Casey Dental The Charles Casey D.D.S. Patrick Casey D.D.S. classic Safe and #1 innovative dentistry for over 40 years bestseller 4695 Sherbrooke St.W. is back! Westmount 514 937-6558 Great for autumn trip ideas with the kids. www.smilemontreal.com September 2006: Special Eastern Townships Edition 22,030 copies – v.1.4 In stores now. Eastern Townships Features MATERNALLY YOURS: Honey, Chocolate All Roads Lead to Brome and Animals by Annika Melanson … p. 1 WINE: Blanc de Montmorency, Cidre de Glace, Cuvée William by C. Price … p. 1 Brome Fair Welcomes A Whiff of Grape by C. McKenzie … p. 4 Montrealers for its Regular Stuff 150th Anniversary BOOK REVIEW: by C. McKenzie … p. 5 By Stuart Woods MOVIE REVIEW: An Inconvenient Truth by Catherine McKenzie … p. 10 RESTAURANT REVIEW: Au Pied de Cochon For most of the year, the village of and Patati Patata by Stuart Woods … p. 9 Brome is a quiet hamlet set in farmland. PRACTICAL POINTS: … p. 11 Unlike the neighbouring communities of Knowlton, Sutton and Bromont, Brome MISSION MONTREAL: … p. 12 has little to offer traditional tourists – no ski hills, boutiques or restaurants. For four days a year, however, this tiny community of 300 welcomes well over 40,000 visitors from across the province. With dozens of competitive categories, In Mansonville – 30 minutes east of Brome Village, but still in Brome County – you can see one of continued on page three Quebec’s increasingly rare round barns. Photo: Imprints II by Ray and Diana Baillie Townships Wine Maternally Yours Quebec’s Best Kept Secret Townships Honey, Chocolate By Carola Price and Animals As a Canadian sommelier, I am fiercely proud of our contin- by Annika Melanson ued effort to be recognized as a serious wine-producing country. I remember spending my summers and As a Quebecer, I hope that one day our province, too, can be rec- weekends in the Eastern Townships as a ognized for growing grapes and producing wine. Many people child. My parents loved being “out of the don’t know it, but we actually do pro- city” and my sister and I spent our duce wines in Quebec. Some are even continued on page six continued on page eight 2 – Vivva MONTREAL – September 2006 Happenings Vivva Montreal’s guide to what’s on around the island. ឣ Shakespeare redux. Spearheaded by at Place des Arts for the fourteen season. Catch their final game against ឣ Townshippers Day. Free admission. theatre impresario Tony Palermo, the nights of the festival. Official program the Toronto Lynx on September 8 at At the Richmond Fairgrounds. For fourth annual New Classical Theatre can be picked up at festival box the Claude Robillard Stadium. The more information and directions Festival features six shows at four offices. Individual tickets are $10. Impact also host the Virginia Beach go to www.tday.ca. September 16. downtown venues. Two plays take For more information go to Mariners on August 27. Tickets are liberties with Shakespeare classics: www.ffm-montreal.org. August 24 $10-$20 and $5 for youths under 18. ឣ Have an event you know about Gayanashagowa is a re-telling of to September 4. Call 514.328.3668 or 514.790.1245 on or want to publicize for October? game-day or go to www.montreal Romeo & Juliet set against a backdrop ឣ From Montreal with Love. Fundraiser Send your idea to vivvamontreal@ impact.com. Claude Robillard of internecine Mohawk rivalry and for charitable group helping victims pricepatterson.com. If it fits in, Stadium, 1000 Emile Journault Hamlet (solo) re-works the eponymous of Hurricane Katrina. An evening of we’ll publish it. Avenue. play into a one-man show. The fest music with Colectivo, The Cock- also features the Montreal premiere of roaches and People’s Gospel Choir, ឣ The Alouettes have yet to lose a home Moises Kaufman’s Gross Indecency: among others. Tickets are $20. At The game and hope to continue their The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, based Saints, 30 St. Catherine Street West. streak when they host the Calgary on actual court transcripts from the August 29. Stampeders and the BC Lions on trial that saw the great Irish wit August 24 and September 1. Tickets ឣ Music sur l’herbe. Montreal’s MEG incarcerated, as well as original works start at $21 and can be reserved by Montreal is teaming up with upstart by Montreal playwrights. For more calling 514.790.1245 or at admissions. Osheaga Festival Musique et Arts to information go to www.newclassical com. For more info go to www. offer the year’s most eclectic music theatrefestival.com. For tickets to montrealalouettes.com. shows at Monument-National, call festival. The twin-staged, two-day 514.871.2224. For all other tickets call event happening this Labour Day ឣ Fall registration. Registration for fall Vivva Montreal is a publication 514.540.0774 or reserve online at weekend at Jean Drapeau Park and winter activities organized by the designed to help its readers find features world-class talent (Lady city of Westmount takes place on [email protected]. August 15 things to do in Montreal and the to September 9. Sovereign, Amon Tobin, Sonic Youth) August 21, 22 and 23 between 6 pm beside home-grown artists like Wolf and 8 pm. Hockey and skating sign- surrounding area. ឣ Good news for film buffs. A balm Parade, Bell Orchestre and Kid Koala. up occurs August 21, with all other to Montreal film fans suffering Jean Drapeau Park. Tickets are $60 events scheduled on August 22 & 23. ɀ Distributed to 22,000 houses, the closure of Cinéma du Parc this each or $95 for a two-day pass. Call Go to http://westmount.org for a apartments and businesses in summer, the 1.800.361.4595 or go to complete list of activities. Victoria Westmount and eastern NDG Montreal World www.osheaga.com. September 2 & 3. Hall, 4626 Sherbrooke Street West. Film Festival is (H3Y, H3Z and H4A). celebrating its ឣ If you want to avoid the crowds at ឣ Ayer’s Cliff Fair, August 24 to 27 30th year. Jean Drapeau Park, check out MEG Ayer’s Cliff, www.expoayerscliff.com ɀ Quality content that people Coming during the run-up to the star- Montreal’s listings for club events. [email protected] will read and refer to. studded Toronto International Film A sure bet is Sunday night’s show at 819.876.7317 the Metropolis featuring dance-punk Festival, the Montreal event has ឣ Knowlton Duck Festival, September ɀ Authors who are experts in pioneers ESG. MEG Montreal. At always had a hard time attracting 23 to 24 and September 30 to October Metropolis, Sala Rosa and Zoobizarre. their fields and who are well marquee names. This year’s roster of 1 2006, Knowlton, QC Go to www.megmontreal.com. known in the community. films is no different, with 215 features www.cclacbrome.com September 1 to 4. from 76 countries and nary a familiar [email protected] Please call for an advertising face. But for film lovers the event can 450.242.2870 be both liberating and exhilarating Sports roundup rate card. since virtually none of the films are ឣ Montreal Impact are at the top of adulterated by pre-festival buzz. Free their division with five games Sherbrooke-Valois Inc. films will be screened under the stars remaining in the regular soccer 310 Victoria #110 Westmount, QC H3Z 2M9 Editor: David Price (514) 935-4537 Advertising sales: (514) 223-6138 Fax: (514) 935-9241 [email protected] Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Vivva Montreal is distributed by: Vivva MONTREAL – September 2006 – 3 BROME FAIR... continued from page one plastic bags, and I bet most people don’t Winston part of a veritable dynasty of gourds – unfailing crowd-pleasers at the even know how cheese is made.” greenthumbs. fair. Rhickard has personally raised a which include everything from handi- This year the educational role of the fair When I visited Rhickard at his modest pumpkin to 300 pounds. I was shown a crafts to horse-jumping, an $80,000 pot will be particularly important as organiz- spread overlooking the Brome fair- 17-pound Hungarian zucchini, a grotes- of prize money, a teeming midway and ers try to link the fair’s present to its past. grounds, I was impressed by his obvious que and unnatural protuberance still live nighttime entertainment, Brome Fair Participants in the artisanal competition commitment to his garden. attached to the stalk, that Rhickard hopes is one of the largest events of its kind in will be dressed in period costume and a Rhickard begins preparations in the will place first. Vegetables of this size Quebec. heritage display will showcase pioneers’ winter, comparing seed catalogues and aren’t good for eating; they aren’t good for The tactical nightmare of organizing farm equipment. placing orders for the spring. He sows his anything but the show or the slop bucket. the event rests on the shoulders of the To this day Brome Fair remains a vital first crop, red and white onions, around All told, Rhickard might take home as Brome County Agricultural Society, a six- forum for local farmers. The fair hosts April 1 and his last, green beans, in mid- much as $300 in prize winnings – hardly teen-member volunteer society. Its four- the largest showcase of heavy-duty farm July. The harvest occurs during the three enough to cover the material costs of his member executive works around the equipment in the region, and although days leading up to the event.