Hilda’s Yard now on stage at Playhouse.

 

Upper Canada Village’s launch of the new Pumpkinferno, billed as ‘Eastern Ontario’s largest, boldest and most unique’ event has surpassed expectations with over 12,000 visitors through the gates in just seven days of operation.

That figure grew dramatically, this past Saturday night when 5,000 people showed  up causing back ups on County Road 2 and a long wait despite the St. Lawrence Park’s Commission’s effort last week to speed up the entry process.

“Once again we will be trouble shooting,” said the Commission’s Corporate Marketing and Development officer, Susan Leclair, on Monday morning. 

Leclair explained that after the big crowds on the weekend of October 11-13, measures were put in place last week that were expected to keep the flow moving. They included overflow parking and improved schematics for check in/ticket sales.

However, says Leclair, it didn’t take into account that there would be 5,000 visitors on a single night.

While the overflow parking and the entry (separate entry for prepaid, and five cashes open for sales) was in fact better for the visiting public,  their success pushed the problem further up the line to a bottleneck which occurred just inside the village. 

As one exits the Visitor Centre, the Pumpkinferno begins with a light show. Visitors then proceed to the first few exhibits along a narrow pathway around the grist mill. It was at the start to the narrow pathway, that the process slowed down Saturday night.

“While our team was prepared to have a robust visitation, the public reaction surged early in this event, resulting in some extended line ups,” said SLPC General Manager & CEO Darren Dalgleish, in a press release that was released late last week, prior to Saturday night’s huge attendance.  

In the press release, Dalgleish added that, “our team has reacted quickly and streamlined the entrance processes which will be able to get visitors into the parking lot and through the gates much quicker this weekend. Other small adjustments inside the attraction will keep our guests moving at a timely pace during their walk through. It looks like Pumpkinferno is here to stay; based on the attendance to date and stellar feedback we are receiving from our guests.”

“We are driving a strategy of “product mix enrichment” and Pumpkinferno embodies this priority,” said Dalgleish.  “The visitor response has been absolutely astonishing, far exceeding expectations.”

The phenomenal early success of Pumpkinferno has led to the addition of three extra days – November 1, 2 and 3 (Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights) – in order to accommodate the tremendous popularity of the event.

Pumpkinferno, an event to be enjoyed by all ages is a 45 minute walking tour through a mesmerizing installation of thousands of LED-lit pumpkins of all sizes.  It is a unique blend of creative artistry and must be seen to be appreciated. 

To speed entry into Pumpkinferno, advance ticket purchase is recommended and can be bought online at www.Pumpkinferno.com.  

With a ticket in hand, visitors can then proceed directly to the Express Line-up for pre-paid tickets which will ensure quicker entry. 

Combo tickets Fort Fright / Pumpkinferno ($20 general admission) or Pumpkinferno / Alight at Night (Adult $20; Senior/Youth $15) are also available.

Here’s what visitors are saying about their Pumpkinferno experience:

• “You have outdone yourself with this festival event. The level of artistry and imagination is outstanding.”

• “Awesome, fabulous carvings and display, a must see for all family members.”

• From OTTAWA:  “Hundreds of pumpkins stacked into enormous scenes of stunning originality. The displays literally took our breath away. My kids asked if we could come back the very next night. Well worth the drive and affordable!”

• From CORNWALL:  “This is Upper Canada Village’s new event SUPERSTAR! Original, creative and mind-blowing!”

• From KINGSTON:  “So much buzz about this event we had to see for ourselves. It exceeded our expectations by miles!  What a cool idea! Such energy and talent!”

•From WINCHESTER:  “We did not really know what to expect. We found it difficult to move to the next display because the carving detail was overwhelming! Proud to have this event in our own backyard!”

• From MONTREAL:  “Been to Alight at Night for years – had to think this was worth the trip. It sure was and then some. What an incredible creative idea – executed to the max! Nothing like this in Quebec!  Tres Bien!”

Pumpkinferno is open on select nights from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. throughout October and into November: Thursday to Sunday, October 25, 26, 27, 28; Wednesday to Saturday, October 31 (Hallowe’en), November 1, 2, 3.

The event has affordable family friendly pricing of $10 Adult (13 to 64 years of age), $7 Senior (65+ years of age) / Youth (6 to 12 years of age) and is absolutely free for children five and under. 

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Five South Dundas home owners will open their doors to the public this Sunday, September 25 for the Homes on the St. Lawrence House tour in support of the community’s off leash dog park.

Organized by the Park Pals committee, the House tour features five homes, four of which are directly on the St. Lawrence and the fifth with a great view of the Morrisburg dock and waterfront area.

In addition each of the homes will have their front entries or outdoor living spaces decorated by local artists and/or businesses.

Starting at the east end of the tour, the first house featured is the historic home owned by Ian and Cathy MacKay.

The home built in 1894 is located overlooking the Morrisburg dock on the curve where Ottawa Street turns into Lakeshore Drive.

Cathy MacKay says she and her husband are delighted to open their home, the former “Falcon” tourist home to the public.

“We feel the house is part of Morrisburg’s history and welcome people to come and visit it,” says Cathy.

She feels that visitors, like she and her husband, will be delighted with the impressive Victorian hardware, the intricate wooden staircase, imposing sliding doors between the principal main floor rooms and the excellent quality of the original butternut wood working.

The home was built in the late 1800’s by Mr. Gibson for his son. In the 1930’s it was run as The Falcon Tourist Home and accommodated people who came to see Dr. Locke. It was later owned by the Kincaids who operated a monument business on the property.

The MacKays have owned the home for 1.5 years.

With the longtime green shutters now being painted black, Cathy is looking forward to her front entry being decorated by Belle Flower Gifts located on Highway 31, north of Winchester.

Heading west, the next stop is at 12014 Lakeshore Drive at the  attractive, two-year-old, Guildcrest-built home of Marjorie Smith.

The home is totally custom built and features an open concept with nine foot ceilings, a 16 foot cathedral ceiling, three bedrooms and, of course, a fantastic view of the St. Lawrence.

Marjorie, a salesperson with Guildcrest Homes is originally from Winchester. She owned two previous Guildcrest Homes before designing this one for her waterfront property.

Marjorie’s back patio living space will be decorated by Cardinal Flowers and Gift Gallery which has locations in Morrisburg  and Cardinal.
Owned and operated by Michael O’Brien and Frank Fralic, the Cardinal Flower and Gift Galleries are full service retail gift shops specializing in fresh floral tributes for all occasions.

Michael O’Brien who toured the Smith home Sunday, said he several good ideas for the space.

Next up on the tour, is the Gord and Robin Lane home located right next door to the Smiths at 12012 Lakeshore.

The custom built three storey Lane home is seven years old. It is environmentally friendly and was designed by Gordon and Robin.

“As a result it has many personal touches,” says Gord. “It’s a cement house and has real stone on the exterior. Robin and I both went to the University of Saskatchewan and our home has the same stone as the university which came from the foothills of Alberta. It’s our piece of memorabilia.”

Other highlights of the home include the oak floors which came from the Lane’s bush lot in Quebec, the interior and front doors all glass done by a Quebec artisan and a copper ceiling.

Robin has also arranged to feature the art sculpturing of Paverpol Sculptures for the day. “They are going to put a mermaid in the pool, which will be interesting.”

The Lane’s entry will be decorated by local decorator Karen Marshall whose Something Unique: Interior Decorating and Home Staging has been working with homeowners locally for 15 years.

Marshall says she is looking forward to decorating the Lane’s entry and while she won’t give away any secrets, she will be including copper in her design.

“I’m still playing around with some ideas, so I don’t want to show my hand yet,” says Marshall. “It’s definitely going to be a fall theme and something that Gordon and Robin will enjoy.”

Next stop on the tour is the home of Mae Pederson at 5648 Birch Lane. (left turn off Lakeshore Drive, just east of Flagg Creek).

The Pederson home is one of the few farm houses along the St. Lawrence that was not lost to the Seaway.

It consists of the orginal farmhouse built in the late 1700s and an addition added in the 1800s.

Pederson purchased the home eight years ago, “when it was 35 below zero and there was four feet of snow.”

In those eight years she has “tore down all the walls inside to open it up” and the result is her open concept dream home.

Her kitchen occupies the original farmhouse and is wide open to the roofline with original restored wood plank floor.

Handling her entry design for the house tour is Elaine of Canadian Tire in Morrisburg.

Located at the west end of the tour is the home of Claude Lavoie  located at 11158 Gresdale Boulevard.

To reach the two storey, Lavoie home, visitors must travel to County Highway 2 towards Iroquois and turn left onto Saver Road. Travel south on Saver Road and turn left onto Grisdale Boulevard.

The beautiful homes is distinguished by white fencing and offers up some great views of the St. Lawrence.

The home’s entry will be decorat by Eileen Johnston in conjunction with Riley’s Valu-mart in Morrisburg.

The tour will run from 1-4 p.m. and the cost is $20 per person.Tickets can be purchased at Mustard’s Variety in Iroquois or Cardinal Flowers in Morrisburg.

Refreshment will be served at the Lane home.

The event is a fund raiser for the South Dundas Dog Park located in Morrisburg.

[…]

 

 Leisa Way is completely unabashed about her feelings for Canada. 

“We are the greatest country in the world. This is a simply a fantastic place to live. And we really are a nation of caring. I’ve travelled all around the world as an entertainer, and I’ve found that other countries absolutely embrace Canada.”

So it should come as no surprise that Way is throwing those sentiments, and her renowned talents as a singer, an actor and a producer, into the new show which will open the Upper Canada Playhouse 2015 season. The premiere of Oh, Canada, We Sing For Thee, is a celebration of Canadian music and Canadian artists through the last six decades. From Paul Anka to Bachman Turner Overdrive, from Buffy Sainte-Marie to Gordon Lightfoot, from Leonard Cohen to Michael Buble, Leisa Way and her fantastic Wayward Wind band are drawing from a rich heritage of Canadiana. And with Canada’s 150th anniversary a bare two years away, Oh, Canada, We Sing For Thee, has a very timely air about it.

“Upper Canada Playhouse is clearly way ahead of the curve,” Way laughed. “With all the celebrations coming up in 2017, everyone is going to be incredibly proud to be a Canadian, and we are excited to be part of that energy with this new show.”

Leisa Way is no stranger to the work involved in mounting a major musical, and no stranger to audiences at Upper Canada Playhouse. She brought Sweet Dreams (Patsy Cline), Rhinestone Cowgirl (Dolly Parton), Country Jukebox and Wichita Lineman (Glen Campbell) to the Playhouse, playing to packed houses and rave reviews. For Oh, Canada, she has researched the musicians and the music of nearly 60 artists, the events and the passions that inspired their work. “I love this kind of research,” Way said, “finding meaningful information about a writer and artist to use in creating the show. The biggest challenge for me is finally having to cut some great music.”

This exciting new show looks at Canadian artists “that people will know and enjoy”, loosely fitting the music into several ‘themes’. The rock n’ roll segment will feature Paul Anka, the first Canadian ever to have a number one hit on the R&R charts, and groups who heavily influenced the rock n’ roll scene like the Four Lads and the Crew Cuts. Folk is reflected in the work of Ian & Sylvia, Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell. When it came to rock, “I decided to ask some ‘authorities’,” Way laughed, “Norm Foster (who was a radio host), my husband David, and my mother. They gave me ideas about the iconic rock stars and bands. Basically, if they knew a song and loved it, it’s in the show.” 

“We perform a couple of medleys,” Way explained, “but I tend to like to hear an entire song, so I emphasize that approach in the show. Keeping it to one song an artist was a real challenge.” She is backed, in this production, by some of Canada’s current top musicians. Nathan Smith, Bobby Prochaska, Fred Smith, Bruce Ley and Sam Cino lend their incredible instrumentation and voices to Oh , Canada, We Sing For Thee.

When I asked Leisa Way where the inspiration for this new production came from, she immediately responded, “From Donnie Bowes. He was the person who inspired me to create Patsy and Dolly, Country Jukebox and Wichita Lineman. His faith and belief in me inspired me to tackle this production as well. He basically said to me, what about a show that celebrates Canadian music and musicians? Donnie Bowes and the venue at Upper Canada Playhouse are the big draws for me. He’s the reason that I feel I have been able to create concerts that entertain and uplift.”

Currently the show is rehearsing at Theatre Orangeville, but is due to transfer to the Playhouse the first of next week. The show runs April 21-25.

“With Oh, Canada, We Sing For Thee,” Leisa Way said, “I believe we are giving people entertainment that reflects us as a nation and proudly tells our stories.”

For information and tickets contact Upper Canada Playhouse at 1-613-543-3713.

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