This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment
By John Swartz
Summer only started on Friday and already it’s Christmas. That’s because today, Saturday, is the Port of Orillia’s annual Christmas in June event. All the activity isn’t just happening at the port. Downtown Orillia is having a sidewalk sale and a contest for the kids to participate in the Elf On The Shelf Scavenger Hunt. The Orillia Public Library also has activities planned.
The gates on the docks will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. so people can wander out and look at the decorated boats (and crews). It is expected there will be about 200 boats participating and lots of vendors and music.
Also on Saturday is a big retirement party for secondary school music teacher Laura Laura Lee Matthie who is hanging up her baton and teacher voice after 30 years. During that time she had to create her own music program at ODCVI, Park Street Collegiate, the combined OD/Park high school and the new Orillia Secondary School. She also spent a short time at Midland Secondary School.
On top of that she had to invent an online music program during the pandemic.
Since COVID there has been great improvement, as this writer has mentioned, in the quality of the performances by the various bands. Oh, she also started the Sunshine City Music Festival, at which during its three-year run had dozens of bands travel to Orillia to compete for invitations to national band festival competitions; this included bands from as far away as Kitchener to the south, Bracebridge and Collingwood.
I’m sure, like most of our music teachers who retired, she’ll now have more time and energy to participate in other musical productions.
The open house is happening at Higher Ground (upstairs at Brewery Bay food Company) from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sunday, Motor City Raceway
Southern Ontario immigrants to Orillia just had a nasty flashback, but Sunday has a few things happening as well.
Top of the list will be a fond, final, farewell to Suds Sutherland. Suds died last Boxing Day.
Suds came to a Orillia to teach music, alongside Stan Passfield, at Park Street Collegiate. He moved over to Twin Lakes Secondary School in 1972 where he remained teaching music, alongside Ross Arnold, until he retired.
Suds played many different saxophones and other instruments (I seem to remember him telling me he could play more than 30 instruments) in various bands; if you went out on New Year’s Eve, it was likely to wherever The Sensations were playing.
There are dozens of people who were either professional musicians or music teachers that graduated from his music programs at Twin Lakes.
The celebration of life for Suds is June 22 at Hawk Ridge Golf Club from 1 to 4 p.m. preceded by a graveside service at 11 a.m. at St Andrew’s/St. James’ Cemetery.
Also on Sunday the Arts For Peace returns. This is a family event with lots of activities for kids happening from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Leacock Museum They have a rain location at St. Paul’s Centre, but looking into the Weather Network suggests it might not be needed. Admission is free, but they will take donations.
The annual Coldwater Studio Tour actually happens Saturday and Sunday. 40 artists are participating at 8 venues and studio hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. You can get more details about who is where online.
The next installment of Anne Walker’s Coulson Concerts series is Sunday with Katherine Wheatley and James Gordon. The rest of the schedule is Gathering Sparks (Eve Goldberg And Jane Lewis ) July 27 and Anne September 28. All concerts are at 2 p.m. and you can get tickets online.
If you make it to the evening, the Sunday evening band concerts at the Aqua Theatre start Sunday at 6:30 p.m. with the Orillia Concert Band. There will be music every weekend of the summer. There will also be music on Friday nights starting in July, and there will be an artisan market too; vendors can still apply to be part of the market.
You’re Gonna Laugh
I caught the comedy night at Lake Country Grill last Wednesday with Jimmy England, Dair Shendale, Matt Lund, Jake Leland Bryon Johnston, Rochelle Bechard and Owen Yaz.
I don’t remember a single joke, partly because with so many comics it’s hard to remember who said what. I do remember Jimmy England, not any of his jokes, just I laughed at some of his stuff. He’s tall, John Palmer tall. He’s also been doing standup for decades and is kind of royalty among the young comics. Matt Lund was pretty good, nice stage presence, told some jokes about his wife (she wasn’t there) and taped it to send in as an audition for one of the television comedy programs (which he was confident was a formality and he already got the gig). More on that later.
It’s unfortunate so many things like this rely on under-powered PA’s, and ones without EQ’s. The sound was weak and muddy. The fellow operating the sound did ask my opinion, I offered some tuning advice, but unfortunately he came back and said there was no EQ on the amp and there was no room to make it louder. At the Charles Pachter/OPP event I went to the same thing happened/ I could go on listing events I’ve been to where the sound was not as good as could have been.
Folks this is what you do if you have an event, take out the midrange frequencies, not totally but at least half the travel distance of the adjusting knob. Take a little off the bottom end and boost the highs a bit. If there is a gain on the mic input crank it up until it squeals (if it’s maxed out and it doesn’t squeal when you voice check it, good), then roll it back about 5 degrees on the knob, then set the volume/output about 5 degrees more than you think it needs. And then remind all the people speaking to use a teacher voice and speak into the mic from about 5 inches away from their mouths.
The Shorts
- The Severn RAM Rodeo happens all day Saturday and Sunday. There’s a dance Saturday evening with a DJ playing country music. Get dance tickets online.
- Streets Alive’s summer art project has been rolling out downtown all week. This year’s is for the birds and it’s called Soar.
- The Orillia Youth Centre has another fundraising concert June 27 at Quayle’s Brewery. The great Ronnie Douglas Blues Band and the great duo of Andrew Alli and Josh Small from Virginia will be playing. It’s outdoors in a tent about the size of the pub tent during the early years of the Mariposa Folk Festival. You can get tickets (only 10 left as of Friday) online. Andrew and Josh are also part of a lineup that includes, Sean Patrick, Rebekah Hawker and James Gray June 28; it’s at a residence and you get details where when you register at the same link as above (there is no admission charge, but it’s a fundraiser, bring your wallet, your drink, and a lawn chair) There is a rain location. Any money raised will be split between the youth centre, the Nelson Bell and Jake Beers Funds, and the Vern Heron Dental Fund. Another fundraiser, Farm Fest, is happening June 29 with Andrew and Josh, along with Kay Silver (Kayla Elizabeth’s band) out in Sebright; get tickets online.
- Speaking of Rebekah, she has a new EP out today. There is a video for the title track, Quit My Habit, and two other tunes. You can also listen to the whole thing and buy it on her Bandcamp page. She recorded with a band and the result has a very good sound, leaning a little toward country music.
- The Canada Day committee has updated their website and are currently looking for someone to sing the National Anthem for the opening ceremony at the Aqua Theatre; if you are interested email info@orilliacanadaday.ca. All the traditional events, kids parade, the main parade at noon, beer garden, cake and etc. are scheduled. The music at the Aqua Theatre is by the Sandra Good Band, Ohelia, Samantha Windover, and The Narrows.
- Bleeker has a new video out and you can watch Florida on youtube.
- Battlescarred is entered into an online contest called America’s Next Top Hitmaker and you can vote for them here. There are 5 days left to vote in this round and they are currently 5th in their group. Their new album, New Era, is out and you can find a way to listen to it here.
- The 47th annual Orillia Scottish Festival is a little more than a month away, July 18, but now is the time to get tickets for the Friday night Ceilidh at the legion with Fully Licensed (Cyndi Devereux, John Mac Donald, Sean Patrick, Don Wood) supplying the music.
- The Orillia Museum Of Art And History has the 28th annual International Women’s Day Show in the main floor gallery. also see Orillia: Then And Now a collection of historical photos of Orillia landmarks and buildings contrasted with recent photos of the same by Samantha Vessios, and don’t miss two exhibits related to Gordon Lightfoot – a permanent exhibit of their acquisitions of items from Gordon Lightfoot’s estate, Gordon Lightfoot: Turning Back The Pages, and an exhibit of photos taken over the years by Edwin Gailits (1970s era) and, Deb Halbot, at the Mariposa Folk Festival called Voices Through Time: A Mariposa Journey; now is the best time to get tickets for OMAH’s Music For The Museum event, November 1; Jacquie Dancyger Arnold, Hugh Coleman, Ross Arnold, Blair Bailey, Laura Kelly, and Gail Spencer are performing… Cloud Gallery’s Collector’s Corner features works by Kerry Walford… Hibernation Arts has lots of new work and the featured artist this month is David Crighton; and they are part of an Art Hop Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m., along with the Shadowbox, Pert Street Fine Arts and DWN Chocolates… Peter Street Fine Arts has photos by Mike Bailey featured this month (some fantasic shots taken in Africa)
- Quayle’s Brewery has B. Knox in to play June 21; Gen Cyr is in June 22; Cam Galloway is in the June 26Andrew Walker June 27; they have a slate of afternoon and then evening gigs on the holiday weekend Jakob Pearce/Burke Erwin do the 28th, Rebekah Hawker/Michael Schultz the 29th, Johnny Tooncie/Darcy Windover the 30th … the Hog ‘N Penny has an afternoon jam session every Sunday with Sean Patrick and others… The ANAF Club has a jam happening Sunday at 2 p.m. … St. Paul’s Centre has a concert Saturday evening at 7 p.m. with Eamon McGrath, B. Knox, Peter Landi and Alex Kay Black; admission is $10.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia and Images Supplied)
