Le Sacre Printemps
At the end of this month The Kingston Symphony will take on one of the musical masterpieces of the twentieth century - Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Read more
Kingstonist’s Guide to St. Pat’s
Whoever was in charge of scheduling St. Patrick’s Day on a Monday this year must have had one massive hangover after their shenanigans in 2007. For working stiffs like myself, this means that I have to use a vacation day, just to ensure that I get my fill of green beer, mardi gras beads (since when did they become Irish?), and inebriated sing-alongs. For the unseasoned rookie, the fact that St. Pat’s falls on a Monday could result in Tuesday also being a write off. Fret not, whether you’re experienced or new to celebrating this magnificent day in Kingston, the following is your definitive guide of places to go on St. Pat’s. Read more
Get Your Blues On
The Kingston Blues Society formed in 2006 and has made quite a dent in our local music scene in that short time. Every month musicians and music appreciators get together for a public jam. In between jams the society hosts great shows featuring both local and international blues artists as well as social events for blues enthusiasts such as CD swaps and BBQ’s. Read more
Queen’s Centre Already Way Over Budget
Well, the Queen’s Centre isn’t even halfway through the first stage of construction yet, and it’s already $41 million over budget, according to the Queen’s Journal. The project, which has three stages and is expected to be completed in 2014, has been underway since August 2006. Right now the Centre is just a hole in the ground; admittedly, it’s a very large and expensive hole, but a hole nonetheless. So how is it $41 million over budget already? Read more
The Rewards of Commenting
Here at Kingstonist.com, we strive to recruit a diverse group of contributors, which enables us to provide more interesting insights into the going’s on in the Limestone City. As we continue to add more voices to the mix, we also want to encourage maximum participation from readers within the community. In this respect, even if you aren’t interested in posting your stories, pictures and the like, we hope that you’ll at least consider commenting on the contributions made by the rest of us. To encourage your feedback, we are giving away a $20 gift certificate for either Minotaur Games and Gifts, or 4 Colour, 8 Bit, just for commenting.
How does it work you ask? Simply register if you already haven’t done so. From there you are free to comment on whatever stories catch your fancy. Each time you comment during the month of March, we will enter your name in a draw, which will be conducted on the first of April. This is no April Fools joke! Enter by commenting as many times as you like, however only relevant content will be considered, and they all must abide by the conditions you are asked to agree to before submitting your comments. We’ll be sure to announce the final results at the beginning of the month, at which time the winner will be able to claim their prize.
Good luck, and let the commenting begin!
You’ve Landed on Free Parking
We’ve all heard the chorus of protests from groups such as KCAL and local business owners, who opposed the downtown location of the KRock Centre, based on the fact that there were no new parking areas to accommodate the random influx of event goers. So City Hall got creative, and now Kingston reigns supreme atop Google for keywords “dispersed parking.” The term refers to city’s use of pre-existing parking lots, whereby the further away from the KRock Centre one is willing to park, the less they are charged. It seems like a reasonable strategy, but let’s consider the fact that there were few empty parking spaces before the facility opened. Less than a month after the the downtown parking situation was tested by the few events held at the Krock, the City is addressing the problem with increased parking fees. Read more
The Day After Tomorrow
Just before leaving the city in Friday afternoon’s whiteout driving conditions, I took yet another look at the weather forecast. A huge system was just making contact, though in light of my recent prediction of Spring’s imminent arrival, I balked at the prospect that this would be a significant Winter storm. I recall saying, “this one’s going to pass us and really hit those suckers in Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.” Although all of those cities got their fair share of flurries, my guess was way off the mark as the north shore of the Great Lakes received another blast from Old Man Winter. We are on track to officially break some long standing records. Read more
Diggin’ in to the Apple Crisp
On Tuesday night I went to check out the Apple Crisp Music Series. Last week I told you a bit about this weekly concert series, held at Queen Street United Church. This past Tuesday was a special show because it was recorded for an episode of Bandwidth on CBC. The voice of Bandwidth, Alan Neal, was there hosting and getting the crowd to do its very best cheering - even if there was nothing to cheer about. Although I must say, that the whole evening was quite cheer-worthy. For $5 we were presented with 3 hours of great music by 4 bands (and close to twenty musicians). Read more
KingCon - A Smashing Good Time
Local gaming aficionados will converge on the Royal Military College this Saturday, to roll their tetrahedral dice and go head to head at what is being billed as Kingston’s premier gaming convention of 2008. KingCon, the successor to RedCon, is an event that’s being organized by a trio local merchants, including: Minotaur Games and Gifts, 4 Colour, 8 Bit, and Kingston Gaming Nexus. Participants are invited to play in both tournament and non-tournament games ranging from Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), to Magic: The Gathering, and my Dad’s childhood favorite, Table Hockey. So whether your a self proclaimed Dungeon Master, or the table top reincarnation of Sydney Crosby, this is your chance to have fun, meet fellow gamers, and most importantly, earn some bragging rights.
On a sad yet related note, Gary Gygax, co-creator of D&D, died two days ago at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin at age 69. Although his passing is one that truly saddens the gaming community, I’m sure that some of of the KingCon participants will be remembering him this weekend when forced to choose between Hank’s bow and Sheila’s cloak.
Kingston Transit no Polar Express
Kingston Transit recently announced that it was awarded $1.2 million by the provincial government and that it has plans to use this money to improve service.
My first reaction: “Hallelujah for that!” Read more
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