Tall Ships Sailing Past in Wasaga Beach

Collingwood, Owen Sound and Wasaga will all participate in the Tall Ship 1812 Tour the weekend of August 16-18, one of several Tall Ship stops throughout the summer.

Owen Sound will host four ships and Collingwood will host three different ships, two of which will do a sail past in Wasaga Beach on the Friday night of Wasaga Under Siege. They will return to Collingwood later Friday night. Deck tours of three Tall Ships will be offered in Collingwood for a small fee.

Wasaga under Siege “A War of 1812 Experience” is an annual living history festival commemorating a War of 1812 battle between Americans, British and First Nations which resulted in an American victory with the sinking of the British schooner Nancy. This historic event eventually led to the modern day creation of Nancy Island Historic Site located in present day Wasaga Beach, Ontario. This three day heritage festival managed and operated entirely by volunteers’ features authentic War of 1812 tactics, historical battles, marine assault landings, artillery, and much more. A professional public address announcer narrates each battle event as a series of fictional and historical battle scenarios are presented to the public. The Grand Encampment at Nancy Island Historic Site features over 300 re-enactors opening their living history encampments to the public along with 19th century merchants, artisans, demonstrators, entertainers, live period musical entertainment and much more. Wasaga under Siege “A War of 1812 Experience” allows the local community the opportunity to come together and commemorate its rich local history and in turn creates long-lasting sustainable community bonds through the promotion and preservation of local history.

Patti Friday, Photojourno, reporting from inside 'The Art Dept.' at the international 'Embassy of Ideas'. Wasaga Beach, Ontario CANADA - The longest freshwater beach in the world! 14 km of scenic beauty.

Live Music In the Streets

Just a sweet sampling of the joyous live music in New Orleans. This would be so perfect for Wasaga Beach, Ontario. I vote YES to inviting Musicians to come here to perform.

Patti Friday, Photojourno, reporting from inside 'The Art Dept.' at the international 'Embassy of Ideas'. Wasaga Beach, Ontario CANADA - The longest freshwater beach in the world!

Bike It Wasaga Beach

Impressive! Kitchener, Ontario:

Across the globe, cities are transforming their streets and public spaces to make it safer and more convenient to ride a bicycle. Millions of people travel by bicycle and are embracing cycling as a low-cost, healthy, and fun way to get to school, work, or around the city.

The City of Kitchener is excited to be part of this global momentum by promoting and encouraging cycling through Bike Kitchener, a platform to promote and foster a sustainable culture of bicycling among Kitchener residents of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Whether residents are looking for information on the City's Cycling Master Plan, cycling routes, safety tips, promotional events or upcoming projects, Bike Kitchener provides information, resources, and support to those interested in cycling.

With a goal of doubling the number of trips made by bicycle every three to five years, a significant amount of work is underway to make cycling safe and enjoyable for all Kitchener residents. Browse the menu to the left to learn more about the initiatives planned to support and encourage cycling within the City of Kitchener.

Does Wasaga Beach have a 'Cycling Master Plan'? 

Patti Friday, Photojourno, reporting from inside 'The Art Dept.' at the international 'Embassy of Ideas'. Wasaga Beach, Ontario CANADA - The longest freshwater beach in the world!

Lick It Ice Cream Guide

The quintessential midday, after dinner, sunset traditions here in Wasaga Beach - ice cream.   Soft, hard, drizzled, dipped, whipped over and smothered in ooey-gooey goodness. However you ‘lick it’, it’s here for you!  Drool over our weekend’s worth of screaming suggestions for Beachers.

FRIDAY

Queen Vic loved ice cream. She would have done a jig to get inside the doors of the newest treat place in Wasaga.  ‘Sweet Tooth’. This May long weekend enjoy their tasty make-your-own flavour ice cream crusher and the Sweet Tooth café.  If you have any allergies or diet restrictions they have an impressive range of sugar-free, gluten-free and peanut-free products.  25 Mosley Street at Beach 1.

SATURDAY

Scooped, mixed-in ice cream and frozen yogourt! Wasaga Dairy since 1952 serves premium, certified kosher ice cream made with 100% fresh Canadian milk and cream in a cool shop that has a hip vibe.  It might take you a while to choose from their many flavours, toppings and sundaes. Death by Chocolate, Moose Tracks or Black Raspberry Thunder? Perhaps you’ll get a glimpse of Tiger on their mini-golf.  Open till 11pm on Saturday! 1056 Mosley Street near Beach 3. 

SUNDAY

The ultimate starts by having your ice cream blended in front of you on a frozen granite stone. How Canadian!  Begin by choosing your size, your flavour and your mix-ins. Tim Horton’s and Cold Stone Creamery even has take-home ice cream. Fill your beach house with smiles! Ice cream cakes, pies, oh so dreamy bars, cookie sandwiches and cupcakes! Did we mention sorbet? 349 Main Street (beside Walmart) and near Beach 1.

READ Issue #64 Beach Booster HERE.

#lickit #beachbooster #wasagabeach

Patti Friday, Photojourno, reporting from inside 'The Art Dept.' at the international 'Embassy of Ideas'. Wasaga Beach, Ontario CANADA - The longest freshwater beach in the world!

Lick It: Wasaga Beach Ice Cream Guide

The quintessential midday, after dinner, sunset traditions here in Wasaga Beach - ice cream.   Soft, hard, drizzled, dipped, whipped over and smothered in ooey-gooey goodness. However you ‘lick it’, it’s here for you!  Drool over our weekend’s worth of screaming suggestions for Beachers.

FRIDAY

Celebrate the end of a long week with ‘Bordeaux Cherry’, a rich and full flavored cherry ice cream loaded with big pieces of sweet black Bordeaux cherries. Grandma’s Beach Treats enjoys serving up Kawartha Dairy Ice Cream (they have soft too.) 1014 Mosley Street near Beach 3.

SATURDAY

A famous tourist destination and the original landmark ice cream parlour, Lorna Dune has been swirling soft ice cream since 1955.  One lick and you’ll remember your childhood summers. Choose the large dipped cones!  3373 Mosley Street, west end of town near Beach 6.

SUNDAY

A seriously Sunday treat has got to be a sweet storm. Love it to bits!  The McFlurry at McDonalds will put you in a happy place to begin a new week. Decadent deliciousness starts with creamy vanilla soft serve. Choose from Oreo to Rolo and enjoy the yummy taste. 1269 Mosley Street at the bridge beside the river and near Beach 4 and 5.

#lickit #beachbooster #wasagabeach

Read more in Beach Booste #63

Patti Friday, Photojourno, reporting from inside 'The Art Dept.' at the international 'Embassy of Ideas'. Wasaga Beach, Ontario CANADA - The longest freshwater beach in the world!

How to save for your family's dream vacation

(NC)—Whether your family likes to take smaller trips each year or you're planning the trip of a lifetime, travelling with a family can be expensive. The good news is there are several ways to make your dream vacation a reality. Stephen Menon, associate vice president, credit cards at TD Canada Trust provides simple tips to help you save for your next family getaway:

• Create a budget – Knowing how much to save starts with determining the full cost of your trip. Think about all the costs associated with your travel, from flights and car rentals to taxis and tips, to get an accurate idea of the total cost of your vacation. 

• Create a vacation savings plan – Once you know how much your trip will cost, it's time to start saving. To help you save, consider setting up an automatic transfer of a set amount at regular intervals into a tax-free savings account. Look for ways to cut back on other expenses and add that money to your vacation savings. Saving even a small amount on a regular basis will add up.

• Take advantage of rewards – If you have time before your next trip, use your travel rewards credit card to earn rewards that can help reduce travel expenses down the road. A good travel rewards credit card will allow you to redeem points for any costs associated with your travel, from hotel rooms and baggage fees to transportation and taxes. Just remember to pay the balance in full and on time each month. 

• Get the kids involved – Turning your vacation fund into a family project is a great way to teach kids financial responsibility. As kids are more likely to consider spending when the money is their own, encourage your kids to save a portion of their allowance for spending during the vacation. 

www.newscanada.com

Patti Friday, Photojourno, reporting from inside 'The Art Dept.' at the international 'Embassy of Ideas'. Wasaga Beach, Ontario CANADA - The longest freshwater beach in the world!

Go green at home on Earth Day

(NC)—Earth Day is a reminder about the importance of respecting our environment and doing all we can to protect our planet. Every year, over six million Canadians take part in Earth Day by doing simple things such as riding their bikes to work or using candles at night. This year show how important the environment is by pledging an act of green. 

Here, in your own home, are some ways to take part in the world's most celebrated environmental event. These tips are environmentally friendly and will save you money on your energy bills: 

• Cool down your house with a ceiling or electric fan and open up the windows at night. Ceiling fans cost about 1 cent for two hours of use, compared to 67 cents to a dollar for central air. Use your AC only when necessary and be sure to turn it off when you're going to be away from home long periods of time.

• Invest in a programmable thermostat. It will automatically adjust the temperature in your house, saving you energy while you're away or sleeping. 

• Use insulation with a high R-value, such as Roxul RockFill, which can be used to increase insulation in your attic. It will keep your house cool in the warm weather and take the stress off your air conditioning unit.

• Check the tightness of your refrigerator seal by closing the door on a piece of paper. If it's held in place, the seal is still good, if not, it's time to replace the seal or fix the door's alignment. 

• Only do laundry when you have full loads. If you have smaller loads, make sure to use the correct settings and if you only have a couple of items, wait it out or wash them by hand. 

www.newscanada.com

Patti Friday, Photojourno, reporting from inside 'The Art Dept.' at the international 'Embassy of Ideas'.

Cultural Tourism and Public Art Wasaga Beach

It is no secret that I believe Wasaga Beach would benefit greatly from more public art, multi-purpose gardens and a cultural tourism strategy. (I still think our 'Marketplace' would have been more successful thus far if it had of been named 'Farmer's Market'....but that's a whole other topic!)

This morning I watched a segment on CBC about the newly unveiled lights on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco.  It will bring 50 million visitors to the area in the next 2 years! The lights = 50 million tourists!

Yes, we are much, much (MUCH) smaller than this city.  Yes, we don't have the budget or population base they do. BUT! We have what they don't!

The world's longest freshwater beach!

What are some of the simple things we could do - solar lights on the blue bridges, Nancy Island? There are many ideas!

Let's urge our local council to make cultural tourism and priority. Let's create a Wasaga Beach Tourism campaign as good as or better than Newfoundland and Labrador!

Let's BOOST our public spaces and attractions!

Patti Friday, Photojourno, reporting from inside 'The Art Dept.' at the international 'Embassy of Ideas'.

Wasaga Beach Fine Art Gallery Shop

We are 'springing forward' - opening the windows - painting our rooms?  Needing new beach-inspired art? Here are some of my images/work.

Patti Friday, Photojourno, reporting from inside 'The Art Dept.' at the international 'Embassy of Ideas'.

In A Wasaga Beach State of Mind

Tee Time! Yes! Graphic Tee time! Spring and Summer = You deserve one of my shirts!

Patti Friday, Photojourno, reporting from inside 'The Art Dept.' at the international 'Embassy of Ideas'.