Gordon Lightfoot is turning 80 and his hometown is ready to celebrate.
The annual Orillia Lightfoot Days will return Nov. 16-18. To kick off the celebrations, an open-mic event will take place at Georgian College’s Orillia campus.
Georgian instructor Geoff Booth was hoping to put on the event last year, but a faculty strike derailed that plan.
This year, it’s a go.
“I said, ‘He’s going to be 80 and we’ve got to do something',” said Booth.
The Nov. 16 event at the college’s pub, The Den, will run from 5-8 p.m., beginning with a stack of certificates being presented by politicians. Lightfoot is not expected to attend, but he’s more than welcome.
“If he showed up, I’d eat my harmonica and the case it came in,” Booth said with a laugh.
The launch party is a chance for those who love Lightfoot’s music to perform it for a crowd.
“There’s all kinds of professional appreciation for Gord, but he is just so ensconced in so many of us who play music just because we like to play it,” Booth said. “He’s part of the musical wallpaper we grew up with.”
Believe it or not, there are some people who have never heard of the folk music legend, so the open mic will also be “an opportunity to expose people who may not know him to him music.”
“Hopefully, at the end of it, there’s a sense of community that maybe we didn’t start out with,” Booth said. “He’s still living and, while we have him, I don’t want students to miss the opportunity to acknowledge there is a legend living among us.”
The following night, Nov. 17, on his birthday, Lightfoot will perform at the Orillia Opera House. That show is sold out.
There are a few other ways Orillians can celebrate. After the event at Georgian on Nov. 16, they can head downtown to the Hog N’ Penny, where a tribute concert will run from 7:30-11:30 p.m.
The party doesn’t stop there. On Nov. 17, Alleycats Music and Art will host 80 Stories and Songs About Gordon Lightfoot. Attendees are invited to share stories, sing songs and sign a giant birthday card for the musician. The event is happening from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The next day, Nov. 18, from 2-5 p.m., Lake Country Grill will host a performance by John Stinson, Eric Kidd and Steve Eyers, who is Lightfoot’s nephew.
It’s important for the community to show its appreciation for Lightfoot, Booth said in urging people to attend the various events.
“We need to show him that we really do appreciate him and care about him,” he said, noting Lightfoot has shown love to Orillia over the years by giving back to the hospital and opera house. “He has a long track record, and to see him continuing to do that … says a whole lot about his love for this community.”
Parking will be free during the event at Georgian College. Booth also sees the open-mic night as an opportunity for the community to “reacquaint” itself with the college. Most of all, he said, “we are asking the community to support local talent and celebrate Gord.”
Find out more on the Orillia Lightfoot Days Facebook page.
For more information about the launch event at Georgian, email Booth at [email protected].
