Song and Dance

Back to Mississauga's South Side Shuffle for one more post. This time I'll focus on the song and dance which was pretty much the real purpose of this event. Never mind that I was also in search of colourful photo opportunities while people watching in my two prior posts.


Harper and the Midwest Kind is a Michigan-based band led by an Australian harmonica and didgeridoo artist. They tour around Canada and the U.S., and they put on a great show for the many folks who came to see them. See all those lights up there? And all of the trusses and equipment that it takes to put on a show, on several different stages such as this one?...






Metalworks Production Group sets those stages, keeps light and sound equipment running smoothly, and takes everything down again at the end of the event. My son, Alex is on their team and was working long, hard hours throughout the event. It was with Metalworks Institute that Alex learned all about the industry. When he graduated, they hired him on production staff and he's been enjoying his career ever since.






Toe-tapping music got people dancing in their seats.






Others were encouraged out of their chairs to dance. I believe these two were strangers to one another before this moment.






But not afterward.






Canadian band Scott McCord and the Bonafide Truth put on a great performance.






The lead singer was very high energy for such a hot day and he had a hard time keeping his feet on the floor.






Even our Mayor Hazel McCallion had trouble keeping her dancing feet still.

And so, a good time was had by all. That's it for the South Side Shuffle. More photos coming up soon.

Colourful

I'm up at the new place for a few days before getting down to the business of packing up and moving out for good. This means that blog visits are sporadic once again or still. Thanks for bearing with me.

As promised, I have more images from last month's South Side Shuffle. This time I've focused on some of the more colourful aspects of my surroundings - aside from the people, of course.

The blues festival takes place on the shores of the Credit River in Mississauga, Ontario. Depending on where you've parked, you might have to cross a bridge to get there. This lovely painting of a trout in perpetual jump caught my eye, when we did cross the bridge. The reflection of the water on the concrete added to the effect of fluid motion in the drawing.





The many vendors around the venue had colourful items for sale. These totes dazzled my eyes.





There were blankets in case you needed a place to sit and listen to music.





Of course if you were thirsty, you only need buy a drink and grab a straw.





Cute, whimsical figures made of metal were on display.





I was tempted to get one of these comfy looking dresses but the day was hot and long, and I wasn't keen on carrying around anything more than my camera.







The beautiful colours of these beaded bracelets put me in a nostalgic mood as they reminded me of the kind of beadwork crafts my sister and I would engage in as children during our summers up north.

More photos coming up soon.

People Watching

I have a few series of images that were taken at last month's South Side Shuffle in Mississauga. It's an annual blues festival but this was only my second time attending. The music was wonderful but I got more of a kick out of wandering around with my camera snapping photos at vendors' booths and especially of people.

Here are a few from my people watching series.


For most it was the music which drew them out there. For many, the food.



I thought this guy with his golden locks and grim expression looked like he walked right out of an action movie. I couldn't say which one. Maybe you could?






There were munchies being enjoyed everywhere I looked.






And many different onlookers sure had the music in them.






Some folks were greeted with great enthusiasm.






And others wore their corny "dance with me, baby" expression.






Hazel, the mayor of Mississauga was there. She's been running our city for 34 years and during that time, I've seen her on numerous occasions attending various events. She loves her city.
She also loves to pose for pictures.






So it was a treat for me to keep my camera on her from a bit of a discreet distance and catch her at an unposed, pensive moment.

More photos from the South Side Shuffle coming up soon.