NIAGARA COTTAGE RENTAL

“VACATIOING RELAXED

In celebration of Earth Day, The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) will host a number of events on Saturday, April 20, to encourage a greater appreciation of nature and our environmental surroundings. Join us and take part in the following programs:

4th Annual Friends of the Niagara Glen Earth Day Event Niagara Glen Nature Centre 3050 Niagara Parkway, Niagara Falls, Ontario 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Friends of the Niagara Glen invite everyone to gather at the Niagara Glen Nature Centre for free guided tours of the Glen, home to Ontario’s

Tree Planting at Niagara Parks

greatest concentration of Species at Risk. Tree plantings, geocaching demonstrations and a photo scavenger hunt will also be offered. The Friends Group and their partners will also be showcasing various displays and educational materials about their conservation efforts. Those planning to spend the day are encouraged to bring their own bagged lunch, refillable water bottles and appropriate footwear for rugged terrain.

NPC will also be offering free mulch for pick-up in the Niagara Glen parking lot. Please bring your own shovel and bags.

“Capture the Moment” Photography Workshop with Teresa Forte Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, Butterfly Conservatory Classroom 2565 Niagara Parkway, Niagara Falls, Ontario 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.   Looking to stay overnight?  Call us at 1-866-226-4730 or visit our website at: www.niagaracottage.com

Palette Knife with Oils Workshop

Led by Anne Reimer

Saturday, May 4 at RiverBrink Art Museum

Following a successful series of artist’s demonstrations over the fall and winter, RiverBrink is pleased to announce the second of its artist’s workshops. Under the tutelage of noted painter Anne Reimer, participants will create their own autumn landscape painting, using the techniques taught in the workshop.

Anne Reimer will conduct a mini-workshop in palette knife application of oil paint. In this “beginner” workshop, students will create their own fall landscape while learning the principles of colour and design. Anne invites you to learn the many ways you can use the palette knife, sometimes working with a full blade or with the tip to create the texture you desire. Although it would be beneficial to have some knowledge of oil paint, beginners to this medium are welcome to join the class.

Anne is known for her intuitive sense of colour, and her love and understanding of nature.  Her inspirations come from the beauty of area scenes and travels, depicting barns, mills, and capturing still life from her garden.  The Niagara Region offers her this wealth of resources.

Anne was born in Paraguay, South America, and immigrated to Canada in 1955 at the age of 16.  Her art training from Art Instruction Schools Home Study Course has helped her gain much understanding of the fundamentals of art.  Feeling a deep love for fine art, she has been inspired to perfect her technique in oil, watercolour, and mixed media.

To register please contact RiverBrink by phone 905-262-4510 or by email to manager@riverbrink.

LOOKING TO STAY OVERNIGHT CALL US FOR YOUR ACCOMMODATIONS AT 1-866-226-4730

Giuseppe  Verdi’s  Requiem – A Gala Presentation

 Chorus  Niagara,  Niagara’s  premier 100-voice choral ensemble, with Artistic Director Robert Cooper, present  Giuseppe Verdi’s masterwork Requiem Saturday May 4^th, 7:30pm,  at the historic Lake Street Armoury,  81  Lake Street,  St.  Catharines.  Audiences are invited to attend a  post-concert reception for the historic lighting of Chorus Niagara’s  50^th Anniversary Candles and to enjoy a sample of the anniversary  celebration cake.

This  50^th Anniversary season finale features over 200 singers and  instrumentalists and showcases a brilliant quartet of Canadian Opera stars.  Joining the 100 voices of Chorus Niagara  are Choralis Camerata and Chorus Niagara’s Community and  Side-by-SideHigh  School Chorales.  The Niagara Symphony  Orchestra accompanies the massed choir. This gala performance celebrates not  only the Golden Anniversary of Chorus Niagara, but also the 200^th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi,  Italy’s  most celebrated operatic composer.

 Audiences  will be dazzled by a Canadian superstar operatic quartet, comprised of Leslie  Ann Bradley, soprano; Anita Krause, mezzo-soprano; David Pomeroy, tenor and  Stephen Hegedus, bass-baritone.

Leslie  Ann Bradley, soprano,  possesses a voice described as ‘warm,  voluptuous and beautifully expressive’.  Opera Canada has described her as ‘A  stylish singer that recalled a young Renee Fleming.’  Equally at home in opera, concert and recital, Ms. Bradley has performed with  the Calgary Philharmonic, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Opera in Concert,  Brott Summer Music Festival, Boston Midsummer Opera, Toronto Operetta Theatre  and the Aldeburgh Connection.  A  graduate of the University of Toronto  Opera Program with a Master’s Degree, Ms. Bradley is also the winner of several prestigious  awards. She has appeared on BRAVO television in ‘Love  Story’ and recorded two episodes of ‘Opera  Easy’ for  BRAVO.

Verdi’s  Requiem was first performed in Milan Italy in May of 1874.  It was composed in  memory of Italian poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni, who was much admired by  Verdi.  Giuseppe Verdi is the  composer of many well-known operas including Nabucco,  Rigoletto, Aida, Otello and Falstaff,  favourites of opera companies around the world today.  Requiem,  was a departure for the composer, who was considered to be an agnostic.  Verdi’s operatic style lent a complex  and theatrical flair to the Mass format, making it a dramatic audience  favourite.

Tickets  are available from the Brock University Box Office in  St.  Catharines 905-688-5550 ext. 3257; toll free 1-866-617-3257; online www.arts.brocku.ca , or from a chorus  member.   Media  Contact Paul Price 905-227-2356 paul.price@cogeco.ca 

Looking for accommodations in Niagara on the Lake call 1-866-226-4730

Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Grove Music Festival Gets Phoenix, Hot Chip, Girl Talk, Earl Sweatshirt

This saison pairs well with just about any food (Image: David Ort)

New breweries seem to sprout up in groups. The once-dry Junction now has two; new ones are opening in Muskoka and now Niagara has a few. Last November, Oast House joined Silversmith Brewing Company in the growing club of breweries in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Farmhouse Saison is a notable selection from Oast House’s small portfolio of beers.

The two beers in Oast House’s Farmhouse series (the second one, the Biere de Garde, will be released soon), are bottle-conditioned for at least two months. This treatment gives the saison a cloudy haze that lends a glow to the dark straw colour. The aromas and flavours twist together spicy notes like clove and cardamom with fruity notes of orange peel and banana. There is a good deal of European-style hops in the background that leads smoothly into the refreshing, dry finish.

Historically, the saison style (originating from the French-speaking southern half of Belgium) was made in the early spring and stored for summer consumption during the busiest time of year for farm workers.

That said, I think saison’s ability to pair with just about any food helps it break free from the seasonal typecasting more than other hot-weather beers like wits and weissbiers. The bottle-conditioning provides a lively carbonation that cuts through the grease from fried foods; the fruity, herbal and floral notes contrast with darker meat flavours; and the slight hop bitterness keeps spicy food in line.

I look forward to sampling more of the brewery’s offerings, like the Barnraiser Country Ale and the Crop Duster Belgian IPA.

Appropriately for Niagara, Oast House partners Cian MacNeill and Mike Berlis are both accredited sommeliers with winery backgrounds. The brewmaster and third partner, Kevin Somerville, helped get Niagara College’s brewmaster program off the ground.

If you can’t make it out to Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Oast House saison is also available in Toronto at barVolo, The Rhino and Indie Ale House. Other beers from the catalogue are carried by Tequila Bookworm, Wvrst and Bar Hop.

MacNeill sees what he calls the “new Niagara” as encompassing more than just wine (or even beer), but also distilleries, restaurants, food trucks and markets that are about “diversity, creativity and ambition.”

Niagara Oast House Brewers Farmhouse Saison, $11 for a 750 mL bottle at the brewery

In addition to covering beer, new restaurants and food trucks for Post City, David Ort writes about food and drink for several Toronto publications including Spotlight Toronto and his own site, Food With Legs. For more of his thoughts on food, beer and life in general, follow him on Twitter.