Humm Online Exclusives - August 2015
See more online - right here!
Cover Artist - Brent Kirkham
Read the profile and view the photo gallery for the Brent Kirkham of Kirk's Kanoes.
Speaking Volumes (One Book, One Community)
Hopefully many readers have already heard about the One Book, One Community program coming to Lanark County this fall. The concept is a simple one: encourage as many people as possible to read the book selected for the program, and then provide opportunities for them to discuss it and hopefully build new connections in the community through the shared experience of reading.
The full article is available to read on page 31 of the August 2015 issue of theHumm. The 2015 theme selected is 'aging' and this year's book is Flee, Fly, Flown by Janet Hepburn.
Need further convincing? Check out the review from Literary Review of Canada: http://reviewcanada.ca/magazine/2013/07/old-on-the-road/.
North Lanark Seniors Expo
Find out more about the age-friendly community movement happening across the world at http://agefriendlyworld.org/en/age-friendly-in-practice/.
Framework: Words on the Land (23 August 2015)
Learn more about this upcoming event on the Ottawa Writers' Festival website. Keep your eyes open for weekly "Sneak Peeks" from Framework's organizers on the Facebook and Twitter feeds.
25 years of the Stewart Park Festival
By Steve Tennanet
On a hot steamy Friday evening in July 1991, after a wonderful BBQ and swim with friends and watching a short lightning storm dazzle us over the lake, my kids and I headed back into town where the 175th Anniversary of Perth was kicking off. As I was a relatively recent resident, arriving in 1982, I didn't feel part of the festivities, so, with thunderstorms looming we drove through town on Gore St., heading home. The humidity was high and there was almost fog in the air, it was so warm and, as we drove past Town Hall in Perth, I heard music coming from behind it and was able to catch a glimpse of sparkling white lights in the trees of Stewart Park so the kids and I quickly parked the van and walked in to see what was up. That old rolling stage, which has since found a permanent home in the Fairgrounds, had been rolled into the park and Fred Eaglesmith & the Flying Squirrels were performing. I went to speak to Wendy Laut who was part of the organizing committee with Marg Skinner beside the stage and offered to help. I ended up working the rest of the weekend getting bands on and off the stage and so, from then on I became the Onsite Coordinator for Stewart Park Festival.
It's now 25 years later and I've been reflecting on the experience as I'm the last of the original crew who nurtured the festival along for so many years into the great festival its become. Still free, the incredibly scenic locale, growing from one to now three stages ... really, the festival is something that has evolved into being a part of our family tradition. Our daughter Jodi, as a teen, organized face painting and volunteered for many years before moving away. Our son Adam has worked on the stage since he could carry equipment safely, (probably age 10), being mentored by our long-running Sound Engineer Al Torrance to the point Adam now works in this field, doing sound & light in Ottawa full- time. My son Lucas has been a volunteer backstage for years and has, for the past number of years been the Backstage Security, developing friendships with so many people in the community through this. My far better half, Susan, has helped forever, most recently organizing food for performers backstage for many years, having retired from it last year.
Thinking back, the first thing that comes to mind is how grateful I am to live in such an amazing community where Volunteers step up and make good things happen. Always organized by a few dedicated volunteers, the loosely defined Board of Directors meet and plan throughout the year as the nucleus. Each year, thankfully, swarms of Volunteers sign up and, somehow, another year gets set up, performed and packed away, leaving only new friendships and memories. There is a real spirit of collaboration, of enjoyment, of mutual support, of caring for others that abounds. I've met so many friends through this and watched others' friendships blossom. Being involved brings such a positive vibe. There is no pay, we're all volunteers who get a t-shirt for doing a couple of shifts but somehow, when it's all over, you feel like you've really accomplished something as a team. Volunteers come back each year to do the jobs they've learned and 'just do it', stepping up and making it all somehow work.
It's hard to believe, when strolling along the river running through majestic Stewart Park during the festival these days, how small it was in those first few years. From rolling the original stage in for a few years, it still scares me to think of them backing that same stage into the park, up on built up 3 foot high ramps to attempt to get a more level and visible stage. I remember the fateful night after just completing my closing of the Mainstage on Saturday evening, finally enjoying a beer in the then new Fiddleheads - After Hours and having my phone go off to tell me the Mainstage canopy we'd put together, had collapsed from a torrential rainstorm. Several of us rushed over with many volunteers to salvage the gear, speakers and stage, hence us now having the current saddle-style stage tent.
What started as “those hippies” vs the Town event, in organizing, Stewart Park Festival has blossomed via support of Perth's Downtown BIA and now the Town itself to be a supportive, working collaboration. The festival brings thousands to town each year, many who return again to enjoy other events or just the ambiance Perth offers. I know many who have come to the Festival and ended up moving here, thanks to the spirit involved around the Festival experience. It is wonderful to see and I feel proud for having helped make this yearly 'friend-fest' happen. Case in point. While standing on Gore St, outside what's now the Stone Cellar who had their front windows open, enjoying and After Hours show, finally relaxing after a hard day in the park, a concerned Volunteer came up and asked if I was part of the organizing committee to which I said yes. He said there was a problem with accommodation that had been provided for Dave Gunning (he didn't appreciate the “stripper pole” )and, within 5 minutes, without even moving from my spot, another Volunteer who I'd met 2 hours before and happened to be standing beside me, said he had a house and Gunning and band could stay there. The 1st volunteer , knowing how tired we were, asked to borrow my friends pickup keys, saying he'd move their gear in it.... he's now one of my best friends. That's what its like. People want to help.
Since the beginning, my musical tastes have been expanded, my love of acoustic music has swelled and my admiration for musicians working so hard to 'live the life'. These touring and road warrior musicians give up a lot to offer varying forms of culture throughout our country. One of the off shoots has been Sue and I wanting to share our love of musical styles with our community, so hosting our house concerts for the past 12 years, until recently, in our home.
Favourite musical moments are too many but Laura Smith bringing the large crowd to a listening silence on Mainstage with her sweet voice, is certainly one. Seeing Serena Ryder early in her career, the multitude of Whiteley Family appearances, Kevin Welch, The Sojourners & C.R. Avery, the Prescott clan, Keith Glass with Russell deCarle, John P. Allen and Denis Keldie – all acoustic and joined by the late Willie P. Bennett were just some of those musical blips that come back. Also, to see local kids start on the Youth Showcase and later be playing as the skilled musicians they've become is always heartening for me. There are so many musically magic memories from the Wendy Laut Stage where jams by various players never cease to prove why this is such a special place throughout the weekend. To see the Workshop areas full with people, especially last year, thanks to Julie McIntyre's organizing was pretty special as are the yearly model boats by the Rideau Nautical Modellers and their crowd being captivated. A park full of people having fun. It doesn't get much better than that.
Watching the late great Jackie Washington engage with a 4 year old inquisitive little girl backstage as he delicately told her about his artificial leg while she knocked on it, is another sweet memory. Seeing groups of youthful musicians from different countries who don't speak a common language, somehow, finding ways of communicating backstage with other presenters was wonderful. Witnessing over the years many seasoned, veteran singer / songwriters carry their newspaper crosswords around to work on while waiting to go onstage. I can't forget the late troubadour, John Allan Cameron who, after playing on Mainstage in the hot sun in 2001, signed autographs for over an hour after. As he strode into the backstage an elderly couple informed him of a friend who used to host John Allan staying with her when he toured through in earlier times was now in the local hospital. I heard later John gathered up his guitar, went to the hospital and played for her for over an hour just because that was the kind of person he was. I heard this later from a nurse, not from John Allan, though I shared a few bevvies with him late that same night.
There's been some interesting moments too. I got an urgent call on my phone one year to go meet an anxious US visitor at the Info Booth, only to find out she'd dropped her cell phone and the only car keys she had down the hole in the port a potty. Thank goodness for small towns as we were able to get someone from a local car lot to help her with keys as the “fishin” didn't work out. Another time I was told one of the performers had 'tossed their cookies' in a sink in the green room so, guess who had to go clean it up while they were up on stage, the troopers they were. Never dull.
I've watched many Festival organizers come and go over the years. What a wonderful group of crazy, zany people with incredible passion to see their respective planning and organizing through, spending countless hours throughout the year, being on their feet most of the weekend, seeing their dreams take shape for the benefit of thousands ... the paycheck of zero but a satisfaction that's priceless.
As the Onsite Coordinator, my role is to make sure things are ready at the Festival's beginning, but also to monitor and try to keep things moving along safely and in an organized fashion. In fact, I get to sit down very little to enjoy the music. On the week of, Monday sees the Wendy Laut Stage put up, Tuesday see's the tents start going up, Wednesday see's the loaned trailers, stage and other tents going up. Thursday is where the rest; sound and light, backstage organization of the kitchen, equipment storage, etc, gets arranged so final details can be sorted out on Friday morning, all so we kick off on Friday afternoon on time.
Over the years, I've been blessed to have many Volunteers who show up every year, have learned the ropes and just “get 'er done” including some kids who were super to work with. One guy started working backstage several years ago and started hanging around more and more, stepping up to do jobs that needed done. He was eager, enthusiastic, friendly and became my friend. In recent years he's stepped up and willingly taken over more and more of my role, as well as building all the carts we now use. I had told the organizing Board of Directors I was stepping down at the end of this year, being honoured to have served for 25 years and am mighty proud and confident to pass over the reins to Peter Cochrane. That said, when you put as much time as all us organizers have done over the years to make Stewart Park Festival as great as it is, you get to feel like it's one of your children, watching it develop so, when stepping away, each year it gets a little more difficult.
The other person I wish to recognize is a gentleman who started parking cars backstage, became the Volunteer Co-coordinator and for the past few years has bravely and exquisitely taken on the Chair of our Board of Directors. John McKenty has brought some structure to a zany bunch of “get 'er done” folk who fight it. He's spurred along encompassing ideas which expand our visibility, our cooperation with the community and even makes going to meetings fun.
From Wendy and Marg's original conception twenty-five years ago in Perth's beautiful park, Stewart Park Festival has grown to three stages, the quality of music has always been stellar, the expanding crafts and food areas offerings' unique, the Kids Area always creative, community cooperation has increased, the crowds just keep growing and it is a Festival now well known in music circles across the country ... and still FREE !! It's been fun, its been aggravating at times but, thanks to all the Volunteers who keep stepping up to take a lead on the Board, to all those who show up every year to do their part, it's been an incredible experience. I leave my position confident this organization is in great hands, supported by Volunteers who care. Perth certainly has something to be proud of. I hope to stay involved in some capacity as my “remember when” moments, like the history of any group is always necessary so hopefully I can continue to offer something. I look forward to taking in what this zany group have developed. Thanks for the ride. Has been an unbelievable experience.
Canadian Films Come Into Their Own
Since the turn of the millennium, Canadian films and the National Film Board of Canada itself have increased exponentially in quality, distribution and frequency. Canadian filmmakers like David Cronenberg and Atom Egoyan have already solidified their contribution to film history. We, as Canadians, have always had a stake in cinematic history. Toronto even started its own film festival (TIFF), which has become known as one of the Big Four Festivals on the circuit, alongside Cannes, Venice and New York. Canada also created the Genie Awards and the Canadian Film Awards to celebrate our contributions. Over the years we have carved out our own little section of the sandbox and created some astounding films and talent well worth knowing.
In 1929, Mary Pickford, a born and bred Canadian, then known as “America’s Darling” (ironically enough), won the second ever Oscar for Best Actress for her exquisite role in Coquette. She even went on to revolutionize film production when she and fellow film giants D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks created United Artists.
In the 1960s, Norman Jewison — the first Canadian to breach the border and become a top-flight director gave us some of the finest films of the 20th Century, like In the Heat of the Night (1967 Best Picture winner), The Thomas Crowne Affair, Fiddler on the Roof and Moonstruck. The 1970s started the careers of David Cronenberg and Ivan Reitman. Cronenberg began making extremely personal, independent films (the brilliant The Brood and Videodrome) while Reitman embraced Hollywood and went into a successful career as a comedy director, giving us Stripes, Ghostbusters and Kindergarten Cop.
French Canadian cinema also began to flourish during this time. Talented Quebecers Gilles Carle (La Tête de Normande St-Onge), Michel Brault (Les Ordres) and Claude Jutra (Mon oncle Antoine) joined the fray, all recognized as national treasures. But it was Denys Arcand, Canada`s answer to John Cassevettes, who brought Canadian cinema for the forefront, who brought us The Decline of the American Empire and Jesus of Montreal — both earning Canada`s first two nominations for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. Arcand eventually won the statuette (so far, Canada`s only win) for his emotionally gripping The Barbarian Invasions in 2003. Arcand, having directed Canada`s first three out of seven nominations in this category, still remains our most critically lauded filmmaker.
The 1990s continued the success of Cronenberg (Naked Lunch, Crash) and introduced us to the abstract, fluid camera of Atom Egoyan (Canada`s answer to Brian de Palma) with such stunning films as Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter and Felicia`s Journey. At this time Indo-Canadian Deepa Mehta also began her albeit slim career of visually enthralling films, most notably her Elements Trilogy: Fire, Earth, and Water, which earned her and Canada its fourth Foreign Film nomination.
It is easy to see the lasting impact Canada has made to film history. Yet it seems as if the millennium is the time for Canadian filmmakers to shine. In a time where technology has advanced and enhanced our viewing experiences, a barrage of filmmakers are swelling out of the woodwork and are providing us with some of the most impressive and powerful films Canada has ever produced and who, happily, show no signs of slowing down. We are in the midst of the Golden Age of Canadian Films.
Seasoned veterans David Cronenberg and Atom Egoyan gave us some of their finest films to date during this time. Cronenberg gave us Spider, the Russian mobster epic Eastern Promises and the absurdist Cosmopolis. Egoyan presented us with Ararat (set during the Armenian genocide), the erotic thriller Chloe, Devil`s Knot (a dramatization of the West Memphis Three — if you are unfamiliar, look for the brilliant documentary series Paradise Lost), and The Captive, which almost made me admire a Ryan Reynolds performance. Egoyan’s next film, Remember will be released in the fall and will star Christopher Plummer and Martin Landau. He has yet to surpass his masterpiece The Sweet Hereafter, but his output is still extraordinary.
Speaking of masterpieces, I need to mention David Cronenberg`s masterpiece A History of Violence. A film apart from all the rest, A History of Violence is a brilliant, hypnotic and entrancing film. In my opinion, it is the finest film yet produced from a Canadian filmmaker. It is a film of tremendous subtlety and intelligence. Intense, violence and emotionally complex, A History of Violence is impeccably created in every way.
The turn of the millennium also put the career of Guy Maddin, arguably Canada`s most creative artist working with film, into high gear. Look for his eccentric and experimental films Tales from the Gimli Hospital, The Saddest Music in the World, My Winnipeg and Keyhole, his most commercially accessible film to date.
Many new filmmakers have also joined the ranks, though. Jean-Marc Vallée has made a splash at home and abroad, helming such excellent films as the above-par period drama The Young Victoria, and directing Matthew McConaughey to an Oscar win in Dallas Buyers Club and Reese Witherspoon to a nomination with last year’s Wild. His latest film, Demolition, featuring Naomi Watts, will come out this Fall. And Kim Nguyen’s auspicious début (which got Canada its seventh Oscar nomination), War Witch, is a magical and harrowing tragedy about child soldiers in Africa and one girls’ search for peace via her imagination. This should be the start of an incredible career for Nguyen.
Over the last few years, though, two filmmakers have stood above all the rest and are making Canada a cinematic force to be reckoned with: Denis Villeneuve and Xavier Dolan.
Hailing from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Denis Villeneuve first stormed the cinematic landscape with his bizarre Maelström, a dose of pure surrealist entropy. He waited a whole nine years before releasing his second full length feature Polytechnique, a vivid and unsettling account of the horrific shooting at the École Polytechnique in Montreal. Villeneuve then one-upped himself with 2010’s Incendies (Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film), a sentimental film about a sibling’s journey to piece together a family mystery in the war-torn Middle East.
After that, he gave us the one-two punch of Prisoners and Enemy. Both filmed at the same time though released in separate years, Villeneuve seems to have perfected his craft with these two stark and exciting films. He has proven himself a filmmaker with a strong vison and is surprisingly refined. None of his films have broken any new ground (save for Enemy, perhaps), but they display a confidence and joy in the filmmaking that is tasteful and expert in every way. This is the start of a phenomenal career. Villeneuve`s most recent film, this year`s Sicario, starring Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin and Emily Blunt, premiered at Cannes to rave reviews and will be released stateside in the fall.
The other phenomenal career that needs mentioning is that of Québecois wunkerkind Xavier Dolan, who has written, directed and done the costume design on all five of his films, while acting in three of them. His first film, I Killed My Mother, was made when he was only 19 years old. His films that followed are each continuously more compelling and rapturous than the last. His subsequent films Heartbeats, Laurence Anyways, Tom at the Farm, and especially Mommy, have the ability to capture slices of real life, of our innermost issues and insecurities, and to speak candidly and intelligently about alternative sexuality. They deal with shifting perspectives and are more mature and psychologically intricate than anything released since Fellini and Antonioni smashed our collective consciousnesses in the 1960s. For a filmmaker to be as young (seriously, he just turned 26!) and talented and accomplished as Xavier Dolan, it looks as if he`s moving fast on the tracks to greatness. Let`s keep an eye on this guy.
Moving up in the world already, Dolan is starting to veer out of the indie spotlight (though I'm sure he'll still remain a Cannes and critical darling) and into more mainstream territory with his next feature It's Only the End of the World, which will star the sublime and supremely talented Marion Cotillard, but has no release date set. Dolan also just signed on to make his English language début with The Death and Life of John F. Donovan starring Kit Harington and Jessica Chastain.
Yes, let's keep a close eye on this guy. On all of them. We know Canada has always produced extraordinary talent in all facets of art and culture, yet it seems the millennium is for the filmmakers. For better or worse, it's exciting as hell. Let's sit back and watch.
Month by month summary
May 2024
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theHumm is a free, monthly, independent newspaper covering Arts, Entertainment and Ideas in the small towns and communities of the Ottawa Valley. Circulation ranges from 7,000–9,000 copies, depending on the season. Read more >
