Apt613

Almonte Celtfest. Photo: Chrissy Steinbock. Almonte Celtfest is celebrating its 30th anniversary this summer and you’re invited to enjoy an extra special edition of the festival in Gemmill Park (182 Bridge St., Almonte) from July 3-5. The festival promises a jam-packed weekend featuring musical performances by the powerhouse Celtic family band Leahy, PEI singer-songwriter Lennie Gallant, and Celtic rockers, the Derina Harvey Band.

TD Place. Photo Kiersten Vuorimaki It’s a hot one out there friends, and after a day off for Canada Day, it feels like the work week has just blown by!  There is so much to do in Ottawa this weekend, from sports, to live music, to picnics and markets.

There are a lot of great films to choose from at Ottawa’s independent cinemas in the first half of July — several dandy new ones and a slew of films from the vault, including the film that got me hooked on Japanese films (FREE as part of the Japanese Embassy’s Japanese Film Week) and a film whose dialogue I often quote with a grin.

When it comes to legendary Canadian rock bands that broke through in the ’80s, very few can match the longevity of Vancouver’s 54-40. Since their debut release in 1982, the ensuing 44 years have seen them release 16 albums, including a string of platinum releases in the ’90s at their peak, and while there was a slight slowdown in releases after 2011, they’ve picked up the pace with this year’s PORTO coming just two years after West Coast Band.

Have you ever come up with an idea just so crazy that it might work? Last winter, a group of friends thought it would be fun to set a goal to see every Ottawa professional sports team at home in one year. This seemed achievable. Until our Apt613 Contributors’ winter meetup in February at MooShu, where the sports writers got together and asked: “but could we see them all in one week?” And the answer is yes.

Created by Lee Murry Chetwynd Produced by Lockpick Theatre | Ottawa, ON Review by Audrey Pridham 45 mins / M / Thriller, Horror, Drama The moment you walk into the quiet LabO theatre, there’s a sense of uneasiness and tension once you see the Cain family in their home.

Graphic provided by Ottawa Fringe Festival. Created by David Scotswood and Sarah Thuswaldner Produced by Dangerous Dames Theatre | Ottawa, ON Review by Audrey Pridham 60 mins / PG / Comedy, Music It’s indeed not a “ship” that is cruising against the waves… well, sort of. Moreso, it’s a “tactical island” that is being run by the British Navy in 1804 at the height of the Napoleonic Wars.

Graphic provided by Ottawa Fringe Festival.

Graphic provided by Ottawa Fringe Festival. Created by Jimmy Hogg Produced by Pork Chop Express | Toronto, ON Review by Kiersten Vuorimaki 60 mins / 14+ / Comedy, Solo, Storytelling / Mature Language, Sexual Content Five minutes before the Jimmy Hogg opening night show began, while Prince played in the background, an unassuming bearded man in a white t-shirt began wandering the perimeter of Geneva Hall, methodically turning off light switches one by one as the audience chatted.

Graphic provided by Ottawa Fringe Festival. Created by Owlbear Theatre Produced by Owlbear Theatre| Ottawa, ON Review by Kiersten Vuorimaki 50 mins / PG / Comedy, Clown, Fantasy, Immersive, Adventure / Violence, Abrupt or Loud Noises When I saw in the programme that this clown show was performed entirely in the dark, requiring the audience to bring a flashlight to light the stage, I was intrigued.