Corktown Culture Save the date

Crktown Crier
The Corktown Neighbourhood Association of Hamilton newsletter
Corktown
Culture
by Bernie Hudecki
W
hen you look in the encyclopedia or browse
online, somewhere
between “all business” and
“free spirit”, you will find Corktown’s Melanie Gillis. Melanie
is a photographic artist specializing in portraiture, corporate
and commercial work while on
her own artistic journey. (www.
melaniegillis.com)
As a photographer’s assistant
while she was getting her BSc
in Psychology at U of T, Melanie
knew in her heart that in her
future she would be looking
through a viewfinder and not
working in the field related to
her degree. However, setting out
on her own, she found that her
passion for photography and her
love of people dovetailed in the
act of creating a photographic
image. Her portraits reveal a
wide range of faces, emotions,
ages, groupings, personalities, from formal to intimately
relaxed. On a deeper level
Melanie combines her exploration of the human condition and
the innate beauty of the human
form in her personal journey as
an artist. She has been inspired
by the work of Jock Sturges and
Howard Schatz.
Melanie loves living in
Corktown. She loves the location
of her home, the relationships
she has nurtured with her neighbours, the ‘communal driveway’
atmosphere of her street, the
walking proximity to her James
Street north studio (open to the
public during the second Friday
of every month Art Crawl), and
of course the ‘pub district’ along
Augusta Street. In fact, she
used the Pheasant Plucker as
her headquarters while houseshopping in Corktown.
The reputations of Corktown
in particular and Hamilton in
general are enhanced by the
spirited convictions and visionary integrity of the intrepid
Melanie Gillis.
Save the date
Our first Shamrock Park clean-up
for 2010 is Saturday April 1oth at 10am
Corktown
Real Estate
Proves a Wise
Investment
by Andrew Robertson
C
anada’s residential real
estate market is forecast
to remain unusually
strong through the first half of
2010 as economic conditions
across the country improve
and the stimulus impact of
low interest rates continues
to stoke demand, according to
a recent Royal LePage House
Price Survey and Market Survey
Forecast. As confidence in
the recovery builds in early to
mid 2010, increases in average
house price levels and overall
market activity are expected to
continue. The gradual erosion
of affordability driven by higher
house prices and the expected
late-year modest upward
movement of interest rates,
together with an improvement
in listings supply as confidence
improves, are expected to bring
the market back into balance
in the second half of the year,
when home price increases are
expected to moderate.
In contrast to the difficult
months during the worst of the
Spring 2010
recession, house prices appreciated during the later part of
2009, with fourth quarter price
averages surpassing averages
from the fourth quarter 2008.
Nationally, the average price
of detached bungalows rose to
$315,055 (up 6.0%), the price
of standard two-storey homes
rose to $353,026 (up 5.2%), and
the price of a standard condominium rose to $205, 756 (up
6.4%). The first two quarters of
2009 saw significant year-overyear price declines across the
housing types surveyed and the
third quarter provided the first
signs saw a strong rebound in
Canadian home values.
Locally, the average price of
freehold residential properties
sold in the month of January
2010 was $302,474, an increase
of 10 per cent over the same
month in 2009. A similar year
over year percentage increase
was realized in the condominium market according to
statistics realised by the Realtors Association of Hamilton
Burlington.
For Hamiltonians and residents of Corktown in particular,
we can expect similar market
conditions with the added
advantage of being one of the
best priced “up and coming”
neighbourhoods in the entire
extended GTA region. More and
more people are realizing what
a great buying opportunity
Hamilton is, and Corktown is on
the leading edge of this market
trend. It all adds up to a good
news story for Corktown property owners, so give yourselves
a big “atta – boy” for making a
wise choice. For those thinking about making a purchase,
now’s the time to make it happen. You can buy with confidence, because in Corktown,
the best is yet come!
corktownna.ca | Corktown Crier 1
On a chilly Saturday in early December, Al Fletcher and Shannon Hamilton from the
city planning department made themselves available to learn more about relevant
issues in the Corktown neighbourhood and answer questions with regard to zoning.
Beautification Report
by Barry Bogusat
Holly Awards
T
he Third Annual Holly
Awards were given out to
those homes and businesses that were decked out for
the Holiday Season. We were
really impressed by the many
homes that were decorated
and lit up for the Season making our neighbourhoood feel
more festive and enhancing the
experience of living in Corktown.
One Augusta Street home even
garnered enough attention to
be featured in an article and
pictorial in the Hamilton Spectator. Congratulations! And a big
Thank You to all for helping to
make our community and the
Season much more Merry!
Adopt-a-Park
Program
The Corktown Neighbourhood Association has adopted
Shamrock Park through the
City of Hamilton’s Adopt-a-Park
Hey Corktown!
Who’s your
top agent?
Buying? Selling? Or even just thinking?
Call for a Free Market Analysis from
a proven Corktown top agent.
Ask around, chances are, I’ve helped sell your neighbour’s
house. Call me for a complete list of my many Corktown deals,
let’s make your house the next deal!
Andrew Robertson
Broker
Direct line
905.541.7253
1122 Wilson Street W., Ancaster, ON, L9G 3K9
Tel: 905.648.4451
Not intended to solicit parties already under contract.
2 Corktown Crier | Spring 2010
Program. Through our efforts we
have beautified our parks and
made them more inviting to the
residents of our area. One only
has to look at all of the people
enjoying the park benches while
reading a book, playing on the
park equipment or enjoying a
picnic to recognize our success.
We have scheduled some dates
for clean-ups to take place and
are looking for volunteers to
come out and help.
Our first date is Saturday,
April 10 at 10am. We will be
meeting in Shamrock Park to
perform an initial park clean-up
and assess the condition of the
planting beds and formulate a
plan to be implemented in June.
On Saturday, June 5 at 10am
we are meeting in the park to
implement the plan. This is THE
BIG CLEAN UP and Planting day
in Shamrock Park. In the past
few years, in conjunction with
the clean up, we have edged
the planting beds,trimmed
bushes,planted many new
species of plants, placed bark
chips in the beds and edged
sidewalks. We also do a major
clean up in Corktown Park on
the same day. Our generous
sponsors provide us with coffee
and last year we had a great
barbeque in the park after the
work was done. Anyone who
volunteered to participate in
these events would be sure to
attest that they’re a great way
to meet your neighbours and
do something positive for your
community. You certainly feel
self-satisfied at the end of the
day that you were a positive
force in helping to change our
parks for the better. Please mark
these dates on your calendar
and plan to attend. Drop us a
line at the Crier for more info or
if you have suggestions to help
make our parks better.
Shamrock Park
Garage Sale
The Corktown Neighbourhood
Association is having their 3rd
Annual Garage Sale in Shamrock
Park on Saturday, May 8th from
➢ Continued page 8
Publication
Information
The Corktown Crier is published
quarterly by The Corktown Neighbourhood Association of Hamilton
with funding from advertising and
donations. For advertising information, please email corktown_
news@yahoo.ca.
Communication
& Newsletter
Committee
Bernie Hudecki
Editor
Peter Fryns
Design
Bob Bratina, Carol Bratina, Barry
Bogusat, Joel McCormick, Carrie
MeHolm, Julie Spicer Contributors
Editorial Policy
The Corktown Neighborhood Association of Hamilton reserves the
right to edit newsletter submissions due to space limitation. In
order to ensure the newsletter promotes an inclusive and respectful
tone, letters deemed slanderous or
profane will not be printed. All letters must be signed by the author;
anonymous letters will not be
printed. In the event that a letter’s
content is questionable in the eyes
of the editor, the neighborhood
association executive committee
will be consulted to determine
whether or not to print some or all
of the submission. Submit letters
to: corktown_news@yahoo.ca.
Volunteer for your
Neighbourhood Association!
Lead • Help • Participate
If you have ideas, time and interest,
let us know by sending an email to
corktown_news@yahoo.ca.
Fred’s Stories
Wartime Memories
(The Crier is running a series of articles based on conversations with 89-year-old Fred Engelbrecht
– Corktown native, survivor of Dieppe and 2007 Canadian Veteran of the Year.)
“Your heaviest artillery is your will to live.” N. Cousins
T
he following war anecdotes outline the role
that luck had to play in
Fred’s survival, however, it’s
clear that his quick- wittedness
and steely determination were
factors as well. The war took a
heavy toll on him both physically
and mentally. When he joined
the Fire Department, his fellow
firefighters would ask him to talk
about his experiences during the
war. Fred claims that this is what
helped keep him sane.
A Close Call
It was August 19, 1942 and
6,000 allied troops had landed
on the main beach at Dieppe. As
is documented historically, the
raid was a disaster. In the midst
of the carnage and massacre
that was taking place around
him, Fred had managed to make
it from the beach to the wall that
surrounded the town. He was
held up there for 3 to 4 hours
when he realized that all was
hopeless. Even if they could
get up on the promenade, they
would all be killed. Running
back toward the water, he began
helping the wounded get onto
the Assault Landing Craft. It was
so overcrowded that Fred and
others had to hang onto ropes
on the side of the boat. In order
to lighten the load, one of the
crew members walked around
hitting men over the head so
they would let go. Fred found
himself in the water. The boat
was only 200 yards off shore
when it was hit by a shell and
blew up with bodies flying in
every direction. He said a prayer
for the seaman who, in forcing
him to let go of the rope, had
unknowingly saved his life.
A Daring Escape
Following his capture at Dieppe,
Fred was taken to a POW camp
(Stalag 8B) in Lamsdorf, Germany where he was to spend 1
year and 4 months as a prisoner.
During this time Fred had one
good opportunity to escape. He
had exchanged identities with a
British POW who could no longer
handle going out on work parties (a privilege that was often
extended to British soldiers).
Fred took his place on a work
crew in the local quarry. One
night he and his buddy Ed Liberte decided to make a run for it,
and took off into the Carpathian
mountains with search dogs on
their tail. They were risking certain death if they had fallen off
a cliff in the darkness as many
soldiers had done previously.
After 8 days on the lam they
took refuge one rainy night in a
peasant’s hut. Even though they
realized the light would certainly
be spotted, they lit a fire to dry
and warm themselves. They left
in the early hours of the morning
and, emerging from the thick
woods into an open field, they
had the misfortune of meeting
up with two German officers
(one, a doctor) in civilian clothes
who had been out on a hunting
trip. Their 9 days of freedom had
come to an abrupt end.
They were taken to Gestapo
headquarters in a nearby village
and locked up. The Gestapo
officers were pretty rough with
them, interrogating them, beating them up and waking them
repeatedly in the night. The
doctor from the hunting party
assured Fred that he would
inform the German army that
he and Ed were in the custody
of the Gestapo, and a few days
later a German soldier was
delegated to transport the two
prisoners to the German headquarters in Arnswalde. Fred was
both surprised and later amused
by the fact that at one of the
stations en route, the soldier
offered to get Fred and Ed a beer
if they would watch his gun and
pack for him. With Gestapo all
around, neither one of them
would have dreamt of touching
his gear!
When they reached Arnswalde, they were held in a dirty
cell until they had their hearing
before a German Commandant.
To Fred’s dismay, he spotted
the Corporal of the work party
sitting in the hallway. He knew
that if they were sent back
with him they would be killed,
so Fred told the Commandant
that the Corporal was lying and
that they were not British but,
in fact, Canadians. In fact he
told him the whole story about
the exchange of identities.
This changed the entire tone of
the hearing as they all began
laughing. It turned out that
the Commandant was fond of
Canadians.
On their return to the guardhouse, Fred gave the female
interpreter some cigarettes to
give to the Commandant as a
thank you, and then offered
the interpreter some chocolate.
These were always good bartering items and the end result was
that Fred and Ed were taken to
the mess hall where they ate
well among the German soldiers.
The following day they were returned to Lamsdorf (and in January of 1944 sent to Stalag 2D in
Poland) but never got a chance
to leave POW camp again until
he took part in the Death March
of January 1945.
corktownna.ca | Corktown Crier 3
The Corktown Pub
by Carrie MeHolm
W
4 Corktown Crier | Spring 2010
Verdict:
Beer and burgers – fantastic!
Service – very good!
It has always made me very
happy that The Corktown Pub is
within crawling distance from my
home and now to find out that
the food is great, just puts it over
the too. I won’t be waiting until
St. Paddy’s Day to go back.
This Pub gets a big “Thumbs
UP”.
ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
ddddddddddddddddddd
ell, unbelievably,
they’ve asked me back
to do another restaurant review. I guess the last
place didn’t report that little incident at the end of the evening.
Truly, is it so hard to believe
that I brought those draft beer
glasses from home?
The next place given the dubious honour of a review is The
Corktown Pub on the corner of
Young and Ferguson, kitty corner
to Corktown Park. It’s ALWAYS
the last pub on my St. Paddy’s
Day “tour de bar”. The Pub is an
authentic Hamilton landmark and
has long been one of Hamilton’s
favourite venues for live music
from Big Band Jazz to Celtic to
Heavy Metal to a delicious Motown review and an East-Coast
Kitchen Party on Fridays at 6 p.m.
that shouldn’t be missed.
This time though, it’s all
about the food so we chose a
Sunday night to visit, thinking
that we wouldn’t get too carried
away with the drink on a school
night. We also thought that it
might not be too busy on a Sunday evening, now that I’m a local
celebrity, trying to keep a low
profile. But even though there
were quite a few patrons that
night, nobody recognized me.
Our waitress came over right
away for our drink orders, which
never fails to impress me. I’d
been reading lately about beer
being good for bone strength so
we all decided to go the healthy
route and ordered large cold
pints. (As your bones can never
be too strong, a mental note was
made to be sure to have more
than just one.)
The Pub’s food menu is quite
substantial offering everything
from Traditional Irish Pub fare
such as Guinness Steak Pie to
the more North American specialties of Nachos, Wings and
Burgers. We decided to share
the Legendary Nachos as an appetizer to see if they were prop-
erly named and they certainly
were. It was a mountain of crispy
chips and loads of toppings, and
cheese, lots of cheese.
For our mains, two of us decided on “The Hammer” burger
which turned out to be another
good decision. This 1/2 pound
burger with cheddar cheese and
bacon was juicy and delicious. It
came with fries which were also
amazing. I could hardly finish it
all, but made sure no one got
near my plate either. I watched
as my friend did his best Homer
Simpson impersonation while
drooling over this little bit of
heaven… mmm burgers. My
other friend had a salad and
said that it was good. But really,
salad and beer?
The rest of the evening didn’t
really go as planned and true to
form, I was a wee bit tired on Monday morning. But having a great
time at this local gem of a Pub was
well worth the self-inflicted pain.
J o in u s at t h e
C o r k t o w n I r i s h A le H o u s e
Check out our Daily Specials
Look for our New Spring Menu coming out in April
Neighbourhood appreciation day – First Monday
of every month – Special priced appetizers and drinks
East Coast Kitchen Party every Friday
Join us for our St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
175 Young Street
905.572.9242
thecorktownpub.ca
ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
Proud to be part of
the Corktown Community.
Always open until 2:00
$13
Pitchers of
Amsterdam
Blonde
23 AUGUSTA ST
905-526-0792
www.THESHIP.ca
dddddddddddddddddddd
Spotlight On:
Join us on the Holiest of drinking days…
St. Patrick's Day
Hamilton Limo
Second Annual
Turkey Fry
T
he announcement appeared on the bottom
of the front page of the
Winter 2009–10 edition of
the Corktown Crier. It read,
‘Hamilton Limo Second Annual
Turkey Fry. Come and enjoy
some deep fried turkey with
all the fixings.’ It certainly
piqued my interest. I’ve never
tasted deep fried turkey but
I’m always open to try something new and different. It also
mentioned that the only entry
fee was non-perishable food
items to be donated to the local food bank. So I decided to
go over to see what this deep
fried turkey was all about and
help support the food drive by
taking over a generous bag of
food.
Not wanting to go it alone,
I asked a good friend and
neighbour to go along with
me. When we arrived, I was
pleasantly surprised to find
other friends and local residents already in attendance.
This festive event was held
outdoors in the parking lot
behind the offices of the Limo
service on Catharine Street
South. And although you could
go inside to keep warm, we
opted to stay outside where
the snow was whirling in the
cold darkness of this December evening. We were warmed
to our hearts by the hospitality
and overwhelming generosity of Henry and Lori Mizzi,
who, along with Marcus Rosen
hosted the event. Sharing the
frigid weather and good food
with friends and neighbours,
brought out the spirit of the
season and a sense of camaraderie. We were all mesmerized
by the sounds of frying turkey
and marveled in the whole
cooking process. Did you know
that you can deep fry an entire
20 lb turkey in one hour? When
each turkey was finished frying, it was held aloft triumphantly and admired like some
prized delight. And what a
delight it was. The turkey was
generously served with all the
fixings and was absolutely delicious. We were even encouraged to have a second helping
which was amazing. They had
already fed approximately 125
people and had cooked up 18
turkeys over the course of the
day. What a wonderful time we
had.
Curiosity got the better of
me so I peppered Henry with
some questions. When asked
why he held this event, Henry
answered that he was born and
bred in Hamilton and it was
their way of giving back to the
community. He feels his community oriented business has
a responsibility to help the less
fortunate. Hamilton Limo also
matched pound for pound the
donations collected. Last year,
donations totaled 250 lbs. And
when questioned about this
year’s outcome, Henri humbly responded that this year,
750lbs were donated and then
matched by his company. Talk
about generosity of spirit!
Henry also stated that there
will be a 3rd Turkey Fry next
December. He has new ideas for
the event and he will be building
on the event’s past success. Well
I can tell you, if it’s anything like
this recent event and then even
better, I’ll certainly be attending
and encouraging my friends and
neighbours to do the same.
This is a wonderful evening
of good food and friendship for
a heartwarming cause. Henry
heartily invites everyone to attend the next Turkey Fry.
Keep an eye out for the notice
in the Winter 2010-11 edition of
the Crier.
Dog walking & Cat sitting
Hamilton’s Only Authentic French Bistro
Join us for Easter Sunday and Mother’s Day brunch
New Spring menu available soon
Call Wally at 905-966-5071
Your pet will thank you!
wallywalks@gmail.com
Look for WallyWalks on Facebook too!
150 James St S, Hamilton, 905-546-0003
Sunday Brunch Buffet from 11 to 3
www.bistroparisien.com
Present this ad and receive 10% off
not valid with other offers
Join us March 17th for St. Patrick’s Day
Free 20oz. Beer Glass
St. Patrick’s Day Menu Specials Available
Sunday April 4th & Monday April 5th
Happy Easter
We will be featuring a
Delicious Traditional Turkey Dinner
Daily Food & Drink Specials
corktownna.ca | Corktown Crier 5
Ottawa Street
to Corktown
by Annleigh Wallace
Y
ears ago I had come to Ottawa Street with my sister
to buy fabric. What I saw,
glaring steel producing industry,
did nothing to dispel any lessthan flattering references I had
heard about Hamilton.
My reaction a few years ago
when my wife to-be suggested
Hamilton as the place to buy our
first home was less than enthusiastic. “How about Oakville?
I responded and proceeded
to look at houses for sale. Too
expensive. “Burlington?” Also
too pricey to fit our budget.
Then appeared on Augusta
Street, Corktown, Hamilton,
this little Victorian that we
could have first dibs on. “Fine,”
I said, “we’ll look at it. But we
are just looking.” After a tour, a
drink with the then owner and
my keeping as much of a poker
face as I was able, we got in the
car to return to Toronto. These
words suddenly filled the air:
“We have to buy that house!”
And, yes, I was the one who had
said it.
Lest I make the tale tediously
boring I will skip over the first
time buyer mistakes we made
to actually moving in. Then, ‘Ah,
the commute.’ I still worked in
Toronto then and for years had
made fun of those silly folk running up and down Bay Street for
their trains. I foolishly thought
that I would never be part of
The Running of the Bulls (or
salmon trying to swim up river,
you can pick).
I thought I’d always live
downtown, near the pub, grocery store, theatre and friends.
Sure, there are pubs all over
Augusta but I had spent years
cultivating friendships in the
pubs in my area in Toronto. I was
reluctant to let go of that. I was
out of my element in Hamilton
and was fruitlessly holding onto
my old lifestyle. My fiancé would
repeatedly say to me “just come
home.”
One afternoon, I asked my
next door neighbour, whom I
had only casually met, where
the closest pub was. She directed me. I went. Ten minutes later
she sat down beside me figuring we should get to know each
other. The intended two pints
turned into, well, way more,
and into a wonderful friendship.
Neighbours continued to develop into friends, they introduced
other neighbours down the
street, and the snowball keeps
rolling and growing today, three
years later.
I unconsciously frequented
my old neighbourhood in Toronto less and less as I became
more and more proud of the
street where we live. Where our
home is.
Now (or again) I speak highly
that I live downtown; near the
pubs, grocery store, theatre and
friends.
Augusta Street has given me
the home that I hadn’t realised
I was missing and was always
looking for.
And now, I go to Ottawa
Street for the farmers’ market
and look at it with different, less
critical eyes.
Winter Social
T
he Corktown Neighbourhood Association held the
2nd Annual Winter Social
at the Undermount Bar and Grill
in early December. These social
events are held by the Association to give the residents of our
community an informal meetand-greet atmosphere. Besides
celebrating the Holiday Season
together, we also have the opportunity to discuss local issues.
This helps foster a sense of
belonging to the community and
enhances the strenght of our
community. The Social Event`s
location is varied and moves
from business to business in
order to promote and highlight
local restaurants that support
the Association. Everyone`s
welcome, so please feel free to
attend the next Social.
JD and his staff at the
Undermount certainly outdid
themselves by gererously
providing us with pizza and
lots of delicious finger foods...
free of charge! We gathered in
the Undermount’s private party
room where we had our own
sound system which was used
to play all of our holiday favorites. The room was decorated
and the atmosphere was very
festive indeed. Thank You JD
for believing in the work we do
in the community and for your
continued support.
There were also plenty of
door prizes available to be won
which included a lovely area rug
donated by Aladdin Carpets on
King Street, sportswear from
P&A Plastics and wine from our
resident expert John Tait along
with framed art and gift bags
galore.
The Assoication sends a big
`Thank You`to all of our sponsors who gave so generously
to help make this event such
a success. Please drop by our
sponsors and support the local
businesses that have supported
Your Neighbourhood Association. Let them know you heard
about it from the Corktown
Crier!
Remember not to drink & drive and
also have a safe St. Patty’s Day
British Style Fish & Chips
Breakfast Served All Day
Vegetarian Dishes Available
Late Night Menu Available
12 Drafts on Tap • Patio
Live Entertainment Wed–Sat
174 John St. S. • Hamilton • ON
905-525-3855
6 Corktown Crier | Spring 2010
President’s
Message
by Joel McCormick
W
ondering what you
can do to enhance our
neighbourhood? Are
you looking for ways to make the
Corktown neighbourhood more
desirable than it already is? The
Corktown Neighbourhood Association (CNA) provides many
opportunities that allow you
not only to make the Corktown
neighbourhood the envy of all
other neighbourhoods, but also
meet new and interesting people
who share the same sense of
community. The Beautification
Committee works tirelessly to
organize several park cleanups throughout the year, last
December we hosted the Winter
Social Event held at the Undermount Bar and Grill where
we enjoyed good food, good
drink and fantastic door prizes
The
Corkboard
Clipart copyright © 2008–10 Jupiterimages Corporation
March – June Events
Public Meeting
Tuesday Mar. 30 at 7:00pm
Queen Victoria Elementary School
Park Clean up 1
Saturday Apr. 10 at 10:00 am
Meet at Shamrock Park
Garage Sale
Saturday May 8 at 8:00 am
Meet at Shamrock Park
Park Clean up 2
Saturday Jun. 5 at 10:00 am
Meet at Shamrock Park
Advertisers receive
complimentary event listings.
All dates and info subject to change.
raffled off to our neighbours,
and keep your eyes open for the
third annual Corktown Yard Sale
hosted in Shamrock Park. The
association also hosted the first
of four neighbourhood public
meetings for the year in January.
Many Corktown residents turned
out to hear Ward 2 Councillor
Bob Bratina speak and to meet
our new Crime Manager, A/Sgt.
Frank Miscione from the Hamilton Police Service. We encourage you to come out to our next
Neighbourhood public meeting being held on March 30th
at 7:00pm at Queen Victoria
Elementary School to hear about
the news from City Hall, local
crime statistics and updates
such as a new project developed
by Sgt. Frank Miscione. This new
project was created as a result
of a concern expressed to A/
Sgt. Miscione from a Corktown
resident at the last Corktown
Neighbourhood Public Meeting. This project will focus on
increasing Police presence in
the local licensed establishments over 2010 as a proactive approach to create a safer
community. Both Bob and Frank
attend our meetings to listen to
both the positive and negative
of the neighbourhood and to
help residents take action. The
CNA is always looking for new
ideas to enhance the neighbourhood, please feel free to send
a “letter to the editor” of the
Corktown Crier. Tell us what you
think about the newsletter and
the events that are organized by
the Association. We are always
looking for ideas and suggestions to take this association to
the next level.
Winter Weather
Fitness
by Jessica McCormick
T
he Corktown neighbourhood is a great place for
outdoor fitness. We have
places like the Wentworth stairs,
Bruce trail and Shamrock park
all at the tips of our toes.
If you are looking to lose
some of your holiday weight,
walking is a great way to start.
Weight loss is all about staying
in your target heart rate zone. To
find your target heart rate, begin
by figuring out your maximum
heart rate by subtracting your
age from 220. Your target heart
rate for fat loss is about 65% of
your maximum heart rate. (220age x 65%) Make sure you do
20–30 minutes of walking with
your heart rate at that level at
least three times a week.
No matter what level of fitness
you are currently at there are
still some things to keep in mind
when you are enjoying your exercise. When you are exercising
outdoors remember to wear light
layers and try to bring water with
you. Remember to always warm
up for five to ten minutes before
you start any exercise program.
Warming up should consist of
movements that will elevate your
heart rate slightly and you can include a few light stretches. Keep
in mind that stretches should
be held at a point of tension and
never bounced. Most importantly
always stretch after a workout.
Hold your stretches for about
30 seconds and remember to
stretch the muscles in your upper
body as well as your lower body.
Stretching after a workout and
drinking water will help your
body recover and you won’t feel
as much soreness afterwards.
Most important of all is to
make sure you do things that
you enjoy or exercise with your
friends. If you are having fun
you have a much greater chance
of sticking with your exercise
program. Set small goals for
yourself to start and then challenge yourself each time to
make every workout a success!
Jessica is a certified personal
trainer with Can-Fit Pro. If you
have any questions or would like
to know more please contact her
at jessica.mccormick@goodlifemakesiteasy.com
Look better, feel better, live
longer!
Street Meat BBQ!
The world’s first
indoor burger & sausage cart!
If you’ve ever eaten from a sidewalk vendor, you’ll appreciate
what we have to offer. We’ve brought that
same concept indoors, and added a liquor licence!
Our meat is always fresh, never frozen,
and we don’t cook it until you order it.
206 John Street S
(corner of John & Young)
corktownna.ca | Corktown Crier 7
Important Community Contacts
Keep this contact list and refer to it when you have concerns, see
something suspicious, want to report something, or have a question.
Hamilton Police Service
Emergency 911
Non-emergency 905.546.4925
South Town Crime Manager
A/ Sgt. Frank Miscione
905.540.6074 City of Hamilton
General Inquiries
905.546.city (2489)
Ward 2 Councillor Bob Bratina
905.546.2711 bbratina@hamilton.ca
By-Law Parking
905.546.4925
Corktown Neighbourhood
Association of Hamilton
Any executive member by email
This Mother’s Day,
if you’re taking mom out
for Sunday brunch,
consider taking her
to one of the restaurants
advertising in this issue of the
Corktown Crier
There are many legends associated with the origin of the Easter Bunny. Some
suggest that this grand festival of Easter got its name from the Anglo-Saxon
Goddess called Oestre, who was always seen with her pet bunny. It’s astonishing to know that it was this very bunny that laid the first coloured eggs and became famous for starting the tradition of hiding the eggs. Thus the kid’s
favourite game of Easter Egg Hunt can be attributed to the Easter Bunny.
➢ Continued from page 2
corktown_news@yahoo.ca
9am to 1 pm. If you attended
last year you know that we had
an amazing selection of great
buys...everything from antiques
to art to children’s clothes and
toys. We’re planning to do the
same again this year and we’re
looking for donations for our
sale. It’s a great way to reduce,
re-use and recycle, saving the
environment and helping to
make your community more
beautiful. It’s also easier than
going through the trouble of
re-gifting or the expense of
storing items after a move. Jacq,
a good friend and supporter of
the Beautification Committee,
believes in the work that we
do to revitalize our downtown
neighbourhoods. While moving,
she sifted and sorted through
her belongings and made a large
donation to our cause. Thanks
Jacq! If you believe like Jacq does
and want to help, please drop us
a line at the Crier. And remember, all of the proceeds of the
Shamrock Park Garage Sale go
to the Association for YOUR park
and community initiatives.
Banquet
facilities for up
to 80 people
Breakfast from
10am to 3pm
Sat and Sun
Open
Mon to Sun
11am to 2am
17 Augusta Street
Hamilton Ontario
905.522.5111
$5 off Your Next
Food Purchase
*Must Spend $20 before taxes
*A Beverage Must be purchased
8 Corktown Crier | Spring 2010
$5 off Your Next
Food Purchase
*Must Spend $20 before taxes
*A Beverage Must be purchased