Welcome to Motorama

"SUNDAY CANCELLED AT TORONTO MOTORAMA: TORONTO, ON // MARCH 14, 2020 • After consultation with The International Centre and in consideration of the direction announced by Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health to cancel events and gatherings exceeding 250 people, the promoters of the Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo have determined that it’s not possible to open on Sunday, March 15, 2020."

Day 2 of the Motorama Custom Car and Motorsports Expo continues at the International Centre until Sunday, March 15, 2020. It's a busy day at the show, though slightly modified as the Corona virus precautions take effect with stage gatherings cancelled, otherwise wash your hands and enjoy the automotive excellence and the live entertainment.

Tonite will feature the Fast Eddie Short Track and Drag Racing Night of Champions with 120 stock car and drag racers attending. There are also a lot of race tracks representing at the show so look for their info on the upcoming racing season.

The racing zone includes NASCAR Pinty's Series cars so speed is king at the show, no matter the brand. Even modified cars are full of nitrous oxide for some extra power.

You can find Motorama Mayhem in the backroom near Spring Fever highlighting modified cars and culture, Truck-o-rama and more muscle cars throughout the decades in the many halls of the centre.

Toronto Motorama Car Show 2020

"SUNDAY CANCELLED AT TORONTO MOTORAMA: TORONTO, ON // MARCH 14, 2020 • After consultation with The International Centre and in consideration of the direction announced by Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health to cancel events and gatherings exceeding 250 people, the promoters of the Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo have determined that it’s not possible to open on Sunday, March 15, 2020."

It's time for another edition of the Motorama Custom Car and Motorsports Expo March 13-15 at the International Centre. The cars and booths were setup on Thursday and the show opens Friday at 10am. This could be one of the last events of the year that will still run as the Corona Virus sweeps the world, but for now the Toronto Public Health Service says that "at this time the virus is not circulating locally". Motorama is taking extra precautions and asks that you maintain social distance, keep washing your hands and stay home if you are sick. It is also a good time to escape from the massive lineups in grocery stores as people fight over toilet paper and bleach, plus parking is free.

Show hours: FRIDAY, MARCH 13: 10 A.M. TO 9 P.M, SATURDAY, MARCH 14: 10 A.M. TO 8 P.M. and SUNDAY, MARCH 15: 10 A.M. TO 5 P.M.

Greg MacPherson of Motorama and Inside Track notes that "as you tour the over 300,000 square feet of this year's show, you'll be struck by the incredible quality, quantity and diversity of the amazing vehicles. Filling five huge halls, the show literally has something for everyone who loves cars and motorsports."

On Friday the Pinty's main stage in Hall 2 will feature Ron Gibbs (3:30 to 4:30pm), DJ Swankenstein (4:45 to 6:15pm) and the Motorama Kick-off Party (6:30 to 9:00pm) will have Mark Malibu and the Wasagas on stage at 7:00pm.

"RON GIBBS: One of Canada’s top automotive and motorsports artists, Burlington, Ontario’s Ron Gibbs will be on the stage several times during Motorama. For this session, he’ll be working on a painting of Motorama’s featured guest Chip Foose, which he’ll complete at his booth, adjacent to the Pinty’s Stage, by the time of the Special Car Awards presentations on Sunday at 3 p.m. The painting will be auctioned off for charity."

"DJ SWANKENSTEIN: Prior to the Motorama Kick-Off Party, later in the afternoon, DJ Swankenstein will be on the Pinty’s Stage, spinning records and getting everyone in the mood for a great night. For most of the show, this talented DJ – who says his musical choices are fueled by the smell of jalopy exhaust, axle grease, tire rubber, tattoo ink, pomade and pinup girl hairspray – will be in the Mayhem ‘rockabilly’ room. But he’s doing a Friday set on the Pinty’s Stage to get things hopping."

"MOTORAMA KICK-OFF PARTY: Following the introduction of the show’s celebrity guests, Mark Malibu and The Wasagas will take to the Pinty’s Stage as part of the Motorama Kick-Off Party for car owners, show sponsors and Motorama’s celebrity guests. The general public is welcome to enjoy the festivities, as well. This year marks the first time this party has taken place on the show floor, instead of in a private setting. Mark Malibu and The Wasagas will get people in the mood with their ‘surf punk’ sounds. Watch for the dancing monkey!"

There is going to be entertainment, celebrity guests, race cars, modified cars, monster trucks, car clubs, motor mayhem, hot rods and custom cars at the 6th annual show. Everthing but Chip Fooze from the series Overhaulin' who had to cancel his celebrity appearances.

Busy day in Graffiti Alley

Warm weekends bring out so many graffiti tourists into the famous Toronto Graffiti Alley, you would think there was a Maple Leafs hockey game going on.

The Red Bull car corral is back

Cosplay Skate in Toronto

Star Wars characters were out in force during the Toronto Comicon's Cosplay Skate at Nathan Phillips Square on Sunday, March 8, 2020. There were also a number of other cosplayers circling the rink during the inaugural pop-culture sports event that ran from 2-4pm at Toronto City Hall.

DJ Keely Valentine was cranking out the hits to keep the skaters enjoyed as the sun beamed down on the square with temperatures that might have hit the double digits today. It was so warm that the Natrel Rink down at Harbourfront is now a mushy mess of ice and water.

Toronto Comicon also had a booth at the Celebrate Toronto weekend, with giveaways and Spin-to-Win in support of Make-A-Wish Foundation as well as a Hogwarts School photo op from noon till 8pm. Toronto Comicon, spring edition is here March 20-22, 2020 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

I also ran into famous cosplay star and musician Jillea (whoisjillea) dressed up promoting the Comicon. She will be one of the featured cosplay guests at the show.

Celebrate Toronto

There is a birthday party being held at Toronto City Hall this weekend. The Big Smoke is now 186 years old and has never looked better. The free festival is on in Nathan Phillips Square on March 7-8, 2020 from noon till 8pm. The skating rink is open and there are plenty of food trucks taking part in the celebrations.

From the Celebrate website; "Complete with 90 local vendors, 15 food trucks, and live entertainment, Celebrate Toronto is a great weekend event that celebrates Toronto’s art and diversity. In addition, we will be having on site contests and giveaways provided by Flow 93.5, FanExpo, and the Toronto Zoo. New for 2020 is the Imagination Zone, a custom build family interaction area with Toronto themed photo-op displays, and our Licensed Hot Chocolate Bar.

Zamboni driver cleans the ice. I am not sure which NHL team he plays for

Live music on the stage

Raccoon in the square. Trash Panda mascot

Robots at Primitive Designs of Port Hope

Home of Big Robots is quite the tourist destination, just not in the winter. The Primitive Designs antique and craft store brings in exotic and unusual antiques from around the world and has an army of giant figures and creatures around the retail gallery and gift store. It reopens March 1st, 2020.

I look forward to checking this place out some time in the future.

Scotiabank New Generation Photography 2020 longlist

Thirteen Canadian photographers under the age of 30 have been included in the Scotiabank New Generation Photography competition for 2020 with three winners to be announced March 25. The contenders in the third annual awards program were picked by Scotiabank and the National Gallery of Canada with each winner to receive a $10,000 cash prize and a feature in two exhibitions.

The first exhibition will be during the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival May 1 to June 7, 2020 where the works will be shown at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto. Then they will be shown at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa from November 2020 till March 2021.

Scotiabank is a powerhouse for support and sponsorship of community, charities and philanthropic activities, donating close to $100 million dollars in 2019. "Scotiabank has a deep passion for supporting the arts, culture and young people," says Mike Tasevski, Vice President, Global Sponsorships at Scotiabank. "We are proud to continue to play a role in celebrating the creative vision and accomplishments of our country's most promising new photographers."

New Generation Photographer 2020 longlist:

Lacie Burning – Vancouver/Six Nations of the Grand River, BC
Justin Carter – Halifax, NS
Garnet Dirksen – Merritt, BC
Noah Friebel – Vancouver, BC
Sarah Jasmine Hodgson – Ottawa, ON
Kaysha Jamieson – Hamilton, ON
Olivia Johnston – Ottawa, ON
Marisa Kriangwiwat Holmes – Richmond, BC
Delphine Lewis – Westmount, Quebec
Samantha Miller – Ohsweken, Six Nations, Ontario
Curtiss Randolph – Toronto, ON
Rachel Rozanski – Toronto, ON
Katherine Takpannie – Ottawa, ON

Nominees on the 2020 longlist as judged by: Ann Thomas, Senior Curator, Photographs, National Gallery of Canada, and Chair of the Jury. Luther Konadu, Artist and past New Generation Photography Award winner (2019). Andrea Kunard, Associate Curator, Photographs, National Gallery of Canada. Suzy Lake, Artist and past Scotiabank Photography Award winner (2016) and Alain Paiement, Artist and Professor at Université de Québec à Montréal:

"This year's nominees for the New Generation Photography Award continue to impress with the high-quality of their work and lively engagement with the photographic medium," says Ann Thomas, Senior Curator, Photography, National Gallery of Canada and Chair of the Jury. "The diversity of the submissions reveals photography's power to explore a wide range of subject matter, ranging from personal journeys to pressing social issues. The prize celebrates the artistic vision of an up-and-coming generation of artists, and most importantly offers support and encouragement for both nominees and winners."

See last year's winners on my post here.

L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth 2020

On Saturday, March 8 L’Oréal Paris will provide 10 Canadian honorees of their fourth annual Women of Worth program with $10,000 charitable grants for charities. The honourees are those that have driven change and made a positive difference in their communities and the presentation will happen on the perfect day - International Women's Day. "Each year, the philanthropic initiative strives to recognize and honour a diverse group of unstoppable women who work passionately to identify problems, foster solutions and champion change. These ten extraordinary changemakers commonly advocate for those less fortunate and make deep-rooted and inspired contributions to our world."

For 2020 the women have been selected who offer time and expertise for the support of their causes, the community and the world with the honourees receiving their award at a gala in Toronto. Voters could also vote until March 4 for the overall National Honouree who will receive another $10,000 grant for their non-profit charity.

“These exceptional women selflessly and tirelessly strive for and champion change; lifting up their communities and bringing people together,” said Milan Mladjenovic, General Manager, L’Oréal Paris Canada. “We are humbled and inspired by their contributions to dream, learn, and ultimately do more, for the betterment of our world.”

The 2020 L’Oréal Paris, Women of Worth Canada Honourees are (in alphabetical order):

"Kehkashan Basu, Green Hope Foundation in Toronto, ON built a networking platform, specifically designed for children and youth, with a focus on sustainable development and mitigating climate change; actively promoting gender equality, youth empowerment and social upliftment.

Sara Champagne, CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation in Montreal, QC strives to alter preconceived notions of beauty and champion acceptance for all, through a photographic exposition and social media campaign dedicated to driving awareness to those living with facial differences - more precisely, Moebius syndrome - a rare form of paralysis that affects facial expression and eye movement.

Rabiah Dhaliwal, One Blood for Life Foundation in Surrey, BC educates the next generation of blood and stem cells donors in Canada through a variety of humanitarian efforts including the development of programming designed to aid with cultural and language barriers and enable donor recruitment accessibility for everyone.

Tanya Hayles, Black Moms Connection in Toronto, ON actively provides a safe and encouraging environment for black mothers, through an online global village to connect on shared cultural experiences and provide relevant tools, resources, support and friendship, within the community.

Donna Hreys, Knitted Knockers Alberta in Calgary, AB provides lightweight and soft breast prosthetics for daily use and activities, including swimming, knitted by volunteers, for Canadian women who have had mastectomy or lumpectomy procedures, free of charge.

Gina Jones-Wilson, Upper Hammonds Plains Community Development Association in Upper Hammonds Plains, NS has dedicated 40 years of volunteering to support the various needs of urban youth and seniors within her community, including areas related to housing, health care, educational programming and access to public transit.

Glori Meldrum, Little Warriors in Edmonton, AB brought her vision to life of building a specialized, intensive treatment centre dedicated to children and their families, victimized by sexual abuse from across Canada.

Karen Sherbut, Safe Haven Foundation of Canada in Calgary, AB advocates for homeless and at-risk girls by providing them with a safe, supportive and stable home where they can focus on rebuilding their lives and becoming self sufficient.

Dr. Laura Whyte, Covered By Hope House in Sydney, NS developed a multi-faceted, therapeutic live-in recovery home for women struggling with challenges associated drug and alcohol addiction. Through an approach based on their motto ‘to hope, to honour, to heal’, the program provides women with support, tools and growth opportunities to work towards becoming substance-use free.

Bev Woods, Gift from the Heart in Codrington, ON provides compassionate dental hygiene care for Canadians in need; raising awareness about access to oral health care and the critical importance of accessibility for all."

Tim Hortons Brier Kingston 2020

Sixteen mens teams are competing in Kingston this week during the annual curling Brier.  Comprised of 14 provincial and territories teams, Team Canada and a Wild Card team are playing in the Leon's Centre February 29 to March 8, 2020.

Kingston is a great city just a couple hours east of Toronto and curling fans have traveled far and wide to watch the event. As a bonus the city is providing free public transit for Brier ticket holders (almost everyone says thank you to the bus driver when they exit a bus). The Leon's Centre is downtown and within blocks of the arena are restaurants and tourist attractions that will keep you busy when the teams are off the ice. We walked around the downtown core with the beautiful stone buildings, many from the mid to late 1800s, tourist attractions like the train engine and the Kingston sign along with the waterfront trail. Banners, posters and stickers were everywhere welcoming curling fans to town and everyone was really friendly and helpful.

Some fans pose with the Saskatchewan team in the Brier Patch

Right across the street from the centre is the massive bar and entertainment hub called the Brier Patch. The temporary party central has games and adult beverages and if you are lucky you can see some famous curlers.

Team photo at the close of the opening ceremonies

The 16 teams play in two pools of 8 for 7 games. The top 4 teams from each pool will advance to play another 4 games. Then the overall top 4 teams will move on and the bottom two teams will play Saturday with the winner advancing to the semifinal. Saturday night the top two teams will play with the winner advancing to the final and the loser to the semifinal.  The semifinal is Sunday afternoon and the final Sunday evening.

If you know curling then these games can be exciting, full of challenging shots that only elite curlers can do on purpose.

Colourful fan

Slider the mascot

Sometimes you have to measure the rocks to find the winner

See more photos after the jump.

July was made for Toronto Festival of Beer 2020

In the heat of summer, rocking out to stellar bands and sipping cool suds is the perfect time for Toronto's Festival of Beer July 24-26, 2020. Headlining on Saturday is the Sam Roberts Band while on Sunday TLC takes the stage at Bandshell Park in Exhibition Place.

“Don’t go chasing waterfalls when you could go see TLC headlining Sunday on the Bandshell Stage,” said Les Murray, president and owner of Toronto’s Festival of Beer. “Celebrate the 25th anniversary of TLC’s CrazySexyCool album along with some great eats and ice cold beer. Grab your tickets now before they sell out!” Tickets to Toronto’s Festival of Beer sell out every year — consumers are encouraged to buy early. For more information on tickets and other festival details, please visit BeerFestival.ca. Toronto's Festival of Beer is a 19+ event."

The Beer Store presents TFOB, a festival that brings beer lovers together to contemplate and imbibe in hundreds of golden brews, enjoy the entertainment and food. Joining the headliners will be bands like Bedouin Soundclash and Five Alarm Funk.

Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo 2020 coming mid-March

Just a short week before Spring officially hits Toronto, the sixth annual Motorama Expo comes to the Toronto International Centre March 13-15, 2020. This is a giant show filling over 330,000 square feet of all things automotive from custom cars to race cars and almost everything else in between.

Also appearing at the automotive extravaganza will be Chip Foose from the TV show Overhaulin' who will be at the show on both Saturday and Sunday for a celebrity meet and greet, presented by BASF Canada, Hagerty Insurance and Lincoln Electric.

From Motorama; "Upon entering The Grand Hall (Hall 1), showgoers will be greeted by 28 incredible mostly ‘first time shown’ cars, many of them built with an eye to debuting them at Motorama. Every car in the show will have been reviewed and approved by car coordinator Gary Challice and his team, guaranteeing a wide variety of immaculate, interesting and stunning vehicles. Heading deeper into the show, visitors will enter the Inside Track Racing Zone, Presented by Stoneridge Specialty Insurance. This area will feature racing series, tracks, clubs and motorsports suppliers representing the full spectrum of Canadian racing, including stock cars, drag racing, road racing, rallying, karting and more."

Hall 2 will feature car clubs and displays as well as the Motorama Stage, home of the awards presentations and panel discussions.

Hall 3 presents Spring Fever, modified cars and tuner cars. "According to Hill, word of the $1000.00 first-place prize and the $500.00 runner-up prize has spread, with entries coming in from as far away as Florida and Quebec. A wide variety of modified cars and trucks will once again be on display, showcasing everything from luxurious VIP-style tuners, to championship level drift cars, with an emphasis on new builds and trends."

Hall 4 has the Mayhem... in the Backroom with hot rods and custom cars, Jalopy Jam-Up and Miss Motorama Pin-Up Pageant.