WHY ARE THERE NO RAIN OUTS FOR THE BARGE

CLIMATE AND THE BARGE- A NEVER ENDING BATTLE FOR SUN OVER GULL LAKE

MUSKOKA DISTRICT BAND PLAYS AT 7:30 P.M. SUNDAY (TODAY) AT GULL LAKE PARK

     EVEN AROUND OUR HOUSE, WE START LOOKING AT WEATHER REPORTS ON MONDAY, TO FIGURE OUT THE DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY, RAINY WEATHER WILL IMPOSE ON THE COMING SUNDAY'S CONCERT ON THE BARGE PROGRAM. OUR BOYS, ROBERT AND ANDREW ARE PART OF THE TECH CREW, WHO HELP SET UP THE BARGE AND ASSIST EACH OF THE VISITING GROUPS. THEY HATE RAIN-OUTS. WITHOUT A CANOPY, THEY ALSO VERY MUCH HATE SUDDEN, UNPREDICTED RAIN EVENTS, THAT CAN CAUSE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN DAMAGES, TO SENSITIVE SOUND EQUIPMENT. THE BARGE HAS A NEW TEMPORARY SHELTER, TO HELP KEEP EQUIPMENT DRY, IN THE CASE OF SUDDEN RAINFALL….THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON, DIDN'T SHOW UP ON THE WEATHER RADAR.

     THERE IS RAIN PREDICTED. THERE MAY BE A THUNDERSTORM. A MONSOON. TYPHON. PESTILENCE. ALL OF IT LIKE A WEIGHT OF PONDEROUS CHAIN BEING HAULED AROUND BY THE BARGE MANAGER, AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE FIRST CONCERT OF THE 2012 SUMMER SEASON. FRED SCHULZ WILL BE MONITORING THE WEATHER, PROBABLY ON THE HOUR (AT LEAST WHILE AWAKE - WHICH WILL POTENTIALLY BE ALL NIGHT), TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO HANDLE A MAJOR BOUT OF INCLEMENT WEATHER, FOR SUNDAY'S (TONIGHT'S) CONCERT ON THE BARGE. IT IS LIKELY GOING TO BE THE CASE, FOR THE FIRST CONCERT, WITH THE MUSKOKA DISTRICT BAND, THAT THEY WILL BE SETTING UP IN THE ROTARY PAVILION, WHERE THEY PLAYED LAST YEAR, DURING THE FIRST ROUND OF RESTORATIONS TO THE BARGE. CONDUCTOR NEIL BARLOW MAY DECIDED TO SET-UP IN THE PAVILION JUST IN CASE INCLEMENT WEATHER PREVAILS. THE AUDIENCE MIGHT GET A LITTLE WET, BUT THE PERFORMERS WILL BE NICE AND DRY. THE BARGE, FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, IS READY TO GO, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE A WEATHER-GUARD, AS DOES THE PAVILION, WHICH IN THE CASE OF A LARGE GROUP IS DEFINITELY AN ASSET.

     RAIN CANCELLATION. WHAT'S THAT ALL ABOUT? WHY THIS YEAR? THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ALTERNATE SITES BEFORE? WHY IS IT DIFFERENT TODAY, THAN IT WAS LAST YEAR? ISN'T IT A BIG LOSS OF REVENUE, IF A CONCERT HAS TO BE CANCELED OUTRIGHT? I THINK IT MIGHT BE WORTHWHILE TO OFFER SOME BACKGROUND, TO THOSE WHO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS YEAR'S CHANGED FORMAT. I HAVE TALKED WITH FRED AT CONSIDERABLE LENGTH, ABOUT WEATHER-RELATED CANCELLATIONS, AND HE'S BEEN PUT IN A ROUGH POSITION. SOMEWHAT, YOU SEE, BECAUSE OF THE POPULARITY OF THE CONCERT SERIES, AND THE LARGE AND GROWING NUMBER OF PEOPLE ATTENDING THE VENUE EACH SUNDAY NIGHT. I'M PRETTY SURE THERE WILL BE CONCERT-GOERS, VERY DISAPPOINTED THE PROGRAMS WON'T BE MOVED INDOORS…..AND MAY OFFER SOME UNKIND ADVICE TO MR. SCHULZ. THESE FOLKS NEED A LITTLE BACKGROUND INFORMATION, TO APPRECIATE THE POSITION THE MANAGER WAS IN, BEING BETWEEN TWO HARD PLACES, WITHOUT MUCH WIGGLE ROOM.

     SEVERAL YEARS AGO, RAINED-OUT CONCERTS WERE MOVED INDOORS, AT THE GRAVENHURST CENTENNIAL CENTRE. THE TERRY FOX ROOM WOULD ALLOW FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE HUNDRED OR MORE PEOPLE, FOR ONE OF THE MORE POPULAR SHOWS. EVEN THEN, PEOPLE WERE TURNED AWAY, ESPECIALLY IF IT HAPPENED TO BE A GROUP LIKE TANGLEFOOT, THAT ALWAYS DREW LARGE NUMBERS TO THE PARK. THERE WERE MANY PATRONS WHO SIMPLY WOULDN'T STAY FOR AN INDOOR VENUE, AND THAT OPENED SEATS FOR SOMEONE ELSE. OVER TIME HOWEVER, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WERE BEING TURNED-AWAY AT THE DOOR, AND IT WAS ALWAYS DIFFICULT FOR THE MANAGER TO LIMIT GUESTS; MANY OF THIS NUMBER WERE HIS CONCERT LOYALISTS. BUT IT WAS ALWAYS ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS. SOME WANTED VOLUNTEERS TO SAVE SEATS FOR THEM, BUT THIS WAS IMPOSSIBLE, AND EXTREMELY UNFAIR TO EVERYONE ELSE.

     WHEN THE RECONSTRUCTION BEGAN ON THE RECREATION CENTRE A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, FRED LOSS THE USE OF THE TERRY FOX ROOM, AND RAIN-OUTS WERE SWITCHED TO THE OPERA HOUSE, WHICH MEANT, NO SHOWS COULD BE BOOKED BY THE THEATRE MANAGER FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMER….WHICH WAS HANDCUFFING THEM FROM MAKING MONEY. THE OPERA HOUSE CAPACITY IS ABOUT 320 I BELIEVE, AND WHILE IT WAS ADEQUATE AS A RAIN OUT LOCATION, IT STILL NECESSITATED TURNING MANY PATRONS AWAY, AT THE DOOR, AND THAT CREATED A LOT OF HARDSHIPS AND BAD FEELINGS OVER TWO YEARS. EVEN IF THE VENUE HAD 600 SEATS, WE STILL WOULD HAVE BEEN FORCED TO DECLINE ENTRY TO HUNDREDS OF OTHERS.

     ONE OF THE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS, WAS THAT THE BARGE MANAGER, WAS NEVER CALLED INTO PLANNING MEETINGS, TO DISCUSS THE DIMENSIONS OF THE NEW TERRY FOX ROOM, AND THE SOON-TO-BE RENOVATED RECREATION CENTRE. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PRIORITY OF THE RENOVATION COMMITTEE. FRED WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TELL THEM, THAT A SECOND FLOOR VENUE, WITHOUT A LARGE INDUSTRIAL ELEVATOR, WOULD NOT WORK FOR CONCERT RE-LOCATIONS. THE OPERA HOUSE HAS A LARGE, SUBSTANTIAL WEIGHT-CAPACITY ELEVATOR, FOR EQUIPMENT AND FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T NAVIGATE THE STAIRS. THE NEW TERRY FOX ROOM DOES NOT HAVE THE PATRON CAPACITY OF THE OPERA HOUSE, AND IT IS NOT SOUND-PROOF, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, SO THAT WHAT GOES ON AT ICE-LEVEL, AND WHAT MIGHT GO ON IN THE COMMUNITY ROOM, MAY MERGE IN RECOGNIZABLE DIN. THE ROOM IS NOT CONCERT-FRIENDLY. EVEN GETTING EQUIPMENT FROM VEHICLES TO THE SECOND FLOOR ROOM, WOULD BE TOO MUCH WORK FOR THE STAFF OF VOLUNTEER SOUND AND LIGHT TECHNICIANS. IT IS NOT AN EASY LOAD-IN OR LOAD-OUT, WHICH IS OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE AND CONSIDERATION FOR SOME OF THE LARGER GROUPS, WITH MUCH MORE ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH.

     AS THE TERRY FOX ROOM WAS STILL EXPECTED TO BE THE RAIN-OUT LOCATION, THE ARRANGEMENT WITH THE OPERA HOUSE CHANGED, AND FRED NO LONGER HAD RUNNING PERMISSION TO USE THE THEATRE AS AN EMERGENCY RE-LOCATION. IT WASN'T GREAT, IN TERMS OF CAPACITY, BUT IT WAS THE BEST OF THE TWO OPTIONS. ADD ONTO THIS, THE INCREASING PHYSICAL DEMANDS, PLACED ON THE MANAGER, (NO SPRING CHICKEN), AND THE VOLUNTEERS, WHO HAVE DAY-JOBS, AND IT BECAME LESS AND LESS FEASIBLE TO MOVE RAINED-OUT CONCERTS INSIDE.

     THE BIG DANGER HERE, OF COURSE, IS THAT THERE WILL BE A LOT OF RAIN-OUTS, THIS SUMMER, MAKING UP FOR THE MANY YEARS OF CONTINUOUS GREAT WEATHER. IF THIS HAPPENS, AND WE HOPE TO GOD IT DOESN'T, THERE WILL BE ADDED STRESS FOR FRED, TRYING TO BALANCE THE CONCERT SERIES EXPENSES, BECAUSE GROUPS WILL HAVE TO BE PAID REGARDLESS WHETHER THEY PLAY OR NOT. CONCEIVABLY THIS MOVE TO CANCEL CONCERTS OUTRIGHT, BECAUSE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER, COULD BE THE MAKING OF A DISASTER. BUT FRED HAS NO CHOICE AT PRESENT. HE JUST HOPES TO MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE WITH GENEROUS DONATIONS AT THE NEXT CONCERT. FOR AS PESSIMISTIC AS HE CAN BE, HE'S AN ABUNDANT BELIEVER IN WISHFUL THINKING. THAT'S WHY HE WENT OUT AND PURCHASED A TEMPORARY CANOPY FOR THE BARGE, TO SET UP IN THE EVENT OF A RAIN SHOWER, TO PROTECT THE ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, AND INSTRUMENTS. SHORT LIVED RAIN EVENTS CAN BE DEALT WITH. A CYCLONE. NOT SO MUCH. FRED HAS A REAL CONCERN ABOUT THE SAFETY OF HIS CONCERT GUESTS. HE'S WATCHED STORMS MOVE OVER THE PARK IN ONLY MINUTES, AND WITH MANY SENIOR CITIZENS AND THOSE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES, GETTING TO A SAFE PLACE ISN'T EASY, OR SOMETHING THAN CAN BE DONE IN ONLY MINUTES. THE ROTARY PAVILION WOULD FILL UP QUICKLY. WITH ALL THE TREES, GULL LAKE PARK IS NOT THE BEST PLACE TO HANG-OUT, DURING A HIGH WIND OR THUNDER STORM.

     HE'S HOPING AGAINST HOPE THAT THE RAIN EVENTS THIS SUMMER, ARE SHORT-LIVED INCONVENIENCES, AND THAT AUDIENCE MEMBERS WILL BRING THE APPROPRIATE RAIN GEAR, TO WEATHER THE PASSING SHOWER. THERE MIGHT BE A LITTLE DELAY, BUT THE SHOW CAN CARRY-ON IF THERE'S NO DANGER OF LIGHTNING, OR DANGEROUS WIND.

     IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE A LARGE INDOOR ENTERTAINMENT VENUE A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY FROM GULL LAKE, THAT COULD BE USED FOR RAIN-OUT RE-LOCATIONS. THE REALITY, AT PRESENT, IS THAT NOTHING EXISTS, BELONGING TO THE TOWN, TO ACCOMMODATE THE HUGE CROWDS THESE EVENTS ATTRACT. I SUPPOSE FRED IS A VICTIM OF HIS OWN SUCCESS, GETTING FOLKS OUT TO BARGE CONCERTS.

     PLEASE UNDERSTAND, THAT FRED WILL ONLY CANCEL A CONCERT IF THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE. HE KNOWS WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE WEATHER, AND HE CAN GET UPDATES FROM THE AIRPORT, TO TIME-OUT THESE EVENTS, AND IF THE RAIN WILL STOP SHORTLY…..OR NOT; OR NECESSITATE THE BUILDING OF THE NEXT ARK. IF YOU THINK YOU'RE INCONVENIENCED AND DISAPPOINTED, LOOK AT FRED AND HIS BAND OF VOLUNTEERS. BET YOU, THEY FEEL WORSE ABOUT RELAYING BAD NEWS TO HAPPY FAVES. SO IF YOU FEEL INCLINED TO YELL AT THEM, CALL THEM NAMES, HISS IN THEIR DIRECTION, STOP AND THINK FOR A MOMENT, ABOUT ALL THE WORK THESE FOLKS HAVE DONE, FOR YEARS AND YEARS, TO KEEP THE BARGE AND THE CONCERTS SERIES ONGOING. INSTEAD OF CALLING THEM "KILL-JOYS," THANK THEM FOR TRYING, AS HARD AS POSSIBLE, TO PUT ON A DRY, SUNNY, FESTIVE, SUNDAY EVENING SHOW. STUFF HAPPENS. EVEN TO FRED SCHULZ AND THE BARGE DEBATING SOCIETY.

     COME PREPARED FOR WET WEATHER. IF YOU DON'T NEED IT, WELL, WOULDN'T THAT BE NICE. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. REMEMBER. GET THERE A LITTLE EARLY TO GET A GOOD SPOT. IF YOU CAN SPARE A LITTLE CHANGE FOR THE DONATION PAIL, THAT WOULD BE GREAT AS WELL.

     I'LL HAVE A REVIEW OF THE CONCERT AND THE ACTIVITIES AT GULL LAKE PARK IN TOMORROW'S BLOG. PLEASE JOIN ME!