BY DOING THEY LEARN

Last week as I walked along the river, I came upon a hands-on science lesson in progress – a mother enabling her children at a young age to develop a love of nature.

Apparently she brings the kids down to the river about once a week to feed grain to the ducks. 

And they obviously love it! All of them! As you can see, the excitement of the ducks soon attracted the geese, at which point the baby was lifted to mom’s knee.     

When the swans decided to join the party, it was time for the little ones to leave.

         

The joy on the faces of these three, and the delighted murmuring of appreciation 
from their feathered friends was truly a wonderful addition to my morning stroll. 
To see the next generation being groomed to respect their world, awesome! 

WOW!

  

Wonderful!  Outstanding!  Way to go, Stratford Symphony!

Recently I had the privilege of attending the opening night of this year’s season presented by the Stratford Symphony Orchestra. The evening, directed by the legendary Howard Cable, took us on a trip down memory lane.  At 93, Cable was delightfully quick-witted in his commentary as he introduced each of his renditions of the musical greats of the big band era.

The music was great and the memories pleasant, but what amazed me the most was the skill of the musicians that make up our symphony. To leap from their normal mode of classical orchestra into the free flowing, rhythmic swing that had the audience (and some of the orchestra members) bouncing in our seats – all I can say is WOW!

We are privileged in Stratford to have an abundance of musical experiences available to us. From October until June there is a wide variety of options for us to expand our horizons through the vehicle of music. The Stratford Symphony Orchestra, The Stratford Concert Band, Music & Opera, The Stratford Concert Choir, Inner Chamber, to name a few – all of these have a whole season prepared for our enjoyment. Details are available on their websites or you can pick up their brochures at the Tourism office across from City Hall.

We have a gold mine of cultural experiences right on our doorstep for very reasonable rates, many offering further reductions if you purchase tickets for the entire season. Why travel out of town, when this is available right in our backyard? It is only by our continued support that we are able to these experiences available in our community. Why not give yourself a cultural treat this year? Think about inviting your out-of-town relatives and friends to come and experience this different side of Stratford. A season’s pass makes a great holiday gift! Hope to see you there.