It took a dream, a vision, and lots of volunteers and community support, but for the past 41 years the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival has successfully turned a wealth of local art into a thriving community centre in the heart of cottage country.

Starting as a wildlife art festival, the weekend-long fine art display — which opens on the evening of Friday, August 17th and runs all weekend — has grown into a world-class festival that showcases more than 80 Canadian visual artists, sculptors, jewelers, and photographers in pavilions that fill a park in the small town.

At the heart of the park is the not-for-profit Buckhorn Community Centre; the recipient of all the festival funds. According to festival director Allyson Allin, it’s a great way to fundraise.

“The artists have built this,” she explains. “Some of the original artists paid for the building materials for the first 11 buildings in Festival Park and, since the early days, it has grown.”

These days, the festival goes beyond wildlife but Allin notes that it is still a juried show with a criteria for fine art. This is not, as Allin explains, a craft fair.

The Buckhorn Fine Art Festival is well designed to help visitors develop relationships with artists and their work.

As guests of the festival wander through the park and the pavilions, there are opportunities to chat with artists, watch demonstrations, and to absorb the energy of the pieces that fill the space.

Starting with opening night on Friday, August 17th and closing at 5 p.m. on Sunday, August 19th, there is lots of time to fall in love with your next piece of original art. Art will be available for purchase using Mastercard, VISA, Interac (debit), and cash.

“There is enough time to return to see a favourite piece over the weekend,” Allin says. “For people who buy and collect art, it’s a great experience. This is where you can connect with a piece and you can learn its story and how it was created and why.”

The festival focuses on fine art but it is still family friendly and, with the “ARTivity Zone” operating all weekend, children can participate, create, and experiment in different art mediums.

“We try not to direct in the Artivity Zone,” Allin says. “We let the children decide which activities they are drawn to.”

And if the kids or their parents are stumped, facilitators are available to assist the children if needed or they can help families take on group activities — all with a focus on creative exploration of art and the joy it can bring.

Besides the gorgeous views offered all weekend, Allin is also proud of the sounds and tastes that will create a rich experience for festival patrons.

There are musicians playing all weekend long — including Bridget Foley & the Pocket Kings on opening night and Jasmine Murray, Brooke Averill, and The History Buffs over the weekend — and catering is being provided by Swanky Events and Executive Chef Doris Hillier with a focus on specialty sandwiches and salads.

Other highlights of the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival include a special exhibition called “The Lives of Birds” that features festival alumni. One of the founding members of the festival, famed Canadian wildlife artist Michael Dumas, has donated an original work that will be awarded in a draw on opening night (your opening night admission fee includes one free draw ticket, and additional tickets are $75 each).

The weekend-long event is open to all who want to enjoy acres of art under the pines in Buckhorn.

The Buckhorn Fine Art Festival begins with opening night on Friday, August 17th at 7 p.m., an elegant evening of fine art, food and refreshments, and live music by Bridget Foley and the Gospel Girls. You will also have the opportunity ton personally meet with exhibitors. In addition to the draw for an original work from Michael Dumas, valued at $1,000, there will also by a “Mystery Masterpiece” draw of a work from one of this year’s exhibitors.

Admission for opening night is $20 in advance or $25 at the gate, and includes parking and re-entry to the festival all weekend.

The festival continues from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, August 18th and 19th. Day passes are available for $8 (or $25 for four adults), with no charge for children under 12 who are accompanied by an adult. Advance tickets for opening night as well as day passes can be ordered online.

Admission to the festival is free for members of the Buckhorn Community Centre, the Peterborough Field Naturalists, Ducks Unlimited, and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (show your membership card or admission letter).

Proceeds of the festival continue to support the Buckhorn Community Centre, the home of Festival Park at 1782 Lakehurst Road in Buckhorn. Shuttle busses will be running from the parking locations.

For more information about the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival, visit www.buckhornfineart.com. You can also follow the festival on Facebook and Twitter.

Every Thursday, we publish live music and performance events at pubs and clubs in Peterborough and The Kawarthas based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, July 12 to Wednesday, July 18.

If you’re a pub or club owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our Nightlife Editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com.

While numerous solo artists and bands rode the synthesizer-driven pop music sound of the 1980s to great success — recently Musicfest-departed A Flock of Seagulls among them — few have defined it like Howard Jones.

From the moment he burst onto the contemporary music scene in 1983, Jones was hailed as a pioneer of synth-pop and become one of the decade’s top-selling artists.

Now, at age 63, the Southhampton, England native continues to influence a new generation of electronic and dance musicians. Still, it’s hit songs that the people want to hear and Jones will have that very well covered on Saturday, July 14th, when he performs with his electric band at Del Crary Park as Peterborough Musicfest’s 32nd season continues.

Admission to the 8 p.m. concert is free.

The eldest of four boys, Jones started piano lessons at age seven and never looked back. When he was a teenager, his family relocated to Canada which is where he joined his first band, a progressive rock group called Warrior. Eventually, he moved back to England where he played in a number of different groups in the 1970s before he began performing as a solo artist with synthesizers and drum machines.

In 1983, signed by Warner, Jones’ debut single “New Song” was a big hit, reaching number three on the British music charts and then zoomed into the Top 30 in the United States. It was included on his debut album Human’s Lib which was certified gold and platinum in several countries on the strength of additional hit singles “What Is Love?”, “Pearl In The Shell”, and “Hide And Seek”.

Eleven studio albums followed for Jones, the latest being Engage in 2015. In all, he had 10 top 40 hit singles in the UK between 1983 and 1986, including six which reached the top 10, as well as 15 top 40 hit singles internationally between 1983 and 1992.

In a 2017 interview with www.modernsynthpop.com, Jones explains how his music was influenced by the 1970s English progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

VIDEO: “Things Can Only Get Better” – Howard Jones

“I’ve looked up to Keith Emerson since he was with The Nice, playing his Hammond L-100,” he says. “He was classically trained, as I was. He would take great classical music and give it a rock feel. You know, he was a keyboard front man, which is very unusual. Something like Jimi Hendrix, but with keyboards.

“When they formed ELP in 1970, I was at one of their first major gigs, which was the Isle of Wight Festival. Keith had the Moog modular synth on stage, and he used it for the first time, and the sound of it was just mind-blowing. He had a ribbon controller cable, which enabled him to bend the sound of that early synthesizer in some amazing ways. I also admired the fact that Keith was a showman; he had a sense of flair about him. He was definitely my biggest influence.”

With total album sales in excess of eight million — a milestone achieved with the help of a string of hit singles including “Like To Get To Know You Well”, “No One Is To Blame”, “Life In One Day”, “Things Can Only Get Better”, and “Look Mama” — Jones was, and remains, a favourite for a legion of loyal fans worldwide.

VIDEO: “What Is Love” – Howard Jones

His still memorable July 1985 Live Aid performance of “Hide And Seek” at Wembley Stadium only helped strengthened that following.

“I always thought that music was such a powerful thing,” Jones says. “”In a way, you have a direct route to the hearts of your listeners. Because I was aware of that, and how much music deeply affected me in my life, I wanted my music to really count. I wanted it to really reach people at a deep level.

“Life’s tough, you know. Things go wrong and the unexpected happens. I believe music can have the function of helping you get back up on your feet and start looking more positively toward the future. It’s also a matter of realizing that you can change certain things about your situation. I really wanted to incorporate that feeling into my music.”

VIDEO: “No One Is To Blame” – Howard Jones

Pushing the envelope musically has been at the heart of Jones’ success since day one.

“When I started, I wanted to do something different, using the technology of the day,” he says. “I found myself in a position where all of this new technology was exploding. You could go down to your local music store and buy some of it. I really wanted to use these new instruments and to use them in new ways.

“I’ve used that approach to keep myself motivated throughout my career. I’m always pushing forward, trying to get the most out of these tools that I can. I always want to be discovering new things, to do things in a new way.”

VIDEO: “New Song” – Howard Jones

Described by AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine as “one of the defining figures of mid 1980s synth pop,” Jones has made it his mission to be a role model for music artists and he has some advice for those following in his footsteps.

“If you’re a young artist, it’s really important to try to do something new,” he says. “Draw influences from your heroes but don’t do the same thing as them. Break out on your own and show us something new. That’s one of the great things about young people. They’ve got a new vision. They don’t want to play by the rules. Anyone who’s trying to innovate, who’s trying things and breaking things, I’m right behind them.

“My definition of an artist is somebody who has a vision, and they use it — uncompromisingly. Don’t try to be like anyone else but try to bring out your own unique voice. I think that’s the level an artist should strive for. I really applaud people who do that.”

VIDEO: “Everlasting Love” – Howard Jones

VIDEO: “Hide & Seek” – Howard Jones

Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 18 free-admission concerts featuring a total of 20 acts during its 32nd season — each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights at Del Crary Park.

Overseen by general manager Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission is to “provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”

For more information on this concert or the entire 2018 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.

Last Thursday (July 5), I attended the opening night of Crow Hill: The Telephone Play at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook, eager to review the revival of one of the theatre company’s most popular productions. For those of you who don’t already know, 4th Line Theatre stages its summer plays outdoors at the picturesque Winslow Farm in the rolling hills of Millbrook.

It was the final day of the brutal heat wave and a cold front was moving in that evening. As the audience settled into their seats and the play began, rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance. We were about 20 minutes in, just getting introduced to the show’s primary characters, when 4th Line’s managing artistic director Kim Blackwell interrupted the show and advised the audience to return to their cars due to the threat of lightning. About 15 minutes later, as lightning flashed in the dark Millbrook sky, the show was cancelled.

It was the next day that I found out from 4th Line Theatre’s marketing director Caitlin McGill that this was only the second time in 27 seasons that an opening night was cancelled due to weather. The first time was in 2004 — for the opening night of the first revival of Crow Hill. Apparently lightning does strikes twice.

And indeed it does with this latest production of Crow Hill. Written by Ian McLachlan and 4th Line’s Creative Director Robert Winslow, the play was first staged in 1997, and revived again in 2004, making this its third incarnation.

Directed by Deb Williams, Crow Hill explores the nearly forgotten history of the independent phone companies created by country doctors throughout rural Ontario in the early 20th century.

Based heavily on stories and memories of Ona Gardner, a former switchboard operator who operated out of Garden Hill for over 30 years, Crow Hill also goes beyond the historical element of the tale to dives into an emotional story of love, loyalty, duty, and community.

The play is told through the words and memories of Alice Cameron (Sarah McNeilly). A strong willed and independent woman, a teenaged Alice goes to work as a switchboard operator for the lovable, if not slightly eccentric, Dr. Logie in 1937 when he creates his own telephone service to better communication with his patients and as a way to be contacted more quickly in medical emergencies.

With three telephone lines running from the fictional village of Crow Hill to nearby Millbrook, Peterborough, and Port Hope, Dr. Logie’s telephone service becomes a hub for the community, with Alice being the “ringmaster” of the party line.

Through Alice’s memories, a portrait of the community of Crow Hill is painted from 1937 to 1958 as family, friends, and neighbors go through good times and bad under the electric hum of Dr. Logie’s telephone wires.

An emotional tribute to the early days of phone service, Crow Hill is a nostalgic journey through small-town Ontario.

Now anyone who has ever seen Sarah McNeilly perform at The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough knows what a gift she is to our local theatre community. However, she has found what could potentially be her greatest role to date as Alice Cameron.

Providing the voice for the show, audiences watch Alice transform from an 77-year-old woman into a 15-year-old girl and back again throughout the show. As the feisty and independent Alice, Sarah creates a multi-dimensional character who can go from the wide-eyed innocence of a naive girl to the wisdom of a woman who has seen and heard it all, with just a slight change in body language and voice work.

Through a combination of historical and gossipy storytelling, Alice becomes the connection point for the community and Sarah becomes the same for the audience. It is a remarkable and demanding role, and Sarah gives a performance filled with equal parts spunk and heart.

But while Alice may seem to be the central character in the show, Crow Hill is really about Dr. Logie, played by Robert Winslow. There is no denying that Robert is a master of his craft, and he gives 4th Line audiences another memorable character in Dr. Logie.

Motivated by kindness and a true love for his community, Dr. Logie is an idealist who is committed to the care and welfare of the people within his community. A bit of a romantic, and a slight eccentric, Dr. Logie brings Crow Hill into the future with the creation of the phone service.

However, as time goes on, we find that Dr. Logie is also a man who is set in his ways and resists advancement, especially when he feels it will be at the expense of his patients and friends. A man of strong moral standing, in many ways Dr. Logie is the heart of the show, with the emotional crux being the tender friendship between him and Alice. Together, Robert and Sarah have a wonderful and warm chemistry that makes this production glow.

Of course it takes a complete company of actors to make an entire community in a 4th Line play, and there are many wonderful little character pieces in Crow Hill created by a cast ranging from small children to seasoned performers.

Large character players include Kait Dueck as line repair woman Grace Dyson, who not only becomes the object of Dr. Logie’s affections but also an unconventional rival for Alice, and Courtenay Stevens with an animated performance as sales man Ed Milton, who becomes not only the comic foil but also a voice for progress.

Other smaller character standouts include Mark Hiscox as Crow Hill’s fire marshal Lorne Ferguson and Lorna Green as the mysterious Granny Troll. The standout character performance goes to Mark Kreder in the role of Alice’s twin brother Hugh, whose storyline focuses on his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder after coming home from World War II. Mark and Robert have some incredible scenes together in the second act of the play, revealing the horrors of the war and bringing dramatic substance to what is primarily a light-hearted production.

With all 4th Line Theatre shows, it’s always the little unique touches that make the productions so memorable. From the unique sets and the creative use of the full performance space, to the fascinating authentic antiques used in the production (including Dr. Logic driving onto the set in a classic car), Deb Williams and her company creates a world filled with nostalgic warmth.

There is a reason that Crow Hill has proved to be so popular with audiences that 4th Line would bring it back to the stage for the third time. It’s a show filled with emotional depth, endearing characters, and just a slight touch of heart-wrenching romance.

But despite its share of dramatic moments of tragedy, Crow Hill never engulfs itself fully into darkness. Instead, it creates a longing for a different time — a time before cell phones, texting, and voice mail.

It brings back the days when everybody in a community knew everyone’s name and everyone’s business. It brings the heart back into telecommunications and a human factor back to the telephone. Crow Hill is a true winner, and potentially the most beautiful show I’ve seen so far this year.

Crow Hill: The Telephone Play runs from Tuesdays to Saturdays until July 28th at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook, with an additional performance on Monday, July 23rd. Shows start at 6 p.m. Tickets are $38 for adults and $32 for youth and can be purchased by phone at 705-932-4445, online at www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca or at 4th Line Theatre box office in Millbrook at 4 Tupper Street and in Peterborough at the Peterborough Museum and Archives at 300 Hunter Street East.