Centre For Local Research into Public Space (CELOS)
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You are on the [A Visit To Cambridge And Kitchner November 26, 2008] page of folder [On The Road]
For the cover page of this folder go to the Wednesday November 26 2008
Cambridge:
Mayssan Shuja, Anna Bekerman, Jutta Mason: To Cambridge to speak to the Rotary Club, in response to an e-mail from Joy O'Donnell:
I am currently the President of the Cambridge North Rotary Club and I had been told about your Bake Ovens awhile ago. I have shared your website with a number of people in our club and we are thinking about doing something similar in the Rotary Dumfries Park on Hespeler Road in Cambridge. I was wondering if you had someone available in your group that would be willing to come to Cambridge for a free lunch and speak to our group about how the Bake ovens operate at the Dufferin Grove Park. If so would they be available to come on Wednesday, November 26th at 12:00pm to the 20 Hobson Street Restaurant. I hope we can take a great idea and duplicate it in our community.
This trip was expensive: gas plus two $15 meals (since we were only offered one meal for free). The restaurant was large and elegant, the meal was small but tasty. $15 bought a portion of pasta primavera and a cup of coffee. There were 47 Rotarians and their friends at the lunch. They told us they meet every Wednesday. Some are retired, some not. More men than women, but lots of women too. They spoke about a successful fund-raising to build two houses in Bolivia. Joy gave a little history -- Rotary was established, she said, in Chicago during the time when the city was pretty crooked, by four businessmen who wanted to combine business and honesty (and good works).
Joy O'Donnell, current Rotary Club president
applause for the houses
Anna had prepared a slide show and she and Jutta presented it for about 20 minutes. It seems unlikely that the Rotarians will proceed with this -- their park has no running water and no building.
The town (formerly called Galt) is stunningly beautiful along the river, with many graceful limestone buildings and bridges.
Kitchener: After the Rotary Club presentation, Anna, Mayssan and Jutta went up to Kitchener to see the Working Centre, in particular the cafe and the bake oven. One of the centre's long-time supporters and collaborators, Ken Westhues, had sent us an essay he wrote about producerism, published in the Working Centre newsletter ten years ago. The paper is full of interest, and the Working Centre is as active as a beehive.
The bake oven is beautifully made, only too small, and somewhat out of the way.
The oven in the snow
the oven opening and the hearth are too small