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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Finicky falcon steals pork chops, but not wiener

By: Maureen Scurfield / The Insider

Posted: 05/11/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

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Don Marks

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Charles Lage renovates pianos, gives them away to special-needs people.

Don Marks, editor of Grassroots News, was barbecuing on the 26th-floor balcony of his penthouse apartment in Osborne Village last week when a large visitor flew in and stole a pork chop. "I was sitting there in my living room and I saw this big shadow. It was a bird with a four-foot wingspan. I think it was a falcon, just gorgeous with a grey-and-white chest. I guess he smelled the meat." Marks wanted to see him again, so left another pork chop on the balcony table, and it was gone by morning. "It had to be him, because we never get birds up this high." The next day, Marks left a wiener. Not interested. The next day, the big bird brought his own prey, ate it on the balcony and left a pile of feathers as a hot hint to the human -- REAL MEAT! Marks laughs and adds hastily: "He doesn't live here. I think he lives at the Radisson. I'm just having fun and I'm hoping I can get a good picture. But I am a little nervous about leaving my bedroom balcony window open now."

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BEST WEEKEND BET: Triple B's Billiards at 1873 Henderson Hwy. and Salisbury House are hosting a charity pool and "speedball" tournament Saturday night at 7. Get this: Unlike a lot of charity bashes with a whack of sports-themed prizes and beauty products, you can also win a piano or a day laying down music in a recording studio. You could become famous. The unique evening is the brainchild of high-functioning autistic musician Charles Lage of A Joyful Noise School of Music, who takes in old pianos, renovates them and gives them away free to challenged children and adults for therapy. Not a big pool player? Anybody can play Lage's "speedball" challenge, sinking as many balls as you can in up to five minutes. Well-known musicians Les Gillis and Tim Elias are providing musical entertainment. The winner of the recording prize will be feeling some good vibrations at Empire Recording with engineer/owner Tony Katsabanis and music producer Elias. That's where stars such as Randy Bachman, Fred Turner, and Buffy Sainte-Marie have recorded.

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NEW RESTAURANT OPENS DOWNTOWN: Arkadash restaurant and lounge was simply vibrating at its grand opening Monday night in the iconic Chocolate Shop location at 268 Portage Ave. Owner/chef Karen Peters and her culinary consultant Ty Wells were thrilled. "We learned a lot about how to get the food out to such a big crowd," said Peters, who went all out and served full dinners that night. Spotted by my spy Monday night: Stefano Grande, executive director of Downtown Winnipeg Biz, Scott Jocelyn from the Manitoba Restaurant Association, Vicki Young from the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, restaurant architect Desmond Burke from BIOS architecture, Howard Gurevich of Gurevich Fine Art and managing consultant Ab Freig.

Got tips, events, sightings, unusual things going on? Call Maureen's tip line at 474-1116, email Maureen.Scurfield@winnipegfreepress.com or send mail to The Insider c/o Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB

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Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 11, 2012 B2

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