Oct - Old Ottawa South

Page 28 The OSCAR - OUR 31 st YEAR OCTOBER 2005
Makin’ Moves News
By James Hunter
Makin’ Moves dance studio
has come a long way in a
short time. You will recall
from an OSCAR article this spring
that Erin Dubé of Belmont Ave.
Erin Dubé with a dance class
started the company and moved to
her new 1196 Bank St. location in the
By Colin Ashford
The inaugural meeting of the
2005-2006 season of the
Garden Club got off to a good
start with a large number of new and
old members signing up for another
season of advice and informationsharing
about gardens and gardening
in Old Ottawa South. To start the
season, members were treated to
fascinating presentation on conifers
and their potential for colour, texture,
form, and, yes, fun in a woodland
garden. The presentation was given
by David Dunn and Rob Caron
Partners of Rideau Woodland Ramble
SANDY HILL
CONSTRUCTION
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
SPECIALISTS IN RENOVATIONS
CELEBRATING OVER 10 YEARS
OF QUALITY AND SERVICE
832-1717
www.sandy-hill.on.ca
Committed to Excellence
spring. The studio has a state of the art
sound system, awesome mirrors and
new floor.
Erin is an entrepreneur and
is helping to create jobs in the
neighbourhood! In addition to Erin,
there are 5 other instructors.
This summer, Erin ran 3 successful
week-long day camps. The camps
NOTES FROM THE GARDEN CLUB
(www.rideauwoodlandramble.com).
Rideau Woodland Ramble grew out
of the ravages of the ice storm and
a long-term vision of opening up a
twenty-five-year-old garden to the
public; it is now both a woodland
trail open to the public and a garden
centre specializing in tough, hardy,
and unusual evergreens.
David pointed out that conifers,
misused in the past and thus acquiring
a bad reputation, can be a source of
scale, form, impact, colour, texture,
surprise and contrast. Using the
woodland walk at Rideau Woodland
Ramble as source for his pictures,
David demonstrated scale: from huge
Red Pines and Blue
and Norway Spruce
to White Pygmy
(that only grows to
60cm), and all sizes
in between. He
also demonstrated
form: pines that are
columnar, weeping,
creeping, or
twisting; examples
By Jenny Haysom
consisted of dance instruction, arts
& crafts, visits to swimming pools
and Dairy Queen. For each session,
Joshua Robertson and Jane Robertson
(of Digital Jane) produced and edited
a professional-quality DVD video
showing each of the children doing a
dance routine and with a lip-sync skit.
Look for Christmas and March Break
camps coming up.
A new web site has been created
at www.makinmoves.ca with the
fall schedule, class descriptions and
instructor bios.
The roster of courses has increased
this fall. Classes include: Jazz,
HipHop, BreakDance, Yoga, Tribal
Dance, Mom & Tot, Belly Dance
and Pilates. There’s also a group
called “Funky Bunch” who perform
at various neighbourhood events
including the CentreTown Picnic,
Art in Windsor Park, and will be
performing December 4 th at the
Rogers Children’s Christmas Party at
Britania Park.
New classes this fall include:
Yoga, Belly Dancing, Tribal Style
included Weeping White Pine, Hoopsi
Blue, Pinus Pumila, and Contorted
Larch (a deciduous conifer). David
admitted that woodland gardens do
sometimes suffer from too much
green but that this can be mitigated by
blues and goldens from conifers such
as Hoopsi Blue, Blue Spruce, Golden
Yew, Yellow Ribbon Cedar, and even
brightly-coloured garden furniture.
David showed variety-of-texture by
contrasting pines with willows, ferns,
variegated hostas, and rhododendrons.
A number of “surprise” plants stood
out: a Korean pine with blue and
white stripped needles; the Japanese
Umbrella Pine looking almost tropical
with its waxy needles; and the Devils
Walking Stick with thorns on its
leaves!
After the coffee break, David and
Rob answered members’ questions
and offered advice. Transplanting of
evergreens is best done in the fall when
the roots have a chance to establish;
newly transplanted material should be
thoroughly watered in, mulched, and
protected from winter desiccation by
This year’s OSCA membership drive began
with a bang on the threshold of summer.
Jennifer Knight organized a wine and cheese
social that gathered almost thirty volunteers at the
Firehall and launched them onto the streets of Old
Ottawa South with a mission and a message. The
party was an opportunity to thank those who go
door to door to raise our membership, and to learn
more about the effort to redevelop and renovate
our community centre, the Old Firehall.
This year’s volunteers were asked to sell and
renew memberships while spreading the “Light
My Firehall” message. Plans to renovate our
community centre are well underway, but in order
Belly Dancing (it has an African
feel), Pilates using a ball, and early
bird yoga 2 mornings a week. If you
didn’t get into the OSCA courses for
Pilates and pre-school dance (Hippin’
& Hoppin), why not try the Makin’
Moves classes!
Classes take place at all sorts of
time, early bird, morning, lunch,
after school, evening Saturdays and
Sundays. Hip Hop birthday parties
and “Girls Nite Out” are also held on
the weekends.
The spring performance at St.
Margaret Mary church was a smashing
success. Kids from each of the classes
performed a piece, followed by
snacks and door prizes. There will be
a holiday performance sometime in
December showcasing each of the fall
classes.
Congratulations to Erin and Marc
for creating a dynamic dance studio
which is a great addition to the
neighbourhood!
You can reach Makin’Moves at:
614-4590
Provocative Conifers—Evergreens for Colour, Texture, and Interest
wrapping in white tree-wrap. Pruning
should be done in June and July to
allow protective growth to harden
off.
Joanie Flynt, of the Horticultural
Society of Ottawa, made an
announcement that should bring cheer
to local gardeners in the depths of an
Ottawa winter: the Paradise Found
Lecture Series featuring British
gardens. For more information go to
www.paradisefoundlectures.ca.
The next meeting of the Garden
Club will feature a double bill: Clive
Doucet will be presenting the awards
for the Old Ottawa South Front Yard
Garden Competition; and the club is
very privileged to have Marilyn Light
giving a presentation entitled “ Taking
Care of Your First Orchid”. The
meeting will be on Monday, October
17 at 7.00 pm at the Lounge at Brewer
Pool, 100 Brewer Way. (Note changed
meeting venue.) Drop-in membership
for the evening is $5 and new members
are always welcome.
Membership Drive –Thanks to this Year’s Volunteers!
to bring the City of Ottawa and other players onboard,
we need to stand together. This year, it is
particularly critical that our membership numbers
are high if we plan to get priority placement on the
City’s agenda. We have strength in numbers.
Thanks to all of those who participated with
this year’s membership drive, including organizers
Mede McAtee, Lisa Drouillard and Jennifer Knight.
Due to a shortfall of door-to-door canvassers, many
volunteers did double duty. If you are interested
in helping out with next year’s membership drive,
please contact Deirdre McQuillan at the Firehall
(by phone 247-4872 or email oscar@cyberus.ca
Even though the membership drive concluded
at the end of September, it is never to late to join
your community association –sign up today!