COLUMN: Orillia gets festive with music, art and holiday events

Welcome to my last column before Christmas. I am going to take Dec. 24 off to be with family. Look for my next column Dec. 31 to ring in the new year!

If you are looking for a gift idea for the music lover on your list, why not pick up a copy of DJ Wilverine’s album, DJ WILverine Presents: Up From The Underground Volume 1, a fundraiser for the the Jake Beers and Nelson Bell AKA Valis 705 bursaries at the Orillia Youth Centre.

Artists on the album include Bleeker, Jake Beers, Valis 705, Monowhales, Feral Minks, Nixon Boyd, Alex Kaye Black, Sydney Riley, Shoemaker Levee, and Cudbear.

The album is available at Alleycats and Gilbert Guitars in Orillia, Artful Barkeep in Bracebridge, and The Record Shoppe in Huntsville. Happy shopping and supporting a wonderful cause!

If you are looking to gift an experience, how about tickets to a fantastic show? The Orillia Opera House has lots of options, including WROL (Without Rule of Law), Mariposa Arts Theatre’s February offering, a thoughtful dark comedy featuring a host of very talented youth.

Again, for the music lover, Mariposa Folk Festival’s An Evening of Blues and Gospel, also in February, is always amazing, featuring incredible award-winning musicians with Lance Anderson bringing it all together. And of course, tickets for Mariposa Folk Festival itself are the lowest they will be all year, so grab those while you can!

Once again, I urge you to check out the art galleries in town, including Peter Street Fine Arts, The Shadowbox, OMAH, and The Maker’s Circle, all on Peter Street, Tiffin Gallery just off the OMAH alley, Cloud Gallery inside Creative Nomad Studios, and the Red Dot Gallery in the Orillia Square mall. I picked up some lovely gifts from these places last week! Check them out!

Downtown Orillia’s last late-night shopping of the season is this Friday (Dec. 19). Lots of shops will be open, and some special events will be happening here and there, including at The Maker’s Circle, mentioned above. They have a lot of holiday workshops, etc. so follow them on Facebook to know more.

The final holiday events are upon us this week so listen closely.

Do not miss this year’s version of A Reading of Dickens’ Christmas Carol, a fundraiser for Green Haven Shelter for Women. It’s happening Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Orillia Opera House.

Thanks to new Executive Director Krista Storey’s contacts in the entertainment world, the cast and direction is star-studded, and it’s going to be a knock-your-socks-off event, featuring the dames of Canadian comedy. Be there! Tickets are through the Opera House website.

Speaking of the Orillia Opera House, Jay Davis’ A Buble Christmas is happening there Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Of course, it will be very Buble and magical!

The Cellar Singers’ Christmas Fantasia is happening Dec. 20 at St. James’ Anglican Church, featuring R. Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols and other wonderful holiday favourites. Get your tickets through The Cellar Singers website or at the door, cash only. The show starts at 4 p.m. luckily so you can see Buble and the choir!

Friday at 7 p.m. at Brewery Bay Food Co. it’s the Charity Holiday Dragtacular, thanks to Three Birds Salon and Friends. Tickets are $20 through the Three Birds website and all proceeds go to The Sharing Place. Come have a dragtacular night out and support The Sharing Place, too!

New Year’s Eve, I know the Legion is having a party with Even Steven, and ODAS Park is ringing in the new year with Steve’s DJ Service, and you can get tickets for that through the ODAS Park ticketleap.

The City of Orillia is hosting a free skate and grand re-opening of the Gill Street Community Complex in the morning and its ‘regular’ event from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Orillia Recreation Centre. Details available through the City of Orillia FB page.

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a happy and wonderful New Year! If you have arts news, send it to [email protected] by Tuesday at noon to be included. See you Dec. 31!