Freddie Vette and The Flames Ignite Good Time At Gull Lake

 A BIG AUDIENCE, A BIG NIGHT OF ENTERTAINMENT, AND A BIG WEEKEND FOR GRAVENHURST

     I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME I'VE GOT BEFORE I DRIFT AWAY FROM THIS MORTAL COIL. I THINK ABOUT IT EVERY NOW AND AGAIN, MOST OFTEN WHEN I'M HAVING A GOOD TIME, AND I KNOW THAT SOONER OR LATER, WE'LL COME TO THE END OF AN EVENT, A REALLY GOOD DAY, AND A FABULOUS WEEKEND. EVEN AS A KID, I DREADED THE "END" OF THINGS. I HATED LEAVING THE CARNIVAL, THE HOCKEY RINK, THE BALL DIAMOND, AND THOSE NEAT AND NOSTALGIC BIRTHDAY PARTIES I WAS INVITED. AND I KNOW ONE THING FOR SURE. IF I ONLY HAD HOURS TO LIVE, AND MY DOCTOR TOLD ME TO GO OUT AND HAVE A BLAST, I COULD ONLY PRAY IT WOULD HAPPEN ON A SUMMER SUNDAY, SO I COULD SPEND THOSE LAST MOMENTS IN THE COMFORTING, SOOTHING, ENTERTAINING BOSUM OF ROTARY GULL LAKE PARK, AND THE CONCERTS ON THE BARGE. DID I MENTION THAT I WOULD ALSO ASK FOR A REALLY NICE PICNIC HAMPER SELECTION OF DELICACIES THAT SUZANNE WON'T LET ME HAVE, EXCEPT AT CHRISTMAS.

     BUT REALLY FOLKS, TONIGHT (SUNDAY EVENING), WAS A NIGHT WORTH LIVING FOR, AND YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD BE SO PROUD IN THIS TOWN, TO HAVE SUCH A FANTASTIC OPEN-AIR, OPEN-LAKE VENUE, THAT ATTRACTS FOLKS FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE. TOWNSFOLK DESERVE TO BE PROUD OF WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR TOWN THAT OTHERS WANT A PIECE OF……AND FOR MUSIC ON THE BARGE, BY GOLLY, THEY WANT MORE THAN JUST A SLICE. I CAN'T DESCRIBE THE EXCITEMENT I HAVE, EACH SUNDAY NIGHT, KNOWING THAT PEOPLE ARE LITERALLY FLOCKING TO OUR LITTLE BALLYWICK, BECAUSE OF THE TRADITION THAT HAS BEEN PRESERVED ONWARD TOWARD ITS NEW FUTURE, BUILDING ON WHAT BEGAN IN THE LATE 1940'S. WHAT AN AMAZING WEEKEND IN GRAVENHURST GENERALLY. RIB-FEST AT THE WHARF, DAN HILL AT THE OPERA HOUSE, AND FREDDY VETTE AND THE FLAMES AT GULL LAKE PARK.

     TONIGHT, SUZANNE AND I COULD HAVE BEEN CAMPING, UP ON OUR FAVORITE SITE, ON ALGONQUIN'S ROCK LAKE. HECK, WE MIGHT HAVE FLOWN TO ENGLAND TO TAKE IN THE OLYMPICS. WE THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE NICE TO VISIT THE EAST COAST, AND FIND SOME TALL SHIP TO TAKE US BACK IN HISTORY. BUT WE DECIDED THAT NOTHING COULD TRULY TAKE THE PLACE OF A SUNDAY NIGHT ON GULL LAKE. CALL US CRAZY, BUT THERE WERE A LOT OF FOLKS….NEARLY 3,000, STUFFED INTO THAT BEAUTIFUL LITTLE PARK IN THE MIDDLE OF URBAN GRAVENHURST…..THAT FELT EXACTLY THE SAME AS US. AND FREDDY VETTE AND THE FLAMES PUT ON AN ENERGY-FILLED SHOW THAT GOT THE AUDIENCE INVOLVED IN THE FIRST TWO MINUTES OF THE PERFORMANCE, AND THAT, OF COURSE, IS THE GAME CHANGER FOR ANY PERFORMER. FREDDY HAD THEM HOOKED ALL NIGHT. EVEN WHEN HE RAN AROUND THE SHORE, THROUGH THE CROWD, HALF-TRIPPING OVER HIS OWN ONSHORE SOUND-CABLES, NARROWLY MISSING MY EARS, (WITH THE HEAD-STOCK OF HIS GUITAR) ON TWO CLOSE PASSES, THEN ALMOST WALKING ON WATER…..BUT NOT QUITE, THE CROWD WATCHED AND BRISKLY APPLAUDED HIS EVERY MOVE. WE THINK FREDDY AND HIS FLAMES WILL BE MAKING A RETURN TRIP TO GRAVENHURST NEXT SUMMER. AT LEAST IF FRED SCHULZ WAS MEASURING CROWD ENTHUSIASM…..WHICH I KNOW HE STUDIES LIKE A RHODES SCHOLAR.

BALDING MAN'S FRINGE OVERLOOKING GULL LAKE

     The embankment overlooking The Barge, (with no unkind reference to Fred Schulz or myself, for that matter), I call "Balding Man's Fringe." Well, by 5:30 p.m., two full hours before the concert was to start, the hill already had its "fringe," of spectators. A half hour after this, there were three rows along the top, and the fringe was getting bushy. By 7 p.m., the fringe had become a full toupee, and by 7:30 a mop-top, with the beach more than half full of lawn chairs, and the newly exposed beach-front was getting built-upon by every type of lawn chair on the market. The crowd on the top of the hill was also thick, and the grounds were full up to the snack bar. It was another huge crowd and may have come close to breaking the 3,000 mark. Hopefully this would translate into dollars in the donation bucket.

     What can you say about the effervescent Freddie Vette and the Flames, other than to say they worked side by side mother nature, to give the fans of Music on the Barge another perfect occasion. The audience didn't want the show to end, and they told both Freds, on The Barge, they wanted more…..much more. It was just one of those magic nostalgic moments, when everything comes together so beautifully, and memorably, that you don't want to lose the momentum of good graces. If Fred Schulz ever thought the Music on the Barge program was getting a little tired, and losing its base of support, he's been re-introduced to the very reason he gives up his summer Sundays in the first place…….to bring some good cheer to those who don't seem to ever get bored of being entertained by class acts, like Freddy Vette. I can tell you, that when Fred gets reports, from his Barge staff, about the size, depth and breadth, of the night's crowd, the smile on that face of his, does in fact, tell the whole story. It is the face of unspecified victory, of having gone through the tough times and negotiations to restore the venue this spring, which very nearly didn't happen. For those of you who didn't believe we were close to losing the venue entirely, and actually, take a trip down to Gull Lake before the next big rain, and look at the sheared-off iron support posts. With the low water level of the lake, you can see the front four or so posts, and the way the whole Barge structure has shifted several inches toward the shore. This structure could have slipped off those posts under the right circumstances of uneven weight distribution…… or with a heavy summer storm.

     I jotted down a lot of notes this evening. None of them come to the point, as bluntly, as I now want to make. Even though it cost a fair amount of money to upgrade, and a behemoth effort of volunteers from Beaver Creek Correctional Institution, plus grant money, helping immensely, it is clear from the attendance already this summer, the tax expense was justified. I'm not just saying that as a regular concert-goer. Truth be known, and I'm sure it is, I hate paying taxes. This time, I could withstand another increase, to keep this wonderful wooden and fiberglass platform out there on Gull Lake.

     It was a night to remember. Just as all the ones before. It is Muskoka at its best. Gravenhurst as the perfect host. Gull Lake at its most picturesque. You can't upgrade perfection. This was it. And what an entertainment coup for Gravenhurst this weekend, with so much good stuff going on. We need to remember these important milestone moments in November, when we're back to doomsaying again.

     I don't know how much time I've got to live. But if I was to die at the end of a Sunday show, at Gull Lake Park, even the Grim Reaper would have to say……"Man oh man, your exit was spectacular.

     Come out next week, to see what all the fuss is about. I'll profile the Civic Holiday weekend group on Tuesday. Hope to see at Gull Lake Park…….and I'm really hoping God gives me just a little more time. I hate endings, don't you? I expect God to be like Fred Schulz, and just as I'm taking my last breath, he'll stand over me and ask in a pleasant voice, "Say, would you like just a little bit more?" And I would say, "that would be nice, and thanks for asking."