The longest-running professional theatre company in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Stephenville Theatre Festival (STF for short), returns for the 44th year in 2022, with a jam-packed slate of fit-for-the-whole-family entertainment.

“Stephenville Theatre Festival provides professional theatrical entertainment to both the residents and visitors of Stephenville & Bay St. George and we are back in full force this summer for Come Home Year 2022,” shared General Manager Benedict Pittman. 

“Stephenville Theatre Festival has a tradition of producing high-quality shows and is unique in its program of big-Broadway musicals combined with children’s productions, dinner theatre and culturally relevant shows utilizing the local talents and stories of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians such as our ‘Newfoundland Kitchen Party.’”

Delivering on the promise of high quality entertainment in one of the most picturesque areas of the island, the festival slate boasts an eclectic and entertainment lineup including the beloved Dolly Parton masterpiece 9 to 5 the Musical, the hilarious and rebellious Disenchanted, the endearing family production Neverland, and the dinner theatre game show One-hit Wonders & All-time Greats.

Edge-of-your-seat

“This year, STF is celebrating 44 years of providing amazing live musical entertainment to the beautiful Southwest coast of Newfoundland. We have assembled a fantastic company to deliver a summer of outstanding music, engaging children’s theatre and edge-of-your-seat drama,” event organizers shared in a statement to The Herald.

“We couldn’t be more excited for everyone to see the fantastic performances we’ve lined up and are thrilled to be an official part of Come Home Year 2022. There’s never been a better time to Come Home to NL and enjoy the beautiful scenery, historic culture, and passionate live theatre!

“Our performers and crew, from both Newfoundland and the rest of Canada, are working tirelessly to bring these amazing shows to life in beautiful Stephenville! Our company and community have persevered through a difficult few years but a bright future is on the horizon for both STF and Stephenville. Come home to Bay St. George this summer and see shows like you’ve never seen before! Incredible voices, fabulous dancing, heartfelt storytelling and a professional company here to elevate you from your seat and into the wonderful world of the Stephenville Theatre Festival!”

The Stephenville Theatre Festival is a not-for-profit charitable organization, registered through the Canada Revenue Agency. The STF continues to provide meaningful and delightful theatrical experiences for all in attendance.

For a complete lineup of events and tickets for performances running from July 22nd to August 20th, visit stephenvilletheatrefestival.com, call the festival box office at 709-643-4553 or the dinner theatre box office at 709-643-6666.

From B.C. fires and Alberta floods to tornadoes in Ontario and ol’ blow hard hurricanes like Larry ‘round here, Canada has had it’s share of problematic weather. 

Residential schools, the freedom convoy, gas prices, and the fact that our Prime Minister has tested positive for COVID twice in the last six months – just as we’re about to kick off Come Home Year 2022 – is enough to make even the most positive among us pop a top and swig mightily before hiding out until the calendar turns yet another page. But then look what we’d all be missing out on if we did? At least if your living in the 709, anyway. 

We all call home

The finest Drag Queens this side of the Atlantic will be taking over the bandstand stage on George Street for the first time in history as they strut their finery for all in what aims to be one epic lip sync battle, true testament to how far we’ve advanced as a society when it comes to loving and accepting and celebrating one and all in this world we call home. 

Come Home Queer in Broad Cove aims to be the spot to be this July as towns in Conception Bay North give a whole new and wondrous meaning to Come Home Year 2022. There was a time not too very long ago when anyone who was perceived as being ‘different’ had to hall arse out of our outports for paved pastures in big cities up along. No more, and that’s a mighty grand thing. I’ve had the pleasure of doing some early staycationing around pockets of this island, and all I’ve experienced so far is positivity, love, and a roll out the welcome mat greeting. 

I stayed with Michael and Karen at SeaGlass B&B in New Perlican and not only did they share their home, their grub and their magnificent view with us, but their skill at stain glass as well. 

Side-by-side, Michael walked us through the creating of a sparkling star fish and a glittering sail boat, sharing tidbits of all the other wondrous sights that should be taken in while in the area. I met the gals from Just Like Sisters (they are cousins who look like they could be twins) Bakery & Sweet Shop, I climbed aboard the Irish Mist with Dennis and Paula at the Dildo Boathouse Inn and chowed down on the finest chowder along side some enthusiastic come from aways. I dined later that evening with Pauline and the gals while having a laugh at Route 66 Diner & Pub. Michelle Rowe put our weary heads down for a night, tucking us into her tucked-away piece of heaven on edge of the ocean called The Cove overlooking Cabonear Island. 

If that wasn’t enough, Michelle generously shared her painting prowess and taught two skill-less but wannabe painting wonders how to create paintbrush renditions of silhouetted fishermen mending their nets at sunrise. 

Where we stand

Tyler at Lobster Pods in South River, Jerry at  The Doctor’s House Inn & Spa and Todd at George House in Dildo – gracious hosts all who can’t wait to share their own little piece of Canadian heaven with the rest of the waiting world. 

While I might be feeling a little overly romantically optimistic after staying with some incredibly generous people in some majestic and incredible places around the island, I still think it’s fair to say that, at least in our little pocket of this country of ours, this is still the best place in the world to be, a place worthy of standing on guard for. 

My oh my, Oh Canada! Based on the view from where we stand, you sure are one beauty of a country to call home.

Pam Pardy, The Herald’s Managing Editor, can be reached by emailing pghent@nfldherald.com

Marina Sexton loves to show off her hometown of Norris Point and Trails, Tales and Tunes, a ten day festival showcasing and highlighting the best the region has to offer on so many levels, is just as good a reason to extend an offer to visit as any, she opened.  

The festival has been warmly received for over a decade, she continued. Even through the challenges of COVID-19, Trails, Tales and Tunes – now in its 16th year – received a MusicNL Award for Event of the Year in 2020.

“It was a different year for all of us and thanks to our board, amazing event producers, sponsors and partners we delivered a virtual festival and it really was a great celebration of culture and community,” Sexton said proudly.  

‘Our Sweet 16’

The Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society has also  recognized the festival’s founder, Shirley Montague, for her many contributions to the province’s folk arts, naming her the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.  

“This is our 16th year, our sweet 16. While we had to go online, or do a combination of online and socially distanced events because of COVID over the past two years, this year, we’re back,” Sexton said. And are they ever! 

With performances by Craig Young, Angus Stewart, The Mixed Tapes, Rum Ragged, Peter Jacobs, the French Shore Fiddlers, Chris LeDrew, Sherman Downey and more, it’s one event not to be missed for the music alone. 

The calender for Trails, Tales and Tunes is jam-packed with events to delight one and all. From supper at the Lions Club to wine pairings and bike rides to Bonne Bay Loop or the lighthouse, it’s one ‘must see’ festival. And bring a friend! 

“There’s going to be our trails part of the festival that so many enjoy and we organize a number of different hikes and there’s storytellers to share tales about the region and of course there’s music and food too,” she said. The festival requires “many actively engaged volunteers,” and those involved “are so excited and are having so much fun,”  she added.

“Back when Shirley (Montague) had an idea and she gave birth to this festival, it’s been said that everyone else just helped with the labour,” Sexton said with a chuckle.  

‘A Beautiful Area’

The festival, happening from May 20-29, boasts some “fabulous hikes throughout the area,” Sexton shared. 

“Of course, we’re located in Gros Morne National Park, so it’s a beautiful area and it’s amazing in May and it’s a great time to get out and explore. People have been tied down for so long and behaving themselves doing what they were supposed to do to keep everyone safe and now we’re breaking out and this is a perfect opportunity to do just that in the most perfect setting.” 

One person who sings the praises of Trails, Tales and Tunes is Kevin Blackmore from Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers.

“Whether one goes as a performer, or just a person who likes to attend sessions, or to experience the place and partake in the events, the festival never gets old. My wife and I have gone for so many (years) that we have a whole other set of friends we get to see but once a year. For us the festival is part of our May and really it wouldn’t seem right to skip it. Life just wouldn’t be the same,” he shared.

For Sexton, Trails, Tales and Tunes is a celebration for the entire province and beyond. “There really is something for everyone and it’s something that shouldn’t be missed. It’s a beautiful area rich in culture and history and we hope to see people visit from all over as we celebrate this beautiful province of ours and what it has to offer from our unique culture to our community.”

www.trailstalestunes.ca

Badger’s Kellie Kerpan is the manager of culture and community outreach with Qalipu First Nation. When Kerpan spoke with The Herald, she was relaxing before things were about to get busy at Kilmory Resort in Swift Current. 

Situated in cabin number six, which looked ready for some celebration of sorts, we asked what was on the agenda for the weekend. 

“We have women from all across the traditional Mi’kmaq territory that are coming together. We have 26 in total that are coming together, coming from different parts of the province – from St. John’s, Glenwood, Gander, Badger, Buchans and then from the West Coast  – and it’s about bringing women together that have never connected before and just sharing,” she began.

People tend to sit in our silos in our own communities and don’t branch out a whole bunch, she continued thoughtfully.  

“Making connections and bringing women together just for a weekend is a way to start sharing,” she continued.

Leaders & Matriarchs  

In the past, in Mi’kmaq culture, the women were the matriarchs of the society, she said. “Society was run by the women. They made the decisions they were the ones responsible for putting up the camps. They were the hunters, the hunter/gatherers when they needed to, and they led the community.”

Some of that has been lost, she shared, so revisiting that sense of pride is key in order for future generations.  

But preserving culture starts with all generations, she added, including children.  “In the past, we’ve done a program here at Kilmory called Dancers and Drummers of the New Dawn and what that is was a focus on violence and anti-violence and anti-bullying in communities through the use of culture. So, a way to bring kids back to the culture to know the importance of the drumming, the importance of the dancing, to instill in them that those two things are at the core of us and those things help us along the way because the teachings that go with dancing are important,” she said. 

Like jingle dress dancing for example.  “A jingle dress dancer dances for other people … they dance for the healing of other people. There’s a story that goes, this man’s child was very sick so he made jingles and he got her to dance and as she danced, she got stronger … That’s the significance of our jingle dancers.”

As for the drummers? “The drum, that’s the heartbeat of the nation. That is the heartbeat of us. When you sit and watch that first beat on that drum, you feel it and everybody else in the room feels it as well. Everybody says how the drum just always draws them in.”

Teaching the dancing and the drumming to children “grounds them in culture,” she added.  “We were always taught. If we don’t know where we’ve come from, how do we know where we’re going?” 

Holding such events at Kilmory is important to Kerpan, she added. Besides being a central location, and a place that has enough room for their events, it’s also close to nature, she shared. Plus, there’s something else too. “It’s like coming home, and I said it to my mom yesterday, ‘Every time I drive in here, it’s just like coming home. We’re in a beautiful setting. We have the nature around us, we have the mountains and the water and things that are really important to me and my people, but what we have here are the gems of Mary and Roger (Jamieson, owners of the resort). That’s the draw.

Share what you have

“Mary is like family … The last time we had the event here with the kids, we walked in and she had dozens … of cupcakes all ready for the kids because she knew they were coming in and she just pops in and she doesn’t like to be intrusive, but she is there if we need her.”

Kerpan is a very active member of her community and sits on the executive of the cultural group, Na’taqamtug. She has coordinated and facilitated a number of cultural activities in her community, including this women’s retreat and the children’s drumming and dancing. 

“I am connected through the people, my crafting, and most importantly the land and water,” she shared. 

The land and the water are healing for her and she can often be found walking the shorelines or in the forest as she ponders the stories that have been passed down. “It’s in those times I know I am connected, and they can hear me and my prayers,” she said. 

She describes herself as a spiritual person, partaking in sweats when available, making offerings, smudging, sharing knowledge and yearning to be connected to others and to learn from them.

She lives her life in honour of her ancestors and she tries “to effect positive change and opportunities for all Indigenous people,” she said. “I live each day to try to be better for my child, to teach him things that were taught to me, to learn new things, to listen to the Elders, take the time to sit and appreciate them and all they have been through. Be kind, be thoughtful, be loving, to forgive and to share what you have.”

We ask what kinds of things should we be doing as a province or as individuals to help preserve our culture. Kerpan paused. “We’ve made strides in the last few years, especially with the resurgence of culture and people, let’s say the formation of Qalipu First Nation … People wanted to be connected, so they’re seeking that out, but we’re nowhere near where we should be. We’re in the infancy stages right now and we talk about reconciliation, and the province is big on reconciliation, but we’re not on the right path, but we’re at the beginning of the path peaking into where we need to get to.” 

Chief Mi’sel Joel and Sheila O’Neill penned My Indian. We ask if books like that help the cause. “The Chief, who is absolutely phenomenal and amazing, he can articulate in words how we need to take our stories back … I knew the story of Sylvester Joe and if you look at the time that story happened, the term ‘Indian’ was used. We weren’t classified as people. I love that (Chef Joe and O’Neill) had the courage to write the book and that they had the courageousness to title it what they did.”

This is a teaching moment, she said. “If the title My Indian upsets you, let’s read the book, and let’s get the context as to why it’s called My Indian. It’s because a proud indigenous man wasn’t shown enough respect.”

It’s powerful, she added. What’s next for Kerpan and her passion for people of all cultures?  There’s “a lot of irons in the fire,” she said. 

For more on Kerpan visit qalipu.ca  

When The Herald spoke to Paul Hamilton it was a Saturday morning and there was a pot of jiggs bubbling on the stove. Company was coming and Hamilton and fam were ready to feed the poppers-by before they headed back around the bay. Par for the course for someone like Hamilton. 

Born and raised on Bell Island, he’s no stranger to offering a mug up or having a tune or two at the ready when company drops in. 

The first time this writer saw Hamilton perform, he was playing accordion on stage with Bud Davidge. 

THE BIG STAGE

The first tune he hove out of him? What else? The Mummers Song. That all started in 2018, Hamilton explained. 

“I was really excited because I never, ever played on the big stage before. I’d done gigs in a club or something, but we played at Holy Heart and Eddie Coffey was there. It was the thrill of a lifetime for me,” he said of being asked to play with Davidge.

Then there was a tribute to Harry Hibbs. It was fitting that Hamilton participates in that. 

“I wrote a song for ‘His Nibs’ because Harry used to come to my house growing up. He and Dad were good buddies and I used to sit there and watch them playing the accordion. They’d pass it back and forth.”

Leo Hamilton, Hamilton’s Dad, would never pass the accordion over to his young son, but one day they let the young gaffer have a go. 

“I was five years old. I was sat on the floor and I was watching Dad and Harry play and I was there and Harry said to let me have a go and they passed it over and I played Wild Colonial Boy. I had learned just from watching them.” 

After that, he never put the accordion down.

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SOME GOOD FINGERS

“I never stopped playing,” he said. 

Hamilton makes sure others who want to learn the craft are able to. He’s been teaching accordion at Musically Inclined in CBS for 12 years. 

Full disclosure: This writer’s 12-year-old daughter takes button accordion lessons from Hamilton, and it’s thrilling to hear the talented player and teacher say; “she has some fingers on ‘er.” 

“Back when I knew Harry Hibbs, while I was into the accordion, it wasn’t the norm. Who would have thought that 12 year-olds these days would be lining up to take lessons? It is amazing how the young ones are still interested in accordion today. And (this writer’s daughter) Elia is one of them. She’s got really good fingers (for the buttons). And she also has a passion for accordion. I love teaching the young ones.”

OUR LEGEND, HARRY HIBBS

We ask if he has any favourite songs to perform. There’s a few. Classics like Grey Foggy Day and Rose in her Hair are but two favs. Mummers Song and Music and Friends with Davidge are up there too. 

Hamilton will be performing at the CLB Armory in St. John’s on May 15th and 16th. It’s a tribute to Harry Hibbs. Another tribute back in January at The Rooms sold out. 

Hamilton thinks back on his career. While he plays with his band, Hamilton Sound, he’s had many incredible experiences. Back when he was 14 he used to play for tours on a tuna boat called Miss Molson. He performed on All Around the Circle too.  

Hamilton’s song, Our Legend, Harry Hibbs, is one tune he wrote and recorded in honour of Harry Hibbs. Hamilton owns a debt of gratitude to Hibbs. 

“I’ll never forget my first tune. I was sat on the floor watching and Dad would play and Harry would get up and dance, then Harry would play and Dad would get up and dance, and then I asked for a turn. Dad thought I’d break it, but Harry said, ‘let him try.’ I can’t thank him enough for that.”

For more follow Paul Hamilton on Facebook via Hamilton Sound or visit our new Instagram page for story updates as they happen.

A special thanks to The Herald’s #ScenesofNL contest winner Alick Tsui for providing the photos used in this piece. To see more of Tsui’s work, check out his Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, or alicktsuiphotography.com.