Whether you’d like to ski through the forest, fly above the city, immerse yourself in art or Korean fashion history, or snuggle down under a blanket on the couch with a beer to enjoy a movie or a concert, I have a suggestion for you this week. Enjoy!
Fly above Ottawa in a biplane
Did you know that you can see Ottawa from the air in a tiny plane? Ottawa Biplane Adventures is currently flying out of the Rockcliffe Airport, weather permitting. This has been on my bucket list forever; maybe this will be the year I finally get organized to do it.
Enjoy jazz for free
The TD Ottawa Winter Jazz Fest (March 4 to 6) is online this year, and it’s free! Featured performers include Jazzlab Orchestra (see video above) and Jim Bryson on Friday, and the Kirk MacDonald Generations Quartet and Ron Sexwmith on Saturday. It’s all streaming live on YouTube and Facebook. And five local restaurants are partnering with the festival on jazz-and-dine packages.
Explore a new-to-you trail
Tourisme Outaouais has seven suggestions for cross-country skiers and snowshoers across West Quebec, including spots in Gatineau, Saint-André-Avellin and Davidson Forest. And the Ontario’s Highlands tourism organization has pulled together a list of five cross-country ski areas in Eastern Ontario worth checking out, including spots in Almonte, Pakenham, Calabogie and Brudenell, complete with après-ski tips! (Note that, in the weeks since Ontario’s Highlands wrote its post, there have been reports of crowds on the Eagle’s Nest trail in Calabogie, so maybe avoid that one for now. And if any outdoor spot you visit is overcrowded, just keep moving and come back another day!)
Learn about Outaouais artists
The 100 Mile Arts Network is a group that celebrates and promotes creative people living and working in the Gatineau Hills and beyond. This week, the network launched the second of three videos in its new series, “Our Hidden Hills,” on its YouTube channel. They’re a great way to learn about the incredible artistic community right on our doorstep!
Discover Korean fashion history in Ottawa
I learned something new this week: the South Korean embassy in Ottawa has a public cultural gallery on the first floor of 150 Elgin Street. And until April 16 (the date has been extended from the original closing date of February 12), it’s presenting an exhibition called Hanbok, Poetics of Line and the Passage of Life. For those who don’t know (I didn’t know this, either), hanbok is a traditional style of Korean clothing dating back over 2,000 years. Over those centuries, certain colours have been chosen to ward off evil spirits, and changes in fabric have reflected socio-political events. You can visit in person or check out the video tour above.
Raise a local craft beer
In the last few years, Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais have witnessed huge growth in the number and variety of microbreweries. If you’re keen to discover and enjoy local craft beers, check out these websites for ideas. (Since we can’t venture too far from home these days, check the linked websites to find out whether a brewery outside your region delivers its brews or sells them through local retail outlets.)
- Ottawa’s craft beers (Ottawa Tourism)
- West Quebec distilleries and microbreweries (Tourisme Outaouais)
- Cornwall beer and wine (Cornwall Tourism)
- Kingston breweries (Visit Kingston)
- Ontario Craft Brewers
- Montreal beer bars and microbreweries (Montreal Eater)
Plan ahead to catch a new international film festival
The Ottawa-based Canadian Film Institute has a brand-new event coming next week: the International Film Festival of Ottawa (March 11 to 21). You’ll be able to watch all sorts of independent movies online, from across Canada (such as Shiva Baby, in the trailer above) and from countries as diverse as Argentina, Russia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cambodia. There will also be interviews with filmmakers, such as Patricia Rozema.
So if the festival isn’t happening until next week, why am I telling you about it now, you ask? Because the festival organizers are also promoting dinner-and-a-movie packages with a wide range of local restaurants and caterers, including Baccanalle, Beckta, and North and Navy. I suspect demand will be high, so you might want to think about placing those orders in advance, if you can!
See an art exhibition in Almonte
Until March 26, you can see Mary Pfaff: Companions, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Almonte-based artist Mary Pfaff, at the Sivarulrasa Gallery in Almonte. Her non-representational works evoke nature and her personal life, inspired in part by the Japanese notion of wabi-sabi, where beauty is seen in imperfection and impermanence. She completed the 14 new paintings in Companions during the pandemic, and they celebrate things that “endure throughout the seasons of our lives,” says the artist.
See movies about climate change
CAFF 2021 Official Trailer from SunCommon on Vimeo.
You still have time to catch four of the six nights of the Climate Action Film Festival (until March 12). See films and discussions with filmmakers, activists and others involved in fighting climate change.
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