Ontario Summer Games - Day One!

The Ontario Summer Games have officially arrived in Sudbury! Today was the first day of competition and I was able to go around the city and check out some of the different events happening at the various venues. This morning I went to Cambrian College to watch a game of the boys indoor volleyball that was happening. Right away, from the moment that I entered the gym, I could tell that there was a passionate crowd watching, a trend that continued throughout the day. The spectators were really involved, loudly cheering on the team of their choice and shouting encouraging words. There was a lot of action occurring and it was really an exciting game to watch.


This afternoon, I was able to watch a few different events. First, I headed to the Carmichael Arena to watch some of the box lacrosse that was happening. It was a really fast moving game since both teams were excellent and the score was nearly always tied. When one team scored, a minute or two later, the other team would score. This made it really interesting to watch and it really engaged the crowd as I could hear many parents loudly cheering for their children. After this, I headed to Laurentian University to watch karate and soccer. I managed to watch the end of the karate and see some of the medals being awarded, which was really interesting to watch. Then I headed over to the soccer field to watch some of the girls soccer that was happening. Once again, it was fun to watch since there was a lot of action, and the excitement of the spectators really makes you become even more engaged in the game.

Overall, it was a great day and there was amazing weather for the competitions. I can't wait until tomorrow to watch some more events and see all of what the Ontario Summer Games has to offer! If you want more information regarding the games, check out the website at Ontario Summer Games 2010

Greek Festival

This past weekend, I attended the Greek Festival for the very first time. I was always extremely interested in it, but never had the chance to attend before. Driving to the Hellenic Centre, I could immediately tell that this is a popular event in Sudbury as the parking lot was packed and people were parking on the street! Walking to the centre, I could already hear the music and the voices of many people as they enjoyed what the festival had to offer.

When you walk into the centre, the first thing that you see is all of the amazing food. There were many options to choose from and even before trying anything, you could tell that it would be amazing the smell, and the long lineup of people waiting. In addition to the meal, there were also desserts being sold. This is where I headed to first since I always enjoy my desserts since I have an extremely large sweet tooth. I decided to try the baklava since I had heard about it before and was eager to try it. It was amazing! I would definitely recommend to attend the festival just for the desserts alone!



It was extremely evident that everyone was having an amazing time. One of the women from the ladies group started dancing and a couple of people joined in. It was fun to watch the spontaneous dancing as it truly highlighted the enjoyment that people found from the festival.



Traditional Greek dancers called the Hellenic dancers also performed and I found this extremely interesting to watch since it allowed me to learn more about the Greek culture since I have never seen Greek dancing before. It was extremely well performed and their costumes were really interesting to see as well.



There were also tents set up outside so people could enjoy the warm weather and the amazing view as the centre is right on St. Charles Lake. Many took advantage of this to sit outside and experience Greek food, culture, dancing, and music. Overall, it was definitely interesting to be able to go and be Greek for a few hours!

Dragon Boat Festival

I had the opportunity to check out the Dragon Boat festival today. I was really excited about going to this since it's been a couple of years since I was last able to attend. Luckily, today was the perfect day for the races. There was gorgeous weather for the spectators as it was nice and warm and there was still a breeze coming from the water. When I got there are 9:30 in the morning, there were already tons of people there, which just highlights how enjoyable this event is. The races were already in progress when I got there, however there were still many more to come! So, I was able to watch quite a few. It was interesting to watch all of the different ones since some teams won by quite a bit while other races were extremely close. Overall, there was a lot of excitement in the air.



As you can see, there was quite a bit of activity occurring and there were many booths to check out. Overall, everyone came out to enjoy the races and I met people from other places in Northern Ontario that came to spend a beautiful day in Bell Park and enjoy the festivities. The Dragonboat festival is always a great time and I was really glad that I was able to attend this year!

Gem and Mineral Show

The Gem and Mineral Show is taking place this weekend and I was really looking forward to attending. I have never been to this show before, so I didn't really know what to expect. However, after attending, I will be ensuring that I will be going back next year and I definitely see why it was voted Sudbury's most popular show last year. Ever since I knew I would be attending, I was definitely curious about it since I love jewellery and gem stones, so this is the perfect show for me!

When I arrived, just an hour after opening, the parking lot was already packed! There were people everywhere, heading inside to have a look at the professionals as well as staying outside to see what the locals had to offer. There were a lot of variety with gem stones and jewellery and there is clearly something there for everyone. Aside from the jewellery and gem stones, there are also books and other various rocks to look at and buy. There are also many different activities for kids to participate in, such as panning for gold.

Inside the Carmichael Arena, the booths were occupied by professionals that arrived from all over Ontario and Canada. There were individuals from North York, New Liskeard, and even North Vancouver! The amount of distance that these people travel to attend this show definitely highlights the importance of it. I really enjoyed wandering through all of the booths and looking at all the jewellery and stones. There was such a large variety and I fell in love with so many different pieces! I really had to restrain myself from buying something at every single booth. Now that I know what this show has to offer, I definitely can't wait for next year so I can go again!

Van Gogh: Brush with Genius

Today, I had the chance to go and see Van Gogh: Brush with Genius at the IMAX. I was really looking forward to seeing this since I have always loved art (even though I'm not very good at it!) and enjoy learning about new things. I found it to be even more engaging and interesting than I expected! Many of Van Gogh's paintings were shown throughout the film and I found it amazing to see them up on the huge IMAX screen. Some of them I had never seen before and this was the perfect first way to view them, especially considering the fact that it is extremely unlikely I'll be visiting the actual museums anytime in the near future. Viewing all of the paintings on the screen really gave me a sense of awe. This is mainly due to the fact that each painting contains numerous brush strokes, which highlights the amount of
time and effort involved in the creation of every painting. Painting was truly Van Gogh's passion and this continually comes across in the film.

Aside from viewing many of his paintings, I also learned a lot of interesting facts that I didn't know about Van Gogh beforehand. I love learning random fact of information, so I also found this part extremely interesting. Before the film, I didn't know much about Van Gogh's life, however this film allowed me to gain a better understanding of who he actually was, aside from the famous story of him cutting off his ear. It was interesting to note that Van Gogh was supported by his brother, Theo, who was an art dealer. He would pay for Van Gogh's living expenses and painting supplies, and in return, Van Gogh sent his brother all of his paintings to sell. This is what allowed Van Gogh to create the hundreds of paintings during his career. What made learning about Van Gogh's history even more interesting is the fact that the film has the narration from Van Gogh's point of view.

Overall, I learned a lot from the film and the 40 minutes just seemed to fly by. when it finished, it felt like it had just started! To have a look at the preview and gain a better understanding of what the film is about, just click on this link. I definitely think that this is a film most adults would enjoy and if anyone wants a break from the hot summer weather, you should go and check it out!

Canada Day at Science North!

Yesterday, Kevin and I were able to head off to Science North in the afternoon to view the Canada Day festivities that were occurring at one of Sudbury's trademark attractions. Just driving to Science North already gave the indication that there were going to be tons of people there as it was nearly impossible to find parking! We had to circle around for a little while, but luck eventually struck us and we were able to find a parking spot in one of the parking lots on York Street. This worked out perfectly since it was a gorgeous day and it allowed us to also enjoy a walk on the boardwalk. Even the boardwalk was packed with people walking to and from Science North, many with their patriotic spirit showing by wearing red t-shirts. As we neared Science North, the faint sounds of music could be heard, indicating that there was a lot of action happening there!

I had thought there were a lot of people on the boardwalk, but that was nothing as compared to the masses enjoying the festivities at Science North. There were people absolutely everywhere, as can be seen by this picture taken by Science North.


But also with the people came many different activities, displays, and refreshments. The Lakehouse had a booth, Beavertails were also available to buy, there was also slushies, pizza, you name it, it was there! As for activities, there were so many things occurring, I'm sure that I won't be able to remember them all! There was a huge stage set up and there were performers there to entertain the crowds. Upon arrival, there was an entertainer for the kids and he was really interactive, asking them questions and integrating it into his performance, and they seemed to be having a blast! As the afternoon continued, EZ Rock's idol competition rocked the stage and from what I saw, all of the performers were amazing. I think that it would be nearly impossible to pick a performer that was the best. Science North was also putting on science experiments throughout the day, many of which featured air in some way and they weren't always working as planned. Pony rides for the kids were also occurring. The kids were able to ride the ponies around a little bit in the parking lot. There were even fire-eaters there! That was a really amazing performance to watch as they performed with the fire and actually showed that they had the fire in their mouths. That was definitely one of the highlights for me.

All in all, it was a fantastic day and I had a lot of fun there. I can't wait for next year!

New Exhibit at the Art Gallery

Today, Kevin and I had the chance to check out the new exhibit at the Art Gallery of Sudbury. It just had its grand opening this past weekend, so it's literally a brand new exhibit. This particular one is called Diary of a Mad Scientist and Obsessive Insect Collector and is by Jennifer Angus.

The exhibit is literally made up of various insects and the amount of detail and work put into each part of the exhibit is incredible. There must be thousands of bugs placed in circular patterns on the walls, and apparently these are real insects that were pinned to the walls! I didn't find that out until afterwards and I was surprised since I thought they were all fake. The amount of time to get all of these insects and place them in the proper positions on the walls is astonishing. There are also other insects on display on tables in the galleries. The concept behind these displays is interesting as it places the insects into fairytales. Various fairy tales are depicted with insects, like Snow White, Rapunzel, and the Princess and the Pea. There are also displays of insects doing various human things like going to church, living in their houses, getting a haircut, and playing Scrabble.

All in all, it was a really interesting exhibit to see and if anyone has any free time, they should head out to the art gallery and have a look. To get more information, head on over to the art gallery's website.