Get in to The River This Weekend

This weekend is the 32nd annual Speed River Clean-Up organized by the Guelph branch of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG). Brought to you by Wellington Water Watchers, Trout Unlimited and GUFF (Guelph Urban Forest Friends), the Clean-Up, as always, aims to educate people about the importance of Guelph’s waterways, get them involved and in the river to literally take out the trash.

Like in years gone by, everyone is to meet up at the gazebo in Royal City Park (Gordon Street) by 11 am. Bring your gloves, sun gear, water and a pair of either old shoes, boots or hip waders. Then sign-in, join a group and start cleaning up the river. Afterward at around 12:30, everyone’s invited back to McCrae House for some eats and some entertainment. The theme is pot luck, so volunteers are being asked to bring a dish to share, and for each dish contributed, you will be entered in a draw to win two tickets to the Speed River Fundraising Dinner at Borealis Grille, a $120 value. Additionally, volunteers are being asked to bring their own plates and utensils to cut down on waste.

If you’re looking to get even more involved, OPIRG is looking for volunteers to take on specific jobs at the Clean Up. Among the list of jobs needed to be filled are crew leaders, photographers, set-up and take-down volunteers, and people to help out at the potluck. For more information, get in touch with OPIRG at 519-824-2091 or at opirg@uoguelph.ca

To get you in the mood, here are some picture slideshows of two Clean-Ups from the past, 2008 and 2010.

Yeah, it's a Correction...

So somewhere in the drunken tirade about postering in the City of Guelph, I misspoke about a certain key detail. Court Desautels, the General Manager of the Borealis Bar & Grill e-mailed me about a line in that post calling Borealis part of a chain. But while Borealis is part of a family of restaurants, it is not yet a chain, and beside the point, all the restaurants in the family - including the Woolwich Arms pub - are Guelph-based, owned and operated.

To further prove my sincerity to make amends for this oversight, I publish the following excerpt from the e-mail sent to me by Desautels:

"We (our family) have lived in Guelph for over 35 years and have been in the restaurant business for over 20 of them supporting everything local with the goal to keep our community unique and honest. We don't do this because it's trendy, we do it because it is something we deeply believe in. In fact the Wooly just celebrated its 20th anniversary and has been following that philosophy since day one! It is with overwhelming community support that has allowed us to open the Borealis Grille and Bar in December '08. A truly unique concept that will prove we can take our philosophy to the next level, not just for Guelph, but for the entire restaurant industry. From day one we have served local foods and drinks, showcased local musicians and artists and it doesn't stop there. We even built the restaurant out of local stone and wood and use only wind and water energy from Bullfrog Power. I could go on and on, so instead I urge you to check us out at: http://www.borealisgrille.ca/our-story/" 

For my part, I was confusing the Borealis with another establishment. So I offer heartfelt apologies and regret for the confusion, and I hope this correction, and the correction in the original post make amends to the owners and workers of Borealis.  

I will add though that despite my earlier slight and ignorance, the Borealis was known to me already as place that showcased live music from local acts. No matter the origins, we do need more places across the city - not just in the south end - to take a greater share in promoting the cultural richness of this city. Which is why when I handed in the question about how the Ward 4 candidates would promote Arts and Culture in the city at their debate, I added the extra line about "outside of downtown".

Still, mea culpa to Borealis (and my friend Candice who first pointed this out).