This weekend, there are three amazing events for you to enjoy: Starry Night, Doors Open Simcoe County, and the Rama Powwow.
Starry Night is back this Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m., for the first time since 2019. Come and enjoy this special night of art, meet the artists, and check out the unique and diverse galleries in Orillia. Galleries confirmed so far include The Shadowbox (which has 16 artists in residence for Starry Night), Peter Street Fine Arts and Gallery (eight artists), Hibernation Arts (many artists including members of the Orillia Fine Arts Association), the Orillia Museum of Art and History (many special exhibits), Charles Pachter’s MOFO studio, Sanderson Monument (where you can also tour the shop), Tiffin’s and Blossom (again, many artists in residence), Apple Annie’s, Uptown Living, 125 Breakfast Club, Emma and Richard Vandermeer Studios, and so much more.
Come downtown for a meal during See You on the Patio, and then start exploring all of these wonderful spaces and buy some art.
Doors Open Simcoe County has a variety of digital and in-person experiences for you to enjoy, all over Simcoe County. Digital highlights include the Wye Marsh, Simcoe County Museum, Coldwater Canadiana Heritage Museum, and our own Orillia Museum of Art and History (OMAH). You can explore these offerings online here.
In person, Doors Open Simcoe County has 18 sites for you to enjoy, scattered all over the region. These range from Discovery Harbour, to Duntroon Cider House, to the Robert Bowles Nature Centre, to OMAH. You can access more information about these in-person offerings here.
OMAH has a new permanent exhibit opening just in time for this event. The exhibit is in the historic jail cells in the basement of the museum. Here’s the scoop, from an OMAH news release: “The family-friendly exhibit shares stories of the building’s history and its occupants, with a focus on the Orillia Police Service (active c.1885 to 1996). It includes a large display of artifacts loaned and donated by former members of the Orillia Police Service and their families. Additionally, there are interactive activities for all ages including cell-fies, code breaking and fingerprinting.”
OMAH’s intern, Amy Henderson, put this exhibit together. She is a student in Georgian College’s museum and gallery studies program, and it looks like she has done a bang-up job here. Come by Saturday to see the exhibit, or any time OMAH is open, Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., or Thursdays until 7 p.m.
The Rama Powwow is also this weekend, and it just keeps getting better. Thousands attend this beautiful weekend of First Nations dance, culture, food and fun. The cost is $10 per day or $15 for a weekend pass, and it is held at the John Snake Memorial Multipurpose Grounds in Rama First Nation.
Saturday’s events begin with a sunrise ceremony at 6 a.m., and then things get going from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. that day. Sunday, events get started around noon and go until about 6 p.m. It’s a wonderful weekend of culture and festivity for the whole family, and a chance to enjoy our neighbours’ hospitality and friendship. For more information, check the Facebook page here. See you there.
We are in the last week to enjoy the Orillia Opera House play, Halfway There, the last offering of this successful summer theatre season. This play is set in Nova Scotia, in a town famous for being halfway between the North Pole and the equator, and is all about small towns, gossip, and lots of laughs. Get tickets at orilliaoperahouse.ca.
Coming up on Labour Day weekend: The Port of Orillia Pirate Party is on and it keeps expanding. And, a sneak peek at some of the amazing fall events we can look forward to, including Mariposa Arts Theatre’s fall movie lineup.
There will be live music this weekend all over town, including during Starry Night. At the Orillia Opera House on Sunday night, the Canadian Musicians Co-operative is hosting its annual Emerging Artist Showcase at 7 p.m. Free admission, and great performances by Canadian youth, many of whom are members of many equity-seeking groups in Canada, including the LGBTQ2+ community, people with disabilities, and neurodivergent, visible minority and Indigenous youth. Don’t miss the 6:30 p.m. pre-show with Rebekah Hawker. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Have a great week, and if you have arts news, send it to [email protected] by Tuesday at noon to be included.
