LETTER: Lightfoot, city thrill Kingston visitor
Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 07:00
Editorial - Letter to the editor:
Re: Sunshine sketches from Mariposa
I recently travelled from Kingston to Orillia with a friend to attend the Mariposa Folk Festival for the first time.
I want to thank all of the friendly people of Orillia who made us feel so welcome in their hometown - Bob, our Tisdale House host, who gave us a lift to the festival site; the myriad of Orillians who proudly gave us tips about their town's hot spots; the shuttle bus driver who stopped en route to rescue two drenched fans from a post-concert trudge back to town on Sunday night; and the sweet lady at the Mariposa office who greeted us early the next morning with Leacock-like humour and a couple of free festival souvenir posters.
And thank you to the Mariposa Folk Festival organizers and all of the on-site volunteers who made us feel at home on the shores of Lake Couchiching.
As I attended the entertaining workshops under sunny skies on Sunday, I was awash with anticipation of hearing my longtime favourite troubadour, Gordon Lightfoot - this time from my staked-out seventh-row-behind-the-blanket people seat (in contrast to the third-row balcony seat at the cavernous NAC in Ottawa where I'd last seen him perform through my binoculars).
At 10 p.m., Gordie and his band came striding on to the stage amid the deafening thunder rolls and the spectacular lightning flashes. The torrential rain soon pelted down on all of us, creating a spectacularly dramatic backdrop to the whole concert.
Undaunted, and halfway into the set, Gordie told us, "We've got a job to do, and we're going to do it!" In my mind, that "job" was to take this serendipitous opportunity to pay heartfelt tribute to each other. Despite the deluge, Gordie had made up his mind to give us the gift of his legendary music, and we fans, out of respect and love for the man who has sung our stories for decades, stayed there to receive his gift with open arms.
It felt like, together, we were infused with the intrepid spirit of "the navvies who work(ed) upon the railway" and the captain and crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald who steadfastly tried to hold course "in the face of a hurricane west wind." Gordie chose to end his concert by offering his fans his very best "Blackberry Wine" - robust and full-bodied!
By this time, I had wended my way right up to the stage. I could see the sparkle in his eyes and, as he grinned from ear to ear, I felt the gentle squeeze of his hand. I was unabashedly thrilled.
So, here's a toast to the people of Orillia, and especially to my forever favourite minstrel, Gordon Lightfoot. Thanks for the big sunbright memories of my time in your little Mariposa town!.
Suzanne Bodner
Kingston
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