Welcome to another week of arts and culture in O-Town! The fun just keeps on coming as we hit the mid-point of August 2019.
Hot off the press and last-minute, just like the real thing, the 50th anniversary of Woodstock is this weekend. That’s right, it’s been 50 years since Woodstock, in a farmer’s field in Woodstock, N.Y. There are a couple of Woodstock tributes that are taking place in our area.
Woodstock: A 50th Anniversary Celebration will be at the Gravenhurst Opera House on Sat. Aug. 24 at 8 p.m. Featuring performers Lance Anderson, Matt Weidinger, Harrison Kennedy, Tony Springer, and Cheryl Lescom, you will hear all the great tunes from that fabled music festival. Tickets are $40, $30 group rate, and you can pick them up here.
Alleycats Music and Art, Hog ‘n’ Penny and some local musicians are going to celebrate Woodstock with some great music in Orillia this weekend. Grate Northern will play from 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursday at Alleycats, 95 Mississaga St. E. Friday, Sam Johnston and friends will play, again at Alleycats, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Geoff Boothe and friends present Hippies at the Hog, at the Hog ‘n’ Penny, 9 Matchedash St. N., from 2 to 5 p.m. Come check out the music and relive one of the greatest music festivals of all time.
Another musical event which was to take place this weekend, has been cancelled. The Orillia Centre for Culture and Highland Opera’s performance of Women in Opera: Then and Now, has been cancelled due to reasons beyond their control. Ticket holders who would like a refund can contact Michael Martyn at [email protected] or 705-325-4903 ext. 607.
But don’t despair, the Orillia Centre has another great event up its sleeve, coming Sept. 19-21, it’s Gathering: Festival of First Nations Stories, this year in Midland. With featured performers Tomson Highway, Lee Maracle, Darrel J. McLeod and many more, this will be a wonderful weekend of literature and music. For more information and ticket choices, click here.
Moving onto fine arts, local musician and artist Steph Dunn is having a studio sale in her home studio, at 44 Stanton Dr.. Lots of oil, watercolour and acrylic paintings at great prices, and the sale runs Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Do stop by and pick up original artwork for your home.
Speaking of original artwork and sales, local multi-genre artist Xavier Fernandes is having a back-room studio sale on Starry Night, Aug. 24. Lots of black and white paintings, prints, and more at rock-bottom prices, from 7 to 11 p.m. that night. Come check it out at Peter Street Fine Arts at 23 Peter St. S., part of the Starry Night art tour.
Orillia Museum of Art and History (OMAH) is having appraisers in again this Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., to appraise your small treasures and heirlooms. For more information, go here.
Also, on Friday, you can have a tour of the Sam Steele building, with price of admission, at 1:30 p.m.
Speaking of admission, as a birthday gift to Orillia from OMAH, OMAH is waiving admission fees for those among us 25 and younger. So get out and enjoy your museum! And one more OMAH piece of news, the annual Croquet Tourney, a fundraiser for youth programming, is Sept. 7 and you can find out more here.
We are sadly and unbelievably coming to the end of summer, and your last chance to enjoy events in the park. Sunday Evening Band Concerts continue to the end of August, with the Simcoe County Band entertaining you this weekend at 6:30 p.m. at the Aquatheatre, and the Markham Concert Band joining you Aug. 25, same time, same place.
The Bandstand Revival series will finish up on Aug. 21 with Rouge River Wind at 6:30 p.m. That concert will be at the Aquatheatre, as it is a large wind ensemble. The fun that night will then continue at the Aquatheatre, with a screening of Amadeus, at dusk. That will conclude the Movies in the Park for this summer.
Another quick note on end of summer stuff, Tango Artspace at 5 Peter St. S., upstairs, is having its last Freestyle Art Night of the summer on Aug. 28, from 6 to 9 p.m. It’s $15, they provide the space and the paper, you provide the rest. Come join the ladies at Tango for a fun night of creativity. For more info and to register, 705-331-2836.
Music in the bars? At the Brownstone Café, Aug. 15 The Lucky Ones, Aug. 16 Myrle, and Aug. 19, Lucas Chaisson, an alt-country artist from Edmonton who is coming as part of his Canadian tour, with his bandmates, one night only. Check him out at www.lucaschaisson.com.
At the Hog ‘n’ Penny, Aug. 16 Stevolution (McGinnis and Marshall), Aug. 17 Social Furniture. Boston Pizza Patio, Aug. 15, Jakob Pearce. Fionn MacCool’s, Aug. 17 12 Wire. And at the casino, Aug. 16 Jonny Long and JJ Grey and Mofo, and Aug. 17 Yuk Yuks on Tour.
Send me your arts news, by Tuesdays at noon, to [email protected]. Thanks!
