TEAM LETTER
JULY/AUGUST – Join us!
Welcome to our third music issue!
Hamilton is a true music town and if you have any doubt about that, read this magazine and know that this represents a fraction of what is happening in the music scene in this city. In fact, we could publish 300 pages and still not cover it all.
Check out Jamie Tennant’s interview with HPO music director James Kahane and his story about music’s tiny temple at The Mule Spinner, along with a fascinating look at 55 years of Steel Town’s breakout bands by Dylan Hudecki, and our Q&A with Nick DeLuco, the general manager of the $300-million transformation of Hamilton Arena.
We’ve also got a deep dive into the 900-kilometre, made-in-Hamilton dream that is the Bruce Trail, a look at local independent bookstores, and a tasty plunge into the food scene of James Street North, along with a roundup of great Southern food offerings.
We are constantly stunned and thrilled by the depth and breadth of arts and culture, food and drink and city life happenings in Hamilton. We are so lucky to live in such a vibrant city and in trying and uncertain times, we know that art and culture is an even more powerful force.
Our mission at HAMILTON CITY Magazine is to shine a spotlight on the artists, creatives, entrepreneurs, non-profits, civic leaders and movers and shakers who make the city a fabulous place to live. Please help us to keep doing that.
We need you to subscribe, share our content on social media, reach out to us with story ideas and feedback, and to support our advertisers. If you are a local business owner and want to see Hamilton explored and celebrated in a high-quality magazine of its own, please consider supporting our mission by advertising with us.
We are local and independent in a time of the consolidation and corporatization of our media voices.
We have said it before and we’ll say it again, it takes a village to support a local urban magazine.
– The HCM team
P.S. Hounds of Hamilton is our celebration of local pets. Send us your best canine (or feline!) candids to hounds@ hamiltoncitymagazine.ca, along with your pet’s name, breed, age, neighbourhood, favourite hiking spots, some information about his/her personality traits, what they love, and any other fun facts we should know. Make your pet a star!
MAY/JUNE – Proud to be here
It’s spring, soon-to-be summer and this is our 14th edition.
We are thrilled – and stunned, honestly – to be here.
A bit of history.
We started this venture in late 2019 after Postmedia suddenly pulled the plug on Hamilton Magazine, a fixture on the city’s media scene for more than 40 years. A team of five slowly coalesced around the idea that our city absolutely needed and deserved an urban lifestyle magazine dedicated to arts and culture.
We figured if no one else would do it, we’d do it ourselves. After being slowed down by the pandemic and after a successful crowdfunding campaign, we produced our first issue in September. It feels like both yesterday and a lifetime ago.
That original ownership team is now down to two people, co-publishers Meredith MacLeod and Will Vipond Tait. With lots of help from our spouses, family members, sales representatives and the incredible contributions of our writers, photographers and proofreaders, we are proud to have published 14 issues.
So to recap, we are not affiliated with the former glossy magazine that published in Hamilton. We are locally owned, independent and proudly Hamilton.
And speaking of pride, this issue is dedicated to both Pride and Made in Hamilton.
So inside, you’ll find: an inspiring story of hundreds of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers various African countries who have come to Hamilton in the hopes of finding safer more peaceful lives; the tale of a lesbian couple in Burlington who have knocked down barriers; and find all kinds of community, sports and recreation groups for the queer community.
You’ll also read all about the city’s fascinating breweries, 20 years of the Hammer City Roller Derby league, an innovative made-in-Hamilton food ordering platform, and how our business community is responding to the U.S. tariff war.
Be sure to check out the adorable and gorgeous pups in our new Hounds of Hamilton feature!
And finally, shop Canadian and support Hamilton!
– The HCM team
