Creative Burlington

Why this snowman looks so sad...

2010-12-05T03:25:00.004-05:00

Check back here on December 10th to find out the answer!

Nano Week 2 - Dull, Dreary, Disasterous... oh and fromage.

2010-11-15T14:57:00.005-05:00

What can I say about week 2? Other than thank god it's over....

The second week of Nano always seems to be a problem for me because writing a novel has lost a little of it's luster by then. Your main characters have been introduced, your setting is set and your caffeine reserves are still probably pretty full. Not mine, mind you, because let's be honest, mine are never full. Even if I have a full XL tea, 1 bag in with milk from Tim Horton's in my hand I will still order another one if someone goes on a run to Tim's. To put it another way, people at my Tim Horton's know my name, some of them recognize my voice from thousands of other Burlingtonians and for the rest I have a code word. Yes you heard me correctly, a code word.

It's also the week when your friends stop looking at you with respect and admiration for writing a novel in a month. Instead it's replaced with a peculiar look that I have termed 'mishegoss' (It's a yiddish phrase that means bizzare, confusing or crazy actions). So many people are inordinately confused with the idea of writing a novel in a month and the term crazy is used far too freely for my liking. Thousands of people from all around the world do this every year, so is it really crazy? Who knows. Although for most of the people in my life I want to point out that writing a novel in a month was not the tipping point for me to go from sane to crazy. However, sane people are trusted more than lunatics so I hold my tongue and bide my time.

Week 2 is also full of some pretty boring dialogue, basically the literary equivalent of watching grass grow or paint dry. It's horrible to read and excruciating to write but it's necessary to further the plot along. Even roller coasters need that build up before you're screaming your head off in excitement or perhaps terror. My boring part was a new co-worker being lead around her new place of work, shown her new office and introduced to her new boss. I became so bored writing it that I had the boss throw an impromptu tea party on her desk. I didn't invite the mad hatter but I thought about it seriously for far longer than I want to admit.

Then on Thursday something horrible happened followed by something wonderful on Friday. Thursday night saw me staying up quite late working, at 2am I realized that I was too tired to 1. Shower 2. Write Thursday's 1667 words. So I went to sleep feeling guilty. But as I showered Friday morning I realized that it wasn't that bad, I was only 3334 words behind, which I could easily make up after work by sitting in my Tim Horton's drinking tea after tea until I finished. Instead I started writing at my desk at 5:36pm and I didn't finish until 9:03pm! Not only did I catch up on the words I was behind but I wrote a full day ahead.

Of course if my stomach hadn't been disturbingly vocal I probably would have kept writing for even longer. But it's pretty creepy to be sitting in a silent office listening to your own growling stomach monster, especially when the growls start sounding like words, French words like 'Fromage' and 'BonBon'.

Stay tuned for Week 3 - Finally hitting 25,000 words or 'Yay me, I'm half way done!'

--Heather

My nanowrimo journey continues...

2010-11-05T12:51:00.005-04:00

A brief recap - Nanowrimo is national novel writing month. 30 days of literary abandon designed to get you to write a 50,000 word novel. It's free, fun and incredibly challenging.

Week 1 - It's a few days in and I've managed to not only keep up with my daily word goal but surpass it slighty every day. Yesterday for example I wrote a whole extra hundred and fourteen words. Which doesn't seem like a lot, but when you force yourself to write 1667 words every day, any extra that you can stretch out is like icing on your literary cake.

Last year I wrote a novel set in medieval times with sorcerers, dragons, grog and mead. But for this year's literary adventure I decided wanted something a little more modern and since my attention span for non-fiction literature is next to nothing, I started writing a novel about spies. Spies with super powers. :)

It's funny what happens when you start out an on epic writing journey. You excitedly type out the beginning of your novel, everything is new: the characters, setting and even the plot. There's a vague idea or a detailed plan in your head of where everything is going to go, what's going to happen, who's going to die from a mysterious shovel related death and who's going to fall in love. But as you actually start to write it things seem to change randomly without you knowing about it. For instance, last night I had a little epiphany. My main character who's point of view I have been writing from for over 10,000 words is not in fact the centre of my novel universe. Her new friend Temperance is. That little discovery made me want to jump up and down in excitement and cry big salty tears. On the one hand my novel seemed to have new life but on the other I had spent over 10,000 words writing in the wrong direction.

But nanowrimo isn't about going back to the beginning and starting over (thank god), it's about powering on until the end because the only way to get to the end of your novel is through it. So today I'm going to write from Temperance's point of view, flush out her background and maybe put in some interesting dialogue about how she got her special spy code name.

Stay tuned, an update of week 2 is coming soon...

--Heather

Nanowrimo: The adventure starts Nov. 1st!

2010-09-02T11:48:00.004-04:00

So you remember that movie, Bucket List? Characters created a list of all the different things they wanted to do before they kicked the bucket. Included on my own personal list are the following:

Learn how to ice sculpt
Create a crop circle
Write a Novel

Guess which I’ve already crossed off the list? If you guessed writing a novel, ding ding ding, you’re correct. I’m sure a few of you are thinking, “You wrote a whole novel? I could never do that…”

Oh yes you can!

November is National Novel Writing Month, a fun, fly by the seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel by midnight on November 30th. By setting a ridiculous deadline you worry about quantity not quality. This approach forces you to take risks, lower your expectations and push yourself further than you probably ever thought possible.

Let’s not kid ourselves though, you will be writing a lot of crap. All of us do. But there is a sense of freedom that comes by simply grabbing an idea and running with it no matter what the costs, to spend the month creating with literary abandon.

Writing a novel in a month is by no means easy. It means late nights, carpel tunnel syndrome and spending more on coffee in a month then you normally spend on gas. But the sense of accomplishment you get at the end is near euphoric. It’s something everyone should experience.

Nanowrimo brings together writers from all over the world, all focused on the same crazy goal. In 2009 over a hundred and fifty thousand participants started vigorously writing their novels on November 1st; astonishingly over thirty two thousand crossed the finish line on November 30th. I was one of those proud few.

Need more to convince you? Another great reason to participate is that you’re not alone. Nanowrimo’s online community has forums specially designed to help you in your journey, a procrastination station to distract you when you need it and weekly pep talks written by bestselling authors to get you through the tough spots.

Sure there are many reasons not to do it. You think you don’t have the time, the energy or the creativity to write a novel. But why not try? You’ll never know what you can accomplish until you pick up that pen and start writing.

Ready to begin? Shoot me an email at heather@creativeburlington.ca, I’d love to hear from local folks that are as crazy as I am, or at least ones planning to write a novel this November. To become an official participant of National Novel Writing Month 2010, visit www.nanowrimo.org and sign up. And remember, crazy loves company.

Downtown Dining - It's Wrap Up Time Folks!

2010-09-02T11:16:00.000-04:00

If you don’t know what Downtown Dining is...then it’s sadly time for you to leave the rock that you’ve been living under. Sunshine and a fabulous summer event await you.

Every year Creative Burlington, along with a group of generous and talented restaurateurs present Downtown Dining: Burlington’s only walking restaurant tour. Guests stroll the beautiful streets of Burlington, stopping at five different establishments: enjoying a sampling of fine cuisine and alcoholic drinks at each. Musical members of Creative Burlington from all different genres entertain the crowds adding to the delightful atmosphere that has been perfected over the years.

This year was touted as one of our best years’ ever, with guests and partners alike praising the virtue of our organizational skills. It also helped that I had wisely sacrificed several Twinkies the morning of the event to the rain gods, making sure that while the rain did come, it appeared after everyone was safely at their final restaurant. Never under estimate the power of a good Twinkie sacrifice.

We also had a record number of ticket purchasers who became new members. While I’m not going to twist anyone’s arm, not hard anyway, everyone should do it. It saves you 15% on every ticket, you get all the great member benefits including your very own subscription to Artworks magazine and you make the staff happy. Staff meetings are always much more fun when we can do the “New Member” dance.

Of course there were problems to contend with this year too. Our website server going down the day that ticket sales launched and the resulting headache from me banging my head against a brick wall of customer support. But it wasn’t anything that few Advil and several creatively worded emails couldn’t fix.

On to the thank yous.

Creative Burlington would like to thank all of our restaurant partners, for their generosity, support and investment in the arts. We couldn’t do it without them, and we love each and every one of them for all that they do for us. Here's the official list: Big Tomato, The Dicken's, Di Mario's Trattoria, Downtown Bistro & Grill, Emma's Back Porch/ Water Street Cooker, La Costa Nuova, Latitude,The Martini House, My Thai by the Lake, Paradiso, Pepperwood, Queen's Head, Red Canoe Bistro, Rude Native Bistro, SB Prime Steakhouse.

Next on the thank you list are the companies who brought music to the people by sponsoring Downtown Dining’s entertainers. Bringing an art form to the community is a unique and fulfilling experience, thank you for giving our musicians that opportunity.

A final big thanks to the staff, volunteers and tour guides. I’m happy to report that Downtown Dining raised $25,000! That money is invested in our efforts to support the arts through education and promotion. Speaking of which - watch out for details on our celebration of the arts: Creative Burlington’s first annual Arts Recognition Awards. More on that later though.

For now, make sure you save the date for next year’s event: July 10th, 2011. It’s Downtown Dining’s 10th anniversary and we couldn’t be prouder.

Celebrate Broadway - A fundraiser for Performing Arts Burlington & The Burlington Concert Band

2009-09-22T10:19:00.000-04:00

Downtown Streetfest: We're taking it to the Streets!

2009-04-23T11:08:00.000-04:00

A Blast from the Past

When I came back to Burlington after living in the U.S., for many years, I was shocked by the changes…the Pig and Whistle was now a (gasp) retirement condo… most of Shell Park was now a subdivision and there were houses north of Highway 5!

But that wasn’t all; the Sound of Music Festival had changed as well, morphing into a huge event, with musical acts from around the world. For those of us that remember, originally Sound of Music was a showcase for local musical performers in a casual outdoor setting…today it is one of Canada’s largest outdoor music festivals.

Away from the hubbub of the main stage you can stroll down Brant Street and on Saturday, Pearl Street too, enjoying music from local PAB performers in a wide range of genre’s. Whether your musical taste runs to Jazz, Dixieland, Latin or World you’ll find it on Brant Street. Venture over to Pearl Street on Saturday for acoustic, folk, rock from great artists who may live right around the corner from you. Sit at one of the outdoor patios, enjoy a cold beverage and listen to the great music of our great town.

Downtown Dining - July 12th 2009

2009-04-10T11:14:00.000-04:00

Burlington Downtown Dining 2009 – a tasty tour showcasing the delights of downtown restaurants – takes place on Sunday July 12th, 2009.

At this unique fundraising event, guests start their day off at Burlington's Civic Square, gathering together to kick off the event until they break off into groups and start their restaurant tour. Each guest visits 5 different downtown restaurants with a sampling of food and an alcoholic beverage at each accompanied by a performance from a local musician.

Money raised at this event will be donated to Performing Arts Burlington (PAB), a not-for-profit organization created to promote, support and advocate for the local arts community. Proceeds will be used to support PAB’s arts development program, a series of workshops and seminars aimed at helping local performers and arts groups expand their resources and skills.

This year’s tickets will go on sale May 15th 2009 at www.downtowndining.ca or by calling 905-631-6666. To receive email updates on the event, send an email to: updates@downtowndining.ca.

French Quarter Festival Burlington - Tickets 10% off!

2008-10-09T13:21:00.000-04:00

A Musical & Culinary Adventure
benefiting Performing Arts Burlington

Enjoy Great Live Music:
The 905 Band, Annie Marleau, Killin' Time Band,
The Kori Pop Trio, The KooGle Theatre Company, Michael Maguire,
Margo Jamieson, Subourbon Street, The Topher J Duo.

Relish Gourmet Food:
Marche' style food stations provided by Pepperwood

Try Your Luck & Open Your Wallet:
Door prizes, Raffle, Silent & Live Auctions

With French Quarter Festival the freedom is yours: choose your musical entertainment, your dining pleasure and even your seating arrangements. It's all up to you!

Join us for a unique event to support the arts community.
Friday, January 30th, 2009: 6:00pm to 11:00pm
Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains West, Burlington
~~$150 per person~~ $135 per person, 10% off until Oct. 15th! (bar included in ticket price)

To Order:

Online Ordering and Printed Order Form available at: www.performingartsburlington.com
Phone: 905-631-6666
Fax: 905-631-1307

Performers Announced For Downtown Dining

2008-07-03T10:21:00.000-04:00

Downtown Dining, an annual walking restaurant tour taking place in Burlington, Ontario including a sampling of food and alcoholic beverage has just gotten better than ever. Performing Arts Burlington has set-up performers in several of the restaurants to entertain guests as they visit each restaurant venue. Downtown Dining guests will be entertained by:

Annie Marleau - Unique indie pop material with a strong adult contemporary influence

Aalia Kesari - Singer/Song writer with distinction

Michael Maguire - Quintessential Entertainer: Sings & plays feel good music from his heart

Chris James - Original music, blues based but heavily routed in rhythm

Gerry Tymstra - Easy listening instrumental with a contempory flavor

Margo Jamieson - Relaxed jazz piano stylings with a timeless quality that captures listeners

Killin' Time Band - Blending of pop rock, blues, country, funk & Reggae to create a full roots rock experience

Tickets are still available for the event by calling 905 631-6666 or by visiting downtowndining.ca

Downtown Dining Tour 4 Is Here!

2008-06-15T10:02:00.000-04:00

Downtown Dining, a walking tour of Downtown Burlington's finest restaurant venues, has gained the long awaited Tour 4.

Participating Restaurants:

Tickets are available by calling 905-631-6666 or by visiting http://www.downtowndining.ca/. Remember: if you're buying 4 or more tickets, a membership with Performing Arts Burlington saves you money!

Burlington Downtown Dining 2008!

2008-05-21T12:12:00.000-04:00

Downtown Dining is a annual walking tour of Burlington's finest Downtown restaurants in support of Performing Arts Burlington.

“Downtown Dining 2008 is an opportunity to spend a wonderful afternoon sampling fantastic cuisine provided by some of the best restaurants in Burlington while enjoying the performances of local musicians. This year we have introduced membership pricing, giving our members more value for their buck.” said Deb Tymstra, PAB President.

The afternoon event is divided into three different tours, each featuring five restaurants.

Tour 1

Olivé Ristorante di Rocco
Siam Dish
Di Mario's Trattoria Ristorante
Ivanka’s Downtown Bistro
The Queen’s Head

Tour 2

Kaareli’s Restaurant and Wine Bar
Pepperwood Bistro
Paradiso
2020 Lakeside Ristorante & Bar
The Rude Native Bistro & Lounge

Tour 3

The Martini House Bistro
My - Thai Restaurant
La Costa Nuova
The Landmark Steakhouse
Emma’s Back Porch / Water St. Cooker

The restaurant tours begin at 11.15 a.m. on Sunday, July 13, and run through 3.00 p.m.

Tickets to Tour 1, 2 & 3 are already sold out! But not to worry, Tour 4 is coming soon. Click here to get your name on our Tour 4 waiting list or by calling the Performing Arts Burlington office at 905-631-6666.

StreetFest is just around the corner!

2008-04-21T12:02:00.000-04:00

During the Sound of Music Festival, Performing Arts Burlington and Burlington Downtown have entered into an exciting partnership to provide entertainment at Brant & Pine Street. Beginning at 7:30pm on Friday June 13th, our performance pod will be featuring 12 different groups over the entire week-end. Festival goers will be entertained by a variety of genres of music including jazz & latin.

Schedule & Performers for Brant and Pine Streetside Pod:

Friday June 13th

7:30-8:15 & 8:45-9:30 Margo Jamieson Trio
10:00-10:45 Kori Pop Trio

Saturday June 14th

1:45-2:30 Halton Chinese Canadian Band
3:00-3:45 & 4:15-5:00 Mexico Amigo Mariachi Band
7:30-8:15 Kori Pop Trio
8:45-9:30 & 10:00-10:45 Jorge Lasso Latin Jazz Trio

Sunday June 15th

1:45-2:30 The Entertainers
3:00-3:45 & 4:15-5:00 Subourbon Street

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre is Coming!

2008-02-20T12:44:00.000-05:00

Thank you to all of you, for your names and letters in support of the future Performing Arts Centre in Burlington. PAB received over 776 names and letter of support, which were presented to committee last night. After a very long evening, the Community and Corporate Services Committee of council voted in favour of moving to the detailed design phase of the project. This was the vote we were hoping for. The Burlington Performing Arts Centre is a REALITY! Over 100 people filled the council chambers and seven delegations made their presentations. As was said many times last night this was a momentus occasion. Congratulations to all of you and thank you for speaking up.

If you would like more information about the Burlington Performing Arts Centre, it's available on the City of Burlington website as well as Performing Arts Burlington's website.

-- Deb Tymstra President, Performing Arts Burlington

Urgent - The Burlington Performing Arts Centre Needs Your Help!

2008-02-11T16:06:00.000-05:00

Performing Arts Burlington is looking for its members and friends to show support for the performing arts centre. Please read the letter below and if you agree and would like to show your support publicly, please email info@performingartsburlington.com indicating your name, and the names of any others who would like to be included in your reply. We will be attempting to have this letter published in the Burlington Post on Friday, February 15th, and will be presenting it to the Community and Corporate Services Committee of Burlington City Council on Tuesday, February 19th, at 7:00pm. Please also plan to attend that meeting, held in the council chambers of city hall. This is vitally important to the future of the Performing Arts Centre.

Looking forward to your reply,
Deb Tymstra President, Performing Arts Burlington

Letter of Support NEEDED
A Performing Arts Centre for the Citizens of Burlington

For thirty years those who enjoy theatre, dance and music have shared a vision for a centre for the performing arts in Burlington - a centre to appreciate, participate in and enjoy the creative talent of, musicians, dancers and actors of all ages, who proudly call Burlington home - a centre that will attract entertainers from other cities and countries. Why travel to Oakville, Hamilton, Toronto, Mississauga and beyond when we can be entertained here? Why spend our hard earned money in other communities when we can spend it at home?

The arts are not a "frill". They are an enormous part of our economy and how we enjoy life. A performing arts centre is the missing link in the facilities that significantly contribute to our quality of life, our economy and our sense of community. It is a community need, as important as recreational facilities, parks, libraries, museums and art galleries. The time has come to make this vision a reality.

We support the performing arts centre, as performers, as people who will be entertained and most importantly as people who live and work proudly in Burlington, north, south east and west.

Signed,

YOU! Email us at info@performingartsburlington.com to get your name added in support of the Performing Arts Centre!

French Quarter Festival

2007-12-03T14:06:00.000-05:00

BURLINGTON, Ont. – An exciting array of musical talent presented on three stages will highlight French Quarter Festival, a benefit for Performing Arts Burlington (PAB), taking place on Friday, January 25, 2008, at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

The scheduled entertainment includes eight musical performances ranging from jazz and pop to classical and country, ensuring that the signature event will be one of the highlights of the year in Burlington. The musicians include:

Margo Jamieson
The Full Circle Band
Subourbon Street
Annie Marleau
The 905 Band
Maria D’Amelio
Porkbelly Futures
Symphony Hamilton

Click here or the image below to take a look at our French Quarter Festival brochure.

French Quarter Festival is PAB’s premier fundraising event that has grown increasingly in popularity while benefiting the community.

When: Friday, January 25, 2008 - Entertainment 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Dinner 7:30 p.m.

Where: Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road West

Tickets are $150 per person and include dinner (Live cooking stations by Pepperwood), open bar, live entertainment on three stages, and live & silent auctions. A portion of the ticket price will be eligible for an income tax receipt. Tickets can be acquired by calling 905-631-6666 or on our online order form.

Performing Arts Burlington (PAB) provides innovative and quality arts programming; promotes theatre, music and dance performances and classes; and acts as a resource to the City of Burlington for the continuing development of its performing arts centre.

For more information, contact:

Performing Arts Burlington
Tel: 905-631-6666
Email: pab@cogeco.net
http://www.performingartsburlington.com/

Paid Evening Parking in Downtown Burlington Are you aware?

2007-10-05T14:54:00.000-04:00

In April of 2007, City Council was presented with and approved a Draft Financial Strategy for Parking in Downtown Burlington. At the April 17th meeting of the Community and Corporate Services Committee of Council, delegations spoke to one strategy involving the introduction of paid parking in the Downtown area from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Pam Eddenden, Executive Director of Performing Arts Burlington, spoke against extending the hours of paid parking into the evening and in support of the continuation of free-to-user evening parking in the downtown. Performing Arts Burlington has many member performing arts organizations that will rent the future Performing Arts Centre, located at 440 Locust Street, and downtown business members are impacted by this proposed change in paid parking.

A copy of this PAB presentation can be read on our website.

Content highlights are as follows:

Community renters of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre will need to build audiences and paid parking will further challenge this growth.

Current audiences of theatre, music and dance performances are not paying for parking at venues throughout the city.

The Burlington downtown core is not yet economically strong enough to compete with neighbouring Oakville that has all surface lots and meters free-to-users as of 5 pm.

The perspectives presented in April indicated that paid evening parking appeared to be a new initiative that had not been fully discussed directly within the local stakeholders. As a result, Council authorized a meeting with Downtown Stakeholders on August 8, which Pam participated in on behalf of the organization. On September 18th, 2007 Committee and Council will once again be deliberating on this issue. To advocate on behalf of the PAB membership effectively it is critical that we receive your comments on the important topic.

What are your thoughts?

PAB would like to hear from you! Please post a comment on our blog or email us.

A Luminous Affair brought to you by new PAB member, Eclipse Events

2007-09-04T00:48:00.000-04:00

A Luminous Affair—Shining Shoes to Make a Difference!

Come and cheer on your local schools as they shine shoes for charity! On Thursday September 13th, McMaster and Mohawk students, as well as local politicians, will be shining shoes at a gala dinner to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis.

A Luminous Affair will cap off Cystic Fibrosis’ Shinerama campaign, a fundraising drive which occurs across Ontario university and colleges every September. “This year is even more special as the Cystic Fibrosis’ Hamilton chapter has added this new event to attract even more attention,” says Shaun Wilson, one of the organizers of the event.

The event starts at 6pm, with dinner being served at 7pm. As well as having a shoe shining competition, there will also be a silent auction with items being donated from Bell Mobility to local artists, from Blockbuster to local restaurants. The night’s entertainment will feature local artist Gerry Tymstra. Tickets are $50 and all money raised will go to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Hamilton Chapter.

For further information please contact Christine Douglas at (905)483-5245.

Federal Goverment Pledges $2.5 million to Burlington's Performing Arts Centre

2007-07-23T15:21:00.000-04:00

In a press conference held Friday afternoon at 2:30pm, Federal Minister of Canadian Hertitage and the Status of Women Beverley Oda announced that the Burlington Performing Arts Centre would received $2.5 million dollars in federal funding.

This falls a little short of the $4 million the City of Burlington was hoping to receive. However, Mayor Cam Jackson and MP Mike Wallace are still optimstic about future funding from the provincial government as well as local supporters.

The Performing Arts Centre is designed for shows presented by local arts groups, as well as performers from across Canada and around the world. The Centre is located in the heart of Burlington’s downtown at the corner of Locust and Elgin, just behind City Hall, and a stone’s throw from Spencer Smith Park on the lake.

Conceptual design for the building has been completed and City Staff are in the process of selecting a detailed design architect, who will base the final building plans on the existing concepts. The building will contain two theatres: the Main Stage Theatre, with its full fly tower, is expected to have about 718 seats, and the multi-purpose Studio Theatre will seat about 250 on fully-retractable seats. With these two options, there are endless possibilities for the kinds of performances we will be able to see at this theatre.

The Campaign for the Burlington Performing Arts Centre, co-chaired by Keith Strong and Gary DeGroote, has seen great success to date. The Fundraising Cabinet is fast approaching the $10 million mark, with well over $9 million in funding already collected.

For more information, and to donate to the Campaign for the Burlington Performing Arts Centre, please contact Sandra Baker, City of Burlington, at 905-335-7600, extension 7484, or by e-mail at bakers@burlington.ca

Burlington Downtown Dining

2007-07-18T15:33:00.000-04:00

Burlington Downtown Dining 2007 – a tasty tour showcasing the delights of 19 downtown restaurants – took place on Sunday July 8th, 2007.

For the first time ever Downtown Dining was comprised of four tours, each consisting of five participating restaurants, with Tours 1-3 selling out in a record breaking 48 hours. The tours ran from 11:15 a.m. to 3:00 pm, with twenty groups of 32 guests spending the afternoon strolling the streets of Burlington’s downtown and indulging in food, wine and beer provided by 2020 Lakeside, 5050 Tandoor and Grill, Di Mario's Trattoria, Emma's Back Porch / The Water Street Cooker, Ivanka's Downtown Bistro, Kaareli's Restaurant and Wine Bar, La Costa Nuova, Le Chef Complet, My-Thai By The Lake, Paradiso Restaurant, Pepperwood Bistro, Siam Dish, Sonzi, The Grinning Gourmand, The Landmark Steakhouse, The Martini House, The Poacher, The Queen's Head and The Sugar Bar.

The $27,000 raised was donated to Performing Arts Burlington (PAB), a not-for-profit organization created to promote and develop local performing arts. Proceeds will be used to support PAB’s arts development program, a series of workshops and seminars aimed at helping local performers and performing groups expand their resources and skills.

Next year’s tickets will go on sale May 5th 2008 at http://www.performingartsburlington.com/ or by calling 905-631-6666.