Minden’s urgent care clinic was forced to close its doors Jan. 15 – the first time since going full-time Oct. 3.
They are operating with one full-time nurse practitioner and they need two. The Kawartha North Family Health Team is continuing to attempt to recruit another. In the meantime, they are doing their best to juggle their part-timers’ schedules.
HHHS, meanwhile, is still not where it wants to be with staffing. It is spending a lot of time scheduling, and a lot of money, on locum physicians for the ER. These are people who come to cover shifts but don’t stick around.
And while HHHS has reduced its dependency on agency nursing – they still recruited and paid for 59, 12-hour shifts in December.
It’s time-consuming and costly – but more importantly – it means patients are not being seen or not being seen as timely as they could be.
The KNFHT runs a pretty tight ship and there is no doubt new management at HHHS is cleaning up dodge.
So, it’s time the provincial government stepped up to the plate. Past time.
While Doug Ford’s Conservatives are busy fiddling – moving Service Ontario outlets into Staples’ stores and planning the closures of others (we don’t have Staples and Service Ontario has been targeted here in the past) – the health care system is burning.
They have been presented with numerous solutions from various fronts.
Part of the reason a family doctor might not want to move to Haliburton County is the workload. If we are telling candidates about a work-life balance in the beautiful Highlands, then we have to offer it. So, how about getting two doctors for the price of one and allowing part-time work. In the case of older physicians perhaps seeking a lifestyle change, this could work in the County. Put in your three days and then spend four at the cottage. The province can change this with a stroke of a pen.
The government could get rid of the line it has drawn between southern and northern Ontario, and treat regional and rural communities in the near north – places like us – as underserviced areas. Bump up our numbers of required physicians.
Increase the number of medical students in the province. Ontario has announced it is adding 160 undergrad seats and 295 postgrad positions to medical schools over the next five years, 71 for up north. That number could increase.
Physicians and chiefs of staff have plenty of ideas if the Ontario government would only listen.
I can understand how a new physician might be overwhelmed when faced with a patient suffering from a condition they have no experience with, and no specialist on-site. Why not provide rural and remote ER doctors with real-time virtual access to specialists?
How about funding for travel and accommodations for medical residents to take elective rotations in rural communities such as ours. It should not be the County that is responsible for housing these folks.
Some have suggested that when a locum travels to regions, they should be required to bring a resident physician from their home institution.
Another suggestion, this one for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, is that they need to make it easier to license international medical school grads who want to work in rural and remote areas.
And there should absolutely be more incentives and return-of-service obligations to bring physicians to places such as Haliburton County.
The crisis is not going away. It is time for the Ford government to stop the bleeding.
Stop the bleeding
Housing has to be the focus
There have been a lot of lingering questions about Dysart’s recent $1.725 million deal to acquire 91.5-acres of vacant land outside Haliburton village.
Why this parcel? Why so much money? What does Dysart plan to do with it?
We touched base with the key players involved in the deal – notably Dysart mayor Murray Fearrey and local businessmen Paul Wilson and Andrew Hodgson. They were all aligned in thinking this property is the last chance Dysart has to meaningfully grow Haliburton village. Debatable given the swathes of empty land heading out of town along Hwy. 118.
Though, given the acreage is close enough to town that it could easily tie into the municipal sewer system and connects to land Dysart owns along Industrial Park Road, potentially creating a second access point to any future development, I definitely see the upside.
Wilson, who has made a career out of developing vacant land in the Highlands, believes the property could accommodate more than 200 new homes. Fearrey said he sees a range of housing options at the site, from single family detached to multi-unit residential – apartments and condos.
If there’s one thing we need more of in Haliburton County, it’s housing. With experts predicting our population could grow by as many as 10,000 people over the next 30 years, we need places where those people can live. From that perspective, I do see this as a win.
It is a gamble though, and the fact it’s being made using taxpayer money is cause for concern. Former mayor Andrea Roberts correctly surmised a council’s job is to ensure the municipality is as risk averse as humanly possible. Any number of things could happen over the next few years to jeopardize this development.
Fearrey said it was the township’s intention to sell the land to a builder to develop. With how unstable the economy seems heading into 2024, what happens if we enter into another recession? What if, once everyone has done their homework, there’s no outside interest to develop the land? The township would be in an incredibly difficult position.
It is concerning too that Fearrey appears to have negotiated this deal himself before involving the rest of council.
Ever since the October 2022 municipal election, there’s been an awkward perception that Dysart council has become a one-man operation, with Fearrey calling the shots. Hearing how the mayor first contacted Wilson to inquire about the land, and then dealt with Hodgson directly on the finer details, before bringing it back to his fellow elected officials, feels off.
The mayor has done this previously. He was instrumental in the deal that brought the Gardens of Haliburton retirement residence to town during a previous term. That arrangement has worked out well for the town. Maybe this will too.
The night of his acclamation, Fearrey told The Highlander he would solve Haliburton’s housing crisis this term. At the time, it seemed a massive stretch – it still does – but this deal at least presents some hope that more housing options, and substantial ones at that, are coming down the pipeline.
The one thing that leaves me scratching my head is the talk of a new arena and curling club. While they would be nice things to have, you have to wonder where the money is coming from. The final cost of Minden’s new arena was north of $13 million – and that was pre-inflation. Adding a second building to that, you’re likely talking in the ballpark of $20 million. Dysart doesn’t have that kind of money and borrowing it would cripple the township, and its taxpayers, financially for decades.
A shiny, new arena should not be a priority. As much as the Minden-Haliburton rivalry still burns bright, and things like arenas are used as points in a nonsensical game of one-upmanship, housing has to be the number one focus here. I hope council keeps sight of that.
New company to offer Haliburton-Toronto bus
By Lisa Gervais
While TOK Coachlines will no longer be operating a Haliburton to Toronto bus route, The Highlander learned this week that Entertainment Tour Travel Inc., based out of Markham, is taking over the service.
Company spokesman, Mark Williams, said he is planning to run a coach Feb. 2 and will continue Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as TOK previously did.
Williams said he owns property in Minden Hills and was moved when he heard that TOK was discontinuing service effective Jan. 31, 2024.
“Hard to close it down just like that,” he told the paper. “I’m willing to take it on, and put one of my buses on the route, and see where we go from here.”
He said the only big change for now is the last stop will be Yorkdale, otherwise it will be status quo.
He said people can purchase tickets from agencies. Here in the County, they can go to the Minden Shell gas station. In addition, they can purchase tickets on the bus. The company is working on a website for ticket orders in future.
“I think it’s going to be great. I really do believe it’s going to be awesome,” he said.
See the Feb. 8 Highlander for more coverage.
Storm drop 4-3 nailbiter
The U11 LL Carquest Highland Storm team faced off against South Muskoka White at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena on Saturday, Jan. 27.
The Storm opened the scoring within the first 10 seconds of the game with an unassisted goal from Reed Brown.
South Muskoka scored twice, 46 seconds apart, to take a 2 -1 lead after the first period.
In the second period, the Storm poured on the pressure and had most of the play in South Muskoka’s end. This was led by great defensive play by Jaxon Demerchant, Nathan Hill, Nolan Frybort, Blair Fisher, and Bobby Walker.
The Storm tied the game with a beautiful goal by Brown, which was assisted by Harper Hamilton and Raelyn Adlam. Storm goalie, Nathan Lowe, made some key saves to keep the game tied 2-2 after the second period.
South Muskoka scored twice, at the eight and seven minute marks of the third period, to take a 4-2 lead.
The South Muskoka goalie was impressive in the third, keeping Storm off the scoreboard until Brown completed the hat trick with 2:03 left in the third.
The Storm kept the pressure on, holding the puck in South Muskoka’s end for the remainder of the game. The locals also went on the powerplay with 1:51 left, however were shut out by great goaltending and lost 4-3 in a nailbiter but never gave up and showed great perseverance.
Huskies win in double OT, drop to rivals
The Haliburton County Huskies won a Jan. 27 thriller at S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena – scoring late in double overtime to oust the pesky St. Michaels Buzzers 3-2.
The blue and white would then go on to drop a close 5-4 decision to rival Wellington Dukes on the road Jan. 28.
The weekend started with team captain Patrick Saini notching his 30th goal of the season at the 5:48 mark of the first period against St. Mike’s, with helpers from Ian Phillips and Jack Staniland.
The Huskies held the lead until 12:04 of the second, when the Buzzers got on the board with a marker from Jonathan Morello. However, it took the locals just 49 seconds to reply, as Matt Milic fired in his fourth of the season, from Charlie Fink and Antonio Cerqua, to put the Huskies back up 2-1.
In the third, former Husky Marco Iozzo exacted revenge with a game-tying goal at 2:40.
The teams had to play until 19:32 of the second overtime period before Ty Petrou bulged the twine, with assists from Saini and Staniland to seal the deal for the home squad.
Petrou said it all happened very fast. “There was a bit of a turnover at the blueline and they had two guys caught down low and the puck just kind of ended up on my stick and I buried it, so it was good.”
Summing up the game, he added, “it was a little closer than we liked. But, I thought it was a good battle. All the boys didn’t back down, didn’t give up so it was good. We bounced back and kept the lead and then fought through it in overtime.”
The late Saturday night finish and then a quick turnaround to get the bus to Wellington showed Jan. 28 as the Dukes got off to an early 3-0 on their home barn.. Connor Hunt scored at 1:40, followed by Cory Jewitt at 7:05 on the powerplay and Panayioti Efraimidis at 15:09 on yet another powerplay, as the Huskies got off to a sluggish start.
They awakened at 16:53 of the first frame, when Saini scored his 31st, from Matt Milic and Hunter Martell. With the clock ticking down on the period, Aidan Yarde potted his third from Phillips and Martell on a powerplay to make it a 3-2 game for Wellington.
The blue and white came out hot in the second. Saini scored number 32 after just 29 seconds, from Petrou. It was 3-3.
However, the Dukes righted their ship, with Sacha Trudel putting them up again, 4-3, at 12:21.
In the third, Phillips scored his ninth, from Cerqua, to make it a 4-4 game. But Wellington answered back with a Caleb MacDonald marker to steal the 5-4 victory.
Petrou said, “Obviously that Wellington game the day after was a quick turnaround for us. It was an early morning. We had to be here (the arena) at 8:30 a.m. It was an early road trip for us. I’m sure a lot of the guys had bus legs and were a little tired.” However, he said it’s about preparing the evening before, eat, drink, rest and mentally prepare.
Prior to hitting the ice for practice Jan. 30, the forward added sticking to their game plan is key. “When we do that, there’s not a lot of teams that can keep up with us. It’s pretty to watch when we stick to our game plan and play the way we can.”
The Huskies played Jan. 31 on the road against the Georgetown Raiders. The result was not known as of press time. Feb. 4, they travel to play the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. They are on the road again Feb. 9 versus the Markham Royals. The Huskies are next at home, Feb. 10, this time hosting Markham. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m. at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena.
Hill leaves lasting legacy at museum
The County’s chief history buff Steve Hill has retired from his role as curator at Haliburton Highlands Museum after 39 years on the job.
The 65-year-old walked through the museum’s doors for the final time as an employee Jan. 27, calling time on his career after four decades of preserving and promoting Highlands history.
Hill has played a pivotal role in shaping the museum into what it is today. He arrived in Haliburton in November 1984, becoming assistant curator. Ross Carver headed up the museum at that time, which was in its infancy after opening in 1967. Hill worked alongside Carver and Doug McNichol, though he admits the museum was a much different place back then.
“When I started here the mindset was that this place was for the tourists from the city. Something to keep them happy while they’re here, to give them something to do,” Hill said. “It was more an amusement for people to pass the time than seen as anything truly significant.”
With a growing collection of local artifacts, Hill pushed to do research on some of the more interesting items. Slowly, the trio built the museum’s inventory and started putting together rotating displays for the public.
“We made things more academic, brought a bit more seriousness to the place,” Hill said.
McNichol and Carver left in the late 80s, with Tom Ballantine brought in to steady the ship. Hill was promoted to curator in 1987.
He was around when community members like Glen Hodgson, a former MPP for the area, Ian Douglas and Henry Pristol donated pieces of different buildings, which would become the 1870s-themed log cabin farmstead that still sits on the museum’s grounds today. People started to trust Hill and Ballantine, with the museum’s collection growing quickly through the 90s.
Asked for his favourite item or display at the museum, Hill said he has two – an old 1800s Degeher and Weiler printing press that was used to publish the old Minden Echo, now the Haliburton County Echo, and an exhibit honouring the now defunct Haliburton Orange Lodge.
“I consider that press almost like the Rosetta Stone of Haliburton because it was the sole survivor of a fire at the Minden Echo building in 1942. That press kept the paper going through some difficult years at the end of the Second World War,” Hill said.
Referencing the Orange Lodge, he added, “they disbanded between 1999 and 2001… they donated all their memorabilia to the museum. Lodge members did a lot for the town. They were the first organization to host bingo in Haliburton. They played a big role in building [A.J. LaRue] arena in 1965.”
Hill has made a lot of findings over the years, even solving some local mysteries. While it was accepted for years that the mills located in the downtown, roughly between Rexall and Mega Munch on Highland Street, were likely destroyed by fire in the late 1800s, Hill found proof while reading old editions of the Lindsay Post online in 2020.
He also found reference to a fire that destroyed an old steamboat that used to bring people to Haliburton before the railway arrived in 1878.
In 2008 he and Ballantine compiled some of the museum’s most interesting photos – including 24 stills donated by the family of Daniel Gorrie, an early settler and merchant – and published Haliburton: A History in Pictures to mark the facility’s 40th anniversary.
Ballantine retired in 2012 and was replaced by Kate Butler. Having worked with Hill for the past 11 years, Butler said he’s been a great asset to the museum.
“Throughout Steve’s time at the museum, his deep interest in preserving the items and stories that tell the history of the community has, I think, been obvious to anyone who has met him,” Butler said. “There can be no doubt Steve’s many years of dedication to local history will leave a lasting legacy.”
Hill said his retirement is bittersweet. Recently turning 65, and dealing with some health problems, he feels it’s time to step away. He plans to stay in Haliburton.
“I’ll miss the people the most, their stories, the cool things they’d bring in to show me,” Hill said. “I hope the museum continues to thrive. Times have changed, people have changed. When I started here you saw a lot more kids coming through… people were proud of their history. There was a great interest in museums. But as time has moved on, people have moved away from that. Museums are struggling right now.”
‘Inspiring creativity and empowering change’
During her keynote address to the Aging Together as Community conference in Haliburton County Jan. 27, Dr. Pat Armstrong talked about putting life into years, versus putting years into life.
More than 150 people attended the conference at the Pinestone Resort and Conference Centre, learning about an Indigenous perspective on elder care, projects at Hyland Crest, and Rotaract’s intergenerational perspectives, to name a few, under the theme of inspiring creativity, empowering change.
Armstrong is a long-term care research professor at York University. She headed up a research study of LTC in Norway, Sweden, the U.K., U.S. Germany and Canada.
She referenced a German LTC home, whose manager said, “our purpose is to put life into years, not simply years into life… and we would add this includes opportunities for joy for those living in, working in and visiting LTC homes.”
Armstrong said LTC homes in Canada, and particularly Ontario, do not do a good job of either. She referenced the Canadian military finding terrible conditions during COVID. She said many Canadians think LTC is “the last and worst resort.”
However, she said family members in Sweden and Germany do not feel guilty when they put loved ones into LTC, while a significant number of Swedish seniors would prefer going into nursing homes, even if offered significant home care.
In Ontario, she said people say there are pros to LTC homes, such as their loved ones having company, being safe, such as getting medications, having access to activities, such as bingo, and care for meals and laundry.
But to bring joy, she said homes must be properly staffed. She said staffing levels in Sweden are more than twice Canada. She said staff have the time to chat and get to know residents; get them to walk versus putting them in wheelchairs. She said family do not have to fill gaps for survival. The only thing families have to do is socialize. Staff continuity is key, she said, so residents know the workers. In Ontario, there are a lot of part-time, and casual staff “without proper training.”
The researcher added when there are scandals, the result is more regulations, leading to “robotic care.”
She said in a Norwegian LTC, staff had coffee during shift changes to talk about issues and strategies, supporting each other and providing better care. She noted how one home integrated music into everyday life. When someone was admitted, staff copied their music and printed out words. They had a resident choir. “There was a sense of belonging and joy for residents and staff.” She said some do art exhibits, and a home in Toronto was planning to do drive-in wheelchair movies.
Other examples were bringing joy to eating. She said one LTC home chef in the U.K. noticed residents were not eating much because they were overwhelmed with the amount of food, so he made appetizer sized portions handed out on trays.
Laundry was also important to residents, Armstrong said. She noted there are crisis when clothes are lost, shrunk, or a resident is found wearing another’s clothes. In Sweden, she said rooms have small washers and dryers in them.
She added so many homes are fearful of risk, they deny residents joy – such as walking versus a wheelchair, eating ice cream and even drinking small amounts of alcohol.
“We have to balance the risk against what is being lost and denied.”
She added residents want to be where the action is, not put out to pasture. In Norway, she said they visited a complex that housed a nursing home, swimming pool, theatre, restaurant, spa, and child care centre, a “hub of activity.”
Bonnie Roe, of the steering committee, said the conference was, “a very full day, filled with inspiration, creative ways of supporting our aging population and opportunities for conversation with people throughout the County.
“We need their voices, and voices from all ages, to be the catalyst for change to improve the aging experience for all.”
Sir Sam’s Ski/Ride says hello to winter – finally
Despite winter taking awhile to arrive in the Highlands, Sir Sam’s Ski/Ride opened on the same weekend it did last year (Dec. 9) and conditions will now sustain it until spring, owner Doug Wilkinson said.
“Things are looking awesome,” Wilkinson said this week, after all runs opened to the public the weekend of Jan. 20-21.
The Eagle Lake ski hill also hosted its first competition, a Snowboard Ontario cross track race, this past weekend. “So that was fantastic,” Wilkinson said.
He conceded that in recent years, “Mother Nature is a bit more of a challenge for us. We don’t get as many snowmaking days in a row that we would have had in the past. We need cold weather for a good chunk of time. Now, it’s the fluctuations that are a bit of a pain.”
Even with this week’s milder conditions, Wilkinson said, “we’re fine. Our base is deep now, so any little warm-ups now and for the rest of the year are fine. That won’t be an issue. It’s just getting us started.”
He said they are fortunate they are a bit further north, and being one of the first hills to traditionally open in Ontario. He said the challenge was that their clients from further south had green yards and rain until the new year and weren’t thinking about skiing and snowboarding.
“At least Haliburton County had a little bit of snow on people’s front yards. This year, there was nothing in Peterborough and Lindsay and places where we pull from.”
He said they’d coined a marketing phrase, ‘when it’s raining down there, it’s snowing up here’, but we’re still working to try and get everybody to believe that.”
Wilkinson said the state of the economy is also having an impact on a lot of seasonal businesses, and with sports such as hockey, skiing and snowboarding, not inexpensive, it is a challenge.
“You know that weighs on people as well. So that always impacts whether people are coming up to ski or whether they’re going to continue to play hockey or do other sports.”
Wilkinson said he is planning to approach Haliburton County schools about offering reduced rates for students for the remainder of the winter, so those who might not ordinarily ski or snowboard can try the sport. “Very specifically trying to target to do some good in the community,” he said.
Other offerings
Wilkinson said staff are out and about pitching Sir Sam’s as a wedding venue.
He said the tower at the top of the hill is expected to be ready for this spring, just in time for nuptials.
“Right now, we’re actually right in the middle of wedding booking season,” he said, with staff going to wedding shows.
“We’re going to do a number of bookings for weddings for the upcoming season. It’s actually looking pretty good. We’re pretty happy with the response.”
He added that having the tower open will also boost numbers of people visiting the facility to look at the fall colours.
Wilkinson said they have lots of events coming up for Family Day in March as well as the March break. And, every Saturday he said they are doing apres ski from 3.30 p.m. with live music.
Stata film debuting at Santa Barbara fest
Haliburton County’s movie man is going international after a documentary detailing the life of Keith Stata and the formation and growth of Highlands Cinemas was picked up by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
Director Matt Finlin told The Highlander last week his one-hour, 15-minute film The Movie Man will have its worldwide premiere Feb. 12 in California, with a second screening Feb. 15. It will be the first time the flick is available for public viewing, following a private screening at the Kinmount theatre last September.
It’s the culmination of five years of work for Finlin, who was inspired to tell Stata’s story after remembering how he, as an 11-year-old boy, visited Highlands Cinemas and was enamoured with what he saw. The experience laid the foundation for a career in the movie industry, with Finlin now a partner in Toronto-based Door Knocker Media.
“It’s almost overwhelming seeing everything come together and now having The Movie Man featured at a prestigious film festival. You make these things and put them out into the world in the hope that someone is going to recognize and appreciate them – we were one of more than 2,000 submissions for this festival, but made the cut,” Finlin said. “It’s a testament of Keith and this wonderful place he’s built.”
Finlin said he applied to dozens of festivals and was invited to appear at several, though admitted he was holding off for “a big fish.” Now, he’s excited that people who likely have no idea where Kinmount is will get to learn all about the community and one of its greatest champions.
He’ll be attending the festival alongside musician Kevin Drew, of Broken Social Scene fame. Drew provided all the music for The Movie Man. Stata said he isn’t planning to attend, noting he still works 60-hour weeks at the cinema getting ready for the new season.
“I do know someone who will be there, though. A kid who used to work for me years ago now has a really cool job in Silicon Valley in California. He lives in Santa Barbara, so is going to go to the screening and check it out,” Stata said.
The movie chronicles Stata’s life after founding Highlands Cinemas in 1979. What started out as a 59-seat single theatre has expanded to five screens that can accommodate 550 people. It’s jam packed with unique stories detailing how Stata secured the thousands of pieces of memorabilia displayed throughout the 4,000 sq. ft. site.
Sharing some of the stories, Stata recalls how word of his cinema has spread over the years.
He spoke to a local who, while travelling to France, struck up conversation with a fellow passenger. After telling how she lived in the small town of Kinmount, the other lady smiled and said “oh, there’s a cool theatre there, no?” Then there was the County resident who, while travelling through India, stopped at a bar in Mumbai only to find a piece about Highlands Cinemas on the TV.
“I remember getting a call a few years ago from Detroit Edison power company (now DTE Energy) who wanted me to go down there and take a projection booth out of one of their towers. I asked where they got my name, they said someone in Sweden. I don’t even know anyone in Sweden,” Stata said.
Referencing some of his favourite collectibles and memorabilia, Stata told how he secured a first-edition Lumiere projector several years ago.
“I was bidding on a unit on eBay and got a call from someone in California who saw that I was bidding. He said he had a projector there, it was in a warehouse under an overpass that collapsed during an earthquake. He insisted the projector was good and sent some photos… what had happened was, the Lumiere brothers showed their first motion picture in Paris in 1886 – people from the U.S. had travelled to see this and wanted the brothers to make them some projectors, which they did in 1897. This was one of those machines,” Stata said, noting he still has the original.
Finlin said he shared the documentary with famed Hollywood actor Martin Sheen late last year, who enjoyed it so much he’s planning a trip to Kinmount this summer.
“He watched the film… and said the academy museum in Los Angeles has got nothing on Keith’s theatre, so that’s high praise. He said Keith was ‘eloquently vulgar’,” Finlin said with a laugh.
He’s hoping The Movie Man is picked up by a distributor for a full cinematic release this year. It’s already been confirmed the documentary will be aired at Highlands Cinemas through the summer.
“It’s been a fun ride. I’ve had the time of my life building this place. I’m sure people will enjoy the movie and hopefully get a laugh out of it at my expense,” Stata said.
Concert to give church fundraiser a lift
Music afficionados looking for something to do this weekend will be “blown away” by the variety on show at the ‘Lift Your Spirits’ benefit concert, supporting fundraising efforts at Highland Hills United Church.
County-based musician Drew Allen is partnering with the Minden congregation for the event – taking place at the church Feb. 3 from 2 to 4 p.m. and raising money for the installation of an elevator at the church.
“Having a lift would make a huge difference to this congregation. It makes the entire space accessible,” Allen said.
The project is pegged at $80,000, with the church group having raised approximately $20,000 thus far. Allen said he doesn’t have a set monetary goal for his concert, noting tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 at the door. The church can hold about 120 people at capacity, he said, with about 40 tickets sold as of press time.
Allen said he was approached last summer, with an eye on hosting something in the fall. Together, he and the church’s reverend, Max Ward, decided to hold off until the new year, when there’s typically not a lot going on.
“We wanted to maximize [the number of attendees], while also giving families something to do,” Allen said. “It’s something affordable that people can come out and enjoy.”
A musician since childhood, Allen has spent much of his working life performing on stage, teaching, and selling instruments – mainly pianos. He said this concert would incorporate a variety of styles, showcasing the range in his voice.
“I’ll be doing some of my classical music, like Chopin, Beethoven and Bach. I’ll have some popular music, mainly Billy Joel and Elton John. Then I’ll have some classic American song book, stuff from George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, and Burt Bacharach. There will be some Broadway stuff mixed in too,” Allen said.
He will be joined on stage by two members of the Highland Hills United congregation – David Moore and Sheelagh McClelland, who will each assist on two songs.
“David has got an amazing voice, a much better bass voice than I have. Sheila is a wonderful soprano… it’ll be nice to have some company up there,” Allen said.
“There will be two 45-minute sets, five or six different styles of music, and you’ll get to hear from a few different people. It’ll be a great event and it’s for a fantastic cause,” he added.
Tickets can be purchased online at eventbrite.ca (search ‘Lift Your Spirits’) or by calling the church office at 705-2861470.
Highlands musician Drew Allen is excited for this weekend’s ‘Lift Your Spirits’ benefit concert.