 By Pepper Parr
August 2nd, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It will be interesting to see the look on Mayor Goldring’s face when a poem written by Hanz Mirck, Apeldoorn’s resident poet, is read to him at the Different Drummer Books on August 12th.
The poem was commissioned by the Apeldoorn City Poet Committee, a group that is very active.
Our Mayor is a little uncomfortable with things emotional. Sitting in a room while someone reads a poem directly to him will be a different experience.
 Mayors of Apeldoorn and Burlington Our relationship with Apeldoorn is very strong – city staff have met with Apeldoorn city employees and there is the potential for some economic development between the two cities.
 Apeldoorn has this palace – we have Spencer Smith Park A look at the cultural activity in Apeldoorn suggests they are much more advanced than we are with local culture. It is an older society with a richer and more appreciated heritage and culture.
The event takes place Friday, August 12, 2016, 2 to 3 p.m., at the A Different Drummer Books.
At some point in the future perhaps Burlington will commission Tomy Bewick to do a poetry piece that he can present at the Poetry Slam and then have it read to the Mayor of Apeldoorn
 By Pepper Parr
July 29th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There is a difference in interviewing the local MPP who sits as a back bencher with a couple of pet projects and interviewing a Minister of the Crown who has also been appointed to Treasury Board and runs a Ministry that has three sections: Tourism, Sports and Culture; each important to not only the well-being of the people in the province but significant sectors of the provincial economy as well.
 MPP Eleanor McMahon at her first public meeting after being named a Minister of the crown in Ontario. It has been almost a world wind experience for Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon and it is far from over. Recruited to the Ontario Liberal Party by Kathleen Wynne personally, McMahon went on to win the riding that had been held for more than 70 years by Conservatives. She brought the ability to connect with people on a deep personal level that was sincere and recognized immediately by people she met with. She is a formidable campaigner.
The public didn’t know all that much about McMahon other than a little about a personal tragedy in her life and a strong commitment to teaching the public to share the road with cyclists.
Her maiden speech in the legislature was pretty standard. Where the city might have seen some of the energy and drive was in August of 2014 when she worked tirelessly to bring the province onside and involve Burlington in the ODRAP – Ontario Disaster Relief and Assistance Program that matched the close to $1 million raised by citizens to aid the more than 300 home owners whose houses were severely damaged.
When the Burlington Community Foundation (since renamed the Burlington Foundation) needed a place for people to be able to donated funds, McMahon was on the telephone and within a very short period of time convinced the national offices of the United Way to let Burlington use their web site. Connections at that level are what McMahon is very good at- she had once worked at the United Way national office.
She can be partisan, listen to her at a campaign meeting, she has a positive streak that exceeds that of Mary Poppins
McMahon works from a strong relationship base with people – but don’t cross her. She has a strong Irish streak in her that remembers. That Irish streak is conditioned by a strong Catholicism and rooted in a family that is very very close. You don’t see much of the family all that often but they are there.
When the Premier let it be known that she was going to change some of the names on the Cabinet room chairs McMahon’s name got mentioned in the media. The Gazette didn’t see McMahon as Cabinet material but when the list came out her name was there.
We saw McMahon as more of a booster and wished that she would come across as more of a legislator.
There are many people that grow into opportunities that let latent skills and talent come to the surface. That seems to be the kind of experience McMahon is having.
 McMahon took to a loom during a tour of the Art Gallery. she has an exceptionally strong working relationship with Member of Parliament Karina Gould – they share a number of public events – they are actually quite a tag team. The Ministry she was given is a good fit for her. Being made a Minister of the crown brought with it a steep learning curve. As she worked her way through the briefing binders we began to see an Eleanor McMahon that hadn’t been visible before.
She wasn’t exactly a policy wonk but she wasn’t going to be a wall flower either. All the signs so far point to a woman who has rolled up her sleeves and getting into the job.
She jumped right in and became a team player picking up where her predecessor in the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and Culture had left off. In unveiling the province’s first detailed culture strategy the public heard her close to flawless French and her ability to get her tongue around the language the aboriginal world speaks when she unveiled the strategy.
“I am all about words” said McMahon in an exclusive interview with the Gazette.
 McMahon wears a quiet smile as she takes part in a cheque presentation during the massive community effort to raise funds for 2014 flood victims. McMahon was a quiet, unrelenting advocate for the city. In commenting on the province’s decision to sell a portion of Hydro McMahon said the government wanted to see a “tougher, tighter” corporation and having the private sector at the table would result in a more responsive corporation. That’s not something a lot of people in the province are going to agree with.
The belief that “change for the better” is what will improve life for everyone works itself into just about everything McMahon does.
She has bought into the advice a former head of the Toronto Dominion Bank, Ed Clarke gave the Premier when he said: Ontario needs to “catch up to keep up” which has led the provincial government into spending $160 billion on improving the transportation system so that goods and people can move efficiently.
McMahon spoke of thinking “beyond the election cycle” which is good news copy but the voters are always the big elephant in the room.
McMahon is a big picture person. Asked what the Brexit (the United Kingdom pulling out of the European Union) decision is going to mean she will tell you that isolationism is not the answer. Partnering with as many countries as possible is what will keep the Ontario economy strong as it adjusts to the changes taking place in the province’s economy and how it fits into a larger North American and world economy.
McMahon will tell you of the trade mission the Premier recently took to Israel that resulted in an agreement that will see students from that country working at the McMaster University DeGroote School of Business here in Burlington.
 MPP Eleanor McMahon and MP Karina Gould do a Cogeco interview at a public meting that dealt with how Burlington would welcome the Syria refugees coming to Canada A number of months ago McMahon sat in on a discussion with parents who had older autistic children. There are a lot of programs in place for younger autistic children but once they pass the age of 18 there is literally nothing for them.
The group of parents took part in a day long exercise to think through just what the problem was and what might be possible in the way of programs for autistic people who are in their forties with parents who are in the 60’s and 70’s.
When the parents are gone – what happens to these now middle aged people who need help? They fall between the cracks which terrifies the parents.
McMahon listened, and then worked with the group to obtain a Trillium grant that would allow them to do some research and come up with ideas and possible approaches to providing the services these autistic people need.
The provincial government has begun to make changes in the services available to young autistic people. We will follow those developments.
The practice of large corporations basically paying for access to Cabinet Ministers was brought up. McMahon said she was not on the committee that put forward the recommendations the Premier appears to want to follow.
She is however now a Cabinet Minister and there are people who will want to bend her ear. McMahon will tell you she will be transparent and adds that unions and corporations and individuals have a right to be heard. “Why shut them out?” she asked.
She points to the large sums that were raised by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in his drive to win the Democratic presidential nomination and adds that the American’s have Super Pacs – which are organizations created to raise funds and make them available to candidates that share their views.
I don’t think Ontario has heard the last of how political parties are going to handle the raising of funds to pay for their elections. It was interesting to note that McMahon didn’t talk in terms of spending less on elections.
 During the 2014 flood McMahon was out into the community meeting people and listening to their concerns. she was instrumental in convincing the provincial government to march the funds raised locally. She didn’t do it all by herself but when she made those phone calls few could say no to her. The Ministry McMahon leads has a deputy minister and four associate deputy ministers; that run a Ministry that may not seem all that vital on the surface. Tourism, culture and sports reach into every municipality in the province. It is clear to those who have thought it through that culture is an economic driver and that it is tourism that brings people to Ontario.
Canada will begin its sesquicentennial celebration in 2017 – the federal government will go nutso on this one and Ontario will be running alongside them to make the celebration a sound success.
McMahon was recently appointed to the Treasury Board – that’s the table at which the financial decisions are made. No fuzzy thinking at that table. Someone has recognized the McMahon talent.
Ontario Place is part of the file McMahon manages. She recalled riding the water slides when she was younger and wants to see the Children’s Park, which were closed some time ago, put back into Ontario Place that is going through a major upgrade.
The Toronto International Film Festival is something she has a small hand in and she is interested seeing an NHL Winter Classic take place in our part of the world.
And she mentioned that she is working on seeing more “tailgate” parties during Grey Cup week
Expect McMahon to promote local festivals; next year the promoters of the Lowville Festival might manage to get her to one of their events.
 McMahon gets out into the community – she speaks straight from her hart and listen with both ears. She can also glam up when she needs to – but for the most part what you see it shat you get. The demands of the job are close to brutal. McMahon has a very supportive family and a tight circle of friends and associates that are there to help out.
Most weekends she finds herself taking a shopping bag filled with Briefing books to her cottage where she can share time with her family, refresh and get caught up.
There is more to tell you about what McMahon wants to get done and how she thinks she can “change for the better”.
 By Pepper Parr
July 28, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The craft maker residency is more than a year away – but the opportunity is something worth looking at – the – applications are due September 30, 2016 .
The Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB), in collaboration with Craft Ontario (CC), is hosting a residency for up to six makers who work in craft disciplines as part of the inaugural Canadian Craft Biennial and Canada 150 celebration.
 Former MP Mike Wallace on a tour of the Art Gallery – looking at bowls made by potters. The residency will take place at the AGB in Burlington, Ontario. The AGB is home of seven guilds—Potters, Woodcarvers and Sculptors, Photography, Fine Arts, Fibre Arts, Rug Hooking Craft, and Handweavers and Spinners.
Each guild has their own fully equipped studio including ceramics with three different types of kilns (Raku, gas and electric), and a weaving studio with looms of many sizes. The residency aims to engage with the themes of the Biennale which include identity, materiality and the topical issues concerning Canada today.
 Six residencies are being created for craft makers at the Art Gallery The residency will provide a unique opportunity for the selected makers to exchange processes and ideas of their own medium and try new ones. A large open studio will provide each participant with a working table and materials, outdoor space will also be available, as well as access to the AGB studios and the possibility to work and exchange with guild members. We are looking for a range of makers both in terms of experience, and materials and processes used. A writers’ residency will take place at the same time doubling the opportunities to exchange with curators, scholars and critics.
Residents will:
Reside in shared accommodation with other members of the residency.
Attend workshops in various mediums
Engage with craft practitioners and theoreticians in a variety of settings
Actively participate in discussion with co-residents (makers and writers) in both structured and informal environments.
Attend the 2-day conference, part of the Can Craft? Craft Can! Biennale.
At the conclusion, residents will have the opportunity to discuss their experience as part of a round-table discussion that will be presented during the 2-day conference.
The residency will pay for travel to Burlington, Ontario, housing for the 10-days of the residency and will provide a per-diem allowance.
 Denis Longchamps, Curator at the Art Gallery of Burlington. To apply, submit the following by September 30, 2016 to Denis Longchamps, Artistic Director and Chief Curator, Art Gallery of Burlington, by email at denis@agb.life
A CV (3 pages max.) outlining your education, and working and exhibition experience as you see it relating to this residency.
A 300 word letter of intent outlining your hopes for the outcome of your attendance and how the residency fits into your broader career aspirations.
Written documents should be in Word or PDF and PC compatible format.
Up to 5 images of your most recent works (JPG, 1024 x 768 dpi) and a list of images.
 By Staff
July 28th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Bandits are part of the bottom three in the InterCounty Baseball League standings. Hamilton and Guelph are beneath Burlington.
The London Majors won their fifth straight game and can still finish first after their 12-3 win over the Burlington Bandits Wednesday night.
 London (25-9) trails Kitchener by a game but has two games remaining, including a showdown at home Friday against the Panthers.
Michael Ambrose led the offence against Burlington, going 3-for-5 with two singles and a triple. He added two RBI and a run. Chris MacQueen also had two singles and a triple, driving in a run and scoring twice. Keith Kandel had two hits, two RBI and two runs, while Kyle Gormandy and Tristan Buntrock each had two hits, an RBI and run.
Byron Reichstein had an RBI, and Carlos Arteaga added three hits and three runs.
Oscar Perez (6-3) went six innings for the win, scattering eight hits and two earned runs while striking out five without walking a batter.
Ryan Beckett (2-6) took the loss, allowing six runs (five earned) on 11 hits over seven innings, striking out five and walking three.
At the plate, Kevin Hussey singled, tripled and scored twice as Burlington fell to 10-24 and is locked into sixth place heading into playoffs next week.
Canice Ejoh had three hits, Robert Tavone doubled twice and drove in a run, Julian Johnson had an RBI, and Carlos Villoria singled twice and scored once.
In Brantford Brandon Dailey had three hits and three RBI to lead the Brantford Red Sox to a 7-1 win over the Guelph Royals Wednesday night.
Benjamin Bostick, Chris Dennis and Mike Burk all had a hit, RBI and run, Wayne Forman drove in a run, and Tyler Patzalek had two hits and a run.
Nathan Forer (7-2) picked up the win, throwing five innings and giving up a run on three hits, striking out six and walking two.
Fourth-place Brantford is 20-14 but three games back of Barrie.
Jeff MacLeod had the Royals’ RBI. Matt Schmidt picked up two hits and scored the lone run, while Adam Rossit singled twice.
Marc Andre-Major (0-1) took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in five innings, striking out seven and walking five.
Seventh-place Guelph is 7-27 and tied with Hamilton at the bottom of the standings.
Future games
Thursday, July 28
Hamilton at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.
London at Burlington, 7:30 p.m.
 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
By Pepper Parr
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.
 By Pepper Parr
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.
 By Staff
July 23, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Kitchener Panthers beat Brantford Red Sox 10-4 Friday night for their fifth straight win.
 Hamilton Cardinals were beaten by Toronto Maple Leafs in a 9-5 road 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
Saturday, July 23
Toronto at Burlington, 1 p.m.
London at Guelph, 7:30 p.m.
Barrie at Brantford, 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 24
Brantford at Toronto, 2 p.m.
London at Hamilton, 2 p.m.
Guelph at Barrie, 7 p.m.
Burlington at Kitchener, 7 p.m.
 By Staff
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.
By Pepper Parr
July 22, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s on!
 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.
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:
That City Council authorize matching funds up to $12,500 from the Tax Rate Stabilization Fund to assist with funding the live CBC rebroadcast of the Tragically Hip concert, Aug. 20, in Spencer Smith Park
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.
 By Staff
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
An eight piece band that recreates the rock and roll sensations from the 1950s and 1960s.
Sunday, August 7 – Euba
The spotlight is on the tuba quartet, sure to surprise and please the most eager music enthusiasts with their musical presentation.
Wednesday, August 10 – Vili Verhovsek
A powerhouse singer from Hamilton, Ontario, Vili sings all the vintage favourites from the 1950s and 1960s – Elvis, Orbison, Sinatra.
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.
 By Staff
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?
Expect the unexpected from this unique interactive production.
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.
The Festival is using the Snap’d service for ticket sales. Tickets are available on line
Saturday, July 23; 2:00pm
Workshop for Children with Dufflebag Theatre Company
Old Lowville Schoolhouse
$25 for both workshop & show
3:00pm
Robin Hood by Dufflebag Theatre
Old Lowville Schoolhouse
$15
By Staff
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
Thursday, July 21
Hamilton at Kitchener, 7:30 p.m.
Burlington at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 22
Toronto at Hamilton, 7:30 p.m.
Guelph at London, 7:35 p.m.
Kitchener at Brantford, 8 p.m.
By Jim Riley
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.
Online tickets available at Snapped:
A FESTIVAL OF ALL THE ARTS FOR THE ARTIST IN ALL OF US – JULY 22-24, 2016
Friday, July 22; 7:30pm
Music for a Summer Night – Classic and Classical
St. George’s Church Hall
$25 online (advance) $30 at the door;
Saturday, July 23; 2:00pm
Workshop for Children with Dufflebag Theatre Company
Old Lowville Schoolhouse
$25 for both workshop & show
3:00pm
Robin Hood by Dufflebag Theatre
Old Lowville Schoolhouse
$15
Saturday, July 23; 7:30pm
Folkies’ Delight: The Best of The Singer/Songwriters
Lowville United Church
$25 advance (online); $30 at the door
Sunday, July 24; 3:00pm
Love Letters by A. R. Gurney
Lowville United Church
$25 online (advance); $30 at the door
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.
By Pepper Parr
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.
 Location – not the easiest place to find – at the south end of the Art Gallery parking lot.
Run by the same people who operate Son of a Peach – a pizza shop on Pine
By Pepper Parr
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.
Hamilton is in; Kingston is in, Charlottetown is in, New Westminster is in and Halifax is in.
 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.
By Pepper Parr
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.
2. The 38 fatalities listed are soldiers from the Great War (or World War I ), not from the Second World War.
3. There are 44 local service people listed from the Second World War, not 43.
 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.
By Pepper Parr
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.
By Pepper Parr
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.
Lowville Festival schedule:
 By Pepper Parr
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.
The performance program describes the cast as six quirky adolescents and the three equally quirky grown up who reveal pasts that are at times hilarious and poignant.
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.
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