Category: Arts & Culture

Downtown is Cool with the Change in Hillside Dates

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As reported in the Guelph Tribune the other day, the Hillside Festival is conceding victory to WayHome after two years of struggle against the upstart music festival just a few hours further away than our own Guelph Lake. The 34th annual Hillside Festival will be held on the weekend of July 14-16, which is a couple of weeks earlier than normal, but does it also put Hillside into conflict with another of Guelph’s summer festivals? Continue reading “Downtown is Cool with the Change in Hillside Dates” →

A Brief History of Hillside (With a Chance of Doom)

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The year was 1984. A generation of young people were given the eternal answer to “Who you gonna call?”, Cirque du Soleil redefined just how far you can make certain body parts bend, and John Turner began an epic three-month ride as Prime Minister of Canada. Meanwhile, here in Guelph, a small community music festival was launched that more than three decades later endures as a summer destination that’s synonymous with the Royal City. Continue reading “A Brief History of Hillside (With a Chance of Doom)” →

Are the Argos Coming Back to Guelph for Training Camp?

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Flashback! The local sports rumour mill is churning with mention of the possibility that the Toronto Argonauts might be holding their 2016 training camp in the Royal City. Specifically, at Alumni Stadium at the University of Guelph. Continue reading “Are the Argos Coming Back to Guelph for Training Camp?” →

Local Music Legend Mo’ Kauffey Passes Away

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It’s a sad day for Guelph music fans with the news that Gary W. Wickizer, AKA: Mo’ Kauffey, has lost his fight with cancer. He may have been born in Colorado, but Mo’ was quintessentially Guelph, and like all good Bluesmen, he’s strummed his last song and exited the stage. Continue reading “Local Music Legend Mo’ Kauffey Passes Away” →

The Unofficial List of Guelph-Based Podcasts

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It was an idle thought that passed my mind earlier this week, but I put it to Twitter: is there a list of podcasts made in Guelph, and/or by Guelphites. As it turned out, it looks like there’s not. Until now. Thanks to the suggestions of others, and my own brief research on Google, I’ve compiled here an unofficial, ongoing list of Guelph podcasts. Listen and learn, and if you know about something that isn’t on here, feel free to let me know. Continue reading “The Unofficial List of Guelph-Based Podcasts” →

Guelph Makes Top 10 for Culture Days in 2015

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It’s a terribly kept secret that Guelph is a culturally rich little ‘burb, and now we have the statistics to prove it. The Royal City was one of numerous groups across the country to have participated in Culture Day activities back in September, and it turns out that were one of the best it terms of celebrations. Continue reading “Guelph Makes Top 10 for Culture Days in 2015” →

Hillside Honoured by Festival and Events Ontario

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Who doesn’t love Hillside? The annual music festival at Guelph Lake has a great many admirers, and among them, it seems, are Festival and Events Ontario. Festivals, along with the organizers and volunteers of said festivals, were recognized Friday night as part of the FEO’s Annual Conference Let the Inspiration Flow in Niagara Falls, ON. Continue reading “Hillside Honoured by Festival and Events Ontario” →

An Artistic Critique of Guelph’s Election Signs

Published on by Adam A. Donaldson1 Comment

After all the talk of negativity, maybe what we need is levity. And since there are, apparently, a lot of people in the city interested in collecting signs, I was forced wonder if there was some artistic significance to them. So I decided to consult an expert. Scott McGovern, the programming director of Ed Video Media Arts Centre knows art, and he knows what he likes. He’s also politically astute, so when I reached out to Scott (who’s currently in Paris where is wife in an artist-in-residence), he was more than happy to lend his keen eye for colour and composition to the concept, and I present his insights below. Continue reading “An Artistic Critique of Guelph’s Election Signs” →

Politics, Comic Books and Coins

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The intermittent silence on Politico over the weekend stemmed from my time covering the National Fan Expo in Toronto for one of the culture vulture websites I get paid to write for. For those unfamiliar with Fan Expo, I basically describe it to the less nerdy as Canada’s Comic Con, an expansive event for all things nerdy including science fiction, horror, comic books, and video games. But since synergy is synergy, the occasion offered a compelling opportunity, for politics and nerdery to mix. Continue reading “Politics, Comic Books and Coins” →