Joey Graff and The Hound of the Basketballs…Graff Directs Puppeteering Icons in Bawdy Baskervilles Take-Off - theHumm April 2022

Joey Graff and The Hound of the Basketballs…Graff Directs Puppeteering Icons in Bawdy Baskervilles Take-Off - theHumm April 2022

Susan Macaulay interviews Joey Graff, Director of Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Basketballs, a too-funny-to-miss fundraiser for Puppets Up! 2022.

Susan Macaulay: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Joey Graff: Let’s see. I was raised in Almonte, I’m 31 years old and I am the director of the upcoming puppet show Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Basketballs, which is playing at the Almonte Old Town Hall from May 12–15.

Good work plugging the show, Joey.

Thanks.

Your CV massively impressed me. You have such a variety of skills and talents, including playing the fiddle. Can you tell me more about that?

Sure. I’ve been playing violin and fiddle for twenty-six or twenty seven years. The Ottawa Valley has a deep-rooted tradition of fiddling and I was fortunate to learn from some incredible local fiddlers. People such as Danny O’Connell and Alexis MacIsaac, who toured with Riverdance as their resident fiddler and is one of the best musicians I’ve ever worked with.

But you decided not to pursue fiddling and music. You became an actor, puppeteer and director instead. How did that happen?

My experience with puppetry began, as did that of many folks here in Almonte and across Canada, with Noreen Young’s CBC TV children’s series Under the Umbrella Tree. I knew all the characters — Gloria Gopher, Iggy Iguana and Jacob Blue Jay. I cannot emphasize enough how much of an influence Noreen had on me as a child, starting with productions such as Under the Umbrella Tree and The Noddy Shop.

I made my first puppet — a leprechaun — in one of Noreen’s workshops. I even worked on a production with Noreen. I remember her teaching us how to do the casting for latex puppets, which is something she pioneered.

All of that led to an interest in puppetry in high school. My teacher, Ms Sheffield, asked me if I would make the puppets if she got the rights to Little Shop of Horrors. I laughed and said sure. You can guess what happened. Months later she came back to me and said “I got the rights, now you have to make the puppets.” So I did. I think she still has them.

But it was really Noreen and her instruction, benevolence and wisdom in the arts that got me into puppetry in the first place. One of my fondest memories is of going to her house where there’s a giant wall of puppets. It was absolutely magical.Later, I took drama at Queens University where I directed a few puppet shows and ended up focusing strictly on puppets in my final year. And puppetry led to me getting a break into the arts community in Toronto. I was there visiting friends, and someone who had heard I was in town invited me to audition for a show, and I got the part and just stayed on in Toronto. So yes, it’s thanks to puppetry that my career has evolved the way it has. It’s been foundational to what I understand and enjoy about theatre.

And now, in this production, you’re directing Noreen Young, your former teacher Jenny Sheffield, and seven other accomplished puppeteers. What’s that like?

Honestly? I have to pinch myself now and again to make sure it’s actually happening. I’m working with people I looked up to when I was a kid: Noreen Young, Stephen Brathwaite, Bob Stutt, Allan Martin and others. They were part of Puppets Up! for years, some of them as balcony puppeteers, which meant I physically looked up to them as well!

Working with them now is kind of surreal. I have to remind myself that I should call Ms Sheffield Jenny and not Ms Sheffield. It took me a while to get used to that. It’s been so humbling to have the opportunity to direct them and just to get to work with them in general because their influence and abilities are staggering. They really are a brilliant group of artists. I’m still learning from them.

It must be challenging directing these puppeteering stars, people who have been teachers and mentors to you in the past. How does it feel?

Initially, I felt really awkward walking into the rehearsal room. In my head I would be saying “Oh my goodness I’m here to direct Noreen Young. How the heck do I do that?” But then I reminded myself that directing is a role too and I know how to play that role. I firmly believe I am not there to tell people what to do. Rather, I am there to support the actors. That’s what puppeteers are — actors. It’s my job to support them in bringing the show to life.

I help choreograph what happens on the set. I make suggestions. They suggest changes and improvements. It’s collaborative. The fact that they are all fabulously talented and have years of experience makes it fun.

One final question: why should people come to see Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Basketballs?

That’s easy. The script (by Allan Martin) is wickedly funny. Lots of twists, turns, laughs and innuendo. And of course the puppeteers are immensely entertaining. The costuming by Ingrid Hamster is stunning. The set is imaginative. Everyone associated with the production is committed to making the show an unforgettable experience for audiences. It’s going to be great. I should mention that it’s definitely an adult show. Not for children.

But there’s something else that’s very important. This show is a fundraiser for Puppets Up! 2022, which is returning to Almonte from August 12–14 this year. It’s one of the best festivals I’ve ever been to. The fact that it’s coming back, even if only for this year, is so uplifting. Seeing the show and supporting Puppets Up! at the same time is an opportunity not to be missed

Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Basketballs will be presented at the Almonte Old Town Hall from May 12–14 at 7:30pm and on May 15 at 2pm. Early bird tickets are available for $25 each until April 24 (after which late-bird tickets will be available for $30 each) from Tickets Please — call 485-6434 or visit ticketsplease.ca .

 

Dawn Walker — There’s a Pattern Here - theHumm April 2022

By Sally Hansen

Art… and Soul

The ability to identify patterns is an essential ingredient of human intelligence and development. It is a foundational component of mathematics, and more recently an essential underpinning of artificial intelligence. For we humans, it can also be fun and entertaining. For Almonte artist Dawn Walker, her talent for creating visual patterns on surfaces has become her passion.

Anyone who has wandered around a fabric store is intimately familiar with the importance of sur......

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Joey Graff and The Hound of the Basketballs…Graff Directs Puppeteering Icons in Bawdy Baskervilles Take-Off - theHumm April 2022

Susan Macaulay interviews Joey Graff, Director of Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Basketballs, a too-funny-to-miss fundraiser for Puppets Up! 2022.

Susan Macaulay: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Joey Graff: Let’s see. I was raised in Almonte, I’m 31 years old and I am the director of the upcoming puppet show Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Basketballs, which is playing at the Almonte Old Town Hall from May 12–15.

Good work plugging the show, Joey.

Thanks.

Your CV......

...more

What’s the Commotions?
A Spring Kick-off Concertfor the 2022 Stewart Park Festival!
- theHumm April 2022

The Downtown Heritage Perth BIA and Stewart Park Festival will present What’s the Commotions? Spring Kick-off Concert, taking place on the Perth Brewery Patio at the Crystal Palace on April 22, and featuring The Commotions and Beatles cover band Beatlejuice.

The event features a night of drinks and dancing, with doors opening at 6:45pm and music starting at 7:30pm. Grab a bite on-site from the Law & Orders food truck and a cold beverage from Perth Brewery, Top Shelf distillery or Pelee......

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The Ten Collective
Third Annual Exhibit of Paintings
- theHumm April 2022

By Eileen Hennemann

In April 2018, ten Mississippi Mills artists held their first show, expecting 500 people to visit. By the end of the two-day exhibit, more than 1,200 had attended. In 2019 attendance increased to 1,600. Visitors came from near and far and the artists were overwhelmed and thrilled at the show’s success. It was also a very busy weekend for local restaurants and stores.

“The overwhelming success of the last two shows and the demand for our work convinced us to mount a third exh......

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Arts Carleton Place is On the Move!
2022 Art Show at the Carleton Place Arena
- theHumm April 2022

On April 30 and May 1, forty-five local artists have been juried and will be participating in Arts Carleton Place’s 2022 Fine Art Show and Sale, taking place from 10am to 4:30pm each day at the newly renovated Carleton Place Arena at 75 Neelin Street. Admission is free.

We are all looking for something beautiful right now in a fractured world of high gas prices and conflict — and what provides more of a feast for the soul than the creativity and talent of the Arts CP exhibitin......

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Festival of the Maples Returns to Perth! - theHumm April 2022

After a two-year hiatus, it’s now time to celebrate our region’s most famous agricultural commodity — sweet, savoury maple syrup! Once again, local maple syrup producers are the stars of the show at the Perth Festival of the Maples being held Saturday, April 30 in downtown Perth.For the past 46 years the Festival of the Maples has continued to grow, but it still maintains its grassroots focus on area maple producers. The annual festival has been a welcome rite of spring since 1976, and “ground zero......

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Camp Lau-Ren(Overnight Camp, Deep River)The Academy for Musical Theatre (Perth, Ottawa)MERA Summer Arts Camps (McDonalds Corners)Honeybee Homestead (McDonalds Corners)Creative Summer Camps for Ki - theHumm April 2022

Camp Lau-Ren is a children’s summer overnight camp. Located 10km west of Deep River on the Ottawa River, the camp offers six-night co-ed camps for children aged 8–15, an all-girls camp, and a two-night camp for ages 6–7. Accredited by the Ontario Camps Association and the United Church of Canada, the camp has been in operation since 1952. Campers enjoy canoeing, swimming, crafts, and campfires, have lots of fun, and make life-long friends and memories. At the annual free Open House (Saturday,......

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Countries Shaped Like Stars
Family-Friendly Show Plays Almonte and the Ottawa Children’s Festival
- theHumm April 2022

The story of Gwendolyn Magnificent and Bartholomew Spectacular starts with demanding dragon fruits and ends with heartache whispered into the ears of birds and constellations. With spoons, water glasses, whirly-winds and a mandolin, the performers create the sounds and images of a landscape forever altered by two people coming together, and then coming apart.

Part storytelling, part concert, this is a tale of love heard best through a tin-can telephone.

When Countries Shaped Like Stars ......

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Local Explorer Jill Heinerth Awarded Stefansson Medal  - theHumm April 2022

Canadian underwater explorer and Carleton Place resident Jill Heinerth has been selected as the latest recipient of the Canadian Chapter of The Explorers Club’s highest honour, the Stefansson Medal. The award honours “outstanding contributions to the cause of exploration and/or field sciences in Canada or internationally.”

This year’s award was given to Heinerth recognizing “lifetime contributions as a renowned cave diver, polar explorer, author, speaker, filmmaker and clima......

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Second Time’s the Charm! - theHumm April 2022

By Sandy Irvin

Some of us have been waiting for this show for two years. And we’re so pleased that we can finally bring Ian Sherwood and Evangeline Gentle to our stage on April 30. Once again, the Folkus Concert Series will be offering our live show at the Almonte Old Town Hall, with a streaming option for those who are more comfortable at home.

Ian Sherwood is a singer-songwriter, storyteller, and multi-multi-instrumentalist. He is charming in person and funny as heck on stage between songs. He bring......

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The Moment You’ve Been Waiting For… A Full Slate of Art and Craft Events! - theHumm April 2022

By Miss Cellaneous

The Other Islands in Almonte

From March 30 to May 6, Sivarulrasa Gallery is delighted to present Michael Pittman: The Other Islands, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Newfoundland-based artist Michael Pittman. The exhibition can be seen in-person during regular Gallery hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays from 11am to 5pm, and Sundays from 11am to 4pm.

In this new body of work, Pittman explores the harsh realities of life on the lesser ......

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Food Insecurity and the Pandemic - theHumm April 2022

By David Hinks

In previous columns, I have referenced statistics that one Canadian household in eight experiences food insecurity. Is this a reliable estimate? Let me assure you that I did not make this up! Household food insecurity in Canada is measured by Statistics Canada using the Household Food Security Survey Module, which consists of 18 questions about food insecurity. The findings: 4.4 million out of 38 million Canadians experience some degree of food insecurity. Nearly one million of those experience severe food insecurity to the extent of missing meals or going whole days without eating.

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Uniting in Pakenham
A Welcoming Venue at St. Andrew’s United
- theHumm April 2022

By Kris Riendeau

I recently had the pleasure of giving an Almonte Lecture on the topic of community theatre. Near the end of my talk, I lamented the lack of affordable venues for rehearsing and performing in Mississippi Mills. I guess Orpheus was paying attention, because I recently received an invitation to visit St. Andrew’s United Church in Pakenham, where four dynamic volunteers toured me around their beautiful and well-appointed space. Their mission is to create a place where the community can come to......

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Ice War Diplomat Book Signing in Perth - theHumm April 2022

On Saturday, April 23, from 12:30–3:30pm, author Gary J. Smith will be signing copies of his new book, Ice War Diplomat: Hockey Meets Cold War Politics at the 1972 Summit Series, at The Book Nook in Perth.

Ice War Diplomat outlines the intersection of hockey and history, hockey and diplomacy. It is also the personal story of a young Canadian diplomat and his wife on their first assignment who found themselves in Cold War Moscow, landing in the middle of an historic s......

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Taking the Bull by the Horns
Local Artist Recognized in International Art Competition; Opens New Gallery in Pandemic
- theHumm April 2022

Just as the first wave and lock-down of Covid hit, local artist Richard James Hutton received the joyful news of achieving Finalist in a world-wide wildlife art competition hosted by International Artist magazine. Richard, in his pleasant and gentle Scottish lilt, animatedly explains: “Because of my placement in the competition, my art is now featured in their magazine. This is huge. Seriously. Artists dream of being in International Artist. It’s a resource that ......

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Celebrating a Decade of Fine Craft & Art - theHumm April 2022

This month, General Fine Craft will be celebrating ten years in downtown Almonte. Their carefully curated collection of “outstanding craftsmanship by Canadian artists” has become an integral part of the artistic fabric of the town, and the gallery is both a destination for anyone seeking handmade gifts, and a cheerful place for artists and art-lovers to gather. Owner (and artist) Richard Skrobecki infuses the space with his own welcoming energy and his tasteful attention to detail and displa......

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Fun Events & Fabulous Festivals Return
Miss Mills Interviews Tiffany MacLaren… about Mississippi Mills!
- theHumm April 2022

If you don’t live in or near Mississippi Mills, you may be forgiven for not knowing the moniker of this amalgamated area that is home to Almonte, Pakenham and Ramsay Township. And if you’ve just moved to this area over the past two years, you may not be aware of its dynamic reputation as a hub of artsy, cultural and community events. Fear not! I, Miss Mills (the official puppet mascot of Mississippi Mills), am here to bring you back up to speed! To start, let me introduce my fabulous friend T......

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25 Years of Nurturing Creativity - theHumm April 2022

Twenty-five years ago, Heidi Stepanek began offering musical theatre experiences to children and youth — first under the moniker “Kenapets Productions”, then as the Perth Academy of Musical Theatre (PAMT), and most recently as The Academy for Musical Theatre musictheatre.ca . Heidi’s CV is replete with theatrical and musical accomplishments: a Bachelor of Music degree focusing on piano and ethnomusicology, a year at the Royal S......

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Gearing Up For Camp
Staff Opportunities at Camp Lau-Ren
- theHumm April 2022

Camp Lau-Ren’s Executive Directors, Joanne and Ron Hartnett, are hard at work planning for the upcoming 2022 summer camp season. Although there are many unanswered questions leading up to the summer, they are certain that Camp will open.

Their number one concern is staffing. Joanne explains that since the Camp has not been open since 2019, many senior campers did not have the opportunity to move into counsellor positions and there will be no returning counsellors. She hopes......

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Book-themed Mugs Support Library - theHumm April 2022

Starting April 1, the Perth & District Library will be selling beautiful handmade mugs that feature a book and eyeglass decoration. Handmade by local potter Anne Chambers, the mugs will be available in five different colours and sold as a fundraiser for the library.

Anne Chambers is a studio potter and ceramics instructor who creates wheel thrown and altered functional porcelain. Anne has been actively involved in the craft community, volunteering for both The Ottawa......

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Danah-Lee’s Made in the Image - theHumm April 2022

The way back to God, or to one’s religion, is often found first by finding a way to be true to oneself. Canadian Christian pop artist Danah-Lee pulls back the curtain on such a journey in her cello-studded, piano-infused new album Made in the Image.

Earlier this year, Danah-Lee released the single Home to Myself. The chorus is simple but powerful and heartfelt: “I’m coming home to myself.”

And the process of coming home is one the Ottawa Valley-based artist knows personally, having struggled......

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Halfway There at the Station Theatre
Norm Foster Kicks Off the Smiths Falls Community Theatre’s 2022 Season
- theHumm April 2022

By Submitted Smiths Falls Community Theatre

It’s been a long time coming, but The Station Theatre in Smiths Falls is starting to open back up. It’s been a bumpy two years, not knowing what or when we could perform again. There were Zoom plays, recorded plays and radio plays, and we did venture a live show last fall with restricted seating capacity. Anything to let the audience know that they hadn’t been forgotten! But now we are ready to take tentative steps towards a normal remainder of our play season.

Laughter truly can be the best med......

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Perth’s “Trashure Hunt”
Come Out on April 23 and Help Clean Up the Streets!
- theHumm April 2022

In celebration of Earth Day, Perth’s Climate Change Advisory Panel (CCAP) is hosting the first ever Trashure Hunt on Saturday, April 23. A town-wide clean-up, the event will not only help beautify the Town, but will bring together the community with fun, family-friendly activities as well!

“Springtime tends to unearth quite of bit of garbage that was disposed of throughout the winter months. It’s the perfect time for the community to come together and tidy up the town we all live in and love,” states Sadie Brule, event co-organizer and member of CCAP. “The event will also help teach ......

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These Are Not the Words
A New Semi-Autobiographical Novel by Amanda West Lewis
- theHumm April 2022

By John Pigeau

Reading the press release for Amanda West Lewis’s latest book, These Are Not the Words, I’m immediately struck by two lines from Missy, who is the book’s central character and narrator. I’m Miranda Billie Taylor, she says, introducing herself at the beginning of the novel. I make sense of the world with words.

I’m a writer. Many of my friends are writers. Any one of us might have said that. That is, it seems to me, what writers do. We make sense of the world with words. With stories. And, as with life, a lot of the discovery happens in the journey itself.  

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The Orange That Went to Nunavut - theHumm April 2022

By Chandler Swain

This week in my scouring of mainstream and independent news sources, amongst all the awful stuff that was so utterly daunting, one little story stood out. It seemed to solidify all the thoughts about Climate Change and food security I was trying to create a story around. This was the fascinating piece on what it costs to get an orange from where it is was grown in California to a store in our Canadian Arctic 6,000 kilometres away.

There was so much about this little story that grabbed me. It’s hard to unpack, but for some reason my flow of consciousness went right to the old saying ab......

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Union Hall Launches New Season
Pancake Breakfast Kicks Things Off on April 24
- theHumm April 2022

By Linda Camponi

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the folks at Union Hall have been busy! Fundraising efforts have allowed us to continue sprucing the place up so that we are ready to hit the ground running now that public health restrictions have been eased to some extent.

Back in 2018, we completely renovated our two washrooms, making one accessible. Since that time, we have made necessary repairs to the building, fixed the roof, and painted the exterior. A brand new ramp has been installed at th......

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Why I Need My Cookbooks - theHumm April 2022

By Glenda Jones

Today’s the day for really good gingerbread cake. There are a gazillion foodie websites with hundreds of recipes, but you’re not going to find a better one than what Lyle’s Golden Syrup put out in the 1970’s. Every recipe in their book features “Golden” in the title, so you know they’re not too concerned about calorie content.

It’s held together with Scotch tape, and many of the pages are so stained it takes a stretch of imagination to remember the ingredients. You know it; you have books like this......

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Indigenous Arts & Crafts Show - theHumm April 2022

Zion-Memorial United Church, located at 37 Franklin Street in Carleton Place, is delighted to be hosting an Indigenous Arts and Crafts Show on Saturday, May 7 from 10am to 4pm. The day will begin at 9am with a smudging ceremony for those who would like to take part.

Organizers anticipate that this show will become an annual event with all of the featured artists and artisans coming from the Ottawa Valley or Eastern Ontario. They will be displaying and selling a wide variety of di......

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Author Series in Almonte - theHumm April 2022

By Pam Harris

Mill Street Books and the Friends of the Mississippi Mills Public Library are delighted to partner to bring you a variety of writers talking about their latest works. This is a free series to celebrate authors, reading, local bookstores and public libraries. All readings will be presented at the Almonte Branch of the Mississippi Mills Public Library.

Opening our series is Heather Tucker. Well known for her incredibly beautiful and artistic journals and scrapbooking, Heather went on to write a stunning début novel The Clay Girl, an ABA Indie Next Pick. Now she has followed up with Crac......

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