Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and enjoying this sizzling summer heat (while staying somewhat cool)! We are just a mere days away from our Concession Streetfest party and then the following weekend Sidewalk Sounds…good times for our street indeed!
 
Given everyone’s active summer schedules, we have decided to hold our next BIA Membership Meeting on Wednesday August 17th from 8:30am to 10am at The Salvation Army at 573 Concession Street.   Moving forward all future BIA meetings will be held at the same time and same place.  Please note, this is to replace the third Tuesday evening of every month BIA Board meeting. 
 
We hope to see some familiar and new faces as we move forward with this new date and time for these meetings.  This is an excellent opportunity for all BIA members and community to bring forward ideas and suggestions as we all work together to continue to build on the revitilization of our business district!
 
Please mark your calendars and hope to see you all there on August 17th.
​

Canada’s National Aboriginal Day is annually held on June  to celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of the nation’s Aboriginal peoples. There are three Aboriginal groups in Canada – the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.​

Traditional dancing, music and festivals are part of the National Aboriginal Day celebrations in Canada.

National Aboriginal Day gives many people the chance to learn more about Aboriginal people and their contributions towards the country’s development and progress. First Nations, Métis and Inuit people have the opportunity to showcase their cultures and achievements throughout Canada on this day.
National Aboriginal Day events are held in every region across Canada. Activities and events include (but are not limited to):

• Summer solstice festivals.
• Barbecue fundraisers.
• Social networking gatherings with traditional and contemporary music, dance and singing.
• Sacred fire extinguishing ceremonies.
• Traditional feasts, which may include fry bread and moose stew.
• The cutting of a cake to honor National Aboriginal Day.

National Aboriginal Day in Canada gives people of all walks of life the opportunity to celebrate and share knowledge about the Aboriginal peoples’ values, customs, languages, and culture.

National Aboriginal Day is a paid holiday for employees in the Northwest Territories, except those in the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association (NWTTA). It is not a statutory holiday in other parts of Canada. Traffic and parking conditions may be affected in areas where there are large celebrations to commemorate the day.

The Canadian Constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal peoples: Indians (First Nations), Inuit and Métis. Although these groups share many similarities, they each have their own distinct heritage, language, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.

Many people have pushed for a national day to recognize and celebrate Canada’s Aboriginal peoples and cultures prior to 1996. For example, in 1982 the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) called for June 21 to be National Aboriginal Solidarity Day. In 1995 the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommended for a National First Peoples Day to be designated. The Sacred Assembly, a national conference of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, called for a national holiday to celebrate the contributions of Aboriginal peoples.

Canada’s governor general proclaimed the first National Aboriginal Day in 1996. In cooperation with Aboriginal organizations, the Canadian government chose June 21 for National Aboriginal Day because it was on or near the June solstice. Many of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples celebrated their culture and heritage on or near this day for many generations. National Aboriginal Day provides an opportunity to acknowledge the unique achievements of First Nations, Métis and Inuit in fields as diverse as agriculture, the environment, business and the arts.

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/canada/national-aboriginal-day

445 Concession Street
​Hamilton, ON
​The Metis Nation of Ontario

This past Friday, Concession BIA hosted its first HAIR SHOW with our SIDEWALK SOUNDS event!   As Concession Street has been named the "Salon District" of Hamilton, we had just SOME of our salons show off what they do best!

​Magic Mirror, located at 427 Concession Street,  gave us some pretty, fresh and elegant updo's for girls of any age.  Zeko's Barbershop,  located at 786 Concession Street,  gave us some edgy hard parts and cut in's for boys and men.

​Attendees walked away with coupons that can be used by our participating salons for our fantastic show! 

Special thanks to True Hamiltonian who provided the coolest Hamilton proud shirts "Hamilton Is Home"!

​An EXTRA special thanks to Fotograf Geissler for the video and super pictures!

​Be sure to visit ALL the fabulous salons and beauty services available along our Concession BIA!

​Check out the HAIR SHOW HERE:​

On Friday  June 3rd....SOLLOVA BAKERY & EATERY opens its doors to the public after much anticipation and excitement.  The wait was definitely worth it!  Offering a variety of Italian and Albanian delicacies, you can find everything from fresh baked bread to cakes to cookies to savory foods from their hot table! 

​Located at 788 Concession Street...NOW OPEN...fresh, delicious and home made!

​Now also on FACEBOOK

Our inaugural SIDEWALK SOUNDS took place last night - and the reception it got took us all by surprise!  Last night we saw HUNDREDS of people come out to enjoy some FANTASTIC music, browse some brilliant creative local artisanal talents and browse our businesses along Concession Street. 
​The weather was splendid and people flocked to check out what all the Sidewalk Sounds buzz was about!  We are very happy to be able to offer our next event in just one month - June 17th will host more music, more entertainment and another wonderful night out on the Hamilton mountain!

This upcoming May 17th will host our regular Board of Management meeting, however the location of this meeting has CHANGED.  Please be advised that the meeting will be held at
625 Concession Street (St. Stephen-on-the-Mount Anglican Church instead of the usual Hamilton Public Library - Concession Branch).

The meeting will start at 6pm and run until 7:30pm.  After the board meeting we have invited 100in1Day to walk our Concession BIA through an exciting workshop.  This will run from 7:30pm-8:30pm.  

100in1Day:
By contributing an intervention, you have an opportunity to share an existing idea or test out a new one, and have it profiled as part of a big day of civic engagement by collectively building a community that you would like to see.

This is an event for anyone and everyone to participate in, at any capacity, almost anywhere in their community!

Anyone can participate! Young or old, new to the city or lifetime resident. May 17th is a day of possibility – where you can re-imagine your city. If you’ve ever had an idea for your neighbourhood or community, here is your chance to test it out. You can also come and take a look at the interventions themselves if you just wanted to learn what people are getting up to. No idea is too small!

All are invited to attend - BIA and public are welcome!