Earnscliffe — the very home that once belonged to Sir John A. Macdonald — was the party hot spot for celebrating Canada’s first prime minister on the eve of his 200th birthday.

British High Commissioner Howard Drake and his wife, Gill, opened their official residence Saturday night to host a very well-attended reception for members of the Rideau Club. The private club was co-founded 150 years ago by Macdonald and one of his fellow Fathers of Confederation, Sir George-Étienne Cartier.

The evening included whisky tasting, bagpipe music and a special appearance by Sir John and Lady Agnes (if the former PM seemed particularly sober it was because he was being played by a teetotalling Peter Cameron).

From left, Peter Cameron as Sir John A Macdonald with hosts Gill Drake and British High Commissioner Howard Drake, and Lynn Bernard as Lady Agnes at a reception for Rideau Club members, held Saturday, January 10, 2015.

After welcoming guests, Drake led everyone in a toast to the friendship between Scotland, Britain and Canada.

The historic Victorian manor, built by a Scotsman, is located on Sussex Drive and overlooks the Ottawa River. It was home to the Glasgow-born Macdonald from 1883 until his death in 1891. The property has been owned by the British government since 1930.

The interest Canadians have in Earnscliffe, said Drake, was evidenced after 1,800 people toured through the home in just six hours during last year’s Doors Open Ottawa, a free event that provides public access to buildings of architectural and historical significance.

“Nothing went missing,” quipped the diplomat. “But, no, it really was just a reminder to Gill and me and, indeed, all of us in the British high commission what this place means to Canadians. So, we do try and make the place as accessible as we can.”

To show their appreciation, the Rideau Club presented the Drakes with some gifts, including some club “brollies” for the couple’s return visits to rainy London.

Sarah Jennings with Norman Sabourin, board president of the Rideau Club, at a reception held at Earnscliffe on Saturday, January 10, 2015.

“The high commissioner has been extremely generous in opening up Earnscliffe,” Rideau Club board president Norman Sabourin told Around Town. “I know some have said perhaps this piece of Canadian history should come back to Canada but I have to say, the British government has been so gracious as caretakers of this wonderful property, always opening their doors to Canadians for many significant occasions. What more could you ask for from a government with whom we have close ties.”

Spotted in the crowd was Carleton University president Roseann O’Reilly Runte, along with Garry Keller, chief of staff to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, and arts journalist and author Sarah Jennings. She’s just donated her large collection of more than 100 National Arts Centre interviews to Library and Archives Canada.

Garry Keller, chief of staff to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, with Carleton University president Roseann O’Reilly Runte and Keller’s wife, lawyer Anna Keller, at a reception held at Earnscliffe on Saturday, January 10, 2015.

Ambassador Bruce Heyman and his wife, Vicki, from the US Embassy dropped in. Also seen was Neville Nankivell, former editor of the Financial Post. He edited the Rideau Club’s new 150th anniversary book, Savoir Faire, Savoir Vivre.

From left, Shannon Day-Newman, Kathleen Day, Harvey Slack and Beatrice Keleher-Raffoul at the reception.

Robert Buchan and Meriel Bradford, both past presidents of the Rideau Club, with their drams of whisky.

From left, Rideau Club members Serge Belet, Meagan Brettle and Spartacus Penev at a reception hosted at Earnscliffe.

Lawyer Allan (Al) O’Brien and his wife, Gail, at the reception.

From left, CBC News senior correspondent Terry Milewski with lawyer Jacques Shore and his wife, Dr. Donna Shore, at a reception held at Earnscliffe on Saturday, January 10, 2015.

From left, Jeff Nankivell, Director General for Development in Asia (Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada) with his father, Neville Nankivell, former publisher and editor of the Financial Post, at the reception.

Gill Drake and her husband, British High Commissioner Howard Drake, were presented gifts from Rideau Club board president Norman Sabourin.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

It’s been a labour of love for Don Monet but the Ottawa artist and curator says he has no regrets over his decision to quit “a perfectly good” government job with Health Canada a decade ago in order to open an art gallery showcasing the works of local artists.

To give credit where credit is overdue: Monet could not have made his career change without the support of his spouse and business partner, journalist Becky Rynor.

This year marks the 10th anniversary for Cube Gallery. It first opened on Hamilton Street North, near the Parkdale Market, before moving several years ago to its current location, in a 1285 Wellington St. W. building bought by Monet and Rynor. Over the course of its history, the gallery has mounted 150 shows, plus hosted a bunch of music and theatre events.

On Sunday, the gallery held a special anniversary vernissage for a month-long group show featuring more than 20 artists, including Rosalie Favell, Norman Takeuchi and Russell Yuristy.

Among those to drop into the afternoon show when I was there were Canadian author Frances Itani, well-known painter Jerry Grey and Saw Video director Penny McCann with her artist husband, Eric Walker, who’s part of the show.
“Congratulations Don for keeping the business alive for 10 years,” Walker told Monet upon his arrival. “You’re a genius.”

“It’s called juggling,” Monet replied.

Ottawa’s visual arts scene, said Monet, is “a hidden gem” in the Canadian art world. “There are so many great artists here, and there are so many great galleries here,” he told Around Town. “Ottawa is doing so well, and I’ve seen it grow so much in the past 10 years.”

Running an art gallery is hard work, though. “It’s not a money-making thing; it’s more about ‘Can you stay open’,” said Monet. “You’ve got to be a little nuts to do it, but in a good way.

“I just have so much respect for my colleagues who are doing the same thing out there … because it is always endless, always a labour of love.”

Before galleries like Cube came along, there weren’t many options for artists wanting to show their work, particularly in the Hintonburg and Wellington West parts of town, said Chelsea-based artist Reid McLachlan. His work is part of the group exhibit and, as an artist who’s been showing at Cube since the start, he’s seen the gallery mature. “Don looks so much older,” he said with a snorty laugh.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Being a concert pianist has got to be one of the most exhausting of careers, yet Angela Hewitt continued to shine long after her brilliant performance in front of a full-house audience at Dominion-Chalmers United Church on Wednesday.

The 56-year-old native of Ottawa was seen signing autographs and connecting with fans after the show. For some, like 18-year-old Kavita Srivastava, it was their first time getting to see the preeminent pianist play (she’d only ever watched Hewitt on YouTube before). “It was really nice to see her live,” said Srivastava, who had a front-row seat with her father, Vineet Srivastava.

Hewitt also mingled with invited guests of a late-night reception hosted by the Ottawa Chamber Music Society (OCMS). It organized the evening, Angela Hewitt in Recital, as part of its Chamberfest winter concert series.

“It’s important to me to meet the people,” Hewitt told Around Town at the party. “I enjoy it; it brings you down to earth.”

On hand was Roman Borys, artistic director of Chamberfest, along with the OCMS’s new executive director, Maxim Antoshin, and the head of its board of directors, lawyer Ted Mann, who thanked Hewitt for her “absolutely spectacular” performance, made possible through the financial support of prominent Ottawa figure Thomas d’Aquino and his wife, Susan Peterson d’Aquino.

Guests included well-known developer Bill Teron and his wife, Jean Teron, and Marina Kun, whose Ottawa-based company makes shoulder rests for violin and viola players. Gifted violinist Kerson Leong, 17, was there with his parents, Tu Mach and Kin-Wai Leong. He’s performing this May as a guest artist at Hewitt’s 10th Anniversary Concert at Wigmore Hall in London, UK for her Trasimeno Music Festival.

Related

• Angela Hewitt draws packed house on chilly night

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Another sold-out crowd came together Thursday night to sample the best the Glebe neighbourhood has to offer at the perennially popular Taste in the Glebe fundraiser for the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group.

Dozens of participating restaurants and food shops from this upscale ‘hood served an array of deliciousness to 400 attendees, turning the event into a giant grub crawl, all under one roof at the Glebe Community Centre.

From left, Mike Portigal at the Taste in the Glebe fundraiser on Thursday, January 22, 2015, with Adrian Vezina owner of the new Belmont eatery in nearby Old Ottawa South.

From left, Paul Donahoe and Vinoth Punniyaratnam from the new Local Public Eatery Lansdowne with Clare Rogers from GNAG and Louis Saitowitz, also from Local, at the Taste in the Glebe fundraiser for GNAG held at the Glebe Community Centre on Thursday, January 22, 2015.

Miriam Fernanda Rangel, owner of CafÈ Morala, with loyal customer Kevin Reeves, director of Seventeen Voyces and chorus master of the Ottawa Choral Society, at the Taste in the Glebe fundraiser held Thursday, January 22, 2015.

The benefit has evolved over the years from a brief night of eating, drinking and then splitting (pant seams and all) to an occasion fit for the finest of foodies. It also brings out the best in camaraderie and cooperation from Glebe’s culinary community.

“It’s like a big group hug here,” long-time event chair, Tahera Mufti, told Around Town in a crowded Scotton Hall.

Chef Paul Vanderpool Jr. from The Urban Pear serves attendees at the 17th annual Taste in the Glebe fundraiser held Thursday, January 22, 2015, at the Glebe Community Centre.

From left, Erling’s Variety owner Liam Vainola with Paul O’Donnell, director of recreation for the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group, at its annual Taste in the Glebe fundraiser held Thursday, January 22, 2015, at the Glebe Community Centre.

From left, GNAG executive director Mary Tsai-Davies with Bloomfields florist Virginia Vince and event chair Tahera Mufti at the Taste in the Glebe fundraiser for the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group held on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at the Glebe Community Centre.

Added competition from new eateries at Lansdowne isn’t gobbling up business in the Glebe, according to Mufti. “This neighbourhood and these chefs and the restaurant industry hold their own,” she said. “We’ve got enough room for everyone.”

New to the scene at the 17th annual Taste in the Glebe were Nick Caravatta and his wife, Sarina, who recently took over the ownership of The Urban Pear restaurant. Fresh faces also included the new Local pub at Lansdowne, the new Belmont joint (formerly Carmen’s Veranda) in nearby Old Ottawa South and Erling’s Variety, owned by Liam Vainola. The new restaurant has been “blessed” by the amount of support it’s getting from Glebe customers, said Vainola. “They’ve got our backs, for sure.”
On the boozy side of things, Ottawa’s new craft distillery, North of 7, was serving samples of its spirits, alongside the participating wineries and brewers.

Mayor Jim Watson is flanked by Jim Foster from Pelican Fishery and Grill and Diane McIntyre, both of whom are former heads of the Glebe Community Association, at the Taste in the Glebe fundraiser held on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at the Glebe Community Centre.

Mayor Jim Watson was among the loyal attendees, as was popular artist Philip Craig. He donned an apron to help out well-established Glebe restaurateur Caren von Merveldt. Also sighted were such Glebites as George Weber, CEO of the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Globe and Mail national affairs columnist Jeffrey Simpson and such former Glebe residents as Graham Macmillan, board chair of the Ottawa Senators Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.

The roughly $22,000 raised goes to GNAG’s community development fund to provide financial assistance to families unable to afford GNAG programs, to help cover community outreach expenses, like maintaining the outdoor hockey rink, and to assist with building maintenance costs.

The 17th annual Taste in the Glebe fundraiser held Thursday, January 22, 2015, attracted a sold-out crowd of 400 to the Glebe Community Centre.

From left, former Glebites Graham Macmillan and Katie Macmillan with Glebe resident and journalist Jeffrey Simpson and his wife, Wendy Bryans, at the 17th annual Taste in the Glebe fundraiser held Thursday, January 22, 2015, at the Glebe Community Centre.

This year’s Taste in the Glebe fundraiser, held Thursday, January 22, 2015, attracted such new faces as Nick and Sarina Caravatta, new owners of The Urban Pear on Second Avenue.

From left, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre CEO George Weber with CBC journalist Julie Van Dusen and Dr. Lynne MacGregor with her husband, Dr. Robert Cushman, attended the Taste in the Glebe fundraiser held at the Glebe Community Centre on Thursday, January 22, 2015.

Well-known restaurateur Ion Aimers of ZaZaZa with staff Cara VanDerMark and Krista Mostert at the annual Taste in the Glebe fundraiser, held Thursday, January 22, 2015, at the Glebe Community Centre.

Glebites Monica Singhal and her husband Kevin Yemm, of Richcraft Group of Companies, attended the annual Taste in the Glebe fundraiser held Thursday, January 22, 2015, at the Glebe Community Centre.

Prominent artist Philip Craig helped serve with his good friend, restaurateur Caren von Merveldt of Von’s Bistro and Flippers Seafood Restaurant, at the annual Taste in the Glebe fundraiser held Thursday, January 22, 2015, at the Glebe Community Centre.

From left, John Lian with event volunteer Heather Moncur and Jody Miall from North of 7 craft distillery at the Taste in the Glebe food-and drink-tasting fundraiser, held Thursday, January 22, 2015, at the Glebe Community Centre.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

It was a night to don yer kilt for a haggis-toasting, bagpipe-playing, whisky-swilling Robbie Burns Supper for Roger’s House, held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club on Saturday.

Most of the sold-out crowd of 192 tarted up with tartan for the annual celebration of the life, works and spirit of the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns.

Radio personality Katfish Morgan from Live 88.5 was escorted into the dining room by the RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) Pipes and Drums band. So was the platter of haggis — a traditional Scottish dish of questionable ingredients — before being prominently displayed on a clothed table. Gordon Gray did the honours with his lively theatrical Address to a Haggis.

Gordon Gray addressed the haggis, as is tradition, at the Robbie Burns Supper for Roger’s House, held Saturday, January 24, 2015, at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

Live 88.5 presented the benefit with The Scottish and Irish Store, owned by Michael Cox. He wore the Sens tartan that he launched in 2008 in support of Roger’s House, through the Ottawa Senators Foundation.

Clare Hutchinson and Brendan Cox came dressed for The Robbie Burns Supper for Roger’s House held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club on Saturday, January 24, 2015.

The dinner, now in its 5th year, has accumulated more than $50,000 over the past four years for the pediatric respite and palliative care facility. Cox told Around Town that he’s been touched by some of the stories that Roger’s House families have shared with him about the centre, located on the grounds of CHEO.

The businessman has also been inspired by the commitment the Sens players have shown to the place, named after the team’s late assistant coach, Roger Neilson.

From Roger’s House was medical director Dr. Bill Splinter, along with former Roger’s House parents Ruth Hartanto and Thom Lyon. Hartanto is now the volunteer chair of their board.

There was also a performance from the Champagne School of Highland Dance, a live auction and, to cap everything off, the singing of Burns’ iconic Auld Lang Syne.

From left, organizer Michael Cox, owner of The Scottish and Irish Store, with Roger’s House board chair Ruth Hartanto and her husband, Thom Lyon, and its medical director, Dr. Bill Splinter, at The Robbie Burns Supper for Roger’s House, held Saturday, January 24, 2015, at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

Douglas Wallace, Mary-Claire Wallace and Sarah Wallace at the Robbie Burns Supper for Roger’s House held Saturday, January 24, 2015, at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

Matching pair Shannon Wheatley and Joseph Kelly attended The Robbie Burns Supper for Roger’s House held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club on Saturday, January 24, 2015.

André Dunkley and Shannon Demers were a stunning couple in green at the Robbie Burns Supper for Roger’s House.

The RCAF Pipes and Drums escorted the haggis into the dining room at the Robbie Burns Supper for Roger’s House held Saturday, January 24, 2015, at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

The RCAF Pipes and Drums escorted the haggis into the dining room.

Gordon Gray addressed the haggis, as is tradition, at the Robbie Burns Supper for Roger’s House.

Live 88.5 general manager Scott Broderick with his wife, Brandee, who bought herself a new all-plaid dress just for The Robbie Burns Supper for Roger’s House, held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club on Saturday, January 24, 2015.

Radio personality Katfish Morgan from Live 88.5 and Gordon Gray down a shot of whisky at the Robbie Burns Supper for Roger’s House, held Saturday, January 24, 2015, at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

It was the perfect Sunday afternoon to binge on beauty and bask in fashion as close to 200 women came together for Erica Wark‘s Revive Your Style cancer benefit.

The fourth annual event was the biggest and best yet. It raised $18,000, almost as much as its last three years combined. There were prizes galore to give away and shopping sprees, private spa parties and weekend getaways to sell off.

The fundraiser was organized by Wark, a style expert and rising star on Canada’s fashion scene. To boot, she’s so likeable; who doesn’t want to be her new BFF?

The proceeds go to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation’s one-day Bust a Move fitness fundraiser for breast health, happening March 28 at the Ottawa Athletic Club (OAC) on Lancaster Road.

Wark, who’s part of the Bust a Move leadership committee, created her fashion and beauty benefit to lift ladies out of any post-New Year freezing-cold funk.

“It’s all about confidence boosting, bringing up morale and inspiring women to step out of their comfort zones and try something new in body, mind and spirit,” Wark told Around Town. Revive Your Style takes place in just three hours, she added, “because I know how busy women are.”

Seen in action were: Fiorella Di Nardo and her team from Rinaldo hair salon dishing out tips and tricks, makeup artist Melody Iafelice leading a beauty seminar with Maybelline products, Minerva Spa helping everyone to feel so goood, and Wark’s fashion show of clothing that’s easy to wear and easy on the wallet.

Attendees included community-minded women Krista Kealey, chair of Bust a Move, and Melissa Shabinsky, who’s also on the leadership committee. Pro dancer and former TV host TL Rader was MC.

The crowd not only took home fabulous product-filled swag bags but a stirring story, told with such candour and ease by Ottawa mother, wife, businesswoman and cancer survivor Alison Hughes of AMH Style on Wellington Street West.

Hughes was only 37 with two kids under four when she learned she had Stage 3 Breast Cancer and would have to undergo chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. She began her difficult journey with steadfast resolve to carry on as though all was well but, over time, the chemo “kicked my ass” and she fell to an all-time low.

“Not only was I physically crushed, my spirit was broken, too,” she told the room. “I cried a lot. I wondered what I had done to deserve this.”

The support and unconditional love from her family, combined with the help of medical health professionals and her group therapy and one-on-one sessions, pulled her through. “I was a blotchy-faced, bald-headed, single-boobed mess. I was ready to accept help.”

Hughes talked about how she’s changed since the cancer, not only physically but also “on the inside” by being more open and receptive to others. “I’ve learned it’s okay to take care of myself because if I’m not healthy I can’t be there for the people who need me,” said Hughes. “I have re-prioritized and I have learned to minimize stress, although a little bit is still a really good way to get me to get things done.”

Hughes is back to a state of wellness. Her morning coffee tastes like coffee again. Her eyebrows and lashes have returned to her lovely face. She can walk up and down the stairs with ease once more. “I have a long life ahead of me,” she said. “I have kids to raise, businesses to run and many more adventures to be had.

“In the book of my life, breast cancer is just a chapter; it’s not my whole story.”

It’s a chapter that ended Sunday with a standing ovation of cheers.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Would you like a side helping of snow with your pheasant ballotine? There was plenty of the white stuff available with the punctual arrival of Thursday’s winter storm to the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association’s 2nd annual Dine Wine Wintertime, held at Ottawa City Hall.

Chefs from 14 local hotels teamed up to dish out their best in support of the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa, a non-profit organization serving at-risk youth. The evening raised $25,000, which will help provide 5,000 meals for youth in need.

Andrew Campbell, a chef from the Delta Ottawa City Centre, answered questions while serving attendees of the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association’s Dine Wine Wintertime, held Thursday, January 29, 2015, at Ottawa City Hall.

From left, Jennifer Savoie and Laura Brown are served some gourmet Pad Thai by Lord Elgin Hotel executive chef Brian Vallipuram at the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association’s Dine Wine Wintertime, held Thursday, January 29, 2015, at Ottawa City Hall.

The Westin Ottawa’s executive chef, Kenton Leier, chats with John Brooman, CEO of Ottawa’s Dragon Boat Festival, while serving attendees of the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association’s Dine Wine Wintertime benefit, held Thursday, January 29, 2015, at Ottawa City Hall.

Fairmont Ch‚teau Laurier executive chef Louis Simard prepares the salmon torched on cedar appetizer at the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association’s Dine Wine Wintertime, held Thursday, January 29, 2015, at Ottawa City Hall.

Executive chef FrÈdÈric Filliodeau from the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel peaks out from beneath the snow and ice-themed decorations at the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association’s Dine Wine Wintertime event held Thursday, January 29, 2015, at Ottawa City Hall. (Caroline Phillips / Ottawa Citizen)

OGHA board chair Kristine Dempster, general manager of Kanata’s Holiday Inn & Suites, with one of the participating chefs, Stephen La Salle from The Albion Rooms, at the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association’s Dine Wine Wintertime, held Thursday, January 29, 2015, at Ottawa City Hall.

A mix of live music and delicious smells filled the air of Jean Pigott Place as more than 300 attendees roamed from food station to food station, while also grabbing themselves drinks.

It’s no coincidence the evening is held on the eve of the Winterlude kickoff. Dine Wine Wintertime aims to get everyone in the mood for the array of festivities happening in our region over the next couple of weeks.

“It’s great to see all the chefs getting together,” Patrice S. Basille, executive vice president and general manager of Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata, told Around Town. He was the co-chair with Jason Trottier, general manager of the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Gatineau.

From left, the OGHA’s new president, Steve Ball, with event producer Joan Culliton and the OGHA’s retired president, Dick Brown, at the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association’s Dine Wine Wintertime, held Thursday, January 29, 2015, at Ottawa City Hall.

From right, executive chef Clifford Lyness from Brookstreet Hotel was serving chilled dark chocolate pot de crËme to attendees of the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association’s Dine Wine Wintertime benefit, held Thursday, January 29, 2015, at Ottawa City Hall.

Lianne Laing from CTV Morning Live was back to MC the two-hour event while her fellow board member from the YSB Charitable Foundation, lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, returned as live auctioneer. He sold off a New York City trip, passes to the Ottawa Jazz, Chamberfest, Bluesfest and CityFolk music festivals, and primo seats to Ottawa Senators and RedBlacks games. On the silent auction tables were tonnes of free hotel stays in Ottawa and beyond.

Lawyer Lawrence Greenspon served as the charity auctioneer at the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association’s Dine Wine Wintertime benefit, held Thursday, January 29, 2015, at Ottawa City Hall.

Seen on scene were OGHA board chair Kristine Dempster and its new president, Steve Ball, who took over from the now-retired Dick Brown. Darting about was the event’s producer, Joan Culliton from the popular Ottawa Wine and Food Festival. From presenting sponsor Scotiabank was vice president Frank Bilodeau.

Linnea McPhail pours some local Beyond the Pale beer for Christine Kincaid of Mediaplus Advertising at the Dine Wine Wintertime food and drink-tasting benefit held at Ottawa City Hall on Thursday, January 29, 2015. (Caroline Phillips / Ottawa Citizen)

Frank Bilodeau, regional V-P with Scotiabank, with his wife, Stephanie, at the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association’s Dine Wine Wintertime, held Thursday, January 29, 2015, at Ottawa City Hall.

From left, Scott Lawrence, CGI, and John Jarvis, ADGA Group of Companies, both board members with the YSB Charitable Foundation, attended the Dine Wine Wintertime benefit held Thursday, January 29, 2015, at Ottawa City Hall.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Opera gloves, pearls, furs and feathers were a must for the second annual Victory Ball held for the Military Family Resource Centre, National Capital Region, at the Fairmont Château Laurier on Saturday night.

Organizers went with a 1920s jazz theme. So strong was the demand for tickets that more tables were added, bringing the sold-out crowd up to 292.

Attendees included Lt. Gen. David Millar, chief of military personnel for the Canadian Armed Forces, Senator Marjory LeBreton and her sister, National Capital Commission board member Kay Stanley, and such honorary colonels as well-known philanthropist Dave Smith, owner of Nate’s Deli, and MaxSys CEO Bryan Brulotte for the Governor General’s Foot Guards. Also seen arriving was Scott Taylor, publisher of Canadian military magazine Esprit de Corps.

The evening raised funds for the MFRC, a non-profit organization that supports Canadian Armed Forces families in the region. It serves 11,000 military members, 8,000 spouses and 9,000 children. The proceeds are helping to provide more mental health support to military family youth.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

From left, Cathy Priestman, owner of sponsor CP Business Solutions, with MFRC-NCR’s board chair, Mark Thompson, fundraising manager Sarah Rozema-Seaton and Lt. Gen. David Millar, chief of military personnel with the Canadian Armed Forces, at the Jazz Age-themed Victory Ball held at the Fairmont Château Laurier on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

From left, Senator Marjory LeBreton with retired lieutenant-general Jim Gervais and her sister, Kay Stanley, at the 1920s Jazz-themed Victory Ball held Saturday, January 31, 2015, at the Fairmont Château Laurier in support of the Military Family Resource Centre, National Capital Region.

Ann Vautour with MC Evan Carter at the 1920s Jazz-themed Victory Ball for the Military Family Resource Centre — National Capital Region, held at the Fairmont Château Laurier on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

From left, Dan Genest, Nathalie Nadeau, Christian Baril and Martine Boule at the 1920s Jazz-themed Victory Ball held at the Fairmont Château Laurier on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

From left, honorary colonel Bryan Brulotte, Kaitlin Marriner, Mark Thompson and Lt. Susan Embury at the Victory Ball held for the Military Family Resource Centre-National Capital Region, on Saturday, January 31, 2015, at the Fairmont Château Laurier.

From left, Ken Mahoney, Jackie Pothier, Joanne Pitkin and Doug Thomas attended the Victory Ball for the Military Family Resource Centre, National Capital Region, held at the Fairmont Château Laurier on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

Col. Daniel Vermeersch, commandant of the Canadian Forces Support Unit in Ottawa, and his wife, Carolyn, attended the Victory Ball held at the Fairmont Château Laurier on Saturday, January 31, 2015, in support of the Military Family Resource Centre — National Capital Region.

Well-known philanthropist and honorary colonel Dave Smith, with his wife, Darlene, attended the Victory Ball held at the Fairmont Château Laurier on Saturday, January 31, 2015, in support of the Military Family Resource Centre.

Ed and Amanda Gaffney at the Jazz Age-themed Victory Ball for the Military Family Resource Centre, held at the Fairmont Château Laurier on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

From left, Jason McNaught, Katherine Taylor, Ally Foster and Scott Taylor, from Esprit de Corps military magazine, ham it up at the photo booth during the Victory Ball, held at the Fairmont Château Laurier on Saturday, January 31, 2015, in support of the Military Family Resource Centre — National Capital Region.

From left, Lynn Barton, Cat Glascott and John McDonald attended the 1920s Jazz-themed Victory Ball held at the Fairmont Château Laurier on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

The hardest part about riding the mechanical bull for Ottawa city councillor Catherine McKenney wasn’t the ride, itself, but climbing onto the darn thing.

It was Denis Schryburt to the rescue. You may remember, he was one of the candidates in the fall municipal election for the Somerset ward that McKenney so easily captured.

Schryburt quickly stepped in and gave McKenney the boost she needed. From there, she managed to hang for the ride.

Former municipal candidate Denis Schryburt jumped in and gave new Ottawa City Councillor Catherine McKenney (Somerset ward) a boost onto the mechanical bull at the western-themed 2nd annual Bruce House Kitchen Party, held at the Glebe Community Centre on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

They were both at a fundraiser for Bruce House, held Saturday night at the Glebe Community Centre. It was a Wild West Kitchen Party that proved to be a fantastic follow-up to last year’s inaugural cod-kissing, Screech-drinking Newfoundland Kitchen Party.

Some couples were seen sitting on bales of hay around a faux campfire while others pounded back shots of Spicebox whisky and crooned along to country music classics. Food and drinks were provided by such local businesses as Meatings BBQ Catering, Sarah J’s Cupcakes, Art Is In Boulangerie and Dominion City Brewing. Many wore cowboy hats, plaid shirts and the kind of cowboy boots that are perfect for kicking winter to the curb.

It was a romantic evening by the (faux) fire for Annie Gauthier and Collin Jackson at western-themed 2nd annual Bruce House Kitchen Party, held at the Glebe Community Centre on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

Suzanne and Gordon Harding enjoyed themselves by the fake campfire, singing to Kenny Rogers, at the western-themed 2nd annual Bruce House Kitchen Party, held at the Glebe Community Centre on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

The creative genius behind the friendly and relaxed party is Jill Woodley, fund development and community engagement manager for Bruce House. The community-based organization provides housing, care and support in Ottawa for people living with HIV and AIDS.

Event organizer Jill Woodley from Bruce House with her fellow plaid-shirted friends, from left, Matt Magee, owner Mat Flosse and Joey Flosse of Meatings BBQ Catering at the western-themed 2nd annual Bruce House Kitchen Party, held at the Glebe Community Centre on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

From left, Michael Deyell, owner of After Stonewall gallery, with Bruce House volunteer Denis Schryburt and Trevor Prevost at the western-themed 2nd annual Bruce House Kitchen Party, held at the Glebe Community Centre on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

Jay Koornstra, executive director of Bruce House, is joined by board members Rachel Horsley, left, and Lee Callan at the western-themed 2nd annual Bruce House Kitchen Party, held at the Glebe Community Centre on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

Woodley — who’s from the Maritime province of New Brunswick — is big on the kitchen party concept and the idea of having people seated together at long tables, to encourage conversation.

“The kitchen is the heart of the home,” Woodley told Around Town. “A lot happens in the kitchen, both in regular family life and in the lives of our clients.”
The second annual benefit attracted about 170 people and aimed to raise more than last year’s net of $5,000. Woodley, who’s hoping the event continues to grow and pick up sponsorship, already has a regional theme in mind for next year’s party: Quebec.

Ruth Jenkins took her chances with a mechanical bull ride at the western-themed 2nd annual Bruce House Kitchen Party, held at the Glebe Community Centre on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

Sarah Corbett, owner of Sarah J’s Cupcakes, with Bruce House supporter Glenn Crawford at the western-themed 2nd annual Bruce House Kitchen Party, held at the Glebe Community Centre on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

It was down the hatch with a shot of Spicebox whisky for Carolyn Bennett, left, and Jennifer Ouellette at the western-themed 2nd annual Bruce House Kitchen Party, held at the Glebe Community Centre on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

Isaac Wesley was in cowboy-mode as he rode the mechanical bull at the western-themed 2nd annual Bruce House Kitchen Party, held at the Glebe Community Centre on Saturday, January 31, 2015.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Tickets to the southern-style Ferguslea Senators Soirée aren’t cheap but there’s something priceless about seeing all the hockey players dressed in formal attire, totally rocking their matching seersucker bowties.

A sold-out crowd of 750 came together at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Wednesday to raise $344,294 for children and youth in our region. The annual dinner is one, if not the, premier gala of the season, and I’m not just whistling Dixie.

This year’s theme took partygoers back to the Old South through cuisine, decor and entertainment. Guests dined on fried chicken, succotash, pecan pie and fried green tomatoes while Ottawa Senators PA announcer and Majic 100 morning host Stuntman Stu donned period dress “a la” Gone With The Wind.

Stuntman Stu, PA announcer for the Ottawa Senators and a radio morning host with Majic 100, was back to MC the “Dixie Bound” Ferguslea Senators Soirée held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Wednesday, February 4, 2015.

Ottawa Senators “other halves” Caitlin Neil, left, Danielle Rhodes and Nicholle Anderson at the Ferguslea Senators Soiréeheld at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Wednesday, February 4, 2015.

The hockey players mingled with guests during the cocktail reception, with some of the Sens serving as celebrity dealers at the just-for-fun blackjack tables. The crowd then made its way into the ballroom. There, each team member made his announced grand entrance onto the main stage, in most cases with his date, before joining one of the tables for dinner.

Attendees included Dan Greenberg and Barbara Crook from title sponsor Ferguslea Properties Ltd. as well as Gary Cameron from presenting sponsor Bell. Cameron was seen chatting comfortably with Ottawa Senators defenceman and alternative captain Chris Phillips and his wife, Erin.
Phillips (sadly, no relation) has been attending the soirée for years.

From left, Eric Coates, artistic director of the Great Canadian Theatre Company, with Barbara Crook, Ottawa Senators winger Chris Neil and his wife, Caitlin, at the Ferguslea Senators Soirée held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Wednesday, February 4, 2015.

Chris Phillips, accompanied by this wife, Erin, is introduced to the sold-out audience at the Ferguslea Senators Soirée held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Wednesday, February 4, 2015.

“It’s fun,” he told Around Town. “There are lots of people who are huge supporters of the team that we don’t necessarily get to see all the time. It’s a great opportunity to meet those people. For Erin and myself, we’re beyond meeting them; we’ve become friends with them.”

Later, Phillips was introduced on stage with his wife at his arm. They both gave the audience a friendly smile and wave. He may be a household name in Ottawa and a favourite Senators player to many, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still get a tad nervous during his 30 seconds in the spotlight of a large fancy ballroom. “You can put some skates on me and, you know, I can skate in front of a million people probably but to take us out of that element and put us somewhere that I think is … a little bit out of my comfort zone,” said Phillips. “You’re hoping you don’t trip, or that you have your zipper done up. You’re double-checking everything.”

Attendees included Mayor Jim Watson, Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau, Ottawa Senators Foundation board chair Graham Macmillan and retired newsman Max Keeping, whose public appearances have grown rare since his cancer returned early last year.

Graham Macmillan, chair of the Ottawa Senators Foundation board, with his wife, Katie, and Erin Phillips during the Ferguslea Senators Soiréeheld at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Wednesday, February 4, 2015.

From left, Mayor Jim Watson with his niece, Nicola Froislie, 19, and Dan Greenberg from title sponsor Ferguslea Properties Ltd. at the Ferguslea Senators Soirée held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Wednesday, February 4, 2015.

At the start of dinner, Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson thanked the audience for its support and spoke about some of the good work the Ottawa Senators Foundation has been doing in the community. “On the ice we will work hard; we will do everything we can and fight as good as we can to get into the playoffs,” Karlsson also said.

Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson, joined by his date, is introduced to the ballroom full of 750 guests at the Ferguslea Senators Soirée held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Wednesday, February 4, 2015.

Danielle Robinson, president of the Ottawa Senators Foundation, with team captain Erik Karlsson at the Ferguslea Senators Soirée held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Wednesday, February 4, 2015.

From left, Ottawa Senators Foundation board member Ken Charbonneau with team captain Erik Karlsson, Alexis Charbonneau and alternative captain Chris Neil at the Ferguslea Senators Soirée held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Wednesday, February 4, 2015.

The foundation is trying to help young people reach their full potential by investing in social recreation and education programs and promoting physical and mental wellness. Funds raised from the soirée are being used to help the estimated one in five children and youth who are without access to after-school programs and activities.

The annual gala has provided more than $3.55 million to area charities sine 1992.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

It was a red carpet-worthy evening Thursday as This Hour Has 22 Minutes came to Ottawa for a special anniversary taping in front of an audience peppered with politicians up for a good laugh, at their own expense.

The sold-out event, part of the Cracking-Up the Capital comedy festival for mental health awareness, was held in the theatre at Algonquin College. Mark Critch, Susan Kent, Shaun Majumder, Mary Walsh and Cathy Jones were all there for the taping, normally done in Halifax.

“It was wonderful,” Official Opposition leader Tom Mulcair, who attended with his wife, Catherine Pinhas, told Around Town after the show. “The beauty of 22 Minutes is it’s good satire, that it treats everyone with equal humour and disdain. We had a ball being here.”

The live taping offered the audience a better understanding of how the CBC TV comedy show comes together, how much work goes into it, and how truly talented the cast is, even when the cameras aren’t rolling. “It’s the lightheartedness of the extraneous moments, when they’re ad-libbing,” said Mulcair. “They’re extraordinarily funny people.”

He gave both thumbs up to the political impersonation of him by Critch. As well, Mulcair appears in a very funny skit that also includes Nova Scotia NDP MP Peter Stoffer and Justice Minister Peter MacKay, also from Nova Scotia. It was done Wednesday on Parliament Hill, near the end of the day. “They (22 Minutes) worked hard because there were a lot of different shots,” Mulcair added.

Attendees also included Louise Bradley, president and CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, George Weber, president and CEO of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, prominent Royal Ottawa psychiatrist Dr. Raj Bhatla, Senator Jim Munson, Ottawa Liberal MPP John Fraser and Ottawa city councillors Mark Taylor, Tim Tierney and Allan Hubley, honorary chair of the festival.

In her brief remarks on stage, Bradley gave a special shout out to Walsh for her support as a mental health advocate.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Eight brave souls took to the stage Wednesday to do what few people are ever willing to do — perform in public — and then be critiqued by a panel of judges.

The celebrity cabaret fundraiser Don’t Quit Your Day Job was back for its third year, filling the Fourth Stage of the National Arts Centre with song and music and some cheek-hurting, side-splitting laughter on a cold and snowy mid-winter evening.

The popular benefit, which included silent and live auctions, raised funds and awareness for Canada’s Magnetic North Theatre Festival taking place in Ottawa this June 4 to 13.

Upping the humour was Pierre Brault as MC, as well as GCTC artistic director Eric Coates as one of the fun-loving judges. Joining him were Citizen theatre critic Patrick Langston and former theatre critic Barbara Crook, who sang in the inaugural DQYDJ benefit.

The panel kept its feedback light and breezy, letting it be known that bribes in the form of cash, property or booze were perfectly acceptable. In the end, everyone who performed was a winner, mostly for having the guts to get up on stage and risk embarrassment in front of a full-house audience.

“I get a chance to see a fair amount of theatre and I’ve got to tell you: I’ve never felt anything like this,” a tongue-in-chief Langston told the crowd at the end of the show. “Chutzpah, inspiration, creativity. I leave a better man.”

The amateur talent included Terry Fitzpatrick, co-owner of Petit Bill’s Bistro and one of several participants from the Wellington West-Hintonburg ‘hood. He sang Elvis Presley’s Suspicious Minds and, as the first performer, took the lead in the competition.

Fitzpatrick was followed by Ottawa Centre NDP MP Paul Dewar, who performed his own poem, A Native Conversation. It was described as a “beautiful piece of writing” by the judges, who may have been influenced by his handsomeness.

Next came a series of spirited yipee-i-ayes from Cube art gallery owner Don Monet. He sang his heart out performing the Broadway musical classic Oklahoma! while dressed in Old Western costume.

Citizen columnist Andrew King proved himself a real Renaissance man with his great theatrical acts of magic, performed with humour and flair. His volunteers included John Goldsmith, retired from the Canada Council for the Arts, former city councillor Katherine Hobbs and King’s artist girlfriend, Alison Fowler. King was dy-no-mite, although very nearly upstaged by his magic wand.

After intermission, Crook returned to her role in costume and in diva character, referring to herself only in third person. Crook was now BB. That’s just the kind of crazy and unpredictable night it was.

Then it was CBC Radio newscaster Laurence Wall. He told some stories before channeling his inner gospel side with Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. “Just what BB wanted to hear: a nice Jewish boy singing spiritual,” quipped Crook.

The Mother Corp. continued to dominate on stage with climatologist Teri Loretto. She engaged in witty repartee with the audience before impressing everyone with her piano and song performance of the holiday-appropriate My Funny Valentine.

(Also there from CBC was Lucy van Oldenbarneveld. She wasn’t part of the show but was so often mentioned throughout the night that she might as well have been.)

Probably most out of her comfort zone was Canadian Museum of Nature president and CEO Meg Beckel. “I’m not reading a corporate plan; I’m not at an annual public meeting,” she began before reciting poetry, beginning with The Shark by E.J. Pratt, followed by Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s Casey at the Bat, in honour of her father, William Beckel, a former president of Carleton University.

Making a lasting impression was the final act, community volunteer extraordinaire Joseph Cull. He dressed in drag as the larger-than-life Dame Edna to sing Shirley Bassey’s Big Spender. His/her performance was followed by much discussion with the judges about hair waxing and backless thongs, but maybe we’ll just leave it at that.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

This year’s Snowflake Ball was like a breath of fresh (warm) air, giving hundreds of romantics a one night getaway from our harsh winter. Sure, it was still dark and cold outside the Hilton Lac Leamy, but inside — it was springtime in Paris. Mais, oui!

The popular gala was again put together by the Jason family, minus one very beloved family member — Yael Jason. The girl with the beautiful smile passed away suddenly last July at the age of 32.

It was in her memory that this year’s sold-out ball was held, raising funds and awareness for Crohn’s disease, colitis, and early screening for colon and colorectal cancers. Despite the family’s profound loss, it knew that pushing ahead with The Snowflake Ball was the right thing to do.

“We know that’s what (Yael) would have wanted; she loved Valentine’s Day,” her mother, Yvonne Jason, who co-chaired the ball with daughter Mikhela Jason Alboim and son-in-law Jesse Alboim, told Around Town.

Yael was diagnosed as a child with ulcerative colitis and forced to battle the complications that the severe chronic illness brought to her life. She wanted to draw attention to inflammatory bowel disease by hosting with her family a gala. In 1999, the event that eventually snowballed into the Snowflake Ball began, bringing an unsurpassed evening of elegance and grandeur to Ottawa each year. The gala draws people from larger cities, like Toronto and Montreal.

To appreciate how much the evening meant to Yael, one needed only to catch a glimpse of the snowflake tattoo that she got five years ago, on her upper back. “It was her life,” said Jason. “She really put her heart into it.”

This year’s MC, Patricia Boal, from CTV Ottawa News, rocked the colour red in her figure-flattering dress. Truly, there was no shortage of ladies in gorgeous gowns with well-coiffed hair and matching accessories. The guys looked pretty spiffy, too.

“The minute I walked in I was like, ‘Wow, this is fabulous, this is stunning’,” said Mandy Gosewich (unintentional product placement; she owns a York Street fashion accessories store called Stunning).

“This is how (the gala scene) should be,” she added as she admired the très chic crowd of about 630 file into the ballroom for a four-course gourmet dinner.

VIP guests included Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson, Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz, British High Commissioner Howard Drake, Italian Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado and German Ambassador Werner Wnendt, with their wives. It wasn’t just couples, though. Some women were out celebrating their love for their female friends, known as Galentine’s Day.

The ballroom was delightfully decked out with flowers, a French streetscape and romantic lighting. There was even a water fountain, reminiscent of the public fountains found in the parks, gardens and squares of Paris.

Guests could bid on unique luxury items, such as exotic trips, embassy-hosted dinners and diamond jewelry. They were also encouraged to hit the dance floor and indulge at the late-night dessert party. If everyone left smelling like Valentino perfume, it’s because they got a bottle of it to take home.

The Snowflake Ball has helped melt away some of the social stigma surrounding its cause, which is not exactly the topic of everyday cocktail conversation. “It’s made a vast difference,” said Jason. “It’s made people so much more aware of what Crohn’s and colitis really means and how it impacts people.

“We have found, over the years, a lot of of guests are now very openly saying they support the event, not only because it’s such a beautiful evening, but because they or members of their family have Crohn’s, colitis or colon cancer.”

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Accordion player Nick Cinanni, seen with Kate Saunders, got guests in a romantic mood upon their arrival to The Snowflake Ball held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

From left, Jackie King, Hill + Knowlton, and entrepreneur Janice McDonald were each other’s “gal-entine” date at this year’s Snowflake Ball, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Organizers Mikhela Jason Alboim and her mother Yvonne Jason at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015, for The Snowflake Ball in support of Crohn’s disease, colitis and colorectal cancer, held in memory of Yael Jason, 32, who passed away suddenly last summer.

From left, Jennifer Nicol, Paul Valletta and his partner Bruno Racine, of The Loft Urban Salon, and Janet Wilson, Ottawa Citizen Style magazine editor, at The Snowflake Ball held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Claire Dawe-McCord was one of the female models wearing gowns from With Love Bridal Boutique at The Snowflake Ball, held Saturday, February 14, 2015.

From left, Dean and Kathy Karakasis were out with Danielle and Romeo Bellai on Valentine’s Day at The Snowflake Ball, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Walter Robinson took his wife, Jennifer, to The Snowflake Ball for Valentine’s Day on Saturday, February, 15, 2015, at the Hilton Lac Leamy.

Town crier Daniel Richer calls for the crowd’s attention at the Springtime in Paris-themed Snowflake Ball, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson captures the attention of British High Commissioner Howard Drake, along with both their wives, Arlene and Gill, in conversation at The Snowflake Ball held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

From left, Québecor Media V-P J. Serge Sasseville with François Dell’Aniello at The Snowflake Ball, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

From left, Lorne Greenberg with Moscow Tea Room owner Abbis Mahmoud and Aik Aliferis, Primecorp Commercial Realty, at The Snowflake Ball held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

A sold-out crowd of 630 gathered in the Hilton Lac Leamy ballroom — as seen through this decorative water fountain — for the Springtime in Paris-themed Snowflake Ball, held Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Town crier Daniel Richer calls for the crowd’s attention at the Springtime in Paris-themed Snowflake Ball, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015 in support of Crohn’s disease, colitis and colorectal cancer.

Italian Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado and his wife, Martine, celebrated Valentine’s Day together at The Snowflake Ball, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

The ballroom of the Hilton Lac Leamy was decorated for a Springtime in Paris theme at The Snowflake Ball 2015, held Saturday, February 14.

MC Patricia Boal welcomed everyone to the Springtime in Paris-themed Snowflake Ball, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson and his wife, Arlene, spent their Valentine’s Day together at The Snowflake Ball, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz and his wife, Valerie, celebrated Valentine’s Day at The Snowflake Ball, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Guests spent part of the cocktail hour perusing the silent auction tables at The Snowflake Ball, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015, in support of Crohn’s disease, colitis and colorectal cancer.

From left, celebrity make-up artist Leslie-Anne Barrett with Mandy Gosewich and Ann Rickenbacker at The Snowflake Ball, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Dennis Laurin, owner of the Laurin Group, and his wife, Andrea, celebrated Valentine’s Day at The Snowflake Ball, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

German Ambassador Werner Wnendt and his wife, Eleanore, were among the couples to attend The Snowflake Ball held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Retired diplomat Larry Dickenson and his wife, cooking and hosting expert Margaret Dickenson, were among the 630 attendees of The Snowflake Ball held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

British High Commissioner Howard Drake and his wife, Gill, attended The Snowflake Ball held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Fun-loving guests could hardly resist slapping on top hats and mugging it up for the cameras alongside Sir John A. Macdonald, or, rather, a life-size cardboard cutout of Canada’s founding prime minister, at a special evening organized by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI.)

The highly ranked Ottawa-based national public think tank hosted a dinner at the Canadian Museum of History on Wednesday to celebrate the bicentennial of Macdonald’s birth in 1815. There was fancy cake for the occasion but also served up was pecan tart, a favourite dessert of Sir John’s.

More than 200 Parliamentarians, journalists, policy makers, entrepreneurs and other members of Ottawa’s political circles attended the evening. It featured an all-star panel discussion about Macdonald’s legacy to Canada and involved National Post political columnist Andrew Coyne, Citizen and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and award-winning author and historian Michael Bliss, with Ryerson professor Patrice Dutil as moderator. The crowd also heard brief remarks from British High Commissioner Howard Drake and Arthur Milnes, the City of Kingston’s Sir John A. Macdonald bicentennial ambassador.

Over the cocktail hour, guests were invited to tour the museum’s 1867 Rebellion and Confederation exhibit. Come supper time, they seated themselves in the museum’s majestic Grand Hall.

2015 is a big year in Canadian history. The Magna Carta celebrates 800 years while our flag hits 50 and the 2nd Battle of Ypres turns a century old. As attention-worthy as these anniversaries are, none can overshadow in importance the contribution of Macdonald to Canada’s ascent, said MLI managing director Brian Lee Crowley.

“Those who think his legacy is a few statues around the country and a poor likeness on the $10 bill do not understand that the very warp and weft of this country are made up of threads drawn from this man’s strategic and tactical genius,” Crowley very eloquently told the room. “Out of the unpromising materials of thinly populated and mutually antagonistic British colonies, unloved by London, coveted by Washington, riven by racial and linguistic disputes, he distilled the ideas, the politics and the institutions that today place us at the forefront of the nations of the world.

“We are his legacy and he lives on in us.”

There was one more birthday celebrated that night, by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. It turns five this year.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

A warm and welcoming fire burned in the art-filled living room. Drinks were poured. Yummy canapés were passed around. Guests laughed and chatted. It was an intimate gathering held on a cold winter night, in support of Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa.

Everyone had come together to raise funds and awareness for a small but vital organization that’s been helping people with disabilities for the past 41 years in Ottawa.

From left, Barbara McInnes with guest Shirley Westeinde, in matching Order of Canada pins, at an Appetites for Advocacy benefit held Thursday, February 19, 2015, at the McInnes’ home in support of Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa.

The reception, Appetites for Advocacy, was hosted Thursday by well-known Ottawa couple and arts patrons Barbara McInnes and Glenn McInnes at their Island Park-area home. The grassroots organization is one of Ottawa’s “best-kept secrets,” said Barbara while thanking her guests for coming out. “It’s a very important part of the fabric of our community and it’s a unique organization; it doesn’t exist anywhere else.”

It was a challenging time of the year to bring people together; many friends were away (surely, having fled this unrelenting cold weather). But, even the no-shows pledged their support to the cause, and those guests who did attend later joked that they didn’t want to leave, so comfortable and cosy was the McInnes party.

All the catering for Appetites for Advocacy is sponsored by Tracey Black‘s Epicuria. Beau’s All Natural Brewing provides the beer. Casa-Dea Estates Winery in Prince Edward County supplies the vino. The hosts come up with a list of friends and neighbours to invite over and Citizen Advocacy pretty much takes care of everything else.

Don Hewson, president and CEO of HBS Marketing, and his wife, Johanne Levesque, attended the Appetites for Advocacy benefit held Thursday, February 19, 2015, in the private home of Glenn and Barbara McInnes.

From left, guests Susannah Dalfen and Marion Balla with Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa executive director Brian Tardif and his wife, Francoise Plourde, at an Appetites for Advocacy benefit held Thursday, February 19, 2015.

Katherine Hobbs, a former Ottawa city councillor, and David Sweanor were among the attendees of the Appetites for Advocacy benefit held Thursday, February 19, 2015, in support of Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa.

The inaugural reception was hosted last May by Senator Jim Munson and his wife, Ginette. Since, there have been close to a dozen, with each raising on average $3,000 to $4,000 for the organization’s Everyday Champions. The program matches a community volunteer with a disabled child, youth, adult or senior needing an escape from their social isolation. It might mean sharing a cup of coffee, taking a walk in the park or catching a movie together.

Guest Sean Moore was a late arrival to the Appetites for Advocacy benefit held Thursday, February 19, 2015, to raise funds and awareness for Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa.

“It’s about opening up their world and involving them in the community in which we all live,” explained Citizen Advocacy fund development director Gail Carroll. She was joined at the reception by the organization’s long-time executive director, Brian Tardif.

Unfortunately, there’s currently a waiting list of 300 people, and it’s takes an average of two and a half years to get paired with a community volunteer.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Once upon a time, on a snowy winter evening, there was a large group of youngsters all dressed in their finest and ready to attend a magical evening fit for a princess, a pirate and even a playful parent.

Together they gathered, all excited and elated, for the 5th annual Ottawa Children’s Gala held at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre. Their fleeting fairy tale began with pirate treasures, a mini kids’ spa, a pumpkin-style carriage, live entertainment and some friendly fist-bumping with everyone’s favourite evil dad, Darth Vader. The formal affair, held Saturday, also included a kid-friendly meal with a most magnificent cake and candy buffet.

Mayor Jim Watson made a special appearance at the sold-out, 500-person gala in order to declare it Kids Play Safe Day, referring to the community-based program founded and chaired by volunteer Spencer Warren.

From left, organizer Spencer Warren and Mayor Jim Watson get photo bombed by a CHEO mascot bear at the Ottawa Children’s Gala held at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre on Saturday, February 21, 2015 to raise funds and awareness for childhood injury prevention.

The supervisor with Hydro Ottawa took up the cause after his daughter Emily, now nine years ago, broke her arm on a piece of playground equipment as a toddler. It’s estimated one in five kids who visit the emergency room at CHEO has an injury that could have been prevented, said Warren. His family’s experience with CHEO left them wanting to give back to the hospital.

“The way that they care so much about the kids in the hospital; it’s not just a job to them. It’s a passion,” said Warren, who directs the gala proceeds toward CHEO’s Plan-It Safe program. Kids Play Safe also organizes annual charity golf tournaments and family BBQs.

Event co-emcee Lianne Laing from CTV Morning Live turned the Ottawa Children’s Gala into a family affair with her husband, sports artist Tony Harris, and their daughters Andie, 10, and Jamie, seven. Not part of their family is the Stormtrooper.

The evening was MCed by CTV Morning Live Ottawa host Lianne Laing and Majic 100 Morning host Angie Poirier, both of whom brought along their hubbies and kids. It was the fifth year of attending for Laing’s girls, Andie Harris, 10, and Jamie Harris, seven. Their reviews were positive, especially after Andie learned Darth and his troops were there to greet guests.

Star Wars is her new favourite movie. “I’m completely obsessed about it,” said Andie, who was “really, really, really, really, really happy” to see the characters there.

Four-year-old Lila Gauthier offers her rose for fairytale character Ariel to smell at the Ottawa Children’s Gala.

A high-five gauntlet of Stormtroopers was a fun way for kids to arrive to the Ottawa Children’s Gala.

Co-event MC Angie Poirier, from Majic 100 and CTV Ottawa, with her eight-year-old daughter, Mila Konopliff, at the Ottawa Children’s Gala held at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre on Saturday, February 21, 2015.

This cake, from Top of the Hill Bakey, remained under the watchful eye of volunteer Andrea Martin (if she looks familiar, her father is national journalist Don Martin) until it was served later in the evening at the Ottawa Children’s Gala held at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre.

Brianna Barkley, six, attended the fairytale-themed Ottawa Children’s Gala.

Prominent orthopedic surgeon Dr. Donald Chow attended the Ottawa Children’s Gala, held Saturday, February 21, 2015, at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre, with his wife, Angela, and their daughter-in-law Tara and son Andrei, along with five-year-old grandson, Tayver.

Peyton Bosley, seven, was seen getting a tattoo (relax, it was only a temporary one).

Organizer Spencer Warren with his daughter, Emily, 9, at the Ottawa Children’s Gala.

Kids could meet Cinderella in the parked stage coach, owned by Lucky Luc, during the Ottawa Children’s Gala.

These Stormtroopers, from the Capital City Garrison, 501st Legion, were probably wishing they’d brought lightsabers to defend themselves against the princess pirates

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Back in 2011, Kanata mom Cindy Cutts left a sales rep job that she’d successfully held down for 10 years to pursue her true passion of helping youth.

She started a non-profit organization, Proud to be Me. It’s attracted a strong following of supporters, as evidenced by the sold-out, fourth annual Proud to be Bully Free dinner and auction held Monday at NeXT restaurant in Stittsville.

Ottawa Senators player Chris Neil, who’s recovering from a broken thumb, was there with his wife, Caitlin. Not only did his teammate, Chris Phillips, and his wife, Erin, attend, but their eldest, Ben Phillips, 12, volunteered at the fundraiser.

CPAC’s Beyond Politics host Catherine Clark and her husband, Chad Schella, were also out to support the cause, as was Kanata South Coun. Allan Hubley. He’s been involved with anti-bullying and youth mental health initiatives since his teenaged son, Jamie, who was openly gay, took his own life in 2011. As well, there were some former NHLers at the dinner, such as Shean Donovan, Randy Robitaille and Brad Brown.

The title sponsor was Kristine Johnson, a sales rep with Remax Absolute Realty.

The dinner was MCed by the team from Majic 100 Morning Show. Its hosts, Stuntman Stu and his “work wives”, Angie Poirier and Trisha Owens, spoke about the effective anti-bullying work they’ve been doing in the schools over the past four years. Stu, one of the best-known radio personalities in the city, speaks openly now about how he was picked on in his youth and how he hated going to school because of it.

The dinner crowd — made up mostly of west-end hockey parents — aimed to raise about $30,000 for Proud to be Me. The organization has been striving to create an atmosphere of empathy, acceptance and resilience amongst kids in and outside of their schools. This June, it’s treating 200 children to Funhaven as part of an inaugural Proud to be Fun Day.

The cause is about helping kids become the best that they can be through youth empowerment, explained Cutts, who’s a busy mom of three competitive hockey players (her middle child — Tyler Cutts, 12 — was also volunteering at the dinner.) “I feel if you’re proud of who you are, you’re not going to be upsetting anybody else,” she told Around Town. “We’re here for a short time; we have only one life. So, it’s about leaving your mark and feeling good about it.”

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Imagine relaxing in the oldest home in Rockcliffe and having the pleasure of listening to live chamber music while sipping on a glass of wine and later indulging in a Scandinavian-themed dinner of Arctic caviar, smoked salmon and grilled shrimp.

Such an evening was hosted Wednesday by Norwegian Ambassador Mona Elisabeth Brother at her official residence, Crichton Lodge, in support of Friends of the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO.)

The small and intimate Music to Dine For featured a short concert from Alisa Klebanov (violin), Jerry Wang (violin), Ethan Balakrishnan (viola) and cellist Emma Grant-Zypchen (cello), all of whom are young and talented performers with the Emerald String Quartet.

The money from the tickets, priced at $100 and $125 a pop, is helping to provide scholarships and bursaries for our next generation of classical musicians. The evening was chaired by Pamela Robinson, with the assistance of Joan Forbes. The Friends of NACO plans to hold between eight to 10 of these benefits this year through the generous support of the diplomatic community, which views music as a way of uniting people of all cultures.

“Music is a language we all understand,” said the ambassador while welcoming guests to her home.

The 30-plus crowd heard briefly about the history of Crichton Lodge, a Victorian stone house built in the 1880s for the son-in-law of Thomas McKay, one of the founders of the city of Ottawa.

“I’ve never been here and I’ve lived in Ottawa all my life,” guest Albert Benoît told Around Town. “This is a beautiful opportunity to come in and be entertained and be fed in some of the finest homes and embassies.”

The heritage home has been owned by the Norwegian government since 1949. Its interior boasts a modern Norwegian style with its all-white walls, clean lines and collection of artwork and sculptures. Adding some sparkle are its crystal chandeliers.

“We are very proud of this house,” the ambassador told her guests. It has its own personality and issues, she added, “but we love it.”

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

An astronaut, an author and an architect were just a few of the famous folks to participate in a new exhibit, Ottawa Selects, that invited high-profile individuals to choose their favourite piece of art from the Ottawa Art Gallery’s Firestone Collection of Canadian Art.

Several of the participants turned out for a reception hosted Thursday at the OAG Annex at City Hall to check out the new show. Acclaimed Ottawa-based architect Douglas Cardinal was there with his wife and 12-year-old daughter. Retired astronaut Steve MacLean, who’s a former Nepean boy, also attended and spoke to the crowd about his top pick, a 1969 Claude Picher painting, entitled Icebreaking — St. Lawrence River.

“This one spoke to me,” said MacLean, who was reminded of his first time flying over massive ice in Northwest Greenland, in the late ’80s, and witnessing a huge chunk of it fall off into the ocean. He saw the giant spray and subsequent waves but couldn’t hear the thunderous roar over the drone of the aircraft engine.

One of the chosen pieces for the select Firestone exhibit is Debacle de la glade (Icebreaking) by Claude Picher Courtesy Firestone Collection of Canadian Art

From left, renowned architect Douglas Cardinal and retired astronaut Steve MacLean were two of the high-profile Canadians to choose their favourite works of art from the Firestone Collection to appear in a new Ottawa Art Gallery exhibit.

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The painting always inspires MacLean to imagine the grinding and groaning sounds of ice, which he also viewed — seemingly motionless and silent — from outer space. He was drawn, too, to the colours and the image of the sun hanging low in the horizon.

As well, MacLean spoke about his positive experience of visiting the OAG’s hidden vaults to spend a morning with staff looking through the vast collection of Canadian art donated by the Firestone family.

“It was a great deal of fun,” he told the crowd. “It really was a special day. We started at nine and I left at 12, but I felt like I was there for five minutes.”

Trisha Owens from the Majic 100 Morning Show chose a 1958 Molly Bobak painting, Williams Lake, B.C.

Selections were also made by Mayor Jim Watson, author Charlotte Gray, sports businessman Jeff Hunt, chef Steve Mitton, radio host Trisha Owens, actress Anne-Marie Cadieux and Peter Tilley, executive director of The Ottawa Mission. The homeless shelter and the OAG are neighbours.

Tilley chose an untitled painting by Marcelle Ferron, who emerged as one of Quebec’s most important artists in the modern era. He was impressed by her involvement with Les Automatistes and their philosophies of spontaneity and freedom of expression. “It’s outside of my box, big time,” he said of the abstract work. “I’m more into the traditional paintings of old houses on streets and boats in the harbour.”

Alexandra Badzak, director and chief executive of the Ottawa Art Gallery, spoke to guests at a VIP reception held Thursday, February 26, 2015, at the OAG Annex at City Hall for the opening of its new exhibit, Ottawa Selects.

On hand for the opening were the gallery’s CEO, Alexandra Badzak, and the chair of its board, lawyer Lawson Hunter, both of whom are major players in the exciting expansion and renovation of the municipal art gallery. Once the project is completed, in 2017, Ottawa will finally have the kind of attractive, modern and adequate gallery space it’s been sorely lacking for years, the room heard.

“As I often say, the National Gallery is not a substitute for a local municipal gallery,” Hunter told the room. “We need to have our own institution that documents, that exhibits, that encourages the visual arts and activities of our city and our region.”

A fundraising campaign, expected to be publicly launched soon, is already making “very, very good progress,” said Hunter. “I’m very proud of what we’re doing and I’m absolutely determined and relentless to make this happen.”

Rideau-Vanier Ward Councillor Mathieu Fleury and Ottawa Art Gallery staff member Meredith Berriman pose at the OAG Annex.

From left, Leslie McKay chats with Brian Toller of Tolcor Investments Ltd. and his pscyhologist wife, Lorna Tener, on Thursday, February 26, 2015.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson was seen chatting on Thursday, February 26, 2015, at the OAG Annex with Nepean-born retired astronaut Steve MacLean in front of a Claude Picher painting.

Ottawa Art Gallery board member Richard Roth, director of strategy for ArcelorMittal, with senior curator Catherine Sinclair (who’s expecting!), at the OAG Annex at City Hall on Thursday, February 26, 2015.

Lawson Hunter, chair of the Ottawa Art Gallery board, addressed guests at a VIP reception held Thursday, February 26, 2015, at the OAG Annex at City Hall.

Renowned Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal, seen with his wife, Idoia Arana-Beobide, and their daughter, Lorea Beobide-Cardinal, 12, chose a series of Lawren Harris drawings from the Firestone Collection to appear in a new exhibit that opened at the OAG Annex at City Hall on Thursday, February 26, 2015.

From left, Stephanie Germano, art rental and sales manager at the Ottawa Art Gallery, with Lilly Koltun at the opening reception for Ottawa Selects.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

You’ll forgive busy mom Jill Scheer if she hasn’t yet read all five books shortlisted this year for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.

“I have four young kids, so I’m working my way through them,” she told Around Town just as guests were arriving Wednesday to the Fairmont Château Laurier for this gala town’s number one best-seller, the Politics and the Pen.

Scheer, whose other half is Speaker of the House of Commons Andrew Scheer, headed up the literary gala’s organizing committee with New Democrat Party (NDP) national director Anne McGrath, who was a co-chair last year, too.

From left, Jill Scheer, wife of Speaker of the House of Commons Andrew Scheer, and Anne McGrath, national director of the New Democratic Party (NDP), were the co-chairs of this year’s Politics and the Pen dinner held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Wednesday, March 11, 2015.

“I’ve read a lot of them,” said McGrath. “Although, most of my reading is done in transit. It takes me awhile sometimes to get through them, especially these days.”

From left, Victoria Shore with Andrew Harris from Amazon, U.S. Ambassador Bruce Heyman and Gowlings partner Jacques Shore at the Politics and the Pen dinner held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Wednesday, March 11, 2015.

The evening gathered a who’s who of Canadian authors and journalists, federal politicians and senior cabinet minister, and prominent business CEOs. Former newspaper magnate Conrad Black, U.S. Ambassador Bruce Heyman and his wife, Vicki, CBC top news anchor Peter Mansbridge, Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz and last year’s prize winner, Paul Wells, were just a few of the faces spotted in the highly influential and recognizable 500-person crowd.

From left, Ken Whyte, founding editor-in-chief of the National Post, with its founder, Condrad Black, and senior Conservative cabinet minister Jason Kenney at the Politics and the Pen dinner held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Wednesday, March 11, 2015.

Senator Joyce Murray in conversation with Peter Mansbridge, news anchor of CBC’s The National, at the Politics and the Pen dinner for Writers’ Trust, held Wednesday, March 11, 2015, at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier.

The more than $330,000 raised from the dinner goes to the Writers’ Trust of Canada, a charitable organization founded by authors to advance and celebrate Canadian writers and the creation of new works.
“We have such an amazing diversity of Canadian authors,” said McGrath. “They write things that we need to read, that we need to hear about, and they challenge the power structures of this country, and I think that’s really good.”
This year’s winner of the $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize was Joseph Heath for Enlightenment 2.0: Restoring Sanity to Our Politics, Our Economy and Our Lives, published by HarperCollins Publishers.

From left, Joseph Heath, who won the 2015 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, in conversation with fellow author Taras Grescoe at the Politics and Pen dinner held Wednesday, March 11, 2015, at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier.

Early in the evening, before the prize winner was announced, Around Town caught up with Heath, a University of Toronto philosophy professor attending the gala for his first time.
“It’s a bewildering experience,” Heath said at the schmoozy cocktail reception. “It’s nice, obviously. My book is a 400-page book on the subject of reason, so that’s kind of a hard sell. Obviously, anything that can help move the product helps.”

Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing finalist John Ralston Saul with Writers Trust of Canada executive director Mary Osborne at the Politics and the Pen dinner held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Wedneseday, March 11, 2015.

From left, Green Party leader Elizabeth May in conversation with Toronto Star journalist and Shaughnessy Cohen Prize finalist Chantal Hébert at the Politics and the Pen dinner held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Wednesday, March 11, 2015.

The other finalists were Toronto Star journalist Chantal Hébert with Jean Lapierre for The Morning After: The 1995 Quebec Referendum and the Day that Almost Was, published by Knopf Canada; Naomi Klein‘s This Changes Everything: Capitalism Vs. The Climate, also published by Knopf Canada; John Ralston Saul for The Comeback: How Aboriginals Are Reclaiming Power and Influence, published by Viking Canada; and Graham Steele‘s What I Learned About Politics: Inside the Rise – and Collapse – of Nova Scotia’s NDP Government, published by Nimbus Publishing.
The winner was chosen by a jury made up of Ottawa-based author Denise Chong, Citizen columnist Terry Glavin and Globe and Mail Queen’s Park reporter Jane Taber.