A huge sports event kicked off in Regina today, but you might not know about it.   It’s the Esso Cup — the National Female Midget AAA Hockey Championships, and it runs April 18-24 at the new Cooperators Arena in the Exhibition Grounds.

Six teams from across Canada are competing for the National Championship from as far away as Edmonton, Thunder Bay, Richelieu Quebec and Moncton.   The prairies are represented by the Notre Dame Hounds and the host Regina Rebels.

This is only the third National Female Championship and it is a testament to the wild growth of female hockey across Canada.  You know Canada dominates in female hockey, so this isn’t just the best female hockey in Canada, it’s the best in the world!

Some of these young ladies might progress to the Olympic team in a couple years so it’s a great chance to come out and see excellent hockey right in your town.  Tickets are cheap, the seats are comfortable and the skill level will be awesome.  The Regina Rebels play in the last game of the day each night (7:30PM Monday-Wednesday) so head down and check it out!  More information, including schedules is available at the Hockey Canada website.

There is also a big Lakeview connection to this event.  Lorissa Thompson (former Lakeview community soccer alumnus, circa 1999) plays for the Regina Rebels and lives right down the street from me.   She’s played top level hockey andsoftball from a very young age and it’s great to see all her hard work pay off with a chance at a national title.

Lorissa’s dad Brian is also the volunteer coordinator for the tournament, which means you’ll likely see the whole family and all their friends helping out at the Cooperators Centre all week.  Be sure to stop by and say hi.

Photo Credit:  It’s a shot from the opening day action on April 18, via the Hockey Canada website.  The photo is taken by a Regina studio that specializes in sports photography, Sierra-Chrysalis imaging.

The Regina Symphony Orchestra is known far and wide for blending outstanding classical music with modern classics.  The result is great music and entertainment for thousands of people in and around the city.

On Monday April 19, the RSO is adding an unforgettable evening to an already unforgettable seasoni with Live and Let Die.  Tony Kishman, veteran of Broadway’s Beatlemania, is performing the best of the Beatles and Paul McCartney’s solo work, along with a four piece band and the Regina Symphony Orchestra.

Since last September, I’ve been enjoying Beatles Rock Band; it reminded me just how powerful and lasting the music of the Beatles is.  Hearing these great songs backed by the RSO promises to be an amazing night out.

Get your tickets today by calling the CBO at 525-9999 or visit the Regina Symphony Orchestra website.

Photo via the RSO.

In 2008 the Mackenzie Art Gallery had a wonderful exhibition of the works of Bob Boyer. As the folks at the Mackenzie say:

Bob Boyer: His Life’s Work, [is] the first major retrospective of Bob Boyer (1968-2004), a nationally and internationally renowned artist, art historian, curator
and educator. Boyer’s influence is far-reaching and interwoven among the communities of art, education and culture. The exhibition is a celebration of the art, life and critical contribution of this influential artist.

We really liked the exhibit. It was our first exposure to contemporary aboriginal art and it was powerful and moving.

Now the cool bit: The Mackenzie Art Gallery has partnered up with Heritage Canada to view the exhibit online. You can view 60 of his works in great detail and learn more about the artist’s life and work.

The virtual exhibit is free, but is only available for a limited time. Don’t wait! Drop what you’re doing and head to the Bob Boyer virutal exhibit (or the MacKenzie Art Gallery website) to check it out.

Photo via the Mackenzie Art Gallery’s flickr stream. I’m working on getting permission to use the photo with attribution, but may end up taking this down. I hope the link is enough though.

Robert White sent us an email today about an event he’s organizing on Friday, April 2 at the Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre. It’s a free concert and ‘Peace Connect’ and here are the details:

One World Café
Concert & “Peace Connect”
Friday, April 2: 7 PM -10.30 PM
Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre (2900-13th Ave)
All welcome- Free Admission
Donation bin for Food Bank -if can contribute

The event is in two parts:

The Concert: Martin Kerr, British singer-songwriter & Canadian Idol finalist, offering intelligent, soulful music. He developed a global perspective while traveling to 30 countries as a street performer. He has released three albums.

A Short Talk: Dr. W. Andy Knight, co-author of Building Sustainable Peace, and, just released, Global Politics: Emerging Networks, Trends, and Challenges. He is chair of the Department of Political Science at the U. of Alberta and is involved in peace and development issues through the U.N., the World Economic Forum and other agencies. He is a sought after speaker in the fields of peacebuilding, terrorism and children and war and is the 2010 recipient of the Harry Jerome Trailblazer award. (Jerome is a Black Canadian sports hero, originally from Prince Albert.)

“One question guides all of my research on international relations and conflict”, said Knight. “How can we stand idly by and watch people suffer around the globe? The norm on responsibility to protect is evolving and must so in our interdependent world.”

Both are in Regina for a weekend “school” that focuses on “creating a culture of peace.”* In this vein, the “peace café” or “world café” model for the evening offers the general public a chance to access their gifts in a thoughtful, yet relaxed atmosphere. The goal is fostering community connection and interest in global issues by providing an open space for people of all faiths.

For more information call 306-270-2385 or “Peace Connections Cafe” on Facebook.

*“Building Sustainable Peace,” April 2-4, sponsored by the Bahá’í Schools Committee-SK.

We got a note from Jim Nichols at Regina South Zone Taekwon-Do about their upcoming spring sessions.

South Zone Taekwon-Do is holding three registration nights:

• March 30 and April 1st from 6PM-7PM at St. Anne’s Church Hall (1701 Cowan Crescent)
• March 31 from 4:00PM – 5:00PM at the South Leisure Centre

The spring session runs for three months and costs $125.  Classes run at the same time as registration nights so if you’re a beginner, come out and try a class first.

As the picture Jim sent says, Taekwon-Do is for fun, fitness and for all ages.  So give it a try!

If you have any other questions either check out their website (rsztkd.ca) or call 525-0005.

The Heritage community is one of the original neighbourhoods, just Northeast of downtown, that for years was described as ‘Core’. There’s a ton of interesting places and history there and the folks at Heritage CA have been working hard over the past year to promote their neighbourhood.

Friend of Lakeview and LCA outdoor sign guru Marci Brisbourne is also heavily involved with the Heritage Community Association and passed along information about an exciting Trek to Tomorrow event on May 1.

This promises to be an awesome event which complements Jane’s Walk Regina,  which is going on the same day.   Take a Jane’s Walk, then head over to Heritage!

More from Kierin Gorlitz, who is coordinating the event:

The Trek will bring teams into the Heritage neighbourhood in search of sites and locations significant to the community, working against the clock to collect points and win prizes. The event will be followed immediately by a banquet dinner at the Regina Inn, where prizes will be presented and Trek participants will be treated to a performance by FadaDance and an appearance by guest speaker Larry Schneider, former mayor of the City of Regina.

While this event is a fundraiser for Heritage Community services, it is also intended to heighten the knowledge and awareness of city residents about the community, its rich heritage, and the people and businesses that comprise it.

The Trek to Tomorrow will be a fun, family-friendly event, and costumes are encouraged! Come out as a bawdy gang of pirates in search of loot, or a company of
circus performers—or dress in yellow in the theme of our symbol, the Yellow Rose.

Your participation in the Trek to Tomorrow will help bring support and attention to the Heritage Community. Come out and make a difference!

For more information about the Trek to Tomorrow, please contact the Heritage Community Association office at 757-9952 or go to heritagecommunityassociation.com

Photo by Nikki L.

The second Regina Jane’s Walk will be held on May 1 and 2, 2010 all over Regina. Last year over 400 people came out to participate in 12 community walks and learn more about the history of Regina neigbourhoods.

This year, there are two ways to participate:

- Come for a walk on May 1 and 2. This is easy, fun, and you’ll learn a lot.

- Volunteer to lead a Jane’s Walk. This could be the most rewarding part of all. Plan a route, think through the stories you could tell along the route, then walk a group through the route in May.

Communities thrive when people know each other and have a sense of connectedness. Jane’s Walk is a great way to get connected to the place where you live. We hope you get involved in this and strengthen your community roots!

Getting involved is easy. Just email janeswalkregina@gmail.com or call 737-7185 to get involved in the Regina walk. Or head over to www.janeswalk.net to learn more about the walks taking place in neighbourhoods across Canada.

Or… read on! Here’s more information from the Regina Jane’s walk folk:

Good afternoon!

As many of you know, last year Regina hosted its first Jane’s Walk event and it was a huge success – over 400 people came out to participate in 12 inspiring community walks over the course of one weekend.

We are starting to plan for this year’s event, which will take place May 1 and 2, 2010 and are looking for volunteers to help the walks run smoothly (as marshalls, photographers, question-answerers, etc.). Please contact me directly if you have questions or would like to put your name on the list.

We are also looking for people to lead walking tours – remember, the walks can be about anything you are interested in: architecture, history, your personal stories and experiences, questions you have about certain neighbourhoods, art, culture, sport, you name it!

Please help to spread the message about this event to your contacts, the more the merrier!

The official invitation to be involved in this inspiring community event follows:

LEAD A JANE JACOBS WALKING TOUR

“No one can find what will work for our cities by looking at …suburban garden cities, manipulating scale models, or inventing dream cities. You’ve got to get out and walk”
– Jane Jacobs

ANNUAL JANE’S WALK MAY 1 & 2 2010

Jane’s Walk is the street-level celebration of Jane Jacobs’ legacy that combines the simple act of walking with personal observations, urban history and local lore as a means of knitting people together into strong and resourceful communities. Over 10,000 people explored over 315 neighbourhoods across Canada and the United States last year – and it went global with one tour in Mumbai, India!

We are inviting you to lead a tour in an area where you live, work or play. It simply involves
planning a route, thinking through the stories, places and people you want to hear about and discuss, then walking participants through it – you decide what’s important. If you like, you could share the guiding duties with a few other resourceful friends or colleagues.

Jane’s Walk aids in the socially desirable goal of getting people out of their cars and onto the sidewalks for the basic tasks of daily life, shopping, schools and work. Jane’s Walks are meant to be fun and participatory – everyone’s got a story and they’re usually keen to share it. All tours are given, and taken, for free. We help with the publicity, logistics and website management – you need to get the word out with your local networks and friends. We also have useful resources and ‘tips for tour guides’ available through our on-line forum that connects you with Jane’s Walks guides from around the world (will be launched on Jane’s Walk website by March 2010).

You don’t have to be familiar with Jane Jacobs’ work to lead a tour, but this is a great way to get familiarized with some basic ideas. In books such as “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” (1961) she championed the interests of local residents and pedestrians over a car-centered approach to planning, made the case for refurbishing old buildings instead of tearing them down and building new ones, and demonstrated the desirability of increasing the density of cities instead of sprawling endlessly outward.

Jane’s Walk first happened in Toronto in 2007, and has since spread to a dozen other cities including New York, Ottawa, Calgary, Halifax, Guelph, Salt Lake City, Regina, Winnipeg, New Orleans, Montreal and Vancouver. For details of what Jane’s Walk has been like in the past visit our website at www.janeswalk.net.

We hope you’ll join us in offering an insider’s take on your city’s vibrant and fascinating neighbourhoods. Please get in touch at janeswalkregina@gmail.com or call 737-7185 for more info.

Photo by: jbcurio of a Jane’s Walk in Toronto in 2008

Mrs. Blogger and I were over at the Catherdral Neighbourhood Centre on Saturday checking out the wonderful fare at the first Spring Farmer’s Market of 2010. We found some nice greenhouse tomatoes, fresh basil and even some fenugreek sprouts for sandwiches.

After a long, grey, cold winter it sure is nice to smell and taste some fresh, local produce. Come see what local producers have to offer!

The markets run on Saturdays from 9:30AM – 1:30PM at the Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre on 13th Avenue. The spring markets run till April 24th.

Starting May 1st the markets will move outdoors. This year they will start at City Hall Plaza and Smith&McIntyre streets, all around City Hall, due to planned construction of a new market space around Victoria Park.

For more information about the markets, please call Ada Bennett, the Market Manager, at 352-FARM.

Photos by acnatta and Baying Hound

Back in the depths of winter, did your windows rattle, whistle and moan? Do you wish you could fix them up rather than replace them with boring old PVC? Maybe you can, especially after learning how to do it!

The Cathedral Area Community Association is offering a workshop on Sunday, March 21 from 2-7PM on repairing and replacing wood windows. Jim Stiven, the owner of Vintage Woodworks in Victoria B.C., will provide a hands-on demonstration and lots of useful information on how to conduct repair work while balancing energy efficiency and functional requirements.

The session costs $35 and includes a light lunch.

To register, contact Paul Dechene at CACA: 757-9849 or caca@sasktel.net

Photo by: Sundials by Carmichael