Canadian National Exhibition 2018

Winner winner, chicken dinner. Toronto's annual end of summer midway and exhibition ends on Labour Day. Friday's attendees make the extensive Exhibibition Place grounds seem small because we are all packed into the CNE almost shoulder to shoulder.

Making the trip into Toronto is more of a nostalgia trip than trying to go one some of the familiar midway rides.

I enjoyed the water show in the inner harbour and the Legends of the Silk Road lantern festival was incredible. The Rush Parkour show was fun again and I had my waffle ice cream in the food building where the lineups were smaller than on the midway. Long, long lineups for rides meant I wasn't going to try any.

The IATSE Local 58 backstage crew are still locked out of Exhibition Grounds and are picketing near Princes's Gates along Strachan Avenue. Be patient when waiting at picket lines and ask the City to get back to the bargaining table.

Picketers bring out a large blow-up rat

See more of the midway after the jump.

Will there be great art at Nuit Blanche 2018

The all night art fest has posted their projects planned for the September 29, 2018 and I will have to study the guides to plan my night's illuminated ride. Nothing jumps out on first glance, hopefully that will change with a more in depth review of the more than 75 art installations. I don't think they will have another Honest Ed Alley this year! And I don't really need great art, something interesting or bold and beautiful will do just fine.

"Nuit Blanche Toronto is a free, annual, city-wide celebration of contemporary art, produced by the City of Toronto in collaboration with Toronto’s arts community. For one sleepless night, from sunset to sunrise, the familiar is discarded and Toronto is transformed into an artistic playground for a series of exhilarating contemporary art experiences in unexpected public spaces."

The fun starts Saturday night at 7:02pm and lasts all night long until 7:00am Sunday morning, although I usually am done by 4 or 5am. I will be getting my light bike ready for the journey so if you see a really bright bike it could be me.

On the opposing side of the official program is the anti-Nuit Blanche known as Les Rues Des Refuses which puts on some very interesting projects. I will keep my eye open for news of their 2018 program, sometimes it is very last minute.

The following roads will be closed for Nuit Blanche 2018
Borough Drive; Closed between Brian Harrison Way and Town Centre Court starting at 8 pm, Saturday, September 29 until 9 am, Sunday, September 30.
Queen Street West; Closed between Yonge St. and University Ave. starting at 4 pm, Saturday, September 29 until 9 am, Sunday, September 30.
Bay Street: Closed between Dundas St. W. and Adelaide St. W. starting at 8 am, Saturday, September 29, extending from Dundas St. W. to Wellington St. W. at 4:pm, until 9 am, Sunday, September 30.

You can see my coverage of 2017 Nuit Blanche and Les Rues Des Refuses on my post here.

Canadian International Air Show now with Thunderbirds

@CIASToronto 2018 is bringing the United States Air Force Thunderbirds to the 69th annual air show during the Canadian National Exhibition. The end of summer Labour Day long holiday weekend aerial extravaganza happens September 1-3 and will also see some top notch flying talent take to the skies over Toronto.

Before the Saturday to Monday show the planes will start showing up over Toronto starting on Friday when some of the planes will take to the sky to practice as they prepare for the amazing show that happens every year during the end of the CNE.

The Thunderbirds' Toronto performance will happen 15 years after their last performance at the CIAS and will be their only show outside the USA this year. Canada's own Snowbirds will also be returning as well.  "Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), the show is a shining example of a 60 year old history of USA and Canadian cooperation."

Here are the confirmed planes and more are to follow.

Canadian Forces Snowbirds
United States Air Force Thunderbirds
CF18 demonstration jet decked out in its NORAD paint job
USAF F-35 (heritage flight)
P51 Mustang (heritage flight)
The ever-popular Mike Wiskus in his bright orange Pitts
Canadian veteran Gord Price in the Russian-built Yak 50
Mike Tygvasson (Giles 202)
Kyle Fowler (Long EZE)
Martin Hivon (Christian Eagle)

tiff 2018 coming soon

The cinematic world is coming to Toronto for the 43rd annual Toronto International Film Festival from September 6-16, 2018. Tiff is more of a big game hunting type of activity for many people, and the big game is Hollywood's top movie stars! Camping out in front of theatres waiting for a glimpse of someone famous, maybe even getting a selfie or an autograph with them. Watching the movies becomes secondary to the hunt.

King Street West will close down once again for a Festival Street party from Thursday, September 6 to Sunday, September 9. Beginning at 5am on September 6, King Street will be shut down from Spadina and University Avenues, along with John and Simcoe Streets between King and Wellington Streets.

"TIFF greatly enhances Toronto's economy and international reputation," said Councillor Michael Thompson (Ward 37 Scarborough Centre), Chair of the Economic Development Committee. "As the leading public film festival in the world, TIFF has helped establish Toronto as an international film capital while Festival Street now attracts more than 150,000 annual visitors, resulting in a significant increase in visitor spending in the Entertainment District."

"Festival Street is where everyone can access the excitement of TIFF and experience the city's largest celebration of film. Of course, this could not be possible without the support of Torontonians, the commuters and our partners at the City of Toronto," said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. "The excitement of festival is something we want to share with the entire city with free screenings, musical performances and the impactful Share Her Journey Rally – just some of the highlights to expect – and we invite everyone to join us."

We the Forth

Taste of the Danforth 2018 returns under the shadow of the recent shooting tragedy, joining Toronto Strong in returning the streets to the citizens in a massive street festival.

Running between Broadview and Jones on Danforth Avenue in the Greektown over the August 10-12 weekend "come for the food, stay for the fun".  Saturday and Sunday start at noon and run till midnight on Saturday and 10pm on Sunday.

The celebration of taste and culture also features plenty of entertainment on the showcase, celebrity and Greek stages.

The memorial to those affected by the shooting is up at the church, surrounded by flowers, candles and well wishes. Toronto brings out the healing love. OPA!

See more of the festival after the jump.

Canfitpro World Fitness Expo 2018

Learn it, live it. Canada's largest fitness education event pumps up the Metro Toronto Convention Centre with hundreds of fitness sessions, seminars and the expo floor to explore from August 8-12, 2018. "Canfitpro celebrates 25 years as North America's largest fitness conference and trade show" with over 200 industry experts coming to Toronto to teach - including Jillian Michaels and her BODYSHRED workout. Fitness equipment is also a big part of the show so check out the latest machines in the Expo in the south building. Les Mills BODYSTEP lights up the north building with a high energy workout in the photo at top.

This show is designed to inspire a healthy and active lifestyle for the thousands who will attend the World Fitness Expo. "Canfitpro is the largest provider of education in the Canadian fitness industry. Founded in 1993, canfitpro delivers accessible, quality education, certifications, events and membership services. canfitpro's over 24,000 members include some of the world's finest fitness professionals, health club operators, industry suppliers, and fitness consumers."

Billy Blank's celebrity meet and greet

Seven SuperSessions will provide in-depth training and six commemorative 25th anniversary workshops will be offered in addition to the 295 scheduled educational sessions.

Spin class in the north building

“We are honoured to be celebrating 25 years as the industry’s leading source for fitness education,” says Nathalie Lacombe, Vice President, canfitpro. “With over 15,000 delegates in attendance each year, World Fitness Expo continues to grow, attracting fitness enthusiasts from around the globe who get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the latest trends to help them hit their goals.”

It's a bounce class family

This show will pump you up!

The expo hall is open Friday August 10th from 12:00pm-7:30pm and Saturday August 11th from 9:00am-5:30pm.

The fitness model winners with the host and a judge

In addition to the Expo vendors there are four stages; the main stage with a ton of lectures, the Reebok Activity Zone where you can work up a sweat and have fun, the Nutrition and Cooking stage for cooking demos and the finally, the Performance stage where the fitness model search and physique championships will take place.

The 2018 GNC Natural Regional Championships featuring figure, fitness, bikini, physique and bodybuilding starts at 10am on Saturday, August 11 and continues until about 5:00pm.

See more photos of the fitness show after the jump.

Toronto Fashion Week schedule 2018

Part two of the bi-annual Toronto Fashion Week celebrations introduce the Spring/Summer 2019 season in Yorkville Village from September 4-6. The full event schedule for the upcoming TFW has been released and includes runway shows, studio presentations and a window on the models preparing for the shows.

Shoppers Drug Mart beautyBoutique under P1M artist Simone Otis along with Hair by Redken 5th Avenue NYC will lead the backstage beauty teams. Bloor-Yorkville BIA continues as a Community Partner and the RE/SET Designer Showroom will be open to the public during TFW.

"Fashion, film, photography and culture enthusiasts will gather in Yorkville Village (136 Yorkville Ave) to take in the over 20 shows and events that will celebrate the best in Canadian design talent. Each day kicks off with the live taping of the Fashion Talks™ podcast. Join host Donna Bishop in the RE\SET™ Studio (upper level of Yorkville Village) as she chats with special guests Elizabeth Peyton-Jones (fashion activist and founder of the Responsible Trust for Models) about her work within the fashion and modelling industry to protect, educate and empower young models; Caitlin Cronenberg and Jessica Ennis (photographer and product and set designer), about the power of fashion in their new book The Endings: Photographic Stories of Love, Loss, Heartbreak and Beginning Again; and Dr. Alexandra Palmer (Nora E. Vaughan Senior Curator, Textiles and Costume at the Royal Ontario Museum) about the importance of fashion and textile collections for museums and for its visitors."

Toronto Fashion Week takes place in Yorkville's luxury retail neighbourhood and features Canadian and international designers in Canada's leading fashion event.

TFW Schedule, tickets available on the TFW website

Tuesday, September 4

3:00 PM | Fashion Talks | RE\SET™ Studio
In Conversation with Fashion Activist Elizabeth Peyton-Jones, founder of the Responsible Trust for Models, an international organization dedicated to revolutionizing the modelling industry
Instagram: @fashiontalkspodcast

4:00 PM | Mikhael Kale | RE\SET™ Studio
Instagram: @mikhaelkale Twitter: @mikhaelkale

5:00 PM | Victoria Hayes | RE\SET™ Studio
Instagram: @victoriahayescollection

6:00 PM | Kollar Clothing | Runway
Instagram: @kollarclothing Twitter: @kollarclothing

6:30 PM | Namesake
Instagram: @bythenamesake

7:00 PM | Mani Jassal | Runway
Instagram: @manikjassal Twitter: @manikjassal

7:30 PM | DISCOVER THIS: THE COLLECTIONS™
Shop RE\SET™ ATELIER GUARIN, HILARY MACMILLAN, SID NEIGUM, MARKOO, MIKHAEL KALE, PEDRAM KARIMI, S.P. BADU, WIL STUDIOS, WRKDEPT, BIKO,
CUCHARA, and DANIEL GREGORY NATALE.
Instagram: @fsncollections

8:00 PM | NARCES | Runway
Instagram: @_narces Twitter: @_narces

9:00 PM | Christopher Bates | Runway
Instagram: @christopher.bates.official Twitter: @CBatesMenswear

10:00 PM | The Endings Book Launch Event (Invite Only) | Yorkville Village, 136 Yorkville Ave.

Instagram: @theendingsbook

Wednesday, September 5

3:00 PM | Fashion Talks | RE\SET™ Studio
In Conversation with Caitlin Cronenberg and Jessica Ennis on the power of fashion in their book The Endings: Photographic Stories of Love, Loss, Heartbreak, and Beginning Again
*This Fashion Talks taping will be followed by a book signing with Cronenberg and Ennis
Instagram: @fashiontalkspodcast

4:00 PM | ZOFF | Runway
Instagram: @zoffranieri Twitter: @mzoffranieri

5:00 PM | Alex S. Yu | Runway
Instagram: @alex.s.yu

6:00 PM | Hilary MacMillan | Runway
Instagram: @hilarymacmillan Twitter: @hilarymacmillan

6:30 PM | Tara Rivas | RE\SET™ Studio
Instagram: @tararivas Twitter: @tararivas

7:00 PM | Hayley Elsaesser | Runway
Instagram: @hayleyelsaesser Twitter: @hayleyelsaesser

8:00 PM | WRKDEPT | RE\SET™ Studio
Instagram: @wrkdept Twitter: @wrkdept

9:00 PM | Christopher Paunil | Runway
Instagram: @christopherpaunil Twitter: @chrispaunil

10:00 PM | HENDRIXROE | Runway
Instagram: @hendrixroe Twitter: @hendrixroestyle

Thursday, September 6

4:30 PM | Fashion Talks | RE\SET™ Studio
In Conversation with Dr. Alexandra Palmer, Nora E. Vaughan Senior Curator, Textiles and Costume at the Royal Ontario Museum on the importance of Fashion and Textile collections for Museums and for its visitors. The ROM holds the largest collection of fashion and textiles in Canada and is the third largest in the world
Instagram: @fashiontalkspodcast

6:00 PM | Daniel Gregory Natale | RE\SET™ Studio
Instagram: @danielgregorynatale

7:00 PM | WIL Studios | RE\SET™ Studio
Instagram: @wil.studios

8:00 PM | Pedram Karimi | RE\SET™ Studio
Instagram: @pedramkarimi Twitter: @pedramkarimi

6:30 PM - 10:30 | Best Dressed 2018 Presented by Toronto Life and FASHION (Invite Only) | Yorkville Village, 136 Yorkville Ave.
Instagram: @torontolife / @fashioncanada Twitter: @toronto_life / @fashioncanada

Waterfall in cottage country

It's a mini vacation in the Dorset area during the August long weekend. Enjoying the Haliburton and Muskoka scenery and lakes that bring cottagers up to paradise despite the sometimes brutal traffic.

My feet are soaking in Kawagama Lake as the early morning sun brings life back to the cottagers, many who partied hard the night before.

A river that leads eventually into the Lake of Bays cuts through bedrock and splashes down a series of small waterfalls is one of my favorite scenic stops. See other cottage country scenes after the jump.