Stratford Festival is offering a variety of accessible performances (2018)

MEDIA RELEASE

June 21, 2018… The Stratford Festival’s first audio-described performance is scheduled for June 24, one of a number of special performances planned for theatre-goers with differing abilities.

In addition to audio description, the Festival offers open-captioned, ASL (American Sign Language) and relaxed performances. Touch tours of costumes and set pieces are also given in advance of some audio-described performances.

“We introduced touch tours last season and they were a huge success,” says Executive Director Anita Gaffney. “Many of our patrons with low vision told us that the tours added greatly to their enjoyment of the audio-described performance and enriched their understanding of the production’s design. These tours, together with relaxed performances, ASL, audio description and open captioning, are helping us to diversify the Festival’s offerings to better serve a wider variety of people.”

Following are the specialty performances to be offered this season. These performances are generously sponsored by TD.

What's new and happening in Toronto -- Summer 2018

TORONTO -- (June 2018) – Toronto’s bustling summer season is back again, and Canada’s Downtown promises not to disappoint in 2018.

The ever-changing city gears up to add new hotels, restaurants and experiences to its summer line-up! Read through our latest “What’s New” for a list of notable updates and happenings around Toronto.

HOTELS

Bordering two diverse Toronto neighbourhoods, Kimpton Saint George opens its doors to the public on June 19. The hotel blurs the lines of The Annex’s vibrant, bohemian hipness with the historic feel of today’s chic, upscale Yorkville. Noted as the first Kimpton in Canada, the boutique hotel’s design is an immersion into true Toronto — a sweet spot of culture and congeniality. It is the first boutique hotel to capture the spirit of this dynamic and lively neighbourhood, with The University of Toronto, Royal Ontario Museum, and Yorkville’s renowned high-end shops and restaurants.

Canadian folk trio Trent Severn wraps-up tour with sunset dinner cruise aboard MS Chi-Cheemaun in Tobermory

News Release

 

 Stratford, ON (June 10, 2018) – Canadian folk trio Trent Severn is wrapping up their Ontario tour with a splendid sunset dinner cruise aboard the MS Chi-Cheemaun in Tobermory, Ontario on Saturday, June 30, 2018 from 8:00 pm to midnight.

The trio has been performing annually aboard the MS Chi-Cheemaun since 2015, entertaining guests with their gorgeous harmonies, distinct sound and original songs that are pure & proudly Canadiana.

Guests will board the ferry in Tobermory where they will enjoy fine dining and the splendid view of the setting sun over Georgian Bay during the regular crossing from Tobermory to South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island. The MS Chi-Cheemaun makes the 40 km. trip in about one hour and 45 minutes. After dinner, Trent Severn will entertain the guests on the return trip to Tobermory. Translated, “chi-cheemaun” means “big canoe” in Ojibwa. In 2015, the ship underwent the first phase of a major makeover with the installation of a First Nations-themed wrap-around vinyl decal.

Based in Stratford, Ontario, Trent Severn showcases the talents of Emm Gryner (bass, vocals), Dayna Manning (vocals, guitar, banjo) and Lindsay Schindler (fiddle, vocals). Two-time Canadian Folk Music Award nominees, Trent Severn’s individual band members have four Juno Award nominations among them.

Peeks Toronto Caribbean Carnival is back for a summer of celebrations

Toronto’s biggest street festival returns to the city July 8 - August 12 (2018)

TORONTO, Ont. (News Release - June 12, 2018) - Canada’s largest cultural celebration is set to make its way back to Toronto this summer, bringing an expanded line-up of Caribbean-themed events, food and entertainment.

Peeks Toronto Caribbean Carnival will kick off its 51st year celebrating Caribbean culture in Toronto’s downtown core. 

Mayor John Tory joins the fun

“Every year we welcome hundreds of thousands of people from across North America to Toronto in celebration of Caribbean heritage,” says Denise Herrera Jackson, CEO of the Festival Management Committee. “As the largest outdoor festival in North America we know how to have a good time and encourage people both near and far to join the fun!”

The festival will begin on July 8 and will include a variety of events over a five-week span. 

Aboriginal song and dance at Toronto’s Fort York June 23 (2018)

   TORONTO – A traditional outdoor powwow will be held June 23 (2018) at Toronto’s Fort York Garrison Common to recognize National Aboriginal Day that was two days earlier.

   This free event presented by the Na-Me-Res (Native Men’s Residence) is expected to attract more than 10,000 people.

   The participants will be “sharing and celebrating National Aboriginal Day with over 100 dancers swinging and swaying to the traditional beat of Smoke Trail Singers, Young Creek and Wild Cuba traditional drumming groups,” said Blanch White, Communications Officer/Fundraiser.

Spectacular Heritage Music Festival lineup includes the Canadian Open Old Time Fiddle Championship in Shelburne

 

For Immediate Release

The Heritage Music Festival, featuring the 68th Canadian Open Old Time Fiddle Championship, will take place August 8-12, 2018 in Shelburne, Ontario.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Shelburne, the event features a variety of entertainers, including The Trews and the Beckett Family, as well as Canada’s top fiddlers in competition for thousands of dollars in prizes.

 

Tyler and Linsey Beckett

Community events include camping, Bands and Brews at the Fiddle Park, a pork bbq, a giant fiddle parade, an open air market, and non-denominational church service.

The Trews with The Pop Machine

The Trews have been one of Canada's most successful rock bands of the past decade, earning 17 Top 10 Rock radio singles (including two #1s) and two Gold-certified albums (House Of Ill Fame; Den Of Thieves). The quartet has also received multiple East Coast Music Awards, a CIMA Road Gold Award, an Independent Music Award (US) in 2009 for Best Rock/Metal Song, and numerous JUNO Award nominations. To date, The Trews have played over 1,000 shows worldwide, on their own as well as supporting the Rolling Stones, KISS, Robert Plant, Guns 'n Roses, Kid Rock and Bruce Springsteen. The Trews just released their new single “The New Us” and will follow up with a full album release this fall. The Trews and The Pop Machine will take to stage on Friday, August 10 at 7:30 pm.

Lakeside living tour, June 23 (2018), on Puslinch Lake

  PUSLINCH, Ont. -- The Puslinch Lake Conservation Association  Lakeside Living Home Tour returns on Saturday, June 23 (2018) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a chance to visit five properties.

   The small, private kettle lake has featured some 55 homes since the tours began in 2005, said the association’s Donna O’Krafka.

   “Most visitors are surprised that this jewel in a Muskoka-like setting is just off the 401 east of Cambridge,” she said.

    Visitors are taken by pontoon boat to the homes (or they can drive), with departures from the Old Marina Restaurant and McCormick’s Point.

   Participants should allow 2-1/2 hours to “enjoy these beautiful and rustic homes surrounding Puslinch Lake,” she said.

   The cost is $30, with all proceeds benefiting the lake’s ongoing restoration. myplca.com

Fun wow for kids this summer in Hamilton, Halton and Brant

   One-Tank Trip for June 16/18

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Kids preparing their summer fun lists should check out the attractions in the Hamilton, Halton and Brant Tourism Region.

   In this “family friendly” area, fun is literally around every corner, tourism officials say.

   “Choose from animal-filled excitement, wet-and-wild water fun, time-travel adventures, outdoor exploring and so much more,” they add.

Can you hear me now? Bell Homestead’s Sarah Hamilton demonstrates a 1930s’ switchboard. (Jim Fox photo)

   And now, here are region’s “Top 10 tourism attractions for kids” in “the Heart of Ontario.”

   Wild Waterworks

   Cool off and splash the day away in one of Canada’s largest wave pools at Hamilton’s Confederation Park.

   Zoom down four tube slides, float the Easy River and brave the six-storey body slides.

   Little Squirt Works, filled with wading pools, small slides, sprays, mists and fountains, is the place for the youngest visitors.

 

Go wild at the African Lion Safari, called “Canada’s original safari adventure.”

Weekend Outings: Pedro Martinez, Lloyd Moseby and William Humber to be inducted into Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

(News Release)

St. Marys, Ont. – Former Montreal Expos superstar Pedro Martinez, long-time standout Toronto Blue Jays centre fielder Lloyd Moseby and Canada’s foremost baseball historian William Humber will be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in a ceremony to take place on Saturday, June 16 at 1 p.m. E.T. at the Hall of Fame grounds in St. Marys, Ont.
 
Admission to the event is free.

(Please note that due to a medical condition, Pedro Martinez will not be able to attend the press conference or the induction ceremony.)

 "Each of this year’s inductees has had a tremendous influence on baseball in this country," said Scott Crawford, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s director of operations. "Pedro Martinez and Lloyd Moseby are two of the most successful and beloved stars to have played for major league teams in Canada and Bill Humber’s commitment to promoting the history of the game in this country has been unparalleled."

The induction ceremony on June 16 will be followed by an "After Party Bash," featuring hypnotist Buck MacLeod and music by Corduroy Gordon and Joy Brigade starting at 8 p.m.

TD Toronto Jazz Festival 2018 features legends and rising stars

TD TORONTO JAZZ FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LINEUP, PARTNERSHIP WITH FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE AT THE ROM, AND CBC MUSIC - JUNOS STAGE

Seal, Herbie Hancock, Savion Glover, Bettye LaVette Alison Krauss, Cécile McLorin Salvant and More!

TORONTO - From legendary artists to rising stars, the lineup for the 32nd edition of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, running from June 22 - July 1, 2018, includes names that will resonate with jazz lovers and music fans of all ages.

Featured this year are:
* Jazz master Herbie Hancock, joined by James Genus, Trevor Lawrence Jr. and Lionel Loueke
* British soul singer Seal, performing his hit songs as well as material from his new album of jazz standards with a big band
* Cécile McLorin Salvant, winner of the 2018 GRAMMY for Best Vocal Jazz Album
* Banjo master Bela Fleck with all the original Flecktones
* Vocalist Gregory Porter performing songs from his new CD, Nat King Cole and Me
* Vocalist, fiddle virtuoso and 27-time GRAMMY Award winner Alison Krauss
* The Bad Plus, in their first Toronto appearance with new pianist Orrin Evans
* Blues and soul legend Bettye LaVette, who just released an album of Bob Dylan covers The Guardian called "slinkily ferocious," headlining our first ever Blues Revue hosted by Toronto legend Danny Marks
* Lake Street Dive, performing music from the recently-released Free Yourself Up
* Local legends-to-be (and two-time JUNO nominee) Weaves

Weekend Outings: Turtlefest, Tillsonburg’s biggest community festival returns June 15-17, 2018

Media Release

Get ready for flaming baseball bats, high flying aerial acts and plenty of delicious ice cream when the Turtlefest Downtown Block Party returns to Tillsonburg on Friday, June 15.

“We’re so pleased to have Shaw’s Ice Cream as our presenting sponsor this year,” says Erica Patenaude, a member of the Block Party organizing crew. “They’re a family-oriented company with strong ties to Tillsonburg so it’s a perfect fit.”

“My sisters Kristine, Kim and I were all born and raised in the Tillsonburg area,” says Shaw’s co-owner Kelly Heleniak. “We’ve watched Turtlefest grow each year and love the idea of sharing our story throughout the weekend.”

“Turtlefest—and especially the Block Party—is about bringing people together,” adds fellow crew member Karlee Slattery.