BY: KATHY MCDONALD
Yesterday I popped into a large retail store and to my surprise not only was one item I wanted not in its usual spot, there were back to school supplies in its place and back to school displays dispersed throughout the store. How could this be as I just wrote an article about the great adventures families could take this summer to learn about their history, black and Caribbean history. Despite the influx of back to school paraphernalia, I will offer up some more suggestions for exciting summer adventures.
An event that is not to be missed in my opinion is the annual Underground Freedom Train Ride on July 31st. This symbolic journey commemorates the “experience of escaping slaves” So come and gather at Union Station at 11:00 and enjoy the ride. A great alternative to the Grand Parade on August the 4th is the Emancipation Festival in Harrison Park in Owen Sound. From 1-6pm visitors can “celebrate the journey of our ancestors within the Underground Railroad’s most northerly safe haven.”
A lot of regions and municipalities have fall fairs and an integral part of fall fairs are the juried arts, crafts, and baking shows. If you google information about a fall fair in your area you will invariably find detailed information about the juried shows. Each competition has its own set of rules as well as specific requirements for the various categories. This is a great way to keep in touch with the artistic side of your children. Usually, there are nominal monetary prizes which are always a nice incentive for children. The Brampton Fall Fair”s theme this year is, Into The Garden. Individuals, including adults, can register for an exhibitor’s number at the Fall Fair Office. In Brampton, our fall fair takes place from September 13th -18th. Just visit their website to find out all the nitty-gritty.
The Peeks Toronto Caribbean Carnival kicked off the 2018 season with its official launch on July 10th. Since then there have been several great opportunities to explore the rich Caribbean culture in Ontario and Canada. The Junior King and Queen Showcase and the Junior Carnival Parade have occurred but the adults have yet to strut their stuff. Congratulations are in order for Carnival Nationz for their first place win last weekend as they masterfully depicted their theme of Love.
On August 2nd at the Allan Lamport Stadium beginning at 7 pm the King and Queen Showcase will give the audience a chance to get up close and learn the story behind each of the magnificent costumes that will make their way down the Grand Parade at Exhibition Place, Ontario Place and the Lakeshore Boulevard. The highlight for me each carnival season is the Pan Alive competition. This musical showcase also occurs at the Allan Lamport Stadium beginning at 7 pm. Your auditory senses get overindulged as various steel pan orchestras compete for bragging rights. It is here that you can actually witness the steel drum “talk” to you.
There is a photo display at the Scarborough Civic Center entitled Beyond the Carnival which runs from July 24th to August 7th. The Civic Center is located at 150 Borough Drive. This is one event you should not miss as it takes you to aspects of this great festival that is often not seen by most. At this events professionals, amateurs and photo enthusiasts display their work and we get a peek at carnival through their lenses.
Several cities throughout Ontario host their own Caribbean carnivals, events and music festivals. This weekend in Hamilton, the Roots and Rhythm Festival featuring, Third World, Glen Washington, Alison Hinds and Rupee is guaranteed to delight audiences. The event takes place at 1 Festival Plaza in Windsor. On August 5th Toronto is hosting Kidsfest The Carnival Edition. This takes place at the Shinol Clubhouse at 2050 Ellesmere Road beginning at 11 am. Silento will be headlining as well as Silent Raver and JW and Blaze. Boogie on over to the Markham Fair Grounds to jump up with your family on Sunday, August 26th for their Kiddies Carnival. The parade begins at 10:30 am. Participants are invited to play again for free. Why not don your costume one more time and have fun together as a family. For more information contact Marlon Singh at 416-560-6379 or visit their website at www.uni-tnt.com.
I would also like to strongly suggest that while you participate in some of these incredible adventures, don’t forget to try and minimize “summer loss”. According to a Harvard Education twitter feed “on average students lose about 2.6 months of math learning over the summer” They suggested the following four tips to help beat the summer math slump. They are as follows: highlight math in everyday activities, read short math stories together, play math games and find small ways to practice math at home. Next week I will be providing ample ways to make learning fun over the summer holidays. So, continue journeying with your children or members of your “village” over the summer and explore your surroundings. Walk Good! Belle Marché.
