CELEBRATING

A ribbing good
time at
London Ribfest
There’s no better way to indulge a love
of barbeque than the London Rib Festival,
which takes place in Victoria Park, between
11am and 11pm, on July 28-August 1. A
mainstay of London’s annual event calendar,
London Ribfest celebrates its 30th anniversary
this year as Canada’s first rib festival.
The contest between the top ten ribbers
is an interesting focal point for the wellattended
occasion, but most people come
out to enjoy the tastiest barbeque north of
Michigan. But if roasted meat isn’t on the
menu, there are many other food options
at the festival, including an all new vegan
pavilion. Visitors can relax and have a cool
one in the comfort of the beer, wine and
coolers garden, as well as enjoying live entertainment
from some of the city’s favorite
musical acts. Midway, Expressions in Chalk
street painting performance and timbersports
demonstrations will also be part of the
festivities. Admission to Ribfest is free. For
more information on the festival, call 519-
432-5189 or visit the event page online.
Charity Golf Classic
for
Over $30,000
in prizes!
Testimonials
6
Donated bikes,
helmets and
safety tips for
new students at
Eagle Heights
New Syrian students got a lesson in bicycle
safety - and had fun doing it - at a
‘bike rodeo’ hosted by Eagle Heights Public
School on June 16. Organized by Sergeant
Sherri Baltzer of the London Police Service,
whose two children attend Eagle Heights,
the bike rodeo had the children learning
bike handling skills, hand signals and
road safety. Sergeant Baltzer teamed by
with Lorie Shook, a support councilor at
the school, to collect bike donations in the
months leading up to the event, and the
bikes were refurbished by teacher Graham
Holmes and his son. Majida Shahatto of
the Cross Cultural Learner Centre, translator
Alia Awaysheh, and an Arabic-speaking
teacher were on hand to help communicate
effectively with the students. Each participant
was also fitted with a new helmet,
generously donated by the Brain Injury
Foundation of Ontario.
Wednesday
July 13, 2016
Please join us for this year’s
West Haven Charity Golf Classic
• Unique format -
• 6 Holes Best Ball
• 6 Holes Scramble
• 6 Holes Alternate Shot
• Compete in 2 person teams.
• $250 per player includes golf, cart,
prizes, lunch and gourmet dinner.
“I’ve always enjoyed this tournament - it’s fun, well organized and the food is fabulous!” - David
The food at this golf event is the best in the city and the format is one-of-a-kind. Overall, a great
day and the best charity tournament I play in each year.” - Ron
All golfers have a chance to win a
2017 Family Membership at West Haven Golf & Country Club!
Register by May 13th to save $25 per golfer!
Phone: 519-472-6381 Email: events@huttonhouse.com
Website: www.huttonhouse.com
DIGEST
Shoppers LOVE.
YOU. Run for
Women a success
More than 400 runners and walkers
pounded the pavement in Harris Park on June
12 for women’s mental health. Led by the
175-strong Team Shoppers Drug Mart, Shoppers
LOVE. YOU. Run for Women was organized
in partnership with The Running Room
in support of Perinatal Mental Health Care
at London Health Sciences Centre’s (LHSC)
Women’s Program. A $25,000 cheque from
online donations, shoe icon sales at Shoppers
Drug Mart, and a $7,050 cheque raised
through a soccer tournament held two weeks
prior were presented during the event. “For
too long, mental health issues were often associated
with stigma and in some cases were
not recognized as a true illness by society.
Fortunately - with renewed focus and events
like this run - together we are making it acceptable
to talk about the effects of mental
illness and helping those who are suffering
to find the support they need,” remarked Fel
dePadua, owner of the Oxford/Hyde Park
Shoppers Drug Mart. The funds will increase
accessibility to mental health services at LHSC
by building group programming, online resources,
and improving clinic space.
Got an unused
bike? Donate it to
a worthy cause!
Pulse Spin Studio needs your help to give
wheels to those who need them. Last year,
the Wortley Village-area indoor spin bike
facility gave away almost 200 free bicycles
to people in the community, and this year
hopes to bring that number to at least 250-
300. Pulse owner Shayne Hodgson repairs all
of the donated bikes himself. “We are aiming
to collect as many used, working bicycles as
we can by the end of September. In addition,
SHOPPERS LOVE. YOU. RUN PARTICIPANTS STRIKE A POSE IN HARRIS PARK ON JUNE 12
we are calling out to London and area businesses
to provide monetary donations so we
can purchase parts for the donated bikes,”
Hodgson said. The Big Bike Giveaway will be
held at the green space at Wortley and Elmwood
on October 2, 12pm-3pm. Anyone is
welcome to stop by and be paired up with an
appropriate bike on a first-come, first-served
basis (one bike per person; you must be in attendance
to receive a bike). The event cannot
happen without your help. Call or text 519-
200-5496 or email pulsespinstudio@mail.
com for more info.
Don’t hide your
Pride, London!
London’s biggest celebration of the lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender and two-spirited
community takes place July 14 to 24 in multiple
venues around town. There’s a lot of
exciting things planned for this year’s Pride!
Events of note include the Pride Art Show at
The Arts Project (July 12 - 24, opening reception
on July 14, 7pm-10pm), Comedy Night
at Yuk Yuk’s with comedians Ashley Moffatt,
sociallife
Ted Morris and JJ Liberman (July 15, 8pm),
Pride Colour Party Celebrating Women’s Pride
at Lavish Nightclub (July 15, 9pm), Pride
Night with the London Majors baseball game
at Labatt Park (July 15, 7:35pm), Pride 2016
Awards Festival at The Cornerstone (July 16,
7pm-9pm), and the London-Middlesex Roller
Derby Pride Bout at Medway Arena (July 16,
1pm-5pm). The 22nd Annual Pride Parade
takes over the downtown streets July 24,
beginning at Western Fair District at 12:30pm
and making its way north on Ontario Street,
west on Queens Ave, north on Wellington to
Wolfe Street before arriving at Victoria Park.
Download your Pride Guide at online at Pride
London.
Canuck advocates
report on
government
abuses
Two high profile Canadian human rights
advocates have released a second damning
report after a decade-long investigation into
human organ harvesting in China. Lawyer
David Matas and former Canadian Asia-Pacific
Secretary of State David Kilgour started
looking at organ harvesting accusations
against China’s government in 2006, and
released their findings in widely publicized
findings a year later. More recently, the two
investigators released a more comprehensive
report, which outlines how the number
of China’s annual organ transplant surgeries
far surpasses Beijing’s official estimate
of 10,000. The report also documents how
members from certain groups – the Falun
LONDON PRIDE TAKES PLACE BETWEEN JULY 14 – 24
Gong religious sect, for example – are disproportionally
targeted for organ harvesting.
- Amie Ronald-Morgan and Chris Morgan
ESTABLISHED IN 1989 JUNE 30 - JULY 27 • 2016
PHOTO CREDIT: DANA NOSELLA