March 13, 2009 Vol. 39 No. 3 Serving the Glebe community since 1973 FREE L IEGE S PHOTO: LOIS Would you let these men teach your children??? BY FIONA GILFILLAN Their students heard about the gig and demanded equal time; the band was At least one of the chaps in this photo is likely familiar to many of you. then persuaded to play for the kids at Lansdowne Park where the enterprising Bruce MacGregor taught at Glebe High School for 30 years and although Eng- high schoolers had rented the Salon. None of your hokey stuff here! The band lish was his academic pursuit, complemented by an enjoyment of coaching played the kids’ dance for a couple of years and word began to spread. Parents football, his first love is music. He leads a band of renown called Bruce and found out and they too wanted in on the action. the Burgers. The Burgers will be performing at a dance on Apr. 18 in Tudor Hall, where Bruce and his buddies – most of them teachers – comprise Bruce and the ticket proceeds go to the National Capital Region YM-YWCA. The Y has Burgers. Their band plays fifties, sixties and some seventies rock and roll. It’s strong connections with the Glebe; many of its past and current board mem- impossible to sit down when these guys take to the stage. They are an Ottawa bers are Glebites, including several former board chairs. Anne Bouey, who band with a loyal following, even though there’s no marketing machine pro- just celebrated her ninetieth birthday and attends the Y’s aqua-fit regularly, is moting their talents. They came together in 1985 as a bit of a lark for a Glebe well-known in the neighbourhood. She was instrumental in uniting the once- High School staff party. It was to be a one-night stand <grin>. Their repertoire separate YMCA and YWCA in Ottawa, in the early sixties. Current board consisted of ten songs and the band’s name was concocted as an impish con- member Graham Thompson was principal of GCI (seems to be an emerging cession to the need for a label – any label! theme here…). continued on page 3 Mark your calendars WHAT’S INSIDE March 14 St. Patrick’s Day parade, 11:00 a.m., Bank St. March 18 Online soccer registration, www.gnag.ca Abbotsford . 2 GCA . 8 March 21-22 Ottawa Go Green Expo, Lansdowne Park www.ottawagogreenexpo.com Art . 29 GNAG............. 9 March 24 GCA meeting, 7:30 p.m., GCC March 27-29 Ottawa Antiques Sale, Books..........37-39 Good Old Days . 10 Carleton University Fieldhouse www.asinter.com/ottawa_spring.htm Grapevine . 42-43 March 28 Earth Hour, 8:30–9:30 p.m. Business . .14-16 www.wwf.ca/earthhour/ March 26-29 Ottawa Home & Garden Show Councillor’s Report 11 Letters . 5 Lansdowne Park, www.ottawahomeshow.com April 2 Glebe Centre’s GST Auction, GCC, 7 p.m. Editorial ........... 4 Religion ........40-41 April 4-5 Travel and Vacation Show, Lansdowne Park www.travelandvacationshow.ca Entertainment ...27-28 Schools . 30-34 April 18 Ottawa Eco-Stewardship Fair, RA Centre 2451 Riverside Drive, www.ottawaecofair.ca. NEXT DEADLINE: FOR THE APRIL 17 ISSUE April 23-25 First Avenue School Book Sale (see page 39) FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2009 2 Glebe Report March 13, 2009 NEWS Support your community, your community supports you INTHER H PHOTO: Alice Hinther BY JULIE Ireton The Glebe Centre’s annual fundraiser will be held on Apr. 2 at the Glebe Community Centre. The theme of this year’s event is “Support your commun- ity and your community will support you.” Some unique goods, services and talents are up for grabs at this year’s Glebe Centre GST Auction. Bid on a home-cooked dinner party for eight. If you win, there’s no need to tell your guests that someone else did all the work. The se- cret will be between you and Alice Hinther. She’s donating her time and talent to play chef for the lucky bidder. “I’ll deliver it hot, on platters,” she explains. “There’ll be no Styrofoam!” Hinther is well known to the Glebe community and is a frequent helper for Abbotsford fundraisers. She’s a local artist who also teaches baking classes at the Glebe Community Centre. “The dinner for eight will include a starter, salad, a meal with dessert…there will be a menu to choose from. I do like mak- ing desserts and I’m known for my bread. Thai chicken is also a favourite, but I love to experiment!” says Hinther. Hinther is just one of several local people donating time or items for the auc- tion. Jim McKeen of McKeen’s Loeb in the Glebe is setting a ‘practical tone’ by donating a generous gift certificate of $500 worth of groceries. The gift certificate will be raffled off; tickets will be $.99 and will sell at the event at Abbotsford and at the Glebe Centre. The draw itself will take place on June 6. Other local businesses have donated various gift certificates and there will be beautiful jewellery and local artwork up for auction. Bhat Boy has donated ‘Joy’ which he painted in 2003 for his mother: (he) “has donated the paint- ing to Abbotsford in memory of the many hours of activities that Jean used Oxygen 3 Air Cleaner to spend at Abbotsford, particularly playing Scrabble.” In fact, organizers say there’s a special focus on local this year. “We are one big community and we Area Served : 326 sq. ft need to look out for one another,” notes Abbotsford facilitator, Pat Goyeche. That pretty much describes the relationship between the Glebe Centre and this year’s major sponsor, Lord Lansdowne Retirement Residence. It’s donat- CADR : Clean air delivery Rate ing $2,500 and will sponsor the program. The residence is right next door to Smoke : 210 Abbotsford. In fact, some Lord Lansdowne residents are members at Abbots- Dust : 212 ford and some of the seniors have spouses living in the Glebe Centre. “We think it’s a privilege to help them out,” says Lord Lansdowne’s Pat Sousa. Pollen : 229 “Some of our people go to their day away program, others volunteer. It’s a two-way street.” Controls : Auto/Manual/Remote Organizers say this year’s GST Auction will be a big party. There will be wine tasting and nibbles, while you wander around the auditorium and place your bids. Kurt Stoodley, a host at ATV will be the MC again this year. The Filtration : Carbon + True HEPA evening will begin with some entertainment with Meredith Luce, a young, up and coming singer of acoustic-based rock/folk. Cleaning System : Plasma The auction will be in the main hall of the Glebe Community Centre on Apr. 2. The event gets underway at 7 p.m. Don’t be late – you won’t want to miss Meredith Luce…See you there! Odour Sensor : Yes VE Sleep Mode : Yes SA 50 % DENYS BUILDS Fan Speeds : 4 Speeds on replacement filters DESIGNS with purchase of Air Machine T Weight : Only 15 lbs I am an Ottawa based renovator that specializes in everything from modern renovations to historic restorations. As a creative designer who also builds, Energy Efficiency : Low 6w / Turbo 70w I have a passion for combining historical elements with new technology. Please feel free to take a moment and explore some of our exceptional spaces atDenys.ca . 686 Bronson Avenue 613-238-3776 EXPERIENCE THE DENYS DIFFERENCE www.vacshack.ca NEWS Glebe Report March 13, 2009 3 Would you let these men teach your Immaculata student children??? Continued from page 1 meets President Obama Once word got out about the student parties, parents and fellow teachers began hiring Bruce and the Burgers for fêtes where they played in party rooms and Legion halls. Many of the band’s “customers” were other teachers, as well as denizens of the Glebe. Jim McKeen, for example, hired the band to play a fundraiser at First Avenue Public School. Bruce MacGregor coached Jim McKeen in football at Glebe. Tiny planet! The band has played at Mutchmor and at Hopewell School in Ottawa South. Its first really big gig however, was again at the Civic Centre but this time on the big stage. The band’s first big gig happened in 1989 when the Ottawa Board of Education held “Celebration ‘89” and hired Bruce and the Burgers to play the entire Civic Centre, with big sound, bright lights and sophisticated logistics. A big dance area was set up and once the band got going, the crowd surged forward, down the aisles on all OUZA sides of the hall and didn’t sit down for the rest of the night. That’s what this S band evokes in otherwise meek and mild-mannered folk. While teaching fulltime, Bruce and his musical compatriots played 30 to 35 times a year in the early nineties. Nowadays they play three to four times a PHOTO: PETE year, always to sold-out houses and hordes of tingling feet at the end of a non- Poised and collected, Jessica is seen in this photo having a very coherent con- stop dancefest evening. When asked what song gets people moving the most, versation with President Obama. Bruce replies that it’s “Satisfaction” by the Stones. With Mick and his cronies in their grandfatherly years it’s amusing to realize that their tunes appeal to at BY VALERIE MCGILLIS least two, if not now three generations. Remarkable magic.