Fred PennerOn Saturday (August 6th) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., head on down to Del Crary Park for a fun filled day of children's entertainment and activities as part of a special Little Lake Musicfest event.
There will be bouncy castles, face painting and balloon sculptors, and folks from the Indian River Reptile Zoo and Jungle Cat World will both be dropping in for a visit. In addition, a Disney Princess, Batman and Elmo will be there to meet your child.
There will also be a performance by Jack Grunsky at 11:30 a.m. and Canadian children's icon Fred Penner at 3 p.m. This free event is courtesy of Celebrate Ontario & The Ministry of Tourism.
The beats of drumming could be heard throughout Del Crary Park on Saturday as the Ode'min Giizis Festival continued hosting their Traditional Gathering from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. With storytelling, art exhibits, food, vendors, drumming and dancing, the park was a flurry of activity on an absolutely beautiful Saturday afternoon.
Image courtesy Nadya KwandibensOne of the major events at this year's Ode'min Giizis Festival taking place June 15th to June 19th in Peterborough is the performance of The Creator's Game, a celebratory work of contemporary dance combining choreography rooted in Haudenesaune (Iroquois) culture with the athletic prowess of lacrosse. A company of professional dancers and community lacrosse players perform this new work, with an original score by two-time Juno award winner Derek Miller.
An abridged performance will be held just before the Peterborough Lakers lacrosse game on the evening of June 16th, and the full performance will be shown on Saturday, June 18th at 3 p.m. as part of the Ode'min Giizis Traditional Gathering at Del Crary Park.
For more info on the festival—100 Indigenous artists ranging from musicians to visual artists to writers will be performing—contact Tara Williamson, Artistic Associate at Ode'min Giizis Festival, at (705) 745-1788 or email at tara@okw-arts.ca. Or go online to the Ode’min Giizis website.
Here is an article we did on the festival last year.
The Little Lake Musicfest (formerly The Festival of Lights) will soon kick off another season of music at Del Crary Park. What better way to while away a summer evening with like-minded music fans.
It would seem to be the focus of the Little Lake Musicfest to appeal to a wide audience. A rambling array of musical genres are on the lineup, with some tribute acts mixed in there too.
The festival kicks off the season with a concert this Saturday (June 26th), featuring Canadian country and western favourite George Canyon. From there on, the season continues with shows from the likes of Valdy (July 7th), Trooper (July 31) and The Blues Brothers Review (August 14).
Great local music gets dropped into the mix on Thursday, July 1, with a Canada Day show featuring The Weber Brothers. The second half of a local double whammy comes on Saturday, July 3, when the spotlight falls on blues sensation Jimmy Bowskill.
While the Canada Day show falls on a Thursday because of the holiday, most shows follow a Wednesday/Saturday rotation. The season comes to a close with former Monkee, Davy Jones, taking the stage on Saturday, August 28th.
Public Energy and O'Kaadenigan Wiingashk bring the third annual Ode'min Giizis (The Strawberry Moon Festival)—see promo video above—to Peterborough's downtown and Del Crary Park from June 16 to 21, with more than 200 Indigenous artists participating.
The city of Peterborough lies on the traditionally lands of the Anishinaabe. These lands have been long known as a meeting place among the rapids where ideas and knowledge were exchanged. Hence, it’s the perfect home base for a cultural festival like Ode'min Giizis.
The festival takes its name from the sweet and generous strawberry, which is harvested at this time of year. It is said to also represent the human heart. As well, the festival falls on the longest day of the year: the summer solstice.
Ode'min Giizis is a diverse six-day festival of indigenous art which marks the beginning of summer. The festival takes its shape via a selection of multi-disciplinary arts spread out across multiple venues (Historic Red Dog, Artspace, The Art Gallery of Peterborough, Gordon Best Theatre, Kubo Lounge and Confederation Park, to name a few) in the downtown area. Featured is a cross section of disciplines, including visual art, dance, film, storytelling, music and theatre.
Opening ceremonies on Wednesday, June 16th, kick off with a traditional gathering and Powwow at Del Crary Park. One of the featured performers there will be Mihirangi, otherwise known as the “Queen of Loops”. Singing in both Maori and English, Mihirangi blends sultry jazz, ska and rap with her incredible vocal range. Mihirangi’s music has taken her around the world, and that experience, and energy, will be ours to witness during this festival.
Among the other artists taking part include the likes of musician Lester Alfonso, artist Jason Baerg, musician Samantha Crain and local musical personality Sean Conway.
On the Saturday night (June 19th), the stars come out to Del Crary for a night of music and dance. Featured performers include local musician Missy Knott and world renowned throat singer Tanya Tagaq.
The event comes to an end with a wonderful Powwow on June 21st at Del Crary Park. This gathering takes the form of a procession which makes its way from City Hall down George Street to Del Crary Park for more music and festivities. The parade will feature many dancers, large puppets and music.
[If you are interested in volunteering for the festival, call 705.740.9189 or email volunteer@okw-arts.ca. The festival headquarters are located at 400 Hunter St.]
This Saturday (June 5th) will mark the 10th Anniversary of Peterborough's Dragon Boat Festival, which takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Del Crary Park on Little Lake.
More than 100 community teams are participating in this year's event, which is a fundraiser for the PRHC's Breast Assessment Centre.
The following weekend, from June 11 to 13, breast cancer survivor teams from around the globe will be here participating in the International Dragon Boat Festival on Little Lake.
Peterborough's Survivors Abreast is hosting this worldwide event, which is meant to raise breast cancer awareness internationally and encourage participation from breast cancer survivors.
Make sure to come out and support these wonderful events. Fun to watch and a great cause!
Friday, August 5, 2011 at 11:55AM 
Fred PennerOn Saturday (August 6th) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., head on down to Del Crary Park for a fun filled day of children's entertainment and activities as part of a special Little Lake Musicfest event.
