This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment – Part Two
By John Swartz
For an event which only had about 4 months to be put together the organizers of the Lightfoot Days Festival have quite a lot going on.
Right now you can bid online to own an autographed Gordon Lightfoot Epiphone Hummingbird guitar donated by 112 Records & Gilbert Guitars. Read the bidding instructions, because you only have until Wednesday at 7 p.m., or so to bid on it. The instructions outline the or so part.
This weekend is also the Kiwanis Club of Orillia Auction weekend. There are other items in the online auction. The highest bid at the close on Wednesday is the starting point Saturday at 12:30 p.m. (according to its place in the list of items for auction) when live bidding starts. People will get to continue bidding online, or by phone, as well as in person.
That’s riding on the festival since any proceeds will go to Kiwanis projects. Here’s a list of the festival activity; for performance times and late additions see the Facebook page.
The main attraction is a concert Friday night by Classic Lightfoot Live (Steve Eyers on bass, Erick Kidd on guitar, Liz Anderson on keyboards, John Stinson singing and on guitar, and drummer Bruce Campbell ) at St. Paul’s Centre has a little over 70 tickets remaining at the time of publishing. You can get tickets online until Friday, or get any remaining ones at the door ($50).
Steve Eyers then teams up with Steve McEown as Even Steven to play at Lake Country Grill Saturday evening. Unless noted, the following are all evening performances on November 4.
Sean Patrick will be playing at the Lone Wolf Café. Dray Tony will be playing at Manticore Books from 4 to 6 p.m. Alleycats Music is having an Open Mic from 1 to 4 p.m. and Jakob Pearce will be part of that, Chris Scott is at Brewery Bay (afternoon and evening), Don James will be at Mariposa Market from noon to 3 p.m. Michael Brown is at Apple Annie’s from noon to 3 p.m. Benj Rowland is at the Hog N’ Penny. Geoff Booth and Craig Graham are at the Sunken Ship. Michael Martyn, Steve Porter, Scott Thompson – same crew from last summer’s Mariposa Folk Festival – will be at Picnic Nov. 5 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Mayor Don McIsaac will proclaim Gordon Lightfoot Day at 11 a.m. Nov. 4 at the Opera House. Sunday, Nov 5. St. Paul’s United Church is having a special service; Karen Hilfman Millson will be speaking about her relationship with Gord. Saturday at St. Paul’s take the tour of the church and hear recordings/interviews of Gord that have not been publicly played before.
Mariposa
The Mariposa Folk Festival has Lance Anderson with Matt Weidinger, Quisha Wint, Selena Evangeline, Mike Daley (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Wayne Deadder (guitar and vocals), Russ Boswell (bass) and Bucky Berger (drums) recreating the 60 In 60 opening set from last summer’s festival. It’s changed little to who knows how many tunes in 90 minutes. It’s at the Opera House Nov. 18 and you can get tickets online.
They have also hired a new artistic director. Spencer Shewen replaces Liz Scott. He will keep his other jobs as artistic director of Riverfest Elora and as a member of the board of directors for the River and Sky Festival in Sudbury and the Elora Centre for the Arts. He was on the board of directors for the Halifax Pop Explosion, the Hillside Festival, worked as artistic director for Waterstock, curated the Fortnight Music series and acted as label manager for SunnyLane Records.
Now he just has to fill out a lineup that usually has 60 acts on it. Mr. Shewen, I’m going on record again to suggest Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson doing an acoustic set might sell a few tickets.
Mariposa (The Other One – Arts Theatre)
They’re 50 this year. They have a special exhibit at the Orillia Museum of Art and History to see. They also have a special fall production, a revue of some of the bits and pieces from the 150 productions of the last 50 years.
It has a cast of dozens lead by director Michael Clipperton. Blair Bailey is the music director, Sheri Nicholls is the choreographer and it opens at the Opera House Nov. 9 for a short run to Nov. 12. (fall shows are usually two weeks long), so get your tickets now.
I wouldn’t want to have to select which tunes and scenes to include for just the last ten years because they have had so many great productions. I also wouldn’t want to tell someone their favourite chunk of a show won’t be included, even if that person can and likely will get to do something else. There’s going to be a few parents and children in the show. For example The Jefferies clan has John, son David and grand daughter Bella Frances (who just got nominated for an emerging artist Orillia and Regional Arts and Heritage award) in the show.
They are having an anniversary party at their Brammer Drive rehearsal hall Nov. 11 from 1 to 5 p.m. and everyone is welcome.
MAT also has their Film Night back in operation. The November movies are Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Nov. 8) and Blue jean (Nov. 29). Ticket sales are only at the Galaxy door starting an hour before the 4 and 7 p.m. showtimes.
The Shorts
- St. Paul’s Centre has a couple of concerts happening with Sloan’s Chris Murphy Nov. 16 and the Skydiggers Dec. 14 for a Christmas concert. You can find tickets for all those online. They also have A Christmas Carol with Don McIsaac, Adam Chambers, Krista Storey and two players to be named later on Dec. 1; you can get tickets for that here.
- The Opera House November line up looks like this; Tim Hicks is in Nov. 19; Ballet Jorgen’s The Nutcracker is in Nov. 25; comedian Ryan Belleville is in Nov. 30. The December lineup includes Lunch at Allen’s Dec. 8, the Barra MacNeils Dec. 11; Serena Ryder Dec. 15 and the Orillia Silver Band Dec. 17 Get tickets for any of those online.
- The Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital Foundation annual gala is Nov. 18 at Casino Rama. The event is moving into the Entertainment Centre, so there’s more room for more people. It’s in there because the entertainment is Cirque Under the Stars. There is an online auction tied to the fundraiser (wait until Nov. 10 to bid). Tickets are available online.
- Cloud Gallery has the first of their fall series of exhibits up. Each show will run two weeks with opening night receptions (6 to 9 p.m.). You only have until Nov. 3 to see at by Lori Meeboer and Jennifer Woodburn’s show; next is Julie Veenstra (November 4); Patricia Clemmens has her work up November 25 (all artists in the gallery) and Dec. 9 it’s a group show with many of the artists represented by the gallery in attendance; look for a story about the success of the gallery and these artists here… The Orillia Museum of Art and History also has three new exhibits 50 Years Of Mariposa Arts Theatre, A Close up on Carmichael (showcasing OMAH’s collection of related items) and Jennifer Zardo’s Home Sweet Home; meanwhile in the basement see The Orillia Police And The Sir Sam Steele Memorial Building; the monthly Speaker’s Night returns (live in the community room at the Orillia Recreation Centre, not on Zoom) Nov.1 with Margaret Pomeroy talking about Quilting Through the Ages, register to attend online… St. Paul’s Centre has the Call to Action 83 Art Project in the Ogimaa Miskwaaki Gallery… Hibernation Arts’s guest artist for October is Ashley Gringhuis and she’ll be at the gallery Oct. 7 from 1 to 3 p.m.
- Quayle’s Brewery has Mark Thackway playing Nov. 2; Matt Playne Nov. 3; Andrew Walker Nov. 4; Josh Piche Nov 5… Couchiching Craft Brewing has Ronnie Douglas in Nov. 3; James Grey plays Nov. 4; Samantha Windover plays Nov. 10.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia and Images Supplied)
