THE BARGE CONCERT SERIES IS A PIVOT OF HOMETOWN WELL BEING

Fred Schulz only knows part of what his contribution to this town means. As manager of The Barge, and Sunday Concert Series, at Rotary Gull Lake Park, he certainly knows his services are appreciated. There are quite a few awards and letters of support to attest to this. What he doesn’t fully understand, is how much heartbreak his departure would create amongst all of us patrons, who consider him the barometer of well-being in the old hometown. He’s got a huge fan base, yet he’s not the entertainer. When he walks through the crowd, he attracts groupies. Not many concert promoters have this kind of crowd appeal. “Say, what happened to Fred. I thought he was just going to the snack bar for fries,” my son might ask. “Can’t you see his head,” responds my other son. “He’s in the middle of that group of people over there.” This is the truth. No embellishment. He’s a popular guy. Yet he’s modest beyond belief. Fred defers congratulations to all of the people who help him throughout the year, get the concert series up and running. As for ego, well, his success has never gone to his head, and if you know Fred at all, you’d have to agree he’s not in it as a popularity competition.

Few of the concert goers, who faithfully follow the summer events, would disagree, Fred is curiously symbolic of home town values, and one of our fondest summer traditions has been nurtured by this good neighbor for long and long.......and even by his own admission, it’s become so much a part of his life, that instinct takes over at key parts of the organizational year. If he ever did leave his post, to pursue retirement, he has confessed to me, he’s not at all sure how he’d be able to shake old habits, especially on concert nights, as it has been so much a part of his comings and goings, as if it is a flesh and blood part of his family life.

Fred has meant a lot to our family. He has been a mentor to our boys, who are both now firmly planted in the entertainment industry, thanks to his leadership, and he has given Suzanne and I many memorable summer nights, by offering us that wonderful venue overlooking a beautiful Muskoka lake. We look forward to the commencement of The Barge season, and what a joy it is to see Fred walk out onto that stage to launch yet one more season. I have told Fred this many times, that his highly successful concert program, each summer, is as much a hallmark of what Gravenhurst represents as a hometown, as when a silversmith boldly strikes a stamp on a beautifully crafted punch bowl or tankard. If you were to sample the audience, and find out just where these folks were from, what an international mingling you would discover......and the goodwill from this series travels globally as well, in first person, and I can’t think of many other venues and promotions for tourism, operated on such a tiny budget, that receive this much acclaim for excellence in such a routine fashion.

Fred is pretty modest about his accomplishments, and isn’t a “limelight” seeker. He has given up a huge part of his time over the decades, to give us something splendid.....a pillar of what any hometown wants as its marker of hospitality, friendship, and neighborliness. What has been my concern for many years now, is the apparent neglect of town hall, to recognize what the Concert Series involves each year, which begins early in the new year, when acts have to be sought out, negotiated with, booked, and a plethora of details worked out by ongoing communication with the participating parties. The concerts themselves are often grueling encounters, when dealing with the many details of organization, equipment, food preparations for the groups and volunteers, and having the weight of responsibility hanging over his head constantly, when a decision on inclement weather, may force a concert inside. Fred hates to pull a concert indoors, as he knows many folks won’t get a seat, as was proven this year when the Opera House was jammed to capacity for a concert, and he had to pacify many disenchanted folks, who left disappointed. Fred was devastated by the fact some people had blamed him, as if he had ordered the rain to fall. But with an amazing resilience he was back on the stage the next Sunday evening, as vibrant as ever, delighting so many of his ardent supporters.

Fred has managed to operate The Barge, for many years, on a shoestring budget. For a venue that attracts some of the largest crowds of any Muskoka entertainment offering, his ability to pull off the seasons, pretty much on budget each year, is nothing short of phenomenal when related to other municipal operations requiring much more funding for less output. But there comes a time when change is necessary. The Barge is in great need of restoration, as quite a chunk of woodwork must be replaced for the health and safety of all users. It has been this way for some time but the only repairs made so far, have been of a minor nature, much of this handcrafted by Fred’s faithful volunteer brigade.

The Town of Gravenhurst is fortunate to have the services of Fred Schulz but they must not take his kindness for granted one day longer. He is mortal afterall, and suffers as we all do, from time to time, from the rigors of the job. As a personal care-giver for his mother, Fred admittedly has been exhausted for most of the past five years. But you’d never know it, when he cheerfully heads down to the Gull Lake shoreline, crosses out to the The Barge with armfuls of supplies, to set up for the night’s concert. While he is, in our terms, the only one who can pull off this concert series, and he has a lot of testimonials to this effect, it is necessary for council to appreciate more fully, the importance of discussing, openly and honestly, his increasing capital needs for The Barge, and the ongoing concert series. In my own opinion, he needs a greater respect from all council representatives and NOW. Not just a handshake or pat on the back, which he gets plenty of, but a sincere direction of interest, in what his work, in local entertainment, means to our hometown generally, and how that tradition should not be lost because of a lack of interest. While some members of council have been supportive, and do care about the issue of a failing Barge platform, it certainly hasn’t found its way into the election debate so far. This I hope will change.

We all have a happily acknowledged conflict with Mr. Schulz and The Barge. Our sons Robert and Andrew have worked with Fred for years now, as have their friends, and we assist as they put on an annual fundraiser to help Fred defray costs of its operation. And you can find us along the lakeshore for every Sunday concert (unless rain sends us for shelter), where we have found our own little sliver of Muskoka nirvana. When we look out at the huge audience huddled on the embankment, through the park, and watch over the crowded beachfront on a beautiful summer night, I can tell you, it’s a feeling of pride we feel most of all, because they are all appreciating a homegrown tradition.....many citizens of other Muskoka towns making a point of spending these nights as our guests. All thanks to Fred. Frankly, without Fred, it just wouldn’t be the same. He instills an air of celebration about it all, and that’s the work of the man, not just the performance at hand.

It’s time that the Town of Gravenhurst appreciated The Barge and Mr. Schulz’s efforts, by placing the matter as a high priority......not the low priority it currently holds in town affairs. If it was a high priority, the rotting boards and unsafe conditions of The Barge would have been repaired three or four years ago. It’s time for action to save a wonderful entertainment program in our town. Insist on it. Talk to Fred. Support his position as ongoing manager. He would greatly appreciate hearing from you.

From all of us, thank you Fred.