OttawaStart's Weekly Event Round-Up: August 22-28, 2013

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** Tuesday, August 20 to Sunday, August 25: ** YouthCanSlam Festival

YouthCanSlam, Canada’s first national youth poetry festival is holding its inaugural event until Sunday, August 25. Teams of young poets from across the country will compete in a series of slams for a shot at winning the National Youth Poetry Slam Championship Team title. The festival will also feature a variety of workshops and showcases. If you’re into poetry and spoken word, you definitely want to take part in this exciting new festival and help support local initiatives like this one.

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Eliane Laberge _

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** ** Thursday, August 22: Lunchtime Performing Arts Series – Dancefest **

At Centrepointe Park, 11:00am-4:00pm. A dance party in the park, combined with the fun of a splash pad, water art activities, games, demonstrations and a BBQ Lunch—it’s all a part of the Lunchtime Performing Arts Series—and the best part, it’s FREE.Bring your bathing suit and cool off at the splash pad. Centrepointe Splash is not only one of the biggest and best splash pads with its tipping bucket and spraying loop – de – loop, but this summer, it is the first splash pad to host this citywide major special event. **

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Sara-Lynne Levine _

**

** ** Friday, August 23: Centretown Movies **

Centretown Movies shows popular, family friendly movies in an open-air, walk-in theatre in Dundonald Park. What better way to spend a summer evening? The last movie of the season is _ Mean Girls _ .

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Laura Gauthier _

**

** ** Friday, August 23: Above Ground Press 20th Anniversary **

Celebrating 20 Years of above/ground press with poetry readings by Gary Barwin, Marcus McCann, Wanda O’Connor & Martha Reed; $8 entry fee includes a copy of the latest issue of the Peter F. Yacht Club. Starts at 7pm.

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Amanda Earl _

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** ** Thursday-Sunday, August 22-25: Wakefest **

The 2013 Wakefest is being held along and around the banks of the Gatineau River in Wakefield. The annual community festival celebrates local artists with live music, literature, film, theatre, dance, vernissages and workshops.

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Eliane Laberge _

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** ** Friday-Saturday, August 23-24: 24 Hour Fever **

One of Ottawa’s best bands, Fevers , is releasing their new album over two nights this weekend. You can catch them doing an acoustic set on Friday night at Mugshots with guests Loon Choir, and a full set on Saturday at Mavericks with The Love Machine.

You can stream their new album here .

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Ryan Bresee _

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** ** Friday-Sunday, August 23-25: Upper Gatineau Whitewater Festival **

The Upper Gatineau Whitewater Festival was created to promote the Gatineau River as a whitewater destination and to demonstrate to the local community the vast recreational and touristic potential of this magnificent river. As always, the Festival is aimed at making people and governments aware of the importance of protecting our rivers. **

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Jean Labelle _

**

** ** Until Saturday, August 24: Changing of the Guard on Parliament Hill **

A Canadian tradition at its most colourful! The Ceremonial Guard of the Canadian Forces brings stirring military drill and music to Parliament Hill. Come at 9:45 am to learn more about the ceremony.

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Sara-Lynne Levine _

**

** ** Saturday, August 24: Casino du Lac-Leamy Sound of Light (Grande Finale) **

The 18th edition of the Casino du Lac-Leamy Sound of Light fireworks festival wraps up this Saturday with the awarding of the festival’s trophy and a grande finale featuring a show by Royal Pyrotechnie and the winning country. In addition to some world-class fireworks, there are lots of activities throughout the site and shows on the Tim Hortons stage. The site opens at 6pm, the fireworks start around 9:30pm and everything wraps up at 11pm.

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Gordon Dewis _

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** ** Saturday, August 24: For Pivot’s Sake **

If you plan on attending 4 Pivot’s Sake, prepare to have your belly full and your liver satisfied as four local chefs pair up with four local breweries to create a dish that celebrates local cuisine and the talent of our brewers. Proceeds from the event will support the “For Pivot’s Sake” program, a community initiative designed to get a little more life out of used old skateboard goods by recycling them to help out low income youth across the City of Ottawa.

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Eliane Laberge _

**

**

** Saturday, August 24 **

** : Flavours of Summer **

Chef Justin Scott of Kudos Cuisine will be demonstrating cooking concepts and culinary skills with The Unrefined Olive olive oils & balsamic vinegars. If you haven’t been to one of Chef Scott’s events, or if you’ve never been to the amazing Unrefined Olive - you don’t know what you’re missing! **

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Laura Gauthier _

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** ** Sunday, August 25: Ottawa Pride Parade ** **

Organizers are expecting 35,000 people downtown for the annual Pride Parade, part of Pride Week in Ottawa. The parade starts at 1:00pm at Gladstone Avenue, heads north on Bank Street to Laurier, then heads east on Laurier ending at Ottawa City Hall.

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Glen Gower _

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** ** Sunday, August 25: Decho/Haneman/Delage (DHD3) at Stella Luna **

Bassist Marc Decho, guitarist Lucas Haneman, and drummer Michel Delage are three of the busier and more versatile jazz musicians in Ottawa, playing everything from jazz standards to Latin to pop crossovers. This is the first outing for their new project, which will pull in influences from improvised music, jazz, rock, avant-garde, Latin & Caribbean, and even deconstruct some standards. They’re playing at Stella Luna, an ice cream parlour in old Ottawa South, which has been offering jazz on many Sunday evenings for more than a year now – hot music to go with frosty treats. **

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Brett Delmage _

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** ** Sunday, August 25: Just Food Urban Agriculture Bike Tour **

A leisurely Sunday bike ride to five of Ottawa’s community gardens, snacks included: that’s Just Food’s Urban Agriculture Bike Tour. It’s from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. starting at the Brewer Park Community Garden. A suggested $5 donation supports Just Food’s Start-Up Farm Program.

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Denise Deby _

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** ** Tuesday, August 27: Soup Ottawa “The Art of…” Summer Soup Event **

Take a group of community-minded volunteers, some innovative causes, and good food, and you get Soup Ottawa. A $10 ticket buys you a soup meal, a vote for one of the community projects presented, and a chance to meet creative people in town. The project which receives the most votes benefits from the evening’s proceeds. It’s at 6:30 p.m. at Art Is In Bakery. **

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Denise Deby _

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** ** Until ** ** Saturday, August 31: My Summer Crush **

My friends at Crush Improv present three (!)weeks of workshops and shows featuring improv theatre artists from across Ottawa and Canada. It’s sponsored by Kichesippi Beer and it all happens at Arts Court. I’ll be playing piano on Thursday nights.

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Glen Gower _

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** ** Have a great week! **

** See also: ** Ottawa Events Guide

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