JUST A FEW OF THE FEATURED EVENTS:

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

1000 Islands Heritage Museum

Thousands Islands Boat Museum

Heather Haynes Gallery

O'Connor Gallery

Arts & Craft Collective

and more!

Follow them on Facebook to learn more about what all the BOOM is about!

 One word...

WOW!

It's the first weekend of fall and Kingston is the place to be with all the fun activities going on and better yet, it's also Culture Days. The amazing folks at the Kingston Arts Council are the host organization for this year. In case you didn't know, Culture Days is a nation-wide, three-day national event that celebrates arts and culture aka a weekend to shine a spotlight on the creative life of your community and recognize the importance of cultural engagement! It is set to kick-off in Kingston and across Canada on Friday, September 27th, 2019 and this year, the Tett Centre for Learning and Creativity is an official Hub for Culture Days events, inviting the community to learn more about the different organizations they house and to partake in workshops and activities at their Open House.

Scroll down to see some of the amazing Culture Days (free!) events taking place in the city of Kingston from September 27 to 29:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

Kingston Writersfest presents: Voaden Prize Play Reading

Lorna Crozier Book Launch: The House the Spirit Builds
Studio 22 and Kingston Writersfest

Art After Dark – Fall
Downtown Kingston

Open House
Kingston School of Art

Afrisa Dance Workshop
Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning

Art Exhibition by Pengyuan Wang
Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning

A Culture Days Celebration of Classical and Concert Dance
The Conservatory

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

Fall Princess Street Promenade
Downtown Kingston

Ontario Street ABCs: Artists, Builders and Creators!
PumpHouse

Exploring Ontario Street: Curator Tour Outside the Museum Walls
PumpHouse

Participainting
Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning

Sheep to Fall
Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning

Kids Creativity Club
Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning

Art Exhibition by Pengyuan Wang
Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

Bonus: Artbomb Festival
Various locations in Gananoque

Kingston Writersfest presents: Visual Storytelling with Claire Bouvier
Holiday Inn Kingston Waterfront

Kingston Writersfest presents: And the Journey Continues…
Holiday Inn Garden

Imagining Rembrandt Tour: See for Yourself with Carmen Papalia
Agnes Etherington Art Centre

Community Drum Circle with Ollin
Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning

CRAFT Hub
Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning

Play with Clay!
Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning

Blue Prints: Cyanotype Workshop with Anna Soper
Kingston Arts Council

Create your own Hexaflexagon
Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning

Art Exhibition by Pengyuan Wang
Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning

Tett Centre Open House
Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning

But long story short...

After scrolling through Instagram one evening, I stumbled upon a neat post. It mentioned that Kelly's Bake Shoppe, a popular bakery in downtown Burlington was coming to Prince Edward County for a pop-up event! The best part of it all was that they offered gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, peanut-free and vegan products. Ding ding ding! I was over the moon as I was able to finally indulge once again. If you know me, I have a major sweet tooth and well, Kelly’s Bake Shoppe to the rescue. As soon as bae and I got home from our adventures in the County, I took a fork and sampled each cupcake. Oh, goodness was I in heaven and in a bit of a sugar coma. These cupcakes were filled with so much flavour and topped with all the icing! My favourite cupcake was the strawberry shortcake vanilla that was filled with strawberry jam and topped with strawberry buttercream. Drool!

Vanilla cake with plant-based multicoloured sprinkles mixed throughout, topped with chocolate buttercream and more sprinkles.

MILE HIGH BROWNIE

It's been a good few weeks or so since my last blog post and I'm not sorry but that's because I actually took some time off for a slight digital detox from both my day job and blogging. But I will say that it's no surprise that during this time that my foodie partner-in-crime and I ventured to Prince Edward County (once again of course) for a day trip for lunch to visit Picton's newest dining experience - The Marans Dinebar.

Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, Chef Guerin Sykes previously helped revamp the kitchens at Waupoos Winery before taking the leap and opening up his own venture. Featuring Middle Eastern with Asian inspired cuisine, this new spot by Chef Guerin and his wife Jessica puts the emphasis on locally sourced ingredients and all things County including their drink menu. Located right between the Regent Theatre and Picton Library on Main Street in Picton, you wouldn't believe it, but it doesn't have a full commercial kitchen! With only a few induction burners and other equipment, Chef Guerin creates flavourful dishes with such freshness and efficiency, might I add. As comes with small spaces, also comes creative thinking, being wise in how you cook and operate, which means the menu rotates and keeps you guessing every few months.

Scroll down to have a peek at some of the dishes we enjoyed:

When I was younger, I remember being glued to the television screen watching Canadian figure skaters from Jamie Salé and David Pelletier to Joannie Rochette and Elvis Stojko twirling around and seamlessly gliding across the rink. So when Cirque du Soleil announced its first-ever experience on ice, I was over the moon and the little girl inside me was beyond thrilled. CRYSTAL blends circus arts into unchartered territory - the world of ice skating, taking audiences on a unique journey to a frozen playground where the lead character Crystal dives into her own imagination and curiosity as she discovers she isn't like everyone else and out of sync with herself.

To escape her reality, she ventures out on a frozen pond and falls through the ice into an upside world. In this underwater world of her imagination, she sees a reflection of herself. Her reflection guides her through this new world and wakes her up to her own creativity.

Throughout the show, both gymnasts and skaters perform acrobatics on the ice and in the air, combining multiple disciplines together. Synchronized skating, freestyle figures, and extreme skating are featured alongside circus disciplines such as swinging trapeze, aerial straps, and hand to hand. Figure skaters learned how to be pushers on Chinese poles, while circus artists learned how to skate, and extreme skaters learned figure skating moves. Just spectacular!

AND! Did you know the cast of this show represents eleven different nationalities?! All from the figure, extreme and freestyle ice skaters, acrobats, musicians and comic character.

After being wowed by the show on its first-night performance, I was thoroughly impressed by the music, the artistry, the acrobatics, the visual projections and most importantly the show's theme.

When it came to the music, it was lively, intense and intriguing. It was neat to see that CRYSTAL had popular cover versions of well-known pop songs - a first for a Cirque du Soleil show, that included Sia and Beyoncé, specifically recorded for the show that definitely got the crowd going. Cirque also paid homage to the music of Canada's Maritime provinces while preserving the signature sound of Cirque. This was combined with showcasing Canadian pride through a hockey act where extreme skaters performed crazy flips, twists and jumps at full speed, turning the ice into a giant pinball machine. I'm sure kids in the audience were mesmerized and what better way to keep the celebrating going as Canada Day long weekend was just here. As performers zipped by, the best part, was lead character Crystal jumping out sporting a Kingston Frontenac jersey. Well props to whoever was responsible for that neat marketing plug! 

Here's a sneak peek of the act and set design:

Overall this performance is definitely worth a watch and treating yourself! As Cirque du Soleil’s 42nd creation and the company’s first ice experience, you'll be amazed at the level of artistry and beautiful blend between skating and acrobatics. Playing double duty of figure skating while performing stunts such as aerial trapeze, balance poses and straps or playing an instrument, well I was left speechless with all these showstopping moments.

CRYSTAL is being presented at the Kingston’s Leon’s Centre for a limited run of performances from July 3-7, 2019.

Tickets available here.

Enjoy the show!

The anticipation is finally over folks! The iconic indulgence of Canada aka BeaverTails set up shop in downtown Kingston with lots of excitement from locals just a few weeks ago and drum roll please.... is now OPEN to the public right next door to Market Square.

But what are BeaverTails you might be asking?

In short, they are a hand-stretched fried-dough pastry made with whole wheat flour to resemble the long, flat tail of a beaver. From there, it's topped with a variety of sweet garnishes - anything from a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar to chocolate hazelnut spread and banana slices, as seen below! Drooling yet?

It's hard to believe but I had my first BeaverTails here in Kingston in my first year of university. As I'm originally from the province of Quebec, I knew them as Queue de Castor so when a mobile vendor was on campus and my floormates bugged me to join them - well the answer was heck yes and it's been a joyous time every time I indulge in one!

"BeaverTails is truly one of a kind. Irresistibly delicious, artisanal Canadian pastry, always there to share special moments that make lifelong memories."

Where: 20 Market Street, Kingston, Ontario

There's a new kid on the block and their name is Fractal Workspace. If you can imagine a cool, hip but modern space, this is it. Creators David Robinson and his wife Laura Simpson were the masterminds behind this new co-working space in the west end of Kingston, Ontario.

THE SPACE

Inspired by boutique hotels and embracing the shift in how we use technology, the co-working space complements today's mobile, creative and entrepreneurial workforce. As David states, "It's not the office of the past - this space is unique, dynamic and flexible."

In a world where social media and selfies rule, what really caught my eye was that it was an Instagram worthy space - cliché to say I know. But from the moment you walk in, you are greeted with a breathtaking flower wall (you'll just have to go into see it!) and as you walk around from one room to the next, you notice that the interior design is carefully curated to make the experience like no other that inspires creativity and innovation. All of which is thanks to Laura Simpson and her love for interior design.

There's even a studio dedicated to creating podcasts.




How neat are these private pods called SnapCabs?


I'm all about postive quotes and greenery to get my work mojo going!


For more info, visit www.fractalworkspace.ca

Where: 623 Fortune Crescent Suite 100 Kingston, ON

Things are getting spicy in the County aka Prince Edward County. There's a new spot in Wellington where if you're craving delicious authentic Mexican cuisine, then look no further than La Condesa. Having only been open for a few days, I had to immediately add this gem to my foodie bucket list after scrolling through my Instagram feed. Yup, that's how I find cool new spots and share with you all - gotta love social media.


The moment you walk into this Mexican eatery, it gives off a lively vibe with a combination of vibrant decor and feel-good atmosphere. They do an amazing job showcasing the fresh bold flavours that represent true Mexican cuisine and culture but also offers a menu full of locally sourced items and a 100% County wine list.

Scroll down to have a peek at some of the best tacos I've had in a while.

POLO ASADO

Prinzen Farms chicken marinated in adobo, onion and cilantro.

TACO DE BISTEC

Flank steak, jalapeño salsa, guac, onion and cilantro.

Find this eatery on Instagram: @LaCondesa

Where: 298 Wellington Main Street, Wellington, Ontario