This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment
By John Swartz
UPDATED
This weekend’s Waterfront Festival features a couple events that have been popular with people for decades. One is the annual Cardboard Boat Race, which happens Sunday at noon.
Proving anything can float, if you use enough Duct Tape. The real issue is load bearing capacity and seaworthiness against attack. Cardboard is not the first choice for navies around the world.
This is most obvious with the top prize being Best Sinking, or Most Spectacular Sinking (it’s one of those). No one expects their watercraft to survive – just the crew members, but no their dignity.
If you are new and have never been it happens at the Port of Orillia.
Saturday at noon an event that has become popular since its introduction a few years ago is the Dock Diving Dog competition. Who doesn’t like to watch a dog having fun? OK, Ed doesn’t, but Ed doesn’t like much of anything.
This one takes place next to the pier at the end of the boardwalk.
The activity at the Port and in Centennial Park also includes music by Farrucas and Dav Dickenson all afternoon.
Experience Nissan will be one of the vendors and they are collecting donations for the Sharing Place. There is a list of the most needed items here. There is also a beer garden Saturday and Sunday.
Next Saturday, the Port’s Saturday evening music series turns into an all afternoon event. Steve McEown will be taping a Rogers TV program and he’s got a line up of live musicians performing. The performance order is:
Eric Kidd at 1 p.m.
Kat Chabot 1:30
Mickey Moone 2:00.
Rick Groves 2:30.
Ronnie Douglas 3:00.
Bella Francis 3:30.
Geoff Booth 4:00.
Moon Racoon 4:30.
At 7 p.m. Steve will be joined by Steve (Eyers) for a couple hours of playing without a drummer (hey, it works for them). Of course you know them as Even Steven.
August 24 the series continues with Rival Queen playing from 5 to 7 p.m.
The Summer of Clumping
This year has been different. There has been the odd weekend with little going on. Then there have been weekends with everything going on at once and August 24 is one of those.
During the day the downtown turns into a parking lot. So what’s special about that? I can hear you wondering. It’s the rolling stock that’s special because the annual Classic Car Show is happening all day.
And it’s got a new name. After 23 years it is now called the Rotary Downtown Classic and Custom Car Show. The Rotary Club of Orillia is taking over running the show.
There is always music involved and this year two of the bands playing are the Ben Benson Rewind at 11 a.m. and the Ronnie Douglas Blues Band at 1 p.m.
The event ends at 5 p.m.
And not a moment too soon because all those cars (typically about 400 show up) have to clear out for the next event (I’m picturing a scene like the one from the movie, Police Academy), the annual Starry Night Studio and Gallery Tour.
In the between time of those events, don’t forget Rival Queen is playing at the Port of Orillia from 5 to 7 p.m.
There are 20 venues involved this year. Most are in the Arts District on Peter Street, but don’t forget to walk up to Creative Nomad Studios where Cloud Gallery is and down to MOFO to see Charles Pachter and Keith Lem’s art.
While the car show tends to draw several thousand people, Starry Night will also draw a few thousand and is usually the social event of the year. There will be music too, and one of the bands splaying is the Phoenix Jazz Quartet, which will be playing in the courtyard between OMAH and Tiffin’s.
And the Rama Pow Wow is happening August 24 and 25 at the John Snache Memorial Community Grounds. Grand entries are at 1 and 7 p.m. on the 24th, and noon on the 25th.
Some Stuff I Missed Last Week
With a light schedule I thought it was a good time to forewarn you of fall events, and of course I missed a couple things.
So returning to Steve Eyers first, you know he’s part of the Classic Lightfoot Live band. They played a stunning show at the Opera House last May. It was sold out and many people couldn’t get tickets. They do a fantastic show, which is why most of their gigs are sold out.
They have a fall schedule of concerts out, and they are playing a few places close to Orillia where you might catch them. August 29 they play Parry Sound (I know, technically not fall yet). October 18 they are in Meaford and Oct. 26 in Gravenhurst. They have some other concerts too and you can find out about them and get tickets online.
The only way you are going to see as good a show is to see Gord’s band, with Andy Mauck singing, in concert. The Lightfoot Band will be in Orillia Oct. 31 at the Opera House for the Lightfoot Festival.
Closer in the mirror is Lighthouse, who are playing Sept 20. This is a makeup concert from April. Lead singer, Dan Clancy got sick and he’s the one member of the band who doesn’t have a backup. Most of the band has been together for more than 20 years. Tickets from April are still good. I looked and there are a handful of seats on the main floor and many in the balcony still available.
While we’re at the Opera House, keep some room on your schedule for November’s run of Mariposa Arts theatres’ version of Gypsy. Those tickets aren’t on sale yet, but the other are online.
Take Note
Last October the Orillia Silver Band had a concert featuring pianist Kyung-A Lee. The main course was Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. In all the years I’ve witnessed great concerts at the Opera House, this one was outstanding. Both Lee and the band performed exceptionally well.
I said at the time it’s a shame more people couldn’t be there and mentioned I told OSB conductor, Neil Barlow, they should do it again.
Well, they are, sort of. On September 14 at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church there will be a concert with the same performers. They however are not doing the same program, which is a shame. But, they are doing Rhapsody in Blue.
The Rhapsody was first performed in 1924, so that makes it, let me check, 100 years old. Despite that, it is one of the most modern pieces of music, maybe standing next to Appalachian Spring. If the title doesn’t sound familiar, I guarantee you know the music of the Rhapsody (Appalachian Spring too). Based on the last performance of Lee and the OSB, this will be stupendous.
That’s’ only the top billing piece. Lee will also do Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# Minor, the Bach/Busoni Chaccone in D-Minor, and the Chopin Winter Wind as pieces as piano solos.
With the band she will do Vince Guaraldi’s Linus and Lucy. Those who were at the October concert had a treat as Lee’s husband, Parres Allen came on stage to sing Ella Fitzgerald’s Cry Me A River. Like the Spanish Inquisition, no one expected that. It was like double icing on the cake because he was as outstanding as the rest of the program.
He’ll be back to sing Anthony Newly’s and Leslie Bricusse ’s Feelin’ Good, and Procul Harem’s A Whiter Shade of Pale.
Like last time Neil wrote the parts for the band.
Do not miss this concert. Tickets are not on sale yet, so just mark your calendar and I’ll have that info soon.
The Shorts
- The Orillia Youth Centre is producing a number of concerts in September. Some of the bands are Matchedash Parish, Steve Poltz and Danny Michel, Sammy, Sky Wallace and the Ronnie Douglas Blues Band. You can get tickets online.
- Arts Orillia has a new event happening in September called Future Fest. The marquee attraction is a lecture by Bob McDonald (Orillia Hall of Famer and host of the CBC’s Quirks and Quarks). They also have a dance program happening at the Opera House called Hard Wire. You can get tickets online.
- Anne Walker’s Coulson Church concert series has only two more dates left. Anne will be performing Aug. 25 and Sept. 29 Blair Packham will be in. You can get tickets online.
- Battlescarred made it through another round of voting in Rolling Stone’s America’s Next Top Hitmaker contest. Again, they were first in voting and now must get enough votes to make it to the semi final round. The prizes include $10,000, a spot in the magazine and playing at the Future of Music Showcase in Austin, Texas. You can vote, starting Aug. 12, at this page.
- The Orillia Museum of Art and History has submissions open until Aug. 16 for the 23rd annual Carmichael landscape show in the fall; find the details and application online; see Jeanette Luchese’s solo show, The Process Informs Me: Contemporary Abstract Frescoes; Stacey Tyrell’s Backra Bluid photography exhibit; Pawtraits and Reflections Of Our Roots Orillia From 3,000 BCE To 2024; OMAH’s walking tour, Gangs, Guns and Grog, happens every Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. leaving from OMAH and ending at Couchiching Craft Brewing. There is a registration and ticket to get, but it does end at the bar and your first drink is included.… St. Paul’s Centre has the Call to Action 83 Art Project in the Ogimaa Miskwaaki Gallery… Hibernation Arts has new art by Patti Campbell this month … Peter Street Fine Arts has a collection of work by Renee van der Putten featured in August… Cloud Gallery still has their
Great Big Show up.
- Couchiching Craft Brewing has Jeremiah Hill playing Aug. 10; Kyle Adams is in Aug. 11; Darrin Cranney and Jason MacNeill Aug. 16; and Catfish Gumbo plays Aug. 17… Quayle’s Brewery has My Missing Piece playing Aug. 10; Jojo Aug. 11; Sam Windover Aug. 15; Chris Lemay Aug. 16 and Stephan Bernard Aug. The Hog ‘N Penny has an Open Mic Sunday afternoons with Sean Patrick, Michael Martyn John MacDonald, Jessica Martin and whoever else shows up; Sawyer Lance plays Aug. 10… Picnic has James Gray in Aug. 11… The Sunken Ship has The Band Excel playing Aug. 10… Jakob Pearce is at Ktchn Aug. 10… Terry Savage is playing brunch at Common Stove Aud. 11.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia and Images Supplied) Main: The Waterfront Festival’s Dock Diving Dog competition is Saturday at noon.
