Girl About O-Town

This weekend will be a long one for most, and why not? 

Canada Day falls on a Thursday, which provides an excellent excuse to throw a vacation day for Friday and stretch the weekend out awhile!  Despite a distinct absence of said “vacation days” around my house, this girlaboutOtown and her team of three are gearing up for a fun filled 4 days anyway!

Here’s what my weekend looks like…

Thursday,  July 1 – Canada Day – Whether you prefer to party hard or just hang out, there is always tons going on across the city on Canada Day.  Check out Ottawa Start’s Canada Day Guide  for a comprehensive listing of events and happenings.

Photo by me.

No downtown crowds in the daytime for me this year.  Instead, my team of three will be soaking up the sun at a family-oriented BBQ with friends in in one of Ottawa’s most beautiful urban neighbourhoods, Britannia Village.

Image via Dave11198 on Flickr

That said, we still may make the trek to the centre of the city after dark to see the always stunning display of fireworks.  Our favourite spot is the Corktown Footbridge between Ottawa U and the Golden Triangle, since the view is stellar and the crowd leans more towards calm.

Photo by me.

Friday, July 21 – Following brunch with an old friend from out of town, me and the team of three will be suiting up for a late afternoon wedding among the sails at the Ottawa’s own Britannia Yacht Club.  It will no doubt be a small but swanky affair, and what girl doesn’t love an excuse to get all dressed up?

Image via Darskee on Flickr

Saturday, July 2 – Now that school is out, it’s definitely time to do the proper parenting thing and make sure my little girlaboutOtown has some good memories of her summer.  Some days will be lazy ones, but not this Saturday.  We have planned to take a picnic to the Billings Estate National Historic Site and to see what we can of Ottawa’s oldest wood-framed house.  The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and serves tea on the lawn Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.  For information about their Tea Service or the museum’s summer programs and events, click here.

Image via the Friends of Billings Estate Museum

Later Saturday evening, we’ll be setting out for Central Park in the Glebe to watch a little outdoor theatre and wait for the stars.  Strangely (and wonderfully), the little girlaboutOtown has taken quite an interest in Shakespeare lately, and really wants to see A Company of Fools’ production of  “A Mid Summer Night’s Dream”.  A Company of Fools is Ottawa’s only independent professional Shakespeare Company, and presents their Torchlight Series every summer in parks across the city.   Check  here for a show near you.

Images via Company of Fools 

Sunday, July 4 – So far, plans are to make our way over the river to Lac Beauchamp in Gatineau to witness the 10th Annual Wonders of Sand Festival.   Held over two weekends (July 3-4 and 10-11), this sandcastle extravaganza features a sand sculpture competition, guided workshops, and a brand new original song and dance show for families.  We’ll pack our swim gear, our sunscreen and a yummy lunch, and spend the better part of the day with the hoards at the lakeshore.   This girlaboutOtown has never seen such a thing, and may even come home with some memories of her own!

Images via Wonders of Sand

So, here’s hoping for some sunny days ahead!  Happy weekend everyone!

As you may know by now, this girlaboutOtown is the reflective type.  I tend to ruminate about ideas and experiences, and I have learned it is best to let my mind take its time and do its work.  Eventually, a perspective always emerges.

My most recent visit to Canada’s National Arts Centre is a perfect example of this approach.  Hosted by the very generous marketing team of Jennifer Covert and Natalie Peachy (@CanadasNAC), I was privileged to be included in their Bloggers Night Out a week ago last Thursday. 

Several Ottawa bloggers were invited to see the Pops Orchestra show “Mysterioso, Music and Magic”.  We were treated to a few fine food selections from Chef Blackie’s new Le Cafe menu with some wine beforehand, and a backstage Q &A session after the show with maestro Jack Everly, Principal Pops Conductor of the NAC Orchestra and visiting magician extraordinaire Joseph Gabriel.  

Mike Thompson of Ottawa Tonite did up this video, which does a great job of documenting the evening’s delightful events – or you can read more by Dani of Postcards of the Mothership, Andrea of a peek inside the fishbowl, Kim of relishing.ca and Julie of coffeewithjulie.   Not surprisingly each blogger describes a different point of view and imparts their unique insight into our magical, musical night out.

For my part, Bloggers Night Out simply confirmed my belief that the dedicated people behind the scenes at Canada’s National Arts Centre are magicians too! 

From marketers and musicians to donors and dancers, these alchemists are not just making the arts to available to a broad audience – they are also creating and shaping our local and national culture. While the breadth and depth of performance offerings at the centre is nothing short of stunning, this deliberately diverse appeal is motivated by much more than just money.  In addition to a clear desire to continue operating, the NAC actively strives to lead, and here is where they really succeed.  

Not only does the NAC support innovation in each of the performing arts fields in which it works – music (classical & contemporary), theatre (French & English), dance and variety – it also engages us directly through its educational activities, community programming and support of emerging artists.  As one of the largest multidisciplinary, bilingual performing arts centres in the world, the NAC is indeed influencing Canada’s culture by creating new connections, inspiring future artistic contributions and enabling the accessible consumption of the arts.  

Bloggers Night Out was just one small piece of this much bigger picture.

The leadership of President and CEO Peter Herrndorf should not be understated either. For a federal institution with a long established tradition and a variety of core constituencies to cater to, it cannot have been easy to embrace technology with enthusiasm, to jump confidently into the conversation underway on the social web, or to change so convincingly to keep up with the times.  

Mr. Herrndorf’s presence on Bloggers Night provides excellent evidence of the NAC’s commitment to progress.  More than just an ‘appearance’, Mr. Herrndorf stayed with us awhile to make our acquaintance, to swap stories, and to pose meaningful questions to help him make the NAC experience even better.  When he inquired “How often do you come? What do you like to see?”, not only was he genuinely open to hearing our opinions, it was obvious Mr. Herrndorf was  listening intently and that our responses actually mattered to him.

So, for those who might suggest that the NAC was simply wining and dining a bunch of bloggers in their own institutional interest, this girlaboutOtown respectfully disagrees. 

Make no mistake, as far as interests go, the NAC never stops finding new ways to work on behalf of ours!  

Photo credit Marc Fowler, via the NAC.