Remembering our War vets and their sacrifices for us is something that should always be part of our lives. We now have a mini museum right in our midst for you to peruse and to honor their achievements by learning about their lives

Grenadier Militaria is a business involved with the study and presentation of Canadian military history in World War I. There are three parts to the organization: a private collection of World War I memorabilia, a military bookstore and a reference library.

Mark Cahill has been collecting war related items for thirty years, gradually focusing on World War One and elements related to Trench Warfare, so expect to find helmets, rifles, jackets, caps, flags, firearms and even trench art and frightened letters home.

Head to the upper floor to check out the medals, uniforms, mess kits, miniatures, war posters, etc. Cahill especially likes to collect items which tell stories of individual soldiers, so he buys personal items about them, such as their medals, uniforms, badges, cigarette cases, lighters, medallions, photographs and diaries – which make viewing his collection much more poignant and personal. It reminds us that the awfulness of  War is really a human individual experience. 

Posters, paintings, silverware and porcelain tableware related to the war effort helps us remember  that World War I was experienced right here at home, as well as in the muck and blood-filled trenches of Passchendaele.  This is one of the largest First World War collections in Canada.

To shop in the Grenadier Military Bookstore, you can browse their online catalogue to check out the rare and out-of-print books and buy online, or go to the bookstore. When you subscribe to their mailing list, you receive a free printed catalogue.

If you wish to sell a collection related to military history of WWI, they are interested in buying. All you need to do is send them a list of what you have and they will look through it and get back to you about it.

For their Reference Library, Grenadier Militaria is trying to obtain a copy of each Canadian regimental history relating to WWI; they have about 200 so far. If you are interested in finding out about an ancestor who fought for Canada during the First World War or you are a student who needs to do some research, or even if you are just interested in learning more about this period of Canadian history, you are welcome here. You can be doing genealogy research or trying to obtain military information on certain Battalions which fought during WWI. The reference library is more for regimental research, since it is hard to get specific information on a particular soldier. For that information, you would go to the Canadian War Records Service.

If you are wondering where to obtain the war records of your Canadian relatives who fought in either the First or Second World War,  you can fill out a form on their web site and  they do the rest of the work for you.  Please note that a Canadian soldier who fought in WWII will have to be deceased for twenty years or more to obtain the records; they also require proof of death.

With the 100th anniversary of World War One quickly approaching, Cahill and his team are proudly preparing to play an important role in the global commemoration of this horrendous yet unforgettable event.

Location: 5524-202 St-Patrick St. Montreal QC H4E 1A8
corner: boul Monk
Tel: 514-788-6007
Hours: Mon-Fri 9-5, Sat appts.
FREE admission
www.grenadiermilitaria.com

Q: Do you know where I can find Sandwich clothing line in Montreal?

A: I am not familiar with that label. You can check with the Quebec Apparel Manufacturers: www.apparelquebec.com

Everyone can use a good belly laugh. Right now until May 26th, The Number 14 playing at the Centaur Theatre is a rollicking bus ride that everyone, including your 10-17 year-olds will enjoy. People are always searching for ideas on how to spend quality time with their children, and what better way than to introduce them to live theatre. This one will tickle everyone’s funny bone.

Wearing masks evoking the Commedia dell’Arte in the 16th Century Italy, six actors turn themselves into 60 characters found on a city bus. Who hasn’t enjoyed people watching on a bus? This parade of humanity – trying not to fall asleep, getting dressed for work,  magazine readers, chatting girls, elderly, germophobes, teens singing,  graffiti artists, butt cracks, and kids on a field trip, are encountered daily on a commute.

The ride includes pratfalls, acrobatics, sight gags, mime, dozens of costume changes (some right before your very eyes), and song and dance routines; Even the inevitable abrupt stops and starts of a bus, gets turned into silliness. You will never be able to eat a cheese doodle again without smirking.

The Number 14 is a Canadian success story. Written collectively in Vancouver and originally directed by Centaur’s artistic director Roy Surette, it has toured the world, including two runs on Broadway. After 20 years, Montreal will be  its final stop.

This is true family fare that everyone, of all ages, can relate to. What are you waiting for – go book some seats before the bus leaves!

Location: Centaur Theatre, 453 St-François-Xavier
corner: Notre-Dame
Tel: 514-288-3161
Dates: until May 26
www.centaurtheatre.com

At the International Startup Festival this week, Ondi Timoner whose next documentary will be about Internet startups will be filming away. She is the only director to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival – twice!

With Montreal a high tech hub,  it is not surprising that the festival expects to have more than 700 participants and that she would be here to make this part of her film. Timoner will be following around several of the high profile speakers who have been invited to the festival as they are the gurus of the industry.

So if you’ve had this internet business idea germinating in your brain  or you have a business that could go electronic, and you want to rub elbows with these idols, this is the moment for you to join them. Or – if you want to get caught in the background scenes and be “appearing in”  the next Sundance Festival, head down to the Alexander pier at the Old Port this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

www.startupfestiva.com

Ya think if you have a great idea for an internet business, it’s a get-rich  quick scheme. Well it could be – if you only knew how to make it happen.

The International Startup Festival is a two-day conference for people who want to begin an online business presence and then some. So you learn not only how to start up but how to exit – and everything else in between.

The entrepreneur needs to learn essential steps, frameworks, and learn the resources that can help (like how to stay lean, or how to manage investors, what’s an incubator,  mobil experts, social networking, and perhaps even gaming)  and most importantly, the art of planning the selling of the business.

The conference brings together industry veterans and fresh faces, thought leaders and technology giants from around the world. You’ll hear from the likes of:

– Marc Gingas  in his first public presentation since Tungle’s acquisition by Resarch in Motion
– Sean Ellis – Founder & CEO – Freejit,
– Dave McClure- Investor – 500startups.com
– and a keynote by Chris Shipley,  Co-founder & CEO of GuideWire Group

Iternational Startup Festival 2011
Location: Old Montreal
Dates Wed, July 13  6 PM – Fri, July 15 at 12 PM
www.startupfestival.com

Regifting has gained in popularity since comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s show used it on January 19,1995. It’s  link to online auctions has also made the phenomenon of regifting more acceptable.  In fact, more than half of adults recently surveyed by Money Management International (MMI) find regifting acceptable

Here’s the place in the  script where regift was used in that Seinfeld episode as well as another  new term,  degift).  January 19, 1995:

George: The wedding is off.  Now you can go to the Super Bowl.

Jerry: I can’t call Tim Whatley and ask for the tickets back.

George: You just gave them to him two days ago, he’s gotta give you a grace period.

Jerry: Are you even vaguely familiar with the concept of giving? There’s no grace period.

George: Well, didn’t he regift the label maker?

Jerry: Possibly.

George: Well, if he can regift, why can’t you degift?

Jerry: You may have a point.

George: I have a point, I have a point.

Here’s the 10 most popular regifted items counting backwards:

10 – alcohol

9 – gift cards

8 – fruit cake

7 – candles

6 – cookbooks

5 – jewelry

4 – picture frames

3 – gift basket

2 – housewares

1 – clothing

Well the words St-Laurent pop up again for yet another street sale this weekend. The sale is a mix between the merchants on the street who put out tables to sell overstocked items and also one where residents can rent a space at Beaudet Park (corner of Du College and Decarie, next to the Metro entrance).

This part of it is called  “Marché Urbain” and it is a community garage sale where residents display their wares and used items in order to sell them (cover charge is 20$ per table).  The merchant association also hires jugglers, clowns, painters, inflatable games and musicians so families can have a fun time.

Location: Boul. Decarie, VSL from Cote Vertu to Du College
Dates: June 18 (only a smattering of merchants): hours vary, June 19 (main day) : 12-5, June 20: 10-4ish
Tel: 514-747-3045

Boulevard St-Laurent has been hard hit over the last few years as the city has taken it upon themselves to rip it up to renew it, over and over again. It’s time to re-learn the new shopping on the street and give these local merchants a bit of our community support.

This weekend the Boulevard St-Laurent sidewalk sale will be happening from Thursday to Sunday. The street sale begins at Sherbrooke and goes all the way up to Mont-Royale.  Some of the stores mentioned in my Smart Shopping Montreal book that fall into that section of the street:

3653 Slovenia – homemade sausages: veal knockwurst, lyoner, pariser, schnitzel, all kinds of bacon and on…
3667 Nino La Cuisinere – for all things kitchen
3843 Boucherie Hongroise – grab one of their sizzling sausages to go while you peruse the street
3885 La Vieille Europe – charcuterie and foods from all over the world
3985 Frenco en Vrac – bulk food for more natural products
4358 Schreters – best shop on the street for men’s and boys clothing and now- ladies shoes

Dates and Times: June 17 & 18: 9:30-9, June 19 & 20: 9:30-6. Some stores on the lower Main, closer to Sherbrooke may stay open later on the weekend as they are in the busy restaurant area.

Next Monday, on CJAD 800AM, you can listen to  me and my husband, Stan Posner on the Tommy Schnurmacher Show. This is a call-in show for an entire hour. For the first half hour, we will be talking about our Drive I-95:Exit by Exit Info, Maps, History and Trivia book and answering questions about driving South to Florida. In the 2nd half of the hour, those of you with those important shopping questions, this is your chance to have me answer them.  I will be on Tommy’s show at least once a month. If you miss  the show, you can always write to me here at my website.

Location: CJAD 800AM
Time: 11-12 noon
Date: Mon Nov 9th
www.drivei95.com

Road trips are back again, because by traveling in the security of your own car and visiting friendly small town America, it brings back the way life used to be and the way we would like it to be again.

To help those who travel up and down the East coast, my book, Drive I-95: Exit by Exit Info, Maps, History and Trivia is a new style of guidebook. It combines colorful easy-to-follow pictorial maps and fun stories, eliminating the trepidation of a road trip down America’s busiest highway.

Travelers can look ahead exit-by-exit to see which motels and gas stations are coming up, where the radar traps are or where to stop for a good homemade meal. The drive from Boston to Miami or any section in-between will become more pleasant and less stressful by knowing where to find: 24 hour gas stations (and which ones have a mechanic!) and pharmacies, 800 numbers for motel chains, camp grounds, golf courses, places that allow pets, shopping malls, supermarkets, internet availability and even which radio stations to tune to.

My husband, Stan Posner and I share stories of the road: history that happened on it, quirky museums worth a visit, Americana trivia, homey towns to explore, or places to run with the kids and pets. These can be read for entertainment during the drive and may entice motorists to stop, stretch their legs and discover someplace new.

The maps and the fun stories of the road are useful for family travelers (Christmas, Spring break or summer), seniors, salesmen, truckers, campers and RVers, University students and their parents, military personnel and people who live and work near I-95

www.drivei95.com