This Weekend – Comicons & Record Conventions

The weekend starts off with the multiple day Ottawa Comicon from the 5th to the 7th at the EY Center, near the Ottawa International Airport and next to the Uplands LRT station.

Click here for admission information. And the venue is serviced by Bus Routes 105 & 197 on OC Transpo at Stop Number 3069.

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The next event is again a comicon, the Barrie Comicon, from 10am to 3pm, on Saturday, the 6th of September, 2025 at the Eastview Arena. And admission is $5 or free for kids 12 and under.

The nearest bus stops to the venue are numbers 407 and 409, which are serviced by Bus Routes 8A and 101 on Barrie Transit.

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The Hamilton Record Show will be held at Bridgework from 10:30am to 4pm on Saturday as well, and admission is $5 or $20 for early admission at 9am.

The venue is a twelve minute walk away from the West Harbour Go Station or eight minute walk from Bus Stop 2977 which is serviced by Bus Routes 08 and 09 on HSR.

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Graffiker Alley, “The Festival of Self-Published Comics, Manga and Zines”, will also be held on Saturday, at the Small Arms Inspection Building in Mississauga, from 11am to 5pm, with free admission.

The venue is a fifteen minute walk away from the Long Branch Go Station and Long Branch Loop on the TTC. Or you can take Bus Route 31 on Miway Transit from either to the nearest bus stops to the venue, 0408 or 0443, which are also serviced by Bus Route 23.

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The Dorchester Record & CD Sale will occur on Sunday, the 7th of September, 2025 at the Dorchester Legion from 10am to 3pm. And admission is a donation to the Legion.

This venue is not serviced by public transit.

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The Bowmanvillle CD and Record Show is also a free event, at it will be held on Sunday, the 7th of September, 2025 at the Bowmanville Memorial Park Club House from 10am to 4pm.

Note that this venue is located near Exit 432 on Highway 401. And the nearest bus stop to the venue, stop number 1499, is an eight minute walk away and it is serviced by Route 902 on Durham Region Transit, whose site does have a trip planner.

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Please note that cash may be preferred at these sites. And that the 10,000 PC Optimum Bonus Offer on $100 Indigo and/or Google Gift Cards at participating Shopper Drug Mart stores will end on September 5th, 2025. Consult your local flyer for details.

September 3rd, 2025 Comments Off on This Weekend – Comicons & Record Conventions Consumer Information, Events Rob McIntyre

This Weekend’s Events

There will be three events this weekend, two of which will be comicons, and one will be a record convention:

The first event of the weekend, Fan Expo 2025, will begin tomorrow and end on Sunday at the Metro Toronto Convention Center.

Admission information can be found clicking here. And the venue is connected to Union Station, which is serviced by the TTC Metro, GO Transit, UP Express and Via Rail.

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The next event will be the Stratford Record Show on Sunday, the 24th of August, 2025 at The Army Navy Hall from 10am to 3pm. And admission will be a donation to the Stratford-Perth Humane Society.

The venue is serviced by on demand transit by Stratford Transit and is a four minute taxi drive from the city’s VIA Rail Station.

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The last event of the weekend will be the Westcoast Comicon which will be held at the Maritime Labour Center from 11am to 5pm on the 24th of August, 2025. And admission is $15 or free for kids 12 and under.

The nearest bus stops to the venue are 50435 and 50496, which are serviced by multiple routes on Translink.

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Please note that Cash may be preferred at these events and that Tiffany Circle will match Red Cross donations made via this form, in case you wish to donate to the efforts for the wildfires.

August 20th, 2025 Comments Off on This Weekend’s Events Consumer Information, Events Rob McIntyre

Michael Fisher of Heart has passed.

Heart co-founder and producer Micheal Fisher has passed according to his brother Roger:

Inducted in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013, Heart had originally been founded as The Army in 1967 by brothers Michael and Roger Fisher and Steve Fossen, evolving into Hocus Pocus for a few weeks in 1969 and then White Heart from 1970 to 1973, when vocalist Ann Wilson joined.

By 1973, the band name was shortened to Heart and by 1974, guitarist and vocalist Nancy Wilson had joined the band, who had begun writing for their debut album, Dreamboat Annie, a Multi-platinum album that was produced and engineered by the brothers and producer Mike Flicker at Mushroom Studios in Vancouver in the summer of 1975.

With the success of this album, Michael “Magic Man” Fisher decided to forgo his management of the band and instead decided to co-produce several of the band’s subsequent albums with Mike Flicker, including 1977’s Little Queen and 1978’s Dog & Butterfly, which were two more hit albums featuring his brother Roger.

I was a child in the 70’s and only encountered their recordings from time to time on the local radio stations. But I do remember liking them as a pre-teen and had begun collecting their recordings by my mid teens, starting with the band’s Greatest Hit Live album and self titled album on cassette.

I highly recommend their official biography, Kicking and Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul and Rock & Roll, which was a New York Times Bestseller in late 2012.

August 20th, 2025 Comments Off on Michael Fisher of Heart has passed. Canadian, Events Rob McIntyre

Karaoke Microphone Recall

I thought you’d like to know there were two recalls this week:

The SoundStage Party Cube and Foniq Atom wireless party speaker with karaoke microphone were recalled because they interfere with Canada’s first responder frequencies.

The manufacturers of these products, UPC number 796167901488 and UPC number 796167901095, will replace the microphone once they receive photographic proof that the previous microphone was destroyed.

For details contact Automobility at 1-855-553-6647 from 9am to 5pm Eastern.

August 16th, 2025 Comments Off on Karaoke Microphone Recall Consumer Information Rob McIntyre

Warped on Scene – Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls Festival & Record Show, a.k.a Warped on Scene, will be held from 1pm to 6pm at Taps Brewhouse and tickets are $5 per person (click here to purchase online).

The nearest bus stops to the venue are stop numbers 6003 and 6186, which is serviced by multiple routes on Niagara Transit and the venue is a 10 minute walk away from the Niagara Falls Via Rail and Go Train station. And yes, you can take Route 204 from the Bus Terminal next to these train stations to this event, which will also feature concerts from 20 hard rock or metal bands until 11pm.

New Yorkers from Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse should note that they will be able to attend using Amtrak’s “Maple Leaf” service.

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Please note that cash is usually preferred at these events. Enjoy.

August 13th, 2025 Comments Off on Warped on Scene – Niagara Falls Consumer Information, Events Rob McIntyre

I Love Weird Film & TV Stuff

Most of what I collect is music related; CDs, music video compilations and live concerts on DVD and blu-ray, the odd poster, t-shirt and baseball cap. But I also love the occasional weird film or television related product, like the “The X-Files: Is the Truth Out There?” Little Golden Book, and I’ve since spotted a few items related items I have since added to my Wishlist, like the “A Is for Alien: An ABC Book” and “JAWS: Big Shark, Little Boat! A Book of Opposites” Little Golden Books

I haven’t collected any music related Funko Pops yet, mainly because I’m sure I would spend way too much on them. But a new Jaws Funko Pop has caught my eye, which will be released on December 30th this year in Canada.

The British will get it earlier on September 10th and Americans will get it on September 30th so I’m hoping I might get it earlier, along with the Jaws Little People Collector Set, which has been available for a while. But yeah, Funko Pops would definitely be a dangerous rabbit hole for me.

A Def Leppard one here, a Queen one there… It would add up quick. 🙂

Yeah, I’m not made of money so I’m very, very picky when it comes to collectibles. And the only figurine I have ever purchased was a die cast metal figure of Gort from the original 1951 version of “The Day The Earth Stood Still“, which was made by Rocket USA.

I am somewhat interested in “The Prisoner” collectibles like the Mini Moke Taxi, but I’m not going to break the bank for them. And I’d actually rather purchase the ever elusive Japanese version of Platinum Blonde‘s “Standing In The Dark” before dumping hundreds on one of those. It’s the only LP i’m missing from the band.

Priorities. Priorities.

BTW, you can stream The Prisoner for free on PLEX and watch “The Day The Earth Stood Still” on Apple TV, if you like classic films and television that is. And yes, like I said. I like weird stuff. 🙂



August 9th, 2025 Comments Off on I Love Weird Film & TV Stuff Consumer Information, Random Bump Rob McIntyre