By Joanne Rodgers, Bruce Peninsula Press
After an unscheduled two year hiatus due to COVID-19, the Harbourside Music series launched its first performance for the 2022 summer season on June 17, featuring two acts, Brian Taylor & Friends and Marty Oblak.
One of the new co-organizers, Rod Layman, welcomed the audience back to the Harbourside Music concert and expressed thanks to Marydale Ashcroft who had been organizing the concert series since 2012, the second year of its inception. Described as passing the torch, the new organizers for Harbourside are Dominik Franken, Rod Layman and Gerry Gregory. All three are very active in the local music scene and have been very involved in Harbourside over the years.
Gerry Goldie was back as Master of Ceremonies and started off the musical evening by inviting the audience to sing “Happy Birthday” to Brian Taylor.
Dealing with strong winds and cold hands the performers played on, entertaining the 95 members of the audience plus passersby who stopped to listen to a set or two. With a habit developed over the last two years, the audience was well spaced and kept within their bubbles.
Performances by Brian Taylor & Friends and Marty Oblak
The first act of the evening was Brian Taylor & Friends, with Brian Osborne on base, Arnie Crittenden on harmonica and Brian Taylor on guitar. The trio entertained the audiences with songs by Gordon Lightfoot, John Fogerty, John Denver, Leonard Cohen and Wade Hemsworth.
Marty Oblak, a Tobermory based singer/songwriter and proprietor of Tacomory, gave the second performance, delivering many of his original compositions with strong vocals and beautiful guitar work.
While the concerts are free, donations are welcomed. Some of the money raised covers the cost of putting on the series. Over the years, money has also been donated to the local daycare, Golden Dawn Senior Home, BPDS JK/SK class, Christmas decorations for the hydro poles, Labour Day Weekend Community Potluck and other community causes.
Harbourside will be held every Friday evening until September 2.
Two additional concerts announced for the Harbourside Stage in July
Dominik Franken announced that two new Saturday evening concerts have been added to the concert calendar:
Maple Blues Award nominee and Northern Bruce Peninsula resident Bobby Dean Blackburn will be performing on July 9, 2022.
On July 30, 2022, local musician Steve Woeller will be performing. Woeller released his first solo album this past winter and recently released his first music video “Brambles & Thorns”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu7O0wY70Wg
Franken also invited the audience to the week of classical music performances from Saturday 6 August until Saturday 13 August 2022, to be held on the Harbourside Stage, every evening starting at 7:00 pm. The final night will be the Watermusik from Handel and will be performed on the water.
Music lovers are invited to dress appropriately for the weather, bring a lawn chair, and/or a blanket, to come down to the Harbourside Stage, near the Lion’s Head Beach Pavilion for 7:00 p.m. and enjoy an evening of music with family and friends.
For a full schedule of all the summer concerts, please look to this local newspaper, and social media sites such as Music on the Bruce on Facebook and LookLocally.ca
