The Buzz - March 2020

Warren Christopher Reeson

Credit Union Place

Jann Arden Live!

Canadian Music Hall of Famer in Summerside—May 10

Multi-platinum singer, songwriter, actor, author, and soon-to-be Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Jann Arden is bringing her cross-Canada Jann Arden Live! tour to Credit Union Place in Summerside, May 10 at 8 pm.

Widely known for her numerous hit songs, Arden was recently announced as the first 2020 inductee into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Her accolades include nineteen top ten singles, eight JUNO Awards and 10 SOCAN Awards.

Arden catapulted onto the Canadian music scene in 1993 with the release of her debut album, Time For Mercy featuring the hit single, “I Would Die For You.” A year later with Living Under June, her career breakout hit “Insensitive” would solidify her position in the music world. Jann Arden will release her greatest hits album Hits & Other Gems on May 1.

This is an all-ages show. Tickets: 1-855790-1245, cupevents.ca, or CUP box office, 511 Notre Dame St, S’side.

Tell Tale Harbour

New comedy adaptation in development for Alan Doyle

The Confederation Centre and Alan Doyle (Great Big Sea) have announced the further development of a new musical comedy, Tell Tale Harbour

Adapted from the film screenplay

The Grand Seduction by Ken Scott, the musical embraces all things East Coast and a small rural town that could be anywhere in Atlantic Canada. The movie tells the tale of residents of a small Newfoundland town who try to convince a visiting doctor to live there full-time in order to save their community.

Artistic Director Adam Brazier needed a voice with the tonality and understanding of the traditions and vernacular of Atlantic Canada. Enter Alan Doyle.

“I was delighted to get the call,” recalls Doyle. “I was stoked to be a part of a genre [musical theatre] that I haven’t been a part of before.”

Tell Tale Harbour’s production team

also includes Bob Foster, musical director of The Charlottetown Festival, and novelist and playwright Ed Riche. As for when audiences can expect to see Tell Tale Harbour, Brazier says, “We’re a few years from being ready to share something this big. ”

Profile: Chrissy Blanchard by Jane Ledwell

A place to play

draws on such diverse people of different backgrounds,” Chrissy says, “It pairs high school students with older musicians, over sixty, who have been playing their whole lives.” The oldest member of the Welshmen band is over eighty. “Can you imagine in a sport, a 17-year-old hockey player on a team with an 85-year-old hockey player?” Chrissy asks.

The life of a high school band teacher already includes conducting at least three extracurricular bands, on top of teaching, and many other tasks. Why add a community band to the list?

“I think the reason I am doing this became more apparent the more I worked with the [HC Welshmen Community] band,” Chrissy says. “It’s incredible music-making with people who are really passionate about making music.” To that she adds “close friendships,” plus, she says, “I get to lead a group to discover the part of music that gives us goosebumps — that connects to our heart.”

As co-director of the Maritime Community Ensemble band with Ron Murphy, Chrissy also got to travel last year to the International Festival of Bands in Pamplona, Spain. “Take everything I described as the Welshmen band, but include people from across the Maritimes, then take that group to a whole new environment,” she says.

Before we get to sit down to chat at a coffee shop in Charlottetown, a former student from the music program at Bluefield High School pegs his high-school band teacher, Chrissy Blanchard, who has led the band and music program there for a quarter-century. They catch up on his music career and check out the Bluefield band newsletter she has started that includes features on musicians who graduated from the program.

“It’s wonderful to be able to meet former students who talk to me about what music meant for them in their lives,” Chrissy says. “That’s very rewarding.” She adds, “One thing that has kept me energized, was seeing students who at first say ‘I can’t,’ who, with persistence and resilience and my direction, get there.” She loves to “see the smile on their face and their sense of accomplishment.”

Hearing a high school band was her own inspiration. “I just loved the sound of the Charlottetown Rural band playing,” she laughs, “a big, gorgeous blend of instruments — the crash of the cymbal!... I knew in Grade 8 I wanted to be a high school band teacher. The sound of that music made me want to follow that passion.”

In recent years, Chrissy has added to her band-conducting schedule by leading the Holland College Welshmen Community Band, which on the evening we met had just finished a successful pops concert. Chrissy is in love with the community band. “Oh my heavens,” Chrissy says, “I love knowing my high school students have a place to go to continue to play.”

That’s only a part of the reason she does what she does with the Welshmen. “The community band

“In Spain,” Chrissy says, “they treat community musicians like rock stars, or athletes.” For the closing concert of the Festival and the 100th anniversary of Pamplona’s community band, the famous bull ring in Pamplona was filled with 10,000 people. “There was cheering and screaming,” Chrissy says. “When they heard we were from the Maritimes, they did the wave. There were fireworks!” She recalls, “For that final evening, all the bands paraded into the ring, and the city streets were packed with cheering spectators who couldn’t get into the bull ring.”

Musicians may not get fireworks here, but Chrissy says, “In my experience of receiving the Music PEI Music Educator of the Year Award last year, I got to see the support for local musicians and local bands,” she says. Then, she adds, “There are five community wind bands in Charlottetown.” There are opportunities for every skill level and training.

As the mother of three sons, and as a long-time music teacher, Chrissy knows, “not a lot of students are going to be professional musicians. It’s going to be a small percentage.” For her own children, she says, “I’m hoping they’ll be community musicians — that they’ll continue playing, and they’ll have somewhere to play.”

Brett and Drew

Two actors will portray 40 characters this summer

April’s fools College of Piping—Apr 3

Musician Mark Haines joins comedian Patrick Ledwell for April Foolishness, a 1-night-only show at the College of Piping Celtic Performing Arts Centre in Summerside April 3 at 7:30 pm.

Ledwell will perform up-to-theminute comedy and slideshows that explore our shared love for the Island, for all its eccentricities. Haines will interpret folk originals and classics on guitar, fiddle, and piano.

this summer.

Written by Canadian Mark Crawford, Bed and Breakfast follows big city gents Brett and Drew as they endeavour to resettle in a picturesque small town. The audience follows along as they inherit the family home, move from Toronto, struggle with renovation hell and their opening weekend. This all leads to their big decision: do they stay or pack it all in?

Nova Scotia native Rejéan Cournoyer has had turns in Evangeline and Mamma Mia! He made his professional debut with the Young Company in 1994. He recently performed in Piaf/ Dietrich (Mirvish) and has performed throughout Canada. Rejéan can relate to the challenges his character faces when trying to establish oneself in a new community.

Jeremy Legat can also speak to the feeling of being “from away,” having recently moved to Canada from London, UK following appearances in London’s West End (Wicked and Oliver!). He has performed live theatre in Halifax, Hamilton, and Toronto as well as TV roles on Murdoch Mysteries and Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. “It was bit of a culture shock coming to Canada, in the pursuit of new life and new adventure, but it’s been a very exciting ride so far.”

The two performers will bring the comedy to life as they take on 40-odd characters, ranging from Torontonians Brett and Drew, to various local contractors, teenagers, and nosy coffee shop baristas.

The play will be directed by Associate Artistic Director Mary Francis Moore. Cournoyer and Legat will also appear in the The Drowsy Chaperone at the Charlottetown Festival this summer.

confederationcentre.com

Ledwell and Haines rocking the Celtic Performing Arts Centre, Christmas 2019

“April is a month of possibility,” says Ledwell. “It’s a time when I try to focus on the one crocus blooming in the yard, rather than snowbanks full of Tim’s cups from winter.”

“With great sound and setting, the Celtic Performing Arts Centre is one of the finest venues on the Island,” shares Haines.

The duo have created an Island tradition with their long-running hit show The Island Summer Review. They enjoy creating shows that mix homegrown original comedy with songs that move your feet and your heartstrings.

Tickets: 1-888-655-9090, 436-5377, collegeofpiping.com

www.saigonbistro.ca

Shrimp Salad Roll, Phở, Hue Spicy Noodle Soup, Wonton Soup, Spring Roll, Grilled Pork Vermicelli, Ginger Beef, Seafood Udon, Shaking Beef, ...

They say it takes a village and two Charlottetown Festival actors, Rejéan Cournoyer and Jeremy Legat, will take on the whole town in comedic play Bed and Breakfast at The Mack in Charlottetown

Jeremy Legat

Rejéan Cournoyer

Mar. 6............Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers

Mar. 14..........Ria Mae: The Stars Tour

Mar. 27..........World Theatre Day

Apr. 3............Twin Flames: Pay-What-You-Will Event

Apr. 4............Jill Barber: Dedicated to You Tour

Apr. 7............Alan Doyle: Rough Side Out Tour

Apr. 9............Canada’s Ballet Jörgen’s Anne of Green Gables – The Ballet™

Apr. 18..........The Jon Dore Comedy Show

Apr. 19..........Artistic Fraud’s Between Breaths (Theatre)

Apr. 22..........Lunch at Allen’s Apr. 24..........The Legendary Downchild Blues Band

(902) 888-2500

SUMMERSIDE harbourfront | PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Sharing Stories

Catherine MacLellan at The Mack—Mar 28

Catherine MacLellan will bring her stories to The Mack in Charlottetown for a special night to celebrate her new album COYOTE on March 28 at 7:30 pm.

Acclaim for Catherine’s work reached new levels when she took home a JUNO Award in 2015 for her album The Raven’s Sun. She is again nominated for a JUNO in 2020 for COYOTE

This self-produced release is a travelogue through heartbreak, loss, and the joy of life. It contains 14 songs that are reflective, poignant and hopeful, touching on themes of change, vulnerability, and letting yourself be seen; the good, the bad, the pretty, and the ugly.

“Perhaps we don’t have the same story but we all share the same emotions and many of the same experiences,” remarks Catherine. “Being able to share my songs and stories with people and finding that connection point is what it’s all about for me.”

All of the songs were recorded and produced by Catherine at her home studio on the Island. COYOTE also adds some of the traditional East Coast instrumentation of accordions, fiddles, and bouzouki.

Tickets at Confed Centre Box office confederationcentre.com

Four lead roles

Quinn Dooley, Laurie Murdoch, Connor Lucas and Marlane O’Brien joining Avonlea in 2020

Four of the lead roles in this summer’s 56th edition of Anne of Green Gables— The Musical™ have been announced by the Charlottetown Festival.

Returning as Anne’s academic rival and would-be beau, Gilbert Blythe, is Connor Lucas. Anne’s guardians, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, will be played by Laurie Murdoch and Marlane O’Brien, and joining as kindred spirit Diana Barry is Quinn Dooley. Earlier this winter, Emma Rudy was announced as returning to the title role.

Dooley last appeared at the Festival in 2015 in the remount of Evangeline. She recently performed in Ring of Fire with the Citadel Theatre, Once with The Grand and RMTC, and Mamma Mia! with the Capitol Theatre.

Lucas will also perform this season in the Jazz-age musical, The Drowsy Chaperone as loyal best man George. He returns to the Festival following roles in A Misfortune, Stories from the Red Dirt Road and the Young Company. He recently starred as the title character in Pinocchio (Young People’s Theatre).

Playing Matthew is screen and stage actor, Laurie Murdoch, who played the conflicted Colonel Winslow in Evangeline and was part of the Dorawinning cast of Once with Mirvish. He has appeared on screen in the Oscarwinning film Spotlight and on TV series Murdoch Mysteries, Rookie Blue, Dan for Mayor, and Warehouse 13.

PEI’s Marlane O’Brien returns as Marilla, having memorably played the role on an emergency basis in 2019. She has also played Rachel Lynde, Lucilla, and other ladies of Avonlea. O’Brien is known for turns in A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, her play Stories From the Red Dirt Road, Calendar Girls and Annie with Neptune, among many others.

Anne of Green Gables—The Musical™ plays the Homburg Theatre in Charlottetown from June 3 to September 26.

Artistic Director Adam Brazier, Music Director Bob Foster, Choreographer Robin Calvert, Costume & Scenic Designer Cory Sincennes, Lighting Designer Michael Walton, and Sound Designer Peter McBoyle.

Quinn Dooley

Connor Lucas

Marlane O’Brien

Laurie Murdoch

Feb 27–Mar 1

Shrek the Musical

The Guild, Ch’town

Feb 28–Mar 27 Fri

Afternoon Recital

UPEI Music Majors; Steel Recital Hall, UPEI, Ch’town, 12:40 pm

Feb 28

Proteus Saxophone Quartet

Memorial Hall, Confederation Centre, Ch’town, 7:30 pm

Casks & Comedy

Nick Gaudet, Doyle MacLellan, Matty Burke, Katherine Carins, Tanya Nicolle, Sam MacDonald; PEI Brewing Co, Ch’town, 7:30 pm

Hip Hop show

Snak The Ripper, DJ Moves, DJ Ally Cat, Lizleo, Brok3n, K3vo, Adjust the Facts, B-NoQ, Eric Broadbent, Fatt Matt & LxVNDR; The Mack, Ch’town, 9 pm

Feb 29

Andrew Waite

The Mack, Ch’town, 7:30 pm

Black History Month Closing

Local musicians; Upstreet Craft Brewing, Ch’town, 7 pm

Letterkenny Live!

Homburg Theatre, Ch’town, 6:30 pm

The Irish Rovers

Harbourfront Theatre, S’side, 7:30 pm

Mar 1

Patina

Trinity United Church, S’side, 2 pm

PEI Symphony Orchestra

Conductor Mélanie Léonard, Zion Presbyterian, Ch’town, 2:30 pm

Mar 2

Rendez-vous de la Francophonie Opening

Anique Granger, Caroline Bernard; Carrefour de l’Isle-Saint-Jean, Ch’town, 5 pm

Mar 3

Rachel Beck

Florence Simmons Performance Hall, Ch’town, 7:30 pm

Mar 5–7, 10–12

Two Loves of Gabriel Foley

Irish Cultural Centre, Ch’town

PERFORMANCE

Mar 6

Bay City Rollers

Harbourfront Theatre, S’side, 7:30 pm

Mar 6–7 (stormdate March 8)

“Magic Flute: The Opera”

UPEI Music Students; Steel Recital Hall, UPEI, Ch’town, 7:30 pm

Mar 7

dance umbrella: Jitterbug

Juliet

The Mack, Ch’town, 7 pm

Wrong Planet Band

Baba’s, Ch’town, 10 pm

Winterjazz—Alicia Toner

The Pourhouse, Ch’town, 7 pm

Mar 8, Apr 5

PEI Bluegrass and Old Time

Music Society Concerts

The Stiff Family, Bluegrass Revival, Paul Whiteway & Friends; Beaconsfield’s Carriage House, Ch’town, 2 pm

Mar 11, 18, 20, 21

Fascinating Maritime Ladies

Kelley Mooney, Allison Kelly, Catherine O’Brien; St. Paul’s, Ch’town, 7 pm (Mar 11); Christian Reform, Ch’town, 2 pm (18); Southern Kings 50+ Club, Cambridge, 2 pm (20); North Rustico Lions Club, North Rustico, 7 pm (21); yahtheatre.com

Mar 13

Dara Ó Briain

Homburg Theatre, Ch’town, 7 pm

The Once

Kings Playhouse, Georgetown, 7:30 pm

Mar 13, 14

Matt Minglewood

The Pourhouse, Ch’town, 8 pm

Mar 14

Ria Mae

Harbourfront Theatre, S’side, 7:30 pm

Atlantic String Machine

w/ Logan Richard. St. Paul’s Church, Ch’town, 7:30 pm

The Royal North

The Guild, Ch’town, 7 pm

Mar 15

Juliette Squarebriggs, Wayne Ellis

Trinity United Church, S’side, 2 pm

Mar 17–21

Everyone

SDU Main Building Faculty Lounge, UPEI, Ch’town, 7:30 pm

Mar 20

Peter Hum Quintet

Steel Recital Hall, UPEI, Ch’town, 7:30 pm

Mar 21

Popalopalots Marathon

The Guild, Ch’town, 10 am–10 pm

Saint Patrick’s Day Party

Colin Grant & Jesse Périard; Upstreet Craft Brewing, Ch’town, 7 pm

Rose Cousins

Homburg Theatre, Ch’town, 7:30 pm

Mar 27

The Legends of Motown

Homburg Theatre, Ch’town, 7:30 pm

Comedy w/ Justin Shaw bar1911, Ch’town

Logan Richard

The Pourhouse, Ch’town, 8 pm

Mar 28

PEI Community Theatre Fest

Carrefoure de l’Isle-Saint-Jean, Ch’town, 12:30–5:30 pm. actpei.ca

Songs for our Streams

Dylan Menzie and local musicians, Belfast Rec Centre, Belfast, 6:30 pm

UPEI Wind Symphony

Directed by Karem J. Simon; Confederation Centre, Ch’town, 7:30 pm

James Mullinger

Kings Playhouse, Goergetown, 7:30 pm

Catherine MacLellan

The Mack, Ch’town, 7:30 pm

Old Man Luedecke

Copper Bottom, Montague, 7:30 pm

Mar 28–29

101 Dalmations Jr, A

Barnyard Moosical

The Guild, Ch’town

Mar 29

Big Band Concert

SoPA All-City Jazz Band, Charlottetown Jazz Ensemble; Florence Simmons Performance Hall, Ch’town, 2 pm

The Silver-Tones, The Trebble Makers

Trinity United Church, S’side, 2 pm

Apr 2

Leap of the Imagination

Summerside Taletellers Storytelling Circle; St.Mary’s Anglican Church, S’side 7:30 pm. Stormdate Apr 3.

Apr 3–4

Canadian Folk Music Awards

Hosts Jean Hewson and Benoit Bourque Apr 3: Awards Show with Vishtèn, Kaia Kater, Ayrad, Leaf Rapids, TriContinental, Lennie Gallant; Delta Prince Edward, Ch’town, 7:30 pm. Apr

4: Children and Family Music Showcase with Ginalina, The Kerplunks, Amos J & Jérôme Fortin; Confederation Centre Public Library, Ch’town, 10 am. Apr 4: Songwriters Showcase with Dave Gunning, Old Man Luedecke, Jenn Grant, Geneviève Racette; The Guild, Ch’town, 1 pm. Apr 4: Traditional Music Showcase with Còig, Pierre Schryer & Adam Dobres, Al Qahwa, Sabin Jaques & Rachel Aucoin, Conway, Graham Lindsey; The Pourhouse, Ch’town, 3 pm Apr 4: Awards show with Eastern Owl, Geneviève & Alain, Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys, Abigail Lapell, Le Vent du Nord, Irish Mythen; Delta PE, Ch’town, 7:30 pm

Rose’s Bravado

Album launch at Confederation Centre mainstage—Mar 21

JUNO Award winner Rose Cousins brings her new album to Confederation Centre mainstage in Charlottetown March 21 at 7:30 pm.

Entitled BRAVADO, the album was released on Outside Music in February, following the ascension of her first single, “The Benefits of Being Alone” to #1 on CBC Radio’s weekly Top 20.

“I’m really excited about this record and hope that people connect with the songs and see themselves in them,” remarks Rose.

The record tackles themes of modern isolation, heartache, social media fatigue, and independence.

“My inspiration continues to come from the human condition,” she

reflects. “BRAVADO is that disparity between what we show the world and what our true experience is.”

She says patrons can expect lots of special guests from home and away, including her five-piece band, local singers and artists, and the Atlantic String Machine.

“It means everything to play at home; the landscape of my soul is this Island,” Rose explains. “I walk through the world as an Islander and I think my sense of collaboration and desire for community comes from growing up in a small and supportive place. We want to see each other succeed.”

The launch will include support from John Paul White (The Civil Wars). Tickets: confederationcentre.com

Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers

Harbourfront Theatre—Mar 6

Harbourfront Theatre presents Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers in Summerside March 6 at 7:30 pm.

The concert will see McKeown and his band bring back all the original Bay City Rollers’ hits like “Saturday Night,” “Bye Bye Baby,” “Shang-aLang,”as well as introducing newer songs from his 2016 album Lost Songs. harbourfronttheatre.com

BY MICHAEL FRAYN

Tickets $25 / $23 for ACT members, plus fees Available at Ticketpro.ca or at the Florence Simmons Box Office 140 Weymouth Street, Charlottetown More information www.actpei.com | FB actpei

Jokers

Dara Ó Briain

Confederation Centre, Ch’town

March 13, 7 pm

Dara is one of the most in demand faces on British TV as host of BBC Two’s Mock The Week, Stargazing Live, Robot Wars and Dave’s Go8Bit. Dara has released 5 classic stand-up DVDs. confederationcentre.com

James Mullinger

Kings Playhouse, Georgetown

March 28, 7:30 pm

British comedian James Mullinger has been nominated for a Just For Laughs comedy award and a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Live Show. kingsplayhouse.com

April 18, 7 pm

Known for his stand-up performances on Just For Laughs, Comedy Central, HBO, and the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Jon Dore’s offbeat humour and style often pushes the boundaries of traditional stand-up comedy. harbourfronttheatre.com

Confederation Centre

World Premiere

Rita MacNeil musical will play June to September

The Charlottetown Festival, in association with The Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay, NS, has announced that the new musical celebration Dear Rita will play at The Mack in Charlottetown this summer, June 25 to September 25.

Dear Rita is a musical toast to Cape Breton superstar Rita MacNeil. Celebrating the life, tenacity, and music of the late singer, the production is being written by Cape Breton’s Lindsay Kyte with new imaginings of Rita’s songs from PEI’s Mike Ross.

Developed closely with Rita’s son Wade Langham, Dear Rita features traditional and new, re-imagined arrangements of Rita’s songs. Director Mary Francis Moore, Kyte, and Ross will weave Rita’s lyrics and music into new perspectives, letting her songs live on through the audience’s own experiences.

Director Adam Brazier. “Rita’s home and heart were in Cape Breton and the Savoy was one of her favourites.”

The cast will include actor-musicians who sing and play instruments, channeling MacNeil’s stories and spirit through their own identities as opposed to a literal depiction of the Canadian icon.

“We are excited to be sharing this work with The Savoy Theatre,” says Artistic

confederationcentre.com savoytheatre.com

Fascinating Maritime Ladies

St. Paul’s, Ch’town—Mar 11

Young at Heart Theatre presents Fascinating Maritime Ladies featuring Kelley Mooney, Allison Kelly and Catherine O’Brien.

Through harmonies, choreography and lively banter, the trio will celebrate some of the female singers and songwriters from the East Coast and Quebec such as Anne Murray,

Rita MacNeil, Ginette Reno, Catherine Mackinnon, The Rankin Family, and Edith Butler. This newest offering from Young at Heart will tour senior’s facilities, community and church halls throughout Mar and Apr.

Opening night performance is Mar 11 at 7 pm with guest Margie Carmichael at St. Paul’s Church, Ch’town. Tickets available at the door or pay what you can. yahtheatre.com

Jill Barber

Dedicated to You tour in Summerside—April 4

Singer-songwriter Jill Barber will be on tour this spring with her Dedicated to You tour, a series of concerts composed of dedications from her fans to their loved ones. She comes to the Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside on April 4 at 7:30 pm.

Barber will welcome requests and dedications through her website prior to the performance. The Dedicated to You tour will be an intimate and personal showcase of her most-loved music.

“I want to hear from you personally: what songs speak to you and why?” says Jill.

Her repertoire spans from folk to vocal jazz, to pop, and includes songs in both French and English. Her work has earned her three JUNO nominations, the Sirius XM Jazz Artist of the Year Award and the ECMA Award for Album of the Year.

Barber has headlined venues such as Toronto’s Massey Hall and Roy Thompson Hall, Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre, and Tokyo’s Blue Note and Cotton Club.

harbourfronttheatre.com, 888-2500

Grease is the Word

The College of Piping is electrifyin’—Apr 17–18 and 23–25

Get out your leather jackets and pull on your bobby socks with Rydell High’s senior class of 1959 in The College of Piping’s production of Grease with six performances in April at the Celtic Performing Arts Centre in Summerside.

Here is Rydell High’s senior class of 1959: duck-tailed, hot-rodding “Burger Palace Boys” and their gum-snapping, hip-shaking “Pink Ladies” in bobby socks and pedal pushers, evoking the look and sound of the 1950s in this rollicking musical. Head “greaser” Danny Zuko and new girl Sandy Dumbrowski try to relive the high romance of their “Summer Nights” as the rest of the gang sings and dances its way through “Greased Lightnin’,” “You’re the One That I Want,” and “We Go Together,” recalling the music of Buddy Holly, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley.

With an eight-year run on Broadway and two subsequent revivals, along with innumerable school and community productions, Grease is among the world’s most popular musicals. The film Grease produced one of the best-selling soundtracks in history and

is the highest-grossing movie musical of all time. The song “Hopelessly Devoted to You” was nominated for a 1979 Academy Award for Best Music –Original Song and the film’s title song “Grease” was a #1 hit single for singer Frankie Valli.

The College of Piping’s production of Grease features Jenna Marie as Sandy and Christopher Chassion as Danny Zuko, along with a cast of local community performers. Each performance has a surprise guest in the role of the Teen Angel.

This marks the first Community Theatre Performance of the new College of Piping Theatre Arts Program, which also offers educational classes and summer camps in acting, art, musical theatre, and improv for various ages.

Shows run April 17–18 and 23–25. The Celtic Performing Arts Centre is located at 619 Water St E, Summerside.

Tickets available at 436-5377 or collegeofpiping.com.

Glen & Magdalena

PEI Symphony Orchestra at Zion Presbyterian—Mar 14

The PEI Symphony Orchestra will host a fundraising concert featuring two new Charlottetown residents, Magdalena von Eccher and Glen Montgomery. The concert will present an array of selections including solo, duet and trio repertoire in a range of styles.

The programme will feature works by Scarlatti, Beethoven, Gershwin, Debussy, Brahms, Chick Corea, Schubert and more, with appearances by soprano Shannon Scales (Sirens) and William Costin, french horn.

and was recently appointed Assistant Professor of Piano at UPEI. She is an active soloist and chamber musician, performing regularly throughout North America and Europe.

Glen Montgomery leads a dynamic musical life performing, teaching, and composing throughout Canada. He has performed around the world, in Leningrad’s Philharmonic Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall, as well as in Iceland, Japan, and Australia.

Pianist Magdalena von Eccher has been on faculty at the University of Lethbridge and McGill University

The concert takes place March 14, 7:30 pm at Charlottetown’s Zion Presbyterian, 135 Prince St. Tickets available at pianoevent.bpt.me.

Mozart’s The Magic Flute

UPEI music stages opera at Dr. Steel Recital Hall—Mar 6 & 7

The UPEI Muic Department will perform Mozart’s The Magic Flute at Dr. Steel Recital Hall in Charlottetown March 6 and 7, 7:30 pm.

Under the musical direction of Sung Ha Shin-Bouey and stage direction of Stephen Bouey (both UPEI voice professors), a fully staged version of The Magic Flute will come to life.

The opera will be sung in English and will have a unique take, offering a glimpse of university life.

Tickets for the two family friendly shows March 6 and 7 (stormdate March 8) are available at the door, online at brownpapertickets.com or from Susan Stensch at the department office, Steel Building.

Pianists Magdalena von Eccher and Glen Montgomery

(L-R) 1st row: Taylor Donald, Ian Soloman, Jamie Gooch, Gaige Waugh, Nicholas Murphy, Tara Llewellyn; 2nd row: Melissa Lewis, Alexandra Sorensen, Jim McClean, Jordan MacLean

Peter Hum Jazz

Ottawa pianist album launch tour—Mar 20

TD PEI Jazz & Blues Festival presents the Peter Hum Quintet at UPEI’s Steel Recital Hall in Charlottetown, March 20 at 7:30 pm.

Peter Hum is an accomplished jazz pianist and composer based in Ottawa. This concert is one in a series of 10 shows across Canada to launch his 3rd album Ordinary Heroes

For the album Peter enlisted long-time friends Kenji Omae (tenor sax), David

Smith (trumpet), Mike Rud (guitar), Alec Walkington (bass) and Ted Warren (drums).

Hum is largely self-taught as a jazz pianist. He has performed with Canadian jazz greats such as Sonny Greenwich, Phil Nimmons, Reg Schwager, Pat LaBarbera, Andre White, and Roddy Ellias.

Tickets will be available at the door. Doors open at 7 pm.

Big band jazz concert

SoPA All-City Jazz Band at Florence Simmons—Mar 29

Holland College’s SoPA All-City Jazz Band will perform for the first time at Florence Simmons Performance Hall March 29 at 2 pm. Joining them is the Charlottetown Jazz Ensemble.

The Holland College SoPA All-City Jazz Band is an outreach program that promotes excellence in music and acts as a bridging ensemble between high schools and the School of Performing Arts (SoPA). Led by band director Mark Parsons, the group is comprised

The Once upon a tour

Newfoundland band makes a stop in Georgetown—Mar 13

The Once are touring their latest album Time Enough and will make a stop at the Kings Playhouse in Georgetown Mar 13, 7:30 pm.

Newfoundland has a storied history of songwriters, poets and players. Over the last decade, The Once have writ and knit themselves into that story.

The story of The Once is one of growth, propelled by the chemistry that comes from a decade of writing and touring together. Their songs can be heard in international film and

television, and they have YouTube videos with millions of hits.

The Once has earned a loyal following from their fan base. They have nominations or wins from the ECMAs, the CFMAs and the JUNOs.

Geraldine Hollett’s voice is a large part of the bands ethereal sound, sitting nicely between the rhythmic and supportive voices of Phil Churchill and Andrew Dale.

For tickets call 1-888-346-5666 or visit kingsplayhouse.com.

of accomplished high school jazz musicians and current SoPA students.

Currently under the direction of musician Doug Millington, the Charlottetown Jazz Ensemble has been presenting a mix of traditional standards and contemporary jazz since its founding 25 years ago.

Tickets will be available on the afternoon of the show at the Performance Hall box office, 140 Weymouth St, Charlottetown.

(L-R) Julien Kitson, Matt Evans, Andrea Medina, and Carter Wynne, front row, rehearse with other members of the SoPA All-City Jazz Band

Contemporary wind

UPEI Wind Symphony at Homburg Theatre—Mar 28

The UPEI Wind Symphony will perform its final recital of the academic year at Homburg Theatre in Charlottetown March 28, 7:30 pm.

The recital will feature contemporary works for the modern wind band with several emerging masterworks of the genre. “Paris Sketches” by English composer Martin Ebberly is one of his most technically demanding works. Presented in four short movements, known as vignettes, each section pays homage to some part of the iconic French capital. American composer David Biedenbender’s “Ghost Apparatus” is music for a video game, the title of which refers to a hidden network or force.

Soloist for this recital is soprano Jillian Clow, a UPEI Alumnus (class of 2015). She performed several significant leading roles in the prestigious opera

Winterjazz

Alicia Toner, Pourhouse—Mar 7

Winterjazz continues with Alicia Toner March 7 at 7 pm at The Pourhouse, 189 Great George St, Charlottetown.

Alicia’s Americana blend of folk, pop and country-rock offers a unique melody-driven sound built around her emotive voice.

Her debut album I Learned the Hard Way earned her Music PEI’s SOCAN Songwriter of the Year Award.

Toner was surrounded by music growing up and classically trained on the violin. She spent a number of years with the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra with whom she played Carnegie Hall.

The houseband for the Winterjazz

program at UBC, where she earned her Master of Music degree in 2018. Her rendition of Eric Whitacre’s “Goodnight Moon” is among the highlights of this recital.

The UPEI Wind Symphony will present six music alumni in guest conducting roles during this performance: Lisa Sanderson, Christine Blanchard, Mark Parsons, Shawn Doiron, Kirsten MacLaine, and Krista Bryson. All have careers as school music teachers. They will each lead the Wind Symphony through a movement of American Vincent Persichetti’s Divertimento

This marks the final Wind Symphony performance for graduating students: Alicia Kenney-Rashed, Liam Payne, Kate Arbing, and Henry Orford.

Tickets at UPEI’s Music Department and Confederation Centre Box Office.

series, which includes Alan Dowling, Ian Toms, Glen Strickey, and Deryl Gallant, is currently writing and recording a CD with new material and special guests.

Reservations for the show are recommended by calling 892-5200. Proceeds go toward a scholarship for Island jazz students. Info: 393-4536 or email glenstrickey@yahoo.ca.

UPEI graduating students from left: percussionist Alicia Kenney-Rashed, hornist Liam Layne, flautist Kate Arbing, trumpeter Henry Orford, and soloist Jillian Clow, soprano.

The Brew by Bryan Carver

Benefit of a stout

Every year, March provides the first indication we have survived yet another winter. We all did fairly well and should give ourselves a pat on the back. Well done. We also have the opportunity to celebrate with our friends and neighbours on a holiday that is embraced by some while barely acknowledged by others — St. Patrick’s Day. I for one am a fan of Paddy’s Day. As a young beer lover, I spent a month in the Dublin area and many an hour in the pubs of that city, solidifying my love for the beers of Ireland.

St. Patrick’s Day provides a great excuse to get out of the house and into the local pub to enjoy a pint of beer in good company. Fortunately, it is easy to find a good pint of Guinness these days in most cities around the world. Some would say Guinness is better in Ireland, but part of the mystic of the Emerald Isle might be elevating the experience as well. There are plenty of great pubs within Charlottetown that will be pouring ample amounts of this classic dry stout on the 17th. Be sure to let The Buzz guide you through the events of the day!

For those who prefer to avoid the crowds and revelry on St. Patrick’s Day, the PEI Liquor Store has a few good options to enjoy a toast in the

comfort of your own home. Irish beers such as Guinness are packaged with others like the creamy smooth nitrogenated Irish red ale Kilkenny, the classic red ale Smithwicks and Irish pale lager Harp. Another terrific option for an Irish stout at The Liquor Store is Murphy’s Stout from Cork. Though very similar in appearance, a deep reddish black with a smooth white head, Murphy’s Stout is a little less bitter and a little lower in alcohol, allowing it to have a more elegant chocolate profile, while being incredibly smooth and gentle in finish.

Island brewers have plenty of good options for stouts as well. Gahan’s Sydney Street Oatmeal Stout, Copper Bottom’s Ken’s Stout and Upstreet’s Black Tie Affair are all available at PEI Liquors Stores. Another great stout to try is Lone Oak’s Boat Traffic, an oatmeal stout that was aged in an oak foeder (pronounced food-er) made by PEI’s New World Foeder’s. Boat Traffic can be found in the Lone Oak taproom at Gateway Village, in BordenCarleton. Barnone’s sweet milk stout, La Vaca Loca, is always a favourite for dark ale lovers who can track it down.

Be sure to drink responsibly, and no matter what compels you, DO NOT DRINK GREEN BEER.

Scottish Fiddle Orchestra

Confederation Centre mainstage—Apr 3

Celebrating 40 years in 2020, the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra (SFO) will present an evening of fiddling, piping, drumming, singing and dancing at Confederation Centre in Charlottetown

April 3, 7:30 pm.

Under the baton of conductor Blair Parham, the SFO will be joined by soloists, Yia Steven (fiddle), Colette Ruddy (mezzo-soprano) and Denis Haggerty (tenor). They will feature traditional music—slow airs, marches, strathspeys, reels, jigs and the songs of Scotland—and also collaborate with The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts to perform unique concert arrangements for orchestra and pipe band.

Formed in 1980, the SFO is one of

Scotland’s foremost traditional music organizations and derives its origins from Fiddlers’ Rallies which are held throughout the country. After one of these Rallies, a group of enthusiasts met to consider the formation of an orchestra which would draw its members from all the airts and would form a cohesive, vigorously rehearsed group of musicians.

The aim was to have a group of approximately 150 musicians who would play together consistently. They have performed throughout the UK, North America, Asia and Australia.

Tickets at the Confederation Centre Box Office, 145 Richmond St, Charlottetown, 628-1864 or online at confederationcentre.com. sfo.org.uk

Craft Excellence

Northern Watters Knitware & Tartan Shop in Charlottetown was recently presented with the Atlantic Canada Craft Award for Excellence –Outstanding Retailer for 2020. Owners Bill and Wanda Watters accepted the award in Halifax on February 8 at the Craft Alliance Trade Show.

On receiving the honour Bill and Wanda said, “We would like to thank our staff, artisans, and suppliers for all their help over the past 13 years.”

Northern Watters Knitware is located on Victoria Row (Richmond St).

Round Table by Phil

Homburg

Soup for you!

I’ve very much enjoyed this winter so far (so far being essential, I’m sure I’ll be complaining by the end of March). We’ve had few very cold days and some beautiful mild days, perfect for activities like hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. Whether it’s a frigid -20 day or a mild day spent outside, there’s nothing better than a bowl of hot soup when you’ve finished.

We’re lucky to have some amazing choices for soup of many varieties on the Island. It’s been nice to see Hojo’s on Kent Street bring some amazing ramen to the table. Ramen is probably my favourite food, something I think I could eat every day. My favourite variety, which Hojo’s does very well, is the rich pork-based Tonkotsu. The Tonkotsu broth is probably the most well-known, originating in the Fukuoka prefecture of Japan. Hojo’s does a very good job of being true to my experience of this ramen, offering the classic soy-marinated egg and a hearty slice of pork belly. I recommend checking out Hojo’s for lunch when the ramen is offered for $11, but don’t go if you have big plans in the afternoon, because you may need a nap.

I’ve also tried their shoyu, which is a soy-based ramen that is considerably lighter than the rich Tonkotsu. Either way, you’ll be satisfied. And, I should mention that Hojo’s makes their own noodles in-house and you can definitely taste the difference from the store bought variety, they have a nice bite and do not disintegrate under the heat of the broth.

Ramen is undoubtedly delicious, but it’s also rich and powerful. Sometimes, a gentler soup is required. For this, I recommend the newly opened Pho Queen. Pho is less rich, but, when done correctly, is still flavourful and

comforting. Pho Hung used to be my go-to, but it has since closed, and Pho Queen does an admirable job filling their shoes. The staff is extremely friendly and welcoming, and the broth is excellent. I can also recommend getting a nice side of their homemade spring rolls.

Sometimes you want a soup that isn’t rich or gentle, one that hits a little bit harder. For that, I recommend the excellent Ginger and Onion soup (#71) at Asia Republic on University Avenue. The soup is absolutely filled with fresh ginger and is the perfect remedy for the chills on a cold winter day. I really love everything Asia Republic does, but this soup has been a staple for me since the day they opened.

Finally, something a little more indulgent. The Dundee Arms has been one of my favourite brunch spots for a long time, but they are also one of the few places that offers a classic French onion soup. I just can’t resist this dish when it’s on the menu, one of the absolutely perfect comfort foods. You know, maybe follow it with one of their desserts, like their traditional butter tart. Who does a dessert cart anymore? The Dundee is kind of a special place.

Finally, you’ve been walking all day and you stop into Receiver Coffee to grab a great cup of joe. Their chilli is really good! It’s also a great gluten free offering that has my good buddy Max Knechtel’s seal of approval.

So, with a little help from some warm soup, we may survive this endless winter or, at least, eat our way through it. The light at the end of the tunnel is soon, we’ll be talking about burgers and then all of our favourite seasonal spots will begin to shuffle off the ice and snow and begin to come to life.

Folk Music Awards

Charlottetown hosts the 2020 CFMAs—Apr 3 & 4

The 2020 Canadian Folk Music Awards (CFMA) in partnership with Music PEI will be in Charlottetown April 3 and 4. The awards shows will take shape as two hosted, bilingual concerts open to the public, featuring award presentations and live performances each night beginning at 7:30 pm at the Delta Prince Edward, Charlottetown.

Friday will feature performances by Vishtèn, Kaia Kater, Ayrad, Leaf Rapids, Tri-Continental, and Lennie Gallant. Saturday performers are Eastern Owl, Geneviève & Alain, Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys, Abigail Lapell, Le Vent du Nord, and Irish Mythen.

April 4 will have the following showcases: The CFMA Children and Family Music Showcase; The CFMA Songwriters Showcase presented by SiriusXM Canada; and The CFMA Traditional Music Showcase

The CFMA Children and Family Music Showcase is a free public event at the Confederation Centre Public Library, 10–11 am with performances by Ginalina, The Kerplunks, and Amos J & Jérôme Fortin.

The CFMA Songwriters Showcase is an afternoon recorded live off the floor for SiriusXM’s North Americana. It features Dave Gunning, Old Man Luedecke, Jenn Grant, and Geneviève Racette. It happens from 1–2:30 pm at The Guild, 111 Queen St. Ch’town. Tickets (Separate from CFMA package) available at theguildpei.com.

The CFMA Traditional Music Showcase will showcase a diverse array of trad music from across Canada. Performances by Còig, Pierre Schryer & Adam Dobres, Al Qahwa, Sabin Jaques & Rachel Aucoin, CONWAY, and Graham Lindsey. Check it out from 3–4:30 pm at The Pourhouse, 189 Great George St,

Ch’town. Tickets (Separate from CFMA package) available at folkawards.ca.

Awards show tickets are available at folkawards.ca or at Back Alley Music, 257 Queen St, Ch,town.

PEI CFMA nominees

Vishtèn Traditional Album OTY, Horizons; Ensemble OTY, Horizons; Oliver Shroer Pushing the Boundries Award, Horizons

Jenn Grant Contemporary Album OTY, Love, Inevitable; Contemporary Singer OTY, Love, Inevitable; Solo Artist OTY, Love, Inevitable

Lennie Gallant Contemporary Album OTY, Time Travel; English Songwriter OTY, Little Bones

Gordie MacKeeman and the Rhythm Boys New Emerging Artist OTY, Dreamland

Irish Mythen Solo Artist OTY, Little Bones

Richard Wood Instrumental Solo Artist OTY, Unbroken

Catherine MacLellan English Songwriter OTY, Assiniboine & The Red (The Small Glories)

Dan Ledwell Producer OTY, Time Travel (Lennie Gallant)

JUNO nominees

Catherine MacLellan and Irish Mythen have both been nominated for a JUNO award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year.

Catherine MacLellan’s 7th album COYOTE is a self-produced travelogue through heartbreak, loss and the joy of life. It contains 14 songs that are reflective and hopeful.

Irish Mythen’s Little Bones has been on tour internationally since its release in May 2019. It also received a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination and two Music PEI awards.

Ria Mae

Harbourfront Theatre—Mar 14

On March 14 Canadian singer-songwriter Ria Mae brings her Stars Tour to the Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside. The tour is named after her successful Stars EP which saw her single “Bend” make platinum on the Canadian music charts.

Since her major label debut album, Mae has climbed the radio charts with hits like “Red Light,” “Clothes Off,” “Ooh Love,” and most recently “Too Close” with Dan Talevski. To date, her music has been streamed over 60 million times worldwide.

harbourfronttheatre.com, 888-2500.

Vishtèn nominated for three CFMAs

A lotta Popalopalots

12 hour Improv Marathon at The Guild—Mar 21

The Guild in Charlottetown Presents: A Popalopalots Improv Marathon for the QEH Foundation on March 21 from 10 am–10 pm.

Ever the gluttons for personal discomfort and exploring questionable artistic merit, Popalopalots Improv Comedy is once again hitting the stage at The Guild for an unreasonable amount of time to raise money for the QEH Foundation.

This time they’re expecting the knowledge they’ve accumulated from their two previous 26-hour marathon experiences will translate to an even more enjoyable show for everyone. The length of the event has been shortened to 12 hours and they added guest performances to offer more variety.

Admission is by donation for the first 10 hours, with the 2-hour finale being a ticketed event. Tickets for the finale will be available at The Guild box office during the event. All money raised will be presented to the QEH Foundation during their annual telethon (May 23–24).

The Two Loves

Irish Cultural Centre Mar 5–7 and 10–12

The Benevolent Irish Society will stage The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley by Jimmy Keary (County Westmeath, Ireland) Mar 5–7 and 10–12 at the Irish Cultural Centre in Charlottetown.

The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley is a 3-act comedy that takes place in a small central Ireland town in County Westmeath in the early 90s. A local unmarried farmer, middle-aged Gabriel Foley, who considers himself unlucky at love, has come to the realization that he will not be having a family if he doesn’t make some serious changes in his life soon.

Tickets: eventbrite.ca.

Smorgas’boards

The Annual PEI Community Theatre Festival will mark the 59th celebration of World Theatre Day March 28 at the Carrefour Theatre in Charlottetown beginning at 12:30 pm.

Eight short plays (30 mins or less) with a variety of genres and participants will run every 45 mins (or so).

Tracadie Players’ skit Fore in the Store puts a quartet of golfers up against a no-nonsense clerk, the self-checkout, and the BYOB policy.

Mi’kmaq Heritage Actors will drum and dance through new tellings of colourful First Nation Campfire Tales

Salty is a queer dramatic comedy that explores homophobia, substance abuse, rejection, jealousy, class, and the importance of community.

Island Improv Company will use audience input to create A-N-N-E at the Improv: A Green Gables Parody

Crackling Roots Theatre Company presents Apple Bones written by Jennifer Platts-Fanning. Set in the near-future, where having children is heavily controlled, Mother Nature weaves the tale as Lily’s round belly stirs up emotions and mayhem ensues.

Reasha Walsh brings a College of Piping drama team to do excerpts from The Myths at the Edge of the World, in which young campers re-live the Amer-Indian story about the creation of the Stars and the origin of the Sun and Moon derived from Aztec myth.

The Village Players of Murray River/Harbour present part of the modern comedy Mind Over Manor, where the Summer Meadows mansion houses a gaggle of eccentrics and a mysterious disappearance.

ACT (a community theatre) will stage Knee Play 1, of Philip Glass’ avant-garde opera Einstein on the Beach This year participants will have a chance to receive constructive feedback

from Adjudicator Rebecca Parent, known to Island audiences for her performances in Anne and Gilbert and at Watermark.

Drop in for one play or stay the whole afternoon. Plays will run until about 5:30 pm. Full schedule is at actpei.com. Admission is pay-what-you-will at the door. There will be social time with refreshments between performances and a raffle for tickets to PEI theatres. Info: Rob Thomson, robthomson@pei. sympatico.ca, 628-6778

Play submissions

North Rustico’s Watermark Theatre and Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC) is calling for submissions of new non-musical plays from PEI playwrights to be included in Watermark’s 2020 Play Reading Series in August). Plays must: be written by playwrights who currently reside in PEI or were born or previously lived in PEI but currently reside elsewhere; be unpublished and must not have had a professional production (previous workshop or Fringe productions are fine); be non-musicals; have a cast size of 8 or less; be submitted in English (portions may be in another language). Plays can be of any topic or genre. Each playwright may submit no more than two scripts. Plays that were submitted in previous years are ineligible. Send submissions of plays along with a playwright biography, short synopsis of the play, brief description of development history (how long you have been working on it, draft number, further work you think it needs), and contact info by e-mail to Robert at artisticdirector@watermarktheatre. com. Deadline is Mar 6. Playwrights of the plays selected notified by March 30.

Patti Larsen and Nancy McLure of Side Hustle, in the 2019 Festival

Noises Off

ACT challenges itself for 25 year celebration

ACT (a community theatre) will present the comedy Noises Off April 9–11 and 15–18 at Florence Simmons Performance Hall, Charlottetown. Showtime is 7:30 pm.

Noises Off by Michael Frayn offers a plethora of challenges to any amateur or professional theatre group. The action is fast paced, the props fly across the stage and the entire set needs to be moved…twice.

The plot tracks a motley group of thespians trying to put on a touring show and nothing seems to go according to plan. Action and intrigue, both on and off stage, play a major role. So does the slamming of seemingly endless doors in the two-story set.

For director Keir Malone, a big part of the appeal of Noises Off is giving the audience a farcical, exaggerated look behind the curtain

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS

An exhibit to tell the story about the main voice of the Acadian and Francophone community. At the Acadian Museum in Miscouche

On March 26th, 2020 at 5:30 P.M.

“For every moment the audience sees on stage, there is the story of how the actors got there, and the possibility that it will go wrong.” says Malone. “That’s live theatre!”

ACT celebrates 25 years of presenting live theatre in 2020, and Malone thought Noises Off would be a great way to celebrate this milestone. ACT produced this show in 1996.

The cast for this year’s production includes Brian Collins, Emily Anne Fullerton, Adam Gauthier, Marti Hopson, Mike Mallaley, Cameron Bennett MacDonald, Kathryn Nazim, Noah Nazim, and Laura Stapleton.

The troup is propped up by veteran set designer and builder Garnett Gallant who has almost 50 years of theatre experience.

Tickets and info: ticketpro.ca, actpei.ca

Justin Shaw

Stand-up

at bar1911—Mar 27

Island comedian Justin Shaw returns with his off-the-wall stand-up comedy at bar1911 in Ch’town March 27. Shaw has performed in cities across Canada, opened for Mike MacDonald, and won the 2016 Triple Crown Award at Comedyworks Montreal. His comedy covers tales of growing up in rural PEI, living in a Montreal B&B, misadventures of working in Fort Mac, and his romantic history. Island audiences might remember Shaw from his work with Popalopalots Live Improv comedy or working with Lorne Elliott on Culture Shock. The show will also feature local comedians Sam MacDonald, Tanya Nicolle, and Joseph Revell.

Tickets: bar1911.com

SSTA Exhibit

Société Saint-Thomas-d’Aquin known today as the main organization representing the Acadian and francophone community, will present an exhibit (in both official languages) to trace its 100-year history. The vernissage will be held at the Acadian Museum of PEI in Miscouche on Mar 26 from 5:30–7:30 pm. It is open to everyone and will include a short presentation by historian Georges Arsenault. Snacks and refreshments will be served. Info: 888-1697, projet@ssta.org.

100 ANS À CÉLÉBRER

Une exposition pour partager l’histoire du porte-parole officiel de la communauté acadienne et francophone. Au Musée acadien à Miscouche 26 mars 2020 à 17h30

100

Everyone

An inclusive twist on an old play

UPEI—Mar 17–21

In a society that is always changing, how could we possibly find old plays relatable to an audience in 2020?

Vagabond Productions Director Greg Doran has a simple solution. He adapted Everyman, a medieval morality play, so it is now dubbed Everyone

The play is now more accessible for a 2020 audience. One of the ways in which Doran makes the play more inclusive is by altering the Christian elements in favour of more general spiritual elements.

Children’s theatre

Shrek: The Musical

The Guild, Ch’town

Feb 27–Mar 1

The Guild presents The Guild Music Theatre School production of Shrek: The Musical, February 27–March 1. Based on the DreamWorks animated film, the Tony award-winning fairy tale adventure brings all the characters from the film to life on stage. Halifaxbased actor, musician, producer, and instructor Kyle Gillis has been cast in the title role. Audiences may remember him from Anne & Gilbert in 2010–11. Kyle has been providing mentorship and guidance for the The Guild’s Advanced Music Theatre School students throughout the rehearsal process. Playing the role of Fiona is student Cat Cummins. Shrek: The Musical would not be possible without Artistic Director of Children’s Theatre Lori Linkletter or CEO Alanna Jankov.

Shrek: The Musical will open with a pay-what-you-can preview February 27, 7 pm and a pay-what-you-can matinee February 28, 2 pm. All other tickets at The Guild Box office, 111 Queen St, Ch’town or theguildpei.com. 620-3333

Disney’s 101 Dalmatians Kids is a fur-raising adventure. Pet owners, Roger and Anita, live happily in London with their Dalmatians, Pongo and Perdita, stalwart dogs devoted to raising their puppies. Everything is quiet until Anita’s former classmate, the monstrous Cruella De Vil, plots to steal the puppies for her new fur coat. The Dalmatians rally all the dogs of London for a daring rescue of the puppies from Cruella and her henchmen.

In A Barnyard Moosical the audience will meet a unique group of animals living at an unusual farm. Between the gourmet goats that refuse to eat garbage, a chorus line of hoofing cows, neatnik pigs and funky dancing chickens, the musical will be sure to tickle the imagination and funny bone of performers and audiences alike. Grades PK–2.

Tickets available at The Guild Box office, 111 Queen St, Ch’town or theguildpei.com. 620-3333

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The play follows Everyone as they try to balance out their metaphorical ledger before death. They attempt to convince the other characters (representations of abstract ideas such as Good Deeds) to follow them in the hope of improving their account. Hilarity ensues as character after character reveals that they are nothing more than superficial vices that must be left behind.

Everyone runs March 17–21 in UPEI’s Faculty Lounge (Rm 201) at SDU Main Building, Charlottetown. Doors at 7 pm. Show starts at 7:30 pm.

Admission is pay-what-you-can at the door. Information: Greg Doran, gdoran@upei.ca, 566-6013.

101 Dalmations Kids A Barnyard Moosical

The Guild, Ch’town

Mar 28 & 29

The Guild Music Theatre School Presents: Disney’s 101 Dalmatians Kids & A Barnyard Moosical March 28, 4 pm and 7:30 pm, and March 29, 2 pm.

5th River Clyde

The River Clyde Pageant is celebrating its 5th year in 2020 and organizers are getting ready to welcome new community performers, musicians, builders and volunteers into the creation process this outdoor theatre production in New Glasgow.

Artistic Director Megan Stewart and Musical Director Marti Hopson

Cornerstone Baptist, Cornwall Apr 3–4

Immanuel Christian School presents C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe April 3 and 4, 6:30 pm at Cornerstone Baptist, 9 Cornerstone Dr, Cornwall. Tickets can be purchased or reserved by phone at 628-6465 or email office@icspei.ca. Individual and family rates are available.

will lead two community info sessions to present the Pageant’s summer lineup of arts workshops for all ages and opportunities for volunteering. They will also reveal plans for this year’s reimagined production, which features a new story and a return to the processional, travelling format.

Each summer the Pageant offers a series of free workshops such as puppetry, creative movement, song writing, playwriting and more. No previous experience is required, and everyone is welcome to take part.

The 1st info session takes place at the Haviland Club in Ch’town March 25, 7–8:30 pm. The 2nd info session will be at the New Glasgow Christian Church March 29, 5–6:30 pm. Both venues are accessible.

2020 River Clyde Pageant performance dates are July 25–26 and July 31–August 2. The 1st round of workshops will be announced March 6, with a 2nd round announced at the end of March. riverclydepageant.com/ get-involved

In the Wake of the Tale, the 2019 River Clyde Pageant, by Robert Van Waarden

Rendez-vous!

French-language activities across PEI—Mar 1 to 31

The 22nd edition of the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie (RVF) takes place March 1–31. This year’s slogan is “Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie, at the centre of change.” RVF has programmed French-language activities, shows, and cultural events across PEI throughout March.

RVF is part of the events surrounding the Journée Internationale de la Francophonie (March 20), organized annually around the world to promote the French language and its culture. The events will also reflect that 2020 marks the 300th anniversary of the arrival and permanent settlement of the French and Acadians on PEI.

The Opening Ceremony will be March 2 at 10:30 am at Government House in Charlottetown with a small reception to follow. All are welcome.

The RVF 2020 Opening Celebration takes place March 2, 5–8 pm at Carrefour de l’Isle-Saint-Jean in Charlottetowntown with music by Anique Granger and Caroline Bernard, visual artist demos, kids’ activities, oyster shucking with Robert Pendergast, and a culinary surprise by Chef Pierre El Hajja.

Lundi 2 mars 2020

Monday, March 2nd, 2020

The public is invited take part in a variety of activities that include concerts, culinary events, outdoor events, activities for childen and students, film screenings, info sessions, and open houses. Visit rvf.ca for more details.

Soup’Art returns

To celebrate International Francophonie Day, the 7th annual edition of Soup’Art will take place March 20, 5–7 pm at Confederation Centre’s Studio 1 in Charlottetown.

This year organizers will serve soups inspired by French and Acadian traditions. There will be the traditional fricot and other delectables, with some gluten free and vegan options. Soups will be served with galettes blanches (Acadian white biscuit) from La Galette blanche bakery in Wellington. There will be an exhibit of visual art and crafts created by Island artists and artisans, live music from ragtime piano player Julien Robichaud (Evangeline), and a children’s corner. Info: Monique at moniquel@confederationcentre.com or Germain at germain.fcipe@gmail.com.

SOIRÉE ARTISTIQUE !

Au / at the Carrefour de l'Isle-Saint-Jean

De 17h00 à 20h00 / from 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

DANCING

Here We Go! Barn Dance

Feb 29, 7:30 pm at Copper Bottom, 567 Main St, Montague. Enjoy easy-to-learn squaredances, round dances, and the world famous Souris Set. Music is by Cape Breton’s Donna Marie DeWolfe with Darla Chaisson-MacPhee. No experience is necessary and dances are suitable for all ages.

Social and dance

RCAFA 201 Wing Social and Dance at Malcolm Darrach Community Centre is Mar 27, 7–10 pm. A light lunch, tea and coffee is served.. Entertainment provided by The Sociables. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Admission at the door. 19+ event. 1 Avonlea Dr, Ch’town. Info: Debbie Reid, reid.debbie@rocketmail.com, 367-0450

Square dance lessons

Weekly square dancing lessons take place Wed from 7–8:30 pm at Murphy’s Community Centre, Richmond St, 3rd flr, Ch’town. Beginners welcome. No charge and no partner necessary. Dress casual.

Salsa Rueda

A 5-week beginner Salsa Rueda class will be held Thur 7:30–9 pm starting Mar 5 at Afton Community Centre, 26 Nine Mile Creek Rd, Rice Point. Couples, singles, and all ages welcome. No previous experience necessary. Info: 675-3217, burkhorn1@gmail.com

Vendredi 21 mars 2020

Friday, March 21st, 2020

At the Upstreet starting at 7:00 p.m. Au Upstreet à partir de 19h00

CITY CINEMA M AR 2020

Portrait of A Lady on Fire

Feb 21–29

14A, nudity, sexual content

Dir: Céline Sciamma, France, 2019, 121 min. Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel. In French with English subtitles

“Portrait of a Lady on Fire is stunning. The plot is simple: A young woman is brought to a remote estate in 18th century France, commissioned to secretly paint the portrait of another young woman. Both actresses, Adele Haenel and Noemie Merlant, are incredible, conveying so much emotion in glimpses and glances throughout a story very interested in the the connection between love and looking, about memory and intention. And yet, despite all that’s unspoken, the script is also incredibly tight. It’s a slow burn, but everything—every shot, every angle, every word—is intentional and profoundly effective.”—Shea Corrigan, Fansided. ”Sciamma has created nothing less than a timeless work of art.”—Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Ordinary Love

Feb 28–March 3

PG, mature theme

Dir: Lisa Barros D’Sa/Glenn Leyburn, UK, 92 min. Lesley Manville, Liam Neeson

“There’s nothing ordinary about this deeply moving, frequently funny and piercingly insightful drama from Belfast… On the surface it’s a tale of a middle-aged couple facing up to a diagnosis of breast cancer, and a year of medical intervention. Yet beyond this immediate diagnosis is something far more rich and compelling—a story of everyday love between two people living in the shadow of grief, facing an uncertain future, both together and apart. Directed with wit, subtlety and great emotional honesty… it’s a singular story with universal appeal—striking a very personal chord with some viewers while finding common ground with the widest possible audience. I’ve seen it three times so far, and found it more joyous, heart-breaking and ultimately uplifting with each subsequent viewing.”—Mark Kermode, The Guardian (UK)

Bombshell

Mar 4–10

14A, sexual content, coarse language Dir: Jay Roach, US, 2019, 109 min. Margot Robbie, Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman. 3 Academy Award nominations including Best Actress & Best Supporting Actress

“Evening news anchor Gretchen Carlson’s 2016 sexual harassment suit against Roger Ailes explodes like a megaton bomb in Bombshell, Jay Roach’s juicy, angry, and darkly comic take on the real-life battle between Fox’s screen queens and the king of cable news. The first big #MeToo movie, it tracks the struggle to end Ailes’s 20-year reign as a sexual predator, routinely demanding female ‘loyalty’ in return for on-screen advancement. Demoted to the afternoon show, Nicole Kidman’s sweetly steely Carlson, raging after a career deflecting Ailes’s slimy advances, is ready to start a war no-one thinks she can win. Further down the food chain, ambitious researcher Kayla Pospisil is horrified that Ailes wants to eyeball more than her CV. Bombshell conveys expertly how emotionally and professionally terrifying whistleblowing is, as Fox’s famous queen bee Megyn Kelly starts investigating a stream of passed-over and traumatized Fox women whose harassment complaints were career suicide. What keeps the drama taut are the excellent central performances by Theron, Kidman and Robbie, not to mention John Lithgow as the cruelly predatory Ailes.”—Kate Staples, Total Film

Parasite - In Black & White!

March 6–7

Special Black & White edition of 2019’s Academy Award Winner for Best Picture. 14A, violence, sexual content, coarse language. Dir: Bong Joon-ho, South Korea, 2019, 132 min. Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Jo. In Korean with English subtitles

“Parasite is for many already an undeniable cinematic masterpiece. But for director Bong Joon Ho, it was his desire to create such a

work of art that drove him to cut a black-andwhite version of film. ‘I think it may be vanity on my part, but when I think of the classics, they’re all in black and white,’ he said. ‘So I had this idea that if I turned my films into black and white then they’d become classics.’ Bong explained that, as a child growing up in South Korea, his mother wouldn’t allow him to visit the cinema for fear of ‘bacteria’, so he watched all the masterpieces at home on a black-and-white tv. The new version of Parasite was actually made before the original colour edition had its premiere in Cannes... Bong, with his director of photographer and colourist, worked on the new grading shot by shot.” – Alex Ritman, Hollywood Reporter

Weathering With You

Mar 11–15

PG

Dir: Makoto Shinkai, Japan, 2019, 112 min. English version with Lee Pace, Alison Brie, and Riz Ahmed plays Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Japanese version with English subtitles with Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori and Tsubasa Honda plays Thursday & Saturday

“Makoto Shinkai, dubbed ‘the new Miyazaki’ after the huge success of his last film Your Name, returns with Weathering With You, Japan’s highest-grossing film of 2019. Like Your Name, it’s thrillingly beautiful.”—Cath Clarke, The Guardian UK. “This soaring animated adventure is a wondrous coming-ofage fable which drowns in a flood of gorgeous illustration and threatens to wash you away with its tender humour and emotional currents. When 16 year old Hodaka runs away to Tokyo he falls for the beautiful Hina, a teenager possessed of the magical ability to make the rain stop. As Japan suffers a deluge of biblical proportions, it’s a timely gift which they put to practical use, but it comes with a terrible price which threatens the happiness of these star-crossed lovers. Drawing on mythic tales of weather maidens and Sky dragons, and featuring a cast of colourful characters, it’s a whirlpool of eco-fantasy, and poignant love story of teenagers struggling to adapt to life in the big bad city… This is a joyous affair… a guaranteed ray of sun in the cold dark days of winter.”—Chris Hunneysett, The Daily Mirror

Rosie

Mar 13-14 & 16-18

PG, coarse language

Dir: Paddy Breathnach, Ireland, 2019, 86 min. Sarah Green, Moe Dunford, Ellie O’Halloran, Ruby Dunne. Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards winner for Best Film & Best Actress

“Roddy Doyle (The Snapper, The Committments) has written a very moving and insightful film about homelessness. It is powerfully acted, especially by Sarah Greene in the leading role. The potency of the film lies in showing us that the ‘homeless’ are not a caste or tribe whose condition has been ordained at birth, and their situation is not a cosmic punishment for laziness – they are people like everyone else whose situation has been created by economic forces. Rosie is a mother of four, her partner John Paul works in a restaurant kitchen; they were living entirely happily and responsibly in a rented house in north Dublin, until their landlord decided to sell it. So the family are looking for somewhere else to rent, but rents are unaffordable, and during their increasingly panicky search for a new place, they find themselves having to beg social services for interim overnight placements in hotel rooms: a different place each time. And all the time they have to keep up appearances, while the possibility of having to sleep in the car gets ever closer… There is great sadness in this film—and great anger.”— Peter Bradshow, The Guardian (UK)

Les Miserables

Mar 19–23

14A, violence, coarse language

Dir: Ladj Ly, France, 2019, 104 min. Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, Djibril Zonga. In French with English subtitles. Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee for Best International Feature Film. Cannes Festival Jury Prize winner, and many other Festival & Critics’ awards.

“The only similarity between this Les Mis and the one you may recall featuring Hugh Jackman is that it takes place in the same neighbourhood where Victor Hugo wrote and set his 1862 novel… Poverty and crime are still rampant in what is now an ethnic enclave in the Paris suburbs. In a twist that sounds

like it came from a novel—but which director Ladj Ly swears is drawn from real life—a lion cub has been stolen from a circus by some local kids. The Gypsies (the film’s word, not mine) who run the circus are furious. Into this bizarre powder keg wanders Stéphane Ruiz, a new cop on his first day with the Street Crimes Unit. He’s already been hazed by his new colleagues, racist Chris and his black partner Gwada. Now he finds himself in pursuit of a pint-sized lion thief in the Paris projects. Ly… spends a long time immersing the audience in the sights and sounds of the neighbourhood. Stéphane looks dazed and you may feel the same way by the dizzying introduction to this world. But almost precisely halfway through, something happens that changes his day from very weird to very bad. Now the trio is looking for a different kid with a drone, one that may have video evidence of a crime. With its morally ambiguous characters, fast pacing and a cops-v-criminals subplot, Les Misérables has much in common with such siege thrillers as Assault on Precinct 13 and The Raid: Redemption. But in this case, the majority of the film is much more quiet; you can sense that things could turn violent at any moment, but the director finds ways to keep pulling characters back from the edge. It makes the film’s explosive climax all the more memorable, and the final shot one that won’t soon leave you.”—Chris Knight, The National Post

The Booksellers

Mar 20–21 & 27–28

Rating tba, likely PG

Dir: D.W. Young, US, 2019, 99 min. Parker Posey, Fran Lebowitz, Gay Talese

“The hometown crowd will likely go wild for D.W. Young’s new documentary about books and the people who love them. An unabashedly New York-centric slice of life, the documentary zips through some of the city’s most enduring book events, from posh book fairs to signature stores like the Strand and Argosy. Young gets intimate, too, taking viewers inside private homes packed with enviable collections, as designed by passionate book lovers who want nothing more than to chat about their obsessions. In short, it’s a tour of the city through one very distinct, literary lens. And that’s to say nothing of the NYC glitterati that pop up with regularity, including Fran Lebowitz, Susan Orlean, Gay Talese, and executive producer Parker Posey.”—Kate Erbland, IndieWire. “An evocative portrait of a way of life that is hopefully not completely vanishing anytime soon.”—The Hollywood Reporter

Corpus Christi

Mar 24–28

14A, coarse language, nudity, violence

Dir: Jan Komasa, Poland, 2019, 115 min. Bartosz Bielenia, Aleksandra Konieczna, Eliza Rycembel. In Polish with English subtitles. Academy Award nominee for Best International Feature Film. Over 30 Festival & Critics’ Awards.

“Jan Komasa’s study of faith, vocation, goodness and redemption brings to mind Graham Greene’s novel The Power and the Glory. Yet Mateusz Pacewicz’s screenplay is based on true events, as it follows 20-yearold Daniel from the brutal reformatory where his Catholic conscience has been pricked by Father Tomasz to an industrial backwater. Here he poses as a newly ordained priest and not only heals the wounds caused by a tragic car crash, but also inspires a surge in church attendance through the impassioned sermons that address the everyday concerns of his flock… Komasa directs with a conviction that also drives the mesmerising Bielenia, whether he’s acting as lookout during a cellblock beating, partying hard after his release or trying to remember the rituals he’s looked up online before saying his first mass.”—David Parkinson, RadioTimes. “Often moving but also disquieting and even intermittently funny, this drama unfurls a spiritual parable that is uniquely Polish but accessible to all.”—The Guardian (UK)

Presented with Cinema Politica Charlottetown

Illusions of Control

Mar 29 at 2:00 pm. Admission by donation.

PG

Dir: Shannon Walsh, Canada, 2019, 87 min. Xue Lan Yang, Stacey Sundberg, Kaori Suzuki, Silvia Ortiz, Lauren Berlant. Honorable Mention for Best Canadian Documentary at the Calgary International Film Festival

Welcome to City Cinema from The Charlottetown Film Society. As of March 1st, 2019, the Cinema is owned and operated by our non-profit Society; we appreciate your patronage.

We will continue present a diverse mix of films and welcome your suggestions and support as the Cinema evolves; become a member, bring friends, share feedback!

“Who stands up when everything falls apart? A riveting meditation on resilience in the face of disaster, Illusions of Control unfolds in landscapes irrevocably shaped by human attempts to dominate them. Five women confront unbearable crises: Silvia searches for her missing daughter in the deserts of northern Mexico; Yang attempts to hold back the expanding desert in China; Kaori mobilizes mothers as citizen-scientists to monitor radiation in Fukushima, Japan; Stacey builds on Indigenous knowledge to confront toxic legacies in Yellowknife; Lauren stands at the crossroads of a serious health diagnosis in Chicago. Each story reveals surprising ways to live on, and reimagine life in the ruins.”— illusionsofcontrol.com

Cyrano de Bergerac— National Theatre Live

Mar 29, 30, 31

Rating tba

Dir: Jamie Lloyd, UK, 2020, approx 180 min. James McAvoy, Anita-Joy Uwajeh, Eben Figueiredo. $20 regular, $14 seniors and members. No Passes.

James McAvoy returns to the stage in an inventive new adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, from the West End in London. “McAvoy gives a stunningly powerful performance in this piece of pure theatre, the most breathtakingly exciting show in London right now. Director Jamie Lloyd and adapter Martin Crimp have updated and mutated Edmond Rostand’s 1897 verse drama about a soldier-poet with an enormous nose into a stripped-back, street-style rap battle… It engages the imagination, the mind and the heart. Complex ideas about love, literature, body image and truth are expressed in its dizzyingly clever rhymes, but essentially it remains a captivating, tragicomic romance.”— Nick Curtis, The Evening Standard

Admission

Regular

Member

$10.00

$7.00 65 and over $7.00 14 and under $7.00

Sorry, we do not accept debit or credit cards Annual Memberships

Regular $20 Student $16 Book tickets in advance at citycinema.net

Ordinary Love

Ordinary Love

Ordinary Love

Bombshell

Bombshell

Bombshell

Parasite B&W

Parasite B&W

Bombshell

Bombshell

Bombshell

Bombshell

Weathering... (E)

Weathering... (ST)

Weathering... (E)

Rosie

Rosie

Weathering... (ST)

Weathering... (E)

Rosie

Rosie

Rosie

Les Miserables

Les Miserables

The Booksellers

The Booksellers

Les Miserables

Les Miserables

Les Miserables

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi

The Booksellers

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi

The Booksellers

Illusions...

Cyrano

Cyrano

Cyrano

City Cinema and The Charlottetown Film Society would like to recognize our partnership with Film Circuit, presented by TIFF. For more information see www.tiff.net/filmcircuit www.citycinema.net

EXHIBITS

Acadian Museum of PEI

Acadian Children on the Island is on view as are the permanent exhibition and video The Island Acadians: The Story of a People. Acadian genealogy resources available to researchers. A PEI Museum and Heritage site. Open Mon–Fri 9:30 am–5 pm, Sun 1–4 pm. Miscouche, Rte 2. 432-2880

Confed Centre Art Gallery

Winter Gallery Opening to celebrate the five exhibits on view this winter takes place Mar 7, 7 pm. On view: Spheres, Skulls, and Other Icons of the Interior, Mar 7–May 30; The Debbie Show: Views from the Desk, favourite pieces of Gallery

Receptionist Debbie Muttart, to Apr 12; Victor Cicansky: The Gardener’s Universe, to Apr 26; Setting the Table: Still-Life and its After Effects, to May 24; and Artists by Artists, to May 24. Confederation Centre, 145 Richmond St, Ch’town. 628-6142 confederationcentre.com.

Cornwall Library Art Gallery

Kevin Gauthier’s Hodgepodge, a collection of woodwork projects reflecting a variety of styles and functions, runs to Mar 27. The Spring Group ShowVision opens Mar 31 at 7 pm. Contact the Library for info on displaying in the gallery. Tue 1–8:30 pm, Wed 1–5:30 pm, 6:00–8:30 pm, Thur–Sat 9:30 am–12:30 pm, 1–5:30 pm. FB Cornwall Public Library, PEI. Cornwall Town Hall, off TCH, Cornwall. 629-8415

Details Fine Art Gallery

Gallery: Ron Arvidson, P. John Burden, Holly Caldwell, Canoe Cove Glass, Kevin Cook, Grace Curtis, Katharine Dagg, Wendell Dennis, David Garcia Jimenez, Jamie Germaine, Elaine Harrison, Jessica Hutchinson Pottery, Island Stoneware, Sandi Komst, Heather M. Larter, Wendy Manning, Monica Macdonald, Heather Millar, Connie O’Brien, PEI Smoke Fired Pottery, Pottery by the Sea, Dr. Paul A. Price, Arlene Rice, Susana Rutherford, Ben F. Stahl, Richard Vickerson. Maritime artists: Bronwyn Arundel Pottery, Mark Brennan, Kate Brown Georgallis, Gale Colpitts-Abbey, Doretta Groenendyk, Michael Khoury, Kiln Art Glass, Peter Kinsella, Mary Jane Lundy, Shelley Mitchell, Susan Paterson, Susan Robertson Pottery, Gail Rhyno, Bill Rogers, Kath & Robert Rutherford, Anna Syperek. National/international: Ayala Bar Jewelry, John Bowdren, Anne Marie Chagnon Jewelry, Four Seasons Jewelry, Hanson & Kastles Glass, Robert Held Glass, Victoria Kovaleva, Rebecca Krupke, Eleanor Lowden, Carol Malcolm, Colin Page, Faye Rogers, JeanClaude Roy, Dianna Shyne, Soapstone Carvings, Arte Vargas Glass, Holly Yashi Jewelry. Designer jewelry, art, glass, pottery. detailsfineart.com. 166 Richmond St, Ch’town. 892-2233

Ellen’s Creek Gallery

Works by Damien Worth, Emily Howard, Ken Spearing, Louis Mould, Margaret Muzika, Marianne Janowicz, Ray Doiron, Henry Dunsmore, Debra Wellner, Henry Purdy C.M., RCA, Sylvia Ridgway, Maurice Bernard, Pam Ling, Marie McMahon-Young, P. John Burden, David Garcia Jimenez, Jim Steadman, Julia Purcell, Betty Jenkins, Linda Shaw Packard, Gloria Woolridge. Mon–Fri, 9–5, Sat 9–4 year round. framingpei@ gmail.com. 525 North River Rd, Ch’town. 368-3494

Eptek Art & Culture Centre

A retrospective exhibition, 85 Years of Painting and Drawing by Nan Ferrier is on display to Mar 27. Also on view to Mar 27 is the Music PEI Album Art exhibit featuring cover art from this year’s album-related nominees. Visit the permanent exhibition on the history and architecture of Summerside. Tue–Fri 10 am–4 pm, Sun 12–4 pm. Closed Mar 4 and 29. Eptek is a site of the PEI Museum and Heritage Fund. peimuseum.com. 130 Heather Moyse Dr, S’side. 888-8373

Gallery @ The Guild

A Concrete Bed, a series of poems from homeless men on PEI runs to Mar 1. Nathan Rochford’s photography exhibit Memory – PEI and Climate Change will be on view Mar 4–15. Matues Revisited, a collaboration of 3 Mi’kmaq porcupine quill artists, Melissa Peter Paul, Cheryl Simon and Kayla Sark, will be on display Mar 18–29. Opening reception to be held Mar 18, 7–9 pm. theguildpei.com. 111 Queen St, Ch’town. 892-5152

MacNaught History Centre

Sixty Days of Fame art series features the work of a community artist for a 2–month span. In Mar see Home and Away by Kathleen and Robert Milner. Genealogy services available. Mon–Sat 10 am–4 pm. culturesummerside.com. 75 Spring St, S’side. 432-1332

PEI Crafts Council Gallery

Gallery of the PEI Crafts Council. Juried work by Island artists and artisans is on view. Mon–Wed 10 am–4 pm, Thur–Sat 10 am–5 pm. peicraftscouncil.com. 98 Water St, Ch’town. 892-5152

small town Market Gallery

Jared Perry’s Navigating The Un / Familiar, a series of map inspired mixed medium paintings of popular PEI beaches is on view to Mar 28. Charlottetown Farmers’ Market, 100 Belvedere Ave, Ch’town.

this town is small at Receiver Lingerings by Becka Viau is on display to Mar 1. Visual artist Damien Worth presents A Forlorn Sojourn Mar 3–Apr 12. It is a series of landscape based paintings exploring navigation, disruption, and contemplation as central themes. 128 Richmond St, Ch’town. 367-3436

Gallery @ The Guild

Climate change

Local photographer focuses lens on the impact—Mar 4 to 15

Nathan Rochford’s photography exibit Memory – PEI and Climate Change will be on view March 4–15 at Gallery @ The Guild in Charlottetown.

After reading that rising sea levels could turn PEI into 3 islands over the course of the next 100 years, photographer Nathan Rochford started thinking differently about his work. The images of politicians, farmers, and fishers he had taken over the years as a

photojournalist in Charlottetown had new meaning to him. They were more than just photos of the news of the day. They told the story of a place that, by the beginning of the next century, may not exist as a unified province.

That idea sparked the exhibit Memory –PEI and Climate Change.

Gallery @ The Guild is located 111 Queen St, Charlottetown.

Matues Revisited

Exhibit by three Mi’kmaq artists—Mar 18 to 29

The Guild in Charlottetown presents Matues Revisited from March 18 to 29. There will be an opening reception March 18 from 7-9 pm.

The exhibit is a collaboration of three Mi’kmaq porcupine quill artists, Melissa Peter Paul, Cheryl Simon and Kayla Sark. Porcupine quill art is a traditional Mi’kmaq art form that utilizes an insertion technique to put quills into birch bark.

Each artist will push the designs beyond the traditional form of quill

boxes to include quilled sculpture, a study of the chevron design, and development of the bark as expression rather than just a medium.

The exhibit will demonstrate the individual styles of each artist as well as a collaborative piece to embrace the traditional community component so prevalent in Mi’kmaq art. The collaboration itself is an expression of living Mi’kmaq quill traditions.

Matues is the Mi’kmaq word for “porcupine.” theguildpei.com

Melissa Peter Paul, Cheryl Simon and Kayla Sark

Gallery exhibits

Victor Cicansky: The Gardener’s Universe

Until April 26

Victor Cicansky: The Gardener’s Universe, a retrospective exhibition focusing on the ceramic and bronze works of Regina-based artist Victor Cicansky, opened in January at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown. Curated by Timothy Long and Julia Krueger, and organized by the MacKenzie Art Gallery (Calgary), The Gardener’s Universe brings together over 100 works drawn from 39 public and private collections in North America.

For over 50 years, ideas for sculptures in ceramics and bronze have grown out of Cicansky’s intimate relationship with the plants and trees of his backyard. His approach embraces both the immigrant knowledge of his Romanian-Canadian family and more contemporary concerns around urban

Spheres, Skulls, and Other Icons of the Interior

Mar 7–May 30

The Confederation Centre Art Gallery will present a new collections exhibition, Spheres, Skulls, and Other Icons of the Interior this spring.

The newest exhibition is curated by Pan Wendt and built around two recent acquisitions: Nova Scotia artist Colleen Wolstenholme donated her major sculpture Pills, which consists of large-scale plaster replicas of pharmaceutical drugs; and Robin Peck, recently retired sculpture professor at St. Thomas University, donated three works from his series Crania

“Both of these important donations are sculptures about the brain,” says Wendt. “And so I wanted to build a show about art as an externalization of thought, and of what we think of as our interior. Artists are often drawn to certain forms as references to containers for mental activity, and as shaped by the mind.”

ecology and environmental sustainability. Grounded in local realities, his work speaks to the wider world of the joys and trials of supporting life in an urban prairie space.

Victor Cicansky: The Gardener’s Universe will display in the Upper West Gallery until April 26.

Setting the Table: Still-Life and its After Effects

Feb 29–May 24

The concourse of the Confederation Centre of the Arts features some art history this spring. In an exhibition entitled Setting the Table: Still-Life and its After Effects, curator Pan Wendt draws from the Gallery’s collection to show how the genre of the “still life” evolved from a minor exercise for artists to a showcase of formal arrangement within an everyday context.

“Even when it was a minor genre, artists were drawn to the process of still life as a sort of document of our relationship to the world and to things,” says Wendt. “But for modern artists, this seemingly formal exercise took on heightened importance. And eventually it fragmented into a bunch of new practices….”

The exhibition will be in the concourse display cases Feb 29–May 24 and will feature work by Canadian artists including Tony Scherman, John Cox, George Angliss, Joe Plaskett, Bertram Brooker, Ron Martin, as well as the late PEI artist Jan Mollison.

The exhibition opens March 7 and runs to May 30. It also features artworks by Don Bonham, Joan Jonas, Patrick Lundeen, Landon MacKenzie, and Ed Zelenak, among others, as well as a proposed donation by Island artist Gerald Beaulieu.

Artwork from Spheres, Skulls, and Other Icons of the Interior

The Gardener’s Universe, Victor Cicansky

Artisan’s market

The Summerside Artisan’s Market takes place on the 4th Sat of each month at St. Mary’s Parish Hall, 74 Summer St, Summerside from 9 am–1 pm. Admission at door or by donation to the Food Bank. Support local craft folks and artists.

Life Drawing Sessions

Life Drawing Sessions are held Sun at Gertrude Cotton Art Centre, 57 Bunbury Rd, Stratford, 2–4 pm unless otherwise posted @LifeDrawingPEI on FB. These are drop-in drawing sessions with nude model. All skill levels welcome. Easels are provided. Participants must be 18+ or have parent/guardian written permission and bring their own materials.

Basket weaving exhibit

This winter Tracadie Good Neighbourly Club hosted a basket weaving course with Mi’kmaq artisan, Nora Richards. The final exhibit will be held Mar 6, 2 pm at Tracadie Community Centre (stormdate Mar 13). The public is invited to view the creations, meet the artists and have a light lunch. 626-9179

Winter gallery opening

Confederation Centre Art Gallery Winter Gallery Opening is Mar 7, 7 pm in Charlottetown. To celebrate the 5 new exhibitions on view this winter, there will be live entertainment, light refreshments, and a chance to meet some of the featured artists. All are welcome and there is no cost to attend.

Photo contest

The South Shore Watershed Assoc 2020 Photo Contest for amateur photographers is open to Mar 15. Submit photos that capture the beauty of nature in all its manifestations. For contest rules, how to enter, and maps, visit sswa.ca or email sswa@sswa.ca. Cash prizes. There are no entry fees. Results will be revealed at their AGM in Apr.

mARTch Break camp

mARTch Break camp at Confederation Centre’s Schurman Family Studio in Charlottettown will engage students’ imaginations, encourage critical thinking, and promote visual literacy through hands-on art activities and educator-led tours of the 5 current gallery exhibitions. The full-day camp runs Mar 16–20 and has activities for children ages 6–12. Info/register: Tamara Steele, artseducation@confederationcentre.com. 628-6111

Family Sundays

Family Sundays continue Mar 29, 1:30–3 pm at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown. These free, bilingual events are for the entire family to explore, create and have fun. Enjoy hands-on art projects inspired by the Gallery’s current exhibits with guidance from visual arts educators. Children of all ages are welcome. No registration required. Light refreshments will be provided.

Pottery in the Park

The spring session of pottery classes at the PEI Potters Studio in Victoria Park, Charlottetown will begin in midApr. Perfect for beginners or those with previous experience. Classes are taught by professional Island potters and are designed to be fun and educational. Classes sizes are small (a max of 8) and informal in style. The class covers the basics of clay preparation, wheel-throwing techniques, and glazing and decoration. Participants will have the opportunity to create their own pieces from start to finish. Adult beginners classes will be offered Mon & Tues (choose one), 6:30–9:30 pm beginning the week of Apr 13 for 10 weeks. Online registration opens Mar 30, 9 am. Check peipottersstudio.com for the link. Info: Barb, bajmacdonald@gmail.com.

Kindred Spirits Quilt Guild

Kindred Spirits Quilt Guild meetings are held the 3rd Wed of each month except Jul, Aug, and Dec, from 7–9 pm at the Irish Culture Centre, 582 North River Rd, Charlottetown. The venue is wheelchair accessible with free parking. Visitors and new members are welcome. Info: Roberta, 393-3222

Public art ideas

The City of Charlottetown Arts Advisory Board invites the community to submit ideas for adding more public art to the municipality. The submissions will help create the Imagine Charlottetown Idea Bank to inspire more art in the city. There are no restrictions. By submitting, participants are agreeing to have their submission publicly available. To submit to the Imagine Ch’town Idea Bank, use #ImagineCharlottetown on social media, email imagine@charlottetown. ca, drop off at City Hall (199 Queen St), or mail to: Attn: Arts Advisory Board c/o City of Charlottetown, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE, C1A 7K2. Deadline to is Mar 31 by 4 pm. Info: charlottetown.ca

Arts project funding

The South Shore Arts Council is accepting proposals for project funding. These grants are for organizations or individuals in the South Shore region of PEI. They are for community-based projects with emphasis on education and the development or preservation of the culture of that area. Contact Pat Smith (patstundensmith@gmail.com, 658-2670) or Sylvia Ridgway (sylviaridg@pei.sympatico.ca, 658-2710) to apply. Applications must be received by Apr 3, 2020.

PEI Crafts Council workshop

PEI Crafts Council has several upsoming worksops including: Drawing Fundamentals with Julia Purcell, 5 weekly sessions beginning Mar 11 from 1–3 pm; Business of Craft with Jody Racicot, 10 weekly classes beginning April 1 from 6:30–9:30 pm; and Sashiko Weekend Workshop with Kate Ford May 9–10 from 10:30 am-4 pm. Sashiko embroidery is a Japanese textile mending technique. For info or to register: peicraftscouncil.com

this town is small

Cyanotypes workshop

this town is small and facilitators

Karen Stentaford and Melissa Marr are hosting a 4 hour workshop exploring cyanotypes Mar 7, 11 am at PEI Crafts Council, 98 Water St, Charlottetown. Cyanotype is a process dating back to 1842. In this hands-on workshop participants will use the sun’s rays to expose photos without a camera. Chemistry preparation, coating surfaces, exposing, and developing images will be covered. The process is immediate. Participants are encouraged to bring their own semi-transparent materials to experiment with (black and white negatives, x-rays, collected natural materials such as pressed leaves and flowers, photocopies of drawings). All other materials will be supplied. Lunch is not provided. Space is very limited and pre-registration is required. Email Monica at this.town. is.small@gmail.com to register.

Melissa Marr is an artist and educator based in K’jipuktuk/Halifax. She is the co-founder of the Wonder’neath Art Society.

TTIS Crit Sessions

this town is small inc. monthly Crit Sessions for Artists provide an opportunity for practicing artists. Each session will host two presenting artists, facilitated by a moderator. The audience of fellow artists provides constructive feedback and engages in critical dialogue. Presenting artists receive an honorarium, a free membership, and peer feedback. Mar date TBD. To present at a future session, email this.town.is.small@gmail.com.

AGM

this town is small inc. will host their AGM for 2018–2019 at 6:30 pm Apr 22 at 98 Water St, Charlottetown. All are welcome to attend, however only current members will be able to vote on organizational matters. To become a member, visit thistownissmall.com or email this.town.is.small@gmail.com

Karen Stentaford is an artist and assistant professor in the Dept of Fine Arts at Mount Allison University.

The Cove Journal by JoDee Samuelson

Beautiful snow

Newfoundlanders have once again inspired us with their joyful acceptance of life’s little surprises – in this case, 70 cm of snow. Everyone has seen photos of hardy youth snowboarding down precipitous streets; beer coolers scooped out of snowbanks; custom coffee mugs labeled “I survived Snowmageddon 2020”; and candlelit wine and cheese parties being hosted in snow fortresses.

On the Island we have also enjoyed an inspiring amount of snow. Various snowmen and women have come and gone in the yard. We’ve had early morning coffee and muffins at the shore, supper cookouts, and nighttime snowshoeing expeditions under the full moon. The snow at Brookvale has been perfect for cross-country skiing, although the trail blazing seems to be lacking. We did the Yellow Loop and didn’t find one yellow marker on a tree the whole way. (By the way, “moderate difficulty” includes plenty of sharp corners at the bottom of slopes.) We made it around with several detours and moments of doubt, but the sun was out and it was always clear which way was south.

The route seemed long enough and we kept saying, “Imagine skiing to the North Pole!”

Another snowy event was the community sleigh ride. Our team of sturdy steeds included 10-year old Prince (Percheron) and 17-year old Trigger (Belgian) who barely noticed the dozen humans in our big box sleigh laughing and carrying on and marveling at the strength of horses. Some of our crowd remembered their farming childhoods: “Dad used horses in the woods. He always said a horse was better than a tractor.” Or, “In winter Dad drove the team to Long Creek and went the rest of the way to Charlottetown on the ice; it would take him all day and around

suppertime Mom would start to get anxious.”

Heavy blankets over our laps kept us snug and happy as the horses and woods transported us back in time… then all too soon we were back at the lodge crowding around the woodstove with mugs of hot chocolate warming our hands… while Prince and Trigger eagerly trotted down to the barn for their own version of hot chocolate: crushed grain and “haylage.” (Haylage is grass cut like hay but not dried completely.)

And all this fun because of snow. In the book “Snow” (Ruth Kirk, University of Washington Press, 1998) the author writes: “Snow’s basic structure consists of molecules with one oxygen atom at the center of two hydrogen atoms held by electric charges at 120-degree angles from the oxygen atom. A single snow crystal may have 100 million such molecules” (p. 24). Contrary to popular belief, Kirk suggests that with the amount of snow that falls on earth there MUST be identical flakes. “In a single storm in February 1959, the Mount Shasta Ski Bowl in northern California was covered with a 189 in. snowfall” (p. 43). That’s inches, folks.

Like our Newfoundland neighbors and winter lovers everywhere, let us pull a lovely chilled bottle out of the snow and raise our glasses to beautiful snow!

Beans, bread, roses

NDP PEI Women’s Committee is hosting a drop-in event March 6, 5–7 pm at the Haviland Club in Charlottetown to celebrate International Women’s Day. Enjoy homemade beans, fresh biscuits, 50/50 draw and music. Admission by donation. Everyone is welcome.

MEALS etc

Dining in the Dark

CNIB’s 10th annual Dining in the Dark will take place March 6 at 6 pm at Holland College Culinary Institute, 4 Sydney St, Charlottetown. This is a signature CNIB event where diners experience a meal without the use of their sight. Participants wear blindfolds for a unique sensory experience. The evening will include a 3-course meal, wine, and of course, blindfolds. Guests can bid on auction item prizes and hear from individuals living with sight loss. All proceeds will help Islanders who are blind or partially sighted. 566-2580

Roast pork dinner

A roast pork dinner fundraiser for Winsloe United Church will be served 4–6:30 pm March 7 the church, 121 Winsloe Rd, Winsloe. Takeout available at 3:30 pm. For tickets call the church office at 368-1233 or Faye at 368-1175.

PEI Cupcake & Bake Day

PEI Cupcake & Bake day begins Mar 9 with proceeds staying on PEI. The Island community comes together to host a treat day baking cupcakes and other goodies with sales continuing through the week. Host a sale at work, at family gatherings, schools, etc and ask people to leave a donation for the PEI Humane Society. Funds can be submitted online or at the shelter at 309 Sherwood Rd, Ch’town.

PEIMFRC coffee social

Everyone is welcome to attend the PEI Military Family Resource Centre hosts a monthly coffee social. The March social on Mar 10, 10 am is an opportunity to come and wish Ed MacAulay, outgoing RSW and Family Liaison Officer, well as he starts his retirement journey. Venue is HMCS Queen Charlotte, Ch’town.

Pulled pork takeout

Pick up a pulled pork take-out supper Mar 12, 3–5:30 pm at the Parish hall, 74 Summer St, S’side. Tickets available at the church office or by calling 888-2234.

St. Patrick’s Gala

PEI Assoc for Community Living (PEIACL) will host a St. Patrick’s Gala, their 3rd annual fundraiser, Mar 14 at Rodd Charlottetown. CBC’s Jay Scotland will be the emcee for the evening. The event begins at 6:30 pm with a mix and mingle followed by a 3-course dinner. There will be a live and silent auction, special guests, door prizes, and music by Phase II. Take advantage of the special hotel rate and make a night of it. Money raised will go directly toward PEIACL’s work and programming to support individuals with intellectual disabilities as their caretakers. Tickets: executivedirector@peiacl.org

Dining through the decades

Holland College will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a gala dinner at The Culinary Institute of Canada March 27. Dining Through the Decades will feature a 5–course menu that explores the food trends of the past 50 years, a 1969-themed reception, and SoPA Music Performance students playing music related to the decade featured in each course. Chef Sean Burton, along with Chef Han Anderegg, Chef Stephen Hunter, Chef Andrew Morrison, Chef Christian Marchsteiner, and Chef Illona Daniel, developed the menu. The event is also a fundraiser for the HC Foundation’s Golden Endowment Fund, which aims to raise $50,000 to support student success. Seating is limited to 100. Tickets: 5669501, foundation@hollandcollege.com.

PEI Symphony Orchestra fundraising dinner

Join the PEI Symphony Orchestra (PEISO) at the Top of the Park dining room, Red Shores Racetrack, Charlottetown March 28 for Double or Nothing: 2nd Annual Night at the Races. The benefit will feature a buffet dinner, live entertainment, both a live and silent auction, and several live action video horse races. Performing are Singing Strings Youth Orchestra and singer Justin Simard, among others. The event will begin at 6:30 pm (doors at 6). Costumes are encouraged but not required. Proceeds will support the PEISO. Info: 892-4333, admin@peisymphony.com. Tickets: peisofundraiser2020.bpt.me.

READERS / WRITERS

Summerside Rotary Library

Programs continue at the Summerside Rotary Library in March: Quilting Club Wed at 10 am; Jam Session Mar 2 at 6:30 pm; Crokinole Mar 4 and 18 at 1:30 pm; Personality Type: Knowing your type can assist in job searching and interview settings Mar 5 at 3:30 pm; A Dietitian’s Do’s and Dont’s Mar 10 at 6:30 pm; Needle Craft Club Mar 12 and 26 at 2 pm; Western Authors Group Mar 21 at 1 pm; Adult Book Club Mar 28 at 2 pm; Wiggle Giggle Read Fri at 10:30 am; Family Storytime Thur at 10:30 am; Lego Club Sun 12–4 pm; Fun with Paint Mar 6 at 1:30 pm; Puppet Play Mar 7 at 11 am; Kids Code Club 6-week program Mar 3 at 5:30 pm (register by phone); Get Rowdy with Reading Mar 14 at 1:30 pm; Angry Birds Mar 18 at 10:30 am; Summerside Speedway Mar 19 at 1 pm; Beach Party Mar 20 at 1:30 pm; Science Saturday Mar 21 at 10:30 am; Adolescent Awesomeness Mar 10 at 4 pm; You’re a Star Mar 16 2–7 pm; and Cupcake Wars (register by phone) Mar 17 at 3 pm. 57 Central St, Summerside. 436-7323

Leap of the Imagination

The Summerside Taletellers Storytelling Circle will hold their first show in Apr. In keeping with the theme of Leap year, they’ll be featuring stories in which

characters must take a leap. Admission is pay-what-you-can. The show will be held Apr 2, 7 pm, at St. Mary’s Anglican, 277 Church St, Summerside (Stormdate Apr 3). For more info/become a member, email summersidetaletellers@gmail.com.

Eptek Centre Book Club

Eptek Centre Book Club members will meet Mar 5, 7 pm to discuss The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan, a story of dark family secrets unraveled by the shrewd insight of 12 year old Gwenni, a child with an irrepressible spirit living in a Welsh village reluctantly entering the modern age. New members welcome.

Eptek Art & Culture Centre is a site of the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, 130 Heather Moyse Dr, Summerside. Info: 888-8373, peimuseum.com

2020 MacLauchlan Prizes

The MacLauchlan Prizes for Effective Writing were established in 2011 to recognize the importance of effective writing as a foundational skill for academic success and lifelong learning. Prizes may be given in 4 categories: Course Work, Community Audience, Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning, and Faculty and Staff. Submissions for 2020 prizes are due Oct 6.

Writers’ Guild open mic

Thien Tang is featured reader at Receiver Coffee—Mar 12

Thien Tang is the featured reader at the PEI Writers’ Guild open mic March 12 at Receiver Coffee Co, 128 Richmond St, Charlottetown at 7 pm. Between 1979–1980, 1 million Vietnamese refugees escaped their war-torn country and 60,000 settled in Canada. Dubbed the ‘boat people,’

nearly 70% died during their perilous journey. Survivor Thien Tang documents his tale in his 2018 memoir The Other Side of the Sun: The True Story of One Refugee’s Journey

Like thousands of others in 1979, Tang fled Vietnam on a small, crowded boat in search of a new life. But first he had to cross the treacherous South China Sea to reach Malaysia. At sea, Tang’s ship was attacked by pirates and shot at by police. On land, as an unwanted refugee in Malaysia, he and his fellow refugees were jailed, starved, and beaten, but survival only brought on tougher challenges. The Malaysian soldiers forced them at gunpoint back into their damaged boat to be towed to sea and left to die.

Tang originally planned to seek asylum in the US but ultimately found the refuge he was seeking in PEI where he lives today.

All are welcome to this free event. The first ten writers to sign up may read from their work (poetry or prose) for up to five minutes. Following a short break, Thien will read.

The PEI Writers’ Guild open mic series will continue to run on the second Thu of each month.

A gift of Island Poetry

IN THE PUREST PLEASURE OF BEING

Will this be my final poem? I ponder as a thunderstorm of words threatens to begin and end simultaneously like birth and death in a faraway, about-to-be-named place. This pondering of personal finality is not a sweet or senseful thought not a question worth embracing like a dust storm or a storm of dust the pain of words is equally painful when sparse or plentiful yet it intrudes and I think the thought and write the poem and keep an eye out for all manner of storms and want new words for poems and storms but I will return to my first poem wrap my thoughts around it like a child playing with the air seeing a multitude of creatures large and small, fast and slow, in the purest pleasure of being.

J. J. Steinfeld. “In the Purest Pleasure of Being” first appeared in Write, the magazine of The Writers’ Union of Canada (Vol. 47, No. 2, Summer 2019). Deirdre Kessler selects a poem a month by an Island poet for The Buzz

Winter’s Tales reading series

The annual public reading by UPEI’s Creative Writing Master Class takes place March 10, 7 pm in The Carriage House at Beaconsfield, 2 Kent St, Charlottetown

The reading will showcase a baker’s dozen of the Island’s talented emerging writers: Stephen Plouffe, Monika Stewart, Carter Smith, Nick van Ouwerkerk, Emily Browning, Brent Taylor, Sam Jensen, Kayla Lamb, Conor Dever, Shayla Hele, Jonathan Williams, Lorraine Clements, and Jack Wallace. They will share excerpts of their poetry, historical fiction, futuristic and fantasy fiction, and memoirs. Travel back to PEI and refugees

news NATURE

Work is underway on the third section of the Online Illustrated Flora of PEI. This tool uses pictures to allow users identify various plants on PEI. Checklists of each group and a technical text-only key are also available for those that prefer them. This new section will include 359 species of roses as well as monocots such as grasses and sedges. It builds upon the Ferns, Clubmosses, Horsetails, Conifers, Lilies and Orchid sections at accdc.com/ peiflora/s1.htm. To donate toward the completion of the 4th and final section visit naturepei.ca.

Nature PEI meeting

Dr. Mike van Den Heuvel will be the guest speaker at this month’s Nature PEI meeting Mar 3 with a presentation on the decline of eelgrass, an ecologically significant species in Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence estuaries. Meeting starts at 7:30 pm at Beaconsfield, the Carriage House, corner of West and Kent Sts, Ch’town.

Seedy Saturdays 2020

Seeds of Community presents: Seedy Saturdays at locations across PEI during March to save and exchange seeds, and learn how seed-saving can increase community resilience. Upcoming events: Mar 7, 1–3 pm at Confed Centre Public Libray (Ch’town); Mar 14, 1–3 pm at S’side Rotary Library; Mar 21, 1–3 pm at Montague Rotary Library; and Mar 28 3–5 pm at Breadalbane Hall. Admission is free. Donations are gratefully accepted.

Family Earth Expo

in the aftermath of the American Revolution, forward to an embattled America strife-torn by water shortage, and into a hockey arena to watch a highly-skilled girl playing on a boys’ team. Meet secret agents guarding the Atlantic shores from sea monsters and citizens ensnared in an automated justice system.

There will be love poetry, poetry evoking the repercussions of sexual assault, and poems showing a squirrel-hating grandfather with a shotgun, a Canadian soldier on the eve of D-Day, a family gathered around a loved one on life support, and a romantically-inclined couple sitting at night on a Charlottetown wharf.

The reading is sponsored by the UPEI English Dept, Faculty of Arts, and VP of Academic and Research.

Admission free, everyone welcome. Info: Richard Lemm, rlemm@upei.ca

The 8th Annual PEI Family Earth Expo takes place Apr 25 at the PEI Farm Centre from 12–3 pm. The event will have environmental booths, live music, family art and science activities, face painting, seed planting, a Reading Tent, and entertainment by Becca Griffin of The Cat’s Pajamas Theatre Co. Admission by donation with proceeds going to PEI Sierra Club Wild Child Programs. Contact peiwildchild@sierraclub.ca if you are interested in having a booth at this event. 420 University Ave, Ch’town

Heron raffle tickets

Win a carved and painted Great Blue Heron by Dave Broderick of Alberton. Every year, Dave donates one of his life-vnatural area protection and stewardship. Tickets can be purchased at the Island Nature Trust office in the Ravenwood bldg, Experimental Farm in Ch’town, or call 892-7513. Draw is May 8.

Illustrated Flora of PEI

BOOKS PEI

Halls of the Turnip King Brenda Hickey

Island comic artist Brenda Hickey will launch of her new graphic novel Halls of the Turnip King March 13 from 10 am–12 pm at Receiver Coffee Co. on Victoria Row in Charlottetown.

Brenda and her husband, fellow comic book artist Troy Little, are well known in the comics industry for their work with IDW Publishing, Top Shelf, OniPress, and beginning with Brenda’s new book, are happy to announce the birth of their own publishing imprint, Pegamoose Press.

Halls of the Turnip King is a fantasy/comedy story that follows the blunders of Prince Tatian Elfiore who would rather be at home playing video games than heading off on a diplomatic mission to the Dwarves Mines. Every minute spent on the road and in meeting rooms feels like agony. Impatient and in way over his head, he fumbles his way along in the hopes of getting out as quickly as possible. But of course nothing ever works smoothly, especially when the prince and his entourage aren’t much smarter than a basket of turnips.

Brenda will have volumes of her work on My Little Pony as well as the original graphic novel Ward’s Valley for sale at the event.

The Island Walk:

A Guide to Walking the 700 km Camino de la Isla in Prince Edward Island, Canada

Bryson Guptill

In October 2019, Bryson Guptill, a former President of Island Trails, decided to pursue an unlikely idea — a

coastal walk around the circumference of PEI. The journey would cover 700 km and include portions of the Confederation Trail, red dirt roads and the shoulder of paved highways. There were also several beach walks near Tignish, Rustico, Cavendish, East Point, and Basin Head.

Bryson was joined by Nora Wotton, Marian and Dan Grant, and as many as 30 others who walked an average of 20–25 km on fall days that were mostly cool and clear but sometimes windy and wet. The trip took 32 days to complete.

The idea for the walk came from long-distance hikes in Europe, like the Camino de Santiago in Spain. There, more than 300,000 people make the annual pilgrimage from France and elsewhere to the burial place of Saint James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela. Bryson and his partner walked the Camino de Santiago in 2016 and completed the Camino Histõrico in Portugal in April 2019.

Bryson has written a book entitled The Island Walk The first printing sold out in two weeks and more than half of the second run has sold as well. The book is available at Bookmark in Charlottetown or online at etsy.com/ca/listing/750673122.

Monster Man: Tales of the Uncanny

Dave Stewart

Monster Man: Tales of the Uncanny by Dave Stewart will be released March 6 during its launch at Baba’s Lounge (upstairs from Cedar’s Eatery) in Charlottetown, from 6–7 pm. The event is open to the public free of charge.

This short horror story anthology is Stewart’s first solo collection, following the 2017 release of Fear from a Small Place: Writers from Canada’s Smallest Province Unleash Their Greatest Fears. That collection, which Stewart conceived and contributed to, contains the work of 20 writers, each with a connection to Prince Edward Island. Monster Man, however, is a more personal work.

“This book holds pretty much every idea I’ve

toyed with turning into something, a novel, a film or whatever, up to this point,” says Stewart. “Writing this was a great venting. How people react to it will let me know if I’ve conveyed those ideas successfully or not.”

Stewart began his professional writing career at The Buzz where he continues to write and ink his And Yet I Blame Hollywood cartoon. He has also written for SOLEDAD, Art Decades, Rue Morgue, Studio CX (Cathay Pacific), restroslashers.net (now archived), and CBC PEI, among others.

“I’ve always considered anything that people create, stories, movies, music, art, to be a conversation. Without somebody reacting to it, it’s just like a tree falling in the forest without anyone to hear it.”

As for the title of this collection, it’s derived from a nickname the mother of an aquaintance gave Stewart as a child.

“Children are more aware of the motivation behind what adults say and do than we give them credit for. I was definitely given that nickname out of contempt. It used to bother me, but I’ve reclaimed it as a sort of badge of honour.”

The title also accurately reflects the 27 original short stories contained in the collection which are each firmly rooted in the horror tradition.

“Horror means different things to different people,” Stewart elaborates. “But it’s so much more than a weirdo with a mask and a knife. Some of our greatest writers have worked in the genre, everyone from Shakespeare to Doris Lessing. I hate when I find myself feeling like I should defend the genre. It really speaks for itself to anyone willing to see how broad it really is.”

Monster Man is published by Graphcom Publishing with support provided from the PEI Arts Grants program through Innovation PEI. Rob MacDonald is the book’s editor. The print run is limited to 100 copies, and will be available for purchase at the launch.

“I have no illusions about selling Stephen King levels of books,” explains Stewart. “I wanted to get these stories out there in a manageable way, and hopefully create something special. I hope that its rarity will add to that.”

SALES etc.

PEI Symphony Fruit Sale

The PEI Symphony’s annual fruit sale fundraiser runs weekly on Saturdays in Mar and Apr. The orchestra will be selling oranges and grapefruit at the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market, 100 Belvedere Ave. The annual citrus sale plays a key role in the symphony’s yearly fundraising efforts.

Indoor Yard Sale

Find new treasures from 15+ vendors at an indoor yard sale to be held at Murray Harbour Community Centre Mar 28, 9 am–12 pm. A donation jar will be set up to raise funds for future projects at Southern Kings Consolidated.

Anglers’ event

Just in time for fishing season, the Angler’ Buy, Sell and Trade event takes place Apr 4 from 12:30–4:30 pm at the Charlottetown Farm Cente, 420 University Ave. There will be new and used rods, reels, lines, flies, books, clothing, and more. Cash only and admission is free. Contact Glenn at 626-5786 to reserve a table at no charge.

Fabric & Yarn Sale

The Grandmas’ Circle of Ch’town is welcoming donations for its annual Spring Fabric & Yarn Sale, which takes place Apr 18 from 9 am–12 noon at the Spring Park United auditorium. All proceeds go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation to help grandmothers in Africa who are raising grandchildren orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Info: Sharon, 892 2837

Giant Indoor Yard Sale

Spring Park United’s annual giant indoor yard sale takes place in Charlottetown Apr 25, 8 am–12 pm. There will be a variety for sale such as household items, furniture, decor, crafts, sporting equipment, books, and children’s toys. Admission at the door (12 and under free). Donations for the sale are gratefully accepted. Call 368-1822 for drop-off arrangements.

Pinch Penny Fair

The Pinch Penny Fair indoor yard sale and children’s fair takes place Apr 25 from 10 am–1 pm at Confederation Centre of the Arts, Ch’town. Proceeds support family programs, equipment purchases, and scholarships. Donations of gently used items are being accepted (no clothing, computers or TVs). Drop off at Richmond St entrance. Info: friends@ confederationcentre.com, 628-6141

Mom 2 Mom Sale

Mom 2 Mom Sale takes place Apr 25, 10 am–1 pm at the Charlottetown Eastlink Centre. For booking information contact Lindsay Merrill lindsay@fvps.ca.

Heritage awards

The City of Charlottetown celebrated Heritage Day February 18 with an event that included an awards ceremony to honour individuals and organizations in the community who have worked diligently to preserve and celebrate the City’s heritage.

The Heritage Awards were presented to the following individuals and groups: Lori Pendleton, for conducting historically sensitive rehabilitation work at 93 Pownal St, the Duffy House; Paul Coles for renovations to 15 Hillsborough St; Mark and Sharon Rostad for developing a compatible, contemporary new design within an historic neighbourhood, 1 Brighton Rd; Dave McGavin for constructing a historically sensitive, new home within a heritage area, 56 Weymouth St; and Reginald “Dutch” Thompson for his recent publication The Bygone Days: Folklore, Traditions & Toenails

The Catherine G. Hennessey Award was presented to historian Reg Porter for his extensive work in documenting and promoting the history of the capital. His publications on Trinity United Church, Methodist architecture in Charlottetown, Government House and many others, will provide accurate and authoritative information on these important buildings for generations to come. Info: 629-4158

Bike friendly active transport

Bike Friendly Charlottetown is hosting a public and stakeholder engagement event to help create a vision for a network of interconnected active transportation lanes across Stratford, Charlottetown and Cornwall. Building off the many municipal and provincial plans, the goal is to celebrate all of the current active transportation projects that are planned, and collect ideas on how to fill the gaps in between them. Join in and share your vision Mar 11, 6–9 pm at PEI Brewing Co, 96 Kensignton Rd, Ch’town.

Family Feud Night

Copper Bottom Brewing in Montague presents Family Feud Night March 24 from 7–9 pm.

Who wants to join in the fun? As always, there will be prizes. Interested teams made up of five friends or family can send a private FB message to the Montague Rotary Libray, call 8382928 or email montague@gov.pe.ca.

Copper Bottom Brewing is located at 567 Main St, Montague.

Distorted Descent

Dr. Darryl Leroux book launch at UPEI—Mar 10

The UPEI Diversity and Social Justice Studies program, the Dean of Arts, and the Dean of Education will host a launch of Dr. Darryl Leroux’s book

Distorted Descent: White Claims to Indigenous Identity March 10, 4 pm in Lecture Theatre A, Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI.

Leroux is an associate professor in the Department of Social Justice and Community Studies at Saint Mary’s University, where he teaches courses in social theory, critical race theory, studies of colonialism, multiculturalism, and the politics of social memory. He wll give a lecture as part of this free public event.

In Distorted Descent Leroux explores a social phenomenon called race shifting, which has taken off in the twenty-first century. In race shifting, otherwise white, French-descendant settlers in Canada discover an Indigenous ancestor born 300 to 375 years ago through genealogy and use that ancestor as the sole basis for an eventual shift into an “Indigenous” identity today.

Everyone has a story to tell ...so let KKP help you tell it.

Our knowledgeable staff at KKP can put your ideas onto paper and into a book. With our new recently purchased high-speed book binding equipment and printing capabilities, we can offer a competitive range of sizes and formats, color and/or black and white printing. Whether your interested in 1 or 1000, hardcover or paperback, we can help you. For more information contact us and don’t forget to ask about our free book launch kit to help you get started!

91 Euston Street, Charlottetown, PE 902-892-0156 | info@kkpei.ca | www.kkpei.ca

Copper Bottom Brewing—Mar 24

Student entrepreneur award

The Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce’s 4th annual Student Entrepreneur Award to celebrate and support entrepreneurship on PEI will be awarded to a post-secondary student who both resides on PEI during the academic year and operates a business here. The winner will receive a $2500 cash prize and a 1-year Chamber membership. Apply at charlottetownchamber. com/studentaward by Mar 6.

School bus driver training

The number of Islanders training to become school bus drivers doubled this year and 48 new drivers will be available for hire soon. In 2019, the province lost one-third of its substitute drivers. In response, school bus driver training programs were expanded with training supported by Skills PEI funding of $198,450. As a result, many people are now enrolled in the free 6-week training program which includes First Aid Certification, on-the-job training, and classes to develop working knowledge. Anyone interested in becoming a public school bus driver should contact the Public Schools Branch or the French Language School Board.

Perinatal mental health

The Nat’l Committee of the Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative has launched a petition to call on the Federal Government to develop a Nat’l Strategy for Perinatal mental health. The term perinatal mental illness refers to changes in mental health that occur before, during and after childbirth. A National Strategy would bring Canada on par with programs in UK, Australia, and parts of the US. To sign the petition visit change.org/p/sign-the-petition-fora-national-strategy-for-perinatal-mental-health-care-in-canada. PEI mothers experiencing mental illness can find peer support in Moms In Mind, self refer to community mental health, visit mental health walk in clinics, contact 811, PEI Helpline, or the Women’s Wellness Program at 1-844-365-8258.

Employment Standards Act

A review of the Employment Standards Act will take place to ensure it is current and meets the needs of Islanders. The act outlines rights and obligations of employees and employers, and sets min standards to ensure individuals are treated fairly in the workplace. It was last reviewed in 2006. A panel will carry out the review with a chair and 2 side panel members – one to represent employers and the other to represent employees. The review panel will do public consultations, and write an interim and final report. To apply as an employer or employee representative for the review panel, visit princeedwardisland.ca/ engagepei. The deadline is March 11.

Student literacy support

Newly installed and refreshed classroom libraries will give Island students more opportunity to develop their literacy and

COMMUNITY #1

critical thinking skills. By late Feb, all grades 7–12 students will have high quality literature in their classroom libraries. Students will have daily access to 100s of carefully selected titles ranging in reading difficulty to support the curriculum outcomes they are expected to achieve at their grade level. The books are chosen by students, teachers, librarians and education partners such as Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI and the Human Rights Commission.

L’nuey Mission

Representatives of the PEI Government and Epekwitk Mi’kmaq recently returned from a successful study of Crown-Maori relations in Aoteroa, New Zealand. Led by Chief Darlene Bernard and Deputy Premier Darlene Compton, the mission helped the delegation identify opportunities for PEI in the areas of Economic Development and Indigenous Tourism, Indigenous-to-Indigenous Trade, the development of mi’kmawi’simk (the Mi’kmaq language), as well as opportunities to increase collaboration between the Crown and Epekwitk Mi’kmaq. The delegation included representatives of L’nuey, the newly established Mi’kmaq Rights and Reconciliation Initiative, as well as Members of the Legislative Assembly, Sidney MacEwen and Lynne Lund, upon invitation of Epekwitk Mi’kmaq. The Mission was organized by L’nuey with the assistance of the Canadian High Commission in Wellington and the Canadian Consulate in Auckland, and was made possible through contributions from CrownIndigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada - Nation Rebuilding Program.

Advancing consciousness

Advancing consciousness meetings are held weekly on Wed starting Mar 4 from 7–8:30 pm in Sherwood. If interested, call 626-5683 or 394-6061 for directions.

Long-term care subsidy

Spouses of long-term care residents will be able to stay in their own homes and communities longer with updates to long-term care regulations that will allow them to retain more of their family income. Effective Feb 1, 2020 changes to the long-term care subsidy assessment process will allow a spouse whose partner is living in long-term care to keep either half of their family income or the new minimum amount of $22,133. At least 80 families will benefit right away. Islanders who live in public or private nursing homes are responsible for the cost of their room and board, as well as personal expenses. Subsidies have always been available for those who can’t afford the full cost, and any long-term care resident can apply. Info: 1-888-365-5313.

Transitional housing

A 28-bed transitional housing complex will help support the needs of Islanders experiencing homelessness. The province has entered into a purchase and sale agreement for properties and land in Ch’town to develop new transitional supports for men, women and families. The properties, currently known collectively as Smith Lodge, will be renovated and ready to open by summer 2020. A new 20-bed transitional home for survivors of family violence and children aging out of care is also under construction and expected to be complete this spring. These efforts and others are highlighted in a recently released 18-month progress report. hometogetherpei.ca

Neonatology Service

With the addition of a new Neonatologist, more Island babies who are sick or born more prematurely will be able to receive neonatal intensive care services closer to home. Islander Dr. Beth Ellen Brown has joined the PEI health care team as a Neonatologist which has allowed the establishment of a provincial Neonatology Service, an expansion of the QEH’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In addition to hiring a full-time Neonatologist, government will be hiring several specialized staff including a neonatal nurse practitioner, respiratory therapists, a registered nurse and other supports for the Neonatology Service.

New French services

Residents and visitors at Summerset Manor will be better served with newly designated French language services including orientation, reception, longterm dental care, and long-term care financial assessment. The availability of French language services in person and online across government has steadily grown in the last 7 years since the French Language Services Act came into effect. Under this Act, Acadians, Francophones and French-speaking Islanders are guaranteed a number of government services in their preferred language. The newly designated service also means people will be able to apply online to gov agencies, boards and commissions in either English or French through Engage PEI.

Recruiting more doctors

The Province has signed an agreement with the Medical Society of PEI (MSPEI) to move forward on a new recruitment model. MSPEI will work closely with the Dept of Health and Wellness and Health PEI to develop its recommendations on a new recruitment model based on the principle of physicians recruiting physicians. The project will include assessing best recruitment practices in other parts of the country and beyond, seeking input from PEI physicians and hosting a facilitated workshop with stakeholders. Recognizing physician shortages exist today, MSPEI has committed to table its recommendations to the Dept of Health and Wellness by March 31, 2020.

VRC seeking new ED

Sylvie Arsenault is retiring this May after 14 years as Executive Director of the Voluntary Resource Council (VRC). The VRC’s Board is now recruiting for a new ED to manage the nonprofit organization in Charlottetown. Info: vrc@eastlink.ca

Jobs for Youth

The Jobs for Youth Program offers employers a wage subsidy to create summer employment opportunities for Island students aged 15–29 who plan to return to school the following school year. Employers can apply for funding at princeedwardisland.ca/en/service/2020jobs-youth-program by Mar 31. Students can participate by applying directly to employers. A full list of employers will be available at princeedwardisland.ca

Aboriginal coaching

Students in Holland College’s Sport and Leisure Management program are working toward 3 Aboriginal coaching modules under the supervision of program graduate, Richard Lush, who will facilitate the certifications on behalf of the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI. The Aboriginal Coaching Modules include A Holistic Approach to Coaching, Dealing with Racism in Sport, and Individual and Community Wellness. The modules are an essential resource for those who coach, supervise, and work with Aboriginal youth in sport. The material was developed in order to improve the understanding of the application of Aboriginal culture in sport and coaching, provide culturally relevant learning experience for Aboriginal coaches and athletes, increase the capacity of non-native coaches to coach Aboriginal athletes, improve the quality of the sport experience for Aboriginal athletes, increase the number of Aboriginal certified coaches, and to make the wisdom of Aboriginal culture available to mainstream sport. For Aboriginal Sport Circle info, contact Richard Lush at 439-8184 or rlush@ mcpei.ca. For program info, visit hollandcollege.com, email info@hollandcollege or phone 1-800-446-5265.

Water consultations

Islanders want science and evidence-based research to inform public policy and to protect their drinking water. This was one of the common themes identified during the water withdrawal regulation consultations that took place last fall to get input from the public about the Island’s groundwater. Islanders can read the summary report from the public consultations at onthelevelpei.ca/ report. The draft regulations have been available for public comment since last summer. Last fall, 4 public consultation meetings were held across PEI to gather public input and feedback on the draft regulations. The meetings were further supported by an online survey for those unable to attend in person. The feedback is being used to help assess any further amendments required to the draft regulations before bringing the Water Act into effect. Info: onthelevelpei.ca

Language Assessments

French courses for immigrants

Basic French for immigrant parents in the Francophone school environment Free french classes for newcomers!

more information: (902) 439-1794 or languages@ccnb.ca languagecentre.ccnb.ca

Income tax assistance

Anyone in a low-income bracket whose tax situation is straightforward may ask a trained volunteer to help them complete their income tax return. 566-9602

Grief support

Grief and Grieving Support Groups meet monthly across PEI: Summerside/ East Prince Co meet the 1st Thur of the month from 5:30-6:30 pm at Prince County Hospital, Malpeque Rm, 65 Roy Boates Ave, S’side; West Prince Co meet the last Tues of the month from 5:30–6:30 pm at Community Hospital O’Leary, Boardroom, 4 MacKinnon Dr, O’Leary; and Charlottetown/Queen’s Co meet the 3rd Thur of the month from 7–8 pm at Prov Palliative Care Centre, 93 Murchison Ln, Ch’town.

Seniors Active Living

Seniors Active Living Centre programs continue in March at Bell Aliant Centre in Ch’town: Crib tournaments Mar 5 and 19 at 9:15 am; Open House for LEAP Mar 18 at 10 am; Crafty Saturday Mar 21 9 am–4 pm; and Brown Bag Lunch with UPEI students Mar 24 at 11:30 am. 628-8388

Sociable Singles

PEI Sociable Singles is a non-profit, non-denominational, social group. Members are 40+. The group provides the separated, divorced, widowed, and unmarried with an opportunity to participate in healthy group and social activities such as dances, potlucks, movies, walks/hikes, card games, dining, bbqs, games nights and more. Sociable Singles is not a dating club. Meet compatible people who are unattached and in similar circumstances. Meet & Greet Socials are held weekly on Mon at 7 pm. West Royalty Community Centre, 1 Kirkdale Rd, Rm 6. sociable_singles@yahoo.com, sites.google.com/site/peisociablesingles

Community grants

Applications are open at the Community Foundation of PEI (CFPEI) for more than 30 community grants and scholarships. The CFPEI will award close to $400,000 to Island students and orgs. Scholarships are open to students graduating from Island high schools this year. Some are open to students presently studying at a post-secondary institution. Grants that benefit Island communities are also available to PEI-based, non-profit orgs with registered charitable status. The 2020 CFPEI application process has changed. Applications will only be accepted online at cfpei.ca to May 1.

Public speaking workshop

UPEI’s Applied Communications, Leadership, and Culture (ACLC) program will offer its 2nd annual Public Speaking workshop for high school students with ACLC Journalist-in-Residence Bruce Rainnie. The 1–day workshop takes place Mar 14, 10 am–2 pm. Rainnie will discuss presentations and how students can: structure a presentation for max impact; connect with audiences; use their voice; use body language; and

COMMUNITY #2

give practical tips for managing public speaking nerves. The ACLC program at UPEI works to provide a safe and informative space. This free workshop is open to high school students only. Register by Mar 7. buzzpei.com/notice/ public-speaking-workshop.

World Day of Prayer

World Day of Prayer services are planned for Mar 6 at 2 pm in Summerside at Salvation Army and Charlottetown at Zion Presbyterian. On World Day of Prayer, Christians from more than 170 countries come together in prayer for issues that affect women and children. This year’s services were prepared by the Zimbabwe committee. The theme is “Rise! Take Your Mat and Walk.” Refreshments to follow. Zion Church, 135 Prince St, Ch’town (stormdate Mar 8). Salvation Army, 436-1443, 374 Pope Rd, S’side (stormdate Mar 13).

Milton Community Hall

Programs continue at Milton Community Hall: Sewing and Craft Bee Work Mon at 1 pm; Parents and Tots Fri at 10:30 am; Miltonvale Park Budget Meeting Mar 2 at 7:30 pm (stormdate Mar 3); Avoiding Frauds and Scams Lunch & Learn Mar 3 at 12 pm (pre-register by Mar 1); Meet Your Neighbour Night and Potluck Mar 9 at 6 pm (stormdate Mar 10); and March Council Meeting Mar 18 at 7:30 pm. 7 New Glasgow Rd. miltoncommunityhall@gmail.com, 566-3154

Premiere Toastmasters

Toastmasters offers fun, learning, speeches and networking weekly on Wed, Sep-Jun, from 6–8 pm at Royalty Centre, Rm 149. Check them out and see how they can help you to gain confidence, find your voice and ultimately achieve your life goals. Guests welcome. 40 Enman Cres, Ch’town.

Salmon Association of PEI

SAPEI’s 2020 Annual Fundraiser

Reception takes place Apr 2 from 6–9 pm at PEI Brewing Co. Fishing trips, fishing gear, flies, golf packages and more to be auctioned and raffled. Ticket includes 2020 SAPEI membership. Info/tickets: Brad 629-5659, Kiel 626-7312 or Glenn 626-5786. 96 Kensington Rd, Ch’town.

Resident Care program

Holland College’s Resident Care Worker (RCW) program in Souris begins March 2020 and is still accepting applications. The 12 month program will address the need for more skilled workers in rural PEI while also providing rural residents the opportunity to study and gain meaningful employment closer to home. RCWs work in facilities across PEI in acute, long term, and homecare settings. hollandcollege.com.

Creatives mixer

Third Thursdays is an opportunity to network with members of creative industries. Find your next great collaborator Mar 19, 4–6 pm at The Guild, 111 Queen St, Ch’town. Third Thursdays is a bi-monthly event that takes place on the 3rd Thur of that month across PEI. All creatives are encouraged to attend.

Calculate a carbon footprint

UPEI Climate Lab is leading a project to account for UPEI’s greenhouse gas emissions as a key step in managing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a cost-effective manner. UPEI is undertaking this process in collaboration with its students, faculty, staff, and the public. Anyone interested in helping guide this project is invited to meet Mar 4, 5 pm at PEI Farm Centre, 420 University Ave, Ch’town. Info: afenech@upei.ca

Happy workshops

The Great Enlightenment Buddhist Institute Society (GEBIS) offers workshops in Ch’town and S’side. Happy Workshops begin in S’side Mar 5 from 6–8 pm at Three Oaks Senior High, 10 Kenmoore Ave. Ch’town Happy Workshops begin Mar 10 from 6–8 pm at GEBIS Ch’town, 78 Great George St. Meet with like-minded people for this interactive 4-week session and learn how to communicate effectively when conflict or difficult situations arise. Space is limited. Registration fee to cover costs. happycourse@gebis.org, 200-9754

Entrepreneur luncheon

CBDC Central and CBDC East are presenting an event celebrating PEI’s entrepreneurs Mar 13 from 9 am–3 pm. Speakers are Chef Michael Smith and Eddie LeMoine. Tickets include lunch and a chance to win 1 of 2 $1000 micro grants. Event to be held at 151 Stratford Rd, Stratford (Blue Church). Tickets: eventbrite.ca

Children’s law legislation

The public can provide input to upcoming changes to legislation impacted children in PEI to help strengthen the justice system for families. Upcoming legislative changes will help align prov and fed legislation and combine various pieces related to children into 1 modern piece of legislation. With the intended changes, Island families should have easier access to justice for legal matters related to children and more out of court resolution supports. Islanders are encouraged to review the consultation paper and provide written submissions to justicepolicy@gov.pe.ca by Mar 6.

Creating successful events

Festivals & Events PEI ‘s Creating Successful and Authentic Events workshop is Mar 12 at Holland College,

Ch’town. Topics include: Top 10 Tips & Tricks panel with industry professionals; Fundamentals of Funding panel; and keynote presentation with Lynne Fraught from the Atlantic Lottery Corp. No fee for Fest & Events members. Snacks and a full lunch included. eventbrite.ca

Active transportation input

Government is looking for input on how to encourage more walking and cycling in PEI communities. Through financial support from the active transportation fund, a $25 million investment over 5 years will support priority active transportation infrastructure across PEI. Government will be taking suggestions from Islanders, municipalities, Indigenous communities and community groups. Plans will be updated annually and priority projects will be implemented each construction season. To share ideas, email jadalziel@gov.pe.ca.

Workplace harassment

New workplace harassment regulations will come into effect July 1 and the Workers Compensation Board of PEI has developed a guide, educational materials, and sessions to support employers and workers. Info: wcb.pe.ca

Get Centered workshops

Get Centered workshops with Louise Carota cover topics that include learning to meditate and guidance to help clear the mind and find calm. Held weekly at the Haviland Club, 2 Haviland St, Ch’town. Register: louise@louisecarota. com. Info: @artistlouisecarota on FB.

Charlottetown report

The City of Charlottetown released the 2019 Annual Report which highlights projects, events, new initiatives, and operational updates from the City Corp. View the report online at charlottetown. ca. 566-5548, mayor@charlottetown.ca

Engage PEI

Communities across PEI continue to benefit from the insight and knowledge that Islanders bring through their membership on agencies, boards and commissions. Close to 20 Islanders were appointed and reappointed to 7 government boards in Jan. Each month, government boards across multiple sectors are looking for new members. Islanders can apply to one of many upcoming vacancies through Engage PEI.

Youth Strength Program

For the last decade, the province’s Strength Program has supported 700 Island youth with mental health and addictions challenges to regain their lives. The Strength Program offers a range of programming and supports, both residential and day treatment, for Island youth aged 15–24 and their families. The program includes up to 16 weeks of residential care and 24 weeks of follow up aftercare using a holistic approach and helping youth transition back into community living. Info: princeedwardisland.ca

The Nature of PEI

by Gary Schneider

Evening visitors

Quite often when I’m giving talks about forests or wildlife, I’ll mention flying squirrels. They’re one of my favourite mammals, but as they are nocturnal and we don’t tend to look for wildlife at night, they are easily missed. Still, it surprises me how few people have seen one, or even know that they are relatively common on Prince Edward Island.

The three native rodent species that are often referred to as “squirrels” are actually two squirrels and a chipmunk. The eastern chipmunk does look like a small squirrel, though the black and white striping along its sides is quite distinct, and it resides underground in the winter. It doesn’t actually hibernate, it just becomes much less active. The red squirrel, on the other hand, is very common, visiting feeders throughout the year, scolding us in the woods, and leaving feeding signs all over the place. It spends almost all its time above ground.

My first encounter with a flying squirrel was love at first sight. They have beautiful tan-coloured fur, with large eyes to help them see better at night. They are relatively timid, and can be viewed quite closely.

Northern flying squirrels do not actually fly, despite the name. The extra skin on each side of its body and a wide, flat tail allows it to glide down to a food source. They have to jump and climb to get back up the tree if they want to take “flight” again. Think of them as rodent kites – when they stretch out their front and rear paws and tail, they create a lot of surface that keeps them afloat in the air.

I had thought that flying squirrels would be found in wild spaces, as they nest and den in cavities in dead and

TALKS

Human gene editing

The St Dunstan’s University Institute of Christianity and Culture at UPEI in Charlottetown invites the public to a lecture on Human Gene Editing: Ethics and Regulatory Landscape in Europe by Father Emmanuel Agius, professor of Moral Theology and Philosophical Ethics at the University of Malta. Father Agius is a member of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies and a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. The lecture will be held Mar 4 at 7:30 pm in the lecture theatre at UPEI’s KC Irving Chemistry Centre. Everyone is welcome and admission is free.

Island Lecture Series

dying trees. Several times I’ve tapped on a dead tree with woodpecker nesting cavities and had a flying squirrel poke its head out. Yet I have also seen many flying squirrels at bird feeders in the evening, coming in from nearby trees. It is quite something to watch one glide down to a feeder and eat sunflower seeds or — even better — peanut butter.

Sometimes you can hear them at night if your feeders are close to a window. The squirrels leap to the feeder, which bangs against the window. I regularly see them at my home in Tea Hill, but I also found one in the Robert L. Cotton Park in Stratford. That one was actually out during the day.

Flying squirrels live among coniferous trees, often taking over abandoned woodpecker cavities as well as old red squirrel or blue jay nests. The interior nests are preferred for winter living and bearing young, while the exterior nests are favoured in the summer. Like the red squirrel, flying squirrels do not hibernate and are active all year.

As they do with much of our smaller wildlife, cats extract a large toll on the flying squirrel population. It is not uncommon to see a tail (much flatter than that of a red squirrel) on the ground near your house if you have cats that go outside, which is another good reason to keep cats indoors.

For more on flying squirrels, check out the new publication Mammals of Prince Edward Island and Adjacent Marine Waters by Rosemary Curley et al.

The always popular Macphail Woods Owl Prowls take place April 15, 17, 19 and 25 in the Macphail Woods Nature Centre in Orwell. Check out macphail woods.org for more information.

The Island Lecture Series March lecture features guest Irish researcher Rory McCabe speaking about music from an island in County Mayo. Entitled “’It wasn’t a night unless you danced a set!’: Music, change, and community on an Irish island,” the lecture will be held Mar 24, 7 pm in the UPEI’s SDU Main Building Faculty Lounge, Charlottetown. This talk will explore aspects of community life and music-making on Clare Island, Co. Mayo (pop 159) from the 1950s to the present. Grounded in

ethnographic research, the lecture will analyze the changing contexts and settings of island music-making during this period. These changes reveal important aspects of community life often neglected in academic and popular discourse about Irish islands.

Rory McCabe (BMus, MA Ethnomusicology) is an Irish Research Council Scholar and PhD researcher at the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway. His research examines music-making and community-life on Clare Island located 3 miles off the Co. Mayo coastline. During Mar 2020 he will be an Ireland Canada University Foundation visiting scholar at the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. Info: Laurie, iis@upei.ca, 894-2881

Deacon Robert lecture

The St Dunstan’s University Institute of Christianity and Culture at UPEI invites the public to a lecture by Deacon Robert Kinghorn from the Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto. Since 2005 Deacon Kinghorn has been providing street ministry to the poor, ill, and addicted in one of the roughest parts of Toronto. His newspaper column “the Church on the Street” is published in the Catholic Register The column chronicles his encounters with what he calls the “unholy trinity of addiction, mental illness and homelessness.” The lecture will be held Mar 19, 7 pm at Jack Blanchard Hall, Pond St, Ch’town. Admission is free.

Climate change talk

The Wright’s Creek Watershed Environmental Committee invites the public to a free presentation on Climate Change by Don Jardine, a researcher with the UPEI Climate Research Lab. The event will be at Hillsborough Park Community Centre (199 Patterson Dr, Ch’town) Apr 8, 7 pm. Don’s talk will focus on the potential impact of sea level rise, coastal erosion and extreme weather events (like Dorian) on the Wright’s Creek Watershed and surrounding area. Don will also give a brief presentation on CLIVE (Coastal Impacts Visualization Environment), a 3D tool that allows people to see the future of climate change within the local environment. Doors open 6:30 pm. Wright’s Creek Committee members will be on hand for further discussion. Info: Jeanne Maki, 213-9874

news SCREEN

Filmworks Summerside

On Mar 11 Filmworks Summerside presents Ordinary Love starring Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville as a middle-aged couple in Northern Ireland who have been married for many years. Their comfortable routine, which includes gentle teasing and bickering, is disrupted when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. All Filmworks screenings take place at Cineplex Cinemas, 130 Ryan St, Summerside, starting at 6:30 pm with doors open at 5:30 pm. Tickets at the door. Cash only. Info: FB or 243-8903

Eptek lunchtime films

The Friends of Eptek Centre’s Lunchtime Film series runs to the end of Apr. The films, mostly travelogues, are screened each Thur at noon. In Mar take in the following films: Mar 5 Peru: Golden Treasure (53 min) distributed by Questar; Mar 12 British Isles Collection: Touring Ireland (65 min) distributed by Questar; Mar 19 Scenic Railway Journeys of the World: From the Pyramids to Down Under (55 min) distributed by Readers Digest; and Mar 26 Never Too Old: Aging is a Normal Part of Life (45 min) distributed by CBC Television. Bring your sandwich; the Friends provide tea/coffee and cookies. Donations are accepted for the refreshments. Enjoy some new films, as

well as some from late Friend, Blanche Hogg. Eptek Centre is a site of the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation and is located at 130 Heather Moyse Dr on the Summerside waterfront.

Safety Video contest

The Workers Compensation Board has launched its annual high school safety video contest. PEI high school students can enter the contest for a chance to win $1000 and another $1000 for their school. The Focus on Safety Video Contest challenges students to create a 2–min video to highlight the importance of working safely and speaking up about their workplace safety rights and responsibilities. The contest is part of a nationwide initiative of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. The provincial winner will be entered in the national contest in Apr. Video submissions accepted to Mar 31. wcb.pe.ca

Makeover pilot

Fabulous Island Productions is setting up to shoot the pilot for Darling, You Look Fabulous, a makeover show. It aims to help Islanders in need of a change in image, so they can gain confidence and find success. The show will feature clients before and after their makeover, with the help of interns from the Private Institute of Hair Design and Aesthetics. The production team consists of island producer and musician David Rashed and author and artist Cindy Lapeña.

Bluegrass at Beaconsfield

Paul Whiteway, Bluegrass Revival, The Stiff family—Mar 8

The PEI Bluegrass and Old Time Music Society in association with Beaconsfield Historic House presents a bluegrass fundraising concert featuring the Stiff Family Gospel Bluegrass Band, Paul Whiteway, and Bluegrass Revival March 8, 2 pm at Beaconsfield Carriage House, 2 Kent St, Charlottetown.

Dave and Heather Stiff with their children Aaron, Hannah, Elizabeth, and Abigail have been a family band since 2013. They perform old time bluegrass songs and fiddle tunes. Bluegrass Revival enjoys traditional

and gospel bluegrass music. The band consists of Dylan Ferguson, David Clarke, Ann Hay, Cherie LeMoine, Peter LeMoine, and Shirley Jay.

Paul Whiteway and friends will perform a mix of popular bluegrass and acoustic songs. Paul performs regularly at nursing homes, concerts and just for fun at music jams.

Admission at door. Proceeds to the 35th PEI Bluegrass & Old Time Music Festival (July). The Carriage House is wheelchair accessible with ample parking available. 566-2641

Trinity United Concert Series

Patina

Mar 1, 2 pm

Patina is Kevin MacPherson, Bob Maclean and Bob Picard. They play a wide variety of easy listening music from artists like Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, The Eagles, Barenaked Ladies, Gene MacLellan, BeeGees, John Prine, JJ Cale, Kenny Chesney, and John Hiatt, with a few originals by Kevin himself.

The Silvertones and The Trebble Makers

Mar 29, 1:30 pm

The Silvertones, a new seniors singing group, sings a variety of music—gospel, folk, rock & roll, easy listening, and golden oldies.

The Trebble Makers are an all girl bluegrass and country group from the Miscouche area, teamed up a few years ago. They are Cindy (Ellands) Arsenault, Gail (Thibideau) DesRoches and Stephanie Sark.

Louise Elder will open with a mini organ recital at 1:30 pm.

Tickets for both shows available at the door or in advance at the office, 90 Spring St, S’side during reg hours. Info: office, 436-3155 or Wendell, 954-1235.

Jeanie & Charles

Jeanie & Charles return to Marshfield and Kinkora in Mar. Jeanie Campbell, who also sings with Phase II and Friends, and guitarist-singer Charles Reid will perform March 28, 7 pm at Music At The Manse in Marshfield. They will be in Kinkora at the monthly ceilidh on March 29 at 1:30 pm.

Stiff Family Gospel Bluegrass Band

Trebble Makers - Stephanie, Cindy, Gail

and guitarist-singer Kendra Gale, drummer Warren Beatteay from NB, guitarist Jason Condon (28). Follow on FB. 189 Kent St, Ch’town.

Stratford Lions Ceilidh

The Stratford Lions Ceilidh takes place the 3rd Tue of each month at 7 pm at the Cotton Centre, 57 Bunbury Rd, Stratford. Lunch is served. Info: Irma, 569-3956

Island Jazz

MUSIC ongoing

Acoustic Jams

Acoustic Jams are held every Wed from 6:30-9 pm at Murphy’s Community Centre, Richmond St, Ch’town (except holidays). Everyone is welcome to bring an instrument or come listen. A nominal fee covers expenses. Info: Caroline, 9409565, jonescb@eastlink.ca.

Acoustic Music Jam

Acoustic Music Jam takes place every Sun from 2–8 pm at Acadian Musical Village. Bring an instrument, sing a song or come listen. There will be a door prize, 50/50 draw, and supper served at 5 pm. Nominal admission fee. 19+ event. 1745, Rte 124, Abram-Village. 854-2324

Bonshaw Ceilidh

The monthly Ceilidh Concert at Bonshaw Hall will be Mar 22 from 7–9 pm. Musical guests plus local regulars Tony the Troubadour, Phil Pineau, and/or Herb MacDonald. Homemade cookies and tea, 50/50 draw, and open stage time are part of the event. Admission is by donation with proceeds going to a charity each month. All ages are welcome. Hall is accessible for smaller wheelchairs. 675-4093

Children’s drop by show

The winter–spring season of children’s drop by shows takes place at the Confederation Court Mall, downtown Ch’town. Musicman Michael Pendergast presents his half hour of songs, dances, marches, and tunes and will continue each week until May. With over 25 years of visits to local child care centres, Michael brings his musical magic to the stage for at home parents and grandparents who wish to expand children’s social skills and musical ears. His shows include many Maritime music songs and sounds. Showtime is 10:45 am each Tue. Visit confedcourtmall.com/event-calendar for cancellations.

Dunstaffnage Ceilidh

Dunstaffnage Community Centre hosts a ceilidh on the 1st Sun of the month at 7 pm with guest entertainers. Admission is at the door. The Centre is at 13529 St. Peter’s Road, Rte 2. 629-1595

Got Blues

Blues matinees are held every Sat from 2:30–4:30 pm at The Factory Downtown, Ch’town. Hosted by Got Blues (Chris Roumbanis and friends Reg Ballagh and Mike Robicheau). Each week there is a guest. 2nd set is an electric blues jam. Lineup: singer-guitarist Mark Haines (Feb 29); singer Christine Nicole Campbell, guitarist-singer Blake Johnston from NS (Mar 7); guitarist-singer Terry Whalen from NB (14); singer-guitarist Brian Pawley, singer-guitarist Roland Beaulieu, drummer Alan Dowling (21);

Island Jazz presents jazz shows every Thu, 8–10:30 pm at Baba’s Lounge. Local musicians perform original music, standards, jazz and pop favourites with a featured guest, followed by an open jam session. Guest list: music of Chick Corea feat Dan and Sid (Feb 27); Ken Fornetran, Max Keenlyside (Mar 5); Sean Ferris Group (12); Peter Hum, Alec Walkington, Ted Warren (19); and music of Paul Simon (26). No cover, donations at the door. 189 Great George St, Ch’town.

Kelly’s Cross Ceilidhs

Ceilidhs take place at Kelly’s Cross Community Hall on the 3rd Sun of the month at 7 pm. Local musicians perform. Lunch is served. 1475 Rte 13, Kelly’s Cross. 658-2877

Music at the Manse

Music at the Manse takes place every Fri at 7 pm. Performing are host Tim Archer and local musicians. Concerts are held in the restored theatre room originally built in 1830. This intimate space has comfortable seating, new lights and sound equipment. Doors open at 6 pm. 14155 St Peter’s Rd, Marshfield. 213-2861

Music at Summerside Legion

Enjoy bluegrass on Mon from 7:30–9 pm with different entertainers each week at Summerside Legion. Open mic runs before the concert at 7 pm. Bring an instrument for a jam after the concert. Kitchen Party on Sat from 2–5 pm has a Kitchen Band with guests. 340 Notre Dame St, S’side. 436-2091

Old Triangle Sessions

A traditional music session with host fiddler Roy Johnstone takes place on Sun from 2–5 pm at The Old Triangle, Charlottetown. First hour is a slow session. Players welcome. Schooner Sessions are held Thur at 7 pm with players and dancers welcome to join in. 189 Great George Street, Ch’town. 892-5200

Copper Bottom Sat Jams

Brad Oliver Realty Presents Saturday Jams to May 30 from 3–5 pm at Copper Bottom Brewing. Join Brad Oliver and Co every Sat for an afternoon jam featuring members of the Rubber Boot Band and friends of the Booters. Guests include Mike Page, Peter Lux, Carter MacLellan, Ben Mitzuk, Scott Taylor and more. Admission is free. 567 Main St, Montague.

Stratford Ceilidh

Stratford Ceilidh is one of PEI’s longest continued ceilidhs. Enjoy an evening of fun and music the 2nd Sun of the month at 7 pm. Local musicians perform. Proceeds of the night are donated to Camp Gencheff. It takes place at R.L.Cotton Centre, 57 Bunbury Rd, Stratford. 569-2732

Treble With Girls

Treble With Girls host fundraising concerts for the QEH at Assumption Parish Centre, Stratford Rd. Lineup is: Kim Albert and Mike Arsenault (Mar 8), Janet McGarry and Serge Bernard (Mar 22), Louise Arsenault and Helen Bergeron (Apr 5), and Tip-Er-Back (Apr 19).

Tunes on Tap

Tunes on Tap is your weekly dose of toe-tapping traditional music at Copper Bottom Brewing: A gathering of worldclass musicians, fresh PEI Handpies and Island hospitality every Sun from 3–5 pm. Admission is free. Family friendly. 567 Main St, Montague. 361-2337

Winsloe United Ceilidh

Ceilidhs are held every 2nd Mon (Mar 2, 16, 30) at Winsloe United. House band features Brian Knox, Heartz Godkin, Johnny Gallant and Judy Lowe with guests each week. The church is wheelchair accessible with plenty of parking. Lunch will be served. Admission is at the door which opens at 6:30 pm. Show starts at 7:30 pm. 121 Winsloe Rd, Winsloe South. 368-1233.

Black Cultural Society events

Drumming workshop

The Cornwall Public Library and the Black Cultural Society of PEI present a drumming workshop in celebration of Black History Month Feb 29 at 2 pm. This event is free and all are welcome. Cornwall Public Library is located at 39 Lowther Dr, Cornwall. Info: blackculturesocietype@gmail.com

A Night of Music & Food

The Black Cultural Society of PEI presents a closing celebration for Black History Month 2020 Feb 29 at 7 pm with A Night of Music and Food at Upstreet Craft Brewing, 41 Allen St, Ch’town. The evening will feature a variety of entertainers and a special menu provided by Ore’s Bukateria. blackculturesocietype@gmail.com

VENUES

THE POURHOUSE

Charlottetown

Gerry O’Connor

Mar 2, 7 pm

Catch a rare and intimate show with Irish fiddler Gerry ”Fiddle” O’Connor from Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. Cian Ó Móráin will join him on guitar.

In 2018 Gerry was awarded “Ceannródaí”, the prestigious Bardic Award by Comhaltas for his valued contribution to the Traditional Arts.

Doors at 6 pm. Tickets available at The Old Triangle, 189 Great George St, Ch’town or call 892-5200 to reserve.

Evans and Doherty

Mar 12, 7:30 pm

Start your St. Paddy’s Day celebrations early this year with a pre-Paddy’s Day Hooley. Kevin Evans and Brian Doherty have been a part of the East Coast music scene for 34 years. Together, as Evans and Doherty, they offer a lively blend of trad, original and contemporary songs with a liberal sprinkling of stories and humour. Doors at 6 pm. Tickets available at The Old Triangle, 189 Great George St, Ch’town or call 892-5200 to reserve.

Pierre Schryer and Adam Dobres

Apr 3, 2:30 pm

Canadian Celtic duo, fiddler Pierre Schryer and guitarist Adam Dobres, will be in Charlottetown during CFMA weekend. They are about to release their new album Mandorla which features an eclectic array of music including trad and contemporary tunes in various styles from places like Canada, Ireland, Algeria, Brazil, and Quebec. Together they represent two diverse and successful music careers laden with awards and nominations including JUNO, Canadian Folk Music Awards, Western Canadian Music Awards and Grammy Awards. The duo met in Victoria, BC through friends, and collaborated on festival stages and recordings.

Doors at 2 pm. Tickets available at The Old Triangle, 189 Great George St, Ch’town or call 892-5200 to reserve.

COPPER BOTTOM BREWING

Montague

Old Man Luedecke

Mar 28, 7:30 pm

Old Man Luedecke is the recording and performing name of Christopher Luedecke, two-time JUNO and multi ECMA award winner. Since 2005, Luedecke has lived on the south shore of Nova Scotia and has built a name and a following that has been uncompromisingly unique. He is firmly established in the top echolon of Canadian folk artists.

Tickets available in the taproom or online via eventbrite. Doors opoen at 6:30 pm. This is a 19+ event. 361-2337. 567 Main St, Montague.

Love Junkies / Adam Baldwin

Sportsman’s—Mar

6 & 7

Charlottetown party band the Love Junkies will be playing the Sportsman’s March 6 and 7 with Nova Scotia singer-songwriter, rocker (and Matt Mays side man) Adam Baldwin.

Both shows will feature Adam and the Love Junkies playing cover songs by popular and obscure rock, soul, pop and blues artists.

They will also feature pop-ups from southern style caterers Sneaky Cheats and Lone Oak Brewing from Borden–Carleton.

Matt Minglewood Trailside Presents

The Pourhouse—Mar 13 & 14

Logan Richard

The Pourhouse—Mar 27

Logan Richard will play at The Pourhouse in Charlottetown Mar 27 at 8 pm. All funds raised will go toward his next studio album.

Richard released his debut EP The Split in 2017. His latest single “Running” was released last July and has since had over 55,000 streams on Spotify. He has also had his songs played on CBC Radio 2 and was nominated for the 2019 ECMA Blues Recording of the Year.

In 2017, Logan began his solo career and has sold out shows at The Guild and Trailside Cafe, and headlined at the PEI TD Jazz and Blues Festival.

Logan Richard has almost finished writing his next album, set to released in the fall, and he is getting ready to get back into the recording studio.

Rock out with Matt Minglewood at The Pourhouse in Charlottetown March 13 and 14.

Matt has been known as a musical shape-shifter, a master of improv and genre bending. His constant touring and high octane live show has earned him a well-deserved reputation. His music and songwriting have the natural universality one hears from a born storyteller. Many of Matt’s tunes grapple with the universal feelings of passion, frustrations, hope, loneliness, love, disappointment and regret, as well as his deep love of the Maritimes. Tickets at trailside.ca, Back Alley Music or call 394-3626. Show at 8 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm. The Pourhouse is located above The Old Triangle, 189 Great George St, Charlottetown.

Show at 8 pm, Doors open at 6:30. Tickets available at The Old Triangle, 189 Great George St, Charlottetown or call 892-5200 to reserve.

Doors open at 10 pm with music starting at 11 pm. Tickets are only available at the door. 175 Great George St, Charlottetown.

JEFF COOKE

RELEASES

Ultra Neon Eternal Sound Collective

PEI’s Eternal Sound Collective has released Ultra Neon, a collection of quirky electronic pop music, taking inspiration from EDM, techno, and more. Tracks include east-Asian instrumentation alongside synths and drum machines. Ranging from upbeat dance tunes to darker, more tense tracks, the album strives to be both catchy and atmospheric.

ESC is Sam Jensen, a UPEI student and Stratford resident. This is Jensen’s first release of a full length recording. It’s available on all digital platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and Amazon.

UltraNeon was written, recorded, mixed and produced by Jensen, who also did the artwork for the album’s cover. The first single from UltraNeon is set to be released to radio across Canada and UK.

Wrong Planet Band

Wrong Planet Band

Wrong Planet Band are set to release their self-titled debut album March 7 at Baba’s Lounge in Charlottetown, joined by special guests.

Influenced by surf, early rock & roll and 60’s spaghetti western soundtracks, the three-piece instrumental band recorded their full-length album the same way of many of the old albums the band love— live off the floor, straight to tape. There is no cut

and paste on this album, only the sound of the band playing live in the studio. You can hear the interaction of the musicians and the excitement in their playing, invoking the sound and feel of their live show.

PEI’s Sandstone Comics created the original artwork for the album cover and PEI’s Kaneshii Vinyl pressed the record. Wrong Planet Band and Kaneshii collaborated on a custom color for the vinyl, creating a psychedelic purple swirl. The randomness of the swirl process resulted in unique one-off pressings.

The album will be available for sale at the Baba’s show and Back Alley Music March 7.

KINLEY

KINLEY

Produced by Colin Buchanan (Paper Lions) at The Hill Sound Studio in Charlottetown, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist KINLEY’s self-titled sophomore LP features 8 reflective and personal tracks including the call-to-action lead single “Lightworkers” and the pop rock inspired second single “Run With You.” KINLEY recenlty released “Washington,” the third single the album. Winner of the first Women’s Freedom Song Contest award, KINLEY explains the inspiration for the song. “After attending the Womens’ March in Charlottetown on January 21, 2017, a friend of the family told me I should go write about what we saw. I went home and watched hours of live footage from the Womens’ March in Washington happening the same day. I wrote this song to do my part in the fight for equality. I entered and won the Women’s Freedom Song Contest, an international songwriting contest to ‘find the next female anthem.’ I recorded this song on an album with Dennis Ellsworth called, Everyone needs to chill out. My mom always said more people should hear this song so I recorded it again, with a different feel.”

KINLEY follows the songwriter’s 2016 debut studio album Letters Never Sent kinleymusic.com

“Warrior”

Rachel Beck

Rachel Beck shares the first taste of new music from her forthcoming sophomore album Stronger Than You Know, which will be released later this year. Lead single, “Warrior,” is Rachel’s first new release since her 2018 self-titled debut solo album, which earned her two 2019 Music PEI Awards for Pop Recording of the Year and New Artist of the Year, as well as two 2019 ECMA nominations for Pop Recording of the Year and Rising Star Recording of the Year. The song celebrates strength and beauty — an anthem for the fierce, the fearless, and the feminine.

“Warrior is most directly inspired by my fouryear-old daughter, Nora,” reflects Rachel. “It is also influenced by badass women throughout history— the ground-breakers and the change-makers. Amelia. Greta. Rosa. Malala.”

Rachel took on co-directing duties for the accompanying visual, alongside filmmaker Mille Clarkes.

“It was a privilege to co-direct this video with Mille,” Rachel says. “We assembled a team of local creatives and friends (80% female-identifying) and set about capturing the essence of Warrior: strength, beauty, empowerment.”

Rachel Beck will perform March 3 at the Florence Simmons Performance Hall in Charlottetown.

news MUSIC

Karaoke challenge

Hosted by Darcy Campbell, The Great Canadian Karaoke Challenge takes place Fridays beginning March 6 for 8 weeks at The Factory, Kent St, Charlottetown. Winner will represent PEI at Nationals. Travel and accommodation included. $10,000 grand prize. 19+ event.

Like a Woman

Like a Woman will be held on International Women’s Day, Mar 8, a day for celebrating women the world over and demanding equity, safety and human rights for all genders. Participate in singing, music and movement, and hear speakers reflecting on their diverse experiences as women. There will be children’s activities and a button-making station. Refreshments provided and admission is free. All ages and genders welcome. The event runs 3–5 pm at Trinity United Church Hall, 220 Richmond St, Charlottetown. Info: Michelle at info@peistatusofwomen.ca

Hee Haw variety show

St Anthony’s Legion plays host to Sunday afternoon variety show, Hee Haw. House band The Buckaroos will perform old country music favourites, and the crew will entertain with jokes and skits. Admission is at the door and includes a light lunch. The show takes place Mar 8, 2–4 pm at St Anthony’s Legion, 38385 Western Rd, Bloomfield.

HaviPlant

Australia and many other parts of the world are in need of wildlife rehabilitation. In response to their concern over the Australian wildfires, five bands — StoneHouse, King Cod, Ultrasvede, Plava Laguna, and The Playlists — will come together March 13, 7 pm–midnight, to present HaviPlant: Great Bands for a Great Cause. This fundraising event for teamtrees.org will be held at the Haviland Club, 2 Haviland St, Charlottetown. Admission at the door.

Songs for our Streams

The 2nd annual Songs for our Streams fundraiser for Belfast and Area Watershed Group will be Mar 28, 6:30–10 pm, at Belfast Rec Centre, 3033 Garfield Rd, Belfast. Join host Alan Buchanan, musicians Dylan Menzie, Kevin Ryan, and local fiddlers for a celebration of the rich natural history of the area. The family event will include a 50/50 draw, lucky duck local products raffle, door prizes, and the sale of tree swallow boxes and t-shirts. Ticket purchase includes a 1-year BAWG membership. Info: @bawg1 on FB

Halifax Pop Explosion

Halifax Pop Explosion features artists across multiple genres such as indie rock, pop, hip-hop, electronic, R&B, alt-country, and more. Musicians are invited to apply for the 2020 festival which takes place this fall. Early-bird applications until Mar 31. Regular applications close May 15. halifaxpopexplosion.com

ECMA nominees announced

The East Pointers and Jenn Grant with multiple honours

The 2020 ECMA Award nominees have been announced for this year’s event taking place in St. John’s, Newfoundland April 29–May 3.

The East Pointers

Contemporary Roots RotY: Yours to Break; Group RotY: Yours to Break; Song otY: “Wintergreen” (Producer: Gordie Sampson); Songwriter otY; Fans’

Choice Entertainer otY; Fans’ Choice

Video otY: “Wintergreen” (Director: Emma Watkins)

Jenn Grant

Folk RotY: Love, Inevitable; Solo RotY: Love, Inevitable; Fans’ Choice

Entertainer otY; Fans’ Choice Video otY: “Keep A Light On” (Director: Samantha Scaffidi)

Atlantic String Machine

Classical RotY: The Bayfield Sessions

Ben Chase

Country RotY: All Over It

Cory Gallant

Country RotY: Welcome To My World Sirène et Matelot

Francophone RotY: Sirène et Matelot

Tara MacLean

Pop RotY: Deeper

Andrew Waite

Rock RotY: Tremors

Lennie Gallant

Fans’ Choice Entertainer otY

Vishtèn

Video otY: “Elle Tempête” (Directors: Millefiore Clarkes/One Thousand Flowers Production)

Jon Matthews

Producer otY; Studio Engineer otY

The Sound Mill

Studio otY

Celtic Performing Arts Centre at The College of Piping Venue otY

DNTS seeking new director

Definitely Not the Symphony (DNTS) is seeking a new Music Director/ Conductor to take over the baton in Sept 2020. Expressions of interest in the position must be submitted to Chris at dntsstratford@gmail.com by March 31. Info: 569-3818, dntspei.blogspot.ca DNTS is a group of musicians and aspiring musicians who enjoy playing together in an orchestra. All levels of ability and suitable instruments welcome. Practices are held Sat 10 am, Sept–June, at Andrews of Stratford.

Irish Piano Bar

Moth Lane Brewing—Mar 8

Wear your green on March 8 for an Irish Piano Bar with Mike Pendergast upstairs in the lounge at Moth Lane Brewing.

Just a week before St Paddy’s day, Mike will sing every Irish song he knows and make everybody sing along before he heads home.

Showtime is 3–5 pm. Admission at the bar or call 831-2160 to reserve. Only 45 seats. 101 Mickey Allan Shore Rd, Ellerslie.

Atlantic String Machine

St. Paul’s Charlottetown—Mar 14

Atlantic String Machine presents the 3rd show of their winter concert series March 14, 7:30 pm at St. Paul’s Church in Charlottetown.

“Adding Strings to the Machine” features PEI guitarist and songwriter, R & B artist Logan Richard. Free for children under 10. To book email atlanticstringmachine@gmail.com or call 394-2579.

www.buzzpei.com

Publisher & Managing Editor: Peter Richards

Assistant Editor: Nancy Richards

Sales Manager: Yanik Richards

Digital Media: Michelle Ollerhead

Graphic Design: Maggie Lillo

New(ish) Guy: Greg Webster

Contributers: Bryan Carver, Evan James Ceretti, Phillip Homburg, Deirdre Kessler, Jane Ledwell, J.J. Steinfeld, Derek Martin, Lorne Miller, Takako Morita, JoDee Samuelson, Gary Schneider, Dave Stewart

The Buzz is published monthy by Off the Wall Inc.

Mail: P.O. Box 1945, Charlottetown, PE C1A7N5

Office: 160 Richmond Street, Charlottetown, PE C1A 1H9

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The opinions expressed in this publication are not neccessarily those of the publisher or staff. Compensation for errors in advertising copy which are the proven responsibility of the publisher is limited to a maximum of the cost of the placement of the advertisement.

AT YOUR SERVICE

COVER:

Portrait of Skye and JoJo, acrylic on canvas, by Warren Christopher Reeson. Warren is a figurative artist and protrait painter based in Charlottetown, PEI. His work can be viewed at the Dunes Island Art Gallery, Brackley Beach P.E.I

BUZZIFIEDS

ISLAND AUTHOR KATHY BIRT’S BOOKS are available at the Bookmark, The Charlottetown Farmer’s Market, Budley’s (at the airport), Indigo, The Showcase and the Chotto Shoppe at the Delta Prince Edward.

IMPROVE YOUR FRENCH

SPEAKING SKILLS! Private, personalized tutoring for adults who want to develop greater fluency in French. Focus on pronunciation and vocabulary. $40/ hour. (Charlottetown) Please contact Barbara 902-367-2428

KINGS YOUTH PROJECT: drop in, ages 12-18. 2SLGBTQ+ & ally friendly! Montague High School, every 2nd Thursday 4-6pm. (902) 838-2489 or @kingsyouthproject for more info. CMA Foundation funded, CMHA-PEI partnership.

ORGANIC VEGGIE DELIVERY

Home delivery of fresh local organic veggies, foods, and other natural products. $25 / $40 / $50 Veggie Boxes or custom orders. Great for busy families. Aaron Koleszar aaron@organicveggiedelivery. com, www.organicveggiedelivery.com, 902-659-2575

BUZZIFIED NEXT DEADLINE

4 pm, Monday, March 16th

$18/month for 30 words (tax included). $72 for 6 months.

DEADLINE FOR APRIL

The deadline for all submissions and advertising booking for the April issue: Monday, March 16th

Talking Bands by Evan James Ceretti

Wrong Planet Band

Taking their ‘60s-sounding surf-rock songs that often feel like they come from an unknown planet floating in space, Wrong Planet Band have gone straight-on old school with their fulllength debut album, leaving the world of digital recording behind.

Wrong Planet Band (WPB) is Norman Love on guitar, Craig Meek on bass, and Steve Love on drums. The band started in 2014 when the Love brothers wanted to play some surf-inspired tunes. One day when Norman was playing his Gretsch guitar, Steve recalls him saying, “I have this surf sound. Why isn’t anyone playing surf music?”

The band have no current releases and is coming hot out of the gate with an 11-song analog piece of art. “What makes this record different than most other recordings was the process. We did it all completely analog from beginning to end. There were no computers used in the making of this record,” said Steve.

WPB recorded the self-produced, self-titled album at Joel Plaskett’s studio in Dartmouth. It was recorded all live off the floor, which most musicians out there know can be a daunting task. “We counted in and played the song and that was recorded straight to 2” tape, and that 2” tape was then mixed down to a 1/4” master tape, and that was then sent to New York to have an analog master done,” said Norman.

“We all played the songs live on this record that’s sitting in front of you. It never touched a computer, and it’s an exact replica of what we did live,” which is easier said than done, said Steve. “We’d start playing a song, and if any three of us mess up any part, we just have to stop and start over from the beginning. When we get a take where we don’t mess up, then we have

to say, ‘is this the take?’” said Norman. The only additional instrumentation on the album was a couple of guitar overdubs on two songs.

When reading recording credits from some of their favourite artists’ albums, WPB came along the name Carl Rowatti, who had mastered the song Rapper’s Delight in 1979. He’s been in the business for a long time, and they knew he was the guy to hire. “He gets the tape and arranges it so it’s sequenced in order. He presses play on the tape and live masters the tape as it’s playing,” said Norman.

“When we started this surf band, we weren’t doing any modern music. In the ‘60s that’s how it was all done. When we started writing originals we wanted to maintain that essence of the sound of the ‘60s, but using our own modern take on it,” said Steve.

At its core, WPB is an instrumental surf-rock band, while methodically weaving in western, punk, garage rock, and psychedelic influences. Song titles try to recreate how the song sounds, based on the journey it may take you on and how it makes you feel. One of WPB’s songs, said Meek, felt like Clint Eastwood riding on a surfboard heading into space.

The last chapter of the band’s recording journey took them to the locally operated Kaneshii Vinyl Press, where they had the album pressed. WPB picked out all the colours for the wax, each vinyl being a little different. The album’s graphic design was done by Sandstone Comics in Charlottetown. “It was nice to see it through to the very end,” said Meek.

Wrong Planet Band’s first album comes out March 7 at their release show at Baba’s Lounge in Charlottetown where you’ll be able to see them live.

Wrong Planet Band (l–r) Norman Love, Steve Love, Craig Meek

Baba’s Lounge

Stand-up Comedy Open Mic 8 pm w/ Sam MacDonald (Mar 2/9/16/23/30). Open Mic w/ Josh Arran and Mikey Peters 10 pm (4/11/18/25). Island Jazz w/ Dan Rowswell Thur 8 pm: Music of Chick Corea feat Dan and Sid (Feb 27), Ken Fornetran w/ Max Keenlyside (5), Sean Ferris Group (12), Peter Hum w/ Alec Walkington, Ted Warren (19), Music of Paul Simon (26), Blues Jam with Whiskey Business 1st Sat of the month 5:30–8 pm with 1st set rockin blues originals and covers and 2nd set an open blues jam (Mar 7, Apr 4, May 2, June 6, FB whiskeybusinesspei). Dysfunktional Dads 5:30 pm (Feb 29), Stonehouse (29), Book Launch w/ Dave Stewart (6), Wrong Planet Band Album Release Party (7), Rise Up (13), The Busted Skulls (14), Zachary Lucky (15), Cedar and Pine (16), St. Paddy’s Day w/ Hellfire Jacks (17), IPN w/ Bones (20), Max Lawrence (21), Vinyl Night w/ Matty M#rf*r 9 pm (22), Max Marshall (23), Mitch Schurman Band (27), Dali Van Gogh (28), The Unfaithful Servants (29), After Funk w/ Road Waves (31). 181 Great George St, Ch’town. 892-7377

Back Alley Music

Occasional live music some Sat afternoons. 257 Queen St, Ch’town. 367-3311

bar1911

Kinley Dowling & Liam Corcoran—The Express 8 pm (Feb 29), Brielle Ansems Album Release (Mar 21). bar1911.com. 113 Longworth Ave, Ch’town. 566-9002

Black Rafter

Schooner Fest (Mar 5–7) w/ music at 9 pm: Peggy & Johnny (5), Pat & Dean (6), DJ on Wheels (7), Wing Nite Thur w/ music at 9 pm: Nolan Compton (26). Black Rafter Lounge, Souris. 687-4402

Brothers 2

Music Thur 7:30 pm Fri 8 pm: Adam Sonier (Feb 27), Trevor Cameron (Feb 28) Mitch O’Blenis (Mar 5), Nick Hann (6), Danielle Macdonald (12), Chris & Eric (13), Brooke MacArthur (19), Karen & Mike (20), Allan Sonier (27). Water St, S’side. 436-9654

Charlottetown Legion

The Rustlers (Feb 28), Haché (Feb 29), Fall Guys (Mar 6), Neon Country (7), Wannabeez (13), The Spuds (14), Roger Jones (20), New Moon (21), Misty Water (27), Kim Albert (29). Pownal St, Ch’town. 892-6022

Copper Bottom Brewing

Old Man Luedecke (Mar 28). Every Sunday: Tunes on Tap 3–5 pm. 567 Main St, Montague. 361-2337

Craft Beer Corner

Mike Stratton (Mar 5), Anna Blanco and Paulina Hernandez (12), Beth James Band (19), 19+ band (26). All shows 9 pm. 156 Great George St, Ch’town. 894-5972

MUSIC LIVE

Dundee Arms

Music Fri 6:30–to close: Brian Dunn (Feb 28, Mar 27) Marvin Birt (Mar 6), John MacAllar (13), Adam MacGregor (20). 200 Pownal St, Ch’town. 892-2496

Factory

Thirsty Thur 11 pm with DJ Method. Fri 11 pm Top 40 Dance Party with DJ Method; 12 am Country Dance Party with DJ Darcy. Sat 9 pm–12 am 90s Video Dance Party; 12 am–2 am Country Dance Party with DJ Deuce; 11 pm Top 40 Dance Party in the Cave with DJ Method. Got Blues Matinee Sat 2:30–4:30 pm hosted by Got Blues (Chris Roumbanis, Reg Ballagh, Mike Robicheau). Each week there is a guest. 2nd set is an electric blues jam. Lineup: singer-guitarist Mark Haines (Feb 29); singer Christine Nicole Campbell, guitarist-singer Blake Johnston from NS (Mar 7); guitarist-singer Terry Whalen from NB (14); singer-guitarist Brian Pawley, singer-guitarist Roland Beaulieu, drummer Alan Dowling (21); and guitarist-singer Kendra Gale, drummer Warren Beatteay from NB, guitarist Jason Condon (28). 189 Kent St, Ch’town. 370-FOOD

Gahan House

Music Wed generally at 9 pm: Fraser McCallum Duo (Mar 4), Mat Hannah Duo (11), Soul Filter (18), Dave Woodside Duo (25). 126 Sydney St, Ch’town. 626-BEER

Hunter’s Ale House

Sun 11 pm TMZ Night w/ DJ Method or DJ HSR. Mon Open Mic w/ Singin’ Scuba Steve. Tue 11 pm Whiskey Jack. Wed DJ Humpday’s Playlist. Thur 11 pm Brad Milligan and Friends. Fri and Sat 11 pm music: Chris & Eric (Feb 28), Copy Cat (Feb 29), World Beats: Global Dance Party (Mar 6), Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute (7), Soul Filter (13), The Grass Mountain Hobos (14), The Royal Volts featuring Dave Woodside (20), Dekz (21), Chris & Eric (27), Copy Cat (28). Kent & Prince, Ch’town. 367-4040

Nightcap

11 pm DJs every Sat: DJ Deuce (Feb 29) Hot Dan (Mar 7), Derek Arsenault (14), DJ Deuce (21), Hot Dan (28). Kent & Prince, Ch’town. 367-4040

Island Jazz

Island Jazz Thur w/ host Dan Rowswell Thur at 8 pm: Music of Chick Corea feat Dan and Sid (Feb 27), Ken Fornetran with Max Keenlyside (5), Sean Ferris Group (12), Peter Hum with Alec Walkington, Ted Warren (19), Music of Paul Simon (26). Baba’s Lounge, 181 Great George St, Ch’town.

Kaylee Hall

Sat Pig & Whistle dances 8:30 pm: Phase II (Feb 29) Wrecking Crew (Mar 7),

Powerhouse (14), The Shadows (formally called Rustlers) (21), Phase II (28), St. Patrick’s Potluck Caleigh (20). Hwy #3, Pooles Corner. 838-4399

Lone Oak Brewing Co

Matthew Hannah (Feb 29) Julie Arsenault 9:30 pm (Mar 6), Nick Doneff 8 pm (7), Ryan Merry/Emily Coffin 2 pm (14), Nolan Compton 7 pm (14), Chris Ahern/ Eric Rogerson 9 pm (14), Ivan Daigle (21), Nathan Carragher (28). 103 Abegweit Blvd, Borden-Carleton. 218-9373

The Lucky Bean Cafe

Vinyl night (Feb 27), Gary and Gabe Waterman Blues Jam for the Food Bank (Feb 29), Josh Montgomery Blues (Mar 14). 576 Main St, Montague. 838-3883

Main Street Pub Montague

Fri 9 pm live music w/ local musicians. Main St, Montague. 838-3300

Marc’s Lounge

Live music Fri and Sat: Bridgette Blanchard (Feb 28), Mat Hannah (Mar 6), Nathan Carragher (7), Sarah Eddie (13), Fraser McCallum (14), Dave Woodside (20), Jordan Cameron (21), Mat Hannah (27), Fraser McCallum (28). 125 Sydney St, Ch’town. 566-4620

Moth Lane Brewing

Irish Piano Bar with Mike Pendergast (Mar 8). 101 Mickey Allan Shore Rd, Ellerslie. 831-2160

Next Door @ Merchantman

Music Fri–Sat 7 pm: Adam MacGregor (Feb 28), Nathan Carragher (Feb 29), Dave Woodside (Mar 6/14/27), Ashley Gorman (7), Mat Hannah (13/28), Nathan Carragher (20), TBA (21). 23 Queen St, Ch’town. 892-9150

Olde Dublin Pub

Breakwater (Mar 6), Saul Good Band (7), Main Stret Bullies (13), Adam MacGregor & the Foes (14/27), St. Paddy’s Day Bash–Live Music all day and night (17), Sunday Overdrive (20), Boys in the Kitchen (21). 131 Sydney St, Ch’town. 892-6992

The Old Triangle

Sun 2 pm Irish Trad Music and Set Dancing w/ Roy Johnstone & Friends. Thur Schooner Sessions 7 pm. Colin Grant w/ Rowen Gallant & Jesse Periard (Feb 28/Mar 20), Kelley Mooney & Johnny Ross (Feb 29), Cameron Nicherson & Blake Johnston (Mar 6/7), Vintage 2.0 (13/14), St. Paddy’s Day

Party - two floors of live music (17), The Joey Kitson Band (21), Rowen Gallant & Jesse Periard (27/28). 189 Great George St, Ch’town. 892-5200

The Pourhouse

Gerry “Fiddle” O’Connor w/ Cian Ó Móráin, doors 6 pm, show 7 pm (Mar 2). Winterjazz w/Alicia Toner, doors 6 pm (call to reserve, Mar 7). Evans and Doherty: Pre-Paddy’s Day Hooley, doors 6 pm, show 7:30 pm (Mar 12). Trailside Presents: Matt Minglewood, doors 6:30 pm, show 8 pm (tickets trailside.ca, Mar 13/14), Logan Richard, doors 6:30 pm, show 8 pm (call to reserve, Mar 27). Pierre Schryer & Adam Dobres, doors 2 pm, show 2:30 pm (Apr 3). Upstairs, 189 Great George St, Ch’town. 892-5200

PEI Brewing Company

Casks & Comedy, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm (Feb 28), Sloan—The Navy Blue Tour (Apr 30) 8 pm. 96 Kensington Rd, Ch’town. 629BREW. Tickets peibrewingcompany.com

Piatto pizzeria & enoteca

Live music from 6–9 pm Fri with local musicians. Queen St, Ch’town. 892-0909

RCAF Wing Summerside

Hoss and Friends (Feb 28), Dave Doyle (Feb 29), Neon Country (Mar 6), Hoss & Friends w/Peter Burke (7), Dave Doyle (13/27), Misty Water (14/28), New Moon (20), Hoss & Friends w/ Eddie Quinn (21). 329 North Market St, S’side. 436-2440

Silver Fox Club

Furious George (Mar 6), Hately Basement (13), Pearl & The Oysters (20). 110 Water St, S’side. 436-2153

Sportsman’s Club

Love Junkies w/ Adam Baldwin (Mar 6/7). 175 Great George St, Ch’town. 892-1551

Summerside Legion

Mon Bluegrass 7:30–9 pm w/ guests each week. Open mic at 7 pm. Bring an instrument for a jam after the show. Sat Kitchen Party 2–5 pm has Kitchen Party Band with guests. 340 Notre Dame St, S’side. 436-2091

Upstreet Brewing

Sunday Brunch Jams w/ live music 11 am, (Mar 1/8/15/22/29). 41 Allen St, Ch’town. 894-0543

Water’s Edge Resto/Bar/Grill

DJ Josh Hood (Mar 6/27), Special Guest DJ (13/20), Logan Richard (Apr 3), DJ Josh Hood (Apr 10). Delta Prince Edward, 18 Queen St, Ch’town. 894-1208

Trivia & Karaoke

Please see buzzpei.com

PIXBYLORNE

Victor CalY Mayor—The Guild

Steven Page—LIVE @ the Centre

Stewart Gregory Legere—Smitten,The Pourhouse

Gormlaith Maynes of Inn Echo—Music PEI Deep Roots,College of Piping

Paulina Hernandez,Isaiah Sealy—The Guild

Tuli Porcher of Inn Echo—Music PEI Deep Roots,College of Piping

Cory Gallant—Music PEI Awards Show,Florence Simmons Performance Hall

Blair Gaudet—Music PEI Deep Roots,College of Piping

2020 Canadian Folk Music Awards Weekend Concerts & Awards Shows

Awards Show - Friday, April 3 - Performances by Vishtèn, Kaia Kater, Ayrad, Leaf Rapids, Tri-Continental, and Lennie Gallant

Awards Show - Saturday, April 4 - Performances by Eastern Owl, Geneviève & Alain, Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys, Abigail Lapell, Le Vent du Nord, and Irish Mythen

Tickets: 1 Night: Adult (19+): $35 / Youth (4-18): $20 | 2 Nights: Adults (19+): $60 / Youth (4-18): $30 (Infants -3 are free)

Additional Weekend Events:

CFMA Children and Family Music Showcase Saturday April 4, 10:00AM-11:00AM at Confederation Centre Public Library | Free Admittance Featuring Ginalina, The Kerplunks, and Amos J & Jérôme Fortin

CFMA Songwriters Showcase Presented by SiriusXM Canada Saturday April 4, 1:00PM-2:30PM atThe Guild, 111 Queen St | $25 An afternoon recorded live o the oor for SiriusXM’s North Americana featuring CFMA nominated singer-songwriters Dave Gunning, Old Man Luedecke, Jenn Grant, and Geneviève Racette.

CFMA Traditional Music Showcase Saturday April 4, 3:00PM-4:30PM at The Pourhouse at The Old Triangle, 189 Great George St. | $20 A sensational concert showcasing a diverse array of phenomenal trad music with nominees from across Canada, including Còig, Pierre Schryer & Adam Dobres, Al Qahwa, Sabin Jaques & Rachel Aucoin, CONWAY, and Graham Lindsey. (This event starts with a free open session noon to 2:30PM) Tickets for all events available at folkawards.ca or at Back Alley