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ROCK
Ottawa’s Cooper Brothers celebrate their 50th anniversary as a band with a concert at the Meridian Centrepointe Theater on Friday. Formed in 1974 by Dick and Brian Cooper with their late friend Terry King, the country rockers produced a handful of hits, including The Dream Never Dies, Show Some Emotion and I’ll Know Her When I See Her, and toured with the likes of the Doobie Brothers and Charlie Daniels before their label closed and they broke up. They reunited in 2006, with some new voices joining the original sibling duo, and continue to write regularly and perform occasionally. Joining them on Friday will be special guest Meredith Moon, a singer-songwriter whose father was Gordon Lightfoot. He plays an opening set at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at meridiancentrepointe.com.
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FOOD
When it comes to poutine, it’s hard to beat the basic combination of crispy fries, squeaky cottage cheese, and tangy, velvety sauce. But at the eighth edition of Ottawa’s PoutineFest, taking place Friday through Sunday in conjunction with the Mac My Cheese festival at Marion Dewar Plaza across from Ottawa City Hall, a variety of poutiners and mac and cheese purveyors will let your imagination run wild. . wild by creating delicious variations, including exotic and extreme creations, as well as vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Other activities include a poutine eating contest, poutine judging contest, and potato games, plus a beer garden to go with it all. Find the list of suppliers at ottawapoutinefest.ca. Admission is free.
SKATING
See champion skaters Patrick Chan and Elvis Stojko in a new show directed and choreographed by another skating champion, Kurt Browning, when Stars on Ice lands at the Canadian Tire Center at 4 p.m. Sunday. The showcase, which takes place a month after the World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, also includes performances by contenders Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, Ottawa’s Kaiya Ruiter and Olympian Madeline Schizas , to name a few. Tickets start at $32, plus taxes and fees, available at ticketmaster.ca.
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PEOPLE
Enjoy some of Canada’s best singer-songwriters during the 12th annual Ottawa Grassroots Festival, which kicks off Thursday and runs all weekend. The opening night concert with Lynn Miles at Irene’s Pub is sold out, but there are two days of concerts and activities at First Unitarian Congregation, 30 Cleary Ave., on Friday and Saturday, plus a grand finale at Irene’s on Sunday. A highlight for families is a series of free concerts and daytime activities at the Unitarian church on Saturday, including a songwriter’s circle, a children’s show, a gardening workshop and Cajun two-step dance lessons with musicians from Ottawa Michael Ball and Jody Benjamin. For complete schedule information and to purchase tickets, visit ottawagrassrootsfestival.com.
ART
The Ottawa Art Gallery launches a spring exhibition Thursday celebrating the cultural impact of one of Canada’s leading art schools. Curated by Penny Cousineau-Levine, Art School Confidential celebrates the 50th anniversary of the visual arts department at the University of Ottawa and presents the exhibition on the work of 50 artists who have taught or studied there. An opening will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday in the Alma Duncan Room on the third floor of the gallery at 50 Mackenzie King Bridge. Register for free entry at eventbrite.ca.
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