Sep 4, 2011
FROM THE LOST SUMMER TO LOST WEEKDAYS - PT. 3: Falling for Niagara

We hit the road out of Caesars Windsor at 11:30pm Tuesday night – exhausted from the morning drive and long day on our feet at the event – but due to set up at Niagara College at 6:30am Wednesday, so sleep was out of the question. Instead, a stop for gas and a record-time drive to Niagara-on-the-Lake, arriving at the Hilton Garden about 3:20am - followed by a 20-minute check in due to some absurd computer difficulty at the front desk. A refreshing 2 hours and 15 minutes sleep later and Doug and I were up and at 'em on campus.

The occasion was an annual pre-start-of-school event called Niagara Days that celebrates the institution and the people who work for it and gets them primed for the coming semester. However, two clouds hung over the proceedings: the sudden passing on July 2nd of Christopher Michael, the college's young Chair of Academic Studies and the pending OPSEU strike of Ontario College support workers with the vote to be held that very night. While either could have been an overwhelming distraction, instead they seemed somehow to bring enhanced weight and poignancy to the event, including my presentation and the portrait sessions. Again, the photos of Jack Layton brought spontaneous cheers and several people reported being in tears for much of the presentation.

Three players brought Voyageur to life at the end of the presentation: Dr. Marc Nantel led things off with the Harmonium tune "Pour un Instant", Prof. Twan Savoia finished with a "Horizons" (for all you Genesis fans out there) and Luke Gillett (pictured) took the middle spot with a perfectly executed version of Hawksley Workman's "You and the Candles" - not an easy song to sing by any means but carried of with aplomb!

The line up for portraits began the second the presentation was done and lasted for several hours. Everyone was in a fantastic mood. Things would not be the same 8 hours later when the strike was called and college support workers across Ontario walked off the job. Hopefully, the portraits will be processed and distributed just in time to announce a settlement. Good luck to all concerned and thanks for coming together for the Six String Nation if not quite on the negotiations.

Special thanks to Valerie Grabove, Shari Carpenter, Tom Otto and our awesome volunteers - including Luke Gillett who also got the ball rolling on our invite to this event.

Posted at 3:09 PM

Blog Archives: 01/01/2006 - 01/08/2006 09/10/2006 - 09/17/2006 09/24/2006 - 10/01/2006 10/01/2006 - 10/08/2006 10/15/2006 - 10/22/2006 10/22/2006 - 10/29/2006 04/22/2007 - 04/29/2007 05/17/2009 - 05/24/2009 06/07/2009 - 06/14/2009 06/14/2009 - 06/21/2009 06/21/2009 - 06/28/2009 06/28/2009 - 07/05/2009 07/12/2009 - 07/19/2009 07/19/2009 - 07/26/2009 07/26/2009 - 08/02/2009 08/02/2009 - 08/09/2009 08/09/2009 - 08/16/2009 08/16/2009 - 08/23/2009 09/13/2009 - 09/20/2009 09/20/2009 - 09/27/2009 09/27/2009 - 10/04/2009 10/04/2009 - 10/11/2009 10/11/2009 - 10/18/2009 10/18/2009 - 10/25/2009 11/01/2009 - 11/08/2009 11/08/2009 - 11/15/2009 11/15/2009 - 11/22/2009 11/29/2009 - 12/06/2009 12/06/2009 - 12/13/2009 01/03/2010 - 01/10/2010 01/10/2010 - 01/17/2010 01/17/2010 - 01/24/2010 01/24/2010 - 01/31/2010 02/07/2010 - 02/14/2010 03/14/2010 - 03/21/2010 03/21/2010 - 03/28/2010 04/04/2010 - 04/11/2010 04/11/2010 - 04/18/2010 04/18/2010 - 04/25/2010 05/02/2010 - 05/09/2010 05/30/2010 - 06/06/2010 06/13/2010 - 06/20/2010 06/20/2010 - 06/27/2010 06/27/2010 - 07/04/2010 07/11/2010 - 07/18/2010 07/18/2010 - 07/25/2010 07/25/2010 - 08/01/2010 08/01/2010 - 08/08/2010 08/08/2010 - 08/15/2010 08/15/2010 - 08/22/2010 08/22/2010 - 08/29/2010 09/12/2010 - 09/19/2010 09/26/2010 - 10/03/2010 10/03/2010 - 10/10/2010 10/10/2010 - 10/17/2010 10/17/2010 - 10/24/2010 10/24/2010 - 10/31/2010 11/07/2010 - 11/14/2010 11/14/2010 - 11/21/2010 11/28/2010 - 12/05/2010 12/05/2010 - 12/12/2010 12/12/2010 - 12/19/2010 01/16/2011 - 01/23/2011 02/06/2011 - 02/13/2011 02/13/2011 - 02/20/2011 02/20/2011 - 02/27/2011 02/27/2011 - 03/06/2011 03/06/2011 - 03/13/2011 03/13/2011 - 03/20/2011 03/20/2011 - 03/27/2011 03/27/2011 - 04/03/2011 04/03/2011 - 04/10/2011 04/10/2011 - 04/17/2011 04/24/2011 - 05/01/2011 05/01/2011 - 05/08/2011 05/08/2011 - 05/15/2011 05/15/2011 - 05/22/2011 05/22/2011 - 05/29/2011 05/29/2011 - 06/05/2011 06/05/2011 - 06/12/2011 06/12/2011 - 06/19/2011 06/19/2011 - 06/26/2011 06/26/2011 - 07/03/2011 08/14/2011 - 08/21/2011 08/21/2011 - 08/28/2011 08/28/2011 - 09/04/2011 09/04/2011 - 09/11/2011 09/11/2011 - 09/18/2011 09/18/2011 - 09/25/2011 09/25/2011 - 10/02/2011 10/02/2011 - 10/09/2011 10/09/2011 - 10/16/2011 10/16/2011 - 10/23/2011 10/23/2011 - 10/30/2011 10/30/2011 - 11/06/2011 11/06/2011 - 11/13/2011 11/13/2011 - 11/20/2011 11/20/2011 - 11/27/2011 11/27/2011 - 12/04/2011 12/04/2011 - 12/11/2011 12/25/2011 - 01/01/2012 01/15/2012 - 01/22/2012 01/22/2012 - 01/29/2012 01/29/2012 - 02/05/2012 02/05/2012 - 02/12/2012 02/12/2012 - 02/19/2012