The whole behind-the-scenes operations of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra becomes more and more interesting the more I learn. I interviewed Beth Hebert in the Archives a couple of weeks ago, and I’m happy to finally share this video with you. In this video, aside from the mounds of paper seen in the vault, you will see Assistant Conductor, Peter Wiebe…who was likely researching some of the music soon to be played.

Walking around downtown a couple of weeks ago, I was made aware that this would be the new location to buy all tickets for WSO shows. Of course, the internet is still a viable option for buying tickets (season tickets or single-show tickets), but the old option of the Chrysler Theatre Box Office will be gone soon.

I did a quick tour of the office, from the ticket-buyer’s perspective, so you can see where you should go to get your spot reserved for these shows. Mary, in Patron Services, is located at a desk facing the door when you walk in. She is the gatekeeper between you and your musical experience. Which is a good thing, because as you can see from the video below…she’s delightful.

If you would like to order by phone, you can call 519.973.1238 extension 16.
One of the more pressing shows upcoming is in October! Yes, this is how early the tickets sell for these shows. If you don’t get them soon, you may not get them at all. Red Green With Strings Attached will be at The Capitol Theatre on October 8th and 9th.

Thanks to stevendepolo of Flickr.com for the header image!

The intrigue behind the sign removal, literally, is what lies behind the modern fixtures that are being taken down.

The old storefront signs and paintings seem to have simply been covered, rather than removed, by the more modern businesses. I wonder sometimes if this was laziness or if it was done on purpose for this very moment of unveiling them decades later.

Either way, this is pretty cool to see. And the most recent uncovered sign of the old days was captured by local photographer, Ron Marston.
This image in the header is where The Men’s Store at 323 Ouellette Avenue used to be. The sign was removed recently to show a gold painted business name, Calhoun “The Hatter”.

If you have any memory or knowledge about this space, please leave a comment below about what you know or have learned.
Below is a video of the property early in 2010 before the sign was removed to reveal Calhoun “The Hatter”. This video was done as part of the Moving In series.



This week, Ron Marston took some photos of a section of tracks that were uncovered during the construction taking place at University Avenue and Pelissier Street. The original streetcar rails were found, and a pesky section was summarily cut out and removed. You can see from the photos that the rails are still mostly there, laying quietly under the pavement, where they’ve been for decades.
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Something to think about the next time you’re biking, walking, or driving over this section of historic Windsor ground.

Thanks Ron for the photos!
If you have any photos that you feel other Windsorites would like to see of the downtown, please contact Tom HERE

See Cardinals Music’s Production of RENT and support the foundation. Tickets are $30 each, with $5 from every ticket purchased benefitting the Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital Foundation. Order your tickets by visiting Kim Dendiuk-Winger in the Foundation office or by calling 519.973.4443.

Show Times:
Friday, September 3^rd 8:00 PM
Saturday, September 4^th 8:00 PM
Friday, September 10^th 8:00 PM
Saturday, September 11^th 8:00 PM

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There are hidden portals, pipelines, and cables that are marked by metal lids, shut-offs, and boxes.

I decided to capture a few of them in the past week while walking downtown, to see if anyone else finds this as fascinating as I do, and to raise the question to the readers…what the heck do half of these things control?

One side note before the photos, while away in Frankenmuth, Michigan this week I saw several of these same portals on the ground that were exactly the same ones we have in Windsor. The “Water Meter; Wabash, Indiana” was the precisely same cover in Frankenmuth as it is in Windsor. I just thought every township and city would have their own…but apparently there’s a general supplier of these kinds of things.

There were loads of new faces in the room, one of them being that of Rosemary from the Christian Science Reading Room (415 Pelissier Street).
When I met Rosemary, she was eager to hear all of the opinions of downtown, and what it was going to take to bring some new business owners together on a regular basis. She was wonderful.

That meeting was what prompted me to check in on her at the store/study/library for Windsor’s Christian Science community.

We spoke briefly on Tuesday last week. Here’s our video interview where she outlines a bit of information about the space she looks after and about Christian Science in general.

Christian Science subscriber or not, I urge you to pop your head in the door and say hello to Rosemary the next time you’re on Pelissier Street. She’s an absolute delight.

I got a note from an acquaintance, John Stefani, who told me that barring any complications, “the 93 foot 209 tonne cruise ship “Macassa Bay” would be sailed into its permanent home dock at Festival Plaza across from Caesar’s Windsor. From there it will be offering lunch, sightseeing, and dinner cruises + special event cruises.”

This is an awesome development in the furthering of Windsor’s tourism footprint. In fact, John is riding in and supposedly live-streaming the docking of Macassa Bay as it pulls into Windsor from Lasalle…where it was just serviced, painted, and prepped for it’s unveiling.

Thanks for the scoop John!

From WindsorRiverCruises.com

“Windsor River Cruises, the concept, began late in 2005 shortly after Pride of Windsor Cruises announced that it would cease operations in Windsor Ontario. It started as a dream to have a locally owned sightseeing and dining vessel big enough to cater to most groups and be docked downtown in the heart of the city while all at the same time small enough to make the operation of the vessel economical and affordable for smaller groups.

Offering regularly scheduled dining, sightseeing and special event cruises the Macassa Bay also offers group rates and private charters suitable for any kind of function.”

Keep an eye on this blog for some more posts with videos, photos, and updates on the progress of Macassa Bay and Windsor River Cruises.
Below, enjoy the promotional video for Macassa Bay as it is used in the St. Clair River.

There’s a great reason for this.

He’s the mail carrier for Canada Post in a large chucnk of downtown Windsor.

When I bumped into him recently, I asked him if he’d be into getting interviewed the next time I saw him. I didn’t think I had enough space on my camera to record an interview. But I quickly retracted my “post”ponement and decided to interview him while it was fresh, and we were still relatively strangers.

Here’s our interview. Hopefully this gives you yet another face of the daily downtown that I know and love.

The pioneers of live celebrity impersonator shows are bringing some of your favourite entertainers to the Colosseum including Cher, Prince, Michael Jackson and Elton John. Winner of “Show of the Year” and “Entertainers of the Year”. Tickets starting at $25.

Drinkin’ Singin’ Swingin’ Tribute to the Rat Pack
The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
377 Riverside Dr. East
Thursday, August 26th, 2010

The very best musical tribute and comedic parody, celebrating the brilliance and charm of Sinatra, Martin, and Davis! This high-energy original big band show will make you feel like you’ve actually experienced the magical spontaneity that these three legendary entertainers brought to the stage every night. Tickets starting at $15.  For more information click here.

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