Thank you Sudbury Toursim!

What a summer this has been! And the first thought that comes to mind when reminiscing about the past four months is what a great job I had! Finding a new job that surpasses the experiences I had with Tourism will be tough to beat. For starters, I am grateful to have learned so much about my hometown. Promoting Sudbury is truly something I enjoy doing and it will always be something I continue to do, no matter where I am.

Secondly, I have become a huge fan of blogging. Before this job I had never done it, barely knew what it was about and didn’t really care for it. Now, however, it’s something I look forward to after I come back from an event or activity. I think I am going to have to find something new to blog about in my spare time!

My favourite part about the tourism job is the range of tasks we had. There was so much variation each day that it made for an exciting summer. The summer students and I would write blogs, video blog, hand out free stuff, respond to emails, give directions at the info booth, deliver brochures, take pictures of Sudbury, update the website, try out local activities, work at the train station, work at Tom Davies square, be at festivals, be on the road, take surveys EVERYWHERE! There was always so much to do, and repetition was limited.

Everyone working full time at the city in the Tourism Department was a joy to work with! I couldn’t have asked for better people to be supervising me and the other summer students. I always felt like a part of the team and it was a pleasure to be let in on the great work done in this department. I will always know that tourism is important and without it, this city would fall apart. I am going to miss everyone!

Lastly, I can’t forget my three other amazing co-workers, Jenna, Mitch and Shanna. You guys were the best and without you to keep things fun and entertaining, it would not have turned out to be the great summer that it was. “We all had sooo much fun” but “is it about that?”

Unfortunately I am saying Goodbye after two summers of working in Tourism. I’m moving back to Hamilton for my third year at McMaster University and I am starting a Biology/Pharmacology Co-op program. I am looking forward to spending the next 3 years in the program but I am expecting it to keep me away from Sudbury for any meaningful length of time. However, I know that I will remain a regular on the Sudbury Tourism website and that you can be sure I’ll be checking up on the blogs of the new summer students next year!

Visit to Pottery Princess!

What a wonderful day! Shanna and I took a trip to Pottery Princess on Regent Street and I absolutely enjoyed it. The owner, Tashya Orasi, was very welcoming and friendly and she was very helpful at directing us with our project.

I found it to be a relaxing atmosphere and a versatile activity. I could see myself being there either by myself or with a friend to unwind after a long day, with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday or a girls night or with the younger kids I babysitt. When we walked in, music was playing in the background along with the quiet chatter of the other customers. There were 4 craft tables surrounded by shelves of colourless pottery and hand painted artwork on the walls.

Out of the many different things from statues to dinner ware to vases to picture frames, Shanna and I picked out a plate to paint. At first we were overwhelmed with ideas of what we should paint and then intimidated by making the first move with our paint brushes, in fear that we would mess up. However, once we got into it, we became care free and our creative side really came out. It turned into a really enjoyable activity and the fear of messing up disappeared. There was a lot of colours to choose from and many sized paint brushes and stencils, so we faced a lot of collective decisioin making.

The whole process is much longer than I expected. You have to clean your piece, paint each coat of paint 3 times and then wait about 2 weeks for it to be glazed, dried and put in the kiln. For us, the painting process took quite a few hours but we were told that you get much faster after your first time.

During our time at Pottery Princess, people of all ages were painting. A mother and kids, a young girl by herslelf, a teen and an elderly lady. This activity is really for everyone of any age! Everything was moderately priced considering the price written on the piece, when its on the shelf, includes: your piece, all the tools, brushes, stencilsyou use, studio time, help from the employees and the final glazing and firing of your piece.

Pottery Princess is definitely a place I hope to visit again. It’s an activity I would recommend to anyone wishing to do something fun and creative in Sudbury! For more information you can visit their website at princessofpottery.ca. You should keep an eye out for their pajama parties, tell-a-story kids time, theme nights and classes!

Garlic Festival 2009!

Today I went to the 18th Annual Garlic Festival! There was a great turn out for the not so hot weather we were getting. I got there a bit before noon and the festival had already attracted lots of people. There were tents set up everywhere on the corner of Paris and Elm Street, in front of the Ukrainian Seniors Centre.

It was very inexpensive, only $2, and the food was cheap and delicious as well! For me, the highlight of the festival was all the great, homemade food. There was bruschetta, perogies, pizza, chicken, sausages, mushrooms and much more, all with garlic in it!

The main stage featured many dancers and performers from all over Ontario. I spent time watching the Veselka Ukrainian Dancers followed by cute little dancers from Happiness is Dancing and a local band from Chemlsford. I noticed several kids in the children's tent put on by Scholar's Choice and the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee. Children of all ages were attracted to the face painting, fish ponds, arts and crafts, balloons and more! I browsed the many vendors set up along the sidewalk selling goods with garlic. They were selling everything from pickles to garlic itself. I also visited a tent selling hand crafted jewellery.

There was a sit down lunch available in the the Ukrainian Seniors Centre along with many Ukrainin art for sale.

I really enjoyed my time at the festival and I will for sure keep an eye out for next years festival date!

Ontario Canoe/Kayak Championship comes to town!

Shanna and I had the opportunity to watch the Provincial Canoe and Kayak Championship on Ramsey Lake this weekend. WOW. Who even knew paddling was a serious sport? I quickly became very intrigued after watching the first race. Bell Park was filled with so many young people and the canoes and kayaks were sprawled everywhere on the grass. When we got to the beach, we sat down to enjoy some races, and they were surprinsingly entertaining. There were 1, 2 and 4 person canoe and kayaks and war canoe races as well. The race distance ranged from 500m to 3km. The weather was holding up because it wasn't raining or too windy but it was still pretty cloudy and a bit chilly.

We had a chance to watch the older boys race in the war canoes and I was blown away by how fast they got going and how insync everyone was. The boat is not very large and 15 paddlers were crammed into it. It was amazing that they didn't tip and they were able to stay in their narrow, buoyed lane.

We also watched races with young girls in two person canoes. Instead of sitting, these girls had to kneel with one knee up. We could tell that this was a fairly hard task to master because several boats were struggling with their balance on the way to the starting line and two boats capsized during the race. We could tell they were begginers at this sort of race.

We did see a lot of very talented teams who looked like they had been training for years. It was great to learn about this sport I was so unaware of before this weekend.

Greek Festival!

What a treat it was to go to the Greek Festival because the food was AMAZING! I know many friends who make it a priority to either get the Greek food as take out or eat there. It was unfortunate that the weather was rainy and cloudy but everyone seemed to be making the best of it. Outside, there was a huge tent covering several tables and the beer table so people could still enjoy the fresh air while eating. There was another tent covering the children's activity area which included a basketball toss, one hole mini putt and a crafts table. Not once did we see either tent close to being empty.

Shanna and I walked into the Helenic Centre where the indoor activities were taking place. Music and the smell of great food hit us as soon as we walked in. Traditional Greek food and pasteries filled the buffet tables. We each enjoyed a plate full of a variety of things and I can confirm that it was delicious. Inside, all the tables were full of people chatting and eating, we couldn't even find a seat! Regrettably we missed the Greek Dancers who had several performances throughout the weekend.

All together it made for a great afternoon!

Happy 45th Birthday Big Nickel!

Shanna and I tried to capture our energy and excitment by putting the camera on a timer and jumping to try and make it in the shot. It took a few tries, but we finally captured the magnitude of our excitement.

We are standing with Ted Svilva, the creator of the Bitg Nickel! He is a very friendly man and I felt honoured to meet him. This occasion was a great oppotunity to commemorate the hard work and dedication of this man.

Shanna and I had an awesome time at the birthday celebrations for the Big Nickel on July 22nd! There were lots of people, cameras and cake to make the festivities a success.

Ted Svilva said he was very proud of the fact the coin has endured and become such a symbol of the city.

Blueberry Festival

I had the opportunity to check out the Blueberry Festival this past weekend. Saturday's festivities took place at Market Square and it turned out to be a really great event! Blueberry pie is my all time favourite dessert so I was looking forward to getting a piece of fresh pie and eating some blueberry pancakes as well. The regular market square vendors were there along with the blueberry vendors and it worked out wonderfully. There were lots of people out enjoying themselves! The morning was nice and sunny and the rain held up until the end of the afternoon. People were able to sit out front and enjoy the performers on stage or go for a horse drawn wagon ride or browse the many vendor tables selling food, jewellery and crafts. Ofcoarse, the Blueberry Bear and his wife Sudbrina were also there to celebrate! We found them outside dancing with the young children in front of the performance stage. When it came time to look for a slice of blueberry pie, the only options were to buy a whole pie or no pie, one slice was not available. So, without question I bought an entire blueberry pie! With the help of fellow summer students Jenna and Mitch, the pie was eaten before I got home that evening. It was delicious! Before we left, we ran into the Downtown Ambassadors, Hope and Curtis, in their matching yellow shirts. With big smiles, they were enjoying the festival while also keeping an eye on things. If you ever see them walking the streets of downtown, don't be shy to stop and ask them any questions you have or chat them up about what's going on downtown. They're always happy to help!