BY JOE WEPPLER In a video he filmed with the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre, Masood Rehman described a situation he found himself in when a friend asked him for help and he couldn’t provide it. “I did not want to feel like that ever again,” he said. At the beginning of 2014, Rehman, a public relations student at Conestoga College, started Khandor Brand Skateboards because he wanted to give … Continued
By SARAH VEENSTRA It’s one word. One unclean word. It refers to a female who is considered a stain on society. If the word prostitute came to mind, the stigma is alive and well. While the word “prostitute” is still used today, and more vulgar terms have come and gone, there is another word that has come to be more common: escort. It’s a seemingly less abrasive word that society … Continued
BY MICHELLE MAISONVILLE When someone walks up to the pen where the alpacas are housed it’s likely the animals will all crane their necks to look at who it is. “They’re very curious, they don’t miss a thing,” said Ann Clayburn, who owns Alpaca Acres along with her husband, Dan. Alpaca Acres is a farm located in Perth County, Ont., between Stratford and Shakespeare. It is roughly a half hour … Continued
BY PAUL BOREHAM Being a reporter for Spoke has led me to places I would never have gone otherwise. One of these places is down by the river just east of Guelph where a family of four have been living in a yurt for several years. They live off society’s grid – no indoor toilet, electricity or running water. An inquiry at their neighbour’s home led to a meeting with … Continued
BY CHRISTEL ALLISON Things got real cheesy at THEMUSEUM’s first ever Mac ’N Cheese-ival on Feb. 27. THEMUSEUM and B@THEMUSEUM (a café) came together for an unforgettable experience – one that fused macaroni and cheese with new Ontario craft beer from Four Fathers Brewery and music from Toronto band Running Red Lights. With butter chicken, jerk chicken, Italian and vegetarian flavoured mac and cheese, the line that stretched past the … Continued
BY MARISSA CUDDY While many people stayed in Canada over Reading Week I headed to Florida for a weeklong vacation with my parents. This was the fourth time out of 17 years that I have flown to the sunny south. Every year other than those four we have driven. We had a driver bring us to our hotel in St. Pete Beach from Tampa Airport. The population of St. Pete … Continued
BY CHRIS HUSSEY It was another warm summer day for Jami Sutton at the Seven Shores Café on Regina Street in Waterloo. As a chef at the café at the time and unofficially managing the kitchen, she put together many of the organic and local dishes the café offered. The year was 2013, and it was also the year she met Juneyt Yetkiner. Yetkiner, now 38, was performing at the … Continued
BY BETH CROUSE Blustery conditions and gloomy clouds didn’t stop book lovers from venturing out for the 14th annual Word on the Street book and magazine festival held at multiple venues across Kitchener on Sept. 20. Whether you were looking for a fun family outing, a chance to hear guest authors such as Gail Vaz-Oxlade, or to peruse multiple vendors, Word on the Street had something for everyone to enjoy. … Continued
BY RANDI CLARKE There are few words that can dramatically alter a person’s life but, “You have cancer,” are three of them. Cancer affects the life of the person diagnosed as well as friends and family. According to the Canadian Cancer Society’s website, there are more than 50 different types of cancer including the more well-known types such as breast, cervical, esophageal, kidney, leukemia, lung, liver, prostate, testicular and thyroid. … Continued
BY DEVON HAYES The noisy jingles signalled my entrance into the tiny store so crammed with guitars I was afraid it might burst. Seconds later, a customer came in, striking up a conversation with the people behind the desk. Soon after he left with a Dean guitar, his day seemingly made by his new toy and the welcoming interaction he received from the store’s employees. Pop’s Music Shop might be … Continued
BY KATRINA EDLEFSEN The dragon watches as snow begins to fall lightly outside of his den, knowing full well that as the snow fell so did the curtain of fantasy that he and his followers had placed around his den. As the final colourful denizens of his land cast a mournful glance at the building before walking away, the spell is broken and the six-year reign of Kon the dragon … Continued
By BRUCE CHESSELL Books and music go together like butter and toast. Everyone loves to listen to their favourite album while they flip through the pages of a good read, but rarely do you ever see a place that has a wide variety of music and a great selection of books. Millpond Records is one of the exceptions, having merged these two worlds together for your pleasure. Husband and wife … Continued
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