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ROCK
Ottawa’s Cooper Brothers are celebrating their 50th anniversary as a band with a concert at Meridian Centrepointe Theatre on Friday. Formed in 1974 by Dick and Brian Cooper with their late friend, Terry King, the country-rockers cranked out 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 folded and they broke up. They reunited in 2006, with some fresh voices joining the original brotherly duo, and continue to write regularly and perform occasionally. Joining them Friday is special guest Meredith Moon, a singer-songwriter whose father was Gordon Lightfoot. She 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 improve on the basic combination of crispy fries, squeaky cheese curds and hot, velvety gravy. But at the eighth edition of Ottawa’s PoutineFest, set to run Friday through Sunday in conjunction with the Mac My Cheese festival at Marion Dewar Plaza in front of Ottawa City Hall, an array of poutiners and mac ‘n’ cheese purveyors will let their imaginations run wild in coming up with mouth-watering variations, including exotic and extreme creations, as well as veggie, vegan and gluten-free options. Other activities include a poutine-eating contest, a poutine-judging contest and potato games, plus a beer garden to wash it all down. Find the list of vendors 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 champ, Kurt Browning, when Stars on Ice lands at the Canadian Tire Centre at 4 p.m. Sunday. Taking place a month after the World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, the display 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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FOLK
Enjoy some of Canada’s finest singer-songwriters during the 12th annual edition of the Ottawa Grassroots Festival, which starts Thursday and runs through the 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 the First Unitarian Congregation, 30 Cleary Ave., on Friday and Saturday, plus a grand finale back at Irene’s on Sunday. One highlight for families is a series of free daytime concerts and activities at the Unitarian church on Saturday, including a songwriters’ circle, a kids show, gardening workshop and Cajun two-step dance lessons with Ottawa musicians Michael Ball and Jody Benjamin. For complete schedule information and to buy tickets, go to ottawagrassrootsfestival.com.
ART
The Ottawa Art Gallery launches a spring exhibition Thursday that celebrates 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, anchoring the exhibition on the work of 50 artists who have taught or studied there. A vernissage takes place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday on the third-floor Alma Duncan Salon of the gallery at 50 Mackenzie King Bridge. Register for a free ticket at eventbrite.ca.
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