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Evelyn's Montreal Blog

Remembrance Reminder

Saturday November 7, 2009
montreal remembrance day
Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

Remembrance Day is this Wednesday, November 11, with parades, lunches, cenotaph commemorations and other related activities throughout the day. But if your weekday schedule is too crammed to attend one of these free events and would like a chance to pay homage and maybe even hear a few stories from veterans who've experienced the darker side of history, then check out this Sunday's list of Armistice Day events.

This Weekend in Montreal - Afrobeats, Preemptive Holiday Shopping, Shaolin Dance

Friday November 6, 2009
Musts ...

FANMI SE FANMI
Hosted by Jahnice, FANMI SE FANMI features roots Wes'li Band, klezmer hip hop with Socalled and all-girl tam tams with Maloukaļ at St. James Church on Ste. Catherine tonight. Free admission.

Friday Nocturne
The Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art proposes an evening with Papagroove's brand of syrupy Afrofunk live, tonight, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is only $10 and includes access to museum exhibits. Bar on location. First come, first served as places are limited.

Annual Gem and Mineral Show
The ultimate chic-on-a-budget destination, as long as you compare and contrast exhibitor offerings before buying. Some of the best gem jewelry prices I've ever seen in these parts are at these type of annual gatherings but once again, you have to look carefully. Also, if your loved one likes gemstones and/or making their own jewelry, then you're likely to find the perfect gift. Fossils, jewelry-making supplies, sculptures and other types of artwork will also be for sale. At Place Bonaventure through Sunday.

Sutra
There's only a few tickets left for the Sunday finale dance performance starring 17 young Buddhist warrior monks trained at the Shaolin Temple established in 495 C.E. on Mount Song, in the Henan Province of China.
Watch a clip of Sutra.
Watch a clip of a Shaolin Kung Fu demonstration.

Clothing Blowouts Galore
Find the perfect brand name Christmas gift at bargain basement prices. Point Zero is up to 70% off (women's, men's, children), all Bedo stores in Montreal are selling inventory at 50% off through the weekend, the easygoing look of Mimi & Coco will be on sale, and Ponyride is slashing prices on mid- to high-end designer apparel and accessories.

National Pet Show
Birds, dogs, bunnies and more, at the Olympic Stadium all weekend.

Concerts This Weekend
Mixhell, Think About Life, Simian Mobile Disco Derek Trucks Band and more, this weekend in Montreal.

Maybes ...

Cinemania
Unlike like certain French film festivals in this town that don't go out of their way to make the movies they showcase more accessible -- if it's truly a budget thing, then fine, I understand; otherwise, what a shame you underestimate how many anglos with so so French as well as tourists in need of an on-screen language booster would love to watch the flicks you play, they might even pick up a few new words -- Cinemania subtitles some of the best French cinema to run the international festival circuit over the last year or so.

Coup de Coeur Festival
Gypsy Sound System, Pierre Lapointe with only a piano and more are playing the French music fest this weekend. Website in French only.

For more options, consult your Guide to Montreal in November. It's chock-full of affordable events, family-friendly activities and other stuff to keep you and yours properly occupied.

Wordless Wednesday

Wednesday November 4, 2009

Photo © Evelyn Reid

And the ROI is ...?

Montreal Christmas 2009: Better Baking, Tiny Tim Auditions and More

Tuesday November 3, 2009
montreal christmas santa claus
Peter Mcdiarmid / Getty Images

Love it, loathe it, you can't avoid it!

Well, that's not entirely true, but should you choose to ignore holiday exit strategies and join the sheeple in celebrating that commercially-imposed stress fest Montreal's delightful Christmas season, then consider the following holiday-related things to do in the next couple of weeks.

In Christmas cooking news, Westmount's quaint culinary bookstore, Appetite for Books, is preparing the masses for holiday baking with a little help from cookbook author/baker Marcy Goldman on Saturday, November 14. Admission is $40 and includes a a baking demo of "completely doable" recipes, a copy of Marcy's latest book, The New Best of Betterbaking.com, and of course, freshly baked samples. Call (514) 369-2002 to reserve a spot.

Meanwhile, theatre company Geordie Productions is calling all aspiring actors ages 7 to 11 who would relish the chance to play Tiny Tim in their upcoming family play based on the classic Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol, running December 4 through December 18. The role is open to all races and gender, no acting experience is required and there won't be any rehearsals so time commitment is relatively low. Selected participants will be simply asked to arrive one hour prior to their assigned performance. All applicants need to do is submit a recent head-to-toe photo and a short letter describing what the best gift they've ever received or given someone was and why. Geordie Productions is selecting up to 26 applicants based on letter creativity and enthusiasm as well as applicants' physical size and time availability. Please send submissions to auditions@geordie.ca or by mail to Geordie Productions, 4001 Berri, Suite #103, Montreal, Qc, H2L 4H2. Application deadline is November 20th. Selected Tiny Tims will be announced November 25.

And for more Christmas-themed fun in the city, happening now through January, keep clicking.

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