Deerhurst Resort welcomes the comedic wit of the Debaters Live! to Muskoka

(News Release)
 

HUNTSVILLE, ON – This winter, The Debaters Live! will be heading to Deerhurst Resort for a hilarious live show featuring comics going toe-to-toe in a battle of laughs and logic where the audience gets to pick the winner!

 

On February 3 (2018), Steve Patterson and two top Canadian comics, Arthur Simeon and Erica Sigurdson, will put on a special night of stand-up comedy complete with a debate specially created for the Deerhurst audience.

Steve Patterson Debaters Firing line

“Hosting a live comedy show in February has become a tradition at Deerhurst and we’re very excited to host The Debaters Live this year,” explains Jesse Hamilton, general manager of this landmark Muskoka resort near Huntsville. “It’s that time of winter when we all need a laugh, and also the perfect opportunity for couples to take a break just for themselves before the busy Family Day weekend. ” 

Multi-bill concert blitz in celebration of Willie P. Bennett: 5 venues. Over 20 artists. A different line-up each night

NEWS RELEASE

 Guelph’s Silence February 3, 2018

Stratford, ON (January 24, 2018) – A five-day concert event commemorating the life of Willie P. Bennett, nearly 10 years to the date of his death, is being presented by String Bone Presents!

Rick Taylor

Singer-songwriter and finger-style roots guitarist extraordinaire Rick Taylor, as well as two-time Juno Award winner Jenny Whiteley, and BC Music Hall of Fame recipient Linda McRae, are among the performers who will come together on the Silence stage on February 3, 2018 to celebrate the life of this legendary folk hero. The concert starts at 8:00 pm.

 This multi-bill concert blitz is a co-production by Rick Taylor, who played on Bennett's 1977 Hobo's Taunt recording, and Barry James Payne from String Bone and Rant Maggie Rant. Two-time Juno Award winner Jenny Whiteley will be joining Taylor and Payne as co-hosts.

Jenny Whiteley

Wee Wiarton Willie is the latest groundhog weather prognosticator

   One-Tank Trip for Jan. 27/18

 

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Wee Wiarton Willie has his work cut out for him this year.

   The “wee” two-year-old albino groundhog has been job shadowing the previous weather prognosticator preparing for his big debut.

   That takes place next Friday (Feb. 2) when the wee one, also known as Wiarton Willie IV, succeeds Willie III who died last September at age 13 (not bad for groundhogs).

Willie’s weather predictions are made with much fanfare.

  They mourned the marmot with a memorial service beside the white limestone statue called “Willie Emerging” in Bluewater Park.

   Ironically, he was predeceased a month earlier by Mac McKenzie, 90, called the “founding father of the Wiarton Willie legend” in 1956.

   The pressure will be on Wee Willie and his “Shadow Cabinet” to make some sense out of this crazy winter weather.

   It has produced prolonged Arctic cold followed by the current unseasonably warm spell.

   South Bruce Peninsula of which Wiarton is a part calls Willie the “the most famous groundhog in Canada and the only albino weather prognosticator in the world.”

Sweet, icy wine country touring; Fire and Ice fest; Toronto lights up

   One-Tank Trip for Jan. 20/18

 

     (c) By Jim Fox

   “How sweet it is” – or as they say in Niagara Region: “When winter hands you ice and cold, make icewine.”

   Record-breaking cold and ice have been at the forefront this winter, so why not embrace the season with some icy-themed getaways?

Vidal grapes left to freeze on the vine are destined to become icewine. (Jim Fox photo)

   Step aside maple syrup, icewine is the hottest Ontario treasure savoured around the world.

   This month, they’re celebrating the chilly nectar of the vine in Niagara.

   In “cottage country,” there’s the Bracebridge Fire and Ice Festival with its take on a traditional winter carnival.

   And, in these cold, dark days of winter, city residents and visitors are being lured out to experience the Toronto Light Festival.

   The sweetest gift

   They’re toasting “one of Canada’s sweetest gifts of the season” at the Niagara Icewine Festival now through Jan. 28.

   The world-renowned wine region welcomes thousands of visitors for weekend parties and food-and-wine pairings at more than three dozen wineries.

Zoom, zoom soon, soon: North American International Auto Show in Detroit

   One-Tank Trip for Jan. 13/18

 

   (c) By Jim Fox

    Sun Media/Postmedia News

   All roads lead to Detroit as that “new car smell” permeates downtown Cobo Center.

   Some 800,000 people will make the trek to the “Motor City” for the 30th annual North American International Auto Show from Jan. 20 to 28.

   It launches with the “party of the year” for auto aficionados and the industry putting on the glitz at the lavish Charity Preview on Jan. 19.

Mugging for the camera beside a Bentley Continental GT worth $260,000 US. (Jim Fox photo)

   That’s when thousands of formally clad, would-be auto barons admire the latest models in a high-society event.

   For this sneak preview, some 15,000 people pay $400 US each to attend the three-hour, black-tie affair in support of children’s charities.

   They sip champagne, munch on hors d’oeuvres and will be entertained by the iconic Detroit Motown group, the Four Tops.

   While strutting their stuff, attendees slip behind the wheel of some of the world’s most exotic vehicles and pose for photos.

Monster Jam motors into Toronto

2018 Mega Line-Up Announced: Gas Monkey Garage, Xtreme Diesel, VP Racing Fuel’s Mad Scientist and Rammunition Make Toronto Debut!

TORONTO, ON – Feld Entertainment, the worldwide leader in live family entertainment, has announced the 2018 Driver/Truck lineup for the Toronto shows including four Monster Jam trucks making their Toronto debut: Gas Monkey Garage, Xtreme Diesel, VP Racing Fuel’s Mad Scientist, and Rammunition.

Monster Jam will be performing at Rogers Centre January 13-14/18 for two shows.

The new season will bring motorsport fans to the edge of their seats with adrenaline-charged, high-flying, four-wheel excitement that is fun for the entire family. This is the 25th consecutive year that Monster Jam has roared into Rogers Centre.

Escape winter at the Toronto boat show; Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory

   One-Tank Trip for Jan. 6-18

  

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Escape the cold, wintry weather with a trip to the “tropics” not far from home.

   Head for the Toronto International Boat Show that organizers say “marks the unofficial kick-off to summer.”

   Another option is the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory where the heat and humidity are cranked up to suit the critters’ needs.

The Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory is a tranquil place with waterfalls, streams, flora and fauna. (Jim Fox photo)

   In fact, it’s being called a “cheap trip to the tropics” by the conservatory’s Doug Wilson.

   You can “get your feet wet” at the Toronto International Boat Show that marks its 60th year from Jan. 12 to 21 at the Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place, (100 Princes’ Blvd.).

   “This is North America’s largest indoor boat show, with recreational boating consistently ranking at the top of the list for Canadians as a favourite pastime,” said show publicist Tran Nguyen.

   Lots of toys

Boat show goers have fun on the “world’s largest indoor lake.”

Theatre playbills in scenic Ontario cities, towns for 2018: Drayton Entertainment

    One-Tank Trip for Dec. 30/17

      (c) By Jim Fox

   The curtain is rising on an epic season for a theatre company with seven stages in scenic, interesting and can we call them “quaint” communities in southern Ontario.

   Drayton Entertainment theatres are a perfect one-tank trip to places with wonderful amenities for day-trippers and weekend getaways.

The Drayton Festival Theatre is in a former 1902 opera house and town hall. (Barbara Fox photo)

   This includes the Festival Theatre in Drayton; Huron Country Playhouse, Grand Bend; King’s Wharf Theatre, Penetanguishene; and the renamed Dunfield Theatre, now known as the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge.

   There are also the Huron Country Playhouse II, Grand Bend; St. Jacobs Schoolhouse Theatre; and the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse.

   “Variety is key next season,” said artistic director Alex Mustakas of the charitable theatre organization’s shows.

   “There is something for everyone, from Broadway blockbusters and hilarious comedies to classic musicals and family fun with another beloved Disney classic and our annual holiday panto (pantomime),” he added.

Enjoy Ontario Parks' 125th year in the great outdoors

   One-Tank Trip for Dec. 16-17

   (c) By Jim Fox

   For Postmedia Network/Sun Media newspapers and websites

  

   It will be a howling good time as Ontario Parks kicks off its 125th year with a series of fun winter events.

   To mark the milestone year, ring in the New Year at Bronte Creek Provincial Park in Oakville.

   That’s where a guided Coyote Howl and Kid’s Countdown bonfire will be held and then “start 2018 on the right foot with a #FirstDayHike,” said parks publicist Jeff Brown.

   “The concept is simple: visit a provincial park on Jan. 1 for a hike as it’s a fun and healthy way to kick off the New Year,” he added.

 

Exuberant winter lovers at Frontenac Provincial Park. (Ontario Parks photo)

   Elsewhere, head to Rondeau Provincial Park on Lake Erie for guided owl prowls, suet feeder-making sessions, afternoon movies and park scavenger hunts.

   The iconic Algonquin Provincial Park hosts Winter in the Wild on Feb. 17, as one of many Family Day events.

  

   Skate, ski, or snowshoe there and join park rangers at Mew Lake Campground for a bonfire followed by an evening wolf howl.

   A gala 125th event will be held next month in Toronto followed later by a celebration at Arrowhead Provincial Park, north of Huntsville. 

   That’s to coincide with the opening of a four-season, multi-purpose pavilion at the park that added more camp cabins this year.

Rant Maggie Rant’s 9th annual Frost & Fire: A Celtic Christmas Celebration! A night of music, comradery and joy at Stratford City Hall

Rant Maggie Rant: Steve Clark, Rob Larose, Glen Dias, Lindsay Schindler, Barry James Payne and Daev Clysdale.

 News Release

Stratford, ON – The tree is up! The lights are up! Christmas ribbons and poinsettia lend a festive air. Stratford’s City Hall looks beautiful for Rant Maggie Rant’s upcoming Frost & Fire: A Christmas Celebration! concert on December 15, 2017 at 8:00 pm.

  

“Nothing says Christmas like a Celtic-inspired take on traditional Christmas favourites, combined with a foot-stomping, eclectic mix of jigs and reels,” says Glen Dias, the band’s lead vocalist. “Our annual concert has become a gathering place for friends, family and loved ones – a community experience.”

Rant Maggie Rant returns to Stratford City Hall Auditorium where their first ever Frost & Fire show was performed in 2009 and after performing at Knox Church and Revival House for the past three years.

Rant Maggie Rant will be entertaining the audience with their distinctive rootsy Christmas tunes, ancient and traditional Celtic melodies, blazing jigs and reels, lesser known seasonal fare and new material from their recently released CD Latitude.

Rock with Disney On Ice and Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party!

   One-Tank Trip for Dec. 9-17

(c) By Jim Fox

 For Postmedia Network/Sun Media newspapers and websites

   Children can hang out with Mickey and Minnie as well as Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Oscar the Grouch and Grover as some big shows visit the area.

   Just in time for the holidays, Disney On Ice returns with a new Toronto show called Reach for the Stars.

Singing and dancing with Oscar the Grouch.

   Then in February, “Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?”

   A new interactive show unfolds with Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party! that’s a big production number based on the popular children’s show.

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and others are Rock Stars in the Toronto Disney show. (Photos from Feld Entertainment)

   Things kick off as Mickey and Minnie Mouse and friends come together at the Rogers Centre Dec. 22 to Jan. 1 for 17 performances.

   Another Disney ice show, Dream Big, is at Budweiser Gardens in London from Feb. 28 to March 4, while Dare to Dream is at FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, March 15 to 18.

   Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck and Goofy highlight the Toronto show with its “star-studded talent extravaganza,” said publicist Beth Merrick.

All decked out for the season

   One-Tank Trip for Dec. 2-17

   (c) By Jim Fox

    For Postmedia Network/Sun Media newspapers/websites

   ’Tis the season as cities and towns are decking the halls with their holiday finery.

   The “Festival City” is aglow as Stratford is helping to celebrate the holidays with its popular Christmas Trail and other special events.

   “We’re beginning to look a lot like Christmas as shop keepers dress their windows in fresh cedar garland and twinkling lights tied with big red bows,” said Cathy Rehberg of the Stratford Tourism Alliance.

Stratford City Hall is alight with a festive glow at this time of year.

   The Christmas Trail helps to “capture the spirit of giving and the joy of checking off that list,” she added.