This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment
By John Swartz
The annual Cardboard Boat Race takes place at noon Sunday August 9 at Couchiching Beach Park. If you haven’t been for a while, it hasn’t happened next to the Port building for a few years since the City improved the surrounding dock area to the point it just wouldn’t work there.
It now happens at the small beach next to the government dock at the bottom of Terry Fox Circle. It happens at noon. There are awards in several categories including fastest sinking, longest lasting boat and crew, and best dressed crew.
They could just rename it to the Evan Devine Cardboard Boat Race because he designs and builds many of the boats entered each year. I seem to recall one year he did all the boats. I do know of one this year Nate Mills will be swimming in; it’s themed for his character Doctor Bonkers. It’s also a safe bet whatever boat Dave Campbell is a crewmember of is one Evan made because Dave does drums, not boats.
Once they have skimmed all the cardboard out of the lake it will be time, 3 p.m. for the annual Dock Diving Dogs competition. This is a fun event. A good business could be made taking bets on which dog will gracefully take on the challenge of following the ball, or frizzbee, or chew toy into the lake. There always seems to be one which gets to the edge of the ramp and thinks, ‘not today’, followed by, ‘what, what’d I do? Why is everyone laughing’.
Both events are part of the chamber of commerce’s Waterfront Festival, so there will be plenty of other things to check out and food to eat.
Organizing Cats
I’ve said it before, organizing artists is a bit like organizing cats. It is to be expected. Most artists operate in solitude and often just don’t think about working together, except when it comes to festivals and communal events.
It’s one of the reasons the North Simcoe Arts group (and ODAC before that) had a difficult time getting members. Even back when Zephyr Gallery was a thing, their struggle was getting their members on the same page, or signing up to staff the storefront. It seems like everyone wants to be present for the big show, but not so much for the other stuff groups need to do.
So far NSA has had a dedicated group, small, plugging away at keeping something going. They are putting on a concerted effort to get artists to sign up. The push is coming soon. In the mean time they are putting some finishing touches on what they have to offer artists as inducements to join. One item is a regular newsletter.
This isn’t a visual arts only issue. Musicians, writers, jugglers and etc. share some of the same characteristics. Sure musicians have had a union for decades, but tell that to a band that’s willing to work for $50 instead of union scale. There’s always a tiny fraction willing to work phones to get gigs, make industry contacts, and do the leg work while the rest of the band is busy figuring out how to be late for rehearsal. I can tell you, the bands playing stages like Casino Rama don’t have that attitude; they go to work every day, and they did for years before getting casino types of gigs.
NSA is also getting ready for Culture Days Happening between September 14 and October 5 across the province.
They are open to conversations about ideas and you can get in touch with them by email at info@northsimcoearts.ca.
Meanwhile, Out In Rama
The annual Rama Pow Wow happens August 22 and 23. This is one of the most coluorful events every year. It’s at the John Snache Memorial Community Grounds. I have not found any schedule details, but last year the grand entries were at 1 and 7 p.m. on the Saturday, and noon on the Sunday, which are times that have held up for many years.
Of course making for more colour is Starry Night, which happens August 22 downtown on Peter Street.
I Can’t Turn It Down, It’s the Nieghbours
Lorna Bolden and Doc Higgins have signed up their Brant Street residence to participate in the annual Play Music on the Porch Day August 29. People all over the world have events happening in their localities. They are doing it from 2 to 6 p.m. and you can send a message if you’d like to play some folk, country, blues, Celtic, or even baroque music. Drop by to listen.
The Shorts
- North Simcoe Arts is looking for people to serve on its bursary review committee. Interested parties with some experience in arts can email communications@northsimcoearts.ca.
- Nominations for the annual Art and Culture Awards (November 25 at Creative Nomad Studios) are now open and you can find nomination forms now online.
- The Aqua Theater weekend schedule looks like this: Movies in the Park has E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial August 21 and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse Of the Black Pearl September 4. Each has a rain date for the following Friday. The Saturday evening schedule Turbo Street Funk August 15 and three acts – Sleepy Jan, Consenting Adults and Nate Mills August 22. Showtime is at 6:30 p.m. Sunday evening has Barrie Concert Band August 9, The Baytowne Big Band August 16 and the Simcoe County Band August 23. Concerts start at 6:30 p.m.
- Bleeker another new tune they’ve made a video for in advance of a full album coming soon. Outside was shot in various locations around town. They have been making some very good videos for the new batch of tunes they’ve put out. They will also be opening for The Trews at Casino Rama for a Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital Foundation fundraiser in October. You can get tickets for that show here. The foundation is also running a 50/50 draw in conjunction with the concert and you can get a ticket online.
- Something different is happening at the legion Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. called Life is Sad. The blurb says, “evening devoted to the beauty of melancholy through folk music” and if you know Nate Mills is involved, then you know it won’t be all tears. He’s performing along with Ellis, Dogmouth, Dylan Court, and Wm Matt Miller and video by Tyler Grace. Admission is $15.
- Paso Por Paso has a fundraiser with comedian Martha Chaves Sept. 27 at St. Paul’s Centre. This comes with a light lunch. The show is at 3 p.m. and all proceeds go to supporting Maya communities in Guatemala. Call 705-955-7760 for tickets.
- The Orillia Museum of Art and History has two new exhibits The Many Faces of Paul Shilling: A Retrospective. and Awaken The Spirits. – art by Rama’s Drake Williams; other exhibits to see are a textile show, From Hand to Heirloom: The Art of Craft , and the permanent exhibit of Gordon Lightfoot’s personal effects… Cloud Gallery has their Great Big Summer Show for all of August… Peter Street Fine Arts had a collection of work form the Bayside Artists up this month.
- Mariposa has a couple concerts in the fall with tickets on sale now. Oct. 20 Joel Plaskett will be at St. Paul’s Centre. Nov. 21 a different sort of thing happens at the Opera House. The Organ Summit features Lance Anderson, Matt Weidinger and Cole Mendez, along with two members of Matt’s band, The Tonewheels, Chris Latta (guitar) and Mike Rajna (drums). They will answer the question, what is better than having a Hammond B3 organ on stage? Two B3s. Lance, Matt and Cole will rotate on the keyboards all night long. Get tickets for Joel here, and for Lance and company here.
- Stephen McClellan and Chris Conley of the band Dough Bros have a concert at the Washago Community Centre Aug. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door.
- The Golden Scoundrels and the Big Bad Jug Band are playing at the legion Sept. 10. You can get tickets online.
- Some concerts happening at the Opera House include the Old Dance Hall Players doing Don’t Sweat the Fall Stuff Sept. 11 (tickets); the Orillia Jazz Fest has two events in October; on the 16th a showcase of original compositions developed by Orillia high school students during Arts Orillia’s youth jazz workshop with Alondra Vega and Jacob Thompson and other performances, happens (tickets), and Oct. 17 Jane Bunnett and Maqueque play Cuban jazz (tickets), and the Lightfoot Band is in Oct. 29 (tickets).
- Hog ‘N Penny has a jam Sunday afternoons… Even Steven plays the ANAF club Sunday Aug. 9 at 2 p.m.; they will also be at the Dockyard Grill in Lagoon City the evening of Aug. 22… Lake Country has Dave Shaw hosting an open mic Aug. 13… Studabakers has live music Thursday nights
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia and Images Supplied) Main: 2025 Cardboard Boat Race, before they all sank.
