The Westport Arts Council

James Bartleman’s distinguished career has brought him from a boyhood in the Muskoka town of Port Carling, Ontario, with his roots in the Chippewa First Nation, through over three decades in diplomatic service, and an appointment as Ontario’s 27th Lieutenant-Governor in 2002. Jim has written five books, the most recent of which is his highly regarded first novel As Long as the Rivers Flow, released last February, and nominated for the 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist. Two of his earlier books are the prize-winning memoirs Raisin Wine and Out of Muskoka. The autobiographical Rollercoaster, published in 2007, recounts his experiences as Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s chief diplomatic advisor from 1994 to 1998, during which he rubbed elbows with anybody who was anybody, everywhere. In his 2005 book On Six Continents, he recounted his thirty-five year diplomatic career in which he was the only Canadian diplomat to serve on all six continents. Jim and his wife now live in Perth, Ontario.

Tish Cohen is the author of seven novels—three adult, two young adult and two pre-teen. Her first adult novel, Town House, was a 2008 finalist for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best First Book (Canada and the Caribbean region). It is currently in development as a feature film with director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise) as producer, and has been translated into Italian and German. Inside Out Girl followed in 2008 and was another commercial success, a Globe and Mail Bestseller, and is also being turned into a movie. Tish’s third adult novel, The Truth About Delilah Blue, published last year, is still selling well across North America. The Globe and Mail headlined it’s review of the book with “Move over, Jodi Picoult.” Her young adult novels, Little Black Lies (2009) and Switch (2011) have huge teen followings, as do her pre-teen books in the Zoë Lama series, The Invisible Rules of the Zoë Lama and The One and Only Zoë Lama. In a bow to social communications, Tish is currently releasing her short story Littleman one tweet at a time on TVO’s twitterpage. Tish lives and writes in Richmond Hill.

Mark Frutkin has written seven books of fiction, two of non-fiction, and three of poetry. Mark’s latest book, the non-fiction Walking Backwards, released in August, recounts a decade of travels from Turkey to India to Colorado, through Venice, Paris, Rome and Points between. His novel Fabrizio’s Return won the 2006 Trillium Book Award, the Sunburst Award, and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book. Atmospheres Apollinaire (1998) was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award, the Trillium and the Ottawa Book Award. Mark’s earlier non-fiction book, Erratic North, published in 2008, is a memoir of his years in the remote bush of Western Quebec and his personal take on the rejection of war and the search for peace. Writing in the Globe and Mail, the novelist Neil Bissoondath praised Mark’s novel Slow Lightning for its “superb inventiveness,” adding that “at the heart of Slow Lightning is a clever and spellbinding story.” His other novels, also widely praised, include Invading Tibet (1991), of which the New York Times said: “An intriguing idea for a novel … admirable,” In the Time of the Angry Queen (1993), The Lion of Venice (1997), and The Growing Dawn (1984). A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Mark became a Canadian citizen in 1976 and has lived in Ottawa since 1980.

Laurie Lewis published her first book at 80, which probably came as no surprise to her family and friends. She has lived a life surrounded by a family of writers. Her own mother coincidentally published her first book at 80. In Little Comrades, the Kingston-based publisher and writer tells of her unorthodox childhood growing up in a Communist family in Calgary in the 1930s and of the blunt challenges of life with her by then single mother, first in Toronto and then in New York City. After a 30-year career as a designer and production editor with the University of Toronto Press, Laurie, by then relocated to Kingston, began to write by recalling snippets of her life. She has received much enthusiastic praise for her memoir. But then again, as she told an interviewer with the Globe and mail, “Life is full of surprises.” Her short stories have appeared in Queen’s Quarterly and The Toronto Quarterly. She has also written and published poetry, primarily in the Queen’s Feminist Review over the past five years. Laurie continues to live and write in Kingston.

Tickets are $15, including refreshments, available from Murphy's Barber Shop, 5 Church St. (273-2145), at The Cove, 2 Bedford St. (273-3636 or 1-888-COVE-INN), or at the door, if available.

Additional author information available at their respective websites:
Tish Cohen: www.tishcohen.com
Mark Frutkin: www.markfrutkin.com
Laurie Lewis: www.laurielewis.ca

CONTACT:

If you would like more information about this event please contact Norman Peterson, Westport Arts Council, at npeterson@rideau.net.

The music begins at noon on the Cove stage, 2 Bedford St., with the country-roots harmonies of Prescott, featuring siblings Kelly and Kaylen Prescott, third generation Ottawa Valley performers. Kelly appeared in Westport last October in her widely praised role as Emmylou Harris in the musical Grievous Angel: The Legend of Gram Parsons. The show has subsequently toured in Canada and the United States to rave reviews. San Francisco-based recording artists Corinne West and Kelly Joe Phelps follow at 1:45 p.m. with their lush acoustic/roots harmonies and acclaimed guitar virtuosity. Between them, they have toured widely in North America, Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, Japan, and the U.K., and are appearing in Westport directly from Oregon before continuing on to other performances elsewhere in Ontario over the next two weeks. Corinne’s latest CD, “The Promise” has been described as “elegant new sexy acoustic jazz-rock-folk.” Kelly Joe’s eight CDs offer a wide mix of folk, blues and jazz reflecting his musical influences and performing partners, including Steve Earl, Bill Frisell, and Townes Van Zandt. The Peter Elkas Band, currently based in Toronto, takes the stage from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. Fresh from touring with the Joel Plaskett Emergency, and hard on the heels of his latest CD, Repeat Offender, Joel brings his infectious sound (pure rock ‘n’ roll) to the pond stage behind the Cove. Fans will recall Peter’s first success when he led the Montreal quartet Local Rabbits to cult status across North America. Two subsequent CDs, Party of One and Wall of Fire, led to featured appearances in Berlin, the U.K. and Texas.

The acoustic stage of A Victorian Reflection B&B, 16 Church St., opens at 12:30 p.m. with the children’s entertainer Magoo. Children are encouraged to bring their parents. The Mariposa Folk Festival said Magoo “puts on one of the best children’s shows in Canada today.” The multi-talented musician, songwriter, performer, emcee is also known as the host/president of the highly successful Blue Skies Music Festival. Following his stage performance, Magoo will perform at various locations throughout the village, entertaining audiences where he finds them (or they him). He is followed at 2:00 p.m. by the afro-latin-jazz inspired world music rhythms of the Peterborough/Toronto group Drumhand. Their self-released CD, “Moving Still,” brings together rhythms, instruments and sounds hinting at a variety of cultures that’ll make you want to dance. Larry Graves, co-founder of Drumhand, appeared with Mr. Something Something at our 3rd annual music festival in 2009. Gananoque’s Bob Burtch Bluegrass Band performs from 3:45 to 5:00 p.m. An area favourite, with their “real country music” sound, the band has deep roots in the local music scene. Fans will know Bob’s music from the Burtch-Abrams Connection and the Abrams Brothers (with whom he played mandolin and guitar) including an appearance at our second music festival in 2008, where he did some fine pickin.

The SOHO stage, 43 Bedford St., welcomes the alt-rock energy of the Perth area 5-piece band Guthrie House at 1:00 p.m. With the combined experience of some twenty bands between them, these musicians have been writing and performing music that appeals to the story-lover in all of us—flavoured by elements of their jazz, rock, folk and blues backgrounds. The Shawn McCullough Band follows at 2:45 p.m. Led by the Westport native and highly regarded guitar teacher, the band brings the contemporary country stylings Shawn has celebrated in countless performances throughout the region, including his contribution to our April Kitchen Party. The “funky-flavoured jazz” of the Montréal-based Vanessa Rodrigues Soul Project wraps up the Soho venue and the festival afternoon with a performance from 4:45 to 6:00 p.m. One of Canada’s best young jazz organists and keyboard players, Vanessa is a classically trained musician who discovered jazz at the age of fourteen. She graduated in jazz performance (piano) from McGill University and pursued studies on the Hammond organ, subsequently performing and recording in Europe and North America. She has released three albums: Soul Project (2005), Soul Food for Thought (2009) and Gale/Rodrigues Group Live at the Rex (2007), in collaboration with Toronto saxophonist Chris Gale.

The Cove Country Inn hosts an indoor performance by the widely celebrated musician/songwriter Emily Fennell’s band Miss Emily at 8:00 p.m. ($5 cover charge). Kiss’s Gene Simmons recently praised the Kingston-based soul-rock performer, describing her voice as “the best pipes we have ever heard in an unsigned artist.”

Rain or shine, come enjoy the music and the village of Westport on Upper Rideau Lake at the top of the Rideau waterway.

The Westport Arts Council’s fifth annual music festival on Saturday, August 13 will repeat the successful formula of previous years. Nine bands will perform outdoors throughout the afternoon on three stages located across the village: beside the pond at The Cove Country Inn at 2 Bedford St., on the front lawn of A Victorian Reflection B&B at 16 Church St., and at the SOHO property, 43 Bedford St. The Cove will host an indoor performance at 8 p.m. Admission is free at all outdoor stages, with a $5 cover charge for the indoor performance.

This year’s three outdoor festival stages feature the mesmerizing acoustic/roots harmonies of San Francisco recording artists Corinne West and Kelly Joe Phelps; the “real country music” of Bob Burtch’s Bluegrass Band out of Gananoque; the “funky-flavoured jazz” of the Montréal-based Vanessa Rodrigues Soul Project; the contemporary country stylings of Westport’s Shawn McCullough & Friends; the afro-latin-jazz inspired world music rhythms of the Peterborough/Toronto group Drumhand; the alt-rock energy of the Perth area 5-piece band Guthrie House; the multi-talented Toronto-based children’s entertainer Magoo; the gripping indie rock ‘n’ roll energy of Toronto’s Peter Elkas Band; and the soulful country-roots harmonies of Prescott, featuring siblings Kelly and Kaylen Prescott, third generation Ottawa Valley performers.

The evening indoor show features the widely celebrated musician/songwriter Emily Fennell’s band Miss Emily. Kiss’s Gene Simmons recently praised the Kingston-based soul-rock performer, describing her voice as “the best pipes we have ever heard in an unsigned artist.”

Previous festivals have featured Ladies of the Canyon, the Brock Zeman Trio (with Keith Glass), Spoon River, the Tom Savage Trio, the Abrams Brothers, Pico de Gallo, the Soul Jazz Orchestra, Mr Something Something, Rueben deGroot, Georgette Fry, StringTease, Mumbo Jumbo Voodoo Combo, Buddy Holly Live, Del Vezeau, the Spencer Evans Trio, The Spades, the Lance Anderson Band, and many others. This year’s lineup brings the total number of festival performers in 5 years to 50.

Children’s performer and long-time Blue Skies host-performer Magoo is first up on the Victorian Reflection acoustic stage, following which he will take on the role of wandering minstrel in the neighbouring streets. The Mariposa Folk Festival said Magoo “puts on one of the best children’s shows in Canada today.”

The Rideau Rickshaw Runners, who were a hit with the crowd the last two summers, will return again this year.

MUSICwestport is a presentation of the Westport Arts Council, with the generous support of many individuals and businesses in Westport and area.

Contacts:

Norman Peterson at 613-273-7781 (npeterson@rideau.net).

Jeff Cowan at 613-273-8715 (jeffrocowan@hotmail.com).

An exciting mix of musicians will perform throughout the day from 2-7 p.m. Headlining this year’s program is Carleton Place’s Brock Zeman, with local performers Shawn McCullough, StringTease (with Chuck Gobeil, Carolyn Avery, Dave Pollard, Dawson Willsey), Tom Savage, Brad Milner, Mike Cochrane, Gerald Van Halteren, and Jeff and Seamus Cowan.

A “kitchen party” is a time-honored way for families, friends (old and new) and neighbours to enjoy each other’s company by sharing music, dance, stories and food, in part as a way to kick start spring and the arrival of sunnier days.

The Legion’s cash bar will be open during the day. A traditional meal of homemade Irish stew, bread and biscuits, a selection of deserts, and tea and coffee will be available from the kitchen later in the afternoon for just $7.

Tickets are only $10 per person, and are available in Westport at The Cove Country Inn, 2 Bedford Street (613-273-3636) and at the door of the Westport Legion on County Road 10 on the 2nd.

The kitchen party is a fundraiser in support of the Westport Arts Council’s fifth annual MUSICwestport scheduled for Saturday, August 13. A second fundraiser to help meet festival costs is a dance party planned for Thursday, May 26 at the Cove.

Come out and join the party.

Celebrate the Holidays with this CD of Christmas music

Support music and art in Westport

Gram Parsons was the creative force behind some of the most important recordings of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. He pioneered country rock with The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo, schooled the Rolling Stones in American roots music, created The Flying Burrito Brothers and recorded two classic solo albums, GP and Grievous Angel, with his musical protégé, Emmylou Harris.

Parsons never had a hit record and never became a star in his lifetime, but he is hailed today as the patron saint of alt-country and Americana. His influence is acknowledged by artists as disparate as Keith Richards, Elvis Costello, Steve Earle, Norah Jones, Beck, Tom Petty, Ryan Adams, Wilco, Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam, REM and the Black Crowes. He has been the subject of five biographies, four tribute albums and a documentary film, Fallen Angel.

Gram Parsons was 26 when he died, overdosing on morphine and tequila, but he was already one of the most influential musicians in the history of rock and roll. His death—and the bizarre theft of his body by his road manager and its subsequent burning in the desert near Joshua Tree, California—turned Parsons’ life and music into legends.

Grievous Angel: The Legend of Gram Parsons features music by Parsons, Hank Williams, the Louvin Brothers, Chris Hillman, Chris Etheridge, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Dan Penn, Robert Johnson, Ric Grech and Bob Buchanan.

The October 2 presentation in Westport features Anders Drerup as Gram Parsons, with Kelly Prescott in the role of Emmylou Harris. Drerup is a native of Carp and a member of the country rock band, Silver Creek. Prescott is the daughter of Tracey Brown and Randall Prescott, and performs with her brother, Kaylen, as the duo Prescott. Anders and Kelly are backed by a five-piece band that includes Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame member Al Bragg on pedal steel.
This production continues to play to packed houses. Before Westport, it will be performed at La Sala Rossa, Montréal on September 17, and on the NAC 4th Stage, Ottawa on September 25, following which it will tour California, Nevada, Washington and Oregon from October 8-24.

Grievous Angel: The Legend of Gram Parsons was inspired by producer/director Michael Bate’s March 1973 interview with the doomed singer in Boston. It was Parsons’ last recorded conversation.

The Westport Arts Council is a registered charitable organization committed to promoting the arts and artists. A portion of the ticket sales from the October 2 presentation will be shared with Rideau Vista Public School, Westport.

Tickets are $25 each, and are available in Westport at Murphy’s Barber Shop, 5 Church St. (273-2145), The Cove Country Inn, 2 Bedford St. (273-3636 or 1-888-COVE-INN), or at the door, if available.

The performance is at 8 p.m., Saturday, October 2 at Rideau Vista Public School at the intersection of Highway 42 and County Road 10.

For more information on the production: www.legendofgramparsons.com.

Ed Broadbent, PC, PhD, CC, is a social democrat and political scientist. He is a former Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. Following graduate studies at the London School of Economics, he obtained a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Toronto in 1965, after which he joined York University’s political science department. He entered politics as an NDP Member of Parliament in 1968, and was elected leader of his party in 1975, a position he held until his retirement in 1989. He made a brief return to Parliament as the Member for Ottawa Centre in 2004-2006. In 1990, he became the founding President of the International Center for Human Rights and Democratic Development (now Rights and Democracy). He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1993 and a Companion in 2001. He has lectured at, and/or been a Fellow of, many universities including McGill, Harvard and Oxford, and is currently a Queen's University Skelton-Clark Fellow. Professor Broadbent is the author of The Threat to Democratic Citizenship, among other publications. He lives in Ottawa.

Trevor Cole is the author of three novels: Norman Bray In the Performance of His Life, The Fearsome Particles, and his soon to be released third novel, Practical Jean. Both Norman Bray (2004) and The Fearsome Particles (2006) were short-listed for the Governor General’s Award for Literature, and long-listed for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, a rare double achievement. Norman Bray was also short-listed for the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best First Book (Canada and Caribbean), and, along with The Fearsome Particles, has been adapted for radio and optioned for film. In addition to his novels, Trevor is a veteran magazine journalist and editor. He worked for 12 years in senior editing positions with the Globe and Mail, following which he spent three years as a senior writer for Report on Business Magazine. He has received numerous awards for his journalism, including his features in Toronto Life, and his satirical columns in Canadian Business. Trevor lives and writes in Hamilton.

Helen Humphreys is the acclaimed author of five novels, four books of poetry and one work of creative non-fiction. Her first novel, Leaving Earth (1997), won the 1998 City of Toronto Book Award and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her second novel, Afterimage (2000), won the 2000 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, was nominated for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her third novel, The Lost Garden (2002), was a 2003 Canada Reads selection, a national bestseller, and was also a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Wild Dogs (2004) won the 2005 Lambda Prize for fiction, has been optioned for film, and was produced as a stage play at CanStage in Toronto in the fall of 2008. Coventry (2008) was a #1 national bestseller, was chosen as one of the top 100 books of the year by the Globe & Mail, and was chosen one of the top ten books of the year by both the Ottawa Citizen and NOW Magazine. Helen’s non-fiction work, The Frozen Thames (2007), was a #1 national bestseller. Her collections of poetry include Gods and Other Mortals (1986); Nuns Looking Anxious, Listening to Radios (1990); and, The Perils of Geography (1995). Her latest collection, Anthem (1999), won the 2000 Canadian Authors Association Award for Poetry. Her work has been published in many languages. Helen was born in Kingston-on-Thames, England, and now lives in Kingston.

Roy MacSkimming is the author of four novels and three works of non-fiction. His latest novel, Laurier in Love, due for release on September 18, follows hard on the heels of Roy’s notable success with his novel, Macdonald, in which he recounts the final days of Laurier’s great predecessor, Sir John A. Macdonald. The Globe and Mail described Macdonald as “an engaging novel handled with imagination, sympathy and verve, making a hugely enjoyable read.” Political historian Peter C. Newman, called it “a singularly well-crafted novel that deserves top place among the books on Canadian history that matter.” MacSkimming’s non-fiction work The Perilous Trade was a National Business Book Award finalist and a Globe and Mail book of the year. He has written two other critically praised novels, Out of Love (1993) and Formentera (1972), both translated into French. Roy has been a book publisher, books editor at The Toronto Star, and policy director of the Association of Canadian Publishers. He lives in the country near Perth.

Tickets are $20, including refreshments, available from Murphy's Barber Shop, 5 Church St. (273-2145), at The Cove, 2 Bedford St. (273-3636 or 1-888-COVE-INN), or at the door, if available.

Additional author information available at their respective websites:

CONTACT: If you would like more information about this event please contact Norman Peterson, Westport Arts Council, at npeterson@rideau.net. www.westportartscouncil.ca

The music begins at noon with a children’s show on the Cove stage, 2 Bedford St., with the Perth-based trio Bald Like Dad. With their fun repertoire of songs about everything from trucks to dogs to math—suitable for children of all ages—Marty Crapper, Dave Balfour and Steve Hanna are the first musicians in four years to return for a second festival appearance. Montreal’s Sunfields follow at 1:45 p.m., with their own Indie Folk Rock sound, “with psychedelic undertones,” soon to be heard in broad release on their CD Palace in The Sun. The quartet includes Jason Kent, known to Westport audiences as a member of Spoon River, and bandmates Phil Burns, Chris Wise and Chris Roberts. Ladies of The Canyon take the stage from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. Currently finishing a Western tour, the quartet make their first appearance in Westport just a day before they perform at the Ottawa Folk Festival, and less than a week before they open for Great Big Sea at Toronto’s Molson Canadian Amphitheatre. Montreal-based and influenced by their favourite bands, The Eagles, The Band and Fleetwood Mac, the soaring harmonies of these four singers, songwriters and musicians—Senja Sargeant, Maia Davies, Jasmine Bleile and Anna Ruddick—is showcased in their full-length album Haunted Woman. The Ladies are joined on stage by guitarist and Delta-native Eric Lawrence of Bullmoose, a band he formed with Westport musicians Jeff and Seamus Cowan.

The acoustic stage of A Victorian Reflection B&B, 16 Church St., opens at 12:30 p.m. with Pete and Anne, the husband and wife duo of Peter and Anne Svenson of Maryland and Traverse Lake near Jones Falls. They perform a mix of original, traditional and cover songs from genres ranging from folk to rock and country. They’re followed at 2:00 p.m. by singer-songwriter Christine Graves who brings the award-winning folk/jazz sounds of her own highly original songs and interpretations of other songwriters such as Tom Waits and Fred J. Eaglesmith. A native of Halifax, and long-time member of the a cappella quartet Malaika, Christine lives in Lanark County. Her two most recent full-length albums are Stray (2001) and Wreckless Daughter (2006). Kingston’s country roots rocker Rueben deGroot performs from 3:45 to 5:00 p.m. A Sunday night regular at Kingston’s The Mansion who has also performed at the Cove, Rueben released his fourth album Hey! in 2009. A productive and frequent collaborator, Rueben was a member of the alt country-jazz band The Seams. They released a CD, Castaway Motel, in 2004 and toured it across the country.

The festival’s newest stage at SOHO’s, 43 Bedford St., welcomes its first act at 1:00 p.m. with another Kingston-based musical powerhouse, the Tom Savage Trio. Influenced by Neil Young and Towne Van Zandt, among many others, Tom, Geoff Chown on bass and Sandy Mackenzie on drums, together create music that one observer has called “dirt road rock and roll.” The son of Westport music teacher Anne Savage, Tom has a large fan base in the area. His albums include The Country Line and Tom Savage Live @ the Acoustic Grill. The Brock Zeman Trio—with Brock on vocals and guitar, Blair Hogan on guitar and mandolin, and special guest Keith Glass of Prairie Oyster on vocals and guitar—follows at 2:45 p.m. with the signature alt country style they’ve brought to audiences across both Canada and the United States, averaging 250 to 300 concerts a year. Still in his twenties, this native of Carleton Place, has released seven albums of original music to wide acclaim, winning praise from critics and fellow performers alike. Juno award winner Lynn Miles has written, "Brock Zeman is a master songwriter, who writes with a maturity far beyond his chronological age. He belongs on stage with the big boys." The Peterborough-based indie band, The Spades, wrap up the Soho venue and the festival afternoon with a performance from 4:45 to 6:00 p.m. The trio of James McKenty, Tommy Street and Josh Robichaud describe their music as “gut wrenching rock and roll, catchy melodies and impassioned delivery.” They have toured across Canada, appearing with bands such as the Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, The Trews, and The Sam Roberts Band, among others. Their recent album, Subatomic, which features the single The Revenge of Johnny Laundry, is charting on rock stations across the country.

The Cove Country Inn hosts an indoor performance by The Souljazz Orchestra at 8:00 p.m. ($5 cover charge). Based in Ottawa, the six-member orchestra—Kakari Frantz, Steve Patterson, Ray Murray, Pierre Crétien, Philippe Lafrenière and Marielle Rivard—surprises with its exotic tropical jazz/world music mix of soul, afro, and latin rhythms. The orchestra has a large international following for both their live appearances and their many albums, including Freedom No Go Die (2006) and their newest, Rising Sun.

Throughout the afternoon, a trio of roving musicians, Westport’s own King of the Swingers, comprised of Marty Crapper, Dawson Willsey, John Main and Stuart Pike, will perform at various locations around the village.

Rain or shine, come enjoy the music and the village of Westport on Upper Rideau Lake at the top of the Rideau waterway.

"A Brush with the Highlands" - Ontario's Premier Plein-Air Festival is seeking participants. Last year over 32 of Ontario's finest Plein-Air Artists partcipated in this unique and prestigious event. Last year, artist David J. Sharpe took home Jurors Choice and over $1000.00 in awards and sales from this unique event. Click here to download a brochure, call for artist and registration form. Be a part of this unique event - come for the day, remember for a lifetime.

The first of numerous events planned by the Arts Council for 2010 was held on Sunday March 14 at Westport’s Royal Canadian Legion Hall. The 2nd Annual Kitchen Party with an almost full house had the tapping of feet and clapping of hands from the 2:00 pm start, till the curtain came down at eight o’clock with non stop music by the following groups of talented musicians and singers: Plastic Patty, Celtic at Heart, Romeria, StringTease and the Celtic Rabble Band. A good old fashioned Irish stew was served at dinner time.

The Annual General Meeting of the Westport Arts Council will be held at the Cove Country Inn on Wednesday May 5, 2010 at 7:30 pm. The annual report from the Chair, financial report, the election of officers and the appointment of an auditor, are the main items on the agenda. The public is welcome and refreshments will be served.

The 2nd Annual Good Times Party “DISCO MANIA” will take place on Saturday June 5, 2010 at the Cove County Inn from 6:30-11:30 pm with DJ Dale Vandusen. $40.00 per person includes a roast beef dinner, desert, coffee, tax and gratuity. Reservations recommended. Please call the Cove at (613) 273-3636. This event is in support of MUSICwestport August 14.

Negotiations are taking place to present a special outdoor program at the Westport Lions Club beach in June. We will keep you posted.

See us at the Westport Heritage Festival Saturday June 26, 2010

On Saturday August 14, 2010 the 4th Annual MUSICwestport festival will take place starting at noon. Nine bands plus wandering minstrels will again perform at three outdoor stages located at A Victorian Reflection B&B,
The Cove Country Inn and SOHO’s. Once again, this will be a free event.
An additional band will play indoors at the Cove in the evening. $5. cover.

The 3rd Annual “Writers Reading” will be held at the Westport United Church on Sunday September 19, 2010. More information to follow.

The Arts Council is negotiating with a production company to bring what may be the first musical theatre performance to play in Westport. An October date is planned. More information will be in our Fall Newsletter.

Poetry Night - April 2nd at 7:30 pm at the Cove Inn

• Jacqueline Larson from Toronto
• John Brantingham from Los Angeles, California
• Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang from Kingston
• Bob Mackenzie from Kingston
• Audrey Ogilvie from Westport
• T. Anders Carson from Portland

Poetry and Pastries - April 3rd at 2:00 pm at the North Crosby Hall

• Jacqueline Larson
• John Brantingham
• Audrey Ogilvie
• T. Anders Carson

A lively mix of musicians will perform throughout the day from 2-8 p.m. The program includes return performances by local groups String Tease, and Gerry André and his Plastic Patty Band. New this year are the bands Romeria, Celtic at Heart, and The Chaffey’s Locks Celtic Rabble Band, with still more to come. If you play an instrument, please bring it and join in. The more the merrier.

A “kitchen party” is a time-honored way for friends, neighbours and families to enjoy each other’s company by sharing music, dance, stories and food, in part as a way to fend off the final murky weeks of winter.

The Legion’s cash bar will be open during the day. A traditional meal of homemade Irish stew, bread and biscuits, a selection of deserts, and tea and coffee will be available from the kitchen later in the afternoon for just $7.

Tickets are only $10 per person, and are available in Westport at Murphy’s Barber Shop and at the door of the Westport Legion on County Road 10 on the 14th.

The kitchen party is a fundraiser in support of the Arts Council’s fourth annual music festival scheduled for August 14. A second fundraiser to help meet festival costs is a “Disco Mania” good times dance party planned for June 5 at the Cove Country Inn.

Come out and join the party.

If you would like more information about this event please contact Norman Peterson (613-273-7781) or Brin Jones (613-273-8333).

Giles Blunt is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning novelist and screenwriter. His seven novels include four in his Detective John Cardinal series: Forty Words for Sorrow (2001 British Crime Writers’ Macallan Silver Dagger Award), The Delicate Storm (2004 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel), Black Fly Season (shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis, and a 2005 Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year), and By the Time You Read This (shortlisted for the Duncan Lawrie Dagger, the most prestigious crime fiction award in the world). His other titles include his first novel, Cold Eye; last year’s highly acclaimed No Such Creature; and this year’s Breaking Lorca, a disturbing look into the horrifying world of torture. Giles grew up in North Bay and later spent more than two decades living in New York City where he wrote many scripts for television shows, including Law & Order, Night Heat and Street Legal. He now lives in Toronto.

Barbara Fradkin is an Ottawa-based short-story writer and mystery novelist. Many of her themes and insights are inspired by her professional career in child psychology. Her stories have appeared in several magazines and anthologies, including Storyteller and the popular Ladies Killing Circle series. Her six published detective novels feature Ottawa Police Inspector Michael Green. Fifth Son, the fourth novel in the series, won the 2005 Arthur Ellis Award for best Novel. She received the award again in 2007 for the fifth book in the series, Honour Among Men, and released the sixth book, Dream Chasers, the same year. The most recent, This Thing of Darkness, is due for release in September 2009. She is a past president of Crime Writers of Canada, and a member of the writers’ groups Sisters in Crime and Capital Crime Writers.

Mary Jane Maffini has been a librarian, a bookseller, and a former president of Crime Writers of Canada. Her stories have appeared in magazines as varied as Chatelaine, Storyteller, and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and have been anthologized in collections such as The Ladies Killing Circle, Cottage Country Killers, and When Boomers Go Bad (2005). She won the 1995 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story, for Cotton Armour, and was a double nominee for the prize in 1999 for her first novel, Speak Ill of the Dead, and the short story, Kicking the Habit. Titles from her three mystery series include The Icing on the Corpse (2001), The Devil’s in the Details (2004), Too Hot to Handle (2007), and Law and Disorder, due this fall. She lives in Ottawa.

John Moss is a professor emeritus at the University of Ottawa, a former literary critic, and the author of two-dozen books, including Invisible Among the Ruins: Field Notes of a Canadian in Ireland, the short-story collection, Being Fiction, and the two-volume critical anthology, The Canadian Novel. He has published two books in his new Quin and Morgan mystery series: Still Waters and Grave Doubts. Three further books in the series, The Gibraltar Coordinates, The Dead Scholar, and I See England, I See France will be released shortly. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a scuba diver (now reluctantly retired), an endurance athlete (he has run the Boston Marathon eleven times), and an inveterate traveler. He writes out of a stone farmhouse in Peterborough, Ontario.

Tickets are only $20.00, refreshments included, and available in Westport at: Murphy’s Barber Shop, 5 Church St. (273-2145), Stillwater Books & Treasures, 17 Church St. (273-2727), The Pinecone, 23 Church St. (273-7788), and The Cove Country Inn, corner Bedford & Main (273-3636 or 1-888-COVE-INN).

Writers Reading is co-sponsored by Stillwater Books & Treasurers, Westport.

Additional author information available at their respective websites:

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