By Dan MacKay • 2025-06-12 • Halifax
On May 25, Halifax arts & activism organization Radstorm celebrated a donation which will allow them to purchase 2177 Gottingen Street, where they've been for the last few years. Here's the Wayves article on the building purchase.
One of the groups in Radstorm is FAF, which obtains free produce and prepares and distributes delicious free meals. For the party they had many snacks and a giant pot of borscht ready. The 2SLGBT elders social & activism organization, Elderberries, donated cupcakes; sandwiches and wraps came from a 2SLGBT Poverty research conference which had ended that afternoon; a few of the researchers from that attended the festivities too. And of course, there was cake.
Q-owned business My Mothers Bloomers, right around the corner from Radstorm on Creighton Street, donated flowers for the event. “David and I are so thankful for the many caring people in our community who are doing such good!" says Neville MacKay.
A big part of Radstorm is making music, and groups Lukee and IDialedYourNumber performed during the event.
"I thought the afternoon went great. I'm glad we were able to showcase some of Halifax's best performers during such a great community event," said organizer Parker Babineau, "It was nice to see lots of new people enter the space and I'm really looking forward to what we'll have to offer now that we've purchased the building."
The special guests for the afternoon were Dr Bob Fredericson, whose donation allowed RadStorm to buy the building, Mary Lou Roche, who was Dr Bob's receptionist during the time he had his practice on Queen Street, and owners of the building, Dr Wally & Mary Schlech. A youth social centre called The Ark predated Radstorm in the same space, and its organizer Dorothy Patterson was there as well. Those guests and Radstorm organizers Sakura Saunders and Dan MacKay got to say a few words to the people gathered there mid-afternoon.
"The energy and smiles of everyone outside and inside was heartwarming!" said Michael Jesty, a friend of Dr Bob, "You felt welcomed, no matter where you stood in the building."
Here's a news report filmed at the party by Global TV. (mp4, 2:29)
"About eighty people filed in and out," says Hannah Wood, who was at the door making sure that the number of people didn't exceed capacity, "but we had a lineup outside the door for most of the four hour event."
From the Anchor Archive Zine Library, another part of Radstorm, Sakura Saunders has compiled a Zine celebrating Dr Bob, the Schlechs and several other community hero, documenting their roles in the AIDS healthcare crisis in the 1980s and 1990s. The zine is available on paper from RadStorm and online here in the Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia.
From Dr Bob
It was a rainy and wet, a cooler Sunday, not really the kind of day to put on your tan shoes with pink shoelaces, or even your polka dot hat with wide hat band. But let it be said that Halifax creative artists showed up in big numbers to celebrate themselves in their newly owned creative performance venue.
Up till then it had been a creative space for all genres to gather, kibbutz, share and support in their own or other arts, and Dr. Walter and Mary Schlech had generously supported its work. But over 20+ years, it morphed into an active collective of sorts and needed to become a space that has its own established profile. That's what that day was all about. After 20+ year of being an idea, Radstorm was being whelped, with the City of Halifax acting as doula.
Music was playing, sandwiches were being made, people were singing, some were dancing. It was a fascinating party -- interested people having fun with each other and freely being interesting. I was left with the thought “I’ll have what they’re having."
Well done.
For more information about Radstorm, and how to get involved, and how to access the space, visit their website, radstorm.org.
Photos by Hannah Wood & Michael Jesty.
