A Talk to Remember

Before we get this show on the road, we have something we would like to establish, if we can remember all of it: there are few monumental events in your life that you will always remember. Your first day at school. Your first boy/girlfriend. Your graduation. The 5th of November. Denzel Washington would like us to make sure you remember forever the night you played the Titans (Fun fact: this line was actually said by Will Patton. But do you know who he is? We didn’t think so). And finally, the most obvious and life-altering of all, this blog.

Remember that time the Kite and Ice Cream Festival was supposed to be June 6th and then it rained and they made it be July 11th? Yes, we do too. And we were there. There were also, not surprisingly, kites, ice cream, and children having a very lovely time…with their kites and ice cream. Though eating ice cream while flying a kite proved to be very difficult for them. Not for us though. We like to multi-task like children like kites and ice cream. Remember that.

Moving on. Remember that time Kat and Natalie made the epic trip to Wasaga in search of visitor guides and a tan? Well, they succeeded in one of those things! Check out this documentation for proof (photo credit to Luisa).


Remember that time Celebrate the Brant Inn happened tonight and A Taste of Burlington started Monday July 19th? Well if you do, you’re lying, because neither event has happened yet. That or you have invented a time machine. One is more plausible than the other, but we’re not going to insult your intellectual capacity.

Remember that time we promised we’d give a shout out to the first five new followers of our blog? That time is NOW. So in no particular order, we would like to thank Alaina, who recently returned from Hong Kong, just to join the blog; Liana, who has requested a Tourism Burlington Coupon Book; Luisa, who is Tourism Burlington’s foreign correspondent who documented the Wasaga excursion; Janie, who hails all the way from Toronto; and Kyle, who probably became a follower out of obligation, but we’ll still take it.

We would also like to inform all of our followers that, yes, we remembered our other promise: the video blog is on the horizon. We have not forgotten about this. Natalie is in the editing and perfecting stage.

Remember that time the blog was over and you were sad?

K&A.

New Travel Counsellor

Congratulations to our very own Linda C., who last night became a mom for the second time! Little Lilly is now a big sister to Eva, who we all can't wait to meet. Both mom and daughter are doing well, and we've already planned how we're going to be training our newest travel counsellor!

Tourism Burlington: A Medley

Oh hi, I didn’t see you there. Kat’s on the phone, so I decided to take the reins on this one. Temporarily. Not permanently because that would be good for no one (Kat nods in agreement). Let’s get this show on the road because there’s a lot to cover in what little time we have with you this morning. So please cherish this precious time.

First and foremost, we have been experiencing some suspicious symptoms here at 414 Locust Street, Burlington, Ontario. A little something generally referred to as Writer’s Block. This led us to brainstorm- what could we do to make this blog sparkle just a little bit more? Add just a little more glitter and a wee bit more of a wow factor.

Because we are really smart and creative, it did not take us long to come up with a solution. Two words. Video. Blog. What is better than reading a book? Watching the movie! Ergo what is better than reading our blog? Watching our blog! Ergo starting this week/next week (based on whether or not Natalie can remember her camera), we will air the first ever video blog of any tourism organization in the ENTIRE WORLD (disclaimer: we have no factual evidence to back this up. If you are a fellow tourist office with a video blog, do let us know).

Now that your mind has been officially blown, please attempt to focus on the following information while cleaning up the mess:

1. In case you were unaware job that our job significantly trumps yours in every way possible, last Tuesday we had a Scavenger Hunt. For FIVE HOURS we braved blistering heat, driving rain and a raging blizzard (all at once) to find answers to clues leading to locations in Downtown Burlington. What? You don’t believe us? Oh I wish we had pictures-oh wait. We do.





>> Please note the human pyramid. Please note that we are the human pyramid.







>> Initial debrief/ planning phase/ plotting session. Obviously very thought out and effective. For the most part.






>> Wondering where the tornado at Discovery Landing has run off to? Tansley Woods, actually. We decided to fashion our own tornado as a tribute...and this was the uncanny result.








2. Canada Day. It happened and it was fabulous! Fireworks will never cease to amaze us.

3. You may be wondering why we seem slightly manic today. Well, yesterday we had to rise from our beauty sleeps at FIVE THIRTY IN THE MORNING. Why you ask? For the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure of course! Your faithful bloggers, our beloved leader, Linda O. and Lauren were all there, chipper and alert, to welcome cyclists from across Ontario, Quebec and even New Zealand to your lovely city of Burlington. With such cheers as “Welcome to Burlington!”, “This way to breakfast!” and “Yay it’s early but you’re still exercising!” the cyclists really felt welcomed.

4. LIMITED TIME OFFER: the first five people to become new followers of the blog will receive personalized shout-outs in future editions. But hurry. This morning we sent out emails to everyone we know (including our parents).

Stay tuned for the VIDEO BLOG.

Stand by,
K&A.

Tourism Burlington: Increasing in Popularity Each Day

Hello world and those of you reading this from alien planets,

First and foremost, we have two new followers. Lauren and Sharon bring our followers up to 9- a whopping 29% increase. And after only two blogs this year! Is it just us or is our charm and humor infecting the population more rapidly?

Onto more Tourism-related news. The Sound of Music was pretty much the most exciting musical experience that has ever graced your soul in the matter of four days. There were 25,000 attendants Thursday night, which shattered all previous Thursday night attendance records. As one woman once said to us, “never underestimate the power of a free Marianas Trench concert”. The fireworks Saturday night drew a large audience as well. They were very captivating- not unlike your Travel Counsellors. We would also like to thank Mother Nature for holding down her end of the bargain. We pay you and you give us good weather. It seems like a fair bargain.

It’s been a while since we gave you a glimpse into the glamour and intrigue of our day-to-day lives, so here’s a little overview:
08:00: Dania and Alyssa start work.
08:02: Dania takes out the sign. Alyssa updates the whiteboard and turns on WORLD CUP SOCCER.
08:30: First visitor arrives. They are very pleased with our friendly demeanor and excellent customer service.
09:00: Alyssa does menus for the fabulous Taste of Burlington program starting July 19th. This takes a while.
10:00: Kat and Celine arrive at home base.
11:00-13:30: Dania and Celine man the fort while Kat and Alyssa go on a Top Secret Mission to recruit allies and distribute information regarding our upcoming and fabulous event, a Taste of Burlington (Shameless plug: A Taste of Burlington features 23 of Burlington’s finest restaurants offering prix-fixe lunch and/or dinner menus! To learn more, visit http://www.tasteofburlington.ca/).
13:30-14:00: Stop for refueling.
14:00-16:00: Reconnaissance mission to Discovery Landing.
16:00-18:00: Back at the Visitor Centre.

One last update before we depart – Canada Day festivities will be held at Spencer Smith Park next Thursday July 1st. They will kick off at 8:30am with the Canada Day 5km run and conclude with a fireworks display of awesome at 10:00pm. There will also be FREE BREAKFAST at 9:30am (while quantities last). It is going to be fantastic.

More to come next week. Until then…

Stand by,
K&A.

The Hills are Alive with the Sound of AWESOME

Remember that time Sound of Music started today? Oh yeah, that’s today. Remember that time we were looking for the cube? Oh yeah, we found it. And we didn’t need three hours or Megan Fox to do it – what do you think this is, a Michael Bay movie? No, this is a Sally Fitzgibbon production. We do things efficiently, cheerfully and with a delightfully charming British accent (and on a much tighter budget).

With our charisma restored, we can once again resume our witty and entertaining coverage of Burlington and its events. To start it off, last week featured not one but TWO exciting festivals!! Numerous locations across Burlington welcomed visitors as part of Doors Open and the Burlington Art Centre hosted the Fine Art and Craft Festival. All in all, another awesome weekend in Burlington.

As we remembered at the beginning of the blog, tonight is the start of BURLINGTON’S SOUND OF MUSIC FESTIVAL. And tonight’s gonna be a good night. We’ve got a feeling. Since We Are Bravest (Thursday 7:00pm), we thought we’d give you a little preview of the weekend’s line-up. For Those About to Rock (Thursday 8:30pm), as long as you have Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust with Tinkerbell (Sunday 5:00pm), you’ll be The Bee’s Knees (Saturday 2:00pm and 4:00pm). You’re Practically Hip (Thursday 10:00pm) if you’re a Great Lake Swimmer[s] (Saturday 3:30pm). People are coming all the way from the Marianas Trench (Thursday 9:45pm) and even the Lighthouse (Friday 9:30pm). The Irish Descendents (Saturday 8:00pm) will be bringing their Small Potatoes (Sunday 2:00pm) and the Two Crown King[s] (Saturday 9:00pm) will be bringing Jason Collett (Friday 8:00pm). Even if you live 2112 (Thursday 7:00pm) miles away, you should come out and witness the New York Dolls (Saturday 3:30pm). Hey Rosetta! (Saturday 8:00pm) – that includes you. For more details, visit www.soundofmusic.ca.

As the very friendly man from an unnamed Canadian satellite TV provider came and fixed our satellite, Tourism Burlington is now proud to host the World Cup (disclaimer: we are not actually hosting the World Cup. It is in South Africa. But we are broadcasting the games live on our large television!). Your travel counselors each have a favourite team (but we all know England is the best. We refuse to talk about that goal). Come on in, grab a bite to eat from Pane Fresco and cheer on your teams!

Before we sign off, we’d like to send a special shout out to our former comrade, A-Nelz. She is currently saving the entire province of Nova Scotia, no big deal.

Stand by,
K&A.

Transformers: Prologue

Before time began, there was the Cube. We know not where it comes from, only that it holds the power to provide knowledge and fill our souls with charisma. That is how we were born. For a time, we lived in harmony. But like all great powers, some wanted it for good, others for evil. And so began the battle. A battle that ravaged our planet and the Cube was lost to the far reaches of space. We scattered across the galaxy, hoping to find it and become even more awesome. Searching every star, every world. And just when all hope seemed lost, message of a new discovery drew us to an unknown planet called... Earth.

Such is our quest. We have narrowed down the location of the Cube to the beautiful city of Burlington, situated on the shores of Lake Ontario and conveniently located within an hour of Toronto and Niagara Falls (so we can catch a Jays’ game in between completely destroying the Decepticons). Over the next three months we will be documenting our endeavours while posing as Travel Counsellors with Tourism Burlington. This way we have access to all maps, city Intelligence and a really useful coupon book.

We send this message to any citizens looking for something to do this summer. Read the blog, come to the Visitors’ Centre, visit the city.

We are here. We are waiting.

Star Blog Entry: 18/09/09

The Task Force have now to earth returned
Their mission here complete
From this young team, Starfleet has learned
How tough they’ll be to beat

The’ve gone, they left us
It’s so sad
Quietly they went, without any fuss
Perhaps a few were even a little glad
Boo hoo
Oh so sad (okay, I never could write jingles)

But wait, one bright spark decided to remain
Some wonder if she’s really sane
Weekends now see Elizabeth here
There is someone at the command post, never fear!

Along with Helen, Lindsay and Steph
And volunteers we love to have
We shall journey on, both high and low
So visitors can see what Burlington has to show

Enough of the rhyming – but you get the gyst that although our taskforce are educating their sponge like brains (that’s a compliment), we are still here to assist visitors enjoy our beautiful city, whether visiting family and friends, booking a meeting/conference/sports events, planning day trips….we are here!

Labour day weekend saw over 175,000 people swarm into our city for those tasty ribs; visitors not just from Burlington, but Mississauga,Toronto, Stoney Creek, Oakville, London, Niagara as well as overseas visitors, visiting family here and even a few from over the border, south of us. Yes, 150,000 lbs of ribs were consumed (how many pigs would that be??)….the weather was beautiful, the lake was smooth and 18 ribbers worked feverishly to feed the mounds of waiting line ups.

Now we look forward to the falling leaves, the cooler temperatures (was it ever hot?), drives in and around our area; visit the Royal Botanical Gardens and enjoy their Earth Art/SculptArt and SoundArt Exhibits – all on until Thanksgiving; Applefest Fall Fair at Ireland House at Oakridge Farm on September 27th; explore Conservation Halton parks during their “Fall into’ Nature” event on from 10-12 & 17,18 October; and so much more – visit our website at www.tourismburlington.com for more ideas.

So good luck task force in your intellectual pursuits, I miss.... “You went where, last night?", “I only had 3 hrs sleep”, “You want to take photos out on Lake Ontario – will you back today”, “Can you swap shifts with me so I can sleep in tomorrow”, “Can I park the starship on the road”, “What’s that on your face”, “My elbows are red and sore and I don’t know why”…..“Do we have to wear our banana shirts”….

In the words of K&A – stay classy Burlington, until next time….
C.K.

P.S. This just in….Young Will has not yet returned to Earth – we wonder if he ever will!