A busy first weekend of October in Niagara

I usually like to get my weekend blog entry done first thing Saturday morning, but the day has been so busy already, the first chance I have had to sit down and write is now, so here goes...

There has been no shortage of events this weekend in Niagara, three of which I will recount here as I will be involved in all of them.  The first, actually, I already have been, and I have the sore feet to show for it!  Now, I know this doesn't have anything to do with the arts, per se, but it has everything to do with giving back to the community and helping out a charitable organization worthy of our help.

This morning I was down at the Pen Centre as preparations were underway for the sixth annual Walk a Mile in HER Shoes event, benefitting Gillian's Place in St. Catharines.  If you know of Gillian's Place, you know of the important work they do in the community; if you don't, you should know they provide shelter and vital help to women escaping abusive relationships in St. Catharines.

A couple of years ago when the former Women's Place moved from their cramped downtown quarters to the renovated Victoria School on Niagara Street, I toured the facilities at the opening and was impressed with the new facility and the exceptional care they provide for clients who come to them.  There might indeed be a day when these services are not needed, but until then, places like Gillian's Place will need our help to raise funds and awareness for this problem.

So once again this morning, myself and many, many other like-minded men strapped on stilettos, pumps, and just about anything else with high heels to walk the one mile perimeter of the Pen to raise funds or awareness for Gillian's Place.  It is quite an event now, with record crowds turning out both to participate and to watch at the Pen.

I arrived just in time to pluck a promising-looking pair of black high-heels in a men's size 8 that I thought would do the trick, and after some buckle hassles, I was ready to go, teetering back and forth.  I did the walk with no problem, but I am finding as I get older (!) my back is aching by the end of it, but that is a small price to pay for the help we try to give to Gillian's Place cause.  I can rest the next day, sort of, but for clients of the shelter and the workers, there really is no rest.

After the walk and the awards had been given, it was announced a record number of donations came in this year:  $ 74,500 was raised for Gillian's Place, about $ 20,000 more than last year.  Phenomenal!  I offer a teetering tip of the hat to my fellow participants and supporters, as well as the tireless volunteers and workers from Gillian's Place who really need our help.  Well done, boys!

Now, on to other things happening this weekend in the arts I want to highlight.  Sunday morning at 11 am, the public is invited to the Shaw Festival rehearsal halls for a free, one-hour presentation by actors Sharry Flett and Guy Bannerman on manners and related topics from the past to the present day.  Shaw Festival actors know more than a little bit about this, of course, as they deal with it all season long as they present plays from the past and the present that will at some point involve manners in some shape or form.

The presentation is part of the provincial Cultural Days events planned for this weekend throughout Ontario, and this one in particular interests me, as an avid theatre goer for many years now.  The discussion is free and no tickets are required; just go to the stage door at the festival theatre prior to 11 am to attend the event.

Later on Sunday, the Niagara Symphony will kick off their new season, their first with Musical Director Bradley Thachuk on the podium full-time.  It promises to be a gala event as a season full of musical promise gets underway, and I am hoping the Sean O'Sullivan Theatre is almost full to the rafters to welcome our Niagara Symphony back for another season.

On the programme Sunday afternoon are three orchestral works:  an Overture by Sir Ernest MacMillan; the Romeo & Juliet Fantasy-Overture by Tchaikovsky, and in the second half, the ever-popular Symphony No. 9 in E Minor by Antonin Dvorak, the one known, of course, as "From the New World."  All three works will test the orchestral prowess of the Niagara Symphony, and will offer a suitable launching pad for  what promises to be an exciting symphony season down at the Centre of the Arts, Brock University.

Once again this season I will be attending, too, with my table set up in the lobby before, after, and during intermission at the concert with a wide selection of music for you to (hopefully!) purchase.  I will have an added surprise tomorrow, as well, but that won't be disclosed until I am set up before the concert.  So if you go, be sure to pay me a visit and say hello.

Tickets are still available for the concert, and can be had by stopping at the Brock box office before the concert or calling them at 905-688-5550, ext. 3257.

Who says there is nothing to do in Niagara after the Niagara Wine Festival is done for the season?

October 1st, 2011.