Need a Family Photograph? New Studio Opens in Downtown Oakville
April 11th, 2008 Categories: Downtown Oakville, Oakville Events, Things to Do in Oakville
I was sorry to miss the grand opening party, but went by yesterday to see the new photo studio of my friend and neighbour Heather Hogan.
Nicely renovated and painted in fresh modern colours, with Heather’s beautiful photos of children and families adorning the walls, the studio reflects this Oakville photographer’s fresh, crisp approach to her craft.
Heather is a talented photographer and celebrating her sixth year in business by opening her new studio.
You can find her at 115A George Street above the UPS store, or at www.heatherhoganphotograhy.com.
FOR A FRESH APPROACH TO REAL ESTATE, CALL HILARY AT 905–599–3311.
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10th Annual Art and Artisans by the Lake at Appleby College in Oakville - April 19-20, 2008
April 8th, 2008 Categories: Food for Soul and Spirit, Oakville Events, Oakville Real Estate News, Things to Do in Oakville, Why Move to Oakville?
Mark your calendars for an exciting Oakville art show Saturday April 19th and Sunday, April 20th.
This is the 10th Annual Art and Artisans by the Lake to be held on the beautiful 52–acre campus of Appleby College, located on the shores of Lake Ontario, 540 Lakeshore Road West. The exhibit will be held in the Arena, between 10 and 4 both days.
Sponsored by the May Court Club of Oakville, this annual event showcases original works of the highest quality from Canadian artists and artisans. Original paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography and mixed media will be exhibited. All entries will be juried.
Funds raised will go to the Halton Emergency Shelter and the Halton Women’s Place.
One of the artists being profiled this year is Jacqueline Dravetz, of Burlington, Ontario. I visited Jacqueline and her husband Warner in their lovely home in Burlington which they are currently renovating.
Here is Jacqueline after a day of horse-back riding in her dining room with one of her paintings.
Having worked for many years as a registered nurse, Jacqueline discovered her talent with the brush six years ago. Since then she has devoted herself full-time to painting, exhibiting and doing portraits. She is currently enrolled in the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto where she is learning to perfect the old master tradition of realist painting and portraiture.
Jacqueline has a special gift for portraits of people and pets. To find out more about Jacqueline’s work visit www.jdart.ca.
Hope to see you at the art show!
FOLKS, THE SPRING MARKET IS HERE! LOOKING TO FIND THAT DREAM HOME OR SELL YOUR CURRENT HOME? GIVE HILARY A CALL NOW AT 905–257–3633.
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Oakville Museum Celebrates Black History Month
February 23rd, 2008 Categories: Historical Oakville, Oakville Events, Things to Do in Oakville
In honour of Black History Month and Heritage Week, a new exhibit and multi-media presentation The Underground Railroad: Next Stop Freedom has come to the Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate.
Starting February 16, this moving theatrical experience chronicles the history of black Canadians in the community through the story of Deborah Brown and her husband Perry who escaped slavery in Maryland to freedom in Canada.
The exhibit was created by Parks Canada in collaboration with the Royal Ontario Museum and the Ontario Black History Society. For more information, call 905–338–440 or visit www.oakvillemuseum.ca.
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“Fabulous February in Downtown Oakville”, and “Brontelicious” - Fine Dining at Affordable Prices in Oakville this Month
February 15th, 2008 Categories: Fifty-five plus, Historical Oakville, Lighten Up, Oakville Events, Oakville Real Estate News, Things to Do in Oakville, Why Move to Oakville?
With our town buried in piles of snow, I think we’ll go out and sample some new restuaurants or return to some old favorites.
Our son Nathan was born on Valentine’s Day so we will be celebrating his birthday on Saturday. Which restaurant should we pick?
This is the time of year when many of our fine local restaurants offer prix fixe menus for both lunch and dinner. We have two festivals for foodies going on in town this month.
DOWNTOWN OAKVILLE
“Fabulous February Fall in Love in Downtown Oakville” is the theme of Downtown Oakville’s third annual Fabulous February dining and shopping extravaganza.
From February 15–29, 2008, over 15 first-rate restaurants will be offering prix-fixe signature lunch and dinner options. It’s a good opportunity to sample some of Oakville’s renowned gourmet cuisine. Many retailers will also be offering sales throughout the month.
Participating restaurants include Berlio Cafe, Big Papa’s | Cafe del Libros | Colossus of Oakville| Coriander Green | Jam Asian Kitchen and Wine Bar | The Griffin House | Oliver’s of Oakville | O’Finn’s Irish Temper | Paradiso | Ristorante Julia | The Painted Elephant, Thyme Restaurant and Wine Bar
Details of fixed price menus being offered and prices, which vary by restaurant, are available at www.oakvilledowntown.com
BRONTE VILLAGE
Historic Bronte Village is also hosting the first annual winter dining promotion “BRONTELICIOUS”.
This also marks the official opening of Thai Senses Restaurant in Bronte.
The promotion features Special Prix-Fixe menus for lunch and dinner (appetizer, entree, dessert), available January 28 - February 29 at
The Coach and Four, Cucci, The Firehall, Mixed Grill, Oregano Cafe, O Sushi, Thai Senses and the Twisted Fork.
You can visit www.brontevillage.net for more details.
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Looking for Things to Do in Oakville? Don’t Miss the Maple Syrup Festival in Bronte Creek
February 14th, 2008 Categories: Historical Oakville, Oakville Events, Oakville Real Estate News
Fresh Ontario maple syrup begins flowing at Bronte Creek Provincial Park on March 1, 2008 when the park’s month-long Maple Syrup Festival gets under way.
Bronte Creek Provinicial Park is located along the border between Oakville and Burlington in Halton Region.
Maple syrup is part of our heritage as a community, and many Oakville families make this an annual event.
Enjoy a guided tour of the Maple Lane, where 1890s costumed interpreters demonstrate how to tap maple trees, make maple syrup and maple sugar.
Visitors can sit back and watch a movie in the logging theatre, view artifacts in the maple museum, or tour the 100-year-old Spruce Lane Farmhouse.
The maple syrup festivities are open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. every weekend in March and from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily through March Break (March 10-14).
This year visitors can enjoy all the festival attractions on Good Friday and Easter Monday.
Hop on a wagon that will take you to a heated pancake house where you can enjoy fresh, hot pancakes with pure maple syrup and crisp bacon or sausage and a drink, served up throughout the festival hours.
Good “outdoorsy” activity for the family for March Break or Easter.
Why not put it in the calendar?
For more info and photos on Canadian Maple Syrup traditions and facts here’s a nice post from fellow Mississauga blogger, Snapshotjourneys.com.
Planning a move to Oakville? Contact Hilary to be your resource for moving and relocation to this wonderful town.
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Oakville Home-Owners: Back to Yanking Out Weeds the Old Fashioned Way!
February 9th, 2008 Categories: Green Trends, Oakville Events, Why Move to Oakville?
This morning I got a call from our usual lawn service company. The gentleman on the line asked if we wanted to continue our lawn treatment package for 2008.
Ever since the Town passed the no-pesticide bylaw, effective January 1, 2008, I was wondering how lawncare companies would adapt to this change.
‘You can continue with the same price and package, but instead of spraying there wll be two lawn technicians who will arrive and manually remove your weeds with a special tool. Your grub control will continue with an approved grub-deterrant.”
When I inquired further as to whether or not manual weed digging would be the way of the future for lawncare, he indicated that some new eco-friendly weed-killers were being developed and have not yet received regulatory approval by the authorities in Canada. (We Canadians are always more cautious when it comes to adopting new drugs, new lending practices, you name it.)
Call Hilary for your real estate needs and for more information about Living in Oakville!
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Update on New Oakville Hospital: Construction to Commence in 2010
January 24th, 2008 Categories: North Oakville Development, Oakville Events, Oakville Town Planning & Development
A question I get frequently when I ask Oakville residents what they would like to find out more about on The Oakville Buzz is “Give us news on the new hospital”.
1. The new hospital will be located at the corner of Dundas Street West and 3rd Line in Oakville
2. In March 2007 the province donated 50 acres of provincially owned lands for the new hospital to be built.
3. The new state of the art facility will have more beds than Oakville’s existing hospital and will provide a full range of health services, including acute care, pediatrics, surgical care, mental health programs and complex continuing care.
4. Local fundraising for the new hospital has begun and construction work on the facility is expected to start in 2010.
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Hilary Shantz, Oakville, Ontario Real Estate Agent Has Been Meme’d!
December 18th, 2007 Categories: Blogs, Blogging and the Blogosphere, Lighten Up, Oakville Events
Being “meme’d” in blogger’s lingo is being tagged, online, and then having to write 5 things about yourself that others may not know. (See Wikipedia for original definition of meme, in short a unit of cultural information that propagates from one mind to another).
Fellow real estate blogger Janice Gagliardi of Port Orange Juice in Florida meme’d me. Five days till Christmas and so much to do, but let me take a minute to give my random response to this, in the spirit of Christmas!
Five Things You May not Know About Me:
1. When I was five, and sitting in the back seat of the car, I put a paper bag over my dad’s face while he was driving. (Seemed like a good idea at the time.)
2. I have been married for 17 years to my husband Wayne, and we have two kids, Nathan (age 15) and Meagan (age 14). We live in South East Oavkille in a home surrounded by trees.
3. Going to our family cottage in Buckhorn, Ontario in the Kawartha Lakes for the last thirty-five years holds many memories for me. We have no cable tv, land phone or other technology up there, just a hand made birch bark canoe that glides across the water. We have seen deer on the property and have a resident family of beavers. I still remember the squeals of delight from our son when at age four he discovered some turtle eggs, saw them hatch and named each one before putting them back safely in the water.
4. I find real estate to be an emotional roller coaster ride, thrills and spills, one day you’re up one day you’re down, but one thing is guaranteed, it’s never boring. The best thing about it is the people. The most challenging thing about it is you’re always working with people who are under stress.
5. I was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and lived in Jamaica, Scotland and the Cayman Islands as a child, and have lived in Canada for the last 3+ decades. My grandparents were from China. My husband is Mennonite. His ancestors were originally from Berne, Switzerland where his predecessor Ulrich Shantz left Europe for Pennsylvania 12 generations ago. The family subsequently moved to continue their farming lifestyle to the fertile lands of Kitchener, Waterloo, in Ontario, as did many other Mennonites, in the early 1800’s.
Now I am going to pass this on to to three other unsuspecting bloggers. Merry Christmas, you don’t have to respond till after the 25th!
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Oakville Singer Kelita Releases New Christmas CD
November 28th, 2007 Categories: Food for Soul and Spirit, Oakville Events
It is past midnight on a blustery winter’s night. I’m glad to be back indoors after a drive up to Georgetown (half an hour north of Oakville) in blowing snow where I met a very nice client to list her house.
Now nestled in my favorite comfy chair, feet on matching ottoman, I’m typing away on my warm laptop and listening to the bluesy voice of Kelita and her newly released Christmas CD “Heavenly Night”.
A five time Juno nominee and Canadian Country Music Award winner, Kelita is a singer-songwriter who hails from Alberta and calls Oakville home. She composed the official song for the Calgary World Olympics in 1988 “Neighbours of the World”.
I first met Kelita and her family when we were part of a small bible study group together a few years ago. Only after attending one of her concerts did I realize her enormous talent and the international acclaim she has achieved as a recording artist and songwriter.
What stands out about Kelita as a person is her deep reliance on God and her heart for people that suffer. Having had a difficult childhood she especially has a desire to bring help and healing to hurt and abused children.
Last summer Kelita, her husband Gord, and son Keldon, travelled to Cambodia to see first hand the plight of children who have been sold to the sex trade in South East Asia. Read more about her journey and mission in this recent article from Oakville Today.
The experience profoundly impacted this Oakville gal and prompted her to write the very moving song “Not Just This Christmas”. She set a goal to personally raise $30,000 to help rehabilitate these young girls and boys.
All proceeds for Kelita’s benefit concert being held December 1, at The Meeting House Theatre, here in Oakville, will be donated to the Agape Restoration Centre in Cambodia, a school for rehabilitating children rescued from the sex trade.
Kelita will also be donating 100% of funds raised from the sale of her Heavenly Night CD to the Centre. This new recording contains perennial Christmas favorites as well as songs written by Kelita. I especlally like her original songs “Heavenly Night”, and “Christmas Always Brings You Home”.
This is a great gift to give yourself or a friend this Christmas while making a difference to a young girl’s future, half way across the world.
To order Hevenly Night online click here.
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What’s the Buzz in Oakville? Hilary Launches New Blogsite!
November 4th, 2007 Categories: Lighten Up, Oakville Events, Oakville Real Estate News, Oakville Town Planning & Development
When I opened the paper this morning, on the front page of the Life section was the word buzz in huge letters, with a picture of bees on a honeycomb! The article is about urban apiarists.
“What’s the sound behind the hedge?” says the subtitle.
“Renegade beekeepers are quietly tending their colonies in backyards, on porches and rooftops”, all across the GTA! Who would have thunk it?
Backyard beehives are illegal, but our good friends at the Globe and Mail have blown their cover.
I don’t have time to do honey-making, but this leads me to my vision for the blog.
People, not just bees, are talking together and interacting! They are socializing and working and playing. There most definitely is a “sound behind the hedge” in this community. Wherever people are, folks are jabbering! This creates a buzz.
So what’s The Oakville Buzz about?
Whatever Oakvillians are interested in talking about, especially as it relates to Oakville housing and living in Oakville.
I will be ‘buzzing” around town interviewing locals, taking photos of cool things and reporting on community goings-on, local people and real estate.
I’ d like to introduce Boris, my side-kick and muse. Don’t you love his toothy grin and bulging eyes, one bigger than the other?
Please do stop in regularly for a visit and leave me a comment.
By the way, oakvillebuzz.com is the site for our Oakville lacrosse team. My site is TheOakvilleBuzz.com.
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Oakville Residents: Come out on Sunday Afternoon for the Heritage Hustle, Family Walk and Run
October 9th, 2007 Categories: Lighten Up, Oakville Events, Things to Do in Oakville
This Sunday afternoon, October 14th, there is no more fun place to be in Oakville than the Heritage Hustle, starting at Lakeside Park. This will be the culminating event for Oakville’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
“No canvassing or sponsors needed, we just want Oakville residents and community groups to come out and celebrate together”, says Francine Landry, Chair of the Ciizen’s Taks Force for Oakville’s 150th anniversary.
Francine called The Oakville Buzz to request we help get the word out for everyone to join in this fun landmark event.
Family Walk: Starts at 1 p.m., no charge, 1.5 km, follows scenic lakefront.
Runners: Starts 1:50 p.m., $35, register on the day, 5 km, crosses three downtown historical districts and Sixteen Mile Creek.
Powerwalkers: Starts 2 p.m., $35, register on the day, 5 km, same route as runners.
The Start/Finish line is at Lakeside Park at the corner of Navy and Front Streets. This will be a great opportunity for fun, fitness, food, entertainment, prizes! Funds raised will go back into the community via the R.E.A.C.H. Legacy fund. R.E.A.C.H. stands for:
Raising resilient youth Environment Arts Community and caring Heritage
YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OAKVILLE 150TH CELEBRATIONS AND THE HERITAGE HUSTLE AT http://150.oakville.ca/heritagehustle.htm. You can register beforehand at this website or on the day.
Hope to see you there on Sunday!
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Hilary Helps Oakville Kitchen Design Company Move Into Custom Home Renovation
September 16th, 2007 Categories: Client Stories and Testimonials, Fifty-five plus, Oakville Events, Oakville Real Estate News, Real Estate News
Dave Blair and Bob Murphy own MDL Designs, a Custom Kitchen Redesign and Renovation business in Oakville. Last summer they asked for help in adding to their business model a new branch of home renovation for resale. I explained how the numbers would work in order to make a profit, the risks involved, and the streets and areas in Burlington and Oakville that might be suitable. We looked at quite a few “renovation candidates”.
I met them at Tim Hortons the first day “their” house came on the market, and said “I think this might be it!”. It was a bungalow in South Central Oakville on a deep private lot, which they could renovate for a downsizer.
I am excited to see them finish the renovation! The kitchen cabinets will be installed tomorrow.
A letter from Dave:
Dear Hilary,
For Bob and I, the decision to buy our first “fix and flip” investment property meant finding a realtor we could trust., who could provide guidance about the market, how to evaluate potential properties, the areas to look in, and all the financial considerations.
We are excited to have found our prize property!
We found you to be hard working, sincere and committed. You supplied us with potential listings daily and returned phone calls and e-mails promptly. At no time did we feel pressured to make a decision if we were not sure about a property, and all of your advice had our best interest in mind.
Bob and I are excited about our plans for renovation and the new direction we are taking in our business by combining renovation and investment.
We look forward to purchasing our next property through you before long! We will not hesitate to recommend you to friends and business colleagues.
Sincerely,
Dave Blair, Co-Owner, MDL Designs Ltd.
Congratulations Dave and Bob! you are fine craftsmen. Your growing success is well-deserved. I saw from the get-go your passion for excellence, reliability and integrity.
Here are some kitchens by MDL Designs, check out their website at www.mdldesigns.com.
“Making Dreams Come True is What I Do!” Why not give me a call to chat about your goals and dreams?
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Do You Remember When We Ate the Fish in Lake Ontario? New Memorial in Bronte
September 8th, 2007 Categories: Beautiful Bronte Village, Historical Oakville, Oakville Events, Oakville Real Estate News, Oakville Town Planning & Development, Real Estate News
Respecting the Past, Celebrating the Present , Embracing the Future is the Town of Oakville’s motto.
Oakville is a forward-thinking modern town that also cherishes its history and heritage.
This past weekend Wayne and I were strolling along Bronte waterfront with our friends Ashley and Min-Na and enjoying a cappucino gelato. We stopped to admire the new Fishermen’s Memorial Monument.
Unveiled just a few weeks ago, this beautiful granite memorial measures 12′ x 6′ x 2′. The simple dedication reads:
“In memory of the Bronte Commercial Fishermen who ventured onto the lake in good weather and bad to set and lift their nets to earn a living catching fish. Ciscoes, Herring Whitefish Lake Trout. Cleaned at the dockside shanties. Packed in ice and shipped to markets in Toronto, Hamilton and New York City. Twenty-two boats travelled from the harbour at the peak fishing season. As the fish dwindled, so did the boats fishing from Bronte. The last boat left the lake circa early 1950s.”
Not too long ago we, and people as far as New York City, would pay to eat fish from Lake Ontario!
A local Bronte community group took on this project as a labor of love and raised funds from the community in the amount of $54,500 to finance this memorial.
The Village of Bronte became part of the Town of Oakville in 1954. Today Bronte is experiencing renewal and is becoming a growing centre for commerce, tourism and residential development.
It’s nice to know that along with progress, residents see value in preserving the past.
I like the royal blue benches in Bronte Harbourfront Park. They remind me of Portugal and Greece. My friend Ashley took this photo and the one at the top.
More on Bronte waterfront development in upcoming posts…
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