Events

Afro Dreams Lime Lager: My Collaboration with Fine Balance!

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A few months ago I received a message from Andrew of Fine Balance Brewing Company asking if I would want to work on a collaboration with him. He likes the work I’ve been doing to amplify local Black-owned businesses and was wondering if I would want to participate in one of their quarterly collaborations with a portion of the proceeds going back to a local non-profit which I would get to choose. I was so humbled by this message and eager to work with Andrew!

If you’re new here, I will give a bit of context about the Black-owned business list. In 2020, the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, I shared about my personal experiences growing up in Kingston as a Black kid and teenager. That blog post got a lot of attention and I decided to shift the focus away from myself and onto something actionable and important. I started a Black-owned business list for folks looking for ways to address a global issue locally. It gave a platform for businesses that might not get as much traction locally and also for Black folks across the diaspora to easily find more of their culture in our community.

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CHOIR!CHOIR!CHOIR! Is Coming to Kingston as part of the Festival of Live Digital Arts

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Kingston is home to so many amazing festivals and experiences – especially when the weather starts to heat up! This June be prepared for one of the coolest experiences – Festival of Live Digital Arts (foldA) will be blessing Kingston with an array of programming structured to support artists creating theatre in the digital age. Plenty of insta-worthy events are planned between June 12-15 for Kingston’s art and music lovers. Continue reading →

Q&A: Luther Wright and Colleen Brown of Major Love

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Major Love is the moniker of Canadian songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Colleen Brown. They will be performing as a part of Skeleton Park Arts Festival this Saturday! In honour of their upcoming performance, read about the band’s latest album, learn who Colleen considers to be her guitar heroes as well as her advice for budding musicians in the interview below with fellow beloved musician and this year’s SPAF host, Luther Wright. 

Luther Wright: This is not your first time playing the festival but you have since settled in the area.  How are you enjoying being part of the Kingston arts/music scene? Continue reading →

Q&A: Don Maynard on his upcoming Art Installation at the Skeleton Park Arts Festival

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Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of I love this city because I make at least one new friend every day and each is more inspiring and fantastic to be around than the last (3)
Have you heard? The Skeleton Park Arts Festival   is kicking off on June 20-24! This festival does a beautiful job at sharing and displaying the work of Kingston’s most talented artists and brings the community together for great food and music. A very exciting installation being featured is by Don Maynard called the Skeye Project. It will feature the work of local filmmakers on a floating movie screen held up by helium balloons. Oh the whimsy! Something you should be sure to check out. Don has answered a few questions via email about his work and upcoming show (June 22 – 9 pm in Friendship Park) below. Read on to learn more.

Keep up with Kingston: Please share a bit of your background in creative projects like the Skeye Project?
Don Maynard: It was ten years ago in 2007 in Kingston that I did a similar project, Tidal Mass at the NGB studios, which involved a large public installation in collaboration with about 13 musicians. NGB Studios, Kingston. There were 1,850 used fluorescent light bulbs, steel, 250 compact fluorescent light bulbs, steel rods and it was 29″ x 32′ x 54′.

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Learn from the Wilderness Pros at Maclachlan Woodworking Museum

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Perhaps it’s just me, but if I were stuck in the middle of the woods with no resources, I would have a pretty rough time surviving. I am not proud of this fact! Luckily, Maclachlan Woodworking Museum is looking out for people like me as well as people with a stronger knowledge of wilderness survival that are interested in learning more. They are hosting an event called The Lumberjack, a Saturday (June 2) tailored to teaching outdoorsmen, outdoorswomen and those who want to be more familiar with the outdoors, how to hone their skills. I chatted with organizer Keely Maddock about the upcoming event. Continue reading →

Q&A: Dancer Valeria Galluccio Discusses Upcoming Kingston Performance with Compagnie Marie Choiunard

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Photo: Sylvie-Ann Paré / Dancer: Lucy M. May

Attention all dancers and dance enthusiasts! Internationally-renowned dance company Marie Chouinard is coming to Kingston on January 30th. Marie Chouinard has created choreography based on Stravinsky’s iconic score, The Rite of Spring. As well as a piece based off the book Mouvements by Henri Michaux. Learn more about the details of the show, here.

It’s wonderful to learn about a show from the perspective of a performer. Dancer Valeria Galluccio has been part of Marie Chouinard since 2011, she took some time to answer a few questions about the upcoming show via email. See below to learn about her experience and why she is looking forward to the Kingston performance.  Continue reading →

Shop Local: Kingston’s Holiday Markets

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Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash

The countdown to Christmas is officially on and this is the perfect time to share all of the goodness that Kingston’s makers have to offer. Thanks to a few very festive markets
— you can easily support local and treat loved ones this season. Scroll down to see where you can find your locally sourced Christmas gifts.

Kingston Holiday Market – 274 Princess Street – Saturday, November 18th (Open for 6 weekends)
From locally made chocolate and jewelry to bath products, furniture and more! Some of my favourite Kingston makers will be here!
Keep up on Instagram: @kingstonholidaymarket
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Five Things I Learned from Four of Kingston’s Female Entrepreneurs

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Last night, The Claire Closet hosted a panel discussion about building a successful brick and mortar business with four of Kingston’s successful female entrepreneurs. It was so great to see a range of professional experience and life experience discuss the rewards and pitfalls of being business owners. The speakers were Cyndy Gibson owner of shops Agent 99 and Blueprint, Maria Cronk owner of Fancy That and Roundstone, Tiffany Brick owner of The Annex Spa and Melissa Eapen owner of Improbable Escapes and The Kingston Collective. Listening to these women speak reaffirmed why I started the Boss Ladies of the Limestone City series. They support each other and encourage healthy competition for the greater good of our beautiful city. I admire how they contribute to the awesome town we live in. They also offered amazing advice. If you’re considering launching a business of your own, below is a list of five things I learned from their talk. Continue reading →

The Juvenis Festival Highlights Kingston’s Young Talent

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Kingston is filled with so much talent, from musicians to artists and actors — the list is endless. That’s why The Juvenis Festival is a perfect opportunity to witness all of the talent that the local youth have to offer. From April 29-May 7, a number of performances and workshops led by youth (ages 13-30) will be taking place. Though led by youth, the Juvenis are for people of all ages to enjoy.

I will be speaking with fellow bloggers Anna from STRUCKBLOG and Rosalyn of The Staycationer on Thursday, May 4 from 6:30 as part of a Blog-Writing Panel at 274 Princess Street. 

I couldn’t pick just one event to highlight! I thought I would share their full press release to cover all of the information.

Read their list of events to find out what’s coming up:

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