Harvest Noir brings the spirit of Alice in Wonderland to Ottawa on September 30

Photo by byfield~pitman photography.

Greg Searle (@gregorysearle) is Executive Director of BioRegional North America (@BioRegional_US) where he runs @OnePlanetLiving and the ecoConcierge program, and is currently crowdfunding to support a book he is writing on sustainable behaviours and healthy urban living. He is the co-organizer of @HarvestNoir, loves working out of @HubOttawa, and once drove a Peugot with a trunk full of prosciutto ham from Parma, Italy to St. Petersburg, Russia. 

 There’s a reason discounted early bird tickets to Harvest Noir are selling out fast!  LTO called it “a smash success” last year, when 760 adventurous guests dressed in their finest black attire attended the first “chic picnic” in Ottawa’s history at a secret destination (revealed to be the Museum of Civilization).  Apartment613 readers voted it one of Ottawa’s “Sexiest Parties”, and I think I know why: Harvest Noir  combined the best of fashion, gourmet food, wine, dancing and a good social cause with a liberal dose of genteel public mischief.

As the organizers, we were awed by the kind of people who showed up at Harvest Noir, as much as the numbers.  There was enthusiastic audience participation in quirky happenings like the impromptu fashion show.

In the past when I’ve been lucky enough to live abroad in places like Rome and London and Boston, I could never avoid feeling upon my return to Ottawa that the people here had the volume turned down a couple notches. So it was especially touching  to see all these creative, daring, beautiful Ottawa souls letting their inner child loose in public, laughing and dining and dancing together… Harvest Noir was a hit because it gathered so many funky people in our city all under the same (architecturally stunning) roof! 

I can’t count the number of people who told me an event like Harvest Noir would never fly in Ottawa.

But when I saw my first European-inspired chic picnic in Montreal last August, I was certain that the concept was too cool to fail, even here! But something was still missing. What we needed was a real meaningful purpose, a REASON to throw the party of the year, and I found that in Ottawa’s burgeoning local food scene. Why not fuse a chic picnic with a traditional harvest ball? This really isn’t a new idea – a few generations back, people vigorously celebrated the harvest all across Europe in hundreds of culturally interesting ways all throughout the autumn.  In North America, Thanksgiving is the only significant surviving offspring of this lost tradition, but even Thanksgiving has lost its humble farm roots. 

Photo by Glenn Stowe.

>Harvest Noir asks its guests to step away, for just one day, from the usual ultra-convenient, cheap, industrially-farmed foreign produce found in every grocery store, and to eat something fresh and healthy from a farm you could actually visit without a jet. Prepare it themselves, and eat it with the biggest group of their friends they can assemble. If this sounds like some kind of hippie singalong tofu roast, just look at some of the photos from last year’s picnic - those are some well-dressed people eating some very fine food, and they are having a blast. 

 One guest told us that attending Harvest Noir last year was “like stepping into Alice in Wonderland”, and we seized upon her statement as the zeitgeist of planning the 2012 event.

We’ll let Local Tourist readers in on some of the ways we intend to make it bigger, bolder, and more downtown this year:

 

THE FARMER’S MARKET FLASHMOB.

• A few days before the event, Harvest Noir attendees will pull on their top hats and fancy fascinators and meet for a mass shopping flashmob at farmer’s markets to buy the ingredients for their picnic feasts. No one but our guests will know where and when this will happen.

 

THE SECRET LOCATION.

• On September 30, we’ll be partying in one of the busiest, most public places in downtown Ottawa. We are going to surprise a lot of unsuspecting passersby and tourists.

 

THE BICYCLE FLASHMOB.

• A large phalanx of guests in black tie finery will converge on a different secret location before the picnic, and then pedal  in stately procession together to a triumphant late arrival at the picnic grounds where the other guests will be unpacking and setting up. We think this will make quite an impression, and be seriously fun for everyone!

 

THE PICNIC.

• Elegantly-dressed dinner guests bring picnic baskets stuffed with delicious local food they’ve prepared and celebrate the harvest with friends old and new. Guests will enjoy the dining experience of the year, accompanied by bottles of wine, refined live music, prizes and surprises, and quirky performers.

 

THE PARADE.

• Starting with 1000+ fiery sparklers, and lead by a funky parade band, the guests will depart the picnic grounds and march in a fantastic Mad Hatter Parade through downtown Ottawa, leaving surprised tourists and jealous passers-by in their wake.

 

THE PARTY.

• This year’s DJ dance party will take place in one of the most important cultural venues in Ottawa, and have more music/dancing choices for guests of all ages.  A participatory fashion show by audience members is back by popular demand!

 

THE FUNDRAISER.

• 100 per cent of proceeds at Harvest Noir go towards helping BioRegional North America carry on its nonprofit mission to create model places where genuinely sustainable, healthy lifestyles that promote a 70 per cent+ reduction in carbon footprint are convenient for the ordinary people who live or work there. BioRegional has been pioneering these approaches in places like the UK, California, and Washington State and now has a new focus on bringing innovative lessons back to Ottawa, where the organization’s North American offices are based at Hub Ottawa. BioRegional recently was invited to help steer the formation of the Ottawa Centre EcoDistrict in the downtown core. You can pre-order “ONE PLANET LIFESTYLES: Creating sociable places where sustainable 21st century living is convenient” a new book that BioRegional is working on. A crowd-funding campaign is helping support the book’s extensive research and getting it published.

 

THE DRESS CODE.

• Guests must dress their best in black, head to toe. Avoid white if you can – it’s so anti-noir! Be creative, be bold, with a retro-elegant theme wherever possible. Quirky period hats encouraged! There are some fantastic vintage and thrift boutique shops in Ottawa where you can go to get creative without blowing the budget. I recommend fashionable ladies hats from Chapeaux Madeleine. 

 TICKETS ON SALE.

• A few discounted early bird tickets are still left on sale at harvestnoir.com – but they won’t last very long.

We can’t wait for this Greg! Thanks for the snapshot!

Taking the scenic route: Exploring Ottawa’s prime picnic spots one trip at a time

Siu Hong Yu is a scientist working at the National Research Council. Outside the lab he tries to stay out of trouble with live music, food outings, photography, gallery visits, running, hiking, good reads and cinema.

Forget about the federal budget. I needed some fresh air!

With the doom and gloom of cuts and job restructuring in the nation’s Capital, I needed to get out of the city not only to decompress, but also to accomplish a mission. I wanted to scout around for some scenic drives and neat picnic/lookout spots. The wind over the Easter long weekend was chilly and fierce at times, but it’s worth bearing the cold in order to plan for the upcoming BBQ season. What’s more important than spending quality times with family and friends, after all?

Day 1: Crisscrossing the Ottawa River
On the first day of my trip I was planning on sleeping in, but ended up watching the sub rise instead. Not that I was in any hurry to leave. In fact, instead of following the route the GPS recommended, I decided to take the long way to reach wherever I was heading. The day started off with a detour to the Rockcliffe Parkway. I have run and biked sections of it on numerous occasions, but driving the whole thing outside rush hour made me realize how lucky we are to have such a scenic route so close to downtown.

After turning onto the Queensway at St. Joseph Boulevard, I headed east to where the Queensway turns into Highway 17 at Trim Road. I continued along the river for about 20 minutes and then followed the road signs of “Old Highway 17″ and “FERRY” and made a left into Clarence. Following the second “FERRY” sign at Dallaire Road, I reached Clarence Island and crossed the Ottawa River on the Ecolos Ferry, a zero-emission cable ferry powered by rechargeable batteries.

The ferry has no propeller, and instead runs on smaller engines and produces less noise and water agitation than conventional ferries. For $7, the ride was smooth and before you know it, you are driving on the Quebec side of the river. I headed east on Highway 148 for another 20 minutes, and passed through Papineauville to reach my first destination, Fairmont Le Château Montebello. On-site visitor parking costs $5 for the first half hour then $10 for the rest of the day. The luxury resort is famous for its unique architecture and history. The lobby itself is well worth seeing and I would love to go back for their Sunday brunch. Out by the waterfront, a young couple was enjoying their walk, playfully snapping pictures of each other while I sat by the marina for a little picnic of pita, hummus and cherry tomatoes. Re-energized, I checked one picnic spot off my list and started off for the next…

Tracking back towards Ottawa, I turned onto the Chemin des Presqu’îles into Parc national de Plaisance. The park is not officially open for the season until the May long weekend. With its lowland ecosystem, boardwalks and guided pontoon boats, it is a birdwatchers’ paradise for sure. While I was in the area, I detoured and headed north on Montée Papineau then made a left onto Chemin Malo to visit Plaisance Falls. Off the road and further downhill, the main falls roared in the afternoon sun. I was truly impressed by the water volume. All the melting snow has to go somewhere, I guess. There are plenty of picnic tables scattered along the trail and a well-positioned lookout platform for the falls.

After making it back onto Highway 148, I headed west for Ottawa, but when it came to crossing the river, I decided to try another ferry, just for fun. I went for Masson-Angers’ Bourbonnais Ferry. It cost $9. The ship was bigger, but the overall experience was much the same as Ecolos. However, I did notice that multiple ferries were operating simultaneously, so the onshore wait time here may be shorter during rush hours.

Before calling it a day, I stopped at Petrie Islands at the end of Trim Road. By then, the wind had picked up and a few kites were flying by the beach. Seagulls were cawing and waves gently hit the shore. Cattails shuffled in the wind. Ah, the open space! I kept walking and caught myself listening to my feet rustling against the dry grass. I didn’t feel like going home…

Day 2: Due South
Whether you are going to Cornwall or Kingston, the 401 seems to spring up from our subconscious as the only way to get there. I had no idea what I had missed by not taking the alternative route! It was time to cruise along the St. Lawrence. After a lazy omelette, I popped in Feist’s album Metals in the CD player and hit the gas (within the legal limit of course). Under a heartwarming blue sky, I was bound east on the 417, took Exit 66 near Casselman and headed south on St. Albert Road. Following the direction for Avonmore, I turned onto Regional Road 27 and then made another left onto Regional Road 6. Not long after, you will turn right to head south, but note that you are still on Regional Road 6. I sometimes wonder how those highway numbers are assigned. Anyways, still trying to reach Avonmore, I made a right onto Regional Road 15 at a T-junction and continued south. Home free! Thank you iPhone navigation. Without a single car in sight, I switched off the music, rolled down the windows and savoured the pothole-free ride in an open field.

After about half an hour, I crossed the 401 on an overpass and reached the Long Sault Parkway along the St. Lawrence via County Road 2. The parkway uniquely links a series of 11 islands to create a heavenly spot for cycling, camping and other family fun. I was certainly taking a mental note of which picnic tables to come back to. Next up was Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary just a little stretch away to the east of Aultsville Road.

The sanctuary is a great spot to hike, canoe and bird watch, of course. Both the Long Sault Parkway and bird sanctuary are part of Parks of the St. Lawrenceand most facilities are still closed until the end of May (campground reservations are now open, though). As a result, I literally had the whole Naime Island to myself, and spent a good hour and a half there for lunch, photo ops and simply soaking up the sun by the water. A few flocks of Canada geese came and went in total bliss.

Legion Way and the cattails

Finally, I sidetracked on Lakeshore Drive between Morrisburg and Iroquois to check out the waterfront residential area and Legion Way near Cardinal for a quick snack before heading back to Ottawa for an Easter dinner.

Mission accomplished.

Your photos are beautiful, Siu! Do you have any favourite picnic spots you want to tell us about? Send us an email at ltottawa@gmail.com.

Harvest Noir, Take II: Fiona finds it a great chance for the city to shine, if a bit hectic

Inside the Grand Hall of the Museum of Civilization for Harvest Noir

Fiona Tapp is a British Elementary School Teacher, who has called Ottawa home for the past 5 years. As a native Londoner, she tries to explore and enjoy Ottawa as a tourist, and so far is pretty impressed with this “tiny but brilliant” city!

I often scour the “cool kids’” Facebook pages to scoop out all the fabulous happenings in our little city, and a few weekends ago I happened upon Harvest Noir. (The cool kids are basically just friends of mine that I am in awe of!) So when an opportunity came up to eat a picnic en masse dressed in your finest, followed by a party afterwards, it sounded too good to be true.

Local Tourist Fiona Tapp (right) with friends at Harvest Noir

Slowly the anticipation built: I “liked” their Facebook page, saw articles in the Citizen and even here on LTO. I then decided that it was something I needed to be a part of. After recruiting some equally adventurous ladies, co-ordinating our picnics and outfits, we made our way to the secret location, which turned out to be the Museum of Civilization — one of my favourite places in Ottawa, as it turns out.

I chose an ensemble of a floor-length black velvet dress, jewelled bolero, black fake fur coat and black patent rubber boots — not to mention my peacock-feather fascinator, My friends were dressed beautifully and everyone really took the dress code seriously. It felt almost clandestine, spotting other folks dressed completely in black and following them along a path to our assigned meeting place.

We sat down next to a lovely, humorous trio, who treated our obnoxious cackling and dirty jokes with real aplomb and warm welcome. After setting up our table places with real china, glasses, silverware and some black roses, and unpacking our picnic of portabello mushroom quiche, caramelized sweet potato pasta salad, bread and veggies and a dessert of marshmallows and chocolate fondue, we tucked in, purchasing a rather expensive bottle of wine to accompany our meal.

Huddled up when the rain (briefly) hit Harvest Noir

The weather lurched between compromising chilly but bright, and mocking severe winds that launched hats and candlesticks into the air. A few showers did not deter us picnic diehards and a sea of umbrellas sprang up over the tables. After the picnic portion was over, we were supposed to parade together following the marching band into the museum, however it had become very chilly and some lacklustre organization meant that the band left without most of the guests. It also seemed that sparklers were given out to some guests — but not all, which created a little “ahhh no fair” mentality amongst my group. The loud speakers were not working well, and we couldn’t hear the organizers, which added a bit to the sense of disorganization.

Once inside we warmed up and deposited our coats and picnic baskets and swapped rubber boots for dancing shoes. The party was held in the museum’s Grand Hall and the lights beautifully illuminated the massive totem poles. The space was quite captivating and the excitement was palpable. The music started off very promising with an eclectic mix of Sinatra and the Scissor Sisters, and then we watched a very talented lady spinning around in a giant hula hoop. I had expected for the $42 ticket price to see more performers.

Fiona's dining companions at Harvest Noir

For some reason they had a system where by you had to line up for a ticket and then line up at the bar to exchange your ticket for a drink, this may have been to slow the consumption of alcohol but the clientele was quite a sophisticated bunch and this measure seemed unnecessary, especially as it meant I waited almost 40 minutes for one gin and tonic!

The organizers then took to the stage to congratulate us for all coming out, and a fashion show of sorts took place, as well as prizes being awarded to the best decorated table and the guest who recruited the most people.

After this, the DJ began his set and this is the only time my group really felt the event hit a low point. The same bass continued through multiple seemingly different songs, which gave the feeling of an annoying hammering rather than music and for some unknown reason the vocals were incredibly high pitched. Also the songs were unfamiliar to everyone I asked and only a handful of people danced; it’s a real shame they didn’t keep to music that’s more universally enjoyed. However after an hour or so of this, my group left — so who’s to say the music didn’t improve after our departure. We finished the night with a trip to Bridgehead and a delicious latte.

On reflection, I felt Harvest Noir was a fabulous idea that was executed quite well, the picnic portion of the evening was especially enjoyable, I would return in future years, hopefully some of the teething problems would have been worked through.

One of the goals was to dispute the recent tag that Ottawa was the eighth-worst dressed city in the world, and looking around at the beautiful outfits and creative headdresses, jewellery and hats that myth was challenged in style!

Thanks for your description, Fiona! For some great shots of the night, check out the Ottawa Citizen’s photo gallery.

Harvest Noir: Q&A with Greg Searle

harvestnoir.com

Greg Searle runs the Mysterious Events Company by night with his beautiful co-conspirator Samantha Biron – by day, he is the Executive Director of BioRegional North America, an environmental organization. Greg has lived in Ottawa, Rome, London UK, Boston, and now resides on the banks of the Gatineau river in Chelsea QC just outside of Ottawa. He loves the local food scene in Ottawa, and the work done by great local groups like JustFood.ca.

So, we’re really excited about Harvest Noir. For those who don’t know, what’s this event all about?

Harvest Noir is a chic “dress your best in retro black costume” picnic feast celebrating the autumn harvest with food from local farms. It includes many surprises and live musical performances by a dance-oriented parade band, followed by a dance reception with fabulous DJs, world-class circus performers and other innovative surprises.

Harvest Noir is inspired by a 23-year tradition of genteel annual picnic dining and partying that originated in Paris and has been imported to Lyon, Amsterdam, Munich, Zurich, Berlin, New York City and Montreal.

It is a “destination unknown” event – attendees will only learn where they are going a few hours before the event.

Why the mystery?

If you think about it, we grew up with a ton of surprises as kids. Now that we’ve arrived at adulthood, almost nothing is a mystery. Human beings thrive on mystery – the fact that you cannot prove the beliefs of the world’s 6,000 religions is proof enough of that! Harvest Noir, flashmobs, and chic picnics are part of a growing movement of unusual participatory entertainment formats where guests don’t know 100% of what is in store for them, from the venue right down to some of the night’s activities.

It seems that Harvest Noir has a local/sustainability focus. Why?

If there’s anything that SHOULDN’T be mysterious, it’s our food. Modern society with all its advantages and 24-hour convenience has utterly lost touch with farms, fields, and where our food comes from. Most of us seem pretty content to have our food come to us shrink-wrapped anonymously in plastic from far-away places and farms we’ll never, ever visit, sometimes grown under dubious chemical conditions and harvested by people we’ll never meet who may or may not make a decent wage. Local food is more nutritious, it’s fresher, it’s way better for the environment, and when we buy it we invest in local farmers and in our own regional economy. It’s real.

Harvest Noir is taking place this Saturday, at a mystery location

What have you learned about Ottawa in planning this event?

I’ve learned that there are at least 600 adventurous people in Ottawa who have paid good money to attend an event without knowing very much about what will happen. It shows that there is an underbelly of imagination, style and creativity to a city that is branded as boring and was voted as the 8th worst-dressed city in the world by some fool at MSN.ca. And probably the best thing about Harvest Noir is that I’ll get to turn some of these 600 fascinating bon vivants into friends.

I’ve also learned that while we may lag behind other of the world’s great cities in lots of different departments, we have a really awesome local food movement – a big shout out to JustFood.ca for all their great work in helping ordinary people find shops and farms that offer healthier local food choices.

Finally, I learned that Ottawa’s DJ scene is surprisingly underground compared to Toronto or Montreal, and I have to thank Steve Martin at freshbeats.ca for helping us find our way to where the real talent lies.

What can attendees expect?

Tennessee Williams once said: “I don’t want realism. I want magic!”

What are you hoping will be the impact /takeaway?

We’d like to have people saying that nothing like this has ever happened in Ottawa before, and that they had so much fun they want more! I believe that something amazing happens at the intersection of flash mobs, fancy dress parties, audience participation, and really great DJs, and I want to make 600 people feel the same way!

We’d also like to prove that you can host a big event that has a positive impact on the environment, and that people will take a little better understanding of how to lessen their ecological footprints away with them after a night of fantastic partying.

Thanks Greg! We’re excited. Are you excited?