Yay for Terrace Bay!

There aren't many recurring events we make a point of attending, but the Green Trade Show at Terrace is an exception to that rule. This year marked already the 4th time we attended; it's almost routine now and we now look forward to seeing the friends and familiar faces who make this show the success that it is.

Despite this town's modest size of 1800 souls and a depressed resource-driven economy, they somehow manage to organize one of this region's better "green" shows. Near-flawlessly organized, infectious of mood and a pleaser of crowds it's a true community event and the reason we keep coming back.

This time things were a little different: as we pulled into Terrace Bay, the clear Lake Superior air got replaced with the smell of the town's paper mill which had finally re-opened. Good news for the community that depends on the mill for jobs, but not necessarily good news for the environment. It encapsulated the difficult tension between economy and ecology...

Once again a shout out to the indefatigable Sean Irwin and his tireless team of volunteers who made it happen. See you all next year!



Opening speeches: show coordinator Shaun Irwin (right) and the mayor of Terrace Bay (left).



Nolalu Unplugged

So Nolalu is maybe not the centre of the universe. And maybe you think we don't have easy access to any culturally relevant entertainment (other than watching our amazing starry nights and northern lights).

Well, okay, maybe. But then our friend and neighbour Larry Watson thought: if we can't go to the entertainment, the entertainment shall come to us. And he organized a wonderful concert in his big and acoustically excellent woodworking shop.

And so, between wood planers, band saws and press drills, about 30 people enjoyed an exhilarating evening with the unique and exciting music from BC's Fish and Bird, as they made a stop-over here on their Canada tour.

Fish And Bird performing amidst woodworking equipment (for better acoustics)

Despite the fact that the 5-piece band (plus "road manager") only arrived about an hour before the show started, their performance was tight, musical, absorbing, and a qualified success (click here to hear some samples of their music).

Those in Thunder Bay who would like to enjoy what we in Nolalu enjoyed first, your chance will be May 30th in the Apollo. Highly recommended!
And to give this entry the required green edge: very soon this band will be touring this vast land of ours in a van that runs on vegetable oil!


Thank you to Fish and Bird for a wonderful musical experience in every sense of the word. And a big shout out to Larry and Liz who organized this neighbourhood concert and offered the band meals, beer and a place to spend the night.