Latest news with #CherryFestival
CTV News
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Annual city festival aims to cherr-ish community
The annual Cherry Festival returned to Kitchener for its 15th year on Saturday. The festival takes place in Cherry Park, tucked away in the middle of a neighbourhood. 'What better way to celebrate? We have a Cherry Park then to have a Cherry Festival,' said Shirley Gosselin, the past-president of the Cherry Park Neighbourhood Association. The festival one of the events the association runs every year. They've been doing so since 2008, only skipping two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 'We emphasize a lot about volunteering and giving back to the community,' said Gosselin. 'So, we have smaller events, which are just for our neighborhood but we wanted one event that was for the whole city.' Gosselin said the festival usually brings around 4,000 to 5,000 people to the park to enjoy cherry-flavoured desserts and other food for attendees to purchase and enjoy. The event also had various entertainment including live music, performances by local children's musician Erick Traplin, inflatable attractions, a swing carousel, a pie-eating contest, a vintage car show and a centre stage for wrestling. 'We like to say we have something for all ages,' said Gosselin. 'A lot of people bring their own picnic and just enjoy the music so they're not spending any money and other people come and buy their lunch and go to the vendors. So, there [are different] ways to spend your whole day here.' Spencer Merino is a local of the area who has been to Cherry Park but never to the festival. 'They put up signs around the city, and I heard about it,' he said. 'Me and my sisters seemed interested in it, so we invited our friends out to come and watch.' Merino said these kinds of events are important. 'I think taking part in community things is fun,' he said. 'Making friends in the community and showing that we are a community, all that is good and it's a good place to meet people in your city.' Gosselin said knowing your community and neighbours can help foster healthy relationships. 'I want to live in a neighborhood where people know one another and watch over one another's places,' she said. 'I see people come every year, and they stop and they're talking and they haven't seen each other since the previous year… They look forward to it.' Gosselin explained how the festival is run by volunteers who are passionate about togetherness. 'We have over 100 volunteers, helping make this event run as smoothly as we can,' she said. 'We like to create these festivals and things that the neighbors do that makes our city a welcoming place that people want to live in. You don't want a place where people just go into their house and lock their doors. Come on out, enjoy the park.'
CTV News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
What's happening July 5 and July 6 in Waterloo Region
An undated stock image of cherries in a paper plate (Pixabay/Pexels). Here's what's going on in Waterloo Region this weekend: Hespeler Village Music Festival July 5 This free event in Forbes Park has music, a kids zone, food and entertainment ready for the whole family. Local Author Storytime July 5 Kids and families can enjoy story-time with a local artist at the Guelph Public Library. Watch a play in Stratford July 5 and July 6 Sit back and relax at the Stratford Festival! Highlights include Sense and Sensibility, Annie and Macbeth. Release your inner Swiftie July 5 TAYLOR: A Tribute to the Eras of Taylor Swift will brings the pop star's biggest hits and iconic costumes to Centre in the Square. Catch a baseball game — or two July 5 and July 6 On Saturday, the Guelph Royals take on the Hamilton Cardinals at David E. Hastings Stadium at Exhibition Park , while the Kitchener Panthers will face the Toronto Maple Leafs at Jack Couch Park on Sunday. Check out the St. Jacobs Farmers Market July 5 The region's biggest farmers market has everything from food to fashion. It's open every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday this summer. Make a big splash at Bingemans July 5 Check out the Big Splash water park at Bingemans. Take a dip in the heated wave pool, or slip and slide on the Cyclone, Torpedo Bay, Boomerango and Full Throttle attractions. The pool is also open for a night swim . Cherry Festival July 5 The Cherry Park neighbourhood is celebrating everything cherry! There will be a variety of tasty treats, as well as a carousel, inflatable attractions for the kids and more than 70 vendors. Stretch to some beats July 5 Check out AM Shift: Morning Yoga and DJ Set to start your Saturday with music, relaxation and community.
Morocco World
22-04-2025
- Morocco World
Morocco Launches UNESCO Food Heritage Project to Protect Culinary Traditions
Rabat – Morocco has launched a national consultation as part of a new UNESCO project that aims to create the world's first International Food Heritage Atlas. The project also includes a digital platform to protect, promote, and pass on food heritage to future generations, said UNESCO in a press release. Funded by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture and carried out in partnership with Morocco's Ministry of Culture, the initiative supports the goals of UNESCO's 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The project seeks to map, document, and share traditional food practices from around the world, and recognize them as a form of living heritage essential to cultural diversity, sustainable development, and social cohesion, added the statement. Morocco has been chosen to take part in the pilot phase of the project. The first version of the Food Heritage Atlas is expected to be ready by the end of 2027. The first stage will focus on identifying traditional food practices in Morocco and building local capacity to protect them. During the consultation, officials noted that five out of Morocco's 15 items listed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists are related to food practices. These include the Cherry Festival in Sefrou and the traditional knowledge surrounding the argan tree. Morocco also shares several food-related listings with other countries. However, many of these practices are under threat due to major challenges like climate change, globalization, and a breakdown in passing knowledge from one generation to the next. That is why experts stress the need for collective action, UNESCO says. 'Food practices and culinary traditions are more than just recipes. They reflect our identities, our lands, and our relationships with others and with nature,' said Eric Falt, UNESCO's Regional Director for the Maghreb. 'By valuing them, we build a future rooted in diversity, sustainability, and respect for local knowledge,' he added. Mustapha Jlok, Morocco's Director of Cultural Heritage, added: 'By taking part in the UNESCO Food Atlas project, Morocco is showcasing the richness of its culinary traditions as a living expression of intangible heritage. With the help of local communities, the country is working to preserve skills passed down through generations, highlighting the deep connection between food, cultural identity, and sustainable development.'
