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Canadian Women’s Club of Chicago Newsletter
February 2010
PRESIDENTS LETTER
Hello Ladies
I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to the winter Olympics this year.
It’s the 3rd time that Canada has hosted. The one I remember best is the 1976
Summer Olympics in Montreal. That’s the year I bought a pair of Adidas sneakers
that were made in honour of that event. They were blue and yellow and I wore
them till 1988 which incidentally was the next time the Olympics were held in
Canada, in Calgary. This time Vancouver plays proud host.
I’ve always loved the winter games however this year for some reason it’s much
more exciting. Maybe it’s because my son lives so close to Whistler where most
of the ski events will be held. Over the past few years I’ve gotten to know that
area and it’s a part of Canada that really showcases our great land. No matter
what the reason I can’t wait to take in my favourite sport, downhill skiing. I
love watching the athletes speed through the course with a backdrop of sun, sky
and snow in the background. There’s just nothing like it.
Norah Johnson sent me a link to a commercial that is currently on youtube. I’ve
included the link for those of us who get the newsletter via email. I know if
you log in to see it, you’re going to love it. It describes the west coast of
Canada to a tee and it features well known celebrities who are Canadian like
Sarah McLaughlin, Eric McCormick and Micheal J Fox. The scenery is outstanding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwSCHRQCIBY&feature=player_embedded
I have to do my due diligence
and cheer for both the Canadians and the Americans. What will be icing on the
cake is hearing O Canada and seeing the Maple Leaf flying high over the podium.
From all reports the last meeting at Robin Allison’s was wonderful with a huge
number in attendance. Later on in the newsletter you’ll see information on the
raffle that is being held for our 50th anniversary soiree at the end of the
year. Even if you can’t make a meeting, you will still be able to purchase
tickets for some outstanding prizes. It’s great that the next meeting on Feb.
13th is on a Saturday, it will give those who work full time an opportunity to
attend. I can’t wait to see everyone at Bev Paonessa’s.
Have a great month!
- Paula
Newsletter Deadline
The deadline for submitting articles to be included in the March newsletter is
February 24th, 2010. All articles should be submitted to Jan Dengis. Please put
CWC on the subject line. Any questions, please call Jan.
MEMBER NEWS
Birthday wishes for February go to Michelle Gillis on Feb.9th, (withheld) on
Feb.10th, (withheld) on Feb. 13th and Lucie Dumas on Feb. 15th.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Canadian Event Calendar
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Friday, February 5,
7:00pm Film: The Necessities of Life (Ce qu’il faut pour
vivre), Facets Cinematheque, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago. After
being diagnosed with tuberculosis, Tivii (Natar Ungalaaq, Atanarjuat:
The Fast Runner), an Inuit hunter from Baffin Island, is unexpectedly
forced from his isolated home terrain by Canadian authorities and
quarantined in a Quebec City tuberculosis sanitarium. |
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Monday, February 15
Alberta Family Day |
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Friday, February 19,
7:00pm Dalla, Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln
Ave.
Darlings of the Canadian music scene, Dala's fresh brand of acoustic pop
draws on influences like The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Bob
Dylan. Dalla is opening for Bonnie Koloc |
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Wednesday, February
24, 6:00 pm Table of Nations: Canada Elephant & Castle Pub
and Restaurant, 185 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago. Canada and the United
States enjoy an economic partnership unique in the contemporary world.
We share the world's largest and most comprehensive trading
relationship, which supports millions of jobs in each country. Under
NAFTA, growth in bilateral trade between Canada and the U.S. has
averaged almost 6% annually. In 2008, our bilateral trade was close to
$742 billion, with over $1.9 billion worth of goods and services
crossing the border every single day. NAFTA, however, has not solved all
trade problems. Join the McCormick Freedom Project and Consul Brian
Herman from the Canadian Consulate in Chicago to learn more about
current trade challenges and discuss what it means to be American-made,
Canadian-made or North American-made. Ticket Info: $35, $25 for members,
includes dinner. |
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Thursday, February
25, 5:30pm – 8:00pm Canadian Club of Chicago Holiday Party,
Consulate General of Chicago, Two Prudential Plaza, 180 North Stetson
Avenue, Suite 2400 Join your fellow Canada-U.S. Business
Council Chicago, formerly Canadian Club of Chicago, friends for our
Annual Holiday Party. It is an evening of fun, good conversation,
Canadian wine and appetizers. This event is free to all current 2009
Canadian Club of Chicago members and spouses, $25.00 for all
non-members. |
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Wednesday, March 3,
7:30pm Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks, United Center
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Friday, March 5,
7:30pm Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks, United
Center |
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Friday, March 5,
7:30pm – 10:00pm Cirque du Soleil – Alegria Sears Centre,
5333 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates Cirque du Soleil is pleased
to announce that the critically-acclaimed touring production Alegría
will perform in Hoffman Estates at the Sears Center Arena from March 3 -
7, 2010 for eight performances only. Tickets $37 - $97 plus $15 parking. |
If you are interested in any of these events, more details can be found at the
following websites:
www.cwcchicago.com and www.canadianclubofchicago.org
CLUB NEWS
Book Club
The next book selection is the novel, “THE BOOK OF NEGROES” by Canadian author
Lawrence Hill. This book is also found under the alternate title of “SOMEONE
KNOWS MY NAME.” The next book discussion will be on March 10th, 2010 at 11:00am
at the home of Jan Dengis.
Looking Ahead
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March 17th, the
meeting will be held at the home of Barb Dickie. The programme will
continue our travel through the decades; A salute to the ‘90s – “La Fin
de Siècle.” |
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On April 21st, the
meeting will be held at the home of (withheld). The programme will be
“The Amazing Monarch (butterfly, that is!)” by Diane Hunter. |
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New Date - The May
meeting at the Consul General’s residence has been changed from May 19th
to May 12th. |
50th Anniversary Party
Save the date! Saturday, May
22nd is the date for our 50th Anniversary Party. More details to follow.
Raffle ticket sales started during the December meeting and will continue up
until the night of the party. Included in the raffle is a watercolour painting
from Mary Ellen's sister in law, Jean Pollack which will be grand prize, a $100
gift certificate from the Park Grill, two pictures from Shea Burgess, one
picture from Anne Rizzolo and a set of three small paintings painted by
(withheld). Also included is a selection of Canadian wine.
The price of the tickets is $5 each or 3 for $10.00. If you were not able to be
at the December meeting, please plan on purchasing tickets at the next meeting
you attend. Joan Ridyard, CWCC treasurer, is in charge of the ticket sales. To
our snowbirds where ever you may be, you can purchase raffle tickets by sending
Joan a cheque and she will return the ticket halves to you.
2010 VANCOUVER OLYMPICS
Inukshuk( In-OOK-Shook)
An Inukshuk is a stone
representation of a person, a stone man that points the way, meaning that “I’ve
been here before; you’re on the
 right
path.” They are stone cairns erected by the Inuit to serve as guideposts or
markers. Historically they also served to guide the herding of the caribou. A
modern symbolic meaning for Inukshuk is that the stones represent a team or the
dependence people have on each other and that if a stone is removed, the
structure or relationship becomes weaker.
The Inukshuk is also on the
flag and Coat of Arms of the Canadian Territory, Nunavut. It has also become a
symbol for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics where the five stones are the same
colours as the five interlocking rings of the Olympic trademark.
According to Wikipedia:
The 2010 Winter Olympics logo was unveiled on April 23, 2005, and is named
Ilanaaq the Inunnguaq. Ilanaaq is the Inuktitut word for friend. The logo is
based on the Inukshuk (stone landmark or cairn) built for the Northwest
Territories Pavilion at Expo 86 and donated to the City of Vancouver after the
event. It is now used as a landmark on English Bay Beach.
Opening and closing
ceremonies
The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for February 12, 2010 (Friday), 18:00
(Vancouver time) at BC Place Stadium. This is the first opening ceremony held in
an indoor place. It is not yet known whether the cauldron will be outside the
stadium or on the inside, which may cause some environmental disorder or not.
Closing Ceremony The closing ceremony will take place on 28 February 2010, at 5:00 pm local time.
A PEEK AT OUR PAST…………
The Canadian Women’s Club has
published three different cookbooks. The first was in the fall of 1977 and sold
for $3.50 each. The second was in the fall of 1989, and could be purchased for
$7.50. The most recent was “Our Favourite Favorites – Celebrating our 40th
year”, published in January 2001 and sold for $9.00.
In 1978 the annual dues were $8.00 and a typical luncheon cost $5.00
Our Christmas Gift exchange
is a tradition that dates back to 1977, with a maximum gift value of $3 in the
early years.
The club’s membership peaked
at 104 ladies in the 1989-1990 year. Luncheons routinely attracted 40 or more
members and guests.
In fifty years of monthly luncheons, a wide variety of topics and have been
covered, including several for the crafty amongst us: Below is an illustration
of what was offered.
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Basic Flower
Arranging by Mrs. Donald Bamford in October1972 |
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Expanding your
Stitching Potential by Mrs. Louise Meier of Calico Cat, Winnetka in
January 1977 |
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Quilting
Demonstration (bring thread, needle, and scissors!) by members Lorna
Fenton and Marianne Nesler in February 1980 |
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Pysanky: Ukrainian
Easter Egg Lynda Robertson, a Canadian of Ukrainian descent in February
1983
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This is just a sampling of
the treasures in our Club archives. Watch for more tidbits in upcoming
newsletters and at our 50th anniversary celebration coming up this May.
I NEED YOUR HELP!
If you have any “artifacts” of the earlier years of the CWC (especially the
1980’s), I’d be most grateful if you could donate them to the archives (or let
me make copies). While we have a fabulous record of the past 50 years, there are
some holes I’d love to fill.
And, crafty types, I could use help preparing some displays of the club’s
history to share at the 50th anniversary celebration – think of it as
scrapbooking on steroids!
- Michelle Gillis
“Move Over, America” or “slow
down/move over”
Are you aware that in all but two states and throughout Canada a law is being
enforced? In British Columbia the fine is huge and possibly worth three penalty
points. Motorists can be fined for failing to slow down or change lanes when
passing parked emergency vehicles on the shoulder of a road. “More than 150 U.S.
law enforcement officers have been killed since 1999….. ” Depending on the speed
limit, one should slow down to 20 miles to 5 miles an hour.
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