Corktown Culture
Living in the Eastern Townships of Corktown, classical guitarist Emma Rush has been known to entertain her neighbours simply by practicing near an open window. Liona Boyd, Andres Segovia, and John Williams are names synonymous with the unamplified, six nylon stringed instrument sometimes referred to as a Spanish guitar.
Rush is also the artistic director of Guitar Hamilton, the non-profit organization based in the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts on James Street South. “The guitar is the instrument of the people” claims Rush, who changed her life goals at the age of 18 to pursue mastery of the instrument at Dalhousie University in Halifax and continued as top of her class in post graduate studies in Dortmund, Germany. She has played solo and chamber music concerts, given numerous masterclasses and workshops and shared her expertise as a teacher around the world. Emma’s performances in Canada, United States and Europe include contemporary compostions, pieces from the Romantic Era (her favourite) and standard popular fan fare. (www.emma-rush.com). When asked what she chooses to play for relaxation she smiles, “Stairway to Heaven.”
Emma is passionate about doing all she can to help establish classical guitar as part of Hamilton’s artistic mosaic. To this end, her Guitar Hamilton is offering regular concerts at the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts throughout 2010 featuring an international cast of players, including Emma herself later in the spring. (www.guitarhamilton.com)
Emma is almost as passionate about Corktown. “The people” is her immediate reply when asked what she enjoys most in the neighbourhood. “All walks of life live, work and play here” and she rubs elbows with them in her working life in one of Augusta Street’s gathering spots. She feels comfortable with the mix and blend of architecture and greenspace throughout.
The quality of life in Corktown is enriched by the time, effort and artistry Emma Rush brings to performing, teaching and promoting her beloved classical guitar.
Fred’s Stories
(The Crier is running a series of articles based on conversations over tea with 89 year old Fred Engelbrecht – Corktown native, survivor of Dieppe and 2007 Canadian Veteran of the Year.)
Christmas in Corktown
“My dad loved Christmas and we would always have good food on the table and my father and one of the older boys would bring home a tree from one of the lots nearby that probably cost them a dollar. We’d decorate it with ornaments and I remember that we’d light candles on the tree. (Funny to think of that now when later I’d end up being a fireman.) We’d usually get one gift, some years a better one than others, and if you got a pair of new socks, you thought it was wonderful. We didn’t have a fireplace, but would hang out stockings near the tree and dad would put nuts and candies in them, and for a real treat, an orange or an apple.
If you were lucky at night there would only be two kids in a bed, but more likely it was three and if you were small, four. We’d be lying there on Christmas Eve waiting to see Santa, and I remember that we could hear the bells of the Church of the Ascension playing carols.
For Christmas dinner we didn’t have turkey, but would buy a large chicken or goose at the old Farmers’ Market on York Street, bring it home live, then chop off its head.
We had a pedal organ and whenever our dog, a fox terrier heard someone playing it, he’d howl. My brother and I use to like to get him going.
My mother and my older sister worked for the YMCA and every Christmas they’d put on a party for the staff, their families and local children. There’d be actors and singing and you’d get a little present too. One time I remember they had a pantomime horse with two men inside, and my brother tried to convince me that it was a real horse. I knew better. I also think I might have been an ornery little kid because I was never too impressed with Santa.
We loved winter because we would go up to Armstrong Road at the top of Upper John Street with our wooden sleighs and because it was such a steep grade, we could slide all the way down past St. Joseph’s Hospital, onto Charlton and down Catharine all the way to Young Street. There weren’t too many cars out on the street in winter, but you had to watch out for horses and cutters. Farmers bringing their goods to the Haymarket and Dunlop Feed by wagon would have to use dragshoes, (big steel plates which would fit under the wheels and attach to the wagon with chains) or their horses would be sliding on their butts all the way down the street.”
Wartime Christmases
“In 1942 I spent my first Christmas as a prisoner of war in Stalag 8 B in Lamsdorf, Germany. I remember that on December 2 they took the ropes off of us and replaced them with chains. After about a month or so we figured out how to undo the locks with the keys from sardine cans and we’d hang our handcuffs across the front of us from pocket to pocket like a watch chain. When we heard the guards coming, we’d slip them on again.
One memory I have of my second Christmas as a POW was that some of the more talented prisoners had chalked Christmas scenes on the walls and windows of the barracks. The Germans gave each of the prisoners a Christmas card to send home to their families. It was a form of propaganda to make the people back home feel that we were being treated well.
In 1944 we were on a work party and billeted in the town hall in Wardin, Poland. I gave the guard some cigarettes so he’d let me out of the compound to go out on the town a while. (If you had cigarettes, chocolate or soap, you were the richest guy in camp.) I went to the Polish barracks and had some wine with the local slave workers who were celebrating. When I got back to the compound later that night, the gates were locked! I had to climb the fence, but rather than jumping, I had to ease myself through the barbed wire. It caught me in the face and I was bleeding, but when I got inside, everyone was singing and one of the prisoners was wearing a German helmet and carrying a rifle and parading about, and there was the German guard, drunk as a skunk, passed out in the corner. They’d made sure that he had had some of their homemade pear wine for Christmas.”
Wine Corner
Are you wondering about which wine to serve during your Christmas merrymaking this year? According to wine expert John Tait of Corktown, your choice is wide ranging. Why not begin your celebration with a fun, sparkling wine. And you don’t have to spend $45 for French Champagne when a $15 Italian or Ontario brand would fit the bill.
Most traditional Christmas dinners feature the traditional turkey. John suggests a Riesling, made from the ‘king of grapes’ and a favourite of many wine lovers. He disputes the claim by some that it is too sweet and assures us that almost any dry, white wine would be appropriate.
If seafood is on the menu or being served as an appetizer at anytime during the festive season, a great complement would be Sauvignon Blanc. Another dry, white wine is the light tasting Italian Pinot Grigio.
John Tait goes by the ‘white meat/white wine, red meat/red wine’ rule. “The wine,” states John, “should enhance the taste of the meal and not overwhelm it” as some red wines would do with a fish dinner for example. For a roast beef dinner, a Cabernet Sauvignon would be ideal. And for those folks who just love their red wine with everything, a Pinot Noir or Beaujolais is recommended. But in the end drink whatever you enjoy, explore new wines and have a great holiday.
John has kindly included the list below for the discerning epicurean and connoisseur alike.
Salud!
We would love to hear your thoughts or questions on wine related matters at corktown_news@yahoo.ca 
Sparkling Wines |
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| Prosecco IL Vino dei Poeti (897702) | Veneto, Italy | 14.30 |
| Seaview Brut (216333) | Australia | 11.65 |
| Henry of Pelham Cuvee Catherine Brut (144873) | Niagara | 29.95 |
| Veuve Cliquot Brut Champagne (563338) | France | 64.95 |
White Wines |
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| Two Oceans Sauvignon Blanc (340380) | South Africa | 9.75 |
| Baden Gewurztraminer (336735) | Germany | 10.50 |
| Gabbiano Pinot Grigio (77990) | Veneto, Italy | 12.95 |
| Dr. Loosen Mosel Riesling (599274) | Mosel, Germany | 13.95 |
| Cathedral Cellars Chardonnay (328559) | South Africa | 13.95 |
Red Wines |
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| Mezzomondo Negroamaro Salento (588962) | Apulia, Italy | 8.95 |
| Cline Syrah (733758) | California | 14.95 |
| Concha Y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon (337238) | Chile | 19.95 |
| Rodney Strong Pinot Noir (954834) | Sonoma, California | 24.95 |
| Flat Rock Cellars Pinot Noir (1545) | Niagara, Ontario | 19.95 |
Spotlight on: The Winking Judge
I was recently approached by the newly formed executive of the Corktown Neighbourhood Association to write a restaurant review for their Crier publication. I think they must have had this misconception after seeing me around some of the local establishments and assumed that I was there for the food. I accepted the invitation to write the article though, thinking that I would at least be getting some free meals. Unfortunately, that was a misconception on my part but I still had hope that I could get strangers to buy me drinks.
The Winking Judge on Augusta St. between James and John was randomly chosen by the Committee. This was an excellent choice as I didn’t know what kind of food they serve but I had heard that they have good beer. The pub specializes in local micro brews and is a haven for both beer snobs and beer lovers.
I chose a Saturday night to go for my meal. They have live music on weekends and no cover charge so if it turned out badly, I could still hear some good music.
Just walking in the front door of this pub was an experience. It looks every bit as old English as its name suggests. Old pictures and various collections of memorabilia cover the walls and mismatched chairs are tucked under well used tables. Tables fit snugly into the small downstairs room equally close to the bar on one side and the music on the other. People of all age groups are settled in with their favorite brews. They have an upstairs area as well that can be reserved for private parties but we decided to eat where the action was, on the main floor with the music. Besides, we had heard that the place was haunted and if I started seeing things, I wanted it to be because of the drink and not some old Ghost.
We arrived around 10 and the place was already busy. Patrons generally place their order at the bar but we did get Marie the manager to help us with getting a table and sorting out the orders. Both Marie and the bartender knew a lot about the micro brews that they sell. We just told them what our favourite beer was and they named a comparable (but better) micro brew.
The menu at the Judge isn’t large and it appears to be basically pub grub. But they do have daily specials that kick it up a notch. Saturday’s special was shrimp risotto but we were interested in plainer fare. None in our group could resist the Sweet Potato Fries served with a house Cajun mayo dip. These scrumptious fries were thin and just crispy enough to ensure that all got eaten. Yummmm!
I ordered chicken wings and they came as requested, hot and crispy. A lot of restaurants just can’t seem to get that right but these wings were excellent. My friend had a veggie burger and raved about the taste. The bison burger was rated as delicious as well. So, although the menu may look limited, the food was excellent.
Although the service was good overall, the servers were very busy so getting the bill required some patience but having had some pints, all was good. It was a relatively inexpensive dinner but we ended up staying for most of the evening, listening to the music and soaking up the culture (by this I mean suds).
Verdict: I loved the food and the atmosphere at this funky little pub. It has a warm cozy feel and I will probably stumble my way there again.
This pub gets a “Thumbs Up.”
President’s Message
The Corktown Neighbourhood Association works hard to make a positive difference in our neighbourhood. We clean up and beautify our parks, publish and deliver our newsletter, the Corktown Crier, host quarterly neighbourhood meetings and arrange our annual Corktown neighbourhood garage sale that takes place each spring in Shamrock Park. The Association also provides fantastic opportunities to meet your neighbours at our Meet n’ Greets held throughout the year and our Holiday Social to be held on December 13th this year. These social gatherings are always held at a local restaurant so that we are able to have fun meeting new neighbours while supporting our great local businesses.
As the new President of the Neighbourhood Association (and a volunteer) I would like to take this opportunity to encourage the residents of the Corktown neighbourhood to take pride in our neighbourhood by becoming an active volunteer alongside the members of the Corktown Neighbourhood Association. We are made up of people just like you, hard working residents of the Corktown neighbourhood who want to make this wonderful area even better.
If you are unable to volunteer at events but have ideas, suggestions or concerns that you would like to share please feel free to send us a message at corktown_news@yahoo.ca. We are also looking for ideas for the Corktown Crier. If you are interested in writing an article, have a great suggestion for an article topic or are a local business establishment looking to advertise please send us an email to the same address.
You love to live in this neighbourhood. As a resident you know how wonderful the area is and you know what you would like to see change. With your help we can change these things and make our neighbourhood look, feel and be the best neighbourhood in Hamilton.
Beautification News
The Beautification Committee and our volunteers have done a lot of work in the parks over the last year. Along with the park cleanups and planting we held a BBQ and picnic and a garage sale to raise money for plants for the park. Under our obligations to the City in the Adopt-a-park program we did a final clean up and spring bulb planting in Shamrock Park in early November. I would like to thank all of the volunteers who came out and gave so generously of their free time throughout the last season. If you’re interested in joining us next season and volunteering in your community drop us a line at the Crier.
The Holly Awards are going to be rolling out in time for the Holiday Season. These are awarded to recognize those homes in the neighbourhood who enhance the festive mood and experience of living in Corktown. Our neighbourhood truely is The place to live in Hamilton, so decorate your homes and lets all show pride in our wonderful neighbourhood.
The Beautification Committee would like to wish everyone a Joyous Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.
Woolverton Park
Woolverton Park is the smallest park in Corktown but certainly fills a big void in the community. This little park is heavily utilized by the residents of the high rise buildings in the Charlton Avenue area of our neighbourhood who would ordinarily have no recreational areas which are specific to children’s play. The City of Hamilton recently replaced the playground equipment in the park much to the delight of area residents.
The new bright green and orange equipment consists of a creative play structure for ages 18 months to 12 years, a two bay swing set consisting of 2 tot and 2 junior seats and 2 spring toys for ages 5 and under. The area is made child-friendly with the addition of new wood chip safety material under all of the new equipment.
The previous equipment which was installed in the early ’90s, was 18 years old and was replaced November 6th as part of the City’s lifecycle replacement program.
Message from our Ward 2 Councillor
I’m pleased to announce that the CP Holiday Train is arriving again in Hamilton on December 1st. The locomotive and string of cars are wonderfully decorated for the season and also carries a message of help for those in need. One of the railway box cars has been converted into a performance stage, and when the train arrives at Gage Park the doors open and the crowds are treated to a musical show by a great Canadian entertainer. The train is scheduled for Gage Park between 8:15 and 8:30, meaning it will pass by Shamrock and Corktown Parks between 8:00 and 8:15. You can either watch it go through Corktown or join the crowd at Gage Park. If you do, take along a contribution to the Food Bank. Every year CP rail has presented a cheque for $3,000 dollars to the local food banks, and encourages visitors to help out as well.
On the subject of trains, I am continuing to work with GO Transit and the City of Hamilton on neighbour’s complaints about the GO layover facility along Hunter, behind the homes on Augusta. It’s not an easy matter dealing with noise and other issues because of the powers vested to railway companies under the Railway Act. I have been told by GO officials that they are monitoring and adjusting operating procedures to minimize nuisance. I have also received confirmation that our air-monitoring team will take readings and analyze conditions in the area before the end of the year. It’s a mixed blessing, having such improved service, but having it so near to residences. The site was approved after lengthy public consultation early in 2005, prior to the arrival of many recent home-owners and renters. However the facility did go through normal and proper approval stages. I’ll have a further update before the end of December.
We as a City are facing difficult times ahead, like everyone else, because of the struggling economy. That is why on behalf of tax-payers I have been challenging our Council to make the best use of tax dollars. The City is investing $100 million dollars for office space in two buildings, the renovated City Hall and the Lister Block.
Although many positive stories are being published about being “on time and under budget,” these costs are outrageous. The much older Westinghouse Camco building is the same size as City Hall, 185,000 square feet, and was rebuilt at a cost of $19.2 million. City Hall is over $70 million. We will purchase a renovated Lister Block, 65,000 square feet, for $25 million. The glass office tower on King and MacNab is 185,000 square feet and was purchased for $14 million dollars. I brought an offer from the owner to the City earlier this year, and only three Councillors supported my request to simply meet with the owner and discuss the offer. The Spectator published my letter outlining these facts, and nobody, the Mayor, members of Council or Staff refuted the facts I presented. Sadly what you will hear over the next couple of months is how we’re going to cut services and recreational facilities while we prepare to move into our new offices.
I’ll end on a positive note: the Pan Am games are something we can be excited about for what they will bring to the entire City, as long as we don’t squander the money!
Christmas Flicks
How many ways do you celebrate Christmas? Did you go to the Santa Claus parade? Are you snail-mailing or e-mailing your greetings? Is there a church service in your plans? How many parties are on your calendar? Is your very special guest at Christmas dinner going to be the one filled with stuffing?
Hollywood, in the 20th century, brought a new way to enjoy the time of year – movies with a Christmas theme. The treatment ranges from the sacred to the profane and depending on your disposition or sense of humour, you can choose from a huge selection. Here is a random list of Christmas flicks to explore, debate, enjoy and hopefully enhance the Spirit of Christmas in your life:
It’s a Wonderful Life (James Stewart), Miracle on 34th Street (Maureen O’Hara), A Christmas Carol (Alastair Sim), Holiday Inn (Bing Crosby), White Christmas (Bing Crosby), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Animated), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Animated), A Christmas Story (Darrin McGavin), A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Nightmare Before Christmas (T. Burton), Scrooged (Bill Murray), Christmas Vacation (Chevy Chase), Home Alone (Macaulay Culkin), Elf (Will Ferrell), Prancer (Sam Elliott), The Santa Clause (Tim Allen), Santa Claus (Dudley Moore), The Fourth Wise Man (Martin Sheen), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Jim Carrey), Jack Frost (Michael Keaton), I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Connie Sellecca), Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (Richard Thomas), Frosty the Snowman (Animated), Jingle all the Way (Arnold Schwarzenegger), One Magic Christmas (Mary Steenburgen), Holiday Affair (Robert Mitchum), The Nutcracker (Macaulay Culkin), Mixed Nuts (Steve Martin), Bad Santa (Billy Bob Thornton), The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (Patricia Neal), The Lemon Drop Kid (Bob Hope), Ernest Saves Christmas (Jim Varney), Christmas with the Kranks (Tim Allen), The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Loretta Swit), Babes in Toyland(Ray Bolger) … and a Happy New Year to you and yours!
Reading Roundup
Last year, an email circulated stating that England’s BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. We don’t know what the criteria were for choosing the books, or if they are in any particular order, but we were pleased to see some Canadians on the list.
How do your reading habits stack up? And no, seeing the movie doesn’t count! Perhaps you will find some gift ideas to set your loved ones on a literary journey …
- Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
- The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
- Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
- Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
- To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
- The Bible
- Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
- Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell
- His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
- Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
- Little Women – Louisa M Alcott
- Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
- Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
- Complete Works of Shakespeare
- Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
- The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
- Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk
- Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
- The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
- Middlemarch – George Eliot
- Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
- The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald
- Bleak House – Charles Dickens
- War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
- The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
- Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
- Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
- Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
- The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
- Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
- David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
- Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
- Emma – Jane Austen
- Persuasion – Jane Austen
- The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis
- The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
- Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
- Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
- Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne
- Animal Farm – George Orwell
- The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
- One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving
- The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
- Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
- Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
- The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
- Lord of the Flies – William Golding
- Atonement – Ian McEwan
- Life of Pi – Yann Martel
- Dune – Frank Herbert
- Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
- Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
- A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
- The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zifon
- A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
- Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
- Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
- Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
- The Secret History – Donna Tartt
- The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
- Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
- On The Road – Jack Kerouac
- Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
- Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
- Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
- Moby Dick – Herman Melville
- Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
- Dracula – Bram Stoker
- The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
- Ulysses – James Joyce
- The Inferno – Dante
- Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
- Germinal – Emile Zola
- Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
- Possession – AS Byatt
- A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
- Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
- The Color Purple – Alice Walker
- The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
- Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
- A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
- Charlotte’s Web – EB White
- The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
- Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
- Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
- The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
- The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
- Watership Down – Richard Adams
- A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
- A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
- The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
- Hamlet – William Shakespeare
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
- Les Miserables – Victor Hugo