Aaron Pritchett, Tara Oram, Wintersleep and Stereos to headline Reunion 2010

Reunion 2010 is the fourth of five summer festivals hosted by Saint John 225 in celebration of the City of Saint John's 225th anniversary as Canada's Original City. The music festival features performances from a variety of genres including jazz, singer/songwriters, pop/rock, country and classical.

Country stars Aaron Pritchett and Tara Oram, pop idols Stereos and indie favourite Wintersleep will headline Reunion 2010, Saint John 225's four-day music festival happening August 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th on the city's historic waterfront.
They will share the stage with over 25 Saint John performers including songwriter Jessica Rhaye, Acadian rockers Tradition, jazz stylist Debbie Adshade and cellist Benjamin Marmen.

Tickets for each of these stages are $15 or any 2 for $25 and available through the Imperial Theatre box office and online at www.imperialtheatre.nb.ca.
Saint John's historic Fort LaTour and popular Harbour Passage will play host to the special 'Harbour Rocks!' Festival Stage on Friday August 6th and Saturday August 7th.

The Passage will reopen between Long Wharf and Fort LaTour for these concerts, which include a special anniversary fireworks show on Saturday night.
Reunion 2010 opens on Thursday August 5th with an intimate double bill.
The Saint John Theatre Company Rehearsal Hall will be transformed into a jazz club for 'Jazz on Princess' while the Saint John Arts Centre will become a coffee house for 'Songwriters on Hazen'.

The festival concludes on Sunday August 8th at the Imperial Theatre with 'Classical Saint John'.

The Alpine Stage at Market Square will play host to free music throughout the weekend, including the CTV Children's Stage on Saturday afternoon, the Country 94 Country Idol Reunion concert Sunday afternoon and the Alpine After Party on Friday and Saturday nights, beginning at 11 p.m.

Also included during the Reunion 2010 festival weekend is On the Edge, a celebration of the city's original performers, and a partnership with the 16th annual Tim Hortons Marathon by the Sea that will see Saint John 225 provide music along the marathon route as it winds through the city, ending at the Lily Lake Pavilion in Rockwood Park.

Thursday August 5th, 2010
Doors open at 7 p.m.; Shows starts at 7:30 p.m.

Jazz on Princess
Saint John Theatre Company Rehearsal Hall
$15 or any 2 for $25
Jake Langley Trio
Sylvio Pupo Quartet
Debbie Adshade/Kindred Brothers

Songwriters on Hazen
Saint John Arts Centre
$15 or any 2 for $25
Ken Tobias
Chris Fudge
Babette Haward
Grant Heckman
Wes Jagoe
Jen Jewett
Brent Mason

Friday August 6th, 2010
Harbour Rocks!
Fort LaTour
Gate opens at 3:30 p.m.; Show starts at 4:30 p.m.
$15 or any 2 for $25
Wintersleep
Stereos
Radio Radio
Rich Aucoin
December Fall Out

Alpine Late Night
Market Square Boardwalk
11:30 p.m.
FREE
Wooden Wives
Girls Would Kill

Saturday August 7th, 2010
Harbour Rocks Country!
Fort LaTour
Gates open at 3:30 p.m.; Show starts at 4:30 p.m.
$15 or any 2 for $25
Aaron Pritchett
Tara Oram
Tradition
Jessica Rhaye
Clinton Charlton and the Formers
Kevin Chase
Phil Kennedy

Alpine Late Night
Market Square Boardwalk
11:30 p.m.
FREE
Shanklin Road
Mike Biggar Band
Minoli & the Sacred Hearts

Sunday August 8th, 2010
Classical Saint John
Imperial Theatre
7:30 p.m.
$15 or any 2 for $25
Richard Kidd
New Brunswick Competitive Festival of Music stars
Kelly An
Ben Marmen
Owen McCausland

Diva on a Dime

I am posting things to do on the cheap. When you haven't work a whole lot and you need to watch what you spend, this will be a good reference point as to what you can and cannot spend. Here are some ideas:

Saint John City Market- Oldest continuing farmers market in Canada

Self guided walking tours- brochure takes you on a tour around the historical points of Saint John

Loyalist House- Museum

New Brunswick Museum- Provincial Museum

King’s Square & Loyalist Burial Grounds- Park

Saint John Boardwalk- Restaurants, entertainment

Market Square & Brunswick Square- shopping

Rockwood Park- largest municipal park in Canada (hiking, biking, kayaking, canoeing, geo-caching)

Reversing Falls- natural phenomenon

Reversing Falls Jet Boat ride, tour & Zip Line

Irving Nature Park- Large nature sanctuary (15 minutes from port)

Carleton Martello Tower- Historical site (15-20 min from port)

Forte Howe- Historical site (10 min from port)

Historical Jewish Museum- Museum

On a Night like Tonight

Today I think I would like to talk about they city at night because I think it's quite worthy of mention. Saint John is such a historic city. When the night falls it's history sheds anew with flashy restaurants and cool bars. If there is nothing going on at the boardwalk stage then a good idea would be chcek out the many establishments along the boardwalk.

My personal favorite is Grannans on Friday night. The place is packed with a maritime vibe that is so unique to this city. Afterwards I usually check out the Alehouse and then head over to Cougars and Boilerworks then finish up at Pepper Pub. I go from patio to patio in hopes of hearing my favorite song. I usually always do.

If it's not a bumpin' boardwalk night then I usually hit up Taco Pica for some salsa dancing or grab some food and drinks at one of the many bars on Prince William, Water, and King Street. All are filled with many to choose from.

When in town, be sure to get in some nightlife. From live music, concerts, theatre, and some great food in drink, you are sure to have a good time

-Saint John Suzy

Saint John Buskers Festival

This festival runs from July 22 to Jul 25. I can remember my grandparents taking me to see the shows when I was just a little girl. There were men breathing fire and women contorting their bodies in different ways.

The Saint John Buskers Festival includes an variety of street buskers, singing, dancing and participating in other forms of performing arts. Busking events are held in various locations around the city of Saint John and also include amusement rides, games, children's activities and much more.

This year the event will be held at Market Square Boardwalk and if it rains will be moved into the atrium.

I would encourage everyone to come out to these amazing events. They are virtually free, although these buskers’s livelihood depends on the tips they receive from their performances.

Rockwood Park Stables

I’m not one for horses. When I was a kid my mother put me in an Equestrian club. She bought me the special riding chaps, velvet helmet, riding boots and the awkward jacket to match it all. I looked like I’d been doing the sport for years because she had spent a fortune on my outer appearance. I can only imagine how bad she felt when I told her I was quitting two weeks later because the smell of the barn was gross. I was a bit of a fussy child.

Now that we’ve taken a walk down memory lane, I’d like to have a quick chat about the Rockwood Park Stables. Now I’ve posted about Rockwood Park before but I never really went into the detail about the stables. At a recent event held at the park, I was able to snap some photos of the horses that are kept there. They truly are beautiful and if you are an animal lover, coming to visit these horses is a must. These are the same horses used in the trolley tours sometimes seen around town.

Another thing I like about this Suzy spot is that there is a small petting zoo. I love petting zoos. I think it’s because I’m a fan of goats and there were at least two Billy goats I got to feed. This is a great spot for the kids and for any horse lover. Hey I even loved it!

This is another Saint John Suzy- Over and out!

Rockwood Park

Here are a few pictures I took of Rockwood Park while at culture fest. Rockwood Park is an amazing park. It is actually the largest municipal park in all of Canada. With a fantastic trail system and a waterway to swim, kayak and simply have fun.. you cannot go wrong with visiting this park.

Culture Fest 2010

My Day At CultureFest 2010 was more than an intiguing experience. The folks at Saint John 225 really had their heads in the game with this event. I was very surprised to see the cultural diversity which I never knew existed in Saint John. Faces of all different origins came together to make this event a success. The one thing that really stuck with me during my time at the event was that we were all together celebrating this amazing day and we did it in peace.

a picture of dancer preforming a rare native dance.
a picture of ole Suzy Q, trying out some ethnic foods. Yummm....