10 July 2014 / #weekly OttawaStart's Weekly Event Round-Up: July 10-16, 2014[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/118323764@N05/14403311560)Photo: Skyway Abstract by Marcel Regimbald, from the OttawaStart Flickr Group_ Here’s our crowdsourced list of the best events in Ottawa this week. _**** ** Thursday, July 3-Sunday, July 13: Bluesfest ** You probably know that Bluesfest is one of the biggest music events in town. But did you know it’s also won awards for being a “green” festival? As well as compostable dishes, water bottle refilling stations, recycling and biofuel-powered generators, Bluesfest offers free, supervised valet bicycle parking that’s looked after more than 50,000 bikes so far this year. (They do accept donations for Citizens for Safe Cycling and Bluesfest’s Blues in the Schools program.) Riding the recreational paths to Lebreton Flats, parking your bike and taking in some great music—sounds like a pretty good outing._Denise Deby , Green Living Ottawa _**** ** Friday, July 11: Buddy Wakefield and OpenSecret at HUB Ottawa ** House of PainT and VerseFest have teamed up to present American spoken word legend Buddy Wakefield live in Ottawa. The three-time world slam poetry champion will be giving a live feature alongside Ottawa’s own Ikenna Onyegbula also known as OpenSecret, the 2014 World Poetry Slam Champion. The event, which is sure offer an inspiring night of poetry, will be taking place at HUB Ottawa as of 7:30 pm._ – Eliane Laberge, Eventful Capital _**** ** Friday, July 11: Avant-Garde Bar 10-Year Anniversary Party **Avant-Garde Bar is turning a decade old and to celebrate 10 years of success, the team invites you to party with them as local bands The Cowards, Tindervox and The Ven Dreddies will be performing live this Friday night starting at 9pm. Happy Birthday to one of the funnest live music venues in Ottawa!_ – Eliane Laberge, Eventful Capital _**** ** Saturday-Sunday, July 12-13: Kingdom of Osgoode Medieval Festival **Visit the Kingdom of Osgoode this weekend for the 7th annual Kingdom of Osgoode Medieval Festival. Whilst at the festival ye can see dancing, sword fighting by knights, magic shows and knighting ceremonies, to name but a few things. There is also a medieval market where ye can puchase things like food and jewelry and even armour! Getting there is easy: If ye rely on wizardry to navigate, ask your magical GPS box to take you to 5670 Osgoode Main Street, or ye can take a free horseless wagon ride (aka: a shuttle) from Greenboro Station (see their website for the schedule). The Kingdom’s gates open at 9:30am and close at 5:00pm Saturday and Sunday. There’s also a special event on ** Friday evening ** , where ye can attend the King’s Knight Medieval Pub (if thou art at least 19 years old) and party like it’s 1307!_Gordon Dewis _**** ** Saturday-Sunday, July 12-13: Kingdom of Osgoode Medieval Festival **This is an event I’ve been interested in for years but have never been able to attend - until this year! I’m very excited. In fact, this event sounds so exciting that it must be shouted about: Knights! Puppets! Magic! Archery! Birds of prey! Dancers! A fight ring! Music! Jousting! A marketplace! A catapult?!! Yes, a catapult! Top all of these things off with a FREE shuttle bus to and from Ottawa and a new environmentally-friendly approach to the festival’s management and you have (what I hope to be) one of the coolest weekends of the year. Throw your family in the wagon and get down to Osgoode._Jake Naylor _**** ** Saturday, July 12: Ottawa Water Garden Festival ** Visit 12 of the most unique water gardens in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, and support The Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health. Visitors will embark on a self-guided tour through a dozen unique styles of water gardens, swimming ponds and natural spas._Eugene Haslam _**** ** Saturday, July 12: Petrie Island Nature Walk – Reading the Landscape ** Learn to interpret clues in nature that reveal the ecology and history of Petrie Island, on the Ottawa River, during the Friends of Petrie Island’s second Nature Walk, led by field naturalist Bryarly McEachern. 10 a.m.-noon (rain date July 27); register in advance._Denise Deby , Green Living Ottawa _**** ** Saturday, July 12: Capital Pop Up! Handmade Show ** This show sounded more great the more I read about it. Not only is it a one-day shopping party that supports local artisans (of food, art, jewelry, apparel, or fuzzy stuffed demon-Yeti toys), but each of those vendors is supporting a local charity of their choice through their efforts at the show. Further, proceeds from the show itself support even more local charities, namely Gabriella’s Groupies and the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. I just typed “support” and “local” a lot of times. Ya dig?_Jake Naylor _**** ** Sunday, July 13: World Cup Finale Viewing Party ** Getting together with thousands of soccer fans to watch the Beautiful Game’s World Cup 2014 finale outdoors with a giant screen? yes please!_Laura Gauthier _**** ** Sunday, July 13: Demolition of the Sir John Carling building **It’s not something we often see in Ottawa: a building being demolished by the use of explosives. On Sunday morning, the Sir John Carling building, the former Agriculture Canada headquarters, is going down in a most-dramatic way. Crowds will be kept at a safe distance, but because there are many trees that surround it, there will only be a few good vantage points. I suggest watching from the Dow’s Lake Pavillion (Queen Elizabeth Drive at Preston) or from the old observatory (Carling Avenue and Maple Drive). The demolition is scheduled to take place at 7:00, but come early: you won’t want to be late (no do-overs)._Ross Brown , blogger _**** ** Tuesday, July 15: Music and Beyond: Three Sides of Oliver Jones **At Dominion Chalmers United Church. Jazz pianist Oliver Jones is perennially popular with Ottawa audiences, but this concert will show another facet of his musicianship. Besides performing with his accomplished trio, he’ll also play solo piano, and perform classical pieces with classical musicians. Music & Beyond’s artistic director Julian Armour told OttawaJazzScene.ca that Jones takes a different and refreshing approach to classical music. And, to top it off, you can also hear the Nepean All-City Jazz Band, Ottawa’s favourite big band in our 2013 Jazz Favourites Poll._Alayne McGregor , OttawaJazzScene.ca _**** ** July 10-September 1: Who glows there? The science of bioluminescence at the Canadian Museum of Nature ** What is behind the mysterious science of bioluminescence? What are the organisms that glow and why do they do it? Check out the exhibit and don’t miss the original, 10-minute presentation/theatrical skit daily at 2pm with fun characters and props. It’s sure to “shed some light” on this fascinating phenomenon in nature._ – Sara-Lynne Levine, Macaroni Kid Ottawa _**** ** July 3-August 23: Children’s Activities at Rideau Hall **Enjoy “Storytime at Rideau Hall,” in collaboration with Frontier College. Fridays and Saturdays, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., from June 28 to August 23. Learn about heraldry by designing your very own coat of arms. Daily, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Stroll the grounds, bring a picnic and enjoy the children’s play structure.Watch the Relief of the Sentries of the Ceremonial Guard. Daily, every hour on the hour, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 25 to August 22._ – Sara-Lynne Levine, Macaroni Kid Ottawa _**** ** June 24-August 23: Changing the Guard on Parliament Hill ** See a Canadian tradition at its most colourful! The Ceremonial Guard brings stirring military drills and music to Parliament Hill. Daily at 10:00am on Parliament Hill. And it’s free._ – Sara-Lynne Levine, Macaroni Kid Ottawa _**** ** All summer long, June-August: Beaches, pools and splash pads **Celebrate summer, enjoy a mini-holiday or cool down at one of Ottawa’s four public beaches, 56 wading pools and almost 100 splash pads, or Gatineau’s three public beaches, 10 or so wading pools and more than 30 splash pads. They’re open, they’re free and they’re fun._Denise Deby , Green Living Ottawa __ Have a great week! _** See also: ** Ottawa Events GuideIf you liked this post, you should ** subscribe to etcetera , ** our free email newsletter. Featuring cool Ottawa events, interesting local news and contests and giveaways. Thanks!