While the “secret location” of Neil Young’s concert tonight (December 1) will only be unveiled at the beginning of the live stream at 8 p.m., most of us know by now the concert is taking place from Coronation Hall in Omemee, where Neil spent some of his childhood years. (Note: CTV has now confirmed the concert location is Omemee on the website at CTV.ca.)

Neil will perform a solo acoustic show at the 140-seat venue, which will reportedly be set up with couches and chairs to create an intimate, hometown feel.

The concert is only open to people who have received tickets, either won through radio contests or by invitation. kawarthaNOW has learned teachers at Scott Young School in Omemee (named after Neil’s late father) were offered tickets for $40, with proceeds being donated back to the music program at the school.

If you aren’t lucky enough to have a ticket and you want to watch the concert with other Neil fans, there are a few local viewing options.

In Omemee itself, you can view the live stream from Coronation Hall at two locations (however, because of road closures and parking restrictions, you won’t be able to park at either location).

The Omemee Curling Centre (15 James St., Omemee, 705-799-7156) will be streaming the concert from the TV in their lounge.

The bar will be open and chili will be available. Doors open at 7 p.m.

You won’t be able to park at the centre due to closure of Highway 7 (King St.) from Lane St. to Colborne St. So you’ll need to find a parking space elswehere and walk to the centre.

The Peterborough Folk Festival and Long And McQuade Peterborough are hosting a family-friendly viewing party outside the Omemee branch of the Royal Canadian Legion (46 King St. E., Omemee).

The concert will be projected on a screen outside, so dress for the weather and bring your own chair.

Because of the closure of King Street from Lane to Colborne streets, you’ll need to take Mary St. to get to the legion. However, parking will be prohibited on Mary St. so you’ll have to find somewhere else to park and walk to the legion.

In Peterborough, Trent University’s Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies is hosting viewing parties at three different locations at Trent:

• The Ernest and Florence Benedict Gathering Space, First Peoples House of Learning at Gzowski College
• The Wenjack Theatre at Otonabee College
• The event space at The Students’ Centre

Admission is free and everyone is welcome, including Trent students, alumni, faculty, and staff as well as the general public. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

In Lindsay, the Coaches & Horses Pub (16 York St. S., Lindsay, 705-328-0006) will be streaming the concert.

Chances are that other pubs and bars in the area may be streaming the concert as well. If you know about a local viewing party not listed here, please email us the details at newsroom@kawarthanow.com and we’ll update this story.

There is also an unconfirmed report a large viewing screen will be set up outside Coronation Hall so Omemee residents and others without tickets can watch the concert.

How to live stream the concert

If you can’t make it to a viewing party, the concert will be live streamed on Friday, December 1st at 8 p.m. EST in Canada exclusively on CTV.ca (or by using the free CTV GO app) and on iHeartRadio.ca. Note: the concert will NOT be broadcast on CTV on cable or over the air, it’s available online only.

For people living outside of Canada, the concert will be live streamed via Neil Young’s Facebook page (the Facebook stream will not be available to Canadian residents) and on the newly launched Neil Young Archives website.

Less than 48 hours after having its annual service grant boosted by the City of Peterborough, Showplace Performance Centre board members, staff, and donors gathered Thursday afternoon (November 30) to celebrate one of the theatre’s founders and most fervent supporters.

The Erica Cherney Theatre sign, situated above the doors to the main 640-seat performance space in the lobby, was unveiled by Erica’s children Karen and Rich Cherney as their brother Michael looked on proudly.

VIDEO: Unveiling of The Erica Cherney Theatre at Showplace Performance Centre

“This summer Beth (McMaster) approached me with an idea, saying ‘The board and I think there’s a wonderful way to honour your mom. It would be a win-win. You’re looking for causes to support; we want to honour your mom. What about naming the main auditorium at Showplace for her,'” said Michael.

“Mom is with us today. She is chuckling and she is blushing, saying ‘Oh c’mon, really?’ But most of all she has a smile on her face. That is how the three of us remember her.”

A very successful businesswoman as well as a tireless supporter of numerous community organizations, causes and events, Erica died on August 16, 2016, after a length battle with cancer. She was 84.

“We were always talking about the possibility of this place … we were reading from the same page,” said McMaster who, along with Erica, Betty Farquharson and Barbara Scott, spearheaded a campaign to gather support for the development performance theatre in the downtown core.

That led to the purchase of the Trent Cinemas property in 1995. After the building was gutted and renovated, Showplace opened on October 5, 1996.

“On my way in this morning, I stopped at the cemetery to see her grave and tell her hello and what we’re up to,” said Rich.

“Her gravestone reads ‘Cherish the memory and let it live on’. We think naming this theatre after her, and doing our best to ensure that Showplace continues to survive and thrive, is one of the best ways we know that patrons of the theatre can, in fact, cherish her memory.

“One thing that many people have said, both about mom and myself, is we are shit disturbers. We’re also passionate about things that are important to us. We’re passionate about showing what is important to us. We’re really passionate about this community, about maintaining our legacy in it, about not forgetting it.”

For her part, Karen mused on what her mom’s reaction would have been to the dedication.

“First of all, she would have first chosen to help anonymously. This probably wouldn’t have been her first choice, just because she liked to do thing without fanfare for her. It’s touching. It brought tears to my eyes that I didn’t expect.”

The Cherneys joins a list of Showplace naming partners that includes Nexicom, Darling Insurance, Publican House Brewery, Whelan’s Flooring Centre, and David Goyette. Each has paid for their naming right.

Showplace interim general manager Emily Martin termed the cost for the main theatre naming “substantial” but added ‘That didn’t come into effect as much as having Erica’s name on the theatre. That’s where the value is (for Showplace).”

Also on hand was Paul Downs, past president of Nexicom. The Millbrook-based telecommunications company bought the naming rights to Showplace’s lower-level performing space, the Nexicom Studio, several years ago.

He termed the Cherney dedication “marvelous to see,” adding, “It’s a reminder of how important it is for everyone in the community to be involved and support Showplace. It’s a unique venue.”

Thursday’s dedication capped off a great week for Showplace. On Tuesday (November 28), city council approved the provision of an annual service grant to Showplace in the amount of $137,181 — an increase of $30,000. In addition, the theatre will be granted $75,000 this year for renovations and another $75,000 in 2018 for the same purpose.

The funding comes on the heels of Showplace’s restructuring its finances to help deal with an ongoing deficit and much-needed renovations.

“This is a 640-seat theatre in the heart of our community,” said Mayor Daryl Bennett at the dedication. “In many ways, the heart of the community is what this place is.

“That speaks volumes about the reasoning behind city council’s long-term commitment. This has been a 20-year engagement and we’re just getting started.”

Despite no official announcement from either Neil Young or Bell Media, evidence continues to mount that the iconic Canadian musician is holding his live-streaming concert at Omemee’s Coronation Hall on Friday, December 1st.

First, we broke the news on Monday (November 27) that the City of Kawartha Lakes had provided a road closure permit for Bell Media, which is producing the concert in partnership with Young’s film production company Shakey Pictures.

Now we have further visual proof, courtesy of Craig Foster, that Neil will be returning to his childhood hometown for a performance.

First, there were the trucks that began to arrive at Coronation Hall on Tuesday (November 28):

Several are parked around the property:

Crews are unloading lots of equipment:

And now there’s this video Craig took of a long black fence installed around the parking lot beside Coronation Hall:

And finally, there’s this photo of a crew member with a tag read reads “Neil’s HT Boy’s”:

Unless this is a reference to some obscure street gang in Omemee, it seems clear that the crew is working on concert setup for Neil Young’s hometown concert (“HT” could refer to “Home Town”).

kawarthaNOW has also received reports of lengths of cables being installed between Coronation Hall and Trinity United Church across the road, presumably so the church can be used for a control centre or viewing location.

While we don’t have any photos, we’ve also received reports of Neil himself staying at local accommodation in the area, as well as sightings of his girlfriend Daryl Hannah, who is reportedly directing the concert.

Neil hasn’t named Omemee, but earlier today (November 29), he posted on Facebook that he would be performing live “from my Canadian Home Town”:

The concert will be live streamed on Friday, December 1st at 8 p.m. EST in Canada exclusively on CTV.ca (or by using the free CTV GO app) and on iHeartRadio.ca. Note: the concert will not be broadcast on CTV on cable or over the air, it’s available online only.

For people living outside of Canada, the concert will be live streamed on Facebook (the Facebook stream will not be available to Canadian residents) — visit www.facebook.com/ctv for details.

VIDEO: Neil Young From Somewhere In Canada Preview

While some radio stations owned by Bell Media are giving away tickets and we have reports of certain people who have a connection with Neil receiving them, as far as we know no tickets are being sold to the general public.

All Omemee photos and video are courtesy of Craig Foster.