Welcome

Greetings to the many thousands of readers from across Canada and the United States, as well as countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, India, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Romania and the Netherlands.

Total Pageviews

Sunday, June 30, 2013

100 years of boating in Muskoka being marked on the water in Gravenhurst



   Out to Sea column for June 29/13
 
   (c) By Jim and Barb Fox

   Boats and water mean summer fun in Muskoka, the land of an amazing 1,600 lakes.
   Known as Ontario’s “cottage-country,” the area extends from Georgian Bay to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching and to the western border of Algonquin Provincial Park.
Crowds gets a closer look at classic Muskoka wooden boats in Gravenhurst.
   The popular resort area, about two hours north of Toronto, is ready to celebrate 100 years of boating.

   Start your engines
   “The Greatest Boat Show Race in Canadian History” comes to the Muskoka Wharf on Lake Muskoka in Gravenhurst from July 4 to 7.
   Show day is next Saturday for the Antique and Classic Boat Society of Toronto’s 33rd annual event that features an “unprecedented gathering of champion race boats and drivers.”
   On view and in the water will be a collection of 130 antique race boats and modern high-powered watercraft.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

TD Toronto Jazz Festival highlights, June 29 (2013)

Closing Day!

Saturday, June 29

FEATURED PERFORMANCES
Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers ft. Edie Brickell (Slocan Ramblers opens)
8pm, Nathan Phillips Square
Comedian, actor, author, playwright an Grammy Award-winning banjoist Steve Martin takes centre stage with Steep Canyon Rangers and special guest Edie Brickell to perform new music from Love Has Come For You.

Alan Jones Canadian All Star Sextet
8pm, Jazz Bistro (251 Victoria Street)
The Alan Jones Canadian All Star Sextet delivers unpredictable improvisations framed by lush melodic passages set in narrative compositions

Gord Sheard’s Brazilian Jazz Experience
7:30pm, Old Mill Dining Room (21 Old Mill Road)
Gordon Sheard and his star-studded ‘Brazilian Jazz Experience’ tentet create a Carnival mood featuring some of the jazz scene’s leading instrumental voices.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Celebrate summer with the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake



We love it when our friends come out to play, which is why we’re introducing our brand new “Between Friends” program. Subscribers to this e-blast and Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake Facebook fans now have access to a special collection of tastings, winery experiences, amazing discounts and special offers. Visit our website for the complete list of winery experiences and offers and start planning your next Niagara-on-the-Lake play date today.

Enchanted April now in previews at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake

“San Salvatore has a way of making one forget all about time”

Media Release #20

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, June 26, 2013 . . . Enchanted April, Matthew Barber’s Tony Award-nominated play, is currently in previews at the Festival Theatre.

Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell directs the Shaw Festival’s production of this joyfully restorative tale set amongst the wine, wisteria and Mediterranean sunshine.

Longing to get away from the malaise of post-WWI London and the stasis of their respective marriages, housewives Lotty (Moya O’Connell) and Rose (Tara Rosling) are enticed by an ad in the paper that reads, “Small castle on the Mediterranean, Northern Italy. To be let for April. Cook, gardens, ocean view.” Impulsively they rent the Italian villa, recruit two very different English women to share the cost and plan their escape.

Canada Day weekend family fun at City of Toronto historic sites

July 2013 Featured Event

  Fort York military officers   Canada Day, July 1 at City of
Toronto Historic Sites

Fort York National Historic Site
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Experience an exciting day of military demonstrations, treats from the Officers' Mess Kitchen, English Country Dancing and marching like a soldier. Visit Mackenzie House's table and print a souvenir to take home. Admission is FREE for this Celebrate Canada event supported by the Government of Canada.
Learn more about things to do on Canada's 146th birthday.

 
Facebook /historictoronto       Twitter @TOhistoricsites      
 
City of Toronto Historic Sites:

TD Toronto Jazz Festival highlights for June 28 (2013)

Friday, June 28


FEATURED PERFORMANCES
Boz Scaggs (Paul James opens)
8pm, Nathan Phillips Square
A casual listen to the Boz Scaggs discography makes one thing obvious: Bozz Scaggs is both a musical seeker and a man of sizeable talent as a singer, songwriter and pianist

Canadian Jazz Quartet with Special Guest Allen Vache
7:30pm, Home Smith Bar, Old Mill Toronto (21 Old Mill Road)
Allan Vache is an internationally known jazz clarinetist

Roberta Gambarini
8pm/10:30pm, Jazz Bistro (251 Victoria Street)
Every once in a while, a truly great singer comes along who possesses the beauty, individuality and talent to remind us of the magic of the human voice; that singer is Roberta Gambarini

Canada Day Weekend activities happening at Blue Mountain




LIGHTHOUSE CONCERT
JULY 1st 8:30pm
Fireworks 10:15pm

CANADA DAY LONG WEEKEND SCHEDULE
FRIDAY 
  • 8:30am - First Tracks Yoga  Meet at the Village Stage
  • 9am-9pm - Scavenger Hunt  Activity Central
  • 10:30am - Columbia Guided Family Hike Columbia Sports Store
  • 5pm-8pm - Live Music Featuring:  Mark Reeves

Matchbox Twenty and the Goo Goo Dolls bring tour north to Casino Rama

(News Release)
Announcing more summer additions to the Casino Rama Concert Line-up

RAMA, ON (Friday, June 28, 2013) – Casino Rama is thrilled to announce the following additions to our previously announced summer 2013 concert line-up:

Larry the Cable Guy
Thursday, August 15
SHOWTIME: 8 PM, DOORS OPEN: 7 PM
Tickets are $50/$60
Winner of the 2006 Billboard Top Comedy Tour Award, he is best known for his work with the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, his certified platinum DVD “Git R’ Done”, and the Grammy Award nominated DVD “The Right To Bare Arms”.
Show contents are determined by the artist and may be offensive to some patrons.


Matchbox Twenty & Goo Goo Dolls
Monday, August 26
SHOWTIME: 8 PM, DOORS OPEN: 7 PM
Tickets are $65/$80
Join us for this unbeatable end of summer double bill! Matchbox Twenty are best known for hits: "She's So Mean", "3AM", "Push" & "Unwell".  The Goo Goo Dolls are best known for hits: "Iris", "Slide", "Name" & "Better Days".

Fallsview Indoor Waterpark receives TripAdvisor award for top Canadian waterpark

A Canadian Attraction Destination Like Nowhere Else
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. —The three acre Fallsview Indoor Waterpark has just been named the best Waterpark in Canada on TripAdvisor - the World’s largest online travel community. 

The travel site’s prestigious recognition places the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark at the top of an impressive list of amusement parks and waterparks in the country. 

“We’re very excited to have received a 2013 Travellers’ Choice Award from TripAdvisor,” said Sarah Vazquez, Vice-President of Marketing at Falls Avenue Resort. “We work hard every day to make sure our guests have a great experience—topping the list with TripAdvisor reminds us of how that hard work really pays off.”

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory opens new exhibit from the Royal Ontario Museum



 Hands On Nature
Exhibition Date:         June 24, 2013 – October 13, 2013

Cambridge (Ontario) --  Ontario residents are stewards to more than 1 million square kilometres of land and water, 250,000 lakes, 500,000 streams and over 30,000 species of plant and animal life. 

Although the ecosystems that support this diversity are dynamic and resilient, threats to our biodiversity are increasing and biodiversity losses are occurring.

Conserving Ontario’s biodiversity is important because healthy ecosystems sustain healthy people and a healthy economy. 

Habitat destruction is the most serious threat to biodiversity, but there are others as well.  Particular problems in this era of globalization are the trade in endangered species and the introduction of non-native species, which can have devastating consequences. 

Sailing into history – A Thousand Islands' flotilla




For Immediate Release

A group of volunteers plan to recreate the 1813 pursuit of American invaders down the St. Lawrence River this summer.


Led by Thomas Hurlbut, who re-enacts a Post Captain in the Royal Navy, re-enactors from across Ontario will be bringing the historic flotilla alive, recreating the 1813 pursuit of General James Wilkinson’s American army by Lt Col Morrison’s detachments and the River Flotilla of Captain William Howe Mulcaster, RN.


In the fall of 1813, Americans attempted to take Montreal. As one army marched towards Lower Canada, a larger 7,000-man army moved down the river in a flotilla of boats towards their objective. British land and naval forces harassed the Americans continually.

TD Toronto Jazz Festival Highlights, Thursday, June 27 (2013)

Thursday, June 27


FEATURED PERFORMANCES
Bettye LaVette (James Hunter Six opens)
8pm, Nathan Phillips Square
Bettye LaVette has a voice that has only strengthened over the last 50 years.


Gregory Porter                                 
7pm, Enwave Theatre, Harbourfront Centre (231 Queens Quay)
Porter’s lyrics often speak as dreams do, in the languages of image and emotion, to communicate thoroughly though not always directly.

Canadian Jazz Quartet with Special Guest Randy Sandke
7:30pm, Home Smith Bar, Old Mill Toronto (21 Old Mill Road)
A celebrated jazz trumpeter and guitarist who has performed around the world and played on soundtracks for films including Francis Ford Coppola, Neil Simon and Woody Allen

New operating partner announced for Captain Roberts’ Table restaurant at Discovery Harbour


(News Release)
 
Nick Boudouris of OPA Catering Group and his team at Captain Roberts’ Table restaurant. 

 Huronia Historical Parks is pleased to announce a new operating partner for the beautiful Captain Roberts’ Table waterside restaurant at Discovery Harbour.

Nick Boudouris of OPA Catering Group was the successful proponent in a recent Request for Proposal as initiated via MERX, the electronic tendering system used by the Province of Ontario.

Boudouris is a well-known restaurateur in the local area, as the proprietor of the World Famous Dock Lunch at the Penetanguishene town dock, as well as being the current operating partner of Restaurant Sainte-Marie. 

The world’s largest contemporary Iranian arts and culture festival at Harbourfront Centre

Tirgan Festival,
July 18 to– 21, 2013

in– the heart of Toronto’s waterfront

TORONTO, ON -- The world’s largest Iranian festival, Tirgan, returns to Harbourfront Centre from July 18-21.

Artists from across the globe are set to converge at Harbourfront Centre to celebrate Iranian arts and to showcase the richness and diversity of Iranian culture.

This year, Tirgan explores the idea of “hope” and highlights humanity’s ability to persevere, overcome and survive. Tirgan also places a special focus on women and the important contributions women have made to Iran’s cultural mosaic.

Celebrate Canada Day at Canada's premier zoo


Toronto Zoo Weekly Feature
The Toronto Zoo is OPEN all weekend long and what better place to visit on Canada 
Day 
where you can see some true Canadian iconic species, including the polar bears,
 grizzly bears,  
Summer Has Officially Begun at the Toronto Zoo!
Grab your troop and head to the wildest summer adventure destination in Toronto! Drop
 by and see our two adorable giant pandas-Er Shun and Da Mao! Enjoy some close up and personal
 encounters in the Kids Zoo, and be sure to taken in and enjoy daily  
Animal Shows and Keeper Talks and so much more this long weekend!
If the summer heat is too "un-bearable" why not visit our splash island!
Best of all, they are all FREE with Zoo admission!

Sleek new website design launches today with a 72-hour sale

TORONTO’S COSMOPOLITAN AND PANTAGES HOTELS FRESHEN UP THEIR ONLINE LOOK

TORONTO, ON, June 27, 2013 – The Pantages and Cosmopolitan, both Skyline Hotels are celebrating the launch of their new websites with a 72 hour sale beginning June 27.

The new sites feature a fresh new look, updated search engine optimization, user friendly navigation and an intuitive design  more aligned with the Skyline Hotels & Resorts  brand.

“Your website says a lot about you, it’s like an online dating profile,” said Kevin Toth, President and COO of Skyline Hotels & Resorts.

1,500 new citizens discover Canada aboard VIA Rail trains

(News Release)

Participation in the Cultural Access Pass program connects new citizens to an exclusive travel discount

Montr̩al, Quebec РJune 27, 2013 РA collaboration between VIA Rail and the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) has resulted in 1,500 new citizens travelling by train to explore Canada, their new home, in the last year.

This collaboration offers members of the ICC’s Cultural Access Pass (CAP) program – a program exclusively offered to new citizens – 50 per cent off the lowest available fare, in any class, one way or round trip, with no blackout periods, for them and up to four of their children under the age of 18.

Since the offer’s launch on July 1, 2012, new citizens have travelled on every main route VIA Rail offers, visiting almost all of the 450 Canadian communities aboard one of the 500 trains departing each week. Most new citizens chose to travel within the Québec City – Windsor corridor, but many – nearly 20 per cent – chose to journey on the Canadian, an incredible voyage that runs between Toronto and Vancouver.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

TD Toronto Jazz Festival highlights for Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Wednesday, June 26

FEATURED PERFORMANCES
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (Planet Earth opens)
8pm, Nathan Phillips Square
 A brash brand of supafunkrock, a mash-up of jazz, funk and soul backed with hard-rock power chords and hip-hop beats

Canadian Jazz Quartet with Special Guest Houston Person
7:30pm, Home Smith Bar, Old Mill Toronto (21 Old Mill Road)
A giant of soul and groove based jazz joins the all-star quartet

Rodney Frost Himself: An exhibition of mechanical toys, whirligigs, kinetic contraptions and whatchamacallits




Leacock Museum National Historic Site
Orillia, Ontario, Canada

PRESS RELEASE

(ORILLIA) ­-- On the surface, Rodney Frost’s imagination appears to have gotten the best of him. And as a consequence we are the beneficiaries.  

Nearly 30 of his whirligigs, mechanical toys, kinetic contraptions and for lack of a better word, whatchamacallits, are featured in a special Leacock Museum exhibition titled: Rodney Frost: Himself on now through September.

Despite having been tagged ‘an emerging artist’ by the Canada Council, the Orillia resident has doggedly pursued his muse through what can only be described as a lifetime of modest accomplishments and monumental setbacks.

Toronto's Pantages Hotel introduces Express Mani or Pedi lunch

LUNCHTIME JUST GOT GORGEOUS

TORONTOPantages, a Skyline Hotel is prettying up lunch hour with its new Express Mani or Pedi Lunch.

Available at the hotel’s Shizen Spa weekdays from noon to 2pm only, guests looking for a lunchtime pick-me-up can book the timely treatment which includes a Quick Fix Manicure or Pedicure, plus a healthy lunch for just $30.

“The Express Mani or Pedi Lunch was inspired by our on-the-go customers who find it hard to fit a bit of pampering into their schedule,” says Andrea Kalfayan, Shizen Spa Manager. “Taking just an hour out of your day for a Shizen Moment can provide the boost you need to get through a busy afternoon.”

Victorian Teddy Bear Picnic at Fanshawe Pioneer Village


June 25, 2013, London, Ontario - On Sunday, July 7th, all the bears are gathering for a Victorian Teddy Bear Picnic at Fanshawe Pioneer Village. Bring out your favourite stuffed friend for an afternoon of fun!

Watch a puppet show and make your very own teddy bear puppet.  Join Victorian Bear for a parade and enjoy a picnic of lemonade and cookies served in a real china tea cup.
Children and teddies alike can expect a day of fun activities including wagon rides, 19th century crafts and games and storytelling.

Brian Bedford withdraws from The Merchant of Venice at Stratford Festival

Media Release
Scott Wentworth assumes role of Shylock

June 26, 2013… The Stratford Festival regrets to announce that Brian Bedford has withdrawn from this season’s production of The Merchant of Venice, in which he was to play Shylock.

Mr. Bedford is suffering from a medical condition, which, though treatable, requires immediate attention.

Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino, who is directing the production, says Mr. Bedford made the decision with great reluctance. Earlier this season Mr. Bedford directed the enormously well-received production of Blithe Spirit.

Sheraton Centre Toronto host hotel for Pride 2013

(News Release)

Hotel’s BnB restaurant serves up official Pride Burger in The Village

Friends and fans of Dorothy invited to snap their picture with Dorothy

TORONTO, June 26, 2013—Sheraton Centre Toronto is thrilled to be an official host hotel and contributing sponsor of Pride Toronto 2013. 

Celebrating proudly, BnB restaurant in the hotel lobby will be serving up the official Pride Burger during the 10-day fun-filled festivities.  And the hotel welcomes its partner Mirvish Productions with its Canadian cast of The Wizard of Oz now on stage and receiving huge applause at the Ed Mirvish Theatre. 

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

TD Toronto Jazz Festival highlights for June 24, 2013

Tuesday, June 25

FEATURED PERFORMANCES
Bob James, David Sanborn featuring Steve Gadd (Robi Botos Trio opens)
8pm, Nathan Phillips Square
More than 25 years later, Bob James and David Sanborn reunite for their latest project, Quartette Humaine.

Nikki Yanofsky
8pm, Koerner Hall (273 Bloor Street West)
Join Nikki on The Little Secret Tour as she performs with a new band and new sound

Canadian Jazz Quartet with Special Guest Ken Peplowski
7:30pm, Home Smith Bar, Old Mill Toronto (21 Old Mill Road)
The all-star Canadian Jazz Quartet will be joined by New York clarinet and saxophone luminary, Ken Peplowski

Dominion Day to be marked at Fanshawe Pioneer Village in London, ON

(News Release)

June 18, 2013, London Ontario – On the 1st of July, 1867, Canada became a self-governing colony within the British Empire. Relive the past and discover the events surrounding the first Dominion Day (now Canada Day).  Visit Fanshawe Pioneer Village and celebrate Canada Day in true 19th century style!

Dominion Day celebrations will begin at 1:00 p.m and include an historic ceremony and patriotic speeches followed by birthday cake and lemonade.   Families can enjoy 19th century games, wagon rides, a live band and a vintage base ball game between the London Tecumseh (modern) and vintage London Tecumseh teams.

Jazz on the Mountain package for Canada’s newest music festival, July 5 – 7, 2013

THE WESTIN TRILLIUM HOUSE CELEBRATES JAZZ ON BLUE MOUNTAIN

COLLINGWOOD, June 24, 2013—The Westin Trillium House, Blue Mountain invites you to soak up the sounds during this year’s Jazz on the Mountain Music Festival.    

The Westin Trillium House is offering an exclusive jazz package which includes 25% off overnight accommodation, two 3-day passes with access to over a dozen free performances and preferred tickets to the three ticketed concerts – Holly Cole (Twilight concert on Friday, July 5th at 9 p.m.), Jeff Lorber Fusion and Swing Out Sister (Saturday, July 6th at 7 p.m.) and Kenny Garrett Quintet (Sunday, July 7th at 3 p.m.).

Monday, June 24, 2013

TD Toronto Jazz Festival highlights for June 24

(News Release)

Monday, June 24

FEATURED PERFORMANCES
Pino Daniele (Rita Chiarelli opens)
8pm, Nathan Phillips Square
An Italian superstar guitarist who blends traditional Neapolitan music and international and modern influences

Fred Hersch
7pm, Enwave Theatre, Harbourfront Centre (231 Queen’s Quay West)
“The most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade or so” – Vanity Fair

Canadian Jazz Quartet with special guest Harry Allen
7:30pm, Home Smith Bar, Old Mill Toronto (21 Old Mill Road)
Trad jazz icon performs with Toronto favourite Canadian Jazz Quartet

Shakespeare’s dark comedy Measure for Measure at Stratford Festival

Sex, church and state collide in Measure for Measure, a scathing satire that skewers vice and questions the very nature of virtue. One of Shakespeare’s most provocative plays is now on at the Tom Patterson Theatre.

The story begins with Duke Vincentio appointing the meticulous Angelo to act as his deputy during his temporary absence.

Vowing to wipe the city clean of sins that the Duke has previously tolerated, Angelo sentences a young man, Claudio, to death for fornication. But Angelo’s own moral failings become apparent when Claudio’s devout sister, Isabella, pleads with him for her brother’s life, only to be presented with a shocking ultimatum.

Barrie Adventure Park opens for the season June 28 with two for $10 special

RE-DISCOVER FUN TOGETHER AT HORSESHOE RESORT’S ADVENTURE PARK
BARRIE, ONTARIO, June 18, 2013Horseshoe, a Skyline Resort, is encouraging guests to re-discover fun with their families this summer in the Horseshoe Adventure Park.

The resort is all geared up for the summer season and will be opening the Adventure Park for full-time operation starting June 28, 2013. 

“Horseshoe Resort is your summer passport to adventure,” says general manager Sean Billing. “Here at Horseshoe we believe that a family outing and living a healthy and active lifestyle can be one and the same and it’s all within your grasp at the Adventure Park. It’s good old-fashion family fun.”

Beat the extreme heat at the Toronto Zoo's Splash Island

SPLASH ISLAND HOURS:
 
OPEN DAILY beginning today (Monday, June 24th) through
September 2nd: 10:30 am to 6:00 pm

Round up the kids and chill out in our water play area Splash Island all summer long.
 
It's the coolest spot in the Zoo! It's two magical acres of hands-on, non-stop family fun amidst waterslides, bigger than life water-spouting animals, a waterfall, lots of misters, and way-cool tipping buckets.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Brian Friel’s Faith Healer now in previews at The Shaw

“Was it all chance? Or skill? Or illusion? Or delusion? Precisely what power did I possess?”

Media Release #19

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, June 17, 2013 . . . Faith Healer, Brian Friel’s compelling portrait of an artist at odds with his gift and the mysterious paths that memories take, is now in previews at the Shaw Festival’s Royal George Theatre.

Faith Healer is the complexly woven tale of Francis (Frank) Hardy (Jim Mezon) and his wife Grace (Corrine Koslo), and manager, Teddy (Peter Krantz).

Frank is an itinerant, erratic healer of the sick who travels to small towns throughout the British Isles. His ultimate crisis of faith and how it affects those around him is told through a series of intricately woven monologues. All talk of the same events, but the stories are not the same.

All the world's a stage across southern Ontario



   One-Tank Trip for June 22/13

   (c) By Jim Fox

   The curtain is rising on scenic theatre trips around Southern Ontario this summer.
   Combined with some of the best theatre experiences is a one-stop-shopping reservations portal that allows visitors to book their getaway packages online.
   This includes theatre tickets and accommodations, heritage tours and fine dining as well as hiking and relaxing beach escapes.
The Drayton Festival Theatre is a renovated 1902 opera house and former town hall. (Barbara Fox photo)
   All the world’s a stage
   From world-class Shakespeare productions and musical favourites to Monty Python’s hilarious take on the search for the Holy Grail, theatre buffs should be able to find something on the playbill to keep them entertained.
   That’s just within the tourism region made up of Huron, Perth, Waterloo and Wellington as promoted by a new group called Regional Tourism Organization Four.
   It was incorporated by a volunteer board and supported by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports.
   “We’re incredibly fortunate to have 12 professional theatre venues in our region,” said Napier Simpson, the organization’s chief marketing officer and director of operations.
   “They offer guests great variety and terrific entertainment value, whether they want to see a smaller, more-intimate production or something on a much grander scale,” he added.
The cast of Oliver! in the classic rags-to-riches musical playing at the Drayton Festival Theatre.
   With plays by William Shakespeare at its foundations, the Stratford Festival has set the standard for classical theatre across North America for more than 50 years from its home base in the picturesque city on the Avon River.
   Among the 12 plays being performed this summer in Stratford are Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure through Sept. 21; the classic rock band The Who’s Broadway hit, Tommy, until Oct. 19; and Noel Coward’s enduring comedy, Blithe Spirit, to Oct. 20. stratfordfestival.ca

   Up around the bend
   Over in Grand Bend, on the shores of Lake Huron, are the perfect spots for summer theatre at the Huron County Playhouse and Playhouse II.
   They’re part of seven intimate theatre venues operated by Drayton Entertainment and offering more than two dozen productions.
   Other venues are the Drayton Festival Theatre; St. Jacobs Country Playhouse and Schoolhouse Theatre; Cambridge’s Dunfield Theatre; and King’s Wharf Theatre in Penetanguishene.
   “The Drayton Experience is all about discovering hidden gems in unique communities throughout Ontario," said Alex Mustakas, artistic director and CEO.
   These “extremely intimate” theatres offer big-time Broadway-calibre productions at small-town prices where audiences “can’t help but become emotionally invested, he added.
   Among the plays in this season’s line-up at Drayton are the gourmet farce Too Many Cooks, July 10-27 and Oliver! from Aug. 14-31.
  Rebecca Auerbach and J.D. Nicholsen star in Dear Johnny Deere, just ending a limited run at the Blyth Festival. (Photo by Terry Manzo)
   Monty Python’s Spamalot runs from June 26-July 13 at the Huron Country Playhouse and from July 17-Aug. 3 at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse.
   The new 500-seat Dunfield Theatre beside the Grand River in Cambridge, presents Sorry, I’m Canadian, July 10-Aug. 3, the Buddy Holly Story, Aug. 7-31 and Lend Me a Tenor, Sept. 25-Oct. 12. For show details and tickets: www.draytonentertainment.com; 1-855-372-9866
   Other scenic small-town theatre experiences include the Blyth Festival in Huron County that has been providing a year-round venue for original Canadian productions since 1975.
   This season, the theatre is producing six plays, including the Beyond the Farm Show, June 26-Aug. 16 and Yorkville – the Musical, from July 3-Aug. 11. blythfestival.com
   Booking a getaway to take in any of these productions and exploring the surrounding countryside can be accomplished at betterweekending.ca
   Another resource is the link to the 21 members the Association of Summer Theatres 'Round Ontario: summertheatre.ca

   Take off, eh
   Ready for takeoff at the Great Lakes International Air Show, June 28-30 at the St. Thomas Airport, are the Canadian Forces’ Snowbirds and the supersonic CF-188 Hornet.
Members of the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association will fly their restored aircraft at the St. Thomas air show.
   This is “one of the best air shows in North America,” said Allan Weatherall, director of media relations, and will feature air-race pilot Pete McLeod of London and aerobatic legend Sean Tucker from California.
   Watch for a CC-150 Hercules, CH-146 Griffon and the Great War Flying Museum, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, the P-51C Mustang and Harvards.
   “They will join a terrific display of flying and static aircraft,” Weatherall said.
   Air show days are June 29 and 30, with the flying events from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
   The show is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with tickets $25; $20, seniors and ages six to 17; and a $5 discount online in advance. greatlakesinternationalairshow.ca

 -30-

Jim Fox can be reached at onetanktrips@hotmail.com
For more One-Tank Trips: http://1tanktrips.blogspot.ca