This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment
By John Swartz
City crews were putting up new banners Wednesday on Mississaga Street. They were created by Toronto artist Jieun June Kim, who was selected by the Orillia Public Art Committee following a call for submissions to create 5 different banners based on themes (Leacock Museum, Opera House, Biking, Downtown, and the Fish Weirs).
The original notice stated: “the City is looking to commission one local artist to produce five renderings…”
The banners will be officially unveiled next Wednesday, July 3 at the Island Princess dock.
Kim was also selected to paint the piano at the Port of Orillia. Jessica Allen is painting the one to be placed in Tudhope Park.
What’s That I Hear?
Sounds like music. If you can’t hear it, wait a week. The Mariposa Folk Festival starts July 5. If you are downtown Friday you will love the line up on Mariposa’s free stage. The Connors Brothers, The Doozies and Deeps follow each other starting at 2 p.m. I saw all of them at the audition concert and I had all three on my scorecard.
Saturday VK and Legends of the Deep play at noon, you don’t want to miss that. If you get downtown early you can hear A Leverage for Mountains at 11 a.m. From 1 p.m. on it’s The Lifers, E.T.E. and James Gray.
I think it’s kind of cool a couple acts who started their uphill climb as musicians did so in the area. Digging Roots (Raven and Shoshona for those who go back far enough) first crossed my radar in a Rogers TV studio; Shakura S’Aida was a regular fixture here in town for many years (thanks to Lance Anderson getting her booked for everything that moved). They’ll be playing the front half of Sunday’s main stage show after Fred Penner puts the kids to bed.
Sharon and Bram will be playing their next to last tour concert, ever, here Saturday night. It was their last, until they had a recent booking the following week, and after many people made a big deal about Mariposa being the send off.
There’s a quite a few people who have toiled in small venues here over the years playing the festival this year who I’m looking forward to seeing at the big show. Danny Michel has been at Mariposa a few times, but he’s always worth getting excited to see. Jim Bryson, VK and Legends of the Deep, The Free Label, and Union Duke are also playing the stages at Tudhope Park.
If you haven’t got tickets yet, you missed all the discounts. You can still get them online. Kids under 12 get in free when accompanied by an adult. Teens get a great deal, 26 bucks for the weekend. If it hasn’t occurred to you that’s a great way to raise your stock with your own teens, you’re welcome.
Its Canada Day, Almost
All the big kids are looking forward to the long weekend. This year the holiday actually falls on Monday, so no extra time off.
Of course the waterfront is the place to be. Things start with the Wheely Great Parade at 10:30 a.m. (register at 9). The other parade starts at noon downtown.
Children’s activities start at 11 a.m. There are pony rides this year. The midway, absent last year, is back and Ken McLaughlin told me it’s better than ever. He also said there some new food vendors and several environment groups are setting up displays.
The Orillia’s Got Talent contest is from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Aqua Theatre (registration starts at 9:30 a.m. at the info tent). The traditional birthday cake made by Mariposa Market gets cut and distributed at the Pavilion on the boardwalk at 2 p.m.
There will be live music all day in the pub and at the Aqua Theastre and the fireworks, sponsored by Paul Sadlon Motors and the Investment Planning Council, start at dusk.
In Washago, they’re doing 10 bands in 10 hours again in Centennial Park. Shawn Rosseau starts the music at noon, then every hour a new act takes over. They are John Lebarr & Chris Miller, Rick Pearce and Gord Miller (Rick won the Washago song contest), Sam and the Man, The Straight Goods, As Is, Carol Wilson, Mark Boddy, Rocking Lawn Chairs, Dusty Bones and Shoot the Moon. There’s a pancake breakfast at the Lion’s Hall from 8 a.m. to noon as well.
Busiest Place On Peter Street
OMAH is going to be busy in July, but first, two things related to money.
There are only a few days left to help OMAH snag $10,000 from the Great Canadian Giving Challenge. For every dollar you donate to OMAH by June 30 gets the museum an entry to a draw for the extra loot. You have to do the donating at the Canada Helps website.
OMAH had their annual general meeting two weeks ago and Ted Markle ended his three year term as chair of the board. It’s been a tumultuous three years from this end just trying to keep up with the exhibits (next few paragraphs are a good example). With four gallery spaces the amount of art they host is incredible, and one of those spaces serves well for performances and events. Financially OMAH is very healthy, they were doing all right, but they are in better position now. A board chair doesn’t do it alone, but there is no doubt an effective board chair sets the course and Ted certainly did that. Thanks Ted, your work has been noticed every step of the way.
So, we’re not going to split hairs, Saturday is still in June, even though it is part of the long July weekend (or is it Mariposa when the July long weekend happens?) and that is when OMAH opens a new exhibit called When Raven Became Spider. The show is by 6 Indigenous artists and storytellers telling old tales with modern techniques. The reception is at 1 p.m. and in the first hour Leena Minifie, curator of the show, will speak about the art.
July 6 an exhibit connecting the Apollo Moon landing and Champlain will be up. The artists, Gary Blundell and Victoria Ward, have this thing; Blundell immigrated to Canada and everywhere he went there was a Champlain statue, Ward watched the moon landing on TV like the rest of us, but unlike the rest of us it was under moonlight on the shore of Lake Simcoe. The opening reception for Project Voyager hasn’t been scheduled yet.
And no opening is scheduled for Melody Madden’s Exquisite to Sublime, but it will be up July 20.
Last, OMAH is taking submissions for the annual Carmichael Canadian Landscape Show. The deadline is July 26. Check out the rules online.
The Shorts
* Did you ever think, “if only I could do this for a living?” Well my artistic friends, the CDC is stickhandling registration for the Artrepreneur course mentioned here a few weeks ago. It starts in the fall at Lakehead and runs four months. At the end you will have a business plan ready to go. Find out more and register here.
* If you missed seeing the documentary Underground Orillia, Rogers TV is showing it. You can find the schedule here.
* The Orillia Centre for Art and Culture has a contemporary dance program at the Opera House June 28. Looking For Elvis and The Man In Black are choreographed by James Kudelka and Laurence Lemieux. You can get tickets online. See the story, Two Icons Walk Into The Opera House.
* The Opera House starts summer theater July 3 with Where Are You. Get tickets, and deals, here. Duck Soup Productions has Annie every Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Bee Gees Story plays one night July 9. Women Fully Clothed are back with Invisible July 20.
* Jimmy Johnson has a new project called Strings for Students, raising money to donate 15 Fender acoustic guitars to Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary for the music program. There’s a concert July 27 at the Geneva, with Jimmy’s Doug Trucker Band, Bleeker and Danny Webster. Tickets are $10 in advance at Gilbert Guitars or Alleycats, $15 at the door. Greenhat Studios, the Geneva and Gilbert Guitars are sponsors.
* Coming up… the Hog ‘N Penny has Darrin Davis in Friday night; the Straight Goods play Friday night… the Geneva has Eric Gales playing July 13; get tickets here… the Brownstone has a last minute booking for Boots and the Hoots tonight, Wednesday June 26; Baby Drayton plays Thursday; Craig Mainprize has an art show opening and Black Siren plays Friday night; Cedar and Pine play Saturday night… the Sunday evening band concert at the Aqua Theatre is with the Baytowne Big Band at 6:30 p.m. … Charlotte and the Dirty Cowboys play the chamber of commerce’s Summer Concert Series at the Port of Orillia Monday at 6 p.m. … The City has a concert series happening at the Bandstand; July 10 Sol City Jazz plays at 6:30 p.m. … Lee Contemporary has a new show of textile work by Melanie Siegel opening Saturday at 1 p.m.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia and Supplied)
