I received an email today from a local event in Hamilton, Pagan Pride Day. It is a fun event held in Hamilton every September. Every year they collect food for FoodShare, and it is given to the different food banks in the area. The email touched me and I want to share it with others. I hope it touches everyone else as well. Please give to your local food bank, the need is real and the need is now. I know that kids in my area are going hungry every day, some will be in my children’s classes. I cannot help them all, but maybe all of us can help them by giving what we can to the food bank.


Pagan Pride Day is 1 week away (Sept 10th) and I'm asking you to keep in mind the FoodShare collection we sponsor every year.


Every year at this time the 'back to school' bill takes its toll on the average family ... supplies, clothes, shoes and all of the miscellaneous things needed to start off another school year. Unfortunately for many, sometimes the cost of those supplies come off of the dinner table, no matter how hard you try to budget and the truth of the matter is that the schools do watch for kids without lunches and they will phone home to inquire why the child has no food ... I can't think of anything more heart wrenching then having to admit you have nothing to send with that child and that the only real meal of the day is supper.


Last year the Pagan Harvest Festival & the Wiccan Church of Canada helped raise just under 300 lbs of food for the day. We are sincerely hoping to crack that 300 mark with your help and support. Alot of the grocery stores are having some really great sales right now, $5 can make a huge difference. Please be aware as well that all cash donations that go into the collection cauldron go directly to Hamilton FoodShare where they put it to good use by turning every $1 into $5 worth of food stuff.
Investing in a child is one of the best investments you can make, it’s about building a better future :)


Thank you for your support and generousity ... it is deeply appreciated by so many.

Hamilton Pagan Pride Day 2007 was an excellent event

The Pagan Harvest Festival 2007 at Gage Park Hamilton, Ontario seems to have gone very well. It looked like a good time was had by all. Even though the day started off very cold and windy, it did warm up enough in the afternoon so we could unbundle and enjoy the day. I love the new layout used for the vendors, bring us all closer together and in the same area was a great idea. From what I could see there was a very nice mix of vendors with lots of unusual and unique product. I could only see so much as I was playing with my kids, as we “looked” at all the vendors. So I did miss out on a lot of the vendors, but I did like what I saw.

From what people were saying the workshops were well done, informative and small enough to still have a lot of individual attention. I never did make it to the kid’s area but I did see kids with their mosaics. The live entertainment was a nice mix of music and dance.

The entertainment was
Heather Dale www.heatherdale.com
Cold Barn Morris Dancers no web site was given
Castalia www.castaliamusic.ca
Jenn Ryan www.myspace.com/jennryanmusic
Tahira Badre and her Desert Gypsies www.tinkerwoman.com
RiverSong no web site was given

They also had an announcement for Hamilton Pagan Pride Day 2008. The featured guest speaker will be Laurie Cabot, also known as the “Official Witch of Salem”. She is an ordained High Priestess descended from Celtic ancestry. Having practiced Witchcraft for over forty years, she founded the Cabot Traditions of the Science of Witchcraft and the Witches’ League for Public Awareness, an anti-defamation organization aimed at correcting the many misconceptions about Witchcraft. She is the author of Power of the Witch, Love Magic, Celebrate the Earth, and The Witch in Every Woman. Sound like she would be an interesting addition to next years HPPD.

I look forward to next year.

Heather Dale is the featured musical performance at Pagan Pride Day in Hamilton Ontario

Heather Dale will be the featured musical performance at Pagan Pride Day in Hamilton Ontario on Sept. 15 2007. For more information here is the PPD link http://www.ppdhamilton.org/index.htm her initial performance will begin at 12 Noon.

Heather Dale:modern folk music with Celtic roots
Heather Dale cheerfully discards the stereotypical limits for both folk singer-songwriters and Celtic balladeers. Tapping into the continuing evolution of Celtic peoples worldwide, this Canadian singer-songwriter offers a new type of Celtic music for the 21st century: a playful, passionate and fearless blend of tradition and innovation. "Her music is powerful stuff, reminiscent of Loreena McKennitt and Sarah McLachlan but with a depth and resonance rooted in its mythic sources." (Vancouver Sun)
Heather fuses traditional stories with a healthy mix of Celtic folk, blues, jazz and world music influences. Particularly known for her interpretations of ancient legends, she excels at finding modern themes within old -- and often overlooked -- material. Her songs celebrate honest love and the personal search for meaning, as well as delivering cunning commentary on such modern concerns as self-image, sexual tensions, and even civil disobedience. "Although steeped in Celtic culture, Dale's approach to the music is contemporary; there's nothing faint or wispy about this Celtic folk singer." (K-W Record)
Her innovative live shows with fellow multi-instrumentalist Ben Deschamps feature over a dozen folk instruments, from bodhran drum to mountain dulcimer, along with Heather's rich and evocative voice. The performances feature original songs from Heather's five CDs, along with traditional folk and Celtic material from North America and the UK.
Heather Dale released her 5th solo CD "The Road to Santiago" in 2005. A cosmopolitan album of modern folk songs, Heather co-produced the CD with folk veteran Paul Mills (Stan Rogers, Tanglefoot). With strong vocal performances and tight songwriting, Heather's songs draw their inspiration from many diverse cultures, including New-World Celtic, Irish, Spanish, Caribbean, Greek, and even Canadian Inuit. "Heather Dale soars on this recording, an unabashed and uninhibited romantic who has found her voice and her musical wings." (Toronto Star)
Additional info and sound clips are available at HeatherDale.com.