September 12, 2008 Vol. 38 No. 8 Serving the Glebe community since 1973 FREE L IEGE S PHOTO: LOIS Fade to black: Mayfair Theatre 1932-2008 BY LOIS SIEGEL William Holford, manager of the Mayfair, says the owner is very private. The Mayfair Theatre at 1074 Bank Street will close its doors Nov. 30. The He doesn’t want to be known. “The building has not been sold,” Holford says. theatre has been a landmark and a second home for thousands of film buffs, “The owner will sell the building if someone is interested in buying it. In 76 especially those living in the Glebe and Ottawa South. Its central location is a years, there have only been two owners. It’s been very stable. The owner, who monument at the corner of Bank and Sunnyside, within shouting distance of used to live in Ottawa, doesn’t want to develop the theatre. He wants to retire. the Second Cup and the Ottawa Folklore Centre, across the street from M & He’s been a very good owner, a very discreet man.” continued on page 6 G’s Chipwagon and The New Bayou. Federal Election Ottawa Centre All Candidates Meeting Thursday, October 9, 2008 Glebe Collegiate Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Mark your calendars WHAT'S INSIDE September 14 Glebe House Tour, 1-4 p.m. Tickets available at GCC, $25 Abbotsford . 2 Business . 14-15 September 19-21 Capital Fall Home Show, Lansdowne Park www.caneastshows.com Editorial ...............4 Art . 24-25 September 23 GCA Board Meeting 7:30 p.m., GCC All are welcome Letters . 5 Music ............. 26-27 September 24 GNAG Annual General Meeting. 7 p.m., GCC GNAG.................8 At the movies . .29 September 27-28 The National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lansdowne Park, GCA . 9 Schools . 30-35 www.franchiseshowinfo.com September 27-28 National Women's Show, Lansdowne Park Good Old Days . 10 Books............. 37-39 www.nationalwomenshow.com October 9 All candidates meeting Glebe Questions.......11 Religion ........... 40-41 Glebe Collegiate Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Councillor's Report . 12 Grapevine . 42-43 October 14 Federal Election October 23-26 Signatures Christmas Show, Lansdowne Park www.signaturesottawa.ca NEXT DEADLINE: FOR THE OCTOBER 17 ISSUE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2008 2 Glebe Report September 12, 2008 NEWS Books, plays and operas on Abbotsford’s fall line-up PHOTOS: PAT GOYECHEPHOTOS: PAT Abbotsford lounge before refurbishing Newly refurbished Abbotsford lounge BY JULIE IRETON “We’ve had a lot of fun over the years doing this,” says Ana Merritt. “i’ve met The Abbotsford Book Club doesn’t just read and discuss novels once a a few people through the group.” Merritt says the group gets several copies of month. The club often picks local works of fi ction and invites the author to each play from the main library. They usually pick plays that have about six be part of the meeting. “Whenever we can, we do have authors in,” explains parts. “Then we decide who’s going to read what part. We don’t act, just read Jeanne Wolfe. “They enjoy it too. They’re always surprised at all the questions it, but we use a lot of infl ection in our voice,” Merritt explains. we have for them! it’s not usual to have the author come to a book club meet- The club picks murder mysteries or comedies. The six members meet once ing. We’re unique in that way.” Abbotsford’s book club gets together on the a week on Mondays from September to May. New members are welcome, and second Friday of every month at 1 p.m. Wolfe says right now there are about Merritt has a special request: “We’d like to get more men involved,” she laughs. six members, but newcomers are very welcome. “There are so many good male parts, but women have to do them!” Old Ottawa South resident and writer, Mary Borsky will be at the club’s fi rst There’s no reading or acting involved in Abbotsford’s Opera Club. Every meeting this fall. The members have been reading Borsky’s book, Cobalt Blue, second Friday, this group gathers to sit back and enjoy professional opera a collection of short stories. companies perform great works. “We’re a very exclusive group,” laughs Hat- This fall the club’s book choices include another eastern Ontario writer, Mag- tie Beckett. “At a maximum, there may be six of us, but we enjoy the shows.” gie Wheeler. Her book, A Violent End, is about the building of the St. Lawrence A few years ago, an Abbotsford member donated a collection of operas on Seaway and the displacement of communities along the river. VHS and DVD. The group will watch about 20 operas a year. Newcomers are “We enjoy Canadian books, but sometimes we veer off into other areas,” says welcome. Wolfe. All three groups meet in the newly refurbished lounge which was made pos- There’s another group at Abbotsford that likes to read, but this group does sible through a New Horizons grant, a donation of paint by Home Depot (South it out loud. The Play Reading group picks works that can be read together. Keys), St. Joseph’s Communications volunteer painters, staff and private dona- tions of nesting tables and a Persian carpet. Along with the book club, play reading group and opera club, Abbotsford has many other cultural and artistic activities for seniors including pottery, art and stained glass classes. For those looking for some muscle-toning, there are daily exercise classes of aerobics, Pilates, yoga or tai chi, all geared towards seniors. People who are a little more competitive can take part in the bridge, poker, mah jong or scrabble clubs. There’s something for everyone at Abbotsford (the old stone house across from Lansdowne Park). Come on by and pick up the fall activity calendar! FLIGHTS * HOTELS * CRUISES * TOURS * INSURANCE * RAIL WINTER BROCHURES NOW IN Air Canada, Nolitours, Signature, Sunquest, Sunwing, Transat and Winter Cruises! Exploring Christian Packages, Long Stays, Cruises, Faith with Children Exotic and More... Montessori based and EARLY BOOKING BONUS traditional programmes SAVE UP TO $1,200/COUPLE for Age 2 - Grade 10 Begins FAR HORIZONS INC September 14th Experts In Creative Travel – SINCE 1986 11:00 a.m. 18 Pretoria Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1S 1W7 Join us! 613.234.6116 [email protected] * St. Andrew’s Church, Ottawa The Presbyterian Church in Canada FLIGHTS * HOTELS * CRUISES * TOURS Wellington at Kent since 1828 www.StAndrewsOttawa.ca/children * INSURANCE * RAIL Parking behind Supreme Court 613-232-9042 NEWS Glebe Report September 12, 2008 3 Making connections: The Snoezelen experience BY JENNIFER DARE Have you ever had the ex- perience of sensory overload? Perhaps a noisy party with loud people and music, where you start to feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable? Or the opposite, you are alone and feeling bored, isolated and longing for someone to talk to? Now imagine these situa- tions and add in the inability to understand what is happen- ing. Sounds confusing and frightening doesn’t it? Now imagine a place that can help you overcome these scenar- ios. The Glebe Centre Inc. has just opened a magical place such as this. As an activity coordinator working in long-term care at The Glebe Centre Inc., my main goal is to connect with each resident and provide activities that give a sense Bright lights, bubbles, textured fabrics and of purpose and enjoyment. music are all part of the new Snoezelen pro- Working with residents who gram to benefit those with dementia at The are in middle to late stage de- Glebe Centre. mentia is often challenging, but is also very rewarding when these connections happen – a resident who rarely smiles, laughs when they receive a hug from a child during an intergenerational program. Unfortunately, there are always those residents who are more difficult to reach; they are either over-stimulated or under-stimulated by the current pro- grams. They may call out or they may sit with their eyes closed. How do we reach those whose ability to interact with their environment is limited? How do we understand what they need? One way to do this is to create a place over which the residents themselves have control. They are given the opportunity to explore and choose what type of sensory stimulation they want. Such multi-sensory environments are called “Snoezelen” rooms. The term “snoezelen” is a combination of two Dutch words meaning “to sniff” and “to doze.” Teachers working with development- ally delayed children developed the concept in the 1970s in Holland. They were looking for ways to reach the students and realized that using the senses to both relax and to stimulate created amazing results. Over the years, the con- cept extended to include people with a dementia. A room is created with sights, sounds, smells, tastes and things to touch and feel. The resident is free to explore with staff only facilitating. Residents may be drawn to the colours and sounds of the bubble tube. They may want to hold a soft, fluffy pillow, or they might hum along to their favourite song playing on the CD player. By providing an environment that is failure-free with one-on-one interaction, the residents are given a chance to truly express themselves. Over the years, research has shown the amazing benefits from CARDIO KICKBOXING Snoezelen, including residents talking more, feeling calm, happy and inter- acting with others. We are so pleased to be able to have Snoezelen at The Glebe Centre Inc.