Monday, September 14, 2009

Cultural Attractions in Wasaga Beach


Explore other cultures in the historical museums, art galleries, events/festivals and natural attractions. Watch in fascination as curtain rises on scenes from favourite playwrights, comedies and grand musicals. Discover Simcoe County's many fascinating cultural and heritgae attractions.


Wasaga Beach ONLY has ONE listing. (A very good one, but come on !!!) We need more!




Artist Space Initiative Wasaga Beach


Artists help make Wasaga Beach a more livable town - a town of people and neighborhoods, a center of cultural life, and a stronger economic center. They function as small businesses by providing jobs and services for beach residents. Artists help transform marginal neighborhoods into dynamic communities. Frequently, festivals, galleries, small performance spaces and small retail spring up in these same areas through the work of resident artists, generating a vibrant street life that acts as a deterrent to crime, dramatically enhancing the quality of neighborhoods for both the people who live there and people who visit. But do Wasaga Beach Artists have dedicated spaces to work and live in?



Space/real estate concerns are a primary issue for Wasaga Beach artists. Is the Mayor's Office working to retain existing spaces for artists and creating new ones?



Wasaga Beach needs to create spaces that:
are permanently dedicated to artists through deed restrictions or similar legal mechanisms;
are located in buffer zones between industrial and residential neighborhoods in locations that do not support traditional family housing; and
offer live/work spaces (space where artists combine their residence with their work area, typically in an open floor plan offering large, flexible work areas) or work-only spaces (where residential use is not allowed) for rent and for purchase at a variety of prices with a preference for Wasaga Beach residents.


In a perfect world (in the near future), what Live/Work Guidelines would be created to help Artists?

Cultural Tourism


Tourists in Wasaga Beach generate money for our town. Most people think of tourists as visitors from other areas of the country or other countries altogether. But because Wasaga Beach "could" host so many varied vacation and cultural experiences, it benefits us all to expand our definition of tourists as people who live close by, in the next town over, or clear across the province.



"Cultural Tourism."
Annually, tourists in Wasaga Beach:
Generate direct spending
Generate revenue in provincial and local taxes
Support jobs in a variety of industries






What, Exactly, is Cultural Tourism?



Cultural Tourism is the travel industry's term describing travel and visitation activities directed at an area's arts, heritage, recreational and natural resources. Visitors make destination choices related directly to a region's performance, artistic, architecture and historical offerings. In Wasaga Beach, we have one of the world's greatest natural destinations, but do we have one of the world's best cultural destinations?




Why Is Cultural Tourism Hot Now?

Cultural Tourists are a force to be reckoned with.

Here's why:
Cultural Tourism is the fastest growing sector of the travel industry.
Cultural Tourists spend $62 more per day and $200 more per trip than other travelers.
Cultural Tourists include multiple destinations during a visit and stay one half-day longer at each destination.
Cultural Tourists have higher levels of income.
How Can I Take Advantage of the Cultural Tourism Boom?

Getting a piece of the Cultural Tourism pie takes planning, creativity, collaboration and a good knowledge of the basics.



Check out MCC to learn how they are succeeding in Cultural Tourism. What can we all do next?



Learn More:

10 Ways to Tap into Cultural Tourism

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

VOTE for My 'Paint it Pink' Collage (Breast Cancer)

Vote here. Share. Please ask all of your friends (facebook/twitter) etc. to vote too! Thank You for supporting such a great cause! Deadline: Sept 30th, 2009 at midnight.


http://www.paintitpinkcanada.com/

Share the colour that's changing lives. You could win amazing prizes and help Avon donate up to $500,000 to breast cancer orgainizations across Canada. You vote...Avon gives $2.At Avon, every month is breast cancer awareness month. Since 1992, Avon’s breast cancer crusade has donated over $16 million to breast cancer research by launching unique and innovative programs that reach out to the public and invite them to make a difference in the fight against a disease that will affect 1 in 9... (read more)


Mission:
This summer Avon invites Canadians to Paint it Pink! Join us from June – September as we spread some pink nationwide. Our mission is to give each and every individual the chance to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer.Here's what YOU can do: Share your expressions of pink at http://www.paintitpinkcanada.com/ It’s as easy as 1-2-3:1) Make a statement in pink2) Upload a photo of it onto our site3) Invite friends to vote for your pictureAvon will donate $2 per vote to breast Cancer organizations across Canada.Log on today and nominate a charity in your neighborhood. Every vote counts because Avon has up to $500,000 to give. http://www.paintitpinkcanada.com/



Monday, September 7, 2009

Blue Pumpkin Festival Dates




The Blue Pumpkin Festival

And it has begun! The Blue Pumpkin Festival planning is in full swing. It will be a great way to get visitors to come to our town long after Labor Day and well into Thanksgiving/Halloween season. (Logo design Arthur Scott Kononuk) More details here.
Disclaimer: The Blue Pumpkin Festival name and logo are the property of Perk Promo and must not be used in any form without the prior written consent of Perk Promo. Copyright 2009
However, the name and logo may be used (generously and often!) by media, blogs and websites to promote this Wasaga Beach family event with credit and link to Perk Promo and The Blue Pumpkin Festival blog.
Ideas for October
1. Paint your own pumpkins blue (add silvery glitter to make it sparkle)
2. Invite your neighbours to participate
3. Get the schools involved
4. Sign up for the charity golf tournament. (details to follow)
5. Ask 97.7 The Beach radio to talk it up!
6. Business: Dress your windows with blue pumpkins!
SEE MORE IDEAS HERE !!!
Have Fun!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

The Blue Pumpkin Festival, Wasaga Beach
















Blue Pumpkins will be taking over the beach! Wasaga Beach is hosting its first annual The Blue Pumpkin Festival' this coming October. (Yeah! Remember my wish list?) Get your pumpkins spray painted, join in on the golf tournament, showcase your blue pumpkin creativity - do you grow blue pumpkins? It all came about because of Linda's blue sparkly pumpkin. Now it's all the rage! Perhaps we will enter the book of records for the most blue pumpkins. Tell your neighbours, friends and family to visit the beach in October. (This event will extend our tourism well into the fall and the local businesses need that!) What Fun! More details from Bill Frieday. here and here.
FYI: The Beach Post has quite a readership: 6,236