Well folks it’s here: Labour Day weekend, the final long weekend of the summer. And it’s a good one, with the Port of Orillia/downtown Orillia BIA teaming up to provide a special Pirate Party to round off the summer.
Before we get into that, a huge shout out to Lucia McGarvey, Linda Tiffin, Molly Farquaharson, Leslie Fournier, and all the wonderful artists we have in our fantastic community for a special Starry Night last weekend. We all truly felt the magic.
The Pirate Party gets started with a treasure hunt all day Friday in downtown Orillia and then the grand arrival of the pirate flotilla into the Port of Orillia at 5 p.m. Friday. The Ronnie Douglas Band will take over entertainment from 7 to 9 p.m. that night.
Saturday there is tons of swashbuckling fun both downtown, where the streets will be closed from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. (also to include the last patio night of the summer), and at the Port of Orillia. Downtown, the pirate treasure hunt continues as well as lots of other activities, including family craft drop-ins at the Orillia Public Library, and a pirate party at the Sunken Ship Tiki Bar starting at 6 p.m.
At the port, there is a vendor market and a pirate village featuring all kinds of demos, three battle re-enactments throughout the day, photo shoots and costume contests, and at 2:30 p.m. the Walk the Plank with all of your favourite VIPs. The band that night at the Port is The Fat Tony Band, playing from 8 to 11 p.m.
Sunday, the vendor market and pirate village continue down at the port, as do the battle re-enactments, while the featured band in the evening is Orangeman.
It really is a wicked good time, with lots of costumes and re-enactors joining in the fun, and lots of pirated-themed decorated boats down. Definitely take the time to bring the family to the park and see what’s going on. For the full schedule of events, go to the Orillia Chamber website here.
Chapter and Verse, the bookstore located in Creative Nomad Studios, downstairs, is celebrating its second anniversary this weekend and you are all invited. The sale gets underway Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, same hours, if there is any stock left. Tons of the books and records on site will be discounted to $2 ... so well worth checking out. Happy anniversary Chapter and Verse!
This Thursday and Friday, Quayle’s Brewery is hosting a comedy festival. Tickets are just $25 in advance, $35 at the door, and Thursday’s headliner is none other than Just for Laugh’s Marc-Anthony Sinagoga, famous for a gut-splitting impersonation of none other than Doug Ford. You can get tickets and more information here.
A quick look ahead into September, as there is no column next week:
The weekends of Sept. 21 and 28, The Orillia Youth Centre is hosting a plethora of fundraising concerts, various places with various artists (see my column last week for details). These will all be seriously great shows and, of course, the money is going towards a great cause. Hope to see you out at them!
Arts Orillia is hosting a new five-day event, Future Fest, Sept. 23-28 at various locales. Future Fest aims to look at the future, through art. CBC Quirks and Quarks’ Bob McDonald will kick things off with a lecture and book signing at St. Paul’s Centre Sept. 23 at 7 p.m., titled The Future is Now. Tickets available here.
Sept. 25 TALL Talks kicks off with Arts Orillia’s four talks about the future of creativity and sustainability, this event is free to TALL subscribers and cash at the door for everyone else.
Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. Arts Orillia presents Hard Wire, a physical theatre piece at the Orillia Opera House which follows two scientists as they work against time. Also that night, enjoy Your World Soon, an eco-art exhibit featuring augmented reality, film, drawing, and painting. Tickets available through the Orillia Opera House box office here.
Finally, the festival finishes off with free events as part of Ontario Culture Days, a community art collaboration titled Postcards to the Future, and You are swimming here, an augmented reality experience, at the Orillia Recreation Centre Sept. 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Lots more details and a festival pass available through the Arts Orillia website.
Also, keep an eye out for film announcements as the Mariposa Arts Theatre film nights begin Wednesday, Sept. 18 at the Galaxy Theatre. Some good ones coming up I am sure!
The Orillia Museum of Art and History (OMAH) and the Orillia SPCA are partnering up to do a fundraiser Aug. 31 and Sept. 21 between 1 and 4 p.m. where you can bring your pets to the exhibits AND get a portrait done with them as well, with donations going to the Orillia SPCA.
Also get ready for OMAH’s first History Speaker Series event of this fall, featuring Dr. Chris Decker speaking about the history of the Orillia Opera House. This is a don’t miss, free zoom event. To get your tickets, visit www.orilliamuseum.org/7-24.
Live music this weekend all over, as we celebrate the last long weekend of the summer. Have a great week and if you have arts news, send it to [email protected] by Tuesday at noon to be included.
