Skating downhill -- really fast!
/There's one way that Red Bull Crashed Ice could be made even more exciting, of course. Next time, maybe we'll see them race in kilts!
Read MoreThere's one way that Red Bull Crashed Ice could be made even more exciting, of course. Next time, maybe we'll see them race in kilts!
Read MoreBut before we say goodbye to the skating season on the Rideau Canal Skateway, I want to give a big thank you to the NCC crews who worked through the night to groom the ice and get it ready for skaters the next day.
Read MoreThe National Capital region's annual winter festival began the first weekend of February, and stretched on for three weeks. It's been a great time -- big crowds, fun events. I wish I had taken in some of the concerts and viewed the ice sculptures and seen yesterday's dragonboat races on ice! What I did get to see was Hockey Day in Canada, in which over 150 games of shinny were placed on the canal between 8 and 9 a.m. yesterday.
Read Morehere's much that can be managed and controlled in hosting a kilt skate -- cake, hot chocolate, entertainment, swag. What lies beyond our control, of course, is the weather. As Rabbie Burns might have said, "The best-laid plans of mice and kilt skater gang aft agley."
Read MoreThe kilt skate gods blessed Calgary with above-zero temperatures on Sunday -- but not so warm that the refrigerators coils could keep a hard ice surface at Calgary Olympic Plaza.
Read MoreCalgary's third annual kilt skate will be held this Sunday, February 12 at the Olympic Plaza from noon until 4 p.m.. Calgarians seem determined to wrest from Saskatoon the title of Kilt Skate Capital of Canada.
Read MoreStatistically, the bridge between January and February is the coldest week of the year, but when unseasonably warm temperatures closed the Rideau Canal Skateway, the Scottish Society of Ottawa moved Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate to Lansdowne Park Skating Court. If you pipe it, they will come! And we had three pipers -- all on skates.
Read MoreLast year, Saskatoon was declared "Kilt Skate Capital of Canada." For the Third Annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate -- and the celebration of Canada150 -- the Saskatoon Highland Dancing Association redoubled its efforts and drew over a hundred kilted skaters among the 300 who gathered at Cameco Meesawin Skating Rink on a Saturday afternoon perfect for skating.
Read MoreWhen it comes to organizing outdoor kilt skates, Mother Nature always has the last word. And so, with last week's warm spell continuing into the weekend across Eastern Canada, the Third Annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate had to be moved off the Rideau Canal. We're moving it to the Lansdowne Park Skating Court, where we held it last year. It's a great place for a kilt skate: refrigeration coils to keep the ice from melting; Zamboni service to keep the ice smooth; changing rooms to keep skaters warm; electrical outlets to keep our costs down.
Read Morealk about making a big entrance in the big smoke! Toronto's first-ever Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate took over one of Canada's most famous skating rinks at Nathan Phillips Square. It was an unseasonably warm afternoon. The refrigeration coils and the Zamboni maintained an ice surface that was fine for skating.
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The morning of Saturday, January 14 dawned windy and cold. Certainly cold enough to put colour to the cheeks -- both upper and nether. Nevertheless, some hundred people braved the winter weather to launch the 2017 kilt skate season at Montreal's Old Port for the Third Annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate in that city.
Read MoreWith the temperatures in the previous week in the minus-42 range, Kendra Jones McGrath wasn't sure how many people to expect for the Lloydminster's inaugural kilt skate. The great thing about Canadians, though, is we tend to be infinitely adaptable to the vagaries of winter. After a cold spell of 42 below zero, when the temperatures rise on the weekend to a balmy minus-11, well the weather seems almost tropical.
Read MoreAnother city has stepped forward to host Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate, bringing the total across Canada to seven -- the highest number yet seen in a growing winter tradition. Lloydminster is a city of 30,000 that straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. The kilt skate will be held at Bud Miller All-Seasons Park. "The City of Lloydminster clears the ice on the lake for outdoor skating," says Kendra Jones McGrath, who owns and operates the Jones Studio of Pilates and Highland Dance. "There is also an indoor spot with a fireplace to warm up."
Read More“More than five million Canadians trace their ancestry to Scotland,” says Chris Maskell, Scottish Government representative. “We’re incredibly proud of that Scottish heritage, and we want to celebrate the enormous contribution that Scots and those of Scottish descent have made here in Canada – perhaps none more so than Sir John A. Macdonald.” The Scottish Government is keen to help the Scottish Canadian community maintain their connections to Scotland. “This year marks the 150th birthday of Canada, but it is also Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology,” says Maskell. “There’s never been a better time to come and visit Scotland.”
Read MoreThe Scottish Society of Ottawa has been throwing a hogmanay party for five straight years now. For the third year, it was held at the Aberdeen Pavilion in Lansdowne Park. Each time it gets bigger and better. With this year's "Hogman-eh!" coinciding with big celebrations on Parliament Hill to launch Canada's 150th birthday party, the organizers wondered if the public would come out in big numbers. They soldiered on with the set up at the Aberdeen pavilion. The banners...The stage...And a team led by Jenny Bruce, who is travelling the world displaying "The Scottish Diaspora Tapestry."
Read MoreShould auld acquaintance be forgot? Not when Ottawa gets together for another great New Year’s Eve celebration at the Aberdeen Pavilion. For the third straight year, the Scottish Society of Ottawa will host its “Hogman-eh!” celebration at Lansdowne Park. As in past years, thousands of people are expected to gather in the old “Cattle Castle” to bring in the new year with live music, dancing, fireworks, and special entertainment for the kids.
Read MoreWe ...take great pleasure – and pride – in what is reportedly the best natural outdoor skating rink in the National Capital Region. Windsor Park has the best outdoor ice for a reason. For one thing, weather permitting, an army of community volunteers work together so that, every night, a team goes out go out to flood the rink.
Read MoreThe Rideau Canal is not frozen yet. It will be a few weeks before we'll be able to glide down the Skateway. But the City of Ottawa has opened its rinks at City Hall and Lansdowne Park. The refrigerated coils keep the ice cold so we can get our first outdoor skating experience of the season. At night we come out to the Aberdeen Pavilion where, last January, we held our second annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate.
Read MoreEach year at around St. Andrew's Day (November 30), the Scottish hordes descend from the Hill (or up from the Valley) to occupy a grand house overlooking the Ottawa River. They eat the food, drink the whisky, and make their announcements, then roll up their sleeps, hike up their kilts and get ready to present several weeks of Scottish themed activities in the Nation's Capital.
Once again, His Excellency, Howard Drake, British High Commissioner, and Mrs. Gill Drake opened their home to those celebrating the patron saint of Scotland.
Read MoreBut the skating weather is definitely on its way. Over the next days, ice started to form on the Rideau Canal. The temperatures at night did more to help turn November's canal into January's skateway.
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