OttawaStart's Weekly Event Round-Up: February 12-18

_ Our crowdsourced list of the best events in Ottawa this week. You can find even more events on our Ottawa Event Calendar . _

** Thursday, February 12: redruM Comedy Show/ Avant Garde Bar’s comedy ** Open Mic Night featuring a variety of local comedians. /Expect the unexpected. $5 suggested donation/pay what you can at the end of the show. _ – Rachelle Todd _ ** Thursday, February 12 (also February 19 and 26): Wilderness Winter Snowshoe Walk ** You’re invited to join the Métis Nation of Ontario and Wabano Aboriginal Health Centre for a snowshoe walk along the Sugar Bush Trail near Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre. 11 a.m.-noon; snowshoes provided. _ – Denise Deby , Green Living Ottawa _ ** Thursday, February 12: Inter Pares Film Night ** The Quebec documentary Slums: Cities of Tomorrow looks at housing challenges in seven countries. The screening is the first in a new Film Nights series hosted by Inter Pares, which promotes food security, equality and justice around the world, to mark its 40th birthday. _ – Denise Deby , Green Living Ottawa _ ** Thursday-Sunday, February 12-15: Ottawa Implosion Vol. 2 ** The second edition of the Ottawa Implosion festival is going down from February 12 to 15 at Gabba Hey and House of Targ. Over 3 days, there will be live performances by local garage punk bands and out-of-towners including Boyhood, Monomyth, Big Dick, Ultrathin, and Pregnancy Scares who’ll be giving their last show. _ – Eliane Laberge, Eventful Capital _ ** February 13-16: Third Weekend of Winterlude ** Highlights include cool science, shinny and pond hockey, theatre, music, cross-country ski races, and marathon running.  Plus skating on the Rideau Canal, of course. _ – Glen Gower _ ** Friday-Saturday, February 13-14: Winter Brewfest ** The organizers of the Gatineau Festibiere are presenting the inaugural edition of the Winter Brewfest to be held this Friday and Saturday inside and outside the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park. This beer-lovers’ festival, featuring local breweries Beau’s, Beyond the Pale, Big Rig, and Kichesippi among others, will also include yummy eats courtesy of LOCAL Lansdowne and music by DJs Kid SL, Illo and more. _ – Eliane Laberge, Eventful Capital _ ** Friday-Saturday, February 13-14: Jazz for Valentine’s Day ** This weekend, Ottawa-Gatineau jazz fans can hear a wide variety of romantic music, starting with loving treatments of jazz standards from the duo of Steve Berndt and Brian Browne at La Grange on Friday (You can enter OttawaJazzScene.ca’s contest to win tickets for the show!). On Valentine’s Day itself, you can hear Karen Oxorn’s lively tribute to love songs from the Roaring Twenties and Dirty Thirties at GigSpace. Or you can enjoy classic dinner jazz (vocals and guitar) with a romantic twist at different locations around town from Peter Liu and Garry Elliott at Zolas, from Pierre Monfils and Anouk-Michelle Grégoire at the Brookstreet Options Jazz Lounge, or from Elise Letourneau and Tim Bedner at Festival Japan. _ – Alayne McGregor , OttawaJazzScene.ca _ ** Friday-Sunday, February 13-15: Beaver Cup Pond Hockey Championship **

Who’s up to play some ole time pond hockey? Fun, Fast, Full Throttle 4 on 4 Pond Hockey Championship at Winterlude on the World Famous Rideau Canal at Dow’s Lake.

_ (Sponsored) _ ** Saturday, February 14: Wolf Gang Sessions Part 1 ** This Saturday, the Mercury Lounge and the NAC present Wolf Gang Series Part 1, a night of music with a wild side where classical meets funk. The NAC is taking its orchestra out of their traditional space and putting a special spin on DJ Trevor Walker’s funk boogie set, all in one night. This promises to be a very special night of live music! _ – Eliane Laberge, Eventful Capital _ ** Until Saturday, February 14 - Valentine’s For Vets ** Show veterans your gratitude for their sacrifices and achievements in serving our country. Create a hand-made valentine and help bring joy to a Canadian veteran this Valentine’s Day.Veterans Affairs Canada distributes the valentines to veterans in long-term care facilities across the country in time for February 14. At the Canadian War Museum. _ – Sara-Lynne Levine, Macaroni Kid Ottawa _ ** Monday, February 16: Family Day Activities at Rideau Hall ** The skating rink will be open to the public on Family Day (in Ontario, on Monday, February 16) from noon until 5 p.m., weather permitting. Guided tours of the residence will be offered at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m.— no reservation is required. _ – Sara-Lynne Levine, Macaroni Kid Ottawa _ ** Tuesday, February 17: LCBO Taste & Experience Cooking Class ** Get a fresh and delicious perspective on healthy gourmet cooking with Kudos Cuisine Chef/Owner Justin Scott. A leader in health conscious catering, Chef Scott is known for producing exciting, healthful food that packs a big flavour punch. _ – Laura Gauthier _ ** Wednesday, February 18: The Sawdust Reading Series Presents Amanda Earl ** Pour House, 495 Somerset W. Poetry, saints, magic, art & fervour. also fine food & libations. there will also be another featured reader, determined by a poetry contest. _ – Amanda Earl , Bywords _ ** Until February 28: SPAO Symposium and Exhibitions: The Shrinking World of Photograph ** Make sure to check out this amazing collection of photographs by an international roster of artists, curators, and academics centred at SPAO on January 22–February 28 for The Shrinking World of Photography. All programming at SPAO will be free of charge and open to the public.Check out the website for specific events and talks related to the exhibit. _ – Laura Gauthier _ _ For more events, check out ottawastart.com/events/ … and have a great week! _