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On Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, the Rotary Club of Bracebridge will hold a free pancake breakfast for the community in celebration of Community Day. The breakfast will run from 9 am to 12 noon at the Rotary Centre for Youth at 131 Wellington Street, in Bracebridge. It is an effort to offer a space and an event that will pull the community together.

“We are pleased to welcome people into our building on Sept. 24th to provide a free pancake breakfast for the community,” said Jon Denbok, the lead on this project on behalf of the Rotary Club of
Bracebridge. “We want to thank Stevens’ Your Independent Grocer for their partnership in this project.”

“It is important for us to stay connected to the community through initiatives like this,” said Don Smith, 2023-2024 President of the Rotary Club of Bracebridge. “We know some families are struggling, and we want to help by providing a totally free event that everyone can enjoy.”

Rotarians are always seeking ways to serve communities and ultimately to change lives. Community Day is a Rotary International initiative that is an annual and was slated to take place the week of 11-17 September, 2023. Due to conflicts with other community events, Bracebridge Rotarians chose to celebrate on Sept. 24.

If you are able to donate, we will be collecting donations at the door for the Manna Food. The donation is not mandatory and should not deter anyone from joining us for a morning of community and full
bellies.

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Actors, musicians and theatre audiences will be delighted to learn that a wonderful tradition of live theatre is returning to the Bracebridge stage. After being paused due to COVID-19, the Rotary Club of Bracebridge is very pleased to announce that it is resuming its long tradition of annual musicals with the beloved classic The Sound of Music. This important community service project kicks off with auditions on Oct. 1 and 2 at the Rotary Centre for Youth at 131 Wellington Street in Bracebridge. There are four audition times, starting both Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Auditions will consist of a singing and dance call, and some performers may be asked to read lines from the script. Applicants are asked to arrive at least 15 minutes before their scheduled start times. They must come prepared to sign a song of their choosing, and they should bring their own recorded accompaniment. The song should preferably be from a musical, although it does not have to be from this show. A simple dance will be taught and then performed by the group.

There are a large variety of roles for both leads and chorus, which are available for children (age eight and up) and adults of all ages. Those familiar with the Oscar-winning movie will know that there are three principal adult female roles (Maria, the Baroness and Mother Superior), two principal male adult leads (Captain von Trapp and Max), two principal young adult/adolescent roles (Liesl and Rolf) and six other von Trapp children. There are also many adult chorus roles, several with speaking parts.

The many talented actors, dancers and singers in Muskoka are all encouraged to try out! Those chosen will, as always, have lots of fun in the process of creation. Rotary musicals have always boasted a mix of experienced veteran actors and brand-new performers, and this show will be no exception. It is a great opportunity to build new friendships and share in the joy of making theatre magic. The product of those labours will be a dramatic show, studded with music that is now loved by many generations. The Sound of Music is a perfect way to celebrate the return of Rotary’s theatre tradition to our community.

Rehearsals for the production will begin in November and will be held at least twice a week. The musical will run for seven performances at the Rene Caisse Theatre in Bracebridge from Feb. 23 to March 4, 2023. Those who accept a role do need to commit for the entire winter but will find spending the time well worth it for the rewards of fellowship and creative energy that the experience brings.

The production will be led by Director Emma Phillips, Assistance Director Earl Sacrey, Musical Director Neil Barlow, Choral Director Fran Harvey and Technical Director Michelle Emson. Volunteers who wish to help with production tasks or backstage as also most welcome.

For more information, please contact Jean Polak from the Rotary Club of Bracebridge at bracebridgerotarymusical@gmail.com.

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Tickets to this one-time event will cost $20 and all profits will go to the South Muskoka Hospital Foundation. The concert is part of a global event made possible by Music Theatre International, the rights holder for the music that makes up the show. MTI has made this remarkable gift of a brand-new musical revue free of charge to schools and theatres around the world in order to support theatrical communities hit hard by the pandemic. Over 1600 schools and theatres in 36 countries have taken up this generous offer, and there will be over 3800 performances of All Together Now! during the weekend of November 12 to 15. Thanks to the local Rotary Club and many enthusiastic volunteers, Muskoka is going to be part of this exciting world-wide event.

Under a production team lead by Neil Barlow and Fran Harvey, supported by Emma Phillips, Earl Sacrey, Jean Polak and many others, the band and cast are being assembled and are already rehearsing the 15 musical numbers that will make up the revue. More than half the songs are from shows previously produced as the “Annual Rotary Musical”, from recent productions such as Mamma Mia! and Matilda the Musical to shows done in previous decades such as My Fair Lady, Oliver! and Guys and Dolls. There will also be a song from Sister Act, the musical produced by the Huntsville Festival of the Arts that was originally scheduled for spring 2020 but is now slated for next spring instead.

All Together Now! is a once in a lifetime global event and also a special, unprecedented occasion for the Rotary Club of Bracebridge. The pandemic has disrupted and delayed many things in our community, including the wonderful Rotary tradition of putting a musical on a Muskoka stage each spring. Rotary’s delightful production of Matilda – The Musical closed to rave reviews in March 2020, just days before the impact of the pandemic began to be felt here in Muskoka. The club is already making plans to resume this grand tradition, but since its next show is not going to happen until the spring of 2023, All Together Now! is a welcome opportunity to reunite local performers and remind its audience that musical theatre remains alive and well in Muskoka.

The Rotary Club of Bracebridge has chosen to use the proceeds of All Together Now! to support the South Muskoka Hospital Foundation and through it our local hospital. The ongoing public health crisis has helped us appreciate more than ever the caring people and necessary health care infrastructure we are so lucky to have in South Muskoka. Through the Foundation, our community can help ensure that the hospital continues to have the up-to-date equipment it needs to keep pace with our community’s wide range of health care needs. Buying a ticket to All Together Now! Is one way to help with this important task.

Tickets will go on sale at the beginning of October, As soon as details of how to support this initiative are available, the ticket purchasing information will be placed on the websites of both the South Muskoka Hospital Foundation (www.healthmuskoka.ca) and the Rotary Club of Bracebridge (https://portal.clubrunner.ca/189/). Any questions in the meantime can be directed to producer Jean Polak at ejpolak@polaklaw.mobi or 705-646-2855.

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Planned Canada Day events were intended to bring the community together, however in recent days the Rotary Club has come to discover that some of the celebratory aspects of their plans are instead sowing division within the community and are deemed insensitive by many of their indigenous friends and neighbours.

To address those concerns, they have decided to move forward differently. The plans to bring celebratory floats through the streets of Bracebridge have been cancelled.

Their Canada Day installations in the Rotary Gardens will remain in place, with the addition of signage to allow visitors to reflect on the legacy of abuses associated with the residential school system; these gardens are a place of peace and reflection, and they invite everyone to visit them and spend some time considering both the positive and negative aspects of our country and its history.

The home and business decorating contest, initiated in part as an ongoing effort to support local restaurants, will continue, however all participants are invited to include orange in their display, in solidarity with our indigenous people.

The Rotary Club of Bracebridge has had a long tradition of leading some of the community events around Canada Day, and they look forward to being able to resume such events in future years, when it is more appropriate.

To find out more about the opportunity for all Canadians to make this moment a movement for change, they invite you to look at the resources available here.

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The Canada Day activities that are planned are:

1. Canada Day Home Decorating Contest and Self Tour:

The Rotary Club asks families to decorate their homes for Canada Day and register on their website to enter to win. If you enter to win, your home address will be displayed on an electronic map that will be displayed on the website. This will provide a guide for other families to walk, bike or drive to see all the displays!

The first prize winner will get two $100 gift cards and 7 runner-up winners will each receive a $100 gift card to Bracebridge restaurants of their choice.

The second way to win is by touring by foot, bike or by car to see the entry submissions. For a chance to win a $50 restaurant gift certificate, all you have to do is take a photo of your favourite entry, post it on Facebook and tag The Rotary Club of Bracebridge.

The contest runs from June 25th – July 5th . We ask that all entries keep the decorations up for that time so they can be admired and help our Town be festive!

To enter please register on the website at: bracebridgecanadaday.com

2. Canada Day Business Decorating Contest:

The Rotary Club hopes businesses will get festive with us and help our Town celebrate Canada Day! They encourage all businesses to help bring our community together and decorate their store fronts!

The top 3 winning business will win a coffee and donut party for their staff. To enter please register on the website at: bracebridgecanadaday.com

3. Celebration of Canada Day at the Rotary Centennial Gardens – Self Tour:

Safely visit the Rotary Centennial Gardens to celebrate Canada Day. From June 27- July 11, you will see the sights, hear the sounds, and feel the spirit of this great country all around you. The Gardens located at the corner of Pine Street and Taylor Road in Bracebridge will be celebrating by showing its Canadian colours and invites you to show your colours too! All you need is something red and white and a little imagination. Dress in your most creative Canada Day themed costume and take a selfie of you or your whole family posing in front of one of the many features in the gardens, post it to Facebook and tag their page, The Rotary Club of Bracebridge, for your chance to win. Three $50 restaurant gift certificates will be awarded based on creativity and Canadian Spirit.

Dressing up, not your thing? Why not add to the safe celebrations by donating a Canada Day themed painted rock? Your painted rock can be left in the marked bin on the patio beside the garden sheds on or before June 25 and a Rotarian will find a special place in the garden to display your creation. Rocks will be displayed in the Gardens until mid July. Come and visit the Gardens from June 27-July 11 or for the added events on Canada Day and see if you can find your rock in its special location.

4. Rotary Canada Day Rotary Celebration Tour through your neighbourhood:

On the evening of July 1st , the Rotary Club of Bracebridge will parade through the streets of Bracebridge playing music, handing out give-a-ways for the kids and spreading Canadian cheer!

In order to cover as much ground as possible, they will be having two separate floats following separate routes; please follow their website to see the routes. The Rotary Club hopes to encourage distanced neighbourhood celebrations by joining each other on your own lawns. As they pass your home, they hope you will celebrate with us! The routes will start at 8:30 pm and although they cannot give specific times when they will be at your doorstep, you will hear them coming!

According to John Mullen, President-Elect, “We have adjusted our plans to bring the people of Bracebridge together to celebrate Canada Day in a COVID-safe and fun manner. We hope the community will join our Club in celebrating our Nation’s Birthday and look forward to a future time when we can safely host our traditional fireworks show again.”

To participate in the contests or to learn more about the celebrations, please visit the Canada Day website at bracebridgecanadaday.com and follow them on Facebook at Rotary Club of Bracebridge.

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