Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

All things Carnival will be on stage at Toronto Caribbean Carnival last hooray weekend.   By Stephen Weir   There is a saying amongst Toronto carnival lovers, “It never rains on the Caribana Weekend”. With a good forecast from the Weather Network and a lot of finger crossing on the part of the Festival Management Committee, it looks as though that 54-year old adage is going to ring true for at least one more summer.   This Friday, Saturday and Sunday the wrap-up to the 2021  Toronto Caribbean Carnival  will be held outdoors at the  Scarborough Town Centre .  Pan. Calypso. Dance. Food.  Costumes. Every form of Carnival Arts will be on display for three-days.   When the Carnival first announced its plans for the month of July, this weekend’s fete was earmarked to be a Caribbean Food Truck round up in the  Scarborough Town Centre’s  parking lot.  That idea was scrapped two weeks ago because another Food Truck festival –  Stre...

  DARIO ET LA DIABLESSE: No Strings Theatre Dario et la Diablesse  is still a work in progress but beginning this Friday music and dance fans can watch online as this new Caribbean Musical is work-shopped by young actors and dancers from Canada and the Caribbean.  It is the latest project of the 16-year old non-profit  No Strings Theatre  and will have a week long PWYC run.     Richardo Keens-Douglas This new musical is being made under the guidance of Dora Mavor Award winner  Richardo Keens-Douglas  and Broadway performer and choreographer  Mark Cassius . “In this story, La Diablesse, the beautiful female devil, falls in love with her prey, and now has to convince her father, the Devil, to not steal his soul,” explained  Denise Williams,  the Artistic Director of the No Strings Theatre. “ It is a Caribbean based virtual showing that (is perfect)   during the time of Emancipation Day and the Toronto Caribbean Carnival.” No...

Jet Service, Miami to Dominica, just in time for the 2021 Christmas Rush Tickets have already gone on sale for a new jet service to the island of  Dominica. American Airlines   for the first time will fly direct between Miami and Dominica starting December 8 th The service will operate twice weekly on Wednesday and Saturday, departing  Miami International Airport  at 11am and arriving at  Douglas-Charles Airport  at 3:21pm. The return flight will leave Dominica at 4:24pm and arrive in Miami at 6:55pm This route decision by American Airlines comes after a successful proving flight, which occurred last month. The airline used an  Embraer jet  for the test run, and it will be the South American made plane that will be used when the new service kicks off. The Embraer will have both business class and economy seating.  American Airlines will be offering a similar service to the island of  Anguilla  beginning in December.

 Sir David Wants You To Drive In To See His First Show In A Year   By Stephen Weir:   If you are a David Rudder fan and have missed seeing “Sir David” perform during the pandemic, honk your horn this July 31st.  And if you really want to hear some of the new material he has written over the past year or so, honk again and flash your high beams.   On Saturday July 31 st  Soca legend  David Rudder  will be performing live in Toronto for the first time since the shutdown.  He will be outdoors, on stage at the  City View Drive-In  playing for a lot filled with parked cars!  The car-only venue is back this summer since the relaxation of Covid restrictions in the city. The drive-in is located adjacent to the  Rebel Night Club  on Polson Street in the Toronto Harbour District.   Trinidad’s David Rudder is based here in the GTA and has had to quarantine along with the rest of the city.  It has been quiet for a norma...

Two Radio Station News Shorts by Stephen Weir Scarborough’s Second FM Station Still Two Years Away! You wouldn't think there's any more room for another radio in Toronto, but the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) has decided to squeeze in one more. The CRTC gave the station the nod back in April and made it official last month when it approved a licence for the International Harvesters for Christ Evangelistic Association and their new station 105.3 FM. Don’t go looking and listening for the station just yet, the new Scarborough outlet – CKSC - says that it will be up and broadcasting by April 28th, 2023. The new micro-broadcasting station’s 150-watt signal won’t reach too far outside of Scarborough – in contrast G.98.7’s FM signal at its peak time is 1,000 Watts (and has difficulty being heard in downtown Toronto. According to the CRTC the new station “indicated that it would broadcast 126 hours of programming each broadcast week on the proposed station, of w...

For Caribbean Foodies Carnival Food Comes in 25 Flavours (and counting) Freedom Mas photo from Facebook By Stephen Weir  For the stripped down version of the 2021 Toronto Caribbean Carnival the timing is turning out be perfect.  Just as the Province begins relaxing the restrictions on dine-in restaurants, outdoor patios and purchasing take-out meals, The Festival Management Committee, has soft-launched a new Carnival food festival  -- Carnival Flavours -- that runs throughout the month of July. “ Earn points every time you order and you could win weekly Carnival Flavours prize packs!” explains the carnival's event website ( https://www.torontocarnival.ca/carnivalflavours ).  Carnival Flavours  is a brand new project for the 2021 Carnival and is dedicated to bringing the best in Caribbean food in  Toronto ,  Brampton  and  Whitby  to hungry Toronto Caribbean Carnival foodies.   Be it in a popular resto, or dinner on a patio or meals ...