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Current events from our area for FEBRUARY 2010
Rotary Club stages classic love story
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast will come alive on stage at Bracebridge’s Rene M. Caisse Theatre in February and March.
The production is the Rotary Club of Bracebridge’s 33rd annual musical and is being directed by Tracy Hoehner-McEwen.
While the sets and characters are a huge part of the classic tale, all the original songs written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman and some new ones, added specifically for the stage version by Menken and Tim Rice, will be performed.
This is the first time Beauty and the Beast, an Academy Award winning animated feature, is being produced by the Rotary Club.
“It’s pretty close to the Disney movie,” says Hoehner-McEwen, who has almost 30 years of experience in stage productions. “They (the public) are going to be very entertained.”
Heading a very talented cast are Katie Minnis (Belle), Ryan Burda (Beast) and Liam Cragg (Gaston).
“Rehearsals are motoring right along,” says Hoehner-McEwen, who is directing her seventh Rotary production. “I’m very impressed with this cast. Things are going very well.”
Those wishing to experience the magic of Beauty and the Beast on stage have seven dates to choose from, including two matinees. Show times are Feb. 25 at 8 p.m., Feb. 26-27 at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 28 at 2 p.m., March 4-5 at 7:30 p.m. and March 6 at 2 p.m.
Whacky musical sure to entertain
A local production of the Broadway musical Nunsense will grace Algonquin Theatre in Huntsville March 4, 5 and 6 with its irreverent take on female monastic life.
The premise: after most of the sisters of the Little Sisters of Hoboken Nunnery succumb to food poisoning after eating tainted vichyssoise, the survivors find themselves short on funds to properly bury all of the dear departed, and so five of them launch a talent show to alleviate the shortfall. The result is fast-paced, non-stop comic and musical fun, featuring, among other things, a riotous audience-participation quiz.
Produced by Sherisse Stevens and Jeanine Spring, the show, written by Dan Goggins, stars Spring as the Reverend Mother, Stevens as Sister Hubert, Tia Pearse as Robert-Anne, Jennifer Creasor as Sister Amnesia and Paula Boone as Sister Leo.
Stevens mounted the production in Huntsville 16 years ago as a dinner theatre piece, and says, “The feedback was very positive; everyone loved it. So I thought about it this year, and wanted to work with a small, very talented group of women, and so I came up with the idea.”
Members of the cast in various combinations have performed in local productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, Aida, Seussical, Gypsy and Fiddler on the Roof.
“It’s such a talented, professional cast that rehearsals go so smoothly,” she says. “It’s wonderful.”
Written 20 years ago, the script has been tweaked a bit for modern audiences.
“In the old version they ran out of money because the Mother Superior bought a Betamax, but we’ve updated the script so it’s a Blue Ray,” says Stevens.
Show time all three days is 7:30 p.m. All proceeds from ticket sales from the first night will be donated to the Huntsville Hospital Foundation.
Dorset Snowball, 20 years of fun
The annual Dorset Snowball will take place in and around the Dorset Recreation Centre on the evening of Feb. 19 and all day Feb. 20. In honour of the Snowball’s 20th anniversary, special offerings are in the works.
There will be a plethora of activities and events as usual, starting with the family skating party with hot dogs and hot chocolate at the Dorset Rink from 6-9 p.m.
Saturday kicks off with the Dorset firefighters’ all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, followed by the Snowball Parade and the opening ceremony. Wildlife caller and poet Stephen Morrin will demonstrate calls from geese to woodpeckers, and Junkyard Symphony will put on two 45-minute “junkyard jams.” The Dorset Lifeliners will offer a chili lunch.
The afternoon will feature snow-snake games, snowshoe races by age category, a chainsaw carving demonstration, hockey shoot-out and shinny game that pits kids against adults. Entertainment will include Clown Michou, Ron Guttman the Party Magician and the Wye Marsh Birds of Prey show.
You can also join Barry (Bazza) Hayward in the library for a drumming circle. Crafts demos include a stone carving workshop with Elise of Stone Tree Studio and a clay workshop with Tara Gilchrist of Chetolah Studio.
Other ongoing activities include free public skating, raffles, silent auction, face painting, minnow races and balloon rides provided by Bill and June Johnson of Remax Muskoka, weather permitting. You can also view snow sculptures created in the preceding week by some of the more artistic residents of Dorset, and sample hot cider, free taffy and the famous Dorset pastry known as the moose-tongue.
Chainsaw artists to demonstrate their craft at event
If you’ve always been curious about chainsaw carving, don’t miss the Muskoka Carving Event on Feb. 26 and 27 at Terry’s Your Independent Grocer in Gravenhurst.
“They’re going to come from all over Ontario,” says event founder John Kerr, who expects to have at least 10 chainsaw artists for the event.
So far three carvers are confirmed: Ted Williams, who specializes in native Muskoka animals, Chainsaw Charlie, whose lifelike cedar sculptures include a convincing portrait of the title character of the movie Shrek, and former logger Fred Preston, who also carves animals.
“They’ll all bring a dozen pieces of their own, finished,” says Kerr. “And they’ll have other pieces blocked out – you block them out before you do the definition on it – none of it’s boring, and everybody’s at a different stage.”
There will also be a silent auction of pieces donated by the carvers, with all proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity. The carvers will also donate 10 per cent of sales made at the event to the charity.
The event will take place on the east side of the store property, near the railway tracks and runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
Play supports Hospice Muskoka
Internationally known theatre adjudicator Annette Procunier is bringing her talents to the stage in Bracebridge in support of Hospice Muskoka.
Grace and Glorie is the story of a 90-year-old woman who is sent home to die and the hospice worker who comes along to help her.
“It is a very funny play. There is a tremendous amount of humour but then, there is a tremendous amount of humour in life,” says Procunier, who is directing the production.
Procunier, a Bala resident, is pleased to be able to spend some time supporting the cause and working with in her community.
“When you get two of Muskoka’s finest actors to participate and the Muskoka Arts Council to produce it, how good is that,” she says.
Local actors Pru Donaldson and Lisa Friesen are playing Grace and Glorie, respectively.
All funds raised will help Hospice Muskoka provide end-of-life care and support to Muskokans who are coping with end of life issues.
Grace and Glorie is at the Rene Caisse Theatre at on Thursday, Feb. 11 and Friday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 13 there is a dinner, theatre and auction starting with cocktails at 5 p.m.
Hit the trails for a worthy cause
For those who like snowmobiling and raising money for good causes, the Dorset Poker Rally combines all three. It will take place on Feb. 13 at Lions Camp Dorset near Kawagama Lake.
Organized by the Tall Pines Snowmobile Club, the event has been running for more than 10 years and attracted 250 participants last year, according to co-organizer Charmaine Evans.
Travelling around a circuit of scenic trails, the participants will visit sponsored checkpoints where they have their official tickets stamped. Free food and beverages are also served at the checkpoint. At the end of the ride, around 4 p.m., each returning rider is dealt a hand of five cards.
Dinner is served at 4:30 p.m. and prizes are awarded at 6:30 p.m. “There’s a prize for everyone,” says Evans, but the biggest is for the holder of the best poker hand: $2,000.
The proceeds are split between the club and Lions Camp Dorset, which provides a summer camp experience for kids who otherwise wouldn’t be able to enjoy it because they require dialysis.
Riders must have a valid OFSC trail permit. Pledge sheets are available online at the Tall Pines or Lions Camp Dorset websites. Pre-registration takes place on Feb. 12 from 7-9 p.m. and registration is the next morning from 9-11 a.m. Riders must be 19 years of age or older to purchase a poker hand. A minimum of $50 in pledges gets you in for free.
Gravenhurst welcomes back winter carnival
The Gravenhurst Winter Carnival is back and with so much to do, it could be better than ever.
Thanks to a committed group of citizens and community organizations such as the Royal Canadian Legion, Lions Club, Rotary Club and Gravenhurst High School, the carnival will run from March 5-7.
Set to coincide with the Ontario Winter Games, the Town of Gravenhurst is hoping to showcase the community to those visiting.
This year’s event will include bed races, a doggie dash, a nail driving contest, youth and adult dances, snowmobile radar runs, a family music night, an arm wrestling contest, a pancake breakfast and more.
“This is a great event that brings the community together. With a past history of over 20 years, most residents in Gravenhurst have fond memories of the Winter Carnival and the signature events like the bed races and the wreck ‘em races,” says Amy Taylor, Town of Gravenhurst community events facilitator. “This year the Winter Carnival is bringing back some of those favourites and mixing in some new ideas to help revive this tradition.”
Also part of the Winter Carnival will be a youth pond hockey tournament sponsored and hosted by Gravenhurst Boston Pizza. The March 7 tournament is for youths aged 8-14 and will include prizes. Cost for registration is $15 per player.
Buttons to participate in the events can be purchased at the library, town hall, Stedman’s, the Chamber of Commerce or the Legion. All proceeds from the Winter Carnival will go back into the community.
“By spreading around the various events, we are encouraging people to support our local businesses, see parts of the town they may not have visited and, in general, support the community,” says Taylor. “I think the best part of the Winter Carnival is just attending the events and feeling like part of the community. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing but having fun and supporting the community is awesome.”
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