Of the many cities that have tried, Thunder Bay is one of the handful that manages to pull it off, this according to musician Mark Potvin. The blues guitarist was talking about Thunder Bay’s Summer in the Parks program, which gathers 23 of the most notable musicians of the region, showcasing their talent through performances spread out in an 8-week concert series, kicking off on the 23rd of June at the Marina Park.

According to Potvin, the event is a great way for people to know about the city’s numerous artists and musicians. And since Summer in the Parks is a free event, it invites people from all different walks of life who have varying tastes of music. And with 23 musicians waiting to show off their skills, the estimated audience of 4,000 people are sure to find something they’ll like, he added.

For musicians like Potvin, a crowd of 4000 people is a golden opportunity for them to share their music. He also considers this another stepping stone for the Thunder Bay music scene to get more exposure. Every time Potvin goes to Toronto, fellow musicians in the city always ask him what’s going on in Thunder Bay.

Please join us at the all new Sand ‘n Sea – swim & cruise boutique

GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION
Saturday June 12, 2010
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
273 Algoma St S (at John St)
free parking behind the building

**Great door prizes**
**Free gift with purchase*
**limited supply of $20 bikinis**

From formal to casual wear, Swartz Fine Fashions is Thunder Bay’s premier fashion destination featuring some of the world’s top men’s and women’s designer collections.

Located in the Westfort village, stop in, park for free, and browse Thunder Bay’s largest selection of exclusive labels such as Hugo Boss, J. Lindeberg, Brax, Diesel, Dom Rebel, Nautica and more.

Prided on excellent customer service, our fashion experts will put together an outfit from hats to ties to belts to footwear.

In our women’s collection, we are the exclusive destination for Mexx and Kenneth Cole in Northern Ontario. Select also from Belstaff, Ringspun, Nobis and other accessories.

Swartz Fine Fashions, bringing style, quality and excellent customer service to Thunder Bay.

www.fadedsoul.com

From formal to casual wear, Swartz Fine Fashions is Thunder Bay’s premier fashion destination featuring many of the world’s top men’s and women’s designer collections.

Located in the Westfort village, you’re invited to stop in, park for free, and browse Thunder Bay’s largest selection of exclusive labels such as Hugo Boss, J. Lindeberg, Brax, Diesel, Dom Rebel, Nautica and more.

Prided on customer service, our fashion experts will assist you to ensure that you leave completely confident that you are dressed appropriately for whatever the occasion may be.

In our women’s division we are the exclusive destination for such sought after labels as Kenneth Cole, Mexx, Belstaff, Citizens of Humanity and many more.

Swartz Fine Fashions, bringing world class style, quality and unequalled customer service to Thunder Bay. Visit our website at www.fadedsoul.com.

Kite-flying enthusiasts had the time of their lives at the 30^th outdoor kite festival on Sunday at Chippewa Park.

The event, which kicked off at noon, ending at 4 in the afternoon, drew in hundreds of families and people of all ages who came to both watch and fly their own kits that came in all kinds of designs, colors, and sizes. Sponsored by the City of Thunder Bay, the festival’s participants and visitors got to go to and from the venue via a free shuttle service, courtesy of none other than the city itself.

Those who attended the festival were left spellbound by the huge kites flown by kite flyers coming from Kitchener, Toronto, and New York. For Thom Shanken, flying kites is a hobby he’s enjoyed since he was a kid. The Waterloo, NW, native was present at last year’s festival, and joined the fun once more this year. He holds the festival in high regard, and says that kiting in Canada is definitely better than in the States. The support is stronger, and the community is larger and more active, he adds.

The 30^th outdoor kite festival was undeniably a smashing success, and those in attendance can’t wait for what the following year has in store for them.

When Tim Rappon started performing science experiments in the 5^th Grade, little did he know that it would only take a few years for his curiosity to land him some major bucks. The Thunder Bay student was recently paid $4,000 for his work.

Rappon, a Grade 12 student at Hammarskjold High School, had the honor of being one of the two recipients of the Ross A. Wilson Scholarship this year. He was also one of the thirteen students in Thunder Bay chosen to receive a scholarship from the Thunder Bay Community Foundation.

Rappon is currently on his way to the University of Western Ontario after the summer break. He’ll be doing some careful thinking until then, mainly because he’s undecided on which field of science he’ll be specializing in.

He says that his first year at university will be about getting a feel on what he should do. After a year’s experience, he hopes to be pointed in the right direction.

For Rappon, his experiments in science never felt like work. Instead, he had fun conducting them which also satisfied his curiosity. As he heads to university, he says that the scholarship will definitely help him in charting out a career path and reaching his dreams.

In an effort to encourage the community to adopt more environmentally friendly lifestyles and reduce their individual carbon footprints on the planet, two health-care groups in the City of Thunder Bay are competing against each other to set an example to the public.

The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, together with St. Joseph’s Care Group, have teamed up to encourage their employees and squad of volunteers to support eco-friendly transportation. The two organizations are setting their sights sites on having the most number of healthy commuters join the national Commuters Challenge.

And so far things are looking good, with around 5,000 volunteers and members from both groups expected to carpool, take public transportation, bike, and of course, walk for the cause. For Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s president, Ron Saddington, he hopes that people actually change their lifestyles and commit to the simple practices they’ll be adopting for the week-long activity.

He adds that he’ll be probably be walking to work the whole week and maybe even after that.

The Commuter Challenge is a week-long event that kicks off on the 30th of May and ends on the 5th of June. Everyone is invited to join the challenge.

With summer just around the corner, it’s time once again for kids and the youth to do something productive to kill the time. For years, summer has always been an opportunity for teens and youngsters to make a few bucks, and this year’s summer season in Thunder Bay seems to be no different.

The Thunder Bay center, which is tasked to help the youth find job openings among the host of business in the city, is officially open for business and ready for summer.

Also helping youngsters in Thunder Bay find jobs is the Service Canada Centre for Youth, which opened shop for the coming summer last Thursday. The youth centre is open from May until August, and is aimed at assisting local youths in making their resumes and application. The centre also coaches them on how to conduct themselves in a job interview.

Aside from keeping a list of summer jobs for the youth, the centre also keeps track of employment opportunities for students who want to work on weekends when classes are ongoing. The centre believes that forming a strong employment foundation while an individual is young can help him, or her, find better career opportunities in the future.

With the city creating bike lanes on Court Street, it’s safe to say that Thunder Bay is now becoming a bike friendly community.

Things are not quite %100 though, as city staff are still busy dealing with the finishing touches, with symbols and signs still being put up and painted. Court Street is ready for bikes though, as it now comes equipped with a parking lane on the left, followed by a cycling lane, 2 car lanes, and one more cycling lane at the right. According to Adam Krupper, Thunder Bay’s transportation representative, the project is the first of more developments to come.

He says that the big goal is to set up cycling lanes going from north to south, east to west, giving people a safe avenue to walk, skate, bike, rollerblade, and drive. This gives Thunder Bay an active and dynamic transportation network that puts safety and convenience for the community at the forefront.

Krupper points out that numerous residents have long wanted the city to add cycling lanes to Thunder Bay’s streets and roads. In a city that has a large number of people who bike to and from work and wherever they go, having cycling lanes gives them a sense of security on the road, he said.

For yoga fanatics, the smell of warm tea and the sound of meditative music was a fitting combination for this year’s yoga festival, which taught participants how to unite the power of the body and mind.

The Lakehead University played host to the 4^th Superior Yoga Festival, an event that featured numerous yoga styles demonstrated by yogis and instructors.

Aside from yoga, this year’s festival featured other demonstrations such as drumming, the Brazilian martial art capoeira, and a whole lot more. But aside from giving the community a chance to work up a sweat and have some clean fun, the festival was also organized for a cause, with its proceeds donated to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre for cancer research.

Thunder Bay resident Genevieve Berbube-Hayward started yoga roughly a decade ago, and she was one of the many participants at the festival who came to try out the different types of yoga being demonstrated. Yoga for her was a more effective way of staying in shape, one that didn’t require strenuous and tiring workouts.

Indeed, the festival was a smashing success, and yoga enthusiasts in the city can’t wait for next year’s event, and the chance to meet more people who share their interest in yoga.