By Staff
July 25th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Sport Field Status – July 25, 2016
The following diamonds are closed Monday July 25
Ireland Park diamonds D1, D2, D3, D4
Millcroft, diamonds D1, D2
Nelson Park diamond D1
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April 25, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON The notice that the place was going to be air conditioned certainly made it more inviting. The list of people who were to sing and play instruments was certainly worth the time. So off I went to the Second Annual Lowville Festival. The world is populated with “first annuals” but the people who made this work last year were back and the program was solid. Andy Griffiths on guitar with his particular play on different pieces of music; Jude Johnson who still knows how to belt them out;  Stuart Laughton – played a very very fine guitar on Saturday at the Lowville Festival. Stuart Laughton who makes is guitar talk with his pick and managed to convince Barbara Anderson-Huget that he “was her man” as he did the Leonard Cohen cover. Anderson-Hugest, along with Rob Missen and Lorretta are the founders of the Festival. The evening got off to a solid start with Griffith playing “Knock on Heaven’s Door” and later doing “Sundown”. It was a good audience – they filled more than ¾ of the space available at the Lowville United Church which, as Reverend Daryl Webber admitted later, was more than he was going to see the following Sunday.  Jude Johnson – “Forever Young” Jude Johnson, kept reminding us that she was 62, but chose not to look like or act like a day of it. As she sang “Call out my name” many in the audience were mouthing the words along with the artist. Stuart Laughton brings a graciousness to what he does. His music is superb but it is his small touches that makes him different. The audience sat in hand carved pews painted a light yellow with no cushions – that didn’t seem to bother anyone. There was a point at which Jude Johnson had the audience on their feet clapping along and applauding – Jude had the place rocking.  Ariel Rogers singing the Northwest Passage, including a seldom heard fifth verse. The surprise of the evening was Ariel Rogers. She wasn’t on the program released earlier; it wasn’t until she explained that she was going to be singing Northwest Passage and would be adding the fifth verse that was seldom heard that the audience realized she was the wife of Stan Rogers who was lost in an aircraft fire in 1983; she was THAT Rogers. As Ariel sang one realized that she was at the side of the man in their living room when he penned those words. As she put the sound of her voice behind those lyrics a touching sense of poetry filled the space. Johnson fooled herself when she made it to some of the notes in a song she had never sung before; she should do “Forever Young” more often.  Paul Novotny doing the Porter’s Hymn on his bass. His performance was the star of the evening. Seldom does one hear this quality. The stunner however was the solo performance done by Paul Novotny on his base. He pulled a sound out of that instrument that you hear wen jazz greats are playing. It was something to hear. When you see his name on a playbill – make a point of going to listen to him. Superb – best performer on the stage at Lowville on Saturday night – and there was some very very good talent in the room. Carl Horton accompanied many of the performers on keyboard and then did a solo of “Lay Lady Lay” that was a delight to listen to. It was a concert you shouldn’t have missed. It would appear to be evident that the Lowville Festival now has some traction and that the risk was rewarded The opening night event at St. George’s Hall had a 60 member choir that we are told was stunning. Ward 3 Councillor John Taylor was at that event – he said he decided to attend the Saturday night concert in Lowville because he was really impressed with what he heard on Friday. Taylor is of the belief that community created events like this deserve support from city hall. Every other ward in the city has been given funds (in the $5000 range) for this type of event. What the founders of the Festival had in mind was getting events out of the downtown core and into the rural part of Burlington. Their long term goal is to convince the city to let the event be held in Lowville Park where huge tents could be set up and allow for larger audiences. Given the rate of growth year over year the audience will become too large for the Lowville church. A community group has put on No Vacancy events for three years – the fourth year event will be taking place at the Art Gallery of Burlington where they will produce a one night show that has broken artistic boundaries and drawn audiences that surprised many.  The audience was on there feat on more than one occasion. Jude Johnson did it when she sang Forever Young and Paul Novotny stunned the audience with his solo performance on bass. There are cultural groups being formed throughout the city that are not part of the heavily subsidized Performing Arts Centre and Art Gallery of Burlington – they need more attention – they are the “real” Burlington – not road shows that rent space in a publicly subsidized building.
July 23, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON Lowville residents and renowned Canadian actors, Lorretta Bailey and Eric Trask, will sit on a stage and, without paying very much attention to each other, they will read “Love Letters”, a play by celebrated playwright A. R. Gurney. It is about kids who are required to find a pen pal at summer camp. In the play, our two characters continue to write to each other throughout their eventful lives. We get their insights into what is going on with their dates, spouses, children, jobs and friends. Funny, sarcastic, witty, angry —- and then they fall in love. Which is almost exactly what happened when Lorretta and Eric played opposite each other in a production of Saltwater Moon on a Vancouver stage many years ago .  Two seasoned Canadian performers, Lorretta Bailey and Eric Bailey, getting comfortable with their lines as they prepare for a production of the A>R> Gurney play “Love Letters” “We did not get along” said Lorretta, “we were like oil and water”. The relationship between the actor and the actress was tempestuous for the run of the play. It was three years after the production that one wrote the other – neither will say who wrote the first letter – but today they are a team who have done impressive work on stages across the country. Lorretta has the higher profile – she played a lead role in Les Miserables for year and a half while Eric will tell you that he is the “king of the understudy” who never had to actually go on stage and do the show. “I was understudy for the magnificent Doug Campbell who was performing in A Man for all Seasons” at Stratford. Lorretta played the Mother of Terry Fox in the Marathon of Hope, a folk musical about the iconic journey of Terry Fox’s run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. It was a Theatre Sheridan production with seven Sheridan alumni in the cast. Bailey is a Sheridan graduate. Between the two of them, Eric and Lorretta have performed separately in hundreds of productions: Brigadoon, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Hanna’s Suitcase, a production that left a deep emotional mark on Eric who was in the original performance at the Young People’s Theatre and in the second run of the play and then the tour across Canada. The couple that have been a part of Canadian theatre all of their professional lives; Eric came out of Ontario while Lorretta was a Canadian prairie girl – Lethbridge Alberta Lorretta has worked in the Middle East where she entertained troops in the Golan Heights.  Rehearsing “Love letters” in th garden o their Lowville Home. Lorretta Bailey and Eric Trask prepare for their Sunday performance at the Lowville United church In conversation the two are past that “oil and water” stage but they are very much two different people fully immersed in theatre who have had their big moments. What comes through is the commitment to theatre – it is not just the business that feeds them – it is what they are, it is what they do and on Sunday afternoon the two will sit side by side on a stage and read letters from the play “Love Letters” – the deftly-wrought dialogue about everything from the joys of writing to depression and divorce is what makes the play a favorite among big-name actors — with pairings that have included Elizabeth Taylor and James Earl Jones and, in Broadway revival, Mia Farrow and Brian Dennehy — is that the lines are not meant to be memorized. The staging is sparse, and the actors read off the page. If you decide to take in the play – be ready for a sterling performance from two people that know theatre. Sunday afternoon at 3:00 pm at the Lowville United Church on Guelph Line at Britannia Road; the play is th closing event of the second annual Lowville Festival.
July 23, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON Kitchener Panthers beat Brantford Red Sox 10-4 Friday night for their fifth straight win.
The London Majors hung on for an 8-5 win over the Guelph Royals Friday night. The Burlington Bandit bats were idle. Future games Sunday, July 24
July 22, 2106 BURLINGTON, ON
Change in the location of a Lowville Festival event. Please note that due to the hot weather Saturdays DuffelBags workshop at 2:00 and the Performance of Robin Hood at 3:00 performance will be moved to the Lowville United Church… its air conditioned there.
July 22, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
It’s on!
Putting this opportunity together was done in a matter of days with a lot of phone calls – Ward 2 Councillor Mead Ward managed to get a motion through council that was approved on a 6-1 vote. The motion asked: Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven decided the event was just a nice to have and voted against it. He missed the opportunity to ask if shuttle buses could be arranged for all those good Aldershot people to get to the Park and  It’s just a nice to have said the Councillor when he voted against the city chipping in for the cost of bringing in the Tragically Hip concert live from Kingston. enjoy the evening. The Gazette has never understood why the Council member can’t seem to get behind really good community events. If you see him attending the event – do let us know. An ad hoc committee has been struck and will meet early in August, 12+ members including SET Team, Tourism Burlington, Sound of Music Festival, local citizens and representatives from two charities and Halton Regional Police Services The team has interest from both The Halton Chapter of Canadian Cancer Services (with a focus on disease prevention) and the Joseph Brant Foundation (local cancer care clinic) A site is being set up for community/corporate donations. We will send you the link as soon as they have it set up.
All kinds of people have asked if they can donate time and energy as volunteers. Interested parties can contact: mcoletteertel@hotmail.com The screening was made possible after the Burlington Downtown Business Association (BDBA) put money on the table to kick-start funding for the event, and sought a matching contribution from the city of Burlington. City council supported a motion to contribute to the costs of the event. Donations of cash are still being sought from the community to cover costs of screens, speakers, projectors and security. Please consider making a donation.  It will be a bitter sweet nice for the Tragically Hip as they close out their final performance in a live CBC broadcast across the country. Bring a chair and a blanket and a handkerchief – it is going to be a very emotional evening. “This is an event of national significance that was looking for a place to happen in Burlington. Many residents reached out to me and said ‘We have to be part of this,’” said Meed Ward. “The Hip is the soundtrack of Canada. Many of us can track significant events in our lives by what Hip song we were listening to at the time. I’m grateful my council colleagues supported the funding request to make it happen.” This is a rain or shine, alcohol-free and family friendly celebration. Residents are asked to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets to sit on. The potential audience for this could be enormous. Will people come in from Oakville, will the GO trains be filled? Hamilton is holding its own event – the location they have chosen doesn’t compare to what Burlington has. An adhoc committee has been created – they will meet early in August, – 12+ members including SET Team, Tourism Burlington, Sound of Music Festival, local citizens and representatives from two charities and Halton Regional Police Services  McMahon the Minister now has a chance to give Burlington a great big thank you for electing her to office – send money. Tourism Burlington leading on funding request to Tourism Ontario. The shiny new Minister of Tourism just happens to be our own gracious Eleanor McMahon who one hopes will shower some cash on the city that sent her to Queen’s Park. The Ministry must have a piggy bank somewhere in one of the offices.
July 22nd, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON These events will take place at the Burlington Musical Centre in Central Park just behind the band stand. The Summer Concert series for August is set out below so you can plan some of your summer fun.  Little Peter and the Elegants Wednesday, August 3 – Little Peter and the Elegants Sunday, August 7 – Euba Wednesday, August 10 – Vili Verhovsek Sunday, August 14 – Burlington Concert Band  Burlington Concert Band – in full flight. Summer Concerts finale with the Burlington Concert Band as they perform Broadway, classical and contemporary selections.
July 22, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
DuffleBag Theatre will take over the Lowville School house Saturday afternoon for a fun-filled and hilarious interactive storytelling. They’ve been doing this since 1992, and now feel they can call themselves the “Nearly World Famous” DuffleBag Theatre. The DuffleBag actors, there will be four of them on the stage, begin retelling an adaptation of a well known fairy tale that is full of wit and humour. Just when the audience becomes enthralled by the story – a twist is created!  These four DuffelBag actors will from the core of the production – other actors will be drawn from the audience. People from the audience are asked to come up on stage and join in the action. At this point the play becomes an unpredictable performance and a hilarious experience for all ages and a truly unique interactive theatrical experience where the dream of living a fairy tale actually does come true! The program this Saturday afternoon begin at 2:00 pm with a workshop for those who want to learn something about being on the stage and developing ideas and learning xxx After the workshop – the “production” begins. DuffleBag has always been known for their ability to adapt and change things quickly. They will be doing Robin Hood and given that there is all kinds of great outdoor space they just might move part of the production outdoors. Robin Hood and his merry band of men did hide out in Sherwood Forest didn’t they? Where did the name DuffelBag come from? The theatre company uses duffel bags to carry all the costumes and props to each of their events. Great entertainment for the whole family in a wonderful rural setting. There is more to Burlington than Spencer Smith Park. 3:00pm
June 20th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON The Burlington Bandits snapped a two-game skid with an 11-5 road win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday night.  Beating the Leafs will certainly do a lot for the morale of the Bandits but the distance between the bottom three teams in the league and the top five is a lot to over come. It’s pretty clear where the winners are at this point in the season. Julian Johnson went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and three runs. Justin Whaley had four hits, three RBI and scored twice, Justin Gideon singled twice and drove in a run and scored once, Carlos Villoria had two hits, an RBI and run, and Nolan Pettipiece added a double, RBI and run. Kevin Hussey had two hits and scored twice, and Robert Tavone singled and doubled. Jack Dennis (2-4) picked up the win, allowing three runs on two hits over seven innings, striking out 10 and walking six. The sixth-place Bandits improved to 8-20. Justin Marra had two hits for the Leafs, including his 11th home run of the season. Marra drove in two. Ryan White added a single and RBI and scored once. Brett van Pelt (1-5) took the loss, giving up five runs on nine hits over six innings, walking two and striking out eight. Fifth-place Toronto fell to 15-16. Future games Friday, July 22
July 19th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
The Lowville Festival will again be presenting superb musical and theatrical experiences for audiences old and young in north Burlington’s majestic Escarpment country.  Rob Missen and Loretta Bailey on stage at the first Lowville Festival. The inaugural Lowville Festival in July 2015 was such a success that Co-Artistic Directors Robert Missen, Lorretta Bailey and Barbara Anderson-Huget decided to make it into an annual event. This year’s festival will again feature some of Burlington and region’s finest performing artists. The Lowville Festival defines itself as “a festival of all the arts for the artist in all of us”. The ultimate aim is not only to feature all of the performing, visual and literary arts, but to provide opportunities for audiences to participate in the creative process. To that end, local singers were invited to join the Lowville Festival Choir, which will appear in the opening concert. Patrons of the Folkies’ Choice concert will be invited to choose which of the featured songwriters should be saluted in a 2017 concert. And children will have an opportunity to participate in a workshop with the nationally acclaimed Dufflebag Theatre. The 2016 festival begins Friday July 22nd with a concert at St. George’s Hall at the Anglican Church – Music for a summer night – Classic and Classical. The concert will feature superb artists in performances of classical, jazz, musical theatre, cabaret, pop and crossover music. These include Burlington’s Charles Cozens, Renee Barabash, Trevor Copp, Robert Missen and Lorretta Bailey, Guelph’ s James Gordon and Toronto’s David Warrack. A highlight will be an appearance by the Lowville Festival Choir under the direction of Hamilton-born Wayne Strongman, former conductor of the Bach-Elgar Choir.  Lowville School House is the venue for the Children’s Workshop and Robin Hood production. Saturday’s daytime activities will take place in Lowville’s Old Schoolhouse, a limestone edifice located right in the centre of the hamlet of Lowville. Dufflebag Theatre, the popular kids theatre company from London, Ontario, will present a performance of Robin Hood. Prior to the performance there will be a workshop.  Stuart Laughton – with one of his many horns will be playing at the Lowville United Church on Saturday. Lowville United Church will play host on Saturday night to Folkies’ Delight: The Best of the Singer song Writers. Burlington’s Andy Griffiths and Stuart Laughton, Hamilton’s Jude Johnson and Carl Horton, Dundas’s Ariel Rogers and Toronto’s Paul Novotny will offer a tribute to eight great songwriters- Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Buffy Ste. Marie, Cat Stevens, Carole King, Leonard Cohen and Stan Rogers. The festival finale, to be presented at Lowville United Church in the afternoon of Sunday July 24th, is Love Letters , A. R. Gurney’s popular two-character play. The performance, which features Lorretta Bailey and Eric Trask, nationally renowned actors resident in Lowville who also happen to be husband and wife, will be a fundraiser for the festival.  The choir has grown to more than 60 voices – Friday at St; George Hall at the Anglican church on Guelph Line and Dundas. The Lowville Festival is the vision of two Burlington performing artists, Lorretta Bailey, a Lowville resident, who has performed in musical theatre productions across Canada, including the original Toronto production of Les Miserables, and Robert Missen, proprietor of the Bobolink Agency, one of the country’s pre-eminent artist management companies, who was the 2016 inductee into the Burlington Performing Arts Centre Hall of Fame. They have been joined by Barbara Anderson-Huget, and former Managing Director of the Guelph Jazz Festival and Executive Director of CARFAC Ontario, the association of visual artists. A FESTIVAL OF ALL THE ARTS FOR THE ARTIST IN ALL OF US – JULY 22-24, 2016 Saturday, July 23; 2:00pm 3:00pm Saturday, July 23; 7:30pm Sunday, July 24; 3:00pm The Festival is using the Snap’d service for ticket sales. Tickets are available on line There is an “all shows” package for $70 – pretty good value.
July 19th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
What a way to do business. You open early. You close when you are sold out And if that happens to be just three hours after you opened – well that was your lucky day.  Tucked in to the west of the Art Gallery – entrance off the Art Gallery parking lot. With that kind of a schedule no wonder they call themselves the Sunshine Donut Company. One of the ways you know a product is worth buying is – watch for how many police officers or fire fighters drop buy.  That SOLD OUT sign has been known to go up within three hours of opening. The Burlington Cream is not to be missed – but you have to be there early. At $4 bucks apiece that may seem a little extreme – d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s! The margins are obviously fantastic.
Run by the same people who operate Son of a Peach – a pizza shop on Pine
July 18th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
Our fair city has decided to join much of Canada on August 20th when, if things work out the way a lot of people would like them to work out – thousands will be able to sit on the grass at Spencer Smith Park and watch a CBC simulcast of the final scheduled concert of The Tragically Hip. Oh – and it is going to cost the city a cool $12,500 – the Burlington Downtown Business Association will somehow come up with the second $12,500 – for a total cost of $25,000 Council voted to go forward with this one – everyone voted for – except for Councillor Craven. He saw the event as a nice to have – which isn’t quite his cup of tea.  Gord Downie, lead of the Tragically Hip. CBC has waived its usual licensing fee with some conditions – there can be no sponsorship – so anyone putting up dollars is going to get a thank you. There are some conditions. No alcohol can be sold. The city does not yet have a no smoking bylaw in public parks on the books. The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, are a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of lead singer Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Fay. Since their formation in 1984 they have released 13 studio albums, two live albums, 1 EP, and 54 singles. Nine of their albums have reached No. 1 in Canada. They have received numerous Canadian Music awards, including 14 Juno awards. The night the country sits down in parks and arenas across the country to watch the Tragically Hip put on their final concert knowing that the lead has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer will be a hard evening. Gord Downie is in the centre with, in no particular order, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Fay. As the band was getting ready to announce their summer tour they also announced that Gord Downie had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. The out-pouring of public emotion led to CBC deciding to broadcast the final concert that was to be held in Kingston. CBC then decided to let other municipalities across the country simulcast the program. Brian Dean, chief at the BDBA, delegated to council and explained what Councillor Marianne Meed Ward had put in front of Council by Memorandum earlier in the day. She pointed out that the idea had come together very quickly and it looked as if cities across the country were going to do what they could to simulcast the event. Mead Ward is putting $1000 from her Councillor’s budget into the pot. The ad hoc committee is reaching out to the federal and provincial governments (good luck at that level). Some thought was given to Central Arena as a location – until they realized that the Children’s Festival is going to take place the following day and that stages will have been set up with porta potties in place – Spencer Smith Park became the obvious choice.  Brian Dean with ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward the day the city got rid of the old parking meters and installed an expensive replacement that doesn’t provide better service. Dean, who could sell ice cubes to Eskimo’s, assured council that this was really quite do-able and presented Council with an outline of the costs. When Dean doesn’t want the public to know what he is up to, he limits the information he shares; when he wants the public to know the media is showered with data. Media were not given a copy of his cost breakdown. It didn’t matter – the city manager sensed what council wanted and said that staff would provide oversight and that all the invoices would come to the city for payment. A formal application has been submitted to the Special Events Team (SET) who gave approval in principle. They are also working on getting an exemption from the noise bylaw that requires events to shut down at 11:00 pm. The concert is expected to run until 11:30 pm Meed Ward who exuded enthusiasm for the event suggested it was going to be the emotional equivalent of the winning goal Paul Henderson scored for Team Canada in 1972 The city manager wanted the cost of staff time that would be involved to be part of what the city has to come up with. The event is 32 days away. Staff will have to hustle to make it happen and the city manager will make sure that the costs are controlled. It took a two thirds majority vote to waive the city’s procedural by law and another vote to permit Dean to speak. If Council can do that in one meeting – the rest is a lead pipe cinch. It has taken some time to figure out what the city manager is and what he isn’t. Observing him for the past 18 months the Gazette has found it difficult to say just what kind of an administrator he is. While he talks the talk of community engagement – he doesn’t really walk that talk. However, what is now very clear is that James Ridge is a very fiscally prudent man. Nothing is going to go seriously wrong on his watch. He may over promise from time to time – he certainly did that with a work plan he once put forward – but when it comes to watching where the dollars go – nothing disastrous is going to happen on his watch. Should that ever happen – the good Army Captain will choose to fall on his sword. Where was he when the pier fiasco was being managed at city hall? August 20th – mark that one on your calendar. With Meed Ward back on the BDBA as the Council representative – things like this get done.
July 18th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON We were advised this morning that the errors on the plaque have been corrected. Ed Keenleyside just might be sleeping a little better these days – The Cenotaph that is tucked beside city hall on Brant Street is getting a clean-up.  Ed Keenleyside at the Cenotaph. Keenleyside has been researching the names of the 82 casualties etched on the Cenotaph with plans to publish an informative book, which will put faces and personalities to those who died so many years ago. “I have information on all but one name and that person, J. W. Williamson, is among the 44 World War II fatalities. If anyone can identify this person Keenleyside would be most grateful. Please contact him at at ekeenleyside@cogeco.ca if you can help. But that isn’t Keenleyside’s biggest issue – he was close to spitting nickels when he say the errors in the small plaque to the rear of the monument explain the memorial. Within the handful of sentences describing this important monument said Keenleyside DATE are the following mistakes: 1. There are 38 World War I casualties listed on the memorial, not 39.  Ed Keenleyside identified a number of significant error on this plaque. In addition to the embarrassing errors on the plaque, Keenleyside wonders why the Korean War Veterans are recognized at the base of the Cenotaph but the Afghanistan War Veterans are not recognized. Ed Keenleyside can’t understand why the plaque that explains the history of the war memorial he is standing beside has so many errors on it. The Gazette hasn’t had an opportunity to check and see if the piece of metal with the errors inscribed has been replaced. We expect to hear from Keenleyside on this matter. The cenotaph was dedicated in April 1922 by Lord Byng (Govenor General of Canada) and was originally located in a park setting on the downtown shore of Lake Ontario. The memorial was moved to its present location after the construction of the new City Hall in 1962.  Remembered, respected. Now to ensure that it is accurate and up to date. The Cenotaph consists of five pieces of granite, stacked in a plinth and is topped with a sculpture of a World War I soldier cast in bronze. The names of 38 WWI fatalities from Burlington and Nelson Township are engraved on both sides of the column. On the back of the column the names of 17 key WWI Canadian battle locations such as Vimy Ridge, Arras, Mons, Ypres and the Somme are engraved. On the front of the column is a large bronze plaque four feet by three feet in size, with the names inscribed of 44 service people from this area who died in WWII. Repair work will include: removal of loose corrosion products and accumulated dirt from the bronze statue, plaque and granite base; application of hot and cold wax to the bronze statue and plaque; filling in small bronze losses with wax; surface cleaning the bronze plaque and replacing missing hardware; replacing iron hardware with copper or stainless steel hardware; re-coating the lead lettering with black paint as required; replacing failing mortar on the granite base and surrounding pad. Keenleyside spots errors on plaque describing the war memorial.
July 18th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
Getting community culture funded in Burlington is a tricky business. Culture and the arts gets managed at the Parks and Recreation level, Burlington has not yet grown to the point where it has a group dedicated to culture – there isn’t yet a full realization that culture is an economic driving force that has to be managed and effectively promoted. In the past few years a cultural underground that is a lot bigger than most people realize has begun to organize itself – it is more vocal than effective at this point – but it does have potential. Herding cats is easier than getting artists to sing from the same hymn book. At some point the political leadership or the administrative will come to the surface and changes will take place. In the meantime we muddle our way through a mushy place where most people mutter the right words but not much real change takes place.  Selina Eckersall chose Village Square as the location for the second No Vacancy vent which they called Cirque. It was a huge success. Last week the fissures in the cultural file were evident when ward 2 Councillor Meed Ward put forward a motion to grant a group putting on a significant cultural event for the fourth year. The group had previously been turned down by the Parks and Recreation program because they weren’t a new event. Meed Ward wanted the group to be given $4000 which members of Council went along with at the Standing committee level – it has yet to be approved by Council. In her memorandum to city council Meed Ward explained that “No Vacancy is a non profit charitable agency whose mission is to bring contemporary art and culture to Burlington. They have previously sponsored two other art events: Cirque (2014) and Super Nova (2015).” Meed Ward didn’t mention the first No Vacancy event that was held at the Waterfront Hotel in 2103. Council provided one-time funding support for SuperNova, as well as funding for the Car- Free Street festivals in wards 4,5 and 6 and a Janes’ Walk in ward 1. Funding was not sought by the No Vacancy people during this year’s budget for their Moonglade, because they were pretty sure funding would be available under the new Community Investment Fund (CIF). However, that fund turned out to be for new events. Moonglade is new in the sense that it is a different location and theme, although still run at the same time of year by the same organization. As such, the event doesn’t neatly fit the existing criteria of the CIF.  Tomy Bewick intoned in a strong passionate voice while Teresa Seaton spread the stained glass feathers about the ground. The event was one of the strongest features in the 2015 No Vacancy SuoerNova event. Mead Ward said that “this is an event and an organization we want to support until such time as criteria are developed for ongoing community-delivered events. Currently, staff are working on a revised festivals and events strategy. The issue of ongoing event funding will no doubt be a topic of discussion, given the city currently does fund some existing events year over year (eg Sound of Music), and has funded Car Free Festivals again this year. Meed Ward trotted out the line we are going to hear for the next five years – “the event aligns well with Burlington’s new Strategic Plan, the direction of an Engaging City.” The strong point in Meed Wards request that Council contribute funds was the additional partners the event has brought into their tent. The Art Gallery of Burlington and the Burlington Downtown Business Association are very much on board with the No Vacancy initiative. This year the event will be held in Brock Park behind the Art Gallery and inside the building as well. The city can be a partner as well. The request got past the Standing committee and goes to city council Monday evening. Selina Eckersall, head of No Vacancy, the group that has put on three events, two of which were unqualified successes, had managed to put together an agreement with the Art Gallery of Burlington to hold the event at that location for their fourth event.  Culture – it was in 2014 at the No Vacancy Cirque event. This has to be looked upon as a marriage made in heaven. The Art Gallery has all kinds of nooks and crannies that are ideal for the kind of event that No Vacancy does. Their first event at the Waterfront Hotel was small but broke new ground in terms of cultural audacity for this city. The second, held at the Village Square broke records in terms of audience attendance and the eclectic mix of participants that ranged from Belly Dancers to Teresa Seaton Stained Glass – and that is a stretch when it comes to art in Burlington. But it worked and the No Vacancy people heightened their ambitions and decided to hold their third event on Old Lakeshore Road. It suffered from overreach and too large a space – and not enough in the way of volunteer help. Lessons were learned.  Robert Steven is showing the city that he is prepared to do things differently. Having a CEO at the Art Gallery prepared to reach out and try something new was just what No Vacancy needed. Robert Steven showed the city that he was prepared to do things differently when he sponsored a concert at the Performing Arts Centre where he made better use of the space than the staff over there do. Inviting the No Vacancy crowd into the AGB was a brilliant move that was aided by the fact that Eckersall, was named the Arts Person of the Year award in the 2014 Burlington Best event now also sits on the Board of the AGB. With at least some of the core funding they need in place – MoonGlade can now continue with their plans and show the city what they can do in perhaps the best location available in the city.  Lone Garden will again be part of No Vacancy’s MoonGlade this year Kune Hua, one of the 17 participants, is growing an even bigger Love Garden. There is a man in blue wearing red sneakers that is somehow involved in promoting the event.
July 18th, 2106 BURLINGTON, ON People enjoyed the city over the weekend – and there was a bit of a breeze. The audiences for the KooGle Theatre Company production of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee were very good as was the audience for The Taming of the Shrew at Thinkspot in Lowville.  Shakespeare in Lowville. The Shrew production was an incredibly different and innovative take on what the bard wrote. The Driftwood Theatre Company is known for doing thought provoking, at time hilarious productions of Shakespeare’s work. Thinkspot has become known for bringing them to the city. The Thinkspot event has been for just the one evening in an outdoor theatre. The audience this year was larger than last year.  Spelling Bee cast talks to the audience after its opening last week. The Spelling Bee runs for an additional week at the Performing Arts Centre – two of the four nights the first week were sold out. Book your tickets now for this one. Fun evening. The Mayor is reported to have been able to spell some of the words he was given but even he was eventually led off the stage by Muscle Bound Mike. You need to see the play to fully appreciate that actor. The Bandits took a licking on the baseball diamond. The Bandits will play again this weekend – hopefully they will do better. The Lowville Festival begins on Friday the 22nd at the Anglican Church in Lowville where a 60+ member choir will be entertaining. This is the Second Annual Lowville Festival – an event that is finding its legs and adding to the locally based entertainment program. City council meets this evening – then they are off for their summer break. This Council is at the halfway point of their current term of office. All were re-elected last time around.
July 15th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON There is something fun about musicals – they always start with a burst of energy and you know you are going to be entertained. As the actors and actresses take to the stage you wonder how they are going to portray their character, more than often there is a surprise or two. Thursday night the KooGle Theatre Company opened “The 25thAnnuual Putnam County Spelling Bee” with a cast of nine supplemented by four members of the audience who volunteered to be part of the spelling bee. Their names weren’t provided but the woman who was asked to spell “cow” did not expect to be on her knees on the stage with Muscle bound Mitch Mahoney, played by Giovanni Spina, as he comforted her when she failed to spell a word. The audience didn’t expect to see Jesus in the balcony either as he spoke to one of the players. It was that kind of night. The cast on stage taking questions from the audience. First night was SOLD OUT – as are many of the seven day run performances. Mark Allan, playing Leaf Coneybear, didn’t really know how to spell but had a “divining rod” that took over his mind and his body as he blurted out the letters to words he didn’t even understand. He was the nut case who turned in a funny performance of a whimsical character. The chair of the Spelling Bee – she was winner in the 3rd Annual Putnam County event, stroked the microphone stand in a way that said much more than she perhaps wanted to convey. Cara Pantalone, playing Rona Lisa Perretti was that busy, supressed personality that runs the show – she sold real estate. The awkward teenage Boy Scout, played by Daniel Spragge, who had let himself slip into a day dream of some wished for girl in his life that produced an erection he was not able to hide was one of the funnier characters on the stage. I had the pleasure of sitting between Deb Tymstra and Loretta Bailey in the balcony and will not forget the Bailey laugh, it came from deep in her throat, she was thoroughly enjoying the Boy Scout and his predicament. Baily once played a leading role in Les Miserable in Toronto and will be performing at the Lowville Festival on the 24th of July. The contest judge, played by Christopher Gray, did explain and apologized for the “unfortunate incident” that required him to bow out of the judge job in a previous spelling bee. He assured his audience that he had worked on his problem. Marcy Park, played by Laura Caswell, was waiting for her Dad who had her contest entrance fee, did a superb performance as she sang in a very plaintive voice the words “Mama – chanti” as the Mother who had been in an ashram in India and the Father who didn’t always show up stood on either side looking away from their child. Her blossoming affection for William Barfee, played by Niko Combitsis, was tender, touching and for this reviewer, stole the show. Mary Park won the hearts of the audience and the Spelling Bee trophy as well. Barfee was certainly the strongest character on the stage who did a short tap dance, a skill he began to acquire in January. How his dancing and spelling go together is something you are going to have to see to fully appreciate. Olive Ostrovsky, who spoke six languages, was played by Shaina Silver-Baird who came to the conclusion that wining was perhaps not all it was cracked up to be and left the stage on the back of muscle bound Mitch.  One of the four volunteer contestants in the Spelling Bee returned to the stage for his bib. They had a lot of fun. Leslie Kay and Christopher Gray performed well – KooGle is their theatre company and it was their efforts and energy that brought the play to the stage of the Community Studio. Christopher has this capacity to expand the character he is playing with small deft movements that convey much more than the words he speak. There is a tightness to the man that works well; not controlled but very evident. He is to be appreciated. The Performing Arts Centre is a superb location – we are fortunate to have the place. The Spelling Bee – try it – light summer fare that is worth the time. If you are one of those brave souls with a sense of adventure – sign up to be a contestant – there are four spots available for each performance. They were sold out their opening night and are sold out for several of the seven day run which is: July 14th to 16th and July 21st to 23rd at 7:30 pm in the Community Theatre. The play also runs at 2:00 pm from July 17th to 24th.
July 14, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
We are still in the throes of summer – but that doesn’t slow down the people who organize the annual fall Art in Action Studio Tour.  Darlene Throop the Art in Action Scholarship Chair and Emma Roberts winner of the 2016 scholarship They get the early word out each year by announcing their scholarship winner. This year Emma Roberts, a graduate of Hayden High school who is going on to do a Bachelor of Design through York University and Sheridan College. As well as winning the scholarship Emma will be included in this year’s Art in Action Burlington Studio Tour on the first weekend of November. Darlene Throop the Scholarship Chair and the jurying members found that the number of high quality applications made it very difficult decision.
July 14th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON It’s the day the actors take to the stage – and if they aren’t ready now – they will never be ready.  A tried and true comedy put on by a production company with significant depth and experience. The KooGle Theatre Company is mounting their second major piece of summer theatre at the Performing Art Centre – this time if you’re in the audience and you think you are a good speller – you will be invited to leave your seat and join the actors and actresses on the stage in the Community Studio. You will be taking part in a production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee The first KooGle production was I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, a musical comedy that was the second-longest running Off Broadway musical. The ‘Spelling Bee’, a long one-act musical comedy, centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School. Six quirky adolescents compete in the Bee, run by three equally quirky grown-ups. Christopher Gray, half of the KooGle artistic team plays the part of the school vice principal – he grew a mustache for the play which runs from July 14th to 16th and July 21st to 23rd at 7:30 pm in the Community Theatre. The play also runs from July 17th to 24th at 2:00 pm Joint artistic directors Leslie Kay and Christopher Grey met on a stage and have made the stage the passion in their life. When talking one will glance at the other and be able to complete the sentence.  Leslie Kay Leslie Kay was born and raised in Burlington and has been singing and dancing through life since she was a little girl. She loved to belt out songs from Annie and A Chorus Line to her mom’s records and put on shows for her family and neighbours. She enrolled in dance classes when she was 10 and auditioned for her first musical (The King and I) at age 13 with the encouragement of her Grandpa Walker (George) who played the bass fiddle in the orchestra at Hamilton Theatre Inc. Christopher Alan Gray grew up in Chatham, Ontario and began singing at a very young age in his church choir. He then began studying voice and competed in the Kiwanis Music Festival for many years before receiving his Grade 8 Level Singing from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Christopher studied action at Ryerson Theatre School where he received his Honours BFA and worked with many of the greats. He spent a period of time at Stratford as well. Leslie runs the company on a day to day basis while Christopher works in client relationship for one of the major banks.  Christopher Alan Gray He has co-produced, co-written and performed in KooGle’s first four productions – Couple of Swells: A Movie Musical Revue, Rock Around the Clock, Let the Sun Shine, and Broadway Moments. Most recently, KooGle teamed with Symphony on the Bay to present An Afternoon of Rodgers and Hammerstein on the main stage of The Burlington Performing Arts Centre. This sold out show was conducted by Denis Mastromonaco and featured not only the incredible sound of the 50 piece Symphony on the Bay but also fifteen local singers who joined Christopher and Leslie. The name of the company was created to celebrate and remember Leslie’s sister who assed away very young. “There was a game we used to play that we called “koogling” – it seemed fitting to use that word as the name for the theatre company.  Leslie Kay and Christoper Grey – the KooGle Theatre Company. Leslie and Christopher always seem to be on the go while raising two boys – six and nine and coming with new ideas it improve commercial theatre in Burlington. Leslie has done some dance outreach with the Performing Arts Centre, The I love you you’re perfect…” production was basically a sold out event in Burlington that went on to be remounted as a co-production with Angelwalk Theatre in Toronto at The Toronto Centre for the Arts. These two have their own on stage experience and have developed the skills to mount larger production. The Spelling Bee is an Actor’s Equity production with a large cast. The Performing Arts Centre is a “road house” operation that brings in shows from whatever is available. They don’t do productions of their own – but Leslie and Christopher are doing something to fill part of that gap. It will be interesting to watch how Burlington takes to productions of this quality that deserve the Main Stage – it’s all a matter of growing the audience and that is something the KooGle Theatre Company is certainly doing. The Community Studio is a General Admission House and all you need to do is enter the number of seats you want if you are ordering on line. There are already several sold out nights.
July 14th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON If the heat is more than you can manage – and can anyone actually manage this heat – give some thought to a pleasant evening yards away from Bronte Creek in Lowville on a large shaded lawn while you listen to a Shakespearian classic comedy – The Taming of the Shrew
It is nevertheless wonderful use of the English language in a setting that is hard to beat. The play is sponsored by Thinkspot, a Lowville based operation that focuses on shifting the way people think and the way they work together. This is the third year they have sponsored Shakespearian plays done by the Driftwood Theatre Company. The event has become the event that precedes the Lowville Festival which this year begins Friday July 22nd through to Sunday July 24th The Lowville Festival – for the artist in all of us.
July 14, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON It is getting hotter and drier out there – dry enough for the fire chief to temporarily ban all outside fires—including open air burning, controlled brush burning and recreational burning—as well as banning the use of charcoal barbecues in city parks.  BBQ’s that use charcoal have been banned in city parks. “To ensure public safety, the ban on charcoal barbecues applies to the picnic areas of three city parks—LaSalle, Lowville and Hidden Valley—where propane barbecues will still be allowed,” said Mary Battaglia, director of roads and parks maintenance with the city. City parks are available for social and picnic use. Users are encouraged to book a permit in advance of their preferred dates. Request a booking online at www.burlington.ca/rentals, call 905-335-7738 or visit www.burlington.ca/picnics for more information. If you are unsure if a fire ban is in effect, please contact the Burlington Fire Department at 905-637-8253 or visit www.burlington.ca/openairburning for more information about open air burning and safety tips.
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Hamilton Cardinals were beaten by Toronto Maple Leafs in a 9-5 road win.
Whatever papers have to be signed – are signed and the event will start at between 8-8:15 p.m. at Spencer Smith Park with introductory remarks prior to the broadcast of the final Tragically Hip concert that will begin at 8:30 p.m., with the broadcast coming in live from Kingston courtesy of the CBC who have waived their licensing rights.
The play’s apparent misogynistic elements have become the subject of considerable controversy, particularly among modern scholars, audiences and readers.