After a successful pop-up event in 2023, the Lightfoot Days Festival is back in full force, offering a weekend of music and memories from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3.
A beloved singer-songwriter, Gordon Lightfoot was an internationally renowned guitarist and musician known for songs like “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Carefree Highway”. He was born in Orillia and never forgot to recognize his hometown throughout his career. Locals created the Lightfoot Days Festival to honour his contribution to music and Canadian culture. The event was put on pause during the height of the pandemic, but after Lightfoot died on May 1 last year, Orillia resident Karen Hilfman-Millson decided to bring it back.
“She was in the process of dying of cancer, and she had wanted to revive the Lightfoot Days Festival after Gordon passed away,” said Daphne Mainprize, vice president of the festival committee. “She reached out to a very small handful of people that she knew and said, ‘Would you join ranks with me?’”
Putting together a pop-up
The group put together the festival in roughly eight weeks, hence the title of a pop-up. Visitors came from across Muskoka, the GTA and the northern US. One dedicated fan even flew in from Florida.
Despite the fast turnaround, the event was a hit. Hilfman-Millson died in February, so the remaining organizers decided to carry on with the festival, both in honour of her and in honour of Lightfoot.
“She was with us right to the bitter end as long as she was able to be in a meeting or on Zoom,” Mainprize said. “She was a big, big part of the planning last year, and it was an honour to be able to help her.”
The festival weekend includes a concert with Lightfoot’s original band on Thursday night and a storytelling event on Friday night. The storytelling event is a new feature of the festival, and Mainprize considers it their signature event. They’re expecting Lightfoot’s wife Kim, drummer Barry Keane, bassist Rick Haynes, and other members of the band and Lightfoot family to attend.
Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac will proclaim it Gordon Lightfoot Day in the City of Orillia on Saturday morning. After the proclamation, visitors can take a tour of the Opera House, peruse an art show and enjoy Lightfoot-style music in the folk crawl.
“The folk crawl is really interesting because it is being put on by various venues throughout the downtown and other areas outside the downtown,” Mainprize said. “Primarily, it will be the main street and side streets, and they’re all hiring their own musicians.”
Festival attendees can walk the street, stop for drinks and food, and listen to the various performers. It’s a way to showcase the city itself as well as the influence Lightfoot had on multiple generations of musicians.
The weekend will conclude with a Sunday morning service at St. Paul Church Centre followed by closing ceremonies and a wrap-up party. The committee is also hosting a birthday celebration for Lightfoot at the Brewery Bay Food Company on Nov. 17.
Mainprize was the curator of the Leacock Museum for many years, so on top of knowing a great deal about Lightfoot, her love for his music goes back to childhood. She recalls doing a project on Lightfoot in Grade 7 where she wrote a letter to his mother, who provided them with his first guitar to put on display. It means a lot to her as an Orillia resident to carry that knowledge forward and showcase his work so many years later.
“The biggest and most important thing is what we’re trying to do is promote his life and legacy and his music,” she said. “This is his hometown, so we have a responsibility to carry through with that.”
A celebration of community and culture
Brian Hare, a longtime Lightfoot fan and treasurer of the committee, said he didn’t hesitate to help with the preparations. After the whirlwind that was the 2023 festival, he’s looking forward to an even bigger and better event this year.
“This year, being that we have Gord’s actual band, we are hoping to grow the festival a little more,” Hare said. “We’re in negotiations already for a headliner for next year. As soon as we firm them up, that’ll be an announcement.”
Some people have expressed disappointment that the concert is on Halloween, but it was the only date that worked for both the band and the Opera House, Hare said. He encourages anyone interested in attending to hand off their candy-giving responsibilities to another member of the family. That’s what he’ll be doing, after all.
He looks forward to seeing the band again, though it will be strange to see them without Lightfoot. Lightfoot’s nephew was a year ahead of Hare in school and his sister-in-law was best friends with Gord’s niece, so like many Orilians, his connection to Lightfoot goes beyond music appreciation. For that reason, he’s excited to witness the storytelling event.
“We like the venue that we’re going to be using because it’s small and so it makes it almost like you can reach out and touch the person you’re talking to instead of sitting in the back of a thousand-seat theater watching,” he said. “That one to me is going to be, this year, one of the highlights.”
Though they’re looking forward to the intimate nature of the event, they’re prepared to move to a bigger venue next year if it’s as successful as they expect it to be. Mainprize, Hare and the rest of the committee said many festival goers from last year are planning to come back, so they hope the returning fans bring friends and help grow their ranks.
They know they have some far-flung guests coming from states like Pennslyvania, and the visitor they had from Florida last year has already bought her tickets and confirmed her travel plans. Between the songs, the stories and the socializing, Hare expects it to be a wonderful weekend and a worthwhile tribute to Lightfoot.
“It’s an honour because of the fact that this is his hometown. He did a lot here for Orillia,” Hare said, listing some of the ways Lightfoot helped Orillia.
He raised money for a local arena. He helped save the Opera House from demolition. He footed the bill for many performances to help out charities and community institutions like the hospital. He also wrote the song “Couchiching” about the area and often mentioned the city in his speeches.
“He never forgot Orillia,” Hare said, “so Orillia should never forget him.”
Uplifting a legacy
Steve Porter isn’t an Orillia native, but he shares a lifelong love of Lightfoot and his music. As a singer-songwriter himself, Porter’s style was shaped by Lightfoot’s music. He even took guitar lessons from folk guitarist Red Shea, who played lead guitar for Lightfoot’s band from 1965 to 1975.
“I’m a big fan of Gordon Lightfoot, and I love him dearly,” Porter said. “I’m a musician as well, and I had just moved to town actually on the first of May last year and that’s the day. That’s when Gordie passed.”
Porter is honoured to be on the festival committee, which is made up of some pretty amazing people, he said. Along with tending to the other artists’ needs, he’ll perform Lightfoot’s songs at the storytelling event, the mayor’s proclamation and other portions of the festival.
The committee has been working hard to get the word out about Lightfoot Days. They’ve been sharing online updates, talking to media and manning a booth at the Orillia Farmers’ Market each weekend. Even though Lightfoot has a legacy that stands on its own, Porter and the rest of the team feel it’s important to do all they can to honour their late local hero.
“To do this in his honour is a great pleasure for all of us,” Porter said. “We want to keep his music and his legacy alive, and that’s what we’re doing.”
For more information, including details about tickets and hotel specials, visit the Lightfoot Days Festival Facebook page.
