able later to find out it was motivated by ego—a to buy gifts for his parents and siblings on character flaw,” he says with some chagrin. their birthdays.

He may see it as a character flaw but there were also salient reasons why he took his business ventures very seriously. Unlike when he worked for Proctor and Gamble, where one’s competency is measured by HR and managers, in a small business, he said, you measure yourself with questions such as, “Am I pleasing my customers, my employees, my partners?” “Am I finding profits?” For Katzman, there wasn’t an option. He had to work hard.

But the frenetic pace he has maintained in his business life—and the high bar he strived to reach as an adult— was set from the time he started working as a paperboy for the Windsor Star and Globe and Mail newspapers.

“

His love and respect for his family growing up is evident but he concedes to having been a bit of a challenge. If there was an opportunity to do something he shouldn’t, he pursued it. If there was a “no trespassing” sign, he trespassed. He was always testing the edges and breaking the rules—something he agrees he has struggled with his whole life.

“It was a maturity issue, I guess. I loved to have fun, loved to drink beer and loved to laugh and tell stories. I always pursued happiness and fun and I still do to this day,” said Katzman. “I wasn’t given a lot of financial gifts; I was given much more important things. From my parents I received an overabundance of acceptance

“He has always been a driven guy,” said Zekelman.

“He’s creative, bright, meticulous, and pays a lot of attention to detail.”

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become involved in his retail sector in the Carolinas. Now that they both have busy lives, they have set aside time to devote solely to each other. Between 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. each morning, they have “coffee time” and it has become very important to them.

“We sit and talk about the kids, business, the news, his dog, retirement, goals,” said Alissa. “We argue about work ideas. We don’t rush. Rob used to be a one cupper; now he’s a two cupper. We really complement each other and we’re a really good match. I love him and I am in love with him. He is also my best friend.”

Alissa says they are different people learning how to approach each other based on respect and love. She laughs when describing their different approaches—when he gets into a heated discussion that goes too far, she gives him the silent treatment or speaks to him very softly. Things get settled and she said they have almost never gone to bed with unresolved issues. Her Rob, she says, is also an incurable romantic.

Despite his busy life, Katzman found time to get married. While he and Ronna Warsh have been divorced for more than 30 years, they have maintained a close relationship in order to give their only son Sam a solid upbringing.

“We were not good together as husband and wife,” admits Katzman, “but she’s a very decent person and because of her leadership it was a pleasure to raise Sam together. She has an unbelievable husband, Dr. Morrie Kleinplatz, who also helped raise my son. I have been very lucky in that way.”

A great source of his strength comes from his second marriage 25 years ago to his wife Alissa. Coincidentally, their families knew each other—Katzman’s mother was a Registered Nurse and looked after Alissa’s grandfather, while Alissa’s mother was an interior designer who did work for his sister. One summer when Alissa was home from Ryerson University, where she was studying Hospitality and Tourism Management, her mother called and told Katzman her daughter was in her store. He couldn’t get there fast enough.

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“Ours is a real love affair,” she says, and means it. “I have cards and letters he has written to me on my birthdays over 25 years. Love letters with unbelievable words that could surpass anything Nancy Reagan received from Ronnie. Every one of them “Do you know who I am?” he asked. is a gift.”

“I’d like to take you out.”

Her business involvement means she has to often be away for several days.

Alissa took a good look at him.

“He was really attractive, very mascu- Katzman laments those times when he is line and strong, well spoken and had a alone without her. great sense of humour,” she says, the memory still making her smile. “When we were first dating he lived in Windsor and I was going back to Toronto. He courted me like a princess. He’s unique, kind, passionate, sincere, intelligent and he has an idea a minute.”

They dated for six weeks, became engaged and married eight months later.

Together, they have a son, Noah, now 20 and studying in Europe.

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“When she’s here I follow her around like a cocker spaniel. I am almost useless when she’s gone and I miss her so much,” said Katzman with some sheepishness.

“I’ll sit and watch Netflix for hours, I order food. I struggle to get showered and go to the office. I never thought of being so dependent on anyone, but I’ve become so dependent on her. I treasure those beautiful morning coffees with my wife. She is remarkable and demonstrates generosity in everything she does, whether dealing with me, our children, her parents, everyone.”

Through the years they have visited many parts of the world. While Katzman loved to travel—his favourite place is India— Alissa had to adjust to it. She said he had While Katzman’s life has certainly to drag her around kicking and screaming been successful, both personal and finanbut now says she is so glad he did because cial, no life is without challenges and he it has been such a rewarding experience. is at a point where he now takes time to Katzman has many business inter- reflect on aspects of life he might have ests in Canada and the U.S. Alissa has done differently.

PEOPLE DRIVE A lesson he was slow to learn from his parents, he says, was modesty and humility. Humility, he believes, is the cornerstone of a human being. Without it, he says, you lack the ingredients to really become a full person—you can’t have mercy and can’t fully enjoy anything because it’s never enough.

Looking back, he acknowledges that his unrelenting drive to work made him too quick to judge people who were not as work-obsessed as he was and it’s something he still fights in himself.

“I was too immature to understand that it wasn’t beneficial to anyone to be so judgmental and opinionated, and to believe that if you didn’t work hard, if you didn’t try hard, you’re not as complete as person as you should be,” said Katzman.

“I’m just now changing the focus in my life.

I spend more time thinking about what I am rather than what I have. You just get so much more satisfaction and pleasure from doing the right things for the people around you.”

Katzman has become more philosophical in examining his life and says he does have some regrets…especially from his younger years.

“I regret that I argued with my mother so much, but I believe that came from lacking strength of character to be truthful with myself and others,” said Katzman wistfully. “I think I devoted too much time to being manipulative rather than being truthful—not that I had the maturity to recognize that, but in retrospect, I think that was my most significant shortcoming. My truthfulness is mostly lacking in my relationship with myself and I change my mind more than I should, and I have lost a lot of money because of it. I am learning a lot from my son Sam, especially about approaching people with a generosity of spirit.”

Although he has always treated the adult entertainment part of his business with professionalism and it has brought him financial success, he says he has regrets success I’ve enjoyed—because I was judged about it. incorrectly and often unfairly.”

“I could never have the freedom and He didn’t want his son to become pride to walk into a bank and get financing involved in the business because, he says, because my business was viewed in such a the last thing he wants is for his sons to dim manner and I often was painted with suffer the things that were difficult in the same brush. I was proud and it really his career.

However, he has tremendous hurt me. If I had to do my career over again respect for the professionalism, pride and I wouldn’t have ever gone into adult entertainment—notwithstanding the financial value Sam brings to all aspects of the enterprise. They continue to provide education

opportunities for their employees but Katzman says that part of his portfolio has caused him discomfort and shame. The tough businessman is not immune to the hurt that can come from value criticism.

“I’ve received ugly angry letters, and it hurts thinking about people reading this article and thinking dim of me. I’m a conservative thinker and although the letters have hurt me, I can’t help but be 25

PEOPLE DRIVE

able to understand their position—mothers and God-fearing people. I really love God-fearing people, I see myself as one. I’ve had this huge conflict and I haven’t solved the problem, at least not yet.”

Whatever his angst may be about his involvement in the adult entertainment business, he is supported by his wife and friends who say they know how hard he works to run the business in a respectful and professional manner. Katzman says it’s important to them to be viewed by city leadership—both political and police—as being part of the solution and not the problem.

“We are careful not to stain Windsor.

We keep our facilities in Windsor clean and legal and we just work hard to be viewed as responsible businesspeople,” said Katzman.

“Nevertheless, you can’t help being judged in certain circles in a certain way and that is why, if I were given a second chance, I would never go into adult entertainment.”

While he may never retire, he does want to slow down. His days are long and being an ideas man and dreamer can also mean having a tendency to be a time waster, he says laughing. He wants to devote time to improving his golf game mainly because it’s something he shares with Sam. The time they spend on the course together is especially important to Katzman. He would like to spend more time reading, sit on more boards, become more active in community organizations and enjoy his new Goldendoodle.

One of his biggest personal challenges has been the roller-coaster relationship he has with his weight. He studied at the Culinary School of America and loves to cook.

“I don’t think I’m going to live a long time because I’m fat. I love to eat steak and all the stuff my wife doesn’t think I should.

I’m like a kid. I hide food. A friend brought us a cake and I would go into the freezer to eat cake and worry if I heard my wife’s feet coming down the stairs. She won’t say anything about it, but I know how she thinks about it so I’m like a little child, still doing shit I shouldn’t do.”

That weakness has now led him to enter a medical weight-loss program, trying, he says with great humour, to not be powerless over a cookie. Alissa says his problem is never putting himself first and he has been lucky God gave him a strong body.

And I have to be a good friend. I have to One of Katzman’s favourite topics is possess integrity. I still struggle with being Windsor. He is also a U.S. resident and as truthful as I could be. But I’m working while he is grateful for the success he has on it—it’s a work in progress.” had in that country, being a Canadian Zekelman’s admiration and love for from Windsor has come to mean a great his old friend is so profound he wants deal to him. He also says his adult life now Katzman’s words to be the last ever written revolves around themes. about him.

“They are the quality of my relation“I told Robbie I want him to write my ships, exercising discipline and being closer eulogy,” he says. “He is such an eloquent to the best I can be. I never seem to be the writer. He has a unique way of writing best I can be, but I’m getting closer to it,” about people and he is so funny. He can says Katzman. “I really believe in being a make tears run down my face and I will good husband. It takes a real man to be a remember those moments forever. He is a good husband. I have to be a good father. truly great guy. D.

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PEOPLE DRIVE

“

I really believe in being a good husband. It takes a real man to be a good husband. I have to be a good father. And I have to be a good friend. I have to possess integrity. I still struggle with being as truthful as I could be. But I’m working on it—it’s a work in progress.

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PEOPLE DRIVE

Anthony Sheardown: Shooting through a lens of courage

By Michelle Laramie | Photography: Syx Langemann

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So often we become so busy and caught up in our lives we don’t take a minute to look around. Whether we are rushing to catch the bus, or driving somewhere to get there on time or simply staring at our cellphones, we really don’t notice the things going on around us. We miss the interesting things, the beautiful things or even the people in need. Photographer Anthony Sheardown not only takes those moments to stop and look around, he immerses himself into the virtually invisible life that so many of us fail to notice or just choose to ignore. He wants to show people parts of the world and the people in it that they may not otherwise get the chance to experience.

“I want to find and show things that people don’t see or ignore or don’t even notice,” says Sheardown. “Unique people who stand out, the outcast, the people everyone tries to avoid because those people, those scenes are the most interesting—they have the best stories to tell.”

Sheardown enjoys spending time with people who are the beautiful contrast in a bustling busy city. He enjoys listening to find out who they are and sharing it with the world.

discussing his dedication to photography and reliving some of his wildest experiences, a smile washes over his face, almost as if the act of saying it out loud has somehow made it reality. Photography is his passion, the one thing he loves the most, and now it’s his livelihood. He takes a deep breath and a moment to revel in that knowledge. To him it is still shocking that he gets paid to do something he loves so much—and he did it all on his own terms.

real sometimes—it's just like a full circle.

It’s why I work so hard every day, but I just still feel so lucky at the same time.”

Sheardown says life is a one-shot deal and does things his own way without any excuses. He is always open to new experiences and he takes every opportunity that comes his way. But he says he never feels compelled to follow conventional rules for his photography or his business. He is laid back and quickly adapts to wherever his “I look at where I was two years ago and lens leads him.

I look at where I am now and I couldn’t “I definitely don’t feel obligated to have even imagined I would have come follow the rules,” said Sheardown. “I just this far already. I used to take the money I make sure my photos look good when they made from photography and put it in a jar. are done. If something makes more sense I told myself that I could only use it to buy for me than the generic way then I will photography gear. I bought my first $100 do that. I do what works for me, not what lens with that money. Now I am buying a other people recommend.” house from it.

It took less than three years for Shear“I get to fly around the world to take down to become a self-taught successful photos," he adds, leaning forward with photographer. Now he lives not just to excitement. “It's amazing that everything work but to create photos that inspire I buy now comes from money I made emotion and move people to see the world through my photography. It doesn’t feel through his lens.

“They are real, they tell their own story, they evoke emotion immediately. I just want to capture the things that stand out,” says Sheardown. “The people who are different than everyone else and the interesting things that happen in these cities full of people. It's important to show the world at this time in history.”

He says when taking photos of this bustling world he will never get the same image twice because the streets are always changing and every minute something different is happening. That’s the beauty of it, he says—every day is a big surprise.

“I want to show off the people and places from around the world and create pieces that inspire and make people feel something when they see my work,” he said. “You only get one shot to capture these moments.”

At the young age of 17, Sheardown already had the awareness that there was more to life than living to work. With the flash of his first camera his passion was developed. He had a pure drive to keep shooting and learning as much as he could.

He hustled every day, building his knowledge and business.

Sitting in the back corner of a local coffee shop, casually eating a muffin while

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PEOPLE DRIVE

In Iceland there is a tourist spot where you can walk the path safely to look at the waterfalls. Anthony told the story of how he took a risk to get a photo that no one else would.

“There were people everywhere, and a bunch of signs saying not to go over the ledge—no trespassing. But I figured if I went over the ledge I could get a wicked photo. So, with about 200 people watching me I decided to just do it. It was very sketchy—I walked out there, the rocks were super wet, and as I climbed over, a bunch of rocks fell. I thought I was going to die. But I got the shot!

“I had a red raincoat on and all these people could see me. So I went up to the top where there were only about five people and took the red coat off and put it under my black one I had on underneath. I took my hat off to let my hair down. When I came back down the Icelandic patrol were there, looking for the person in the red raincoat. They were looking to give me a fine or something.

They didn’t recognize me as I walked past them. I got really lucky.” D. 30

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Doing what it takes APRIL SHAYE, A BUDDING SINGER, WILLING TO RISK HER DREAMS TO DO WHAT’S RIGHT

By Michelle Laramie | Photography: Syx Langemann

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PEOPLE DRIVE In life, sometimes the easiest choice is not always the right choice. When the music industry left her bitter and jaded, April Shaye had to choose to stand up for herself and walk away from everything she had ever dreamed of.

Fresh out of high school and noticed by a manager in Toronto, Shaye was on the brink of fulfilling her life’s dream as a singer/songwriter. She had been writing her own music and singing for a long time, building an online presence.

“I thought it was going to be like the movies; you get discovered, they fly you out and you are already a millionaire,” said Shaye. “I had just graduated out of high school and I took a year off to focus on my music. It seemed meant to be. I was like, oh my god this is all happening.

I was very happy.”

Growing up an only child surrounded by adults, Shaye has always been mature for her age. She was raised with a very high moral foundation and has always known the importance of putting her wellbeing first. So when a talent scout noticed her music online and reached out to add her to his roster of musicians, she was confident enough to take the leap into the industry. But very soon after she became involved with the professional music industry, things didn’t feel quite right to her.

“I was only 18 years old and things were getting shady,” said Shaye. “I knew I deserved better. I knew there was a better situation out there for me and this wasn’t it. So, I just walked away.”

Getting noticed is like winning the lottery; getting noticed at 18 is probably in the fabric of many dreams. However, when you are smacked in the face with the reality that there are so many people willing to take advantage of you, what do you do? It’s hard for anyone to make the right choice when it costs you everything you have ever worked for, let alone at 18 years old. Shaye knew if her integrity and wellbeing were going to be the cost of fame, she wanted no part of it.

tion as an education and moved on. She started handling her own business and creating her own message and has gotten further in her career than with anyone’s help. Venturing on her own for the first time, Shaye was accepted into the academic program at Walt Disney World in Florida. She is hoping to catapult her music career there.

“From having a management team to handling it on my own I have gotten a lot more accomplished. I have two singles out, a music video, and I’m going to start doing gigs now,” said Shaye. “At this point I can say I am happier, I got myself out of it and now I’m here.” D.

“It was my first encounter with the music industry and I was like, ‘Wow, this is it? I don’t want to be a part of it,’” said Shaye. “It felt really horrible. I saw everything I ever wanted coming in and then I had to watch it crash and burn.”

It took her to a dark place where she couldn’t even look at her piano, write music or listen to music. But, pushing herself further and further away from her singing really wasn’t her style. So, in true badass-woman style, she took the situa-

“I am smart enough to be my own advocate. I won’t do anything I don’t feel comfortable with,” said Shaye. “Whether that is with friends, school, whatever, if I don’t feel comfortable I remove myself.

I am really good at reading people and reading a situation. I can just sense when something is out of place—if it doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t.”

So, when certain relationships within the industry started to become uncomfortable and borderline inappropriate, she had no trouble speaking up for herself.

“I had called them out on a couple situations and I said, ‘Hey, this is uncomfortable, this isn’t right,’ and once that happened it all started to idle down,” she said.

She felt like people were taking advantage of her youth, vulnerability and desire to make it in the business. She says the pressure young women feel to make it in the music industry is intense. You are given the impression you have to do whatever it takes to get noticed. She was not having any part of it.

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SPORTS DRIVE

From the Babe’s Bat to Brooks Lumberyard

By Chris Edwards | Photography: Chris Edwards

In 1950, Detroit, Michigan, then the fifth largest city in America, supported more than 200 independent lumberyards.

Ray Formasa, president of the Brooks Lumber Company in Detroit’s Corktown District, runs the last independent lumber company left standing.

Brooks Lumber might ring a bell for baseball fans of a certain age. Located on Trumbull Street, south of Michigan Avenue (the legendary “Corner”) in Detroit’s now-thriving Corktown district, the lumberyard was famed as the landing ground for baseballs hit over Tiger Stadium’s right field roof (1912-1999).

During a recent visit, Mr. Formosa slid open a desk drawer to reveal five precious baseballs, the stuff of local legend. “I started collecting these roof-clearing balls after Kirk Gibson’s blast in 1983. I have 15 balls that landed in the lumberyard, including Gibson’s ’83 ball, which he reluctantly signed for me.” (Gibby notoriously refused to autograph baseballs.)

over the wall in centrefield, in an era before the stadium—then called Navin Field—was fully enclosed; witnesses claimed the ball traveled over 600 feet! Detroit youngster Lenny Bielski was among a throng watching the game outside the park’s rightfield fence. Bielski emerged from a wild scramble with the Ruth homer ball. As Ruth circled the bases, he yelled, “I want that ball! I want that ball!” Ushers were dispatched to locate it. Bielski was led into the park to much fanfare, given a twentydollar bill for the ball, and permitted to watch the rest of the game from a box seat.

In 1939, Ted Williams was the first player to officially hit one out of the recently double-decked, enclosed park.

Owner Walter Briggs believed baseball should be played in the daytime; the Tigers were the last team in the American League to install lights in 1948. After that, a ball needed to clear the giant light towers to reach the Brooks lumberyard, exiting the stadium at well over 400 feet.

Reggie Jackson famously drove a pitch On July 13, 1934, George Herman into the top of those light standards on “Babe” Ruth cracked his 700th homer national TV during the ’71 All-Star game.

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Stormin’ Norm Cash cracked four taters over the roof during his tenure with the Tigers. New York Yankee Mickey Mantle’s landmark home run at the field was measured at 647 feet, perhaps the longest ball ever hit in the majors.

There were many others, including Mickey Tettleton, Lou Whitaker, Jason “Rooftop” Thompson, Harmon Killebrew, Frank Howard, Boog Powell, Jim Northrup, Ruppert Jones and Mark McGwire: an all-star lineup dubbed the “Sultans of Swat.”

But what became of those baseballs that thundered into the lumberyard? Typically, a crowd would scramble through its gates to chase the ball down. “We didn’t think the balls had any perceived value,” says Mr. Formosa. “It was a much simpler era. That is, until Gibson hit his blast in ’83. Then I started to collect them.”

Mr. Formosa grew up one block from the stadium; it was easy to slip into the park when the players were practising, so baseballs were easy to find. “I played sandlot with the balls we scooped up until the strings came off.”

SPORTS DRIVE During the ’67 Detroit riots, sportswriters witnessed fire and smoke looming behind the stadium’s outfield walls, even as a Tigers-Yankees doubleheader played on. These historic and tragic events were a disaster for Corktown. Coupled with the opening of the I-96, I-94 and I-75 freeways, which tore through the heart of the neighbourhood, Corktown soon became a ghost town. Two years following the 1967 riots, more than half of Corktown’s population fled, many simply abandoning their homes. A once-proud community had been decimated. In 1999, Tiger Stadium was shuttered, and the team relocated to Comerica Park.

The Brooks Lumber Company soldiered on. “I took my life savings and put it on the line for my business. I knew someone had to service people in the local construction industry. When the stadium closed in 1999, it actually turned into an opportunity for the neighbourhood to reinvent itself.

Nemo’s Bar continued to cater to nostalgic sports fans before and after games, Slow’s BBQ opened and Corktown slowly began to rise.

“We’ve been here through thick and thin. Today, companies are heavily investing in Corktown’s rebirth. Our business is surrounded by new construction, including condos and retail space, and it’s just the beginning. Michigan Avenue has sprung back to life. The old ballpark has reopened as headquarters for the non-profit Detroit Police Athletic League (PAL), a $20 million project including the Willie Horton Field of Dreams, named after the hometown hero who played on the 1968 Tigers World Series champs.”

Gather

Enjoy

Formasa adds that ironically, the freeways that initially drove people out of Corktown are the very reason people are starting to flood back into the area. The convenience of living in such an ideal neighbourhood with easy access to the freeways is very attractive.

“Either you are dedicated or crazy, but we always believed in Detroit, and now things are turning back toward the good.” D.

Chris Edwards is the owner of Walkerville Publishing, along with his partner Elaine Weeks; their latest book is 5,000 Ways You Know You’re From Detroit.

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HOME DRIVE

DANIELLE NICHOLSON ON HOME TRENDS We sat down with Danielle from Danielle Nicholson Design to talk about the latest home trends and decorating ideas.

As an interior designer, how would you best describe your initial process when you engage a client?

My mantra is that I believe your home should be designed to tell a story, create conversation and be an extension of yourself and what you love.

Hiring an interior designer starts with a conversation of wants and needs. As a professional, my focus is to simplify the process for my clients. A home must speak to who you are and what you love. Allowing your home to tell a story takes time to create and to make your home special.

Let’s talk trends. Can you tell us how we can incorporate upcoming 2018 trends that are shifting the look of our interiors?

We have had a great run with the greys and the monochromatic scheme that we all love!

However, things are shifting in 2018 and now we are seeing more colour. We are adding warmth with deep jewel tones, warm metals and lots of patterns. The brass is warmer, the paints are more subdued and your curtains don’t need to match your bedspread.

If you have recently renovated and committed to yesterday’s greys, there is an effective solution to stay on trend: simply make sure to incorporate the latest trends with your monochromatic scheme, and if you need to throw on a new colour of paint, go for it!

How can we add a personal touch?

I personally love a gallery wall. It’s a great way to display memories and art you love.

It can be photos of your children’s art, money from a trip abroad, art you painted or a meaningful photo that belonged to your family members. The intention is to get creative and tell a story that matters to you. Add your masterpiece to your children’s bedroom, hallway, basement, family room wall or over the sofa.

Pick the wall and buy the frames first. Thrift shops can be great for this, and if you don’t like the colours you find, get out the spraypaint. The next step is to start digging for your artful treasures.

I once had a client with her children’s typical old school “Sears” baby’s first portrait hanging in her entrance. She wanted to take them down because they didn’t fit the home anymore. I decided to give them new life. We had them cropped, altered the colour and reprinted. We bought new frames and they are now part of her gallery wall and they look perfect!

Tell us about how we can use colour to update the look of our homes.

As I mentioned earlier, updating your paint colour to the latest trend will definitely make over any house, but being up with the latest trends should not be a priority. I have seen 37

many clients be concerned about what’s on trend rather than what makes them happy. People always ask what I see for their home. That’s a tough question because I don’t live there. Interior design does not just translate into what we see but more importantly how we function and feel in a space. My job is to take what you love and make it all come together. If it does not work I will tell you but at the end of the day you have to love what you come home to. If pink is your favourite colour, then pink it is! A good interior designer will keep you on the right track and help you choose current pink tones that can all work together, in moderation. Keeping it classy is the ultimate form of sophistication.

You can bring warmth into the home simply by introducing texture. Wallpaper is always a nice touch and can drastically change the look and feel of any space. Wallpaper has come a long way. The painstaking days of trying to remove wallpaper are gone. There are so many new products on the market that make the removal process simple. Don’t be afraid to layer patterns and different textures to give you the warmth you may feel your home is lacking. Take it a step further and change it up seasonally.

If you are not one for colour and are a diehard neutral fan, we have the solution for you. A monochromatic colour scheme is always on trend—just remember to create depth with texture. If it’s a more sophisticated, elegant look you are trying to achieve then throw “some” shimmer in there. I emphasize the word “some” because you need to know when to stop. Less is more and too much of a good thing can easily derail your plans. The goal is for the room to come together as a whole with a few showstoppers.

Barn doors were a craze—is it true that they are sliding their way out?

Yes, it’s true. I love a beautiful barn door and they do have their purpose but it’s time to move on. But instead of throwing the concept right out the window, try something a little more personal. If you are in a situation where a sliding door with an exterior rail is your best option, then start exploring all of your options. Have a door made and possibly incorporate some type of glass inlay or head down to a flea market and browse one-of-akind pieces that would suit your home perfectly. Again, it’s about adding your personal touch to your home or workplace.

Plants are taking centre stage, can you share more on this?

You are seeing plants more and more in homes again and I love it! Plants are another easy way to bring warmth and life into the home or workspace. The best part is they are inexpensive and very non-committal. This makes for a very easy option for anyone who is afraid to tackle décor projects on their own. We are seeing large leafy plants with a tropical feel to them. Don’t overthink it; just buy what you love and be sure to research your plant. What will work for your home or workplace? Do you have pets or allergies to contend with? If you don’t have a green thumb they have plenty of plants that are low maintenance.

Good design takes time and so do contractors. How quickly can I expect to hire contractors when hiring an interior designer?

The biggest challenge when you decide to renovate or even simply redecorate is timeliness. The question I usually get asked is, 36 38

how long is it going to take? When clients approach a designer, chances are they have not remodelled their home in the past 8 to 25 years and probably won’t renovate again for many more years to come. My thoughts on this: why not do it right? No doubt we are living in a much different world, we are all moving at a quicker speed and instant gratification is the norm. Most people have the mindset of I just want to “get it done.”

Unfortunately I have seen so many projects that have been rushed and anything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Having your trades working in each other’s space is ideal or recommended. Words of advice: Allow yourself the time and I promise you will be so grateful in the end. More importantly, if you take the time to do things properly, you won’t be living your life regretting the things you wished you had done.

What do you wish clients would better understand about the process?

I say this with a humbled outlook: great designers are artists and art can’t be rushed. There is a design process that cannot be rushed. Tradespeople are not machines; they are hardworking humans with no on/off switch who are always doing their best. I encourage clients to research.

Speak to designers from interior design firms that appeal to your style and get an initial consultation. Once you have hired the designer of your choice, you can expect a minimum of a four- to eight-week lead time before a design concept is presented to you, depending on the scope of the project, though you may be able to find a junior designer with fewer clients and a quicker turnaround. For tradespeople, depending on the company, I would say there is a minimum four-week waiting period. Then you have to get through the renovation process. I would love to say I have the magic number of how long that will take.

But just try to stay patient throughout the process—your home is worth it. D. Danielle Nicholson Design is an interior design firm and furniture boutique. Whether you are building a new home, renovating an existing space or looking to refresh a room, we are committed to bringing your vision to life.

Danielle Nicholson Design 3055 Dougall Ave Windsor, ON N9E 1S3 519-564-9695 info@daniellenicholson.design 39

TREND DRIVE

...AND PASSIONATE

By Samantha Boulos | Photography by Joey Acott

The summer is upon us and it’s time for our wardrobe to match the heat of the months ahead. After tapping into the spicy trends witnessed on the runway, colour is not something to shy away from this summer. In fact, vibrant hues should certainly be on the radar for both men and women this season. This global trend includes fiery, lively colours that will undoubtedly spice up any wardrobe—and there are boundless ways to take part in this trend!

Pairing a blazing jacket with vivid bottoms is a trendy way to colour-block with exotic, punchy hues. This bold look includes the combination of multiple vibrant colours—an effortless modern way to create a major impact.

This summer, bold and vivid are themes that should surround everyone’s style. This is an excellent time to embrace colour, prints and expressive patterns like: floral printed T-shirts, ocean-blue jackets, and even hot-orange blazers! Statement accessories like festival-inspired fringe earrings, stark white platform sandals and brilliant, blue knit shoes will add zest and flare to your chic ensemble. Using your wardrobe as an outlet for charismatic expression is a fabulous way to explore your own style— and what better time to do so than when the summer trends are undeniably fashion forward?!

Each piece in our Get the Look guide is curated for you to dress in a spicy style this summer and is available here in Windsor.

ON HER Vero Moda Short Jacket Poppy Red - Hudson's Bay $69 Lord & Taylor T-Shirt White - Hudson's Bay $14.99 Textured Lyocell Shorts Verry Berry - RW&CO $79.90 David Tyler Footwear Heeled Sandal White - Envy Boutique $165 Design Lab Tassel and Pom-Pom Hoop Earrings - Hudson's Bay $30 40

ON HIM 7 Downie St. Short Sleeve Shirt Sky - Freeds $145 Soul of London Jacket Blue - Freeds $195 Alberto Modern Fit Ceramica Stone Dress Pant Stone - Freeds $225 Cole Haan Men's ZERØGRAND Wingtip Oxford - Freeds $200 Cartier Santos Dumont (Silver) sunglasses - Seen Vision Care $1200

TREND DRIVE

RETRO FRAMES Just like shoulderpads and high-waisted denim, cat-eye frames have made a comeback. This iconic frame conveys both style and pizzazz through its modern, sharp edge and retro design. The cat-eye style is extensively flattering as it elongates and defines the face while adding glamour and chicness. Whether you’re sporting a mod playsuit or a casual fit, this universal frame effortlessly transforms your look from ordinary to red-carpet-ready. Oversized sunglasses are ideal for summer as you can amp up any ensemble while attaining optimal protection from the sun. Do not be afraid to get creative with this trend and tailor it to your own style. Whether you rock bold-toned frames, tinted or mirrored lenses—these exaggerated winged frames will keep you on trend all summer long.

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM SALT DiBergi- The Walkerville Optical $550 Elevated Red Aviators - Elevatedshades.com $55 Etnia Barcelona - Yves Klein Sunglasses - limited edition The Walkerville Optical $320 Vuarnet Glacier - The Walkerville Optical $780 Cartier Trinity Pink - Seen Vision Care $1200

Windsor-based Samantha Boulos works as a stylist, makeup artist and trend forecaster for The DRIVE. From assisting backstage at New York, Vancouver and Toronto Fashion Week, she has the inside scoop on how to stay on-trend, all year round. Samantha provides makeup services from her business, Glam by Sam and forecasts trends on her personal style and beauty blog, www.samboulosbeauty.com.

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TREND DRIVE Face A Face Chance 1 Black and White Seen Vision Care $650

SUMMER TRENDS

LOOK PART The

TREND DRIVE

Spotlight.

Catwalk.

Real Talk.

INTERNATIONALLY-ACCLAIMED DESIGNER WEIGHS IN ON WINDSOR’S FASHION DEBUTANTES

By Suzy Kendrick | Photography by Syx Langemann & Joey Acott

The lights are hot. The music is loud. Lakeshore. In the centre is internationally- all about.”

The nervousness is palpable. successful Toronto-based designer Stephen Always interested to see what students Three judges sit at a long table draped in Wong of Greta Constantine. are doing at different schools, Wong a white tablecloth at the end of the runway, Founded in 2006 by designers Kirk accepted Chatwood’s invitation. This an area usually reserved for photographers Pickersgill and Stephen Wong, Greta would be his first time visiting Windsor. stacked tightly together. Backstage, student Constantine is a collection of ready-to-wear “I really get a kick out of going to designers are tucked behind the curtains, womenswear available across 15 countries a place I’ve never been,” Wong says. “I peeking out to watch as the room fills with and in over 30 stores worldwide including thought [Windsor] was beautiful. I took a curious stares.

Holt Renfrew and Lord & Taylor. Greta walk around downtown and the waterfront It’s show time. Creations saunter down Constantine has shown at both Paris and and really loved the older architecture. The the catwalk as the audience’s eyes bounce New York Fashion Week. In Windsor, their Walkerville area is idyllic and charming.” from garment to judge, trying to gauge pieces can be found at Rafinée.

What surprised Wong most about their reactions.

Elaine Chatwood is the coordinator of Canada’s most southern city was how The culmination of the Fashion Design St. Clair College’s Fashion Design Techni- humble the locals were about the beauty Technician program at St. Clair College is cian program. A successful designer herself, around them. Wong says when he told the Atelier Fashion Show. At this annual Chatwood had admired Wong’s success Windsorites he was from Toronto, they year-end event, first - and second-year from afar for many years since she first would ask if he was going to check out students students showcase their best work watched him on Project Runway. Through Detroit, rather than singing the praises of in a fun, upbeat fashion show complete a burst of courage driven by her confi- a local gem he should visit. with models, styling and of course, the dence in the program and her students, “The insecurity really caught me crisp white catwalk. For the second-year Chatwood contacted Wong and invited off-guard,” says Wong. “I saw a lot of students, the judges are there to rate their him to attend. potential in Windsor and was quite happy collections on a scale of one to five in a “We promote creativity along with spending time here.” variety of categories. The designer with the preparing students for the real world,” says As Wong reflects on the Atelier Fashion highest score overall wins a $1,000 scholChatwood. “The more people we have to Show sitting at Vito’s Pizzeria for the after arship. help spread the word [about our program], party, he can’t help but rave about one This year, the judge on the left is the better. I’m trying to create a network collection he thought was amazingly well Windsor designer Ana Stulic. On the right and connections for students to help them put together. The designer is Jhon Roncal. sits Lisa Parete, owner of Savvy Boutique in get their foot in the door. That’s what it’s “I saw in [Roncal’s] collection a specific 44

vision that was complete,” says Wong.

“Through the models he casted, music, styling, hair and makeup—he was able to put his designs out there in a finished, fully realized vision. That’s an amazing thing to be able to do.”

Wong notes that some working designers struggle to excel at all of those functions.

“It’s a lot more than just making clothes these days,” he says. “You start out smallscale, doing everything yourself, so you have to wear a lot of hats. You need to be equally good at business and marketing as well as designing, creating and styling.”

At the Atelier Fashion Show, St. Clair College graduating students presented a three- to six-piece collection that they designed, drafted and manufactured. They also created a brand, styled photo shoots, planned marketing and prepared costing and tech packs for their line.

“Our program is design-based, but we try to prepare students for the industry,” Chatwood says. “You’re becoming an entrepreneur and you’ve got to do everything.”

Chatwood knows first-hand what that’s like. After attending Sheridan College for Fashion Design and working at a fabric design company in Toronto in the early years of her career, she eventually took the leap, moved back to Windsor and opened her own studio/storefront in Walkerville. Chatty Collection, a contemporary womenswear line, grew slow and steady over the next 25 years, eventually becoming a well-known staple in the area.

“In Windsor at that time, you had to work hard to build your clientele,” Chatwood recalls. “Word of mouth was everything. I did a lot of networking with people in the city. But the great thing is Windsor has a really supportive arts community. From photographers to artists, we would all help each other out.”

Like many entrepreneurs who started businesses before the introduction of the Internet and the rise in popularity of the World Wide Web, Chatwood found the key to her success was consistently adapting to keep up with the quickly changing times.

It was five years ago that change found its way to Chatwood in a form she had never expected. A fellow designer approached her with the idea to start, and lead, the Fashion Design Technician program at St. Clair College. Already planning to close Chatty Collection’s storefront to focus on wholesale and online

sales, the stars had aligned for Chatwood to move into the next stage of her career.

“It was a challenge at first,” Chatwood says. “But I had the hands-on skill and knowledge of the industry and I wanted to share that with the younger generation.

Seeing their growth is inspiring.”

Chatwood remembers back to when she graduated and left school with a diploma but had no knowledge of how to run a business.

She had to acquire that all on her own. For the graduates of her program, she instills an understanding of branding, marketing and business acumen, allowing them to hit the ground running after graduation. With the web and social media, she also encourages her students to look outside of Windsor and to think globally.

“You can move up quite quickly in this industry if you’re a dedicated and a hard worker,” Chatwood says. “Be open to trying new areas. Be able to shift with the times.

Be open to change. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Some of my failures have led to my most powerful lessons. Some of my best designs have come from editing a collection.

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want, just like I did with Stephen [Wong].”

The Fashion Design Technician program is capped at 25 students per year to achieve an intimate, boutique-style atmosphere where each student is given hands-on instruction and guidance from industry professionals.

At the 2018 Atelier Fashion Show, Aminah Zubaidi won first place. Jhon Roncal was second. Taryn Stetski earned third.

First place winner.

Aminah Zubaidi

Ana Stulic and Stephen Wong: judges at the 2018 Atelier Fashion Show.

Aminah Zubaidi designs 45

Noele Baptista “When I was four years old, my father, a descendent of many generations of Portuguese fisherman, passed away unexpectedly. My Portuguese heritage was a huge source of inspiration for this line. I was inspired by traditional Portuguese tile, painted pottery, cobblestone streets, mosaic art and architecture. I feel as though I have been on a journey to reconnect, explore and understand the missing part of my culture.”

Students share their vision in true fashion Jhon Roncal - Second place winner.

“Fashion is my escape from reality. I love how clothes resemble a powerful look to certain people. My collection was inspired

by Corporate America, especially fast food, and I married that with my love for neo-expressionism art. I took inspiration from fast food uniforms and conceptualized it to a new idea of contemporary streetwear.”

46

Taryn Stetski - Third place winner.

“My collection is called Pink Gray Black. I knew the colour story I wanted to tell before I’d even sketched out my design ideas. Blacks and grays are sophisticated and elegant. They’re classics. Pink is a romantic colour. And, it added a pop of youthful energy. With nostalgia being really trendy right now, pink is a pleasant reminder of easier times.”

Aminah Zubaidi - First place winner.

“I decided my first collection would be eveningwear instead of modest wear because I wanted to show my versatility and appeal to a larger demographic with my debut.

My collection was inspired by themes of femininity, innocence, romance and understated, timeless elegance. I wanted to convey a feeling and tell a story through my collection so I chose fabrics and colours that helped create the vibe I was going for.”

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LIFE DRIVE

Stephen Drouin - Hawaii Goodvibe

Fearless and Feeling the Fantasy

By Millar Hill | Photography by Syx Langemann 48

There is a strong sense of pride among based on what I thought others expected Without a nightclub scene, we don’t have Windsor’s LGBTQ community, one that is of me. I was lost, but by being able to be that part of our culture.” unique, vibrant and diverse. around other people like me, I learned to Understanding that the lack of spaces love myself as a gay man.

But there is something missing. makes it very difficult for people in the Today in Windsor, there are only two LGBTQ community to come together, The nightlife, which has always been integral to gay culture, is practically non-ex- small gay bars. When it comes to events there are people who are trying to provide istent in Windsor’s gay community. History with larger capacities, promoters must look the community with opportunities to do just that. shows that past generations of the LGBTQ at other venues. community have had to fight for acceptance David Lenz, president of Windsor-Essex Last month, the city had one of its in traditional society. At one time, gay bars biggest drag queen events to date. What PrideFest, has volunteered with the LGBTQ and clubs were the only place people had A Drag, a two-hour drag queen cabaret, community for more than 14 years. Lenz’s to express themselves freely. Identifying as made its debut at RockStar Music Hall on involvement in the community stems from LGBTQ has become widely accepted, but Central Avenue. his experience growing up and not feeling there are some who are still uncomfortable accepted where he was living.

The event featured a total of eight drag being themselves outside of gay spaces.

He is one of many who organize the queens—three who are local, two originally As a gay man myself, I was closeted from Windsor who moved to Toronto and annual PrideFest, which is in its 26th year. the first time I ever experienced a gay the others from London, Ontario.

“When I moved to downtown Windsor, night club. It was the Legends of 2012 in things changed and my mindset changed,” Lawrence Lavender, the organizer of the he said. “That’s why I started getting Windsor, a bar that lasted for about five years until it closed in 2013. I remember event, says there are not a lot of opportuni- involved, because I wanted to change what everyone being so comfortable and free to ties for local drag queens to showcase their I went through, alongside others.” express themselves—whether it was dressing talent. “I’ve been [in Windsor] for about 12 Research suggests that members of the and dancing a certain way or kissing who years and while we’ve had other shows in LGBTQ community experience increased they wanted to. Still struggling with my the past, as far as a two hour drag cabaret, social isolation compared to other marginwhere it’s one queen after another, it’s the own sexual identity, I felt liberated. alized groups. Windsor-Essex PrideFest’s first time we’ve had anything like that.

I spent my early teenage years in denial. goal is to empower LGBTQ individuals “Other cities this size or smaller have through social recreation programs and Constantly monitoring the way I walked, the tone of my voice and how I acted, I felt that on a consistent basis,” he said. “I put the opportunities for social engagement to the need to create this perception of myself work in because the community needs it. reduce social isolation. “This is done

Kyle Pitre - Ariel Attack

49

Being homeless was difficult, but Drouin says people in the gay community made it easier for him to get back on his feet. Drouin has pursued a lifestyle fuelled by fashion, drag and community engagement.

Hawaii Goodvibe’s first appearance was four years ago on stage at Windsor’s Pride festival.

“Drag in Windsor is hard; you’re constantly innovating new ways to keep it going,” he said. “In Windsor, as a drag queen, I am content and I think that’s the greatest way anyone could feel.”

Kyle Pitre is another drag queen in the city of Windsor. As a queen, he’s known as Ariel Attack. Pitre was raised just outside of Windsor in Tecumseh, where he is currently still living. He was 16 years old when he came out. “Coming out was interesting,” he said. “Ironically, I was shopping for my girlfriend’s Valentine’s Day gift at the time and I remember thinking that some guy was cute. As soon as I put the pieces together, I didn’t really have that moment where I felt the need to hide it.”

As a teenager, Pitre considered himself to be an outsider and he channelled that into his drag, creating a bold, punk rock queen. It’s a form of self-expression for Pitre.

“I am a singer and that’s what is going to set me apart from other queens,” said Pitre.

“I’m still new to drag—there will be time for me to work on my look—but when you come to see Ariel, you’re coming to see her sing.”

Drouin admits to not having as many opportunities to do drag in Windsor compared to a city like Toronto, but it’s the challenge of not having those opportunities that drives him to find them.

“It’s up to me as an artist to make things happen,” he said. “It’s my job to be the artist—the drag queen—and create things for other people to feel like they don’t have to leave this city to be successful.”

The full schedule of upcoming programs and events in Windsor and Essex County can be found on Windsor-Essex PrideFest's website, www.wepridefest.com. D. through age-specific activities, peer-facilitated groups, workshops and special events,” said Lenz.

This year, the festival is being moved from the riverfront plaza to Lanspeary Park. He says they made the decision to move for a multiple of reasons—the plaza is too big a space to completely fill up and there are no trees or grass. With the sun beating down on the asphalt, it gets too hot. Moving it to Lansbury Park, he said, “seemed to be a win-win for everybody.”

Stephen Drouin is one of Windsor’s drag queens. In the drag world, he is known as Hawaii Goodvibes. Born and raised in South Windsor, he attended a Catholic grade school. In grade two, he was called gay by another student and that was when he explored the idea of what being gay meant. Years later, when Drouin came out to his family, he says he was supported but felt his mother had certain expectations for him to meet.

“I would say I rebelled a little bit and that’s the reason why I was homeless at 15 and just doing me,” he said. “I wanted to be on my own road and do it my way.”

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