This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment
By John Swartz
The weekend ahead is going to be busy. The big draw is the annual Classic Cara Show, which is now called the Rotary Downtown Classic and Custom Car Show.
The Rotary Club of Orillia is taking over running the show which draws on average 400 cars, trucks, and let’s say interesting contraptions on wheels.
This event draws about 25,000 people according to the Downtown Management Board. There’s always music and this year the Ben Benson Rewind plays at 11 a.m. and the Ronnie Douglas Blues Band at 1 p.m.
Couchiching Craft Brewing is closing their parking lot to make a bigger patio and they have the band, Cruisin’, playing from 1 to 4 p..m. In the evening Samantha Windover is in to play.
At the same time, the annual Rama Pow Wow is happening at the John Snache Memorial Community Grounds. The grand entry is at 1 and again at 7 p.m. It continues on Sunday with a grand entry at noon.
When the cars clear out after 5 p.m., don’t hope to get a parking spot on the street because the annual Starry Night event is happening downtown. This one usually draws a few thousand people and there are 20 venues showing art inside and many more artists will have their stuff outside.
The Phoenix Jazz Quartet will be playing in the courtyard between OMAH and Tiffin’s. Starry Night has evolved to become the premier social event of the summer.
Between the car show and Starry Night you can catch the Saturday evening concert at the Port of Orillia with Rival Queen from 5 to 7 p.m.
ODAC News
Friday ODAC announced receiving a $238,916 grant from the United Way of Simcoe Muskoka for ODAC’s Arts Immersion for Mental Wellness project.
Immersion program
“It’s being lead by Sukhi Kaur. This a quarterly update. We started, I believe, February 1st and we’ve made such enormous progress, people are starting to talk about it,” said Mike Bailey, ODAC’s co-chair of the board.
“The intent is, not just to teach art, but the intent is to get them out and get them involved in society.”
Dennis Rizzo, also co-chair, opened up the event at Creative Nomad Studios attended by people from United Way, Georgian College, Soldiers’ Memorial’s Community Mental Health Services and other interested parties.
“We’re extremely excited to take art of the realm of pure cultural and bring it into the social progress sector – not as therapy, but as a partnership, a way to bring people back into the community they used to be part of before they ran into whatever the issues are,” Rizzo said.
Two Georgian college students, Inna Kyrylenko and Corrie Holiday took much of the time outlining the work they did helping to set up the program. As one might imagine, there are a lot of steps involved dealing with patients, and getting the college on board.
The plan is to have artist/mentors teach their craft to individuals and small groups. Mike Bailey is doing one on photography and is looking for donations of older digital cameras of the point and shoot variety. If you can help him out shoot him a note on his Facebook page.
The program has been running since February, so the grant from United Way will allow it to continue for another two and a half years.
Also this month, on the 27th, ODAC will be unveiling the results of the workshop they held in May to come up with a strategic plan for the arts council.
“That’s going to be the results of everybody’s participation in developing the strategic plan and there will be numerous announcements that at time,” said Bailey. He also said there will be more announcements at the annual general meeting in September.
While we’re on the subject of ODAC, the annual Orillia Regional Art and History Award nomination window is open until October 11.
You can nominate an artist or arts group for an award in 5 categories:
- Education in Arts, Culture and Heritage
- Emerging Artist
- Heritage: Restoration, Renovation and Publication
- Event in Arts, Culture and Heritage
- Qennefer Browne Achievement Award
In the emerging artist category, there is one artist who has caught my eye recently. Enrique Bravo has had most of the work I’ve seen having as part of ODAC group shows, mainly in the Green Room at the Opera House.
The pieces I’ve seen blend a good dose of surrealistic impressionism with a dash of realism and are some of the most original concepts I’ve seen in a long time.
You can nominate online here. The awarding will happen on November 27 at Creative Nomad Studios.
The Shorts
- Last Saturday’s Rogers TV Between Sets program taping at the Port of Orillia was cancelled. Something about a storm. The new date is Sept. 14. The lineup of musicians performing starting at 1 p.m. and changing every half hour is; Eric Kidd, Kat Chabot, Mickey Moone, Rick Groves, Bella Francis, Geoff Booth, and Moon Racoon. Ronnie Douglas was to have performed but had to bow out.
- 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.
- The Orillia Silver Band has a great concert happening Sept. 14 at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church. Their guest is pianist Kyung-A Lee and her husband, singer Parres Allen. This is the same pair that did a stunning concert last fall with the OSB. The piece of music sucking up all the oxygen is Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. I promise you this will be outstanding. 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.
- The Sharing Place Food Centre has their 2nd annual Harvest Hoedown happening Sept. 27 at ODAS Park. The band is Muskoka River. You can get tickets online.
- The Orillia Museum of Art and History has new exhibits to 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 Jenn Hisko playing Aug. 23… Quayle’s Brewery has Brian Gardiner playing Aug. 22; Vince Therrien Aug. 23; Andrew Walker Aug. 24; and Alex Barber 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; Celtic Trio plays Aug. 24… Picnic has Rose-Erin Stokes in Aug. 25… The Sunken Ship has Mill and the Thrills playing Aug. 23… the Orillia Youth Centre has an Open Mic Aug. 30 at the Aqua Theatre from 5 to 7 p.m.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia and Images Supplied) Main: 2023 Classic Car Show.
