Take Your Sunglasses off Please!

During the course of the summer I have had the opportunity to take lots and lots of photos.  At each event I more than likely run into some folks that I know from being Out and About and on enough occassions for me to blog about this, I find myself asking people to take off their sunglasses so I can 'recognize' them.  I seem to remember being taught that when you are meeting someone, or saying hello, you should take off your sunglasses while you are speaking with them as the polite thing to do.  This voice from the past probably belongs to my mother and like most things we hear from our mothers...we should pay more attention even if we don't understand at the time.  Who knew that gigantic Paris Hilton sunglasses would stay in fashion far longer than expected...thank goodness that Ray Bans have been back on the scene for a while now.  Funny I should mention that, my daughter asked for and received her new Ray Bans for her birthday from her Aunt Sophie.  It was a tremendously endearing moment to watch my daughter being proud of sporting new sunglasses while her grandfather looked on...wearing his pilot Ray Bans from the 1960's (my Dad actually had his pilot Ray Bans, well because among other things, he was a recreational pilot for over 40 years).  Imagine that...they looked exactly the same...and good for Ray Ban...the quality appeared to be the same as well. Maybe Grandpa is just too darn hip to be cool...but while you're pondering that...take off your sunglasses when you're saying hello...it's the polite thing to do.

Happy Anniversary to the Team at Sophies

Happy Anniversary to Brenda and the team at Sophies as they celebrate their 1st year in business.  Sophies is located in Cranberry Mews .  The unisex salon offers full service hair, tanning, massage, and esthetics including skin, body, and nail treatments. Come experience our beautiful new location with private relaxation rooms, new retail area, and friendly, talented staff to provide customized services to suit your every want and need! Call for an appointment today – 705-445-9666.

A Cirque-Tacular Event (August 20-21)

Don't miss this unique interactive outdoor show featuring aerialists, dancers, acrobatics & physical artists brought to you by A²D², along with street performers. Plus Plunge Aquatic Centre, Dockside boat rentals, Crock a Doodle, Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster, rock climbing, Columbia Guided Hikes, scavenger hunts, shopping and dining galore!

Saturday and Sunday Show Times in the Village Plaza: 12:30pm, 2:00pm & 4:00pm

Plus 10:30am – guided family hike with free scenic gondola ride down the mountain and Street Performers throughout the Village all day


www.bluemountainvillage.ca

Hike Your Butt up the Hill

Now that the cooler weather is here, I'm back to hiking my favourite trail - The Village Way Trail at Blue Mountain.  I love this hike because it starts off relatively easy and then once you get into the trees (yes...nice and cool in there) and you follow along the edge of the Ridge Runner the hike gets more challenging - except for the guy that ran - yes, literally ran past me going up hill yesterday.  There are about 3 bridges along the way that I use for my designated rest spots.  I give myself about 1 minute at each spot so my heart rate can calm down.  The folks at Blue have done a great job making sure the trail, wooden and stone steps are nice and secure and the dirt surface is hard packed and dry at this time of year.  Once you reach the clearing and pop out of the trees, you can enjoy a magnificent view of The Village and the Bay as you cross over one of the ski hills and then you're back into the trees zig zagging your way to the top.  The folliage is lush and the hike is fairly easy from this point on.  Take your choice of the free Gondola back down - a welcome reward or you can hike the same trail back down or pick the more challenging Cascade Trail at the South End or the Happy Valley Trail to the north.  Happy hiking your way to better fitting ski pants.  My ski pants are already happy that there will be less stress on the seams.

Wordstock - Off the Page Gala Tickets on Sale

There is now just about a month to go before WORDSTOCK 2011 begins. The past few months have been a whirlwind of activity for our over 20 volunteers; they’ve put together an incredible festival once again for our whole community to enjoy on September 9th and 10th. Our theme this year is SPREAD THE WORD. Please share this email with lots of people and be sure to "like" our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wordstock-Collingwood/100632459990118
Tickets Now Available for OFF THE PAGE Friday, September 9th at 8:00 p.m.

Our Friday night kick-off show once again promises an unforgettable evening of outstanding comedy, music and fun, all in celebration of words. We are thrilled to announce that Canadian funnyman, Seán Cullen, will host this cabaret style show taking place at the Royal Canadian Legion. Puppetry, native drumming, team poetry, story-telling… full details can be found on the website at http://wordstock.ca/2011/off-the-page-gala. TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE online or are also available at the Collingwood Public Library on Ste Marie St or at Wine Works at 14 Ronell Crescent. Last year’s show was a sell-out so be sure to get your tickets right away!

Saturday Festival Events – ALL FREE


We have such a stunning line-up of guests that one hardly knows where to start. First, all the details and schedules can all be found on the website at http://wordstock.ca/2011/event-summary.


We have award-winning and bestselling authors, some of the most published writers in Canada, a former World Champion Slam Poet, a poetry slam (sleeper hit of 2010 festival – you don’t want to miss it this year), children’s events including a visit from the Cat In The Hat, teen workshops including a session with #1 New York Times best-selling author Kelley Armstrong, four hands-on workshops for aspiring writers and something new for 2011: Off The Air.

New for 2011: OFF THE AIR


In an exciting expansion of the Wordstock line-up, we are very pleased to bring two popular CBC broadcasters and dynamic authors to the festival this year.

Terry O’Reilly is the host of The Age of Persuasion which provides a hugely entertaining — and eye-opening — insider’s look at the ever-expanding world of marketing. He’ll bring his wealth of knowledge to Collingwood when he discusses the Power of Storytelling from a marketing perspective.


Dr. Brian Goldman is the host of White Coat, Black Art and is a practicing ER physician who has a knack for making sense of medical bafflegab. He will be pulling back the curtain on hospital life while telling us what REALLY goes on in an ER.


If he survives our Friday night show, three-time Gemini Award winner Seán Cullen, will grace us again on Saturday with a reading from his latest book, The Prince of Two Tribes scheduled for release in September. He has hosted a show for CBC Radio One, called Simply Seán and is of course known for being one of Canada’s best known and most loved comedians for over 20 years.


A Word About Our Sponsors

Sometimes people skim over all the logos naming the sponsors of various events in our community. We would like to emphasize how very real and very important our sponsors are! An event like Wordstock costs a considerable amount of time and money to put on, and we are able to offer it to the community for free only because of the generosity of our sponsors and volunteers. Everything from hotel accommodations, to fees, to marketing costs and many things in between are covered 100% by the generosity of our community. These folks give because they feel it is the right thing to do. We have a record number of sponsors this year – 42 so far! Please take a moment to see who they are at http://wordstock.ca/2011/sponsors

We look forward to seeing all of you at Wordstock 2011 this year. Spread The Word. Enough reading already – go get your Off The Page tickets now!