What Is Hamilton

For the next few days the fine folks at Hamilton Festival Theatre Company (the people that bring you the Hamilton Fringe Festival every summer) are presenting a imaginative and fun theatre experience that is a perfect respite from the cold of February.  You should go!  It's a really fun experience. Frost Bites is staged at the Cotton Factory located at 270 Sherman Street North.  This spectacular facility was up until as recently as 1972 home to the The Imperial Cotton Company Limited.  In it's heyday the Cotton Company was only second to the steel industry in its contribution to the local economy.  Today the the building has taken on a second life as a home to many local art and creative based enterprises and as an event space. The Hamilton Fringe Frost Bites Festival has taken full advantage of this remarkable and historic building to stage several bite sized theatrical presentations from a number of genres and when I say full advantage I mean it.

We haven't had much of a winter this year, but now that the cold has finally set in why not embrace it!  One of the better places in the city to do just that is down at Pier 8 on the waterfront.  There you will find an Olympic size outdoor ice skating rink that offers one of the best views you'll find on two blades.  

Last Tuesday was a great night for the Hamilton music scene and you should have been there.  Playing It Forward was the brainchild of Hamilton's Shari Dunn and Jonny Kerr.  On their own, Jonny and Shari have been performing in the Hamilton and Brantford area and are a talented duo.  Regular performances at the Cat and Fiddle and on the bill with many other local artists have connected the duo to many of the best performers in the Hamilton Area. Playing it forward had the double goal of raising money for a worthy cause (the Brian Lee Grifith Guitar Bursary) and bringing together some of Hamilton's best singers, songwriters and performers for a celebration of their songs.