Meet Kathy Armstrong.

“I was born in Toronto and I grew up there. I moved to the Ottawa area around age 30. I wanted to leave Toronto, and I lived in Wakefield first and then I moved into town and to the west end. I’ve always loved the west end. I feel really at home here. We lived on Armstrong at first and we moved to our current house about 20 years ago. Our street is a really tight knit community. When we moved here, to Clifton Road, there was no other residential areas around. There was a forest around us, and commercial stuff. We have the best time together, we have street parties, we have holiday parties, we have impromptu BBQ parties, and we have all raised our kids together. We even have a street band that gets together, and we have a really amazing community.

“For many years, I have freelanced doing music and my specialty is West African drumming, dancing and singing. I started a non-profit called Baobab Drum and Dance Community that will be going into its 25th season. That has become a great way to meet people in the community as well. 

“I run classes for adults and kids, and I’ve been to a lot of schools. I also teach at Carleton University in the music department. My work brings me to people and I feel I know a ton of people in Kitchissippi. One thing I love being able to do is to get people of different ages together when I’m teaching drumming. We don’t do that too much in North American society.

“I’ve traveled a fair bit, but I’d really like to get to Spain. I garden a lot and I can’t wait until spring. If I ever won the lottery, I truly believe I would be doing the exact same thing as I’m doing now. I can’t think of a single thing I’d rather be doing.” Collected by Ellen Bond

Humans of Kitchissippi is a special street photography project designed to introduce readers to some of the people who live, work, and play in Kitchissippi. Each instalment of HOK contains three elements: a photo, a name, and a quote from the subject that reveals a little bit about who they are. View our collection of humans right here.

* This feature is sponsored in part by Lorenzo Bar and Grill.