The City with a Heart of Gold was awash in cultural activities over the weekend ranging from jazz at Christopher’s Coffee House, to Hippie-Beatnik Poetry Café at the Library, to the Porcupine Art Club Open House, to a demonstration of clay pottery art and stained glass creations in Timmins and Schumacher.
“There were nine activities in Timmins, from Astronomy to Zumba classes,” said Karina Douglas-Takayesu, one of the Ontario Culture Days Taskforce members in Timmins.
“Timmins has been participating for the last four years and it has been celebrated the last seven years across Ontario,” Douglas-Takayesu added.
The activities took place from Friday, Sept. 30 through Sunday Oct. 2 and were part of a province-wide celebration of Ontario’s diverse culture.
"Ontario Culture Days is an important initiative that celebrates diverse cultural events taking place in every corner of Ontario,” said Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “The events highlight the importance of our local museums and galleries, while shining a bright light on Ontario’s diverse artistic community.“
The Province of Ontario officially proclaimed those days as Ontario Culture Days to recognize and celebrate the province’s cultural diversity.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Culture, nearly 200 communities take part with over 2,000 activities for residents and visitors to explore culture across Ontario.
"Supporting arts and culture is part of the government's economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs,” said Eleanor McMahon, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism and Culture.
In Timmins, things got underway on Friday night with Zumba exercise class at ecole publique Lionel-Gauthier, followed by Steve Kesler and friends offering jazz from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Christopher’s Coffee House.
Saturday was filled with numerous activities. For the early birds, Wawatin Clayworks Pottery Wheel Demos were given at the Mountjoy Farmer’s Market, commencing at 8 a.m.
Scottish Highland Dance Lessons followed, offered by Marnie Lapierre, one of the Timmins Culture Days Taskforce members.
The Timmins Library meeting room was transformed into a 1950s and 1960s beatnik-hippie café and featured the poetry of Maggie Jasaitis and the music of Ray Cool.
Jasaitis read a couple of poems and a short story about her experience with counter-culture members centred on Ottawa’s Lafayette Tavern.
Ray Cool sang songs in French and English while accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica.
Karina Douglas Takayesu created spontaneous haiku poems using themes suggested by Japanese haiku dice that were rolled for the haiku theme.
Ample amounts of coffee, tea and munchies were provided. The room was decorated with South Asian elephant print couch covers and blue psychedelic cloth prints draping the front walls.
In true beatnik culture the audience showed their appreciation for the readings by snapping their fingers instead of clapping.
Saturday’s activities continued after dark at Hersey Lake with a gathering of the Timmins Astronomy Club to view stars and other celestial bodies.
“There is a blend of science and culture in viewing the night sky,” said Douglas-Takayesu. “Many of the constellations are named after characters in Greek mythology and mythology of other cultures.”
“For example, there is a constellation called the Seven Sisters, also known as Subaru in Japanese mythology,” Douglas- Takayesu explained. “If you look at the Subaru car company logo it consists of seven stars.”
On Sunday, activities shifted to Schumacher, for a session titled 'Glassing Around with Tanya Thurston' at the Thurston Stained Glass Studio on Father Costello Drive.
Meanwhile, at St. Matthews Anglican Church, the doors were open all day Sunday for people to come and enjoy their stained glass windows.
Also on Sunday, the Porcupine Art Club welcomed members of the public to their art studio at Roy Nicholson Park (Eighth Avenue and Pine St. N. in Timmins).
A reprise of the Scottish Highland Dancing Lessons was also offered.
Ontario Culture Days began in 2009 as a volunteer initiative to increase awareness, accessibility and engagement of Canadians in the cultural lives of their communities.
The culture sector adds more than $25 billion to Ontario’s economy each year and generates about 280,000 jobs.
In July 2016, the province announced Ontario’s first Culture Strategy, to encourage appreciation and participation in arts and culture so that the people of Ontario may express themselves and tell their stories.
In Timmins, planning for Culture Days got underway in May, 2016 when arts and culture groups gathered at the Timmins Public Library to coordinate activities,
