Wine extravaganza kicks off in East London

Charl and Desrae Joubert warm up at the brazier after sampling wines from 38 wine estates at East London’s Food and Wine Fair at the Beacon Bay Country Club. The fair is on between 2 and 9.30pm tomorrow (Saturday). Picture: Barbara Hollands

By Barbara Hollands

BUFFALO City wine lovers have been enjoying the fruits of the wine route without having to travel from farm to farm. Almost 40 wine estates are represented at this year’s East London Food and Wine Fair at the Beacon Bay Country Club and this year visitors have also been enjoying gourmet cooking demonstrations and receiving tips about wine and food pairing.

The annual Food and Wine Fair, which started on Thursday evening and ends at 9.30pm tomorrow (Saturday) night, has been a highlight of East London’s social calendar for 14 years and in March next year organisers Tri-Skye Corporate Communications will also stage the Food and Wine Fair in PE.

“The show has been doing so well in East London that the wine estates have been asking us to take it to PE,” said Tri-Skye owner Taryne Smith. “They know we put on a good show so they will follow us there.”

Smith said a full mock kitchen had been built at the Beacon Bay Country Club, where East London chefs from local restaurants have been giving demos of how to cook with fresh seasonal produce and how to pair wines with food. At 6pm tomorrow night visitors can learn how to make mushroom risotto in a cooking demonstration presented by Two Dogs Bistro chefs who will pair their dish with the correct estate wine.

Peckish wine tasters can fill up on wraps, sushi, curry and rice and as well as coffee and cake provided by a variety of on-site restaurants. “This year we have introduced the food lovers market to the show where visitors can sample and buy some of South Africa’s best delicatessen gourmet foods,” said Smith. These include deli meats and cheeses, olive oil, chilli sauces and biltong.

Tomorrow’s Food and Wine Fair begins at 2pm and ends at 9.30pm. Tickets cost R120pp (this includes a wine tasting glass), and are available from Preston’s at the following liqour stores: Beacon Bay, Vincent, Gonubie and Stirling.

Music fest to rock Richmond Hill

Picture: Mike Holmes

By Shaanaaz de Jager

NELSON Mandela Bay’s vibey Richmond Hill will be a feast of French flair, fun, live entertainment, stalls and more when its popular annual music festival takes place.
Now in its third year, the Richmond Hill Street Music Festival Fete de la Musique – will offer revellers and music lovers 12 hours of top local, national  and international entertainment when it kicks off at 10am on Saturday June 23.
Aurélien de Chappotin from the Alliance Française of Port Elizabeth which is hosting the event said they expected attendance crowd to be double that of last year.
“Last year about 6000 people attended the festival; this time we are expecting more than 10000 festival-goers,” De Chappotin said. Some 25 artists from South Africa, France and Reunion will perform.  He said the festival would be the “unofficial party before and after the game” before the rugby test between SA and England.
The main stage will be at the corner of Stanley and St Phillips streets, the second stage in front of the Alliance Française on the corner of Mackay and Raleigh streets. There will also be performances  in front of Vovo Telo and at the Granary.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday June 16 2012. 

Billabong Pro record entries

By Shaun Gillham

THE 2012 Billabong Pro J-Bay has attracted a record number of entries and one of the largest international contingents in history, cementing  Jeffreys Bay’s reputation as South Africa’s surfing mecca.

The unprecedented number of 144 entries – the largest ever since professional surfing started in Jeffreys Bay in 1981 – includes 120 international surfers who will contest the six-star ASP World Tour event between July 10 and 15.
It will include 13 of the World Championship Tour’s elite top 32 professional surfers, as well as the majority of South Africa’s top competitors.
The surfers will be going all out to claim the 2012 Billabong Pro J-Bay title and more than R1,2-million in total prize money.
Radio station 5FM, Nissan Juke and Weekend Post are among the headline sponsors of the new-look 2012 Billabong Pro J-Bay which has been elevated into a surfing and music extravaganza.
International surfers include the likes of Mark “Occy” Occhilupo, John John Florence, Kolohe Andino, Adam Melling, Adriano de Souza and the Hobgood brothers,  CJ and Damien.
The local contingent includes seasoned campaigner Travis Logie, defending champion Jordy Smith, as well as SA stalwarts Royden Bryson and Davey Weare.
The action at the beach will be mirrored at Mentorskraal Country Estate outside the town where 5FM will host it three-day music festival from July 13.
Top local and international acts will include a host of leading DJs, Taxi Violence, Prime Circle, Jack Parow, Flash Republic and Crash Car Burn. Hard Fi, from the UK, will headline the international talent at the festival.
Festival tickets are at Computicket at R400 for a weekend pass and R200 for a day pass.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday June 16 2012. 

French flair at music fest

Picture: Mike Holmes

By Shaanaaz de Jager

RICHMOND Hill in Nelson Mandela Bay will come alive with the sound of music when the trendy suburb’s popular annual music festival hits its vibrant streets later this month.
The Richmond Hill Street Music Festival – Fete de la Musique –  will feature 25 different artists from South Africa, France and exotic Reunion Island.
The open-air festival is hosted by Alliance Française of Port Elizabeth and offers three primary entertainment points, along with other acts being staged at different venues around the Stanley Street area.
According to Darren Mungur, project manager at event organiser Soul Good, “The day – which will have a picnic feel – will cater for the entire family,” adding that original crafts would be on sale at stalls.
As part of an agreement between the South African and French presidents,  Mungur said,  it was “French season in South Africa from June to November 2012”.
The season of South Africa in France will, in turn,  take place from May to December next year.
Frenchman Braka, who will perform with a 19-piece outfit from Cape Town, Reunion Island’s Davy Sicard and his Creole jazz band, and South African guitar maestro Nibs van der Spuy will be among the artists to look out for.
The local festival mirrors the original Fete de la Musique which was first launched in France in 1982 and has become an annual tradition in cities throughout France.

This is a shortened version of an article which appeared in Weekend Post on June 9.

Pro surfing set to rock J-Bay

By Shaun Gillham

SOUTH Africa’s premier surfing spectacular, the Billabong Pro J-Bay will be back with a bigger bang at fabled Jeffreys  Bay next month, along with a three-day music festival hosted by 5FM, Nissan Juke and Weekend Post.
The new format Billabong Pro J-Bay 2012 has attracted top local and international surfers to the legendary Supertubes point break which will be the fierce battleground for more than R1,2-million in total prize money, between July 10 and 15.
Based on its new six-star ASP World Tour format, the Billabong Pro J-Bay 2012 guarantees top class surfing at one of the world’s most famous surfing spots.
Organisers are expecting full participation by the 144 entries into the prestigious event which has also attracted other top international athletes including Damien Hobgood and Pat Gudauskas. Local contenders include the likes of the legendary Frankie Oberholzer, Sean Holmes, Greg Emslie, Davey Weare and Warren Dean who are known to be able to dominate at Supers on any given day.
Apart from the top class surfing which is expected to attract thousands of surfing fans, the town will also rock to the sounds of top musical acts at the three-day 5FM Music Festival which will be held at the Mentorskraal Country Estate and start on July 13.
Among those who will perform at the music festival are Prime Circle, Taxi Violence, DJ’s Poppy, Milkshake, Angela, Nicole, C-Live and Euphonic, rap star Jack Parow, Flash Republic, Crash Car Burn and Mi Casa.  International act, Hard Fi from the UK, and UK-based guitarist Neil Taylor will add an international flavour to the event.
A three-day pass for the festival is R400 while a day pass is R200 each. Tickets are available at Computicket.

This is a shortened version of an article which appeared in Weekend Post on June 9.

Big crowds expected at Wildsfees

By Yolandé Stander

THE organisers  of this month’s  eleventh annual Absa Kirkwood Wildsfees are promising that the showpiece event in the Sundays River Valley will be  “wider and wilder than ever”.
Last year’s event attracted more than 42000 festival-goers and produced a turnover of R19-million. Festival director Jennifer Honsbein expects these numbers to grow exponentially this year, when the event takes place from June 29 to July 1.
At the recent festival launch Honsbein revealed the programme would include a wide range of entertainment, 300 specialist stalls, “wild rides, wild animals, wild shows” as well as the annual wildlife auction.
“Visitors will also experience a festival of firsts,” said Honsbein. One such first is its  hosting of  a “mohair journey” where designs from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) and Mode University in Japan’s collaboration projects will be on show.
Another first will be the staging of dramatic production, My Naam is Ellen Pakkies, about the mother in the Cape Flats who killed her tik-addict son. Ellen will be portrayed by Vinette Ebrahim of 7de Laan fame.
Some of the best rock musicians in the country have also signed on for the festival, including Karen Zoid, Snotkop, Arno Carstens, Elvis Blue,  Emo Adams and Chris Chameleon.

This article first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on June 2.

Ballroom dancers to show their style

Sriking a pose with the floating trophy which Collegiate and Grey High Schools hold jointly are (front) pupils Michelle Zondagh and JP Jooste, and (back) Melita Bagshaw (Collegiate principal) and Ryan Laurie (Grey teacher). Picture: Mike Holmes

Weekend Post Reporter

THE belles and beaus of Nelson Mandela’s ballroom dancing scene will be putting the best foot forward when they compete in this weekend’s annual Dare 2 Dance Studio Inter-schools Social Ballroom Dance Competition.
The cream of the city’s high school talent will be displayed at the Feather Market Centre on Saturday when teams from Alexander Road, DF Malherbe, Framesby, Grey High and Collegiate High (who will compete as one team), St George’s College, Victoria Park High, Westering High and Pearson High vie for the coveted floating trophy.
With the top three teams competing for the gold, silver and bronze medals, reigning champions Grey and Collegiate will have their work cut out as competition is expected to be tough.
Dare 2 Dance teachers Hadrian Roberts, Lesley van Onselen and Shellaine Strydom are once again driving the popular competition, which tests skill levels in disciplines like the rhythm foxtrot, waltz, quickstep, tango and rock ‘n roll, as well as Latin styles like mambo, cha cha and jive.
“The competition is the only one of its kind in South Africa,” Roberts said.
Roberts took over the dance school from veteran instructors Ron Sanderson-Smith and wife Brenda three years ago.
This year will be the first time the competition has included an open category, with organisers asking students from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and Rhodes University to take a turn on the dance floor.
Adjudicators are Neville Letard, Dorothy McFarlane and Dina Marx, while Nigel Hawkins fills the role of scrutineer. All are members of the South African Dance Teachers Association (SADTA).
Registration for dancers is at 4pm and dancing will begin at 5pm. Tickets for the public are R60 and are available from Computicket.

‘Force of nature’ to lead ArtEC

Theresa Hardman (left) and Sue Hoppe

By William Alexander

AFTER three years of heading Port Elizabeth’s artEC and helping to transform this nonprofit organisation into the flourishing gallery and art centre it is today, chairwoman Sue Hoppe has handed over the reins to someone she believes is fully up to the task.
ArtEC’s new chairwoman, elected to the position following the end of Hoppe’s three-year term of office, is Theresa Hardman, well known in the city and province as both an architecture guru and art lover.
“Theresa’s a force of nature – she’s wonderful,” Hoppe said after artEC’s AGM on Monday March 12. “We’ve built a strong foundation for artEC and Theresa really shares that vision.”
Hardman had “passion” for the organisation and was keen to see it grow, said Hoppe, who will now have more time to resume her own art career.
Hardman, who has resigned as senior lecturer in the architecture department at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, said she felt “honoured” to lead artEC. “I’d like to build on what was started.”
Brimming with bold, new ideas, she is keen to introduce more workshops and activities at the gallery and expand its community involvement and township teaching. When asked how she thought she’d fare, Hardman chuckled: “I’m going to try to be fabulous. I’m passionate about creative arts generally. I have taught dance and also love charcoal drawing and painting with ink.
“I’m thrilled and excited to be leading artEC. I see a lot of potential in the place.”
ArtEC is at 36 Bird Street, Central, or on (041)585-3641.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday March 17, 2012.

Feast of classical music sure to strike right note

By William Alexander

HAVING kicked off their concert programme for the year with a thrilling performance by Cape Town’s Mamre Singers at the end of last month, the Port Elizabeth Music Society’s next concert is on Monday March 19, followed by six other not-to-be- missed classical events over the course of the year.
As in previous years, Music Society president Erika Bothma has made sure an array of different genres, instruments and artists – many international – that will suit all musical proclivities are represented.
The operatic Mamre Concert on February 25 received a brilliant reception and Bothma said the group’s performance was a first for the society.
Regarding the up-and-coming concert by world-renowned, award-winning pianist Alexander Lubyantsev, Bothma said “people always love pianists and are really looking forward to this one”.
Thanks to Bothma’s efforts, the Port Elizabeth society is firmly in the league of music societies in the larger metros.
There is also healthy representation of South African musicians, among them Tinus Botha who will partner Ramm on piano and South African-born pianist Mark Nixon, while the Eastern Cape Children’s Choir conducted by Lionel van Zyl is another highlight to come.
Each performance will be held at 7.30pm in the south campus auditorium of the NMMU, except for the Children’s Choir performance which will take place at the Dutch Reformed Church in Summerstrand. Tickets for all the concerts cost R65 for adults, R50 for pensioners, R20 for students and R15 for scholars, while Music Society members pay even less.
The complete list of upcoming concerts is as follows: Alexander Lubyantsev on March 19, Alexander Ramm and Tinus Botha on May 16, the Bushakevitz duo on June 6, Mark Nixon on August 23, Wolfgang Schmidt accompanied by Bryan Wallack on September 17, the Eastern Cape Children’s Choir on October 18 and Inon Barnatan on November 29.
For more information about the PE Music Society or its concerts for this year, call Theresa Cunliffe at (041)504-2250 or Erika Bothma at (041)504-2974 during office hours.

This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in the print edition of Weekend Post on Saturday March 10, 2012. 

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