With the onset of summer music festivals and concerts, and the passing of Gordon Lightfoot, the Yours Outdoors speaker series says it seems appropriate the theme of June’s offering is about the Mariposa Folk Festival, past and present.
The series wraps up another year of presentations with a look at Canada’s legendary music festival. On June 14, at 7 p.m., Michael Hill, Liz Scott and Thom Lambert will be sharing their stories and images of the Mariposa Folk Festival.
Hill, former artistic director, will reflect upon what has been. He is the author of The Mariposa Folk Festival: A History. Scott, current artistic director and no stranger to the Haliburton Highlands, will provide a contemporary perspective and a peek at what the future holds. Lambert, a local singersongwriter, who has attended the festival many times, will share his experience as an attendee and maybe even play a tune or two.
Organizer Barrie Martin said, “no doubt, Gordon Lightfoot will be front-ofmind during the presentation.” Each of the presenters have had their Lightfoot encounters. Lightfoot was an integral part of the festival from the shaky start when he and his then singing partner, Terry Whelan, were turned down from playing the inaugural Mariposa Folk Festival of 1961.
“We were hometown boys,” he stated, “but they said we sounded too much like the Everly Brothers. We actually took that as a compliment.” The next year though, Lightfoot was hired as a solo act and joined the likes of Oscar Brand, the Travellers and Ian & Sylvia. Since then, he performed many times at the festival.
Over the last several years, Mariposa has become an annual event on the Lightfoot family calendar. Lightfoot showed up most years to take in the festival vibe, see certain performers, renew old acquaintances, and give the audiences just a taste of his musical magic.
The presentation is at the HHOA Fish Hatchery. Admission is $15. Register in advance online at yoursoutdoors.ca (search Mariposa) or by calling 705-457-7557. A portion of the tickets sales will be donated and matched by Highlands Summer Festival to purchase tickets to the Early Morning Rain, The Legend of Gordon Lightfoot performances for families who might otherwise not be able to afford the cost of taking the whole family to a performance.
