bayfield playwright's work featured at london fringe

Briana Brown, a Bayfield native; Ally Connelly, of Goderich; and Shannon Scott, of Blyth, are taking their production of Brown's Cassandra to London this month as part of the London Fringe Festival. (Submitted photo)

Bayfield playwright, Briana Brown is tossing her name back into the mix this year at the London Fringe Festival.

Her one-woman work, Cassandra, has been picked up by Blyth-based theatre company, Serious FUN!, and entered into the 2010 London Fringe Festival.

“I think Briana is simply amazing,” said Shannon Scott, Serious FUN! founder and Cassandra director. “Her writing is clever, real, and funny … I feel so blessed that Briana trusts me with her words and I hope to bring truth to her vision of Cassandra yet again.”

A graduate of York University, Brown has created and performed in a number of her own works and collaborations including Cassandra, which she performed in fringe festivals across Canada and as part of the curated FemFest in Winnipeg.

She is currently the director of artistic programs and artist facilitator with the Paprika Festival, and associate producer with Seventh Stage Theatre Productions. Up next for Brown is a tour to the Orlando and Victoria fringe festivals in a new collectively written piece, Reckless Daughters, as well as directing the debut of her newest play, Almost, Again at the Toronto Fringe in July.

Cassandra, was penned by Brown, directed by Scott, and acted by Goderich girl, Ally Connelly. It also features the behind the scenes muscle of Blyth teens Sadie Chalmers and Kathryn Peach. 

The troupe of thespians has spent months preparing the comedic production for London's largest drama and arts festival.

Grounded on the night before her tenth birthday, Cassandra Smith embarks upon a journey to complete a "list of things necessary to achieve a successful, and therefore happy, life" before the dreaded 'double-digits' arrive. Satirical and poignant, Cassandra is a one-woman performance about a young girl struggling to gain the respect she deserves in a world filled with adults who simple "don't hear."

"The script is witty and hilarious," Scott said. "The story line is charming and coy, but what makes our production of Cassandra so unique is that the actor this time is herself a child. It's that reason I think we are the exciting, innovative, stellar performance the festival is looking for because, man, can this kid act."

Cassandra first hit the scene in 2006. At the time, Brown truly took on the weight of a one-woman show, acting and directing herself.

Cassandra has won critical acclaim along the Fringe circuit throughout Ottawa, London, Victoria and Vancouver. The play has also been featured at the Bad Dog Short Festival in Toronto, and staged before Dora-winning production of Pyassa at the Theatre Passe Muraille in 2008.

Now these ladies are hoping to garner as much community support from their hometowns as possible as Cassandra takes the stage among nearly a hundred more productions in London.

"It's a big deal for Ally to be on stage at the Fringe Festival, and the more people we can get in the seats on opening night the better the whole production run will be," Scott said.

Cassandra is set for six performances at the Spriet Family Theatre, at the Covent Garden Market mezzanine from June 19 to 27.

Tickets are $8 and can be purchased 45 minutes before each performance, cash only, at the door. Cassandra is 50 minutes and is performed without an intermission. For more information visit www.londonfringe.ca or look Cassandra up on Facebook.

AUTHORS COMING TO VILLAGE FOR ANNUAL WRITER'S FESTIVAL

Five authors, offering five very distinctive writing styles, will be coming to the village for the annual Bayfield Writer’s Festival on June 26.

St. Andrew’s United Church will be the setting for the festival which will begin at 1 p.m.

The featured authors are: Laura Calder, Tish Cohen, Katherine Govier, Lesley Livingston and Denis Shackel.

Calder is a cookbook author. Her titles include French Food at Home and French Taste. She is also a television personality. Her Food Network show, “French Food at Home with Laura Calder” was recently awarded the 2010 James Beard Award for best cooking show filmed in a studio location.

Cohen has authored several books for both preteen and adult readers, including, Little Black Lies and The One and Only Zoe Lama. Her latest novel, The Truth about Delilah Blue, will be released this month.
 
Govier has written eight novels and three short story collections. Her latest novel, Ghost Brush, is already a local best seller.

Livingston is the author of the very popular young adult series Wondrous Strange and most recently Darklight. Her fans are anxiously awaiting the third installment of this trilogy.

Shackel is head of Management Communications at UWO’s Richard Ivey School of Business and a consultant for corporations throughout North America.  In his book, Five Seconds at a Time, he recounts how a tragic mountain-climbing accident left him stranded on Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand. He turned to the leadership principles he has been teaching for years to survive the longest night of his life.

The author’s works will be for sale at the festival and the authors will be available for signings. Refreshments will also be served. Tickets are now available at The Village Bookshop, sponsor of the festival, for $15 per person.

On June 27 another installment in the Books and Brunch Series will be held at The Little Inn of Bayfield starting at 12:30 p.m.

Sarah Elton will be the guest author. She is the author of Locavore, a new book which champions the movement away from global food production and places the emphasis on local foods.  She focuses on Canadian farmers, restaurateurs and regular citizens who are creating viable alternatives to the current global food system. 

Tickets to the Books and Brunch are now available at The Village Bookshop, the event sponsor, for $30.

For information on the Writer’s Festival as well as the Books and Brunch please call the shop at 519 565-5600. 

SUNFLOWER SEEDS AVAILABLE AT BLUEWATER BLOOMS KICK-OFF

Bayfield residents have always shown a strong sense of pride in their horticultural efforts but this year they may be recognized for it.

The Municipality of Bluewater has entered the provincial competition in the 2010 Communities in Bloom (CIB) program. The committee is referred to as the Bluewater Blooms Committee.

The “kick-off” for the Bluewater Blooms initiative will be held on June 19 on Main Street in front of the library at 11 a.m. All interested groups and individuals are welcome to attend and sunflower seeds will be available.

The Bluewater Blooms Committee would like to make everyone aware that the flower colors chosen for the project are white, yellow, orange and bronze. Residents and businesses might take these colors into consideration when organizing their spring plantings.

CIB is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement and the challenge of a national program, with focus on the promotion and value of green spaces in urban settings. The program consists of communities receiving information and being evaluated either provincially or nationally by a volunteer jury of trained professionals on the accomplishments of their entire community (municipal, private, corporate and institutional sectors, citizens) on eight key criteria.

Bluewater will participate with other communities in its population category, and be evaluated by CIB judges on the eight program criteria. Bloom ratings from one to five blooms (five being the highest ranking) are awarded to participating communities at a provincial awards ceremony annually in the fall. The program provides for two communities in each province to participate in the following year’s national edition.

ERADICATE HUNGER DAY

The members of the Sparks, Brownies and Guides in Bayfield teamed up with the owners of Bayfield Foodland, Marty and Janet Maidment, and their staff to hold Eradicate Hunger Day on June 12. The girls asked customers to donate a pre-packaged bag of groceries to the local food bank, Blessings in Zurich. Customers responded and the girls collected approximately 350 KGs of food for donation. The Eradicate Hunger and Poverty service project was a part of the Girl Guides of Canada's 100th anniversary celebrations. Brownie Melanie Wilson, Guide Raven Blyde and Spark Dana Wilson were very proud of the work they did on the project. (Photo by Melody Falconer-Pounder)

VOLUNTEER FAIR SHOWCASES LOCAL GROUPS

The first ever Bayfield Volunteer Fair is fast approaching. It will be an opportunity for the organizations within the village and area that are volunteer-driven to let everyone know about their group and hopefully generate more excitement about it.

Confirmed participants in the event include, Bayfield Guiding, Bayfield Historical Society, Pioneer Park, Bayfield Town Hall, the Friends of the Bayfield River and the Bayfield Mews.

The volunteer fair will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the Bayfield Town Hall on July 10. It is sponsored by the Bayfield and Area Chamber of Commerce and the Bayfield Ratepayers’ Association. 

RUTLEDGE AND SEXSMITH PART OF CONCERT SERIES

The Bayfield Concert Series designed to provide springtime entertainment is now segueing right into summer, with the aptly titled, Bayfield Summer Concert Series.

On July 22, Six Shooter recording artist, Justin Rutledge, will take to the town hall stage, along with Andy McGuire. Tickets are available for $25 per person per show.

Headliner, Ron Sexsmith has been added to the summer concert schedule. Tickets are sure to sell out for this well- known artist. Tickets are available now for $30 per person. 

Tickets are available at the Black Dog Pub, Ernie King (Goderich) and at www.ticketscene.ca. 

For both of these concerts the doors open at 8 p.m. with the concert to follow at 8:30 p.m.

The Bayfield Summer Concert Series is pleased to support Childhood Cancer Awareness.  "Cure Childhood Cancer" silicone bracelets will be available for purchase at all of the concerts.  Donations are greatly appreciated.

The concerts are being presented by Meades Bros. Productions and The Little Inn of Bayfield. Overnight packages are now available at The Little Inn; to learn more please call 1-800-565-1832.

SINGING THEIR PRAISES

On June 6, during the morning worship at St. Andrew's United Church, the Men of Note performed under the direction of Jannie Top and accompanied by Malinda Exel. The Men of Note is an interdenominational male choir which began in 1998. The choir is based out of Clinton but draws its membership from an extended area including Listowel. The members of the choir enjoy good fellowship and share their talents at local church services, fundraising events, seniors' homes and the annual Festival of Praise (Photo by Rev. Charlie Love)

sAIL AND CANVAS FESTIVAL

Monday, June 21 marks the arrival of the summer season, so there is no better way to celebrate than by enjoying the Sail and Canvas Festival sponsored by the Bayfield and Area Chamber of Commerce. The event will be held on Main Street and at the harbor on June 19 and 20. 

With six galleries and over 30 artists displaying their work, Main Street becomes one big gallery. Live music will be featured at the library.  The shops will be open both days from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

People are encouraged to stroll down to the harbor via the Mara Street Walkway or to Pioneer Park to view the regattas set for Saturday and Sunday weather permitting. The Canadian Coast Guard vessel, Cape Discovery will be docked at the South Harbour.

Other events such as a barbecue, yard sale, rare photo display and author book signing are being held over the course of the weekend and these stories are featured throughout this week’s issue of the Bayfield Breeze.

CHURCH BBQ

Knox Presbyterian Church, Bayfield is joining in the excitement of the Sail and Canvas Festival by holding a street side BBQ from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 19.

Available hot off the grill will be a sausage on a bun, hamburgers and hotdogs. Gourmands will be sure to appreciate a topping of fried onions. There will also be fresh buttery hot popcorn available to give visitors something fun to munch on while they check out all that the festival has to offer.  

The Artist’s Way

Anyone with a desire to explore their creative self is invited to join a free 12-week course being hosted by Soul Purpose Studio in Bayfield starting on June 16.

The Artist’s Way is a course in discovering and recovering your creative self developed by Julia Cameron, a talented poet, playwright, filmmaker and bestselling author. Interested people are encouraged to visit www.theartistsway.com to learn more about Cameron’s work and her vision and guidelines for creative clusters.  Please call Frances at 519 565-2154 to register for the course or for more information.

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

“Saving the Carolinian Forest” will be the topic of the next Bayfield Horticultural Society meeting to be held at the Bayfield Lions’ Community Building on June 21.

Dr. David Morris, of the Wilfred Laurier University, Brantford will be the guest speaker at the meeting which will begin at 7:30 p.m.

CHAP

Village residents may be surprised to learn that they don’t have to drive to a larger centre for heart healthy care.
Blood pressure measurement and monitoring sessions are being held right here in Bayfield as part of the Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP).

The goal of CHAP is to promote cardiovascular health in the local community and to raise awareness about the importance of blood pressure monitoring.

Trained volunteers will help participants measure their blood pressure and complete a heart and stroke risk profile. A copy of these results will be given to the participant and, with their permission, sent to their family physician and regular pharmacist.

The sessions are run from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the third Thursday of every month, at Pharmasave Michael's Pharmacy.

To learn more please call local CHAP Coordinator, Kelly Webster, at 519-236-4373 ex 632

POWER AND SAIL SQUADRON

The boating season is underway in Bayfield. 

The Goderich Power and Sail Squadron (GPS) will be present at the Bayfield Sail and Canvas weekend, June 19 and 20. There will be a Canadian Power and Sails Squadron display on Main Street over the weekend.

The Goderich Squadron will be holding a Boat License Challenge during the event.

“Boat Operator Licenses are now required for all persons operating a motor driven vessel and this is being enforced this year with fairly heavy fines,” said Chris Thatcher, of the Goderich Squadron in a recent press release.

The Goderich Squadron will be providing an opportunity for people to take the accredited licensing exam during Sail and Canvas.

Boaters are also encouraged to turn in their old, unused flares at the GPS booth.

KNOX CHURCH DAY CAMP

Camp Kintail is coming to Bayfield this summer.

Knox Presbyterian Church is partnering with Camp Kintail, the area Presbyterian Church camp, to offer a Christian based Day Camp every Wednesday at the church during July and August.

This Day Camp will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It will be led by the very capable and well trained young adult staff of Camp Kintail who will provide the program and activities. The camp will be for children who have completed JK up to Grade 6. The children are welcome to attend all eight day camps or just one or two.

The camp will run from July 7 to Aug. 25. They will be completely sponsored by Knox, Bayfield and will include snacks and lunch.

Outside games and nature activities plus Bible stories, songs and crafts will be part of the sessions.

For more information please call the church at 519 565-2913 and leave a message or call Rev. Susan Moore at 519 238-8272.

PIONEER PARK

The annual Pioneer Park Rummage Sale doesn’t happen over night, organizing this large fundraiser which benefits beautiful Pioneer Park takes a lot of time and planning, and that is why organizers are asking people to think of the sale when spring cleaning.

They are looking for unique, nearly new, antique or quality cast offs for the 63rd annual sale to be held on July 9 from 7-9 p.m. in the Bayfield Arena.

Anyone requiring an early drop off of items can contact Terry at 519 565-2972 or Bud at 519 565-5322, otherwise items can be dropped off at the arena on July 8-9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

The following items cannot be accepted: clothing, shoes, magazines, encyclopedias, large appliances, building materials, mattresses, soiled or broken items. Please note that baby furniture, sports equipment and electrical items must be approved by the CSA.

Items are also being sought for the Silent Auction. If you would like to provide an article or service to be bid upon please contact Bud at the number listed above.

General inquiries about the event, including, volunteer information can be directed to Julie at 519 824-0141.

PIANO CONCERT

Music lovers will delight in an evening of the tinkling of the ivories when St. Andrew’s United Church hosts a “Concert on the Keys” on June 20.

This evening of piano music will feature nine pianists from Huron County playing a variety of different musical selections on St. Andrew’s baby grand piano.

The music will begin at 7:30 p.m. and admission is a free will offering.

YARD SALE 

The congregation of a village church is hosting a yard sale and would encourage all in the community to keep them in mind for donating the contents of cupboards and closets from spring cleaning.

On June 19, St. Andrew’s United Church will hold their yard sale and bake sale. Antiques and treasures will be featured in the sale and those who work up an appetite while shopping will not be disappointed.  An Egg ‘N Bagel Breakfast will be offered as well as hot dogs and coffee.

St. Andrew’s sale will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. For information regarding the event call Joan at 519 263-2404 or Gordon 519 524-1284. Anyone wishing to donate to the bake table should contact Joan at 519 565-2730.

FITNESS FUN

First there was pole walking and now the latest fitness craze to come to town is Pickleball.

The sport, which has been described as slower paced tennis, is played at the Middleton’s Orchard tennis courts on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8-11 a.m. and on Wednesdays from 2-4 p.m.

And, of course, Pole Walking remains a popular part of many fitness regimes. If you are an early bird the Tuesday 8 a.m. sessions of Pole Walking may be perfect for you. There is also a Pole Walking session held on Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. All groups depart from 6 Main Street. The session incorporates an hour of walking with an ending cool down stretch.   

Anyone interested in Pickleball or new to Pole Walking can contact Pat Livingston at 519 565-2202 for more information.
 
Plus, exercise classes will continue through the summer months.

Dancefit and Toning classes are held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 a.m. The Sit and Get Fit Classes take place on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:15 a.m. Both classes are held in the Bayfield Community Centre. 

BRIDGE CLUB

Pat Wolfe and Lorna Issacs were the high scorers when the
Wednesday Evening Bridge Club met on the evening of June 9 at the Bayfield Lions’ Community Building.

The club will meet next on June 23. The decks will be shuffled starting at 7 p.m. and all are welcome.

WEXFORD AUTHOR FEATURED

Bayfield’s Sail and Canvas Festival highlights both local marine heritage and art. So there is no better person to be featured at the event, held June 19-20, than Paul Carroll of RR2 Goderich.

On June 20 he will be guest of honor at the book launch for his most recent work at a reception hosted by The Village Book Shop. Light refreshments will be served at the event which will begin at 2 p.m.  There will also be music, a multi-media show; book signing and special guest David Bannister will be on hand.

Carroll has combined a talent for writing, a skill for watercolor and an enthusiasm for the Great Lakes into a published book. He is the author of the soon to be released book The Wexford (Dundurn, 2010) which will be the focus of the upcoming book launch.

The book tells the story of the beautiful vessel that carried cargo across the Great Lakes until it became a victim of the Great Storm of 1913. Eluding discovery for 87 years, her remains were found near Goderich in 2000. Carroll traces her history from her British origins in 1883 through to her discovery and the controversy over how she should be protected.

Throughout the weekend there will be a display on The Wexford at the Bayfield Archives