A Joyful Celebration Sets the Stage for Drayton Entertainment's Good Ol’ Country Gospel

 

Thursday night the Drayton Festival Theatre was transformed into the Little Brown Church for the opening of Good Ol’ Country Gospel.  This joyful celebration of music was opened with a tribute to the Drayton Entertainment Volunteers that give over 30,000 hours of time each season. As a theatre-goer, I appreciate how much time the volunteers contribute to the success of each production, and am thankful for their acts of volunteerism.

Once the show began, the performers transported the audience to a Southern Church filled with songs recorded by Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline and Elvis. The singers and musicians on stage each played an integral part in engaging the audience with their songs and stories from the Country Gospel genre of music. The show included solo performances, duets and even a harmony chorus! Good Ol’ Country Gospel will keep your hands clapping, your toes tapping and even your knees slapping with the addition of the humourous Church Bulletin updates.

“Packed with humour and heart, Good Ol’ Country Gospel is a fun-filled tribute to the beloved and enduring canon of gospel music,” says Alex Mustakas, Artistic Director of Drayton Entertainment. “Audiences will be uplifted, inspired, and amazed by the depth of talent on stage.” 

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Good Ol’ Country Gospel will take audiences on a spirited musical extravaganza that covers the gamut of gospel classics such as “Amazing Grace,” “I’ll Fly Away,” Peace in the Valley,” “When The Saints Go Marching In,” and many more – all with a country twist!

Grab Your Tickets Now 

Be sure to see the show in its limited run for the month of August in Drayton!

Good Ol’ Country Gospel is on stage from August 11 through August 28 at the Drayton Festival Theatre. Regular performance tickets are $53 for adults, $32 for youth under 20 years of age and $43 for groups of 20 or more and select Discount Dates. HST is applicable to all ticket prices. Tickets may be purchased in person at any Drayton Entertainment Box Office, by calling the Box Office at 519-638-5555 or toll free at 1-855-drayton (372-9866), or online at www.draytonentertainment.com. 

Toasted Sunflower Seed and Chick Pea Hummus Recipe

This is how a make a great tasting hummus with my pantry staples. While I cooked most of the ingredients in this recipe, I am sure they will be fine raw too.  The toasting makes everything more flavourful.

Ingredients

·        2 cans of chick peas (garbanzo beans) with the liquid reserved from one can

·        2 cloves of garlic, peeled & sliced

·        1 cup of raw sunflower seeds

·        2 tablespoons of olive oil

·        ¼ teaspoon of rice wine vinegar (optional)

You will also need a large frying pan and a high-speed blender (like a Vitamix or similar)

1.     Keep the liquid of one can of chick peas aside, but then rinse & drain the chick peas from both cans.

2.     Begin by warming 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan (the 2^nd tablespoon will be used later) on your stovetop. I suggest medium high.  Now comes the tricky part, this is a method of taking the frying pan on and off the burner so that none of the ingredients burn.

3.     While on the burner add the garlic to the fry pan but as the one side begins to brown, take the frying pan off the burner and turn over the pieces (either with a silicone spatula or tongs). The hot oil will continue to cook the other side. Then stir so that the garlic is now flavoring the oil.

4.     Return the frying pan to the burner & ad the sunflower seeds, constantly stirring for about a minute and then take the frying pan off the burner but keep stirring until the seeds have stopped cooking.  Now your kitchen should smell delicious with the smell of toasted sesame seeds and garlic.

5.     Add the drained chick peas to the pan and return to the heat, but keep stirring the sesame/garlic mixture up from the bottom of the pan.  Do this for about 2 minutes.  This won’t toast the chick peas, but it will get rid of the raw flavour.  Again, remove from the heat and keep stirring until the pan is no longer cooking the items.

6.     Next carefully ladle the mixture into the blender, as the ingredients will be very warm.  Then pour the reserved liquid from the can of chick peas into the blender.

7.     Begin to mix on low and gradually increase the speed.  You may have to turn the blender off and tamper it a bit (or push down the ingredients with a spatula).  I do this with the blender off to be on the safe side.

8.     Once it is combined, add the remaining olive oil and rice wine vinegar.  Blend on high until desired consistency.

9.     Remove lid from blender and allow to cool for about 10 mins before putting it into containers for refrigerating or freezing.

RECIPE TIP

Did you know you can freeze hummus? It won’t have the same zing as your fresh batch, but it’s great to have it ready to go for your lunch.  When thawing frozen hummus, stir it really well as it will be a little watery on the top.

Want to know how to incorporate it into a healthy lunch? Check out my BENTO BOX idea post at https://stufftodowithyourkidsinkw.blogspot.com/2018/12/start-2019-with-healthy-lunches-thanks.html

So enjoy your HUMmus with these 30 songs with HUMMING in them

RAFFI Brings His Singable Songs to Centre in the Square – Enter To Win

We'll start with the Disclaimer - Yes, we did receive complimentary tickets, but this just means we're able to offer you a chance attend too! Enter the contest at the end of this post!

Get Together with Raffi

RAFFI was well known in my house growing up.  We had SINGABLE SONGS and MORE SINGABLE SONGS by Raffi.  These albums were well used and often the background music for whatever activity happened to be going on that day.  Raffi’s music has spanned decades beginning in 70’s (as you can see by the styles in the video below) and continuing now that Raffi himself is his 70s.  He was such a famous Canadian that when Centre in the Square named the theatre portion of the venue the Raffi Armenian Theatre, I thought it was for Raffi the Children’s performer I grew up hearing about.  It made sense to me as his name is Raffi and he is Armenian.  It wasn’t until recent years that I learned of the Symphony Conductor Raffi Armenian.  I guess it shows what an impression RAFFI left on me! Either way, Raffi hopes to GET TOGETHER with you and your family at the Raffi Armenian Theatre at Centre in the Square on June 3, 2018.

 

Raffi is a singer, songwriter, producer, author, lecturer, and tireless advocate for children.  He is best known for his work as a children’s entertainer and advocate whose string of gold and platinum-selling recordings includes his iconic song, “Baby Beluga”.  Once called “the most popular children’s singer in the English-speaking world” (Washington Post) and “Canada’s all-time children’s champion” (Toronto Star), Raffi is also a recipient of the Order of Canada and the United Nations’ Earth Achievement Award.  He has published three books for adults and holds four honorary degrees. He has never advertised to children or made any commercial endorsements aimed at kids. His commitment to treating his young fans with respect has changed society’s outlook on music made for children.

 

Get Your Tickets

Now is the time to grab your tickets before they are gone! Raffi is in Kitchener for one day only on Sunday June 3, 2018 with performances at 1pm and 4pm

Head to https://www.livenation.com/events/759491-jun-3-2018-raffi to get your tickets! Proceeds from the concert benefit The Centre for Child Honouring

As you can see we're pretty excited about RAFFI! That's because we get to giveaway a pair of ticket to a lucky reader!  You must provide your own transportation.

Enter To Win 

Enter the rafflecopter contest below (it may take a minute to load) and tell us which songs you hope Raffi sings in the comments at the bottom. It may just win you tickets to the concert!

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Drayton Entertainment Presents the CANADIAN PREMIERE of Holiday Inn

Start the Summer Off Right with Holiday Inn

The first long weekend of the summer seemed fitting to premiere Holiday Inn – The Musical at the Drayton Festival Theatre.  While the Victoria Day holiday is not celebrated in this show, many memorable holidays of the year are highlighted in this delightful musical production of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn. While at the Media Night festivities we felt as though we were transported back to a simpler time where people chose to stay on the farm or long for the bright lights of the big city.  The theme of making choices runs throughout Holiday Inn from beginning to end.  It begins with Jim and his best friend Ted performing a song in which their leading lady Lila must choose between a singer or a dancer, and the person she chooses in the number almost foreshadows what is to come.  After the show Jim announces he is moving to a farm in Connecticut and that is when the story begins to unfold.  Each choice these characters make brings people into their lives while sometimes leaving others behind.  Will the choices they make bring them true happiness? That is the question on all of our minds.

 

Popular nightclub trio Jim Hardy, Ted Hanover, and Lila Dixon suddenly part ways when Jim decides he's had enough of show business.  He leaves the bright lights behind to settle down on a farm in Connecticut, but quickly discovers life isn’t quite the same without a little song and dance.  After meeting Linda Mason, a spirited schoolteacher with talent to spare, the pair turn the farmhouse into a fabulous inn with dazzling performances to celebrate each holiday. When Jim’s best friend Ted tries to lure Linda away to be his new dance partner in Hollywood, Jim finds himself competing for her affections. Can he win her heart?

Get Your Tickets to Holiday Inn

Celebrate summer by grabbing your tickets to Drayton Entertainment’s Holiday Inn before they are gone!

Tickets are $46 for Adults and $27 for youth under 20 years of age.  Tickets for groups of 20 or more and select Discount Dates are $37.  HST is applicable to all ticket prices.  Tickets can be purchased online instantly at www.draytonentertainment.com, in person at the Box Office or by calling 519-638-5555 or toll free at 1-855-DRAYTON (372-9866).

Glass Tiger and Big Wreck in Kitchener For ONTour #Ontario150

As many of our readers know, I love seeing live music and supporting Canadian bands and solo artists.  This began many years ago when I went to my first outdoor music festival in high school to see GLASS TIGER.  It was at THE SOUNDS OF SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL in Waterloo Park. It seems that Glass Tiger began something with me that stuck throughout the years. Decades later Alan Frew became a staple in our house with his theme for the Toronto Maple Leafs and in 2015 when I learned the news about my Father’s Cancer it was Alan Frew that I connected with on Facebook. He has suffered a stroke and the 2 of us had a bit of back and forth about hospitals, depression and keeping a positive outlook. Flash forward two years later and hear I am again watching Glass Tiger at an outdoor concert. 

#Glass Tiger #MyHighschoolCrush #Ontario150

A post shared by Diane Morgan & Lisa McDonald (@those2girls) on Jul 21, 2017 at 4:57pm PDT

 

 

Glass Tiger was one of two bands I was there to see.  The other being BIG WRECK. I remember seeing BIG WRECK at the 1^st Big Music Fest in 2014 along with some other amazing acts!  Knowing that they were going to be the headliner for the ONTour stop in Kitchener doubled my enthusiasm to attend this outdoor concert.  

#Big Wreck in #kwawsome #Ontario150

A post shared by Diane Morgan & Lisa McDonald (@those2girls) on Jul 21, 2017 at 6:35pm PDT

Getting a chance to see Canadian bands perform live is something I am always grateful for!

 You can see all of my pics at https://www.facebook.com/lisamcdonald122/media_set?set=a.10159043273600481.1073741889.760270480&type=3&pnref=story or click the image below.

Did you attend the ONTour concert at Kitchener City Hall or are you attending one of the upcoming shows? Let us know in the comments! We always want to hear from our readers and know what interests they have as well.

Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Gypsies @ Centre In The Square – Enter To Win

We'll start with the Disclaimer – Yes, we did receive complimentary tickets, but this just means we're able to offer you a chance to attend the concert too! Enter the contest at the end of this post!

We’re so excited to hear that Alan Doyle will be at Centre In The Square on March 29^th and here are 5 reasons why you should be excited too.

5 Reasons Why You Need To Be Excited About Alan Doyle Coming To Kitchener Ontario’s Centre In The Square

1.       He is the lead singer of Great Big Sea – I still remember watching the 90s Run Runaway video and being instantly pulled to the TV to hear this unique sounding band mixed in amongst the grunge and boy band tunes they were playing at the time.

 

2.       Known for touring Canada in all kinds of venues – The band made a stop at the Lyric in Kitchener and being amongst the crowd that night you knew they fed off the energy of the audience and they put on a fantastic show.

 

3.       Played alongside Russel Crowe in Robin Hood – Alan Doyle portrayed one of Robin Hood’s Merry Men in the feature film

 

4.       Alan Doyle made several guest appearances on CBC’s Republic of Doyle – He became a recurring character on one of my all-time favourite television shows

 

5.       Made a documentary about collaborating with others – By watching Boy On Bridge you will learn how technology is bringing those in the music industry closer together.

 

Grab Your Tickets for Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Gypsies Concert

Known as lead singer for Newfoundland’s beloved Great Big Sea these past 20+ years, released his second solo album, So Let’s Go, in January 2015. Title-track lead single So Let’s Go, is a rousing rallying cry that’s only further proof of Doyle’s ability to draw the listener under his banner. Equally adept at drawing a crowd, Alan Doyle & The Beautiful Gypsies are taking their energetic show across Canada and the US in Early 2017.

 

This show will be very popular, so be sure to visit https://centreinthesquare.com/event/alan-doyle and grab you tickets before they are gone!

Now that we have you excited for this performance, we want to give you a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show!

Enter To Win

We are giving away a pair of tickets to see Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Gypsies @ Centre In The Square! Just enter the Rafflecopter contest below (it may take a minute to load) and be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of this post with why you would want to attend.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Hedley, Carly Rae Jepsen And Francesco Yates Stop By Kitchener TO SAY HELLO! #HelloWorldTourKitchener Media Coverage

Last night I had the opportunity to see performances by HEDLEY, CARLY RAE JEPSEN and FRANCESCO YATES at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex here in Kitchener Ontario courtesy of LIVE NATION.  While all three of these fantastic Canadian artists have performed in the area before, combined they brought their great energy and talent to the filled arena.

Here's what happened at the #HelloWorldTourKitchener stop.

Francesco Yates Brought The Flair

The stylistic sounds of Francesco Yates fired up the audience as the opening act and created a buzz that reached the audience for the stage to the stands.

Here's @francescoyates at #helloworldtourkitchener #kwawesome

A photo posted by Diane Morgan & Lisa McDonald (@those2girls) on Apr 28, 2016 at 7:10am PDT

Carly Rae Jepsen Brought The Style

Carly Rae Jepsen brought her signature style to the stage! We're not talking just patriotic fashion.

#madeincanada @carlyraejepsen at #helloworldtourkitchener #kwawesome

A photo posted by Diane Morgan & Lisa McDonald (@those2girls) on Apr 28, 2016 at 7:19am PDT

Her vocal stylings and "sing with me" style had the crowd singing and dancing to her new songs as well as her hits like CALL ME MAYBE and GOOD TIME. Being the only female on this tour, Carly Rae Jepsen showed that she can run with the boys any day.

Hedley Brought Down The House

Hedley brings new meaning to the term taking it up a notch.  Throughout their concert they repeatedly brought the audience to their feet asking "Do You Feel Like Dancing"?  How could anyone refuse that offer?

Whether they were jetting across stage

Stage view of @HedleyOnline #helloworldtourkitchener #kwawesome

A photo posted by Diane Morgan & Lisa McDonald (@those2girls) on Apr 28, 2016 at 7:23am PDT

or getting intimate with the audience

Hedley put on quite a show!

View from the stands of @HedleyOnline #helloworldtourkitchener #kwawesome

A photo posted by Diane Morgan & Lisa McDonald (@those2girls) on Apr 28, 2016 at 11:36am PDT

Say Hello To Hedley

Hedley may be headed to your hometown too!
Be sure to catch them live tour dates for the HELLO WORLD TOUR by visiting their LIVE NATION page
http://www.livenation.com/artists/51281/hedley
or by heading to their TOUR page on their website
http://www.hedleyonline.com/tour

Grammy Award Winner Buddy Guy @ Centre In The Square - Enter To Win

We'll start with the Disclaimer - Yes we did receive a complimentary tickets, but this just means we're able to offer you a chance attend too! Enter the contest at the end of this post!

Buddy Guy Brings The Blues Back To Kitchener Ontario

As many of our readers know, we are BIG fans of LIVE MUSIC so we were thrilled to hear that Buddy Guy will be at Centre In The Square.  This award winning blues performer will be in town on April 20, 2016 and we suggest you get your tickets before they are gone!

2016 Grammy Award Winner for Best Blues Album
At age 79, Buddy Guy is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to the city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Buddy Guy has received 7 GRAMMY Awards, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, 34 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #23 in its "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

Did you see him perform for The President Of The United States? Have a look below.

Now you know you don't want to miss this concert!

Parents Night Out 

We think that the Buddy Guy Concert will make a great Parents Night Out so be sure to grab your tickets before they are gone! Plus we are excited to giveaway a pair of tickets in the contest below.

Enter To Win

Enter the rafflecopter contest below (it may take a minute to load) and tell us why you love the blues in the comments. It may just win you a night out for you and a guest to attend the Buddy Guy concert!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Lion King vs Aladdin Sing Off And Mashup That You Need To See And Hear

Love Disney Songs? Then You'll Love This!

Remember when the cast members of The Lion King Musical and Aladdin The Musical performed a sing off at the airport during a flight delay?



Well they have done it again! This time these broadway singers battled and collaberated on the set of Good Morning America.

WATCH: The Lion King - Musical and Aladdin - The Musical teamed up this morning for one of the most incredible Disney song mashups you will ever hear! They performed each other's songs, their own songs and even performed together! Just wow! abcn.ws/1Zf4QKO

Posted by Good Morning America on Friday, January 8, 2016

Once again these cast members created a memorable moment for Disney fans around the world. They brought the theatre to the TV set with some of the most memorable songs from the musicals and animated movies during this sing off and mashup!

Which moment did you like best? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for more upcoming Disney info and Contests!

Celebrating September With Melissa Etheridge At Centre In The Square - Kitchener Ontario

We'll start with the Disclaimer - Yes we did receive a complimentary tickets, but this just means we're able to offer you a chance attend too! Enter the contest at the end of this post!

The Music Of Melissa Etheridge

 

Melissa Etheridge's music has spanned decades.  She rose to popularity in the 80's



Pushed the norms for music videos in the 90's



Inspired us in the 2000's



and continues her build her legacy today.



This singer-songwriter is known for incorporating her real-life experiences into her lyrics to create authentic songs that resonate with her audience.  This September Melissa Etheridge heads to the Centre In The Square in Kitchener Ontario.


Academy Award and Grammy Award-winning artist Melissa Etheridge will take the stage to perform songs from her new album, This is M.E., as well as some of her greatest hits like “Come to My Window”, “I’m The Only One” and “I Want To Come Over”.
Known for her iconic voice, profound lyrics and riveting stage presence; Melissa will share personal stories about her remarkable journey through life and the inspiration behind some of her most beloved songs.

She will be perfoming on September 21, 2015 which just happens to be the day before my birthday!  I will be looking forward to celebrating it in September at the Melissa Etheridge concert and highly suggest you grab your tickets before it's too late!

Celebrating September - Enter To Win

Let us know which song you hope Melissa Etheridge will sing in the comments of this post for a chance to attend the concert with us! Yes that's right we'll be in the audience and you just might win a pair of tickets to attend it too!
The contest listed below (might take a minute to load the rafflecopter contest form. If the contest does not pop up, clear your cache and refresh) is for a chance to win a pair of ticket to see Melissa Etheridge on September 21, 2015 at Centre In The Square In Kitchener Ontario Canada. Be sure to post your answer to the question listed in the Rafflecopter Widget in the comment section below.

 


a Rafflecopter giveaway