2 July 2011 / #canada day #weekly OttawaStart's Weekly Event Round-Up: 20+ of the awesomest Ottawa events this week[ ](http://ottawastart.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/weekly-event-roundup250.gif)While everybody’s attention is on Parliament Hill for Canada Day and Will and Kate’s excellent Ottawa adventure , there tons of otehr great events happening this week in O-Town. Here are our contributors picks for the greatest events this week._ (Thanks to this week’s new contributors, Natasha, Stephan, Juliette, Brad and Kaitlin.) _** Juliette Giannesini, aka Zhu, photographer :CANADA: ** This week, I’m looking forward to celebrate Canada Day—Ottawa is definitely the place to be! After soaking up the atmosphere and getting lost in the crowd, I’m planning to take part in the ** Great Canadian Oath at Major’s Hill Park ** at 2:15 pm, where hundreds of Canadians will retake the oath of citizenship together. It’s a very inclusive event and even though I’ve been a Canadian citizen for two years now, I’ll be happy to reaffirm my citizenship on Canada Day!** Andrew King , artist SECRETS: ** Check out the ** Aviation Museum on Canada Day ** for the opening of the storage building to the public. This is awesome because it is Canada’s version of Area 51. It houses the wings of the Avro Arrow and secret wind tunnel test models of NRC experimental flying wing designs. Also in there is the nose section of the Avro jetliner that was flown by Howard Hughes. You can see the seat where he piloted the worlds first jet airliner. Hughes wanted to buy it for his airline TWA but cancelled his order for them. Cool they are opening it up for the public on Canada day.** Ryan Bresee , radio host of CKCU’s Whatever’s Cool With Me : CANADIANA: **The Canada Parks Project premieres in Ottawa on Canada Day at 8:30 p.m. in Jacques Cartier Park and at the Mayfair Theatre July 2-3 . Musicians from across Canada visited and wrote songs about 13 National Parks and this is brought to the big screen. The early reviews are positively glowing!** Lydia Bociurkiw from Ottawa Girl : CROQUET : ** As an oh-so-proud Canadian, I just had to pick a Canada Day event this week. One that caught my eye was the ** Canada Day Garden Party at the Currency Museum of the Bank of Canada ** . This free, British-themed garden party is a perfect way to celebrate the Royal Visit while taking a break from the crowds on Parliament Hill. It starts at 10:30am and will include a croquet game, music by the Maple Leaf Brass Band and iced tea with scones and jam. Happy Canada Day!** Natasha Gauthier , dance & theatre critic and horse competitor: **** SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE: ** Ever wanted to take you dog to a dance performance? Head over to Strathcona Park (Laurier @ Range Road) for ** Dusk Dances , ** a 4-night exhibit of fresh Canadian dance in a relaxed urban outdoor setting. Host Annie Lefebvre and Mike Essoudry’s Mash Potato Mashers band join dancers and choreographers from Ottawa, Toronto and beyond. June 30-July 3, performances start at 7:00pm. Admission is pay-what-you-can, bring lawn chairs or blankets for sitting.** Yasir Naqvi , MPP Ottawa Centre: SKATEBOARDING: ** I’m really looking forward to the ** 8th Annual Dovercourt Open and Canadian Nationals of Slalom Skateboarding ** on Friday at the Dovercourt Recreation Centre. Skateboarding competitions take place from 9 am to noon, with some of Canada’s top competitors making appearances. A family event that everyone will enjoy!** @ottguy , Twitter dude: RUNNING: ** Canada Day for me often includes far too much food and far too many beverages. So to get the long weekend off on a much better foot I’ll be participating in the ** 25th Annual Bushtukah Canada Day Road Races in Kanata ** on Friday morning. If you live in the area set your alarm (I know, it’s your day off) but all of us 5km and 10km racers would love to see you line the route (Beaverbrook area of Kanata) or run along so you don’t feel so guilty when you over indulge this long weekend. Start gun goes off at 8am!** Jim Watson , Mayor of Ottawa: SENIORS AND ROYALS: ** The ** Mayor’s Canada Day Seniors Breakfast ** is on July 1st and I am very much looking forward to celebrating Canada Day morning with thousands and thousands of seniors at Lansdowne Park! (This is a free event but by ticket only, and is sold out.) I also have the great privilege of greeting the ** Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ** on June 30 when they arrive in Canada and will be accompanied by a very excited young man, Kellen Schleyer (Age 9) and will be bidding them farewell on July 2 after their visit to Ottawa with a very excited young lady, Destiny Dumais (Age 10). What an historic moment it will be to have the Royal couple here in our Nation’s Capital!** [ Kaitlin Wainwright ](http://heartfulmouthful.wordpress.com/) , blogger & twitter-er: HISTORY: ** My recommendation is to check out all the amazing activities going on at the ** [ Canadian War Museum for Canada Day ](http://ottawastart.com/museums.php) . ** Admission is free, and the green roof serves as a wonderful lookout point to the festivities on the Hill. I'm actually going to be in Killaloe celebrating Canada Day, but I think the War Museum is one of the must-visit institutions that's free to the public on July 1. ** [ Arne Berg ](http://twitter.com/OttawaArne) , photographer: ** ** JOKES: ** For a good laugh check out a great Canadian Comedian, Mike McDonald June 30 at 8 p.m. and July 2 at 9 p.m. at the [ Yuk Yuks Elgin location ](http://www.yukyuks.com/location.aspx?LocationID=10) . ** Glen Gower, editor of [ OttawaStart.com ](http://ottawastart.com/) : BEACHES: ** We're hoping the weather stays nice for the annual [ ** Merveilles Des Sables ** ](http://ottawastart.com/story/14436.php) (Wonders of Sand) in Gatineau. July 1-3 at Lac Beauchamp in Gatineau. ** Heather-Marie Connors, aka [ @HMSurfacing ](http://twitter.com/HMSurfacing) : ** ** FOOLISHNESS: ** A Company of Fools outdoor touring production of ** " [ Antony and Cleopatra ](http://ottawastart.com/story/14050.php) " ** opens this week; opening night is in Strathcona Park on Monday, July 4 beginning at 7pm. This show features some of my favourite Ottawa actors, including Richard Gelinas as Antony and Catriona Leger as Cleopatra. ** [ Andrew Snowdon ](http://twitter.com/#!/snobiwan) , writer: SHAKESPEARE: ** I'm going to go with: easing the Fringe hangover with the ongoing ** [ Salamander Shakespeare Company production of Othello ](http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=119340994821669) , ** which will be hitting Hintonburg Park on July 5 at 7pm, then continuing its tour of local parks and downtown venues until late July. ** Brett Delmage, [ OttawaJazzScene.ca ](http://ottawajazzscene.ca/) : JAMMING: ** ** ** The [ Ottawa Jazz Festival ](http://ottawastart.com/jazzfest.php) is only 10 days long and there are only 3 days left. So I'll again be checking out the ** Jam Sessions ** , nightly from 10:30pm until 1:00am or later, except for Canada Day, in ARC The Hotel, 140 Slater Street. You (and often the house band!) don't know who will show up to jam, or what they will play, or how they will play it - but that spontaneity can be a lot of fun. $10 or a jazz festival pass of any kind will get you in. [ (Here's a story about last year's jam session.) ](http://ottawajazzscene.ca/news/1086-2010-jazz-festival-countdown-the-joy-of-jams-with-john-geggie) ** [ Stephan Telka ](http://twitter.com/#!/stephantelka) , public engagement consultant by day and avid Ottawa lover by night: ** ** NIGHTLIFE: ** I have two friends visiting from Toronto for their first Canada Day in our nation's capital. In addition to the usual programming on the Hill, as well as royal watching, I'm excited about [ ** A-Slam Productions ** ](http://www.a-slam.com/) , a Juno-nominated Vancouver-based artist and production team, spinning a mix of Bhangra (from Punjab), Latin, Electro, World and Hip-Hop at [ Mercury Lounge ](http://www.mercurylounge.com/events/a-slam-jun-30-2011.php) (56 Byward Market Square) on Thursday night. ** [ Oni the Haitian Sensation ](http://twitter.com/OniJoseph) , Poetician OUTSPOKEN: ** Oni the Haitian Sensation- Poetician, Godmother of Canadian Slam, Sexier than you, has agreed to participate in the ** [ Women's Worlds 2011 Arts and Culture Program ](http://www.womensworlds.ca/) ** . I'm headlining the Breaking Sound event on Wednesday July 6 2011. The event will take place from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. ** Tim Schobert, [ Classical Music Ottawa ](http://www.classymusic.ca/) : MUSIC: [ Festival Alexandra ](http://ottawastart.com/festivals.php) ** begins its 2011 season this weekend. It's always a pleasant musical experience to take in the informal rural environs of this festival. Do check out their website to see what's on offer for July 2 and 3. ** Josee from [ Frugal Fun Ottawa ](http://frugalfunottawa.ca/index.html) : FRUGAL: ** I love free concerts at the NAC, and Sunday's [ ** L'Orchestre de la Francophonie ** ]() performance is sure to be a crowd pleaser! The concert starts at 7:30 pm, and tickets can be picked up in person at the NAC box office. ** Laura Nicol, aka [ @311Laura ](http://twitter.com/311Laura) : DOCUMENTARY: ** ** [ No Woman No Cry, a film by Christy Turlington Burns ](http://care.ca/main/index.php?en&womens_world_2011) , ** CARE Advocate for Maternal Health and founder of Every Mother Counts. Free admission, Tuesday July 5 at the University of Ottawa Alumni Auditorium (Jock Turcot University Centre, Main Floor - 85 University Private, Ottawa). 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm). [ Watch the trailer here. ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F6hngJFGOk) ** Don from [ foodieprints ](http://www.foodieprints.com/) : ** ** FOOD, ETC.: ** Celebrate Canada Day this year at the [ ** Canada Agriculture Museum ** ](http://ottawastart.com/story/14293.php) (Memory Park - Prince of Wales, south of the traffic circle at the edge of the Ornamental Gardens on the Central Experimental Farm). There will be holiday activities for both young and old, including a horse demonstrations (organized by the Upper Canada District Canadian Horse Breeders), muffin and ice cream making, milking demonstrations, and craft-making. Admission to the museum is free July 1st. Plus at 11:30, the Friends of the Central Experimental Farm will be holding a strawberry social. ** Denise Deby, who writes for [ Green Living Ottawa ](http://greenlivingottawa.com/) : SKATERS (AGAIN): ** Sure there’s Canada Day, the Jazz Festival, Bluesfest… but you can also take in the Canadian National Skateboard Slalom Championships right here in Ottawa. The 8th annual [ Dovercourt Open and Canadian National Championships ](http://worldslalomskateboarding.com/its-a-canadian-thing-eh-8th-%20annual-dovercourt-open-cdn-national-slalom-championships/) are happening Friday July 1 at the corner of Roosevelt and Dovercourt, and – new this year – on Saturday July 2 at Dovercourt and Denbury, [ starting at 9 a.m. ](http://www.dovercourt.org/) both days. (I should add that I’m on the Board of the Dovercourt Recreation Association – but skateboard only vicariously.) ** Andrea, from [ a peek inside the fishbowl ](http://www.quietfish.com/notebook) ** ** : ** ** CROWD AVOIDANCE: ** I'm don't love crowds and I've learned to avoid them as much as possible, which is why I won't be part of the hot and sweaty throng on Parliament Hill on Canada Day. I'd rather bring my family somewhere a little more low key, like the [ ** Canada Agriculture Museum ** ](http://ottawastart.com/story/14293.php) (a.k.a the Experimental Farm). There's tons of stuff going on there and admission is free on Canada Day. ** Lisa from [ couchassassin.com ](http://couchassassin.com/) : DANCE (AGAIN): ** Canada Day madness a little too maddening? The [ ** Dusk Dance festival ** ](http://couchassassin.com/event/dusk-dances-festival) offers a lovely alternative with three days of dance and musical performances including Ottawa's happiest marching band the Mashed Potato Mashers. All at Strathcona Park. ** [ Stuntman Stu ](http://www.stuntmanstu.com/) from Majic 100: FIREWORKS: ** Lots of big names have played Scotiabank Place the last few months (Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga, Rihanna) and this Sunday night [ ** Katy Perry's tour comes to Ottawa ** ](http://ottawastart.com/story/12849.php) . A sold out crowd including tons of winners who won tickets from Majic 100 will enjoy the show! ** Brad, aka [ Bradsucks ](http://www.bradsucks.net/) : MONGOLIANS: ** Sure the Canada Day fireworks on the Hill are great but I've seen Mongolians rock out before and it stuck with me. So I bet ** [ 'Experience Music in a Mongolian Yurt' in Jacques-Cartier Park ](http://ottawastart.com/story/14200.php) ** on Canada Day will be a winner. ** ** _ ** What are you doing this week? ** Add your event picks to the comments below. _ ** ** ** See also: ** [ Ottawa Events Guide ](http://ottawastart.com/events.php) If you liked this post, please consider [ subscribing ](http://ottawastart.com/subscribe.php) to our blog via email, Twitter, Facebook or RSS. Thank you.