If you love music and love events and love Halloween and love helping local causes, you will love the next two weeks. Because they are all about all of the above.
Get out your calendars and start marking them now.
On Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Centre, the Orillia Concert Band with special guest Orillia Big Band (formerly Orillia LITTLE Big Band, so congratulations) present a concert in aid of Information Orillia (IO).
This tireless organization has, like, the phoenix, risen from the ashes several times, and covers a real need here in town, especially these days.
IO is the source of information for all those who can’t access the internet and discover it themselves, which includes many marginalized people in our area, and the numbers are increasing every day.
IO helps folks find housing, food, temporary shelter, clothing, even jobs. IO also puts on a free income tax clinic for a period of time each March and April, an invaluable service to marginalized folks who otherwise wouldn’t be able to access needed financial supports, as income tax returns need to be up to date, to do that.
I hope you can see, IO is worthy of your donation, and of course, the concert with two such fine organizations, will be as well.
Admission by donation, bring your cash.
Another tireless organization, the Orillia Youth Centre, is helping to bring the Skye Wallace Terribly Good Tour to Orillia's Creative Nomad Studios, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. Skye Wallace is, of course, a fantastic singer/songwriter, and local fan fave; SAMMY, will be opening, which makes the whole evening a real blast.
The cherry on the top, is the concert will be in support of the Teens on Edge Ski program, which gives local wannabe skiers who might not otherwise have the opportunity, the chance to get out there and participate. These teens get ski passes, equipment, and instruction, and the chance to see if they have what it takes, to make skiing a lifelong passion or vocation.
You can get your $15 (plus small service charge) tickets here.
Retired local doctor, John Jefferies, is yet another of those tireless folks who keeps culture and humanitarianism alive and ticking here in Orillia. Back in May, Dr. Jefferies organized a fundraising concert for Ukrainian refugees, at St. Paul’s Centre, that raised over $15,000 for the Canadian Red Cross-Ukraine relief fund.
Well, he’s doing something similar on Oct. 29 at 2:30 p.m. Songs for Home and Hope will celebrate, well, home and hope…and raise money for the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, which helps Ukrainians newly arrived in Canada, and those who still need help in the Ukraine.
Featured performers include Blair Bailey, Jefferies himself and his son, who are both excellent trained singers, and many more local musicians who are lending a hand.
This is a ticketed event, and you can get $25 tickets in advance at St. Paul’s Centre, Oct. 20 and Oct. 24-28, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or at the door the afternoon of the show.
Halloween-wise, the Severn Slaughterhouse is happening Thurs. Oct. 20 and 27, at various times between 7 and 9 p.m., at ODAS Park. The Severn Slaughterhouse is a new haunted attraction created by Northern Screams Attractions.
The animals led to slaughter will have their revenge on the innocent factory workers. This takes place outside, in the demolition lot and along a trail.
Tickets are $15 and the 7 p.m. show is toned down a bit, for the younger crowd. You can grab your tickets here.
Coldwater’s annual Witches Walk is this Friday, from 6 to 9 p.m. Local witches ages 19 plus are encouraged to dress up and stroll the main street of Coldwater, enjoying local shopping and shenanigans, to support local businesses.
You can enjoy shopping, snacking, drinking and dining, dancing, spooking, photo boothing, live music and more. And you can help the food bank, as the entry fee is a food bank donation.
For the kiddos in Coldwater, kids 14 and under are invited to trick or treat the main street from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 22. Get those costumes out!
Also on Oct. 22 the Orillia Museum of Art and History is having a spooky time for kiddos ages 5-12. Kids can come out for a half day, Hallowe’en themed event with activities, treats, and fun, from either 9 a.m. to noon, or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. More information and tickets are here.
Happening this weekend?
The Orillia Silver Band folk festival concert is this Sunday at 2 p.m., at the Orillia Opera House. You can get tickets through the Opera House box office, and if you commit to buying tickets for all four concerts this year, you can get the fourth concert ticket free. Call the box office at 705-326-8011 and make it happen.
Cloud Gallery is having an opening for artist Sarah Carlson, this Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. Come out and see her incredible paintings, and enjoy free food and bar too.
Saturday, the Orillia Opera House has We Walk the Line, a Johnny Cash tribute show, it’s great, go check it out. Tickets: www.orilliaoperahouse.ca.
Couchiching Craft Brewery has Liz Anderson playing Thursday at 6 p.m., and Lyric Dubee Saturday, at 7 p.m. The Chris Robinson-Will Davis jazz duo is playing Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m.
St. Paul’s Orillia presents the opening for the third round of the Call 83 art project, at the gallery at St. Paul’s. This is an ongoing project of both Settler and Indigenous artists, with work trying to make sense of their experiences of Truth and Reconciliation.
There will be a service of Thanksgiving for the project and the artists, at 10:30 a.m., followed by
a feast and then the opening of the artwork, at about 1 p.m. Come out and be moved by this incredible work.
Also, Mariposa Folk Festival tickets are now on sale. Cheapest you will be able to get them, and worth the risk of not knowing who is playing, yet:www.mariposafolk.ca.
Enjoy the week, if you have arts news, send it to [email protected] by Tuesday at noon to be included.
