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7 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,January 16,2020 w aterloochronicle.ca THIS WEEKS DEALS! JANUARY 16-19 4 DAYS ONLY! THUR 9-9 FRI SAT SUN 9-9 9-6 10-5 MANY STYLES TO CHOOSE .n ot ax on ly ap pli es to aa re ar ug s CLICK VINYL PLANKS 6MM THICK .99¢/SQ FT3.99 12MM THICK LAMINATE $157PER SQ FTREG 3.99 GLASS AND STONE BACKSPLASH $199PER SQ FTREG 8.99 ENGINEERED 5" WIDE X 3/4" THICK HARDWOOD $399PER SQ FTREG 8.99 2-TONE FRIEZE CARPET $149PER SQ FTREG 3.99 MODERN GRAY LEDGESTONE $499PER SQ FTREG 8.99 LAMINATEVINYL TILE TILECARPET HARDWOOD AREA RUGS1362VICTORIA ST N. KITCHENERMON-FRI 9AM-9PM SAT 9AM-6PM SUN 10AM-5PM * pr od uc ts m ay no tb e e 5'X7' SHAG AREA RUGS $4999STARTINGFROM NO TAX TILE Bonn Park is an actual place in Waterloo, and it's about to become a podcast, too. Good talks on the Clair Hills green space where Marshall Ward and Sara Geidlinger first met as stay-at-home parents about a decade ago have spawned a "passion pro- ject" for a community channel of sorts. "It's how we meet," Gei- dlinger said, adding that the Bonn Park Podcast, pre- mièring Jan. 15 on most plat- forms, will feature a variety of sit-down chats with local artists, musicians, entrepre- neurs, experts, inventors, scientists, doctors, radio hosts and other prominent players in their neighbour- hood and abroad. The podcast is intended to recreate the feeling of meeting up at a local park with a friend - or even a stranger - where frank and open dialogue can take place. "As our city sprawls and gets bigger, I think it's real- ly important to walk and talk outside with your neighbour and be connect- ed. It's part of our well-be- ing, I think," said Ward, a local freelance writer who's penned a weekly col- umn for the Chronicle for the past 14 years. Ward earned degrees in fine art at local universities before becoming an in- structor, and currently chairs the board of direc- tors for K-W Bilingual school. Geidlinger, who currently draws full time for a local engineering firm, describes herself as a self- taught photographer who specializes in retouching. Their connection was mainly based on conversa- tions about their commu- nity and the people in it. Community, according to Geidlinger, is "the an- swer to everything. "Getting involved, being a part of it, reaching out, giving back, having fun." It's the antonym of the garage door opener, which Ward blames for people be- coming anonymous - click- ing open and tuning out. Starting this week, he and his co-host hope people will tap on and tune in. While some other pod- casts are simply recorded on a phone, Ward and Gei- dlinger did their research to ensure technical quality in their productions, pur- chasing a proper mixer, mics and Mac editing soft- ware. So far they've recorded 20 podcasts - about four months worth of weekly episodes - to create a cush- ion for when their personal lives get busy. Ward said much of the knowledge he's gained as a newspaper columnist will permeate into the subject matter and that he's con- stantly impressed by the talented individuals of Kitchener-Waterloo - an ar- ea known as the Creative Capital of Canada. The podcast not only aims to showcases the creative en- ergy alive in Waterloo Re- gion, it also will serve as an enduring oral history of the people and ideas. Ward said he's especial- ly impressed with those people who have ventured out on their own to create something special - many apart from the expertise and documents they at- tained in post-secondary school. The first podcast will feature an introduction with Ward and Geidlinger, and segments featuring lo- cal musician Paige Warner and video game guru See Jay Are. Other upcoming shows will include well-known names such as radio host and Waterloo Chronicle columnist Mike Farwell, and Waterloo Region Re- cord photojournalist Math- ew McCarthy. Discussions are meant to be honest and down-to- earth and reveal the hu- man side of various local figures, such as motiva- tion, inspiration and aspi- ration. "We're creating our own platform for something we want to talk about and hope other people will want to hear it and enjoy it," she said. You can find the podcast on iTunes, Instagram and Twitter @bonnparkpod- cast and Facebook: Bonn Park Podcast. PODCAST RECREATING 'PARK FEEL' TO EXPLORE LOCAL PEOPLE BILL JACKSON bjackson@kitchenerpost.ca Welcome to Bonn Park, where podcast hosts Marshall Ward and Sara Geidlinger chat in-depth with fascinating people living, working, and creating in Waterloo Region. Sara Fleiszig WHAT'S ON