“Everywhere you’d look, there'd be smiling faces. Lots of people really loved having it because they actually remembered when it happened in the 90s.” With all that being said, last year was just a warm-up; Harbourfest has even more in-store for the whole family this time around. 

There’s excitement in the air as the home of the Thunder Bay Border Cats, Port Arthur Stadium, prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary this July 14. That kind of enthusiasm is nothing new for the iconic facility though, as it has hosted a long list of celebrated sporting and cultural events and other festivities over the decades. 

Locally, this important annual occasion was honoured at the National Indigenous Peoples Day Pow Wow and community event with a sunrise ceremony, spectacular pow wow, delicious food vendors, local crafters and artisans, and a community feast on Anemki Wajiw at the Pow Wow Grounds (also known as Mount McKay).

Inspired by his childhood love for Nintendo 64, adventures with his siblings in “the magic field” by his house, the thrill of seeing Jaws for the first time, and struggles with anxiety, local filmmaker James Livitski created his first short film, Lasagna Run. 

For their summer show this year, Triple Threat Talent will present Evil Dead: The Musical. Artistic director Tegin Menei, a self-proclaimed horror fan, is also excited this campy musical will launch the Young Directors Initiative (YDI), a scholarship program for students planning to pursue a career in the arts.

Embody Dance Collective asks, “What happens when you let go of who you’re supposed to be and step into who you really are?”

I am so incredibly impressed with this album. The 16 songs off Fabricated Worlds feel like an epic journey that explores a new sound with each track, traversing genres you’d never have expected to hear.

With its loft parties, soundtrack, and La Fin du Monde six-packs, the film does an excellent job of capturing the youthful energy of Montreal’s heyday, but, like most bildungsroman romantic comedies, it falls victim to the genre’s tropes.

Throughout the album, the lead guitars navigate their way from a distinctly country sound, with southern twang and intricate picking, to a more classic rock crunch, masterfully blending the two genres.

Apathy doesn't usually announce itself. It just shows up disguised as being busy, as needing a break, as “someone else will do something.” Complacency is what happens between crises—in the blue sky moments, it's easiest to assume the problem solved itself. It didn't. The budget is still cut. The next fire season is still coming. And Doug Ford is still in power, doing photo ops until we’re tired enough, or comfortable enough, to stop paying attention. 

As another mayoral election approaches, voters face a decision that extends far beyond choosing a name on a ballot. They are choosing what kind of city Thunder Bay wants to become and whether we are finally prepared to have honest conversations about the challenges standing in our way.

People regret tattoos for different reasons; perhaps those images are tied to past relationships, beliefs, losses, or periods of time that are different from who they are now. Tattoo removal or cover-up is almost always an option, but it begs the question: if you remove the tattoo, is that truly rewriting your past? Or does it simply erase the reminder?