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30 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday February 3, 2006 Canadian Orpheus Male Choir concert Feb. 11 The Canadian Orpheus Male Choir will be performing a fundraising concert called Concert o f the Best on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. at St. John' s United Church, 262 Randall St. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students. Call the church office, 905-845-0551,905-845-4127,905333-4522 for tickets, which can also be purchased at the door. MASS promises bigger and better For the Love of the Arts Festival By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF More than 300 perform ers, non-stop concerts, . a silent auction and activities for kids are just part of what's on tap for the second annual For the Love o f the Arts Festival. The festival, slated for Sunday, Feb. 12, is being hosted by Oakville's Music and Art Shared Space (MASS), a two-year-old organization that has set out to build a central hub for the arts in Oakville - an Oakville Art and Music Centre. "One of the reasons we're doirtg the festival is to basically^show what can happen when all of these groups come together," said chair of < MASS' board, Susan J) O a k v il l e C en tr e cr\a THE rue PERFORMING ARTS FOR D0ITD0WNT0WN D IN IN G * S H O PPIN G * E N T E R T A IN M E N T * P R O FE S S IO N A L SERVICES THE SPIRIT OF HARRIET TU B M A N Sun Feb 26th a t 1:OOpm Born into slavery in Maryland, H arriet Tubman ran away alone to escape slavery, and returned to the south nineteen times to lead slaves to freedom in the n orthern United States and Canada. Powerful imaginative theatre for all ages! Obermeyer. "This festival is kind of a snapshot of what the building can be." And last year's festival was a hit, drawing more than 900 people. "We've got more groups performing this year and more groups involved over all, so it should be even bet ter," said Obermeyer. Choirs, orchestras and ensembles are just some of the acts on at the festival, which will also include dis plays to find out more about local cultural groups, art demonstrations, a scavenger hunt and art activities for kids, a silent auction for oneof-a-kind work and a live auction set for 3 p.m., hosted by Mayor Ann Mulvale. "This is really about building community, get THE AMAZING KRESKIN Thurs Mar 2nd at 8:00 pm world's foremost mentalist" anyone who can prove he Halton Women's Place Healthy Relationships · Healthy Communities HARLEM GOSPEL CHOIR Fri March 3rd at 8:00 pm Featured on U2's concert film "Rattle and Hum", performing a blistering version of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", the Harlem Gospel Choir will set your spirit soaring! February 2006 HOLIDAY EXPRESS RESTING FOR THE SEASON On behalf of Halton Women's Place, I would like to express a heartfelt thank you to the community for your generous support of our 2005 Holiday Hamper Program. . Every year Halton Women's Place is challenged to meet the increasing needs of women and children in our community who are trying to leave lives filled with violence and fear. The hope for a better future, one filled with security and happiness, is the wish for all of the women and children that use our services as commu nity or residential clients. We were once again overwhelmed by the generous response of the community. Our dedicated staff and volunteers "chugged" along the Holiday Express throughout the months of November and December. The ride began with phone calls and the compilation of wish lists then quickly moved to sorting, hamper creation, wrap ping and distribution of the hampers. Thank you to the staff and volunteers who remained cheerful and smiling throughout all the hard work. This year your support allowed us to assist over 220 families, put ting smiles onto the faces of every woman and child who received a hamper during this difficult time of year. Through your extraor dinary generosity, we were also able to provide assistance to other community agencies who needed toys and clothing for the clients who use their services. Due to this overwhelming generosity, we are going to be making .some changes to our Holiday Hamper program. Your kindness has provided hope for the New Year, and has shown the women and children who use our services that their community supports them. Please keep your eyes open for future updates. On behalf of the women and children, employees and volunteers at Halton Women' s Place, thank you once again for your generous support and spirit of giving. All the best for a healthy and happy 2006! ting the groups together and giving the community in general a chance to listen, see and experience all of this creativity," said Obermeyer. "We're getting a great majority of the local, com munity non-profit groups together that enjoy music and art." The long list of local art and music groups includes: Artworks, Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton, Circle of Harmony Chorus, Halton Youth Symphony, Marjorie Carberry Hooking Guild, Oakville Art Society, Oakville Children's Choir, Oakville Choral Society, Oakville Entertainers,' Oakville Horticultural Society, Oakville Scottish Dancers, Oakville Spinners and Weavers, Oakville Ring of Tatters, Oakville Stitchery Guild, Oakville Symphony Orchestra, Oakville Wind Orchestra, Oakville Suzuki Association, and Tempus Choral Society. These groups will be united for the festival, and MASS hopes they'll soon have the opportunity to practice, train and work together under the same roof. "Right now, these groups are practicing in cramped quarters, places that don't have proper lighting or acoustics," said Obermeyer. "Why do we build hockey rinks? You need appropriate space for these activities as well. There's so much to be gained by putting them together in terms of sharing pianos, sharing music, and to see the cross-fertilization of ideas and opportunities that come out of that." A formal business case is almost done, which MASS will use to approach the municipality and potential sponsors to show how the facility would operate, Obermeyer says. The capital campaign will launch within the next year. "If you picture the YMCA and what they've done for physical recreation, that's what we're trying to do for creative recreation - similar size of building, similar cap ital campaign, similar .vibrant centre." MASS' second annual For th e : Love o f the Arts Festival is Sunday, Feb. 12 from 1 - 6 p.m. at Oakville Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Rd. Admission is a $2 dona tion at the door to help cover the cost of the event, which is sponsored by Mattamy Homes, Royal LePage and Brendan Moore Enterprise Sales Tax Solutions. For more on MASS, visit w w w .m u s ic a a rts h a re d space.ca. LUNCH AT ALLEN'S Sat March 4th at 8:00 pm Murray McLauchian, Marc Jordan, Ian Thomas and Cindy Church join together to create a singer/songwriter super group, with incredible melodies, storytelling and signature classics. W O M EN 'S BLUES REVUE Sat March 11th a t 8:00 pm Join Serena Ryder, RitaChiarelli, Susie Vinnick, M argaret Stowe, Michelle Josef and Lily Sazz, as they combine their am azing musical talents for a rockin' evening of the blues! When you drop-off area rugs. · Residential & commercial J J i 'i J a carpet & upholstery cleaning f · In-plant cleaning of all oriental fine area rugs · Free estimates. All performances are at The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts To order tickets call 905-815-2021 or order on-line www.oc4pa.ca 1446 Wallace Rd., Oakville, ON mm canadien P a trim o in e www.onthespotdeaning.ca 905 825-4256 - K a ryn Racher, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT