This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment
By John Swartz
We all love cars. Except for the no-look lane changers, riding your bumper, and that BMW stealing the parking spot you’ve patiently been waiting for the former occupant to back out of in order to turn into it and that’s when a little $%@# just drove in behind the departing vehicle. What’s worse the driver didn’t even use the aftermarket turn signal to let you know you were about to be usurped, which he specially installed because his BMW didn’t come with turn signals.
And, when you can’t find a parking spot right in front of the store you were planning to patronize.
Saturday that latter one is going to frost you because Rotary Downtown Classic and Custom Car Show is happening and the City could make bank on the new and improved parking rates with every available spot taken – in the entire downtown, but it’s an event.
Hint, try the parking lots. What the heck, you’re only going to walk up and down Mississaga looking at the shiny cars littered all over the place anyway, what’s a few steps to get to the main street.
With about 400 classic cars and light trucks lined up, there are going to be one, or two, or a dozen, you’ll imagine you’d like to be driving. Before you rush out to get yourself one, take moment and watch some Youtube videos of people gunning away in late model Mustangs. Power corrupts, the front end, and the sides, and sometimes the roof. There’s an art to driving a powerful car, and there aren’t enough artists to go around.
While you are strolling about, there will be music to be a appreciated. The Ben Benson Rewind plays at 11 a.m., 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. Friday night Jenn HIsko is playing.
Don’t dilly-dally the car show is over at 5 p.m. Conveniently that’s when the Port of Orillia Saturday evening concert series starts. This week Rival Queen plays from 5 to 7 p.m.
Even more conveniently, at 7 p.m. the annual Starry Night event starts. Aside from it being the biggest social event of the year (the car show attracts thousands too, so does Starry Night, but without all the out-of-towners, you’ll run into more people you know).
Of course the focus is on art with 20 venues participating and many more artists will have their stuff outside. Most of the action is on Peter Street in the Arts District, but don’t forget to go to Cloud Gallery up by the library and Charles Pachter and Keith Lem’s Moose Factory of Orillia gallery on Western Avenue are venues too.
The Phoenix Jazz Quartet will be playing in the courtyard between OMAH and Tiffin’s, and Paul Brooks with Mike Milner will be at Uptown Living on Mississauga St.
If you’re of a mind to head out of town to avoid all the people, I’ve got some bad news, which is really good news, for you if you are thinking of heading east. The annual Rama Pow Wow is happening at the John Snache Memorial Community Grounds. There’s activity all day long each day, but the Grand Entries are at 1 and again at 7 p.m. on Saturday, and noon on Sunday.
To end the weekend the Sunday Evening Concert at the Aqua Theatre is with the Simcoe County Band at 6:30 p.m.
There Are Still 4 Weeks Of Summer Left
Labour Day Weekend the Port of Orillia is where the annual Pirate Party happens. There will be people swashing and buckling, cannons booming, but unlike the Waterfront Festival no boats will be sinking. That’s because the daily, at 1 and 2 p.m., battles are fake, they’re shooting blanks. It’s still exciting.
There will be a dozen Pirate Ships involved, and they’ll arrive en-mass at 5 p.m. Friday (though observant park goers might have noticed one or four of them have been tied up at the port for a few weeks already). They’ll be sailing out Saturday morning for a planned, 11 a.m. attack on Brewery Bay and Stevie’s place.
There will be music too. The Ronnie Douglas Blues Band plays on the 30th, The Fat Tony Band plays the next night and The Orangemen on the Sunday – all at 7 p.m.
I know, I know, you’re wondering. The Walk the Plank event happens Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
All Gas And No Brakes
If you were thinking things will slow down after Labour Day, I have some bad, but good, News for you. It’s going to be one of the busiest Septembers in memory.
You can blame the Youth Centre if you want, but they aren’t the only ones with plans.
Every fall Kevin Gangloff has organized a fundraising concert with some pretty big names playing. It’s usually been at Fern Resort, with one time at the Sunset Drive In. This time it will be other venues. Yes, venues, there will be more than one concert.
“We usually do a big show at Fern Resort, our main weekend it was actually booked for a wedding, so we just couldn’t get in there, so we decided to spread it out a bit and make it a couple of big weekends,” Kevin said. He is also the director of the youth center.
The concerts will be held at Creative Nomad, St. Paul’s Centre and the youth center.
Starting Friday September 20 The Griddle Pickers with Andrew Alli and Josh Small, and Sammy (Sam Johnston) and her band will play, September 21 the same line up with Bella Frances replacing the Griddle Pickers happens for an afternoon show. In the evening the Ronnie Douglas Blues Band and Andrew Alli and Josh Small will be at St. Paul’s Centre. September 22 Sammy and Bella will be at the youth center.
Skipping a head a week, Lance Anderson’s Matchedash Parish will debut their new CD and Roger Harvey (with Tim Kehoe) opening on September 28. On the 29th Skye Wallace (with a new single, Before the Afterlife, out this week) and roger Harvey will play a late afternoon show at the youth center.
Then October 10 Lenny Lashley, Nixon Boyd and Rebekah Hawker will play at Creative Nomad, and Danny Michel and Steve Plotz will be at St. Paul’s Centre November 9.
The pairing of Ronnie Douglas and Andrew Alli and Josh Small is great. Alli and Small play blues of the sitting on the porch playing for the neighbourhood kind, and of course Ronnie’s band cranks out some great blues drawn from the masters Ronnie grew up with.
“Andrew has been recognized as one of the top 10 harmonica players in North America. People are in for a massive treat when they see them perform,” said Kevin.
In past years these concerts have raised quite a bit of money.
“Anywhere from 14 to, depending if there’s a silent auction, 19 or 20 (thousand dollars). We’ve been very fortunate this year with our concert events,” Kevin said. “Every bit of money that comes in goes directly back to support youth programming and opportunities.”
You can get tickets for any of the concerts online.
Still Summer
If you saw last Octobers Orillia Silver Band concert featuring pianist Kyung-A Lee playing Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. You know how absolutely fantastic it was.
Well, on September 14 at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church they’re doing it again, except this time the main course, among other tunes, is Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
If you were at the previous, you also heard Parres Allen sing. He’ll be back too, singing Anthony Newly’s and Leslie Bricusse ’s Feelin’ Good, and Procul Harem’s A Whiter Shade of Pale.
And of course the great Orillia Silver Band will be playing. You can get tickets online.
The Shorts
- The Rogers TV Between Sets program taping at the Port of Orillia is happening 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.
- 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 Even Steven playing Aug. 30; Jakob Pearce and Dave Hewitt are in Aug. 31… Quayle’s Brewery has Vince Therrien p[laying Aug. 23; Andrew Walker Aug. 24; and Alex Barber Aug. 25 The Hog ‘N Penny has an Open Mic Sunday afternoons with Sean Patrick, Michael Martyn John MacDonald, Jessica Martin and whoever else shows up; Vince Therrien and Alex Andrews play Fridays… Picnic has Rose-Erin Stokes is in Aug. 25… 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)
