Finding Brantford's Spirit

It's fascinating being part of the revival of a downtown.

For many years downtown Brantford was considered a disaster, a place more to be avoided then to be enjoyed. When the economy went south about ten years ago Brantford became a ghost town, in fact a horror movie was shot here and the producers didn't have to make any great changes.

Now, the downtown is vibrant with life and culture. The development of Harmony Square has been an important part of the revitalization. As you know if you go back about a year, Brantford had its first jazz festival in the downtown and it was great.

Today, Harmony Square and a part of the downtown was the place to be to celebrate the Arts in the City. With the sun shining the the temperatures approaching those of a late spring weekend, it was a great day.

So the streets and the square was part of people, participating, enjoying and sharing their love of culture and culture with those around them. There was paintings and singing, there was even a drum circle established for those who wanted to pound some drums:






>

There was things for the kids to do, including the practice of their fencing ability:



I only spent a little over an hour at the Square but it was a great time.

One of the best was Gail Obediah, a local singer songwriter from the Six Nations of the Grand River. She sang songs that she had written and the crowd supported her energy and talent







There's a great deal taking place in Harmony Square, it will be a good summer to enjoy for the city.