Sears Great Canadian Chill 2015

As another ice age seemed to settle into the #Toronto area, groups of people launched themselves into a freezing pool, best described as pre-iceberg, at Yonge-Dundas Square. The charity event was in support of stopping kids cancer cold and started around noon on Monday, February 16th, also known as the Family Day holiday.

Extreme cold weather warnings continued throughout the weekend with temperatures of -23 Celcius in the morning (-33 with wind chill) warming up to a frosty -12 degrees in the afternoon. The temporary pool was filled by the City of Toronto from the adjacent fire hydrant and the pool water had to be stirred every few minutes as ice quickly formed on the surface. 

Today's event brought in $50,000 as the Sears Great Canadian Chill has now raised over a quarter of a million dollars towards the Sears Canada Charitable Foundation which supports local and national kids cancer research and initiatives. You could walk up, register and jump in the pool for a $35 donation. Top fundraisers were recognized at the beginning of the event.

Dave Nash was the MC on this, the 5th annual Chill, and he interviewed the the Sears leadership team, the chillers and various sponsors as the tradition continues, and will continue, with the goal to end kids cancer. SickKids Ambassador Tessa has twice survived childhood cancer, addressed the crowd 

@TPS_Cares

Major sponsors on site included Sears, SickKids, Goodlife, the Edge 102.1, Hard Rock Cafe, Carnation and Quark Expeditions. A full range of activities were provided with ice sculpting, the KidZone and the hot tub Hot Zone as activities began at 10:30am with the chilling beginning at 12:00pm. Michelle Mackey of the Weather Network not only reported on site but took the plunge near the end of the day.

Posted by Joe Hamilton and James Hamilton. See more graceful leaps after the jump.

Bluffs - the real 50 shades of grey

The dull cliffs of the Scarborough Bluffs slash up against the crashing waves of Lake Ontario, revealing many shades of the uninteresting colour grey. Held in place only temporarily, the steady beating of the waters plough into the exposed earth, caressing the side of the vertical face with an even mixture of love and contempt while washing the guilt away, along with the fine sand and sending it on an journey of growth towards the Toronto Islands. When a storm rises up it drives the lake waters into powerful crests which whip the hills into submission as they stand shackled to the rest of the city, unable to escape, until they remain spent and crumble into the lake.

Chapter Two.  If you are lucky the sky, water and trees can complement the view of the otherwise stark nature of the bluffs. Like the day a few years ago when I dropped by on a lovely fall day. The end.

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series 2015

In Canada, stock car drivers usually take months to scrape ice off their cars in anticipation of the start of the racing season so they can be ready when the cars start to rumble in May. This exciting series is part of the NASCAR brand of motorsports and they visit several provinces throughout the year.

2015 Schedule
May 17 NCATS CTMP at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
June 13 NCATS Chaudiere at Autodrome Chaudiere
June 20 Leland Industries 300 presented by Johnsonville at Sunset Speedway
July 5 NCATS ICAR at Circuit ICAR
July 11 NCATS Edmonton at Edmonton International Raceway
July 15 NCATS Auto Clearing at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway
July 25 NCATS St-Eustache at Autodrome St-Eustache
Aug 2 NCATS Trois-Rivieres at Circuit de Trois-Rivieres
Aug 15 NCATS Riverside at Riverside International Speedway
Aug 30 NCATS CTMP at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Sept 19 NCATS Kawartha at Kawartha Speedway

The top ten drivers from 2014 included first time champion L.P. Dumoulin and J.R. Fitzpatrick, D.J. Kennington, Scott Steckly, Jason Hathaway, Andrew Ranger, Noel Dowler, Joey McColm, Alex Tagliani and Mark Dilley in tenth place. Female driver Erica Thiering has signed on for the full 2015 season.

Driver Andrew Ranger

If you can't wait for the first race, you may want to keep the Canadian International Motorama Custom Car and Motorsports Expo in mind. Taking place March 13-15, 2015 at the Toronto International Centre this show combines celebrities, stock cars, drag racing, hot rods, short track racing, custom cars and much, much more. Participating again will be the Canadian Motorsports Expo (CME) powered by Inside Track Motorsport News.

My how the tides have changed

The PortsToronto / Toronto Harbour Commission building sits high and dry now, a long way from the edge of Lake Ontario which has steadily moved southwards - probably scared away by the high price of real estate. A photo exhibition in Brookfield Place shows Toronto's past along the ever changing waterfront, including the time when the Commission building was right at the water's edge.

The Ports Toronto display of historical images from their own archive can be viewed from February 8-20, 2015 in the long Allen Lambert Galleria. Pictures of construction workers and buildings from long ago show the rather smaller scale of the city. They describe the harbour as having a significant contribution to the development of Toronto "as a commercial and cultural hub of Canada", which makes the rest of Canada automatically not want to see the exhibition.

"In the early years of Toronto’s development, a large portion of the city’s current waterfront and South Core areas were either uninhabitable swampland or under water. In the 1900s PortsToronto, then called the Toronto Harbour Commissioners, built the waterfront and constructed more than 2,000 acres of land from the mouth of the Humber River to Ashbridges Bay. Today, the area is home to businesses, residences, parks and some of the most significant commercial and residential development currently taking place in North America."

Making Connections to Toronto's Waterfront

See more of the historical images after the jump.

Toronto Sportsmen's Show 2015

See Spot. See Spot leap into a swimming pool. See the Woofjocks Canine All Stars perform at the February 5-8 show. Note to self - keep away from the dogs when they get out of the water and shake it off.

Naked News reporters on site

Canada's Outdoor Supershow is at the Direct Energy Centre in Exhibition Place and it seems like a good place to get out of the snow and see all the things you could be doing if it was nice out. Fishing, hunting, travel and tourism as well as axe throwing are just some of the features that will keep you wandering the aisles looking at things to spend your money on.

Professionaly Jack'd & Hemi'd by @JustJeeps

Posted by Joe Hamilton. See more photos after the jump.

Sherwood Forest is in #Toronto

And it holds The Heart of Robin Hood, which I am sure Robin must miss, at least occasionally. The Mirvish production of a variation of the classic tale of the English outlaw and his band of miscreants.

The Royal Shakespeare Company play has found a temporary home in the Royal Alexandra Theatre on King Street and will run until March 29, 2015.

"In this wildly inventive reimagining, Robin Hood isn't a beloved vigilante who gives to the poor.... he's just a headstrong thief. It's up to the brave Maid Marion to protect the kingdom and show this legendary hood how to be a hero."

Jeremy's parents in front of the billboard

The star of the show is probably Jeremy Crawford who takes on the roles of Little John and Flight Captain. I know this because I met his very friendly parents who came up from the United States just to catch Jeremy in a performance at the historic theatre.

2015 Motorcycle Show #Toronto coming in Feb

Update: See photos of the 2015 show on my post here.

It is still a little early for getting the bikes out of storage, even with the February blahs calling out the open road, so keep the two-wheeled love going with a trip to the Motorcycle Show, February 20-22, 2015. The national tour stops in Exhibition Place at the Direct Energy Centre from Friday to Sunday and will include the chance to win a Grand Prize of a 2015 Triumph Special Edition Bonneville Newchurch Motorcycle.

“This year’s Show theme is ‘Whatever your ride, feed your passion here’, and it reflects what enthusiasts can expect to see at the 2015 Motorcycle Show,” said Toronto Show Manager, Neil Fardy. “Whether your ride is on two, three or four wheels, we’ve got you covered with the biggest and widest-range of new models you’ll see anywhere in Ontario.”

Top manufacturers such as BMW, Harley-Davidson, Ducati, Honda and Kawasaki will present new rides and a broad range of motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and side by side models. Harley-Davidson will showcase Livewire, their new electric motorcycle. Exhibits and vendors will fill the hall, approximately three and a half football fields in size, with accessories, apparel and other entertainments and special guests.

"Features confirmed for 2015 are: the Yamaha Riding Academy for Kids; She Rides Night (a celebration for women who ride); the Team Empire Freestyle Stunt Show (featuring stars Nick “Apex” Brocha and Ernie "EDub" Vigil); Trials Demos with Canadian riding legend Jordan Szoke; Yamaha’s “How to Riding Skills” Demos and the Race Café."

Other highlights of the show is an appearance of 'America's Queen of Speed', Valerie Thompson, She Rides Night, the Ontario Provincial Police Golden Helmets performance,

Coldest Day of the Year Ride #Toronto

Extreme cold weather alerts on Jan 30 and 31, 2015 suggested that this bike ride was taking place on an appropriate day. So an a partly sunny Saturday bicyclists gathered at Trinity Bellwoods Park and began their frigid journey just before noon and made their way along city streets until they arrived at Peacut Square at Metro Hall.

Joe and I caught up with the crew at Metro Hall after most of the riders had left the building because we had the Coldest Day of the Year run, carrying cameras while trying to not fall in the snow, Run,

"Celebrate and support winter cycling by joining us for the Coldest Day of the Year Ride, a short, comfortable, car-free group ride departing from Trinity Bellwoods Park.  Meet at 11:45am on Saturday Jan 31st at the southern gates of Trinity Bellwoods Park. We're heading to Metro Hall, followed by some refreshments at the Elephant and Castle at King and Simcoe."

The dead of winter, which is a major bummer of a festival put on by Mother Nature, takes place over ten days starting from January 21. In Toronto this just means you need a few extra layers to bike around the city, because I think no matter the weather, you can always find someone on two wheels riding somewhere.

Posted by Joe Hamilton and James Hamilton.

FrostCon 3.0 in #Toronto

What a great winter comicon at the Sheraton Hotel! The chance to meet with friends and partake in cosplay was not to be missed for so many fans. I was not even aware of this event and was pleased to see that Saturday, January 31, 2015.

"Come out for a day full of anime, comics, sci-fi, fantasy and more! Cosplay is highly encouraged! But dress warmly if you do!"

One of the best parts about a comicon is seeing the cosplayers out on the streets, making their way to the event, like any other pedestrian but just a little bit different. I found some members dressed as the popular video game characters from Assassin's Creed at City Hall.

Posted by Joe Hamilton and James Hamilton. See more photos after the jump.

Walk for Memories in the underground PATH

Hundreds of people walked today in the subterranean tunnels chiseled by hand out of solid granite that roam deep, deep under the city of Toronto. Heat from nearby thermal fissures in the earth keep everyone warm in winter, but melts shoes in the summer, so it was just perfect for today's winter charity fundraiser in support of the cure for Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Remind me to confirm the PATH construction details later.

Toronto Batman walks the walk - for his dead parents

The Saturday walk was presented by Memory Care and consisted of a 2.2km path that returned the walkers back to the Allen Lambert Galleria in Brookfield Place.

Keep Calm and Neur-on, funny!

"There will be lots of music, great entertainment and will bring together 1,500 individuals who have been touched by Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia."

CLICK HERE to learn more or register.

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2015
Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Address:
181 Bay Street
Toronto, ON M5J 2S1
Canada

Posted by Joe Hamilton and James Hamilton