Year End Blog 2011

As I reach the end of my summer term working as a Summer Student for the year 2011, I thought why not blog about it?

To start off I just want to thank the Tourism department of Sudbury for giving me this opportunity, to work as a summer student and experience a new type of work atmosphere. One that is positive and hard working and makes sure that this city keeps on smiling.

With all honesty I had never worked in an office before, it was something completely different and unique to me. But I loved the experience and the new skills I have acquired. It helped me develop further communication skills and learn to work in a team, which to me are very valuable skills to have.

Office work was a third of the story, on weekends we would be at Market Square, managing the tourist information booth and making sure that all the tourists would have all the proper information needed. There I met multiple vendors, and had the opportunity to learn who they are, and how proud they are of what they do. Visual artists have a passion for what they sell, because it is who they are and what they love. Others sell pottery but the passion is still there and that passion and pride is what makes the atmosphere in our market vibrant and alive.

Finally the last part of the job, for me this was probably the most interesting part of the job, the people you get to meet. Now let me explain what I mean, when you work an information booth in the middle of the downtown core you expect typical Canadian tourists, WRONG, the amount of international tourists I have talked to is phenomenal and the stories they tell are simply fascinating. Just hearing there accents and asking them where they are from gets me every single time. You never know what to expect, I’ve talked with people from, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Greece, etc…

With all of this being said, I cannot exclude all of the festivals and events that I had the opportunity to visit. I had the opportunity to see cultural festivals, music festivals, festivals that celebrate food and many many more.

This city has lots to offer to all of us from museums to go-karting, paintballing and even sitting down and enjoying a nice cup of coffee in the downtown area. We’ve come a long way from just being a mining town and the future can only get brighter from here on now.


Pat :)



Don't forget if you want to view our videos visit www.youtube.com/SudburyTourism

Summerfest 2011

This year I had the opportunity to visit Summerfest and catch a glimpse of the entertainment happening over there. This year, Summerfest was held at beautiful Bell Park with a weekend full of nice, warm weather.

Katherine and I started off by touring the concerts and listening to some live music, watching the public dancing and singing and simply enjoying a good time. I was doing the same thing, sitting back and enjoying the tunes. After listening to some live entertainment, I noticed people that were bouncing around on these special shoes. Me being a curious person I went to see if I could test them out. After chatting for a bit with the owner of Zen fitness, next thing I know I was wearing the Kangoo (the special bouncy shoes). I had a blast! One of the instructors was putting me through a quick lesson and I was bouncing around while I had them on. We went for a little jog, did some jumping jacks, etc…

Once my kangoo adventure was done we went to see what we could have for a snack. There was a variety of food vendors all along the Grace Hartman Amphitheatre. There was food for people with an appetite for salty and sweet foods. With a variety such as Jamaican to Canadian foods, who can deny that!

We finished it off by visiting the kid’s area. As we were browsing throughout the area we noticed a ventriloquist was holding a show, and multiple bouncing castles were all set up, topping it all off there were vendors selling hair clips, tutus, t-shirts, etc..

Who can forget about the midway that was happening across the street with rides, food, and entertainment happening all around you.

Over all it was an action packed weekend for all ages, and I recommend anyone to go and visit the event next year and listen to all the bands and enjoy the attractions.


Pat

To view some of the tourism videos visit
http://www.youtube.com/SudburyTourism

Cortina Cruise Ship

This past Monday, I paid a visit to Rob Osborne the captain of the Cortina boat. We started off the afternoon with a boat cruise along Ramsey Lake. I forgot how beautiful Lake Ramsey truly is, with all of the sites to see; houses on little islands, sail boats going around and people tubing. Seeing how happy people are on the Lake, as they wave to the boat and the kids on the boat love every moment of it.


The Cortina boat cruise has a little bar inside that is run by the captain and his first mate. There is also a sound system in the boat that plays the history of the Cortina, followed by some music to give it an elegant atmosphere of relaxation. One of the things that everyone loves about the Cortina is that you get to go up and drive the boat with the Captain beside you. Kids especially love this, and get excited about being able to drive the boat.


Over all it is an excellent experience for anyone, it’s an hour of fun on Ramsey Lake, and if you want to book your own private chartered cruise don’t worry, he also does that.

Pat

For additional information on Sudbury Tourism visit www.sudburytourism.ca

Canoe Polo Tournament

This past Saturday (July 23rd) was jam packed with events. I had the opportunity to visit the Canoe Polo Tournament. This tournament was situated in Bell Park at the Sudbury Canoe Club.

When I was making my way into the event grounds I could hear the loud cheers, music and kayaks in the water. It sounded like everyone was having fun. Shortly after I arrived, I discovered a canoe polo match taking place. For those who don’t know what canoe polo is, I will give you a little run down. Canoe polo consists of two teams of kayakers, one ball and two floating nets. The players must kayak around the water and try to get the ball in the other teams net.


These polo matches were very intense and the crowd was well involved, cheering every step of the way. I had a blast watching them attempt to kayak while trying to throw the ball in the opposite net. If you ever get the opportunity to watch these games, take it! It is definitely something you should see!

Pat

To see sudbury tourism videos visit www.youtube.com/SudburyTourism

Events Happening in Sudbury

This week in Sudbury is a big one! We are hosting multiple events throughout the city which began on Friday. First, we began with the Gem and Mineral show that took place at the Carmichael Arena, July 15th to the 17th. Next, we had the Dragon Boat Festival which had everyone in competition mode. This event happened on the Saturday, July 16th on Ramsey Lake.



We now enter the busiest week of the season, by starting off with the Blueberry festival taking place July 17th to the 24th. It will be taking place at various locations across the city with blueberry filled activities. Don’t forget to try out the special blueberry pizza! This specialty pizza can only be purchased while the blueberry festivities are on. Simply call Toppers Pizza to try one out. Next we have the Sudbury Pride Festival happening all week with activities throughout the city. There is also a golf tournament on Friday the 22nd and face painting at the Tom Davies Square.




Next on our list is the 19th Annual Greek Festival being held at the Hellenic center from July 20th to the 24th with food that will satisfy your taste buds. There will also be cultural music and kid’s activities all through the festival so be sure to visit!



Now, for the first time in history, Sudbury welcomes the Francophone Games!! The games are sure to make you dance and have a blast with plenty of activities. They will all be taking place at Laurentian University and Collège Boréal. The games will be held from July the 20th to the 24th. From July 22nd to the 24th, the Panhellenic soccer tournament will be taking place and matches will be held at various fields across Sudbury. Come down and cheer the athletes in action!


To finish it all off, we have the Pow Wow in Whitefish with kid’s activities and events for all age groups.


As you can see, Sudbury is packed with events this upcoming week, with stuff to do for all age groups. The summer students will be visiting all these festivals and events. If you need any information on the events visit sudburytourism.ca.



Hope to see you there

Pat