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Volume 8, Issue 3 – Fall 2016

G e

With many new and returning festivals, it has been an amazing summer season, with perfect days on most weekends. At every festival we had a good mix of experienced and new volunteers. Kudos to all the Team Leaders who were on site each weekend to help us manage volunteers. This year we were able to train new Team Leaders and supplement our existing team. We could not have done it without all of you. Please accept our most appreciative thanks for giving up your weekends, putting up with TTC disruptions, taking 1,673 shifts and contributing more than 5,688 hours during the busy summer season. We hope that you enjoyed the camaraderie with your fellow volunteers at the 12 festivals, 10 Free Flicks and 11 Dancing on the Pier events. Our last summer festival was Ashkenaz. With hardly any time for a break, the Volunteer Office started getting ready for the recruitment and training session for the 37th International Festival of Authors (IFOA). We must make sure we have sufficient volunteers for the more than 400 shifts. It was encouraging to see so many familiar faces and new ones at the IFOA training session on September 17. In addition, this year we were involved in the Reelworld Film Festival, which took place a week before IFOA. Immediately after IFOA will be the Day of the Dead festival. So it looks like from October 12 until November 6 the Volunteer Office staff will not be able to take a breather. We are sure that you, our dedicated volunteers, will not let us down and will be ready to lend a hand. After this flurry of activity we deserve to celebrate, and we are so looking forward to the year-end volunteer party that the Social Activities Committee is organizing on December 3. This year we decided on a winterfest theme, and it is going to be lots of fun, with delicious food (as usual), festive fun games and an opportunity to sing together. I hope you have reserved your spot. We look forward to seeing you at the Volunteer Winterfest! Our newsletter team—Sean, Lynn, Lidia, Christine, Scott, Kevin, Pauline and Susan—worked very hard throughout the summer, interviewing volunteers, writing about their own experiences and providing more detailed accounts of the festivals. All their efforts will culminate in the second part of the fall issue, the Memories of Summer 2016. Coming soon!

Genevieve Peng Volunteer Coordinator

Genevieve’s Update

Inside

Thank You for a Great Summer 2 Looking Back at Summer 2016 3 Coming Events 4 Acknowledgments & Events 5 Year End Party 2016 — Winterfest 6

North Orchard

Garth at Snakes and Ladders

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Thank You for a Great Summer!

It took many volunteers to keep all the weekend festivals running and we want to thank them all. We would especially like to mention some seasonal student volunteers and some of our new recruits, who really dedicated their summer to Harbourfront Centre. They were here every weekend, or nearly so, sometimes for multiple shifts.

We had a chance to chat with some of them at TAIWANfest, as the summer was coming to a close. Geneva, who was with us last summer as well, could be found at the HarbourKIDS craft activity every weekend, obviously enjoying working with children. Many of the others tried different positions, so by the end of the summer, they had pretty much done them all, but picked as favourites the activities where they were engaging with kids. This includes the HarbourKIDS tent (Alice, Cheng Kai and Hyeri) and the Big Games (Haruka and Mark). Alice noted that the HarbourKIDS tent was also a good place to meet other volunteers, as you are working in a group, as a team. Mark found that at the Big Games, he even had a chance to work on his own chess skills.

Hermine said she was initially anxious about working with kids, but volunteering helped her overcome it. She liked the energy and enthusiasm found at Mini Pong. She didn't much care for being a gallery attendant; it was a bit too quiet.

Saina enjoyed working as a fundraiser at the Concert Stage, as she got to take in great performances, something different every time. She also got to meet and sometimes talk to visitors individually, and most were very nice.

Saina Haruka Geneva Michael Mark

High School Students

Alice

Hyeri Cheng Kai Hermine Chris

Volunteers We Really Counted On By Sean McCluskey

New Volunteers

Teresa Tina Lili

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Looking Back at Summer 2016

Summer 2016 at HFC

By Pauline Beverley A salute from our own poet-in-residence

The Pier was the place to be Dancing,

With the Music in the Garden playing,

And the Flicks were Free for all watching.

Oh Canada! We celebrated,

And, at festivals too, we partied.

Future Routes gave a global tour,

Ritmo y Color was vibrancy galore.

Shield to Shore and Island Soul, many cultures to explore,

With the return of Beats, Breaks & Culture, DJs, hip hop and more.

Habari Africa welcomed diverse sound,

And Jewish music and art at Ashkenaz abound.

Hot & Spicy — exciting cuisine, so too TAIWANfest with so much

flavour,

And, yes, Veg Food from around the world was also aplenty for all to

savour.

But volunteers did their part for sure,

All the fun and excitement was to ensure

That Summer 2016 at Harbourfront Centre was a score!

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Upcoming Events

From October 20 to 30 Harbourfront Centre will be buzzing with over 100 of the world's most exciting writers of contemporary literature for the 37th edition of Toronto's International Festival of Authors (IFOA). The Festival consists of 11 days of readings, interviews, round table discussions, and public book signings. This year we are pleased to spotlight graphic novelists, contemporary Irish writers and various works of non-fiction. These highlights will complement our diverse and thought-provoking lineup of fiction and poetry.

This year’s festival featured story tellers from across Canada, from Haiti, England, France and First Nations.

John, Greeter at Lakeside Terrace

Visit the official IFOA website for more information on events and guest writers and speakers at ifoa.org

Celebrate life as we remember the dead. Explore Mexico’s most popular cultural celebration through a contemporary lens. Experience roving performances, art installations and more – all to a soundtrack of Mexican music.

International Festival of Authors By Catherine Coreno | Communications and Marketing Assistant, IFOA

Day of the Dead By Alex Bordokas | Artistic Associate, Cultural Engagement and Activation

IFOA Book Man with IFOA staff

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Acknowledgements & Events

Important Dates International Festival of Authors (IFOA) October 20 - 30, 2016 Day of the Dead November 5 - 6, 2016 Volunteer Winterfest December 3, 2016 Kuumba February 3-4,10-11, 2017 HarbourKIDS: North February 20, 2017

On September 22, members of the volunteer committees, together with Genevieve, Dorothy and Giovanna, held a gathering to thank and bid farewell to Zuzana and Roman Badovinac, who were retiring to Croatia. Zuzana and Roman were active members of the Social Activities Committee since 2013. While Zuzana was the coordinator of the committee, Roman was the designer for the volunteer events. They will be dearly missed and we wish them all the very best as they start a new chapter in their lives in Croatia.

COMING SOON

Memories of Summer 2016: A scrapbook with lots of pictures and articles from all

the summer festivals!

Volunteer Newsletter Team Genevieve Peng (Advisor/Editor) Sean McCluskey (Coordinator/Layout Designer) Lidia Jarmasz (Editor/Writer) Christine Dang (Layout Designer) Lynn Allen (Writer)

Photographers: Tom Bilenkey, Ricky Yu, Teresa Tong Wu, Holmes Pasiminio, Stefano Rodriguez, George Lobb & Anne Greschuk

Pauline Beverley (Writer) Kevin Catalig (Writer) Scott Uminga (Writer) Susan Stewart (Writer)

ChiliKids at Hot and Spicy

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Co u r -

Upcoming Events