Last Thursday, I walked King Street between Waterloo City Hall and Kitchener City Hall. Having driven that stretch hundreds of times, it was very interesting to slow down and see what I had not seen before.
This is looking west on the tracks near Victoria and King.
DW
Placard 3295 hazard class 3 flammable liquid indicates “Hydrocarbons, liquid, n.o.s.”
Such an odd juxtaposition with the hula-hooping in the public square only ten feet away.
This is King Street.
Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art… –Keats
Uptown Waterloo eateries put out their best in the public square and Waterloo responded with gusto. This is as close as I was able to come to any of the actual food at the Solstice Sampling. With a 7pm start, showing up at 8pm left me and about 150 others wistfully looking into the promised land from a long queue. Shortly after, we were gently and very politely (Canadian!) waved off as the vendors had mostly sold out, so a bad-news-good-news story. Didn’t get in: bad. Waterloo shows up en masse to hang out and do something in the public square: good.
Click through for a few more pics. Hey, BIA, these photos are for sale, or will consider interesting trades for… food. Not kidding.
Vacation + [2 new lenses with which I need to practise] + Kitchener’s King Street Art Market == a welcome relief from the kitchen plumbing work of Wednesday morning.
This is King Street.
Click through for some walk-around pics from DTK…
On Princess St, inside the door to the Jane Bond.
Last Saturday, the first ever Waterloo Mini Maker Faire at Kitchener City Hall was a smash hit, drawing a crowd of 4000! Makers of all stripes contributed to the event, which was organized by Jaymis Goertz and an army of volunteers from kwartzlab, my very favourite makerspace.
makebright busted out Project Loud Monkey for a new incarnation we called Son of a Monkey that involved hooking toys up to large amplifiers. Being *in* the event means fewer pics, but a lot of smiles as we engaged a steady stream of visitors to our outdoor booth the whole day long.
Here’s my pal Agnes Niewiadomski, maker of extraordinary props, plants, and art. Click through for a semi-reasonable number of pics from my brief run around the event.
A Public Service Announcement from makebright:
Drivers, when you see this marking on the road you need to go single file with bicycle traffic, not try to swerve around them. The markings have been delightfully named “sharrows” (share+arrows) and are a reminder of what I believe has always been the law: cyclists are allowed to take the whole lane. It especially makes sense here in front of Kitchener City Hall where the street is narrow and traffic speeds are relatively slower anyway.
Safe cycling, y’all.
DW
You start with a band and a porch.
Like the Ever Lovin’ Jug Band and 25 Avondale Ave S. Then you add community, amazing sponsors who totally get the vision, a hard-working volunteer crew, and absolutely unbeatable weather. Then multiply by 34 acts and 22 porches. So went The Grand Porch Party on Sunday. I said it at last year’s event and I’ll say it again this year: *this* is my Waterloo.
Click through for a completely unreasonable number of photos…
