What to do in Burlington on Thanksgiving Weekend

It’s the long weekend and you have three days to fill with family, fun and food…here are some of the great events happening this weekend:

ZimSculpt, Royal Botanical Gardens

Stone sculptures of Zimbabwe created right before your eyes.  The award-winning Zimbabwean stone sculpture exhibit, ZimSculpt at Royal Botanical Gardens runs to Monday October 8th. Mining the richness of Zimbabwe’s geology, featured artists Patrick Stephani and Passmore Mupindiko have created powerful works of art that depict the stories of the natural world and the culture and traditions of their home land, as well as abstract forms that are powerfully evocative. 

ZimSculpt, a non-political company based in Harare, Zimbabwe, represents over 100 sculptors from across the country. Royal Botanical Gardens is the exclusive Canadian host of this award-winning Zimbabwean stone art exhibit. Over 300 hand-made sculptures will accentuate the blooms of Hendrie Park, creating a unique outdoor gallery where visitors can view sculpture, meet the artists and purchase one of these remarkable works.

"Wrong for Each Other", Drama Centre – Oct 4-6     

A comedy by Norm Foster - Directed by Tom Mackan, Produced by Peter Malysewich

Widely praised, this terrific play comes with all of life's reality enough to keep audiences totally involved, laughing and deeply moved at the same time. When Foster gets his genius working on a relationship between a man and woman, the exploration grabs us and keeps us fully engaged. Rudy and Norah meet quite accidentally after over three years of divorce and they set off on a memory trip of discovery that is classic in its telling. This is a near masterpiece of writing with dialogue astounding in its understanding of people and how they cope. And don't forget, ever so funny and moving for all that. Ticket information available here

Saturdays in the Square, Civic Square

Walk, shop, and dine in our city's beautiful Downtown.  Playing Live in Civic Square, on Saturday October 6th - Aaron Griggs & Special Guest plus food from Downtown Bistro.

         

Fall into Nature, 6 Conservation Halton Parks

Conservation Halton's Fall into Nature festival celebrates the spectacular landscapes and colours of the Niagara Escarpment. It takes place over five days on two weekends in October – Thanksgiving weekend (October 6 to 8) and the weekend of October 13 and 14. Festival events run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at all six of Conservation Halton's main parks: Crawford Lake, Hilton Falls, Kelso, Mountsberg, Mount Nemo and Rattlesnake Point Conservation Areas.   
Residents and visitors alike are invited to join us in celebrating autumn at this fun filled festival great for people of all ages.  Fall into Nature festival activities include:

·         Chairlift rides to the top of the escarpment with spectacular views

·         Self-guided and interpreter led tours through our many trails and landscapes

·         Wagon/tractor rides through the parks

·         Educational and interactive programs (visit an Iroquoian Village, learn about the science of nature)

·         Live performances (music, First Nations dancers)

·         Demonstrations (Bird of Prey shows, Reptile shows, mountain biking)

·         Various other activities (children's activities, BBQs, pumpkin picture patches)

·         And more!

Harvest Festival, Springridge Farm   

Weekends including Thanksgiving Monday. Harvest Festival activities are 10am until 4pm.  Admission: $10. per person, ages 2-92 (includes HST)

Springridge Harvest Festival is Great Fun for the whole family!  There is no charge to visit the farm market, bakery, gift shop.  

Climb to the escarpment lookout to view the fall colours too!

Families will enjoy:

A Professional Puppet Show "The Great Pumpkin Mix-Up"

·         Wagon ride to the 5-acre Corn Trail

·         Spooky Boo Barn

·         Spiderweb Climber

·         Farm Yard Pipe Slide

·         Access to the Fun Farm Yard: Farm Animal Barn, Escarpment Educational Lookout, Giant Sandbox, Plywood Milking Cow, Witches Mouth Corn Trail, Tricky Trails Corn Maze, Straw Bale Jumping & Pyramids

·         Optional Pony Rides $3 a child

·         Weekend BBQ

For more ideas on what to see and do visit us at our Visitor Centre open this weekend Saturday (10am-3pm), Sunday (10am-2pm) and Monday (10am-3pm) or on our website, twitter or facebook

ZimSculpt at Royal Botanical Gardens

ZimSculpt – Zimbabwe Stone sculptures created right before your eyes at Royal Botanical Gardens

We were thrilled when the RBG announced earlier this year that ZimSculpt would be returning to the gardens this year.  When this beautiful exhibit was here a few years ago I recall spending an enjoyable late summer evening wandering through the gardens and admiring the magnificent pieces of sculpture.  These works of art seemed to fit in so easily with the beautiful backdrop of the flowers and plants and I dreamed of having one in my own garden.  

ZimSculpt, is a non-political company based in Harare, Zimbabwe, that represents over 100 sculptors from across the country. The Royal Botanical Gardens is fortunate to be the exclusive Canadian host of this Zimbabwean stone art exhibit. Over 300 hand-made sculptures accentuate the blooms of Hendrie Park, creating a unique outdoor gallery where visitors can view sculpture, meet the artists and purchase one of these remarkable works.  Maybe this time I can come away with something new for my home garden! 

This award-winning Zimbabwean stone sculpture exhibit is here from August 25 to Thanksgiving weekend, October 8 and is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Hendrie Park.  Featured artists Patrick Stephani and Passmore Mupindiko will create powerful works of art that depict the stories of the natural world and the culture and traditions of their home land, as well as abstract forms. 

Featured Artists
Every year ZimSculpt selects several promising artists to be featured overseas, providing for their travel and lodging to enable them to attend events in which their sculpture is exhibited and to meet with admirers of their work. This year the RBG will feature two artists.

Passmore Mupindiko was born in Marendero, Guruve and did his primary education in Horse Shoe. During the last month of his final exams, his father passed away and he had to leave school and provide for his family. In 1992 he started carving in wood and six years later Passmore visited Tengenenge Arts Community, to see if the owner would buy his work. The owner suggested that he change his art to work to stone.  Passmore became a full time artist living in Tengenenge Art Community and his main subjects in stone are Leaf-bowls (for attracting birds), slender Guinea fowl, Shells and Leaf heads. His work has been exhibited in several countries including France, Holland, South Africa, Germany and Denmark. 
  

Patrick Sephani was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and finished his secondary schooling, where he was interested in Sheet Metal Work, Drawing and Design. In 1991 he began to sculpt small off-cuts at Tapfuma Gutsa’s home in Tafara. His sculpting became more serious in 1995 working with various other artists.  Patrick has an ability to use the natural and spiritual elements of stone to create works of art that are incredibly expressive of mood and emotion.   Most of Patrick’s works are collected by Private Art and Gallery owners from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, the U.S.A and the UK.

The Stone
The Great Dyke is a 500 km ridge of 2.5 million year old hills which cuts across the Zimbabwe from north to south, which is rich in minerals of every description. Most of the stones the artists use are quarried from this dyke, by hand. Different areas of The Dyke produce a different variety of stone. Over 200 colours of stone have been geologically catalogued, ranging in various scales of hardness from 1-5.5 with granite being 6. Learn more about the varieties of stone that are used.

Technique
Every sculptor works on their sculpture by hand, no power tools are used at any stage in the process. Artist’s stone tools consist of hammers, points, chisels, rasps and chasing hammers. These tools give quite different effects which you’ll see throughout the exhibit. The finishing of a sculpture takes almost as long as the actual creation. The smooth effect is achieved by using wet and dry sandpapers - sanding the piece for hours in water. This is called ‘washing’. If the artists want a high polish on the stone (which gives the dramatic difference in texture and colour) the stone is heated, which expands the pores of the stone, and a natural floor wax is applied to the designated area. This is left to soak into the stone until cooled and then buffed up to a high gleam, which finishes the work.

Fair Trade
ZimSculpt profits are re-invested in new art works, used to bring artists overseas and to market Zimbabwean talent internationally. The sales from their sculptures pay their rent and school fees. Five percent of sales from ZimSculpt.com’s website are donated to Inter-Country People’s Aid (IPA), a community-based charity in Zimbabwe.

 Don’t miss this opportunity to see these beautiful pieces of art set so thoughtfully within the breathtaking gardens at RBG and meet the talented artists.  It is well worth a visit and you may find yourself bringing home a little piece of Zimbabwe!

tourburlgirl