This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on August 31st, 2010.

The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:

Saint John’s arts and culture community will once again take centre stage at King’s Square this weekend as it plays host to one of Saint John’s most anticipated autumn events. FUSION’s sixth annual Harvesting the Arts Festival will include some of the city’s best art, dance, musical talent and food vendors showcasing their talent.

The annual, all-ages, free-of-charge event has grown each year – more than 2,000 people passed through King’s Square over the course of the day last year, including a number of cruise ship passengers spending the day in Saint John.

The festival’s aim is to help create a bigger buzz for the individuals and groups who make up the city’s thriving arts and culture community and draw attention to the wealth of both emerging and established artists, musicians and performers. As well, this year’s event will highlight some of the many diverse cultures that exist in Saint John, featuring booths that will allow visitors to write their name in Chinese and receive henna paintings.

“It’s phenomenal to see how much this event has grown over the past five years,” said FUSION board member and Harvesting the Arts chairwoman Jessica Gozdzierski.

“Harvesting the Arts is a unique opportunity for the community to interact with artists from a variety of disciplines and see first-hand the calibre of talent that exists in our city.”

Beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, King’s Square will be abuzz with activity, including art and jewelry sales, as well as dance and musical performances that will take place throughout the day. A number of local acts are scheduled to take the stage including: The Zingaro Quartet, EarthBound Trio, Michael McDonald, Mike Biggar, Kristina Trites, Josh Peters and True Grit, Quonset, December Fall Out, Meka, Meatus, Matt Soucy, Keith Facey and headlining band Girls Would Kill.

Being a part of events such as the Harvesting the Arts Festival is a great way for emerging artists to gain exposure and share their work with people who may not otherwise see it. Meanwhile, it’s “one-stop shopping” for Saint Johners who want to see and interact with the wealth of talented artists in Greater Saint John. The festival continues to grow in size and stature each year – a testament to the benefit of increased exposure for the artists and public alike.

The Harvesting the Arts Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.fusionsj.com.

Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca.

Learn more about Harvesting the Arts Festival 2010 here!

This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on August 24th, 2010.

The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:

Once again this year, FUSION is taking its August Party with a Purpose to the streets and hosting a block party on Princess Street.

“There is a momentum building on Princess Street and the surrounding area,” said Kelly Lawson of FUSION’s Ambassadors Committee. “It’s becoming the centre of an energetic, diverse nightlife in the uptown. The block party is an opportunity to showcase and celebrate this growth and energy.”

“It’s wonderful how we have seen a number of new businesses open on and around Princess Street over the last year,” says Peter Smit, owner of happinez wine bar. “What this all does is provide more choices for the people of Saint John who want to go out for an evening. It’s also becoming more like the night life in larger cities.” Happinez, along with Alley-gria, Callaghan’s, Bourbon Quarter, Magnolia Café, Scores, Big Tide Brewing Company, The Canterbury Lounge, Uptown Saint John and Saint John 225 have partnered with FUSION to host the block party. The host restaurants will circulate food and music will be provided by DJ Mike Hawkins. FUSION will have a cash bar in the street and will host its usual Party with a Purpose 50/50 draw.

Uptown Saint John is also running a contest in conjunction with the event to encourage people to use social media to help spread the word and include the “livelifeuptown” hashtag on Twitter, Foursquare and Plancast. Prizes will be awarded for best event video post and best event photo post, with additional prize draws for anyone who includes the hashtag in tweets on the event. Saint John 225 will also be on hand with prizes.

The block party will highlight more than just the development that this area has experienced in the past few years. It’s also an opportunity for Saint Johners to visit and learn more about the establishments that are opening – and thriving – in the uptown. That the establishments are keen to partner with one another and with community organizations to promote the area is beneficial for the entire city.

“This is a really great event in a setting that features the best of uptown Saint John’s nightlife and is truly unique to our city,” Lawson said. “It’s a hallmark event for living life uptown, and a great opportunity for people who love the area to connect with like-minded Saint Johners.”

The August Party with a Purpose – a Princess Street Block Party will take place this Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Princess Street, between Prince William and Canterbury Streets. For more information please visit www.fusionsj.com

Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca.

Note: You can read more about the first event that took place last year, right here!

This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on August 17th, 2010.

The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:

While I was working on this week’s column, I was looking at my own, very full, bookshelf, which has technically grown to include those books that do not actually fit on the shelves and are stacked on the floor next to it. As any reader can tell you, books are not really meant to sit on shelves, but unless you roll with equally avid readers, it can be hard to part with books or put them back in circulation.

For anyone like me, who could benefit from thinning out their personal library, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saint John is collecting donations of gently used books, which will be sold at its annual Big Book Sale fundraiser.

“People who read appreciate books and don’t want to see them going in the garbage. It’s a recycling program. Everyone benefits,” says Big Brothers Big Sisters Saint John executive director Laurie Collins. In this case, your donations and purchases will not only diversify your own book collection, it will help raise money for children’s mentoring programs, which will benefit the entire community.

The sale, which will be held in Brunswick Square for the third year in a row, is one of the largest book sales in the city. It will run for six days during mall hours, and the books range from 10 cent magazines to $3 books, with more than 15 different categories, from kids to fiction to sports to reference. “You name it, we’ve got it. There are people who come back each day to check out the new stock,” says Collins. “The categories expand every year, inspired by ideas and donations from the community.”

The Big Book Sale started as a small idea to generate some funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters. A staff member at the time had seen it happen elsewhere, and thought it was an idea that could work in Saint John. In the years since, the book sale has continually grown in terms of both the quantity and quality of books donated and the amount of people who come out to support the sale and add to their own libraries. Last year the Big Book Sale raised more than $11,000. The sale will run longer this year, and Big Brothers Big Sisters hopes to raise $15,000 overall. “We’ve got thousands of books this year, I couldn’t even begin to guess the exact number. The quality of books is really unbelievable – we’ve gotten some great donations this year. Some of the Sobeys locations have just gotten a mountain of books,” Collins says of one of the drop-off possibilities.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saint John’s 5th Annual Big Book Sale will take place Aug. 23-28, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Brunswick Square. Donations of gently used books can still be made: Up to three grocery bags can be dropped at Sobeys stores, while more than three bags can be dropped at the Big Brothers Big Sisters Office.

Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca.

This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on August 10th, 2010.

The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:

A new program aimed at helping students in Grades 7 and 8 build confidence and develop life skills will be offered at middle schools in Greater Saint John this fall.

Kids.now, a national charity for youth development, is recruiting volunteer mentors to help deliver the program to students in schools throughout the area.

“Having the opportunity to mentor a group of kids is a very rewarding experience for both the students and the volunteer mentors,” says kids.now’s Paula Sanchez. “To be in a position of influence and be able to positively impact their lives is a positive and live-changing experience.”

Kids.now was created in 1999 by an Ontario teacher who saw a need to complement the school curriculum with life skills development. The free, weekly after-school program is run over 12 weeks and encourages life skills development through thought-provoking games, skill-based activities and group discussions, which teach goal-setting, effective communications, positive conflict resolution, stress management and other important life skills.

The program focuses on employability skills identified by the Conference Board of Canada as necessary for success in the workplace and builds life-success skills that aim to improve family and peer relationships; provides youth with tools to make positive choices and turn away from risky behaviour; enhances self-esteem and encourages healthy thinking, leading to a more productive and rewarding life.

“The ideal kids.now mentor is someone who is a positive leader,” says Sanchez. “Kids.now volunteer mentors are enthusiastic about life and about giving back to youth in their community. If you’re fun, dynamic and feel you can be a great mentor to kids, you’re the right person to be a kids.now volunteer mentor.”

The program will be offered at schools in Districts 6 and 8: Prince Charles, Forest Hills, Millidgeville North, Hazen White/St. Francis, Princess Elizabeth, Lorne Middle, St. John the Baptist-King Edward, Beaconsfield, Rothesay Park, Harry Miller Middle and Quispamsis Middle.

Kids.now is looking for Saint Johners interested in participating in the program as volunteer mentors.

For people who want to get involved in the community, kids.now offers an opportunity to mentor within the framework of a nationally recognized program.

The experience is as rewarding for the volunteer mentors as it is for the students, as they are able to establish a connection; this is reflected in the high volunteer retention rate in other regions.

Kids.now is looking to recruit and train potential mentors during the summer, as the programs will begin shortly after school starts in September. Volunteer applications are completed online, followed by an interview with the kids.now program manager.

For more information please visit www.fusionsj.com.

Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca.

This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on August 3rd, 2010.

The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:

This weekend, runners and walkers will be taking over the city streets for the 16th Annual Tim Hortons Marathon by the Sea.

“This has been Saint John’s premier running event for fitness, family and fun for the past 15 years and we’re still running strong,” says event chairman Patrick Grannan. “Once again this year, we’ve offering something for runners and walkers of all ages and skill levels.”

There are five events this year: the Tim Hortons Marathon, the Scotiabank Half-Marathon, the Running Room 5-Miler, and the Smart Nordic Half-Marathon will all take place Sunday morning; the children’s event — the Timbits Harbour Hustle – will take place Saturday morning.

The event has undergone a lot of changes this year, including moving back to August after being held in late September the past few years. The route has also been redesigned, and will start and finish at Rockwood Park instead of in the uptown, as it has in the past. The changes have already had a positive impact on the event with registration numbers surpassing last year’s and runners coming from as far away as the United States, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and Bermuda.

The new route will take runners through the uptown, north end and Mount Pleasant Avenue, with the half and full marathoners trekking over to the west side. The new route may no longer take runners “by the sea,” but it will highlight parts of the city that have undergone recent changes and significant improvement, the Rockwood Park area in particular.

“It’s a better course, and much more scenic,” says Don Lemon, who is running the half-marathon for the second year. “There are some nice challenges on the way out, but you can make up the time on the way back in. The course is much better than last year.”

The same sentiments were echoed by Joy Durdan, who will be running in the half-marathon for the 10th year in a row,

“I love the new route – it’s so scenic,” she says.

The new start/finish location is more conducive to making a day and weekend out of the event.

“We don’t want runners just showing up to run their race and then going home,” Grannan said.

“We want these runners to bring their friends and families along to be a part of this event and really make it a weekend-long celebration of fitness and fun.”

In addition to the activities offered at Rockwood Park, this year’s event is also being held in conjunction with the Saint John 225 Reunion 2010 Music Festival.

The 16th annual Tim Hortons Marathon by the Sea will take place this Saturday and Sunday. For more information on running, volunteering, or other opportunities to be involved you can visit www.marathonbythesea.com.

Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca.

This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on July 27th, 2010.

The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:

Once again this summer, Green Feet, Uptown Saint John’s environment committee, is holding a Bring your Own Bag (BYOB) contest, asking Saint John artists to interpret the approaches people are taking to green living and turn them into works of art.

The contest is open to local artists of all ages, professional and amateur alike. The theme is “Green Living in Uptown Saint John” and while last year’s contest saw the canvas bag toted by Saint Johners throughout the city, this year the winning entry will be printed on lunch bags.

“We’re going to do lunch bags this year to show people another way they can grab it to go green,” says Anne McShane, Green Feet member and owner of the Feel Good Store in the uptown. Green Feet has again partnered with the Saint John Community Arts Funding Program on this initiative.

The winning entry will be unveiled at a FUSION Party with a Purpose in October, and will be printed on at least 1,000 natural cotton lunch bags that will be distributed at various uptown retailers this fall. The first-place winner will also be awarded a $500 gift certificate to ESL Art Supplies, with a $150 gift certificate going to the second-place winner. All the entries will be auctioned off, and 50 per cent of the proceeds will be donated to the Joshua Group, a local organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and families in need in Greater Saint John.

In addition to the BYOB contest, Green Feet has worked with community partners on several green activities, including an anti-idling project with ACAP Saint John, a tree-planting initiative with St. Malachy’s Memorial High School and a waste management position with uptown stakeholders. Green Feet also promotes green activities in the uptown through its Facebook page and membership email list. This includes the Marsh Creek restoration initiative, the Fundy carbon fund, the Marsh Creek cleanup, Earth Hour and the City of Saint John’s sustainability tool kit.

“We try to pull in all the aspects of the uptown in anything we do,” McShane said. “Last year was fantastic – more than 100 people attended our party and everyone made a point to embrace the artists and bid on all the art.”

The success of last year’s event resulted in a $400 donation to the Joshua Group.

The deadline for entries in Green Feet’s Bring Your Own Bag contest is July 31. Work may be submitted to Uptown Saint John Inc., located in the Business Resource Centre, 40 King St.

Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca.

This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on July 20th, 2010.

The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:

This month, MGI Wealth Inc. a Saint John financial company, will be spreading the word on the value financial planning to FUSION members through a Party with a Purpose.

“We’re a new company, and want to be involved in the community,” says MGI’s Kathy Curwin on hosting the event.

MGI Wealth Inc. is a full-service financial company that offers a hybrid of the services offered by bank and commission-based financial advisors in that their advisors are on salary and not selling a specific product.

The company has been open in the city for the past year, and is the only Atlantic Canadian location, which has offices across Canada. They will also be highlighting one of the uptown’s green spaces, as the party will be held in the courtyard behind their office space on Prince William Street.

“The perception is that people need to have money before they seek out these services, but we want to get the message out that we want to help people build wealth,” Curwin said. “The purpose of this party is not to sell anything, we want people to know that there is another option out there.”

For many of us, the recent economic downturn was wake-up call to look more closely at the way we are spending, saving and planning for our futures. One of the best steps anyone could take to protect their finances is to increase awareness of the products, services and options that exist. Having an understanding of how to allocate money is particularly important for this generation, with many people incurring thousands of dollars of debt before they ever even enter the workforce.

Years, and even decades of student loan payments, coupled with the near certainty that the debt load will increase with car and mortgage payments makes it tempting to loose sight of long-term planning and focus on simply staying afloat.

“Everyone knows they need to save money, but the reality is that life gets in the way,” Curwin said. “We want to help people get in a better place financially – everyone needs that.”

We’ve all heard that the earlier you start saving, the better off you’ll be in the long run, but it can be difficult to look at your long-term financial picture – where you want to go and what you need to do to get there – when a large debt already hangs overhead. Seeking advice from someone who is knowledgeable in the industry and well versed in the options that are available can be helpful in putting finances into perspective.

July’s Party with a Purpose is being hosted by MGI Wealth Management, and will take place Friday 23 at 98 Prince William Street.

Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca.

This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on July 13th, 2010.

The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:

This week the final performance of Opera New Brunswick’s Young Artist Recital Series will take place at the Saint John Arts Centre.

The Young Artist Recital Series was created in 2008 to as a way to give up-and-coming New Brunswick-born singers experience and exposure in the province and to support their vocal development. Each season, recitals are presented in three communities to allow for greater exposure for the singers and the organization.

The recitals are approximately an hour long and performers cover a variety of material ranging from opera arias to oratorio and art song. This range in the programming highlights both the performers’ repertoire and the diversity of the opera genre. The performances also typically include one piece written by a Canadian composer and published in the last 25 years. The series is sponsored in part by the RBC Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts and the province of New Brunswick. Winners of the Young Artists Recital Competition are selected by an independent review panel of local musicians and are awarded a honorarium in addition to the costs of travel, accommodation and accompanist fees.

The Young Artists Recital Series is open to singers aged 18 to 30 who have not yet reached full-time professional status. The 2010 competition winners are Lauren Esty, a soprano from Rothesay entering her third year at Dalhousie University; Fredericton tenor Jeremy Dutcher, also a third-year student at Dalhousie; mezzo-soprano Christiane Bélanger, who recently completed an artist diploma at the Université de Montreal; and second-time competition winner Carol Léger, a soprano from Dieppe who is completing a master’s in music at the Univerisité de Montreal.

Opera New Brunswick is a provincial arts organization with a mandate to be a vehicle for the production and performance of live opera showcasing New Brunswick artists and to enrich the province’s overall cultural community. Integral to this is providing a mechanism to support the province’s next generation of operatic talent.

The Young Artist Recital Series gives young musicians a chance to add to their portfolio by performing in front of a local audience. It is also an opportunity for the public to learn about opera and the opportunities that exist within the province to learn more about this genre of music, and the provincial organization that promotes it. This year the series has included performances in Grand Falls, Fredericton, Moncton and Dieppe.

Opera New Brunswick’s next Young Artist’s Recital Series performance will take place Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Saint John Arts Centre. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and are available at the door.

Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cyran@mtlpr.ca.

This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on July 6th, 2010.

The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:

This weekend, runners will meet at Lily Lake for a race that will highlight the city’s green spaces. The Run Through History Celebration of Green Spaces event has set its sights on some of Saint John’s most popular community green spaces and has organized a weekend of environmentally friendly activity.

The Run Through History began in 2004 with the Tri-Fort Run series, and offered runners the opportunity to take in the city’s history and unique scenery on foot.

The idea of offering non-traditional distances served to give runners building up to a 10-kilometre, half-marathon or marathon distance a chance to participate in a race during their training. These distances also allowed race organizers to use new routes highlighting different areas in the city. The Run Through History Celebration of Green Spaces will take place from 2010 to 2012, and highlight the many different and unique green spaces in and around Saint John.

More than 160 people have registered for the event, with runners coming from Nova Scotia, Ontario and across New Brunswick to participate in 2.5-, 9.74- and 16.87-mile races. There is also a corporate relay option – the Stride for Success relay will raise funds for Portage Atlantic’s Recovery Trail project. This event, like the original Run Through History, will award a different medal; all three medals make up an interconnecting scene. This cycle will feature one of the city’s green spaces each year through to 2012.

This event, in turn, also supports other running initiatives in the community. Money earned from one year to the next is used to support other grassroot runs, including the Teen Resource Centre Run for Youth, Rothesay High School’s Walk/Run for ALS, the Rothesay Spring Fling and the Tour de Saint John.

The run will not just encourage runners to appreciate the city’s green spaces, it is also encourages participants to protect them by taking measures to minimize waste.

There is no cost for online registration, and marketing materials – posters, banners, etc. – will be reused over the three-year cycle.

City water in recyclable cups will be used in lieu of bottled water and the race bibs are seeded – runners can plant them after the race. Entertainment during race weekend will be acoustic, requiring no electricity, and Bullfrog Power, a green-power company, will inject green energy into the grid to replace power used during the event upon completion.

The Run Through History Celebration of Green Spaces will take place this Saturday and Sunday at Rockwood Park. Registration is still open for the races, which will be held on Sunday.

Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca.

Planning is well underway for FUSION Saint John’s Harvesting the Arts Festival 2010.

Our weekly column featured this festival in the Telegraph-Journal on June 29th, 2010.

The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:

This summer, the Harvesting the Arts Festival organizing committee is hard at work recruiting artists, musicians, volunteers and community organizations for the annual celebration of the city’s arts and culture community.

“We’re thrilled that so many people have expressed interest in participating this year, but we’re always looking for more volunteers and artists,” said Jessica Gozdzierski, FUSION board member and chair of Harvesting the Arts. “We have tons of exciting exhibitors and performers lined up, and we’re hoping to fill King’s Square with the city’s great talent.”

The festival continues to grow in size and stature, and has become one of FUSION’s annual events. The all-ages, free-of-charge event is organized by a team of volunteers, made up of Saint Johners with a shared interest in the arts. “Every year returning participants are joined by new and emerging talent looking for ways to be seen or heard,” says Gozdzierski.

The number of artists, musicians, performers and volunteers who return year after year is a testament to the event’s commitment to being an inclusive cultural event, and showcase for the city’s new and emerging talent and involvement in the arts. The committee is also partnering with the Greater Saint John Community Foundation’s Environment Committee to highlight local organic foods. The growth of this event over the years reflects the huge amount of creativity in Saint John.

“We have a team of wonderful volunteers – people who commit their entire day to ensuring the vendors, performers, and guests have the best possible experience,” says Gozdzierski. “We’re very fortunate that so many of our volunteers are helping out again this year, but we’re also looking for new people interested in being a part of this great event.”

For the artists, musicians and food vendors involved, it’s an opportunity to raise their profile, network and share their work with the public. Volunteers get to take in the event from a very unique vantage point, and spend the day interacting with the artists and performers, as well as the visitors to King’s Square.

The Harvesting the Arts Festival will take place Sept. 4. For more information on volunteering or participating as a vendor or exhibitor, please visit www.fusionsj.com.

Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca

For more information on Harvesting the Arts Festival 2010, visit the Harvesting the Arts Festival 2010 webpage, or check out the event on Facebook!