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Theatre

N.L. company stages comic show

The Baccalieu Players, a group of volunteers dedicated to portraying Newfoundland's links with the sea, are performing a comic dinner theatre production this summer called A Royal Shag-up. The show starts outdoors, on the lawn of the Hawthorne Cottage national historic site in Brigus, a community in Conception Bay 80 kilometres west of St. John's. After a ceremony involving a visit from the Queen, the participants move inside for a "royal banquet" and the rest of the plot. The story revolves around "our womanizing town mayor, his nagging wife and two bratty daughters, a torrid French dancer named FiFi LaFlamme" and the Queen, according to a summary online. Audience participation is involved. The players are also presenting a series of plays this summer at Hawthorne Cottage about the celebrated Arctic explorer, Capt. Bob Bartlett. The cottage was Bartlett's home and contains artifacts commemorating his life.

Drink

Alta. operators offer 'brew with a view'

Thirsty travellers looking for a "brew with a view" might want to consider the terrace at the Juniper Hotel and Bistro in Banff National Park. The hotel, located at the base of Mount Norquay, boasts that the terrace is a destination in its own right, with panoramic views of Banff. It's among several scenic drinking spots suggested by Travel Alberta, the province's official tourism marketing agency. In Canmore, the Iron Goat Pub & Grill provides spectacular views of the trio of peaks known as the Three Sisters, to accompany its summer menu that includes lobster crab cakes and pesto chicken linguine. Smuggler's Inn, on the waterfront in Sylvan Lake, offers excellent sunset views. Also noteworthy are the Marriott Courtyard Edmonton Downtown and the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, with patios overlooking the North Saskatchewan River; the River Cafe, on an island in Calgary's Prince's Island Park; and Ric's Grill in Lethbridge, located 45 metres above the ground in a "custom designed water tower."

Museums

Child's Smithsonian kitchen gets reno

If the forthcoming movie Julie & Julia starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams has you curious about the real Julia Child, head to Washington. There you can see the famous chef's actual kitchen at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The display, called Bon Appetit, first opened in 2002 but is receiving some new items this summer, including memorabilia from the movie and Child's copper pot collection, which was originally loaned to a museum in California. The four-by-six-metre kitchen - small by the standards of many modern American homes - includes her cabinets, counters, cookbooks, Garland commercial range, and hundreds of well-worn utensils and gadgets.

Food

Vermont hosts cheesemakers

If you're a fiend for cheese, head to Vermont for the state's first Cheesemakers Festival, scheduled for Aug. 23. The event will be hosted by the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese, the Vermont Butter & Cheese Company, and the Vermont Cheese Council, and will take place at Shelburne Farms, near Burlington. The festival will feature over 100 cheeses for sampling, 50 different cheesemakers, 15 artisan food makers, four tasting seminars, two cooking demonstrations and more. The day before the festival, Aug. 22, more than 20 food producers will take part in Vermont Artisan Food Open Studio Day. Cheesemakers, brewers, bakers and more will host open houses and tastings throughout the state. Visitors to Vermont can also check out the state's Cheese Trail, with close to 30 farms.