Sue Foley is headlining the upcoming Sounds of Downtown fundraiser. The event begins at 6:30 pm on September 8, 2007. All of the details have been outlined in our latest Arts Alive article, so take a minute to check out all of the details!

Sue Foley to headline Sounds of Downtown fundraiser for Arts Carleton Place on September 8th!
By Carol A Stephen

Well, we can finally share our news with you about the concert headliner for this year's Sounds of Downtown event. It all starts on Saturday, September 8th at 6:30 p.m. Entertainers will be performing at various locations on Bridge Street till about 9:30 p.m., followed by Sue Foley at the Town Hall Concert, 10 p.m. All performances will take place simultaneously this year, no staggered start times. Start at either end of Bridge Street to enjoy the entertainment and free munchies at each location.

Photo credit: Andrew MacNaughtan

Passport sales opened on Saturday, August 4th at the Bridge Street Bazaar. If you attended last year's event you know to expect a great time, but remember, it was a sell-out. We wanted to tell you about the wonderful lineup of entertainers so you can get your passport early. Passports to all venues including the concert at 10 p.m. are $25.00. Secondary passports for $15.00 will also be available permitting entry to all venues except the final concert.

What does your passport get you? Here's the programme:

Lux Gallery will feature Aestival String Quartet, along with the dynamic glass art of Craig Angus, one of our database artists, whose work will be on display at Lux from August 12 through September 29th. This show, "Celebrating Women Around the World: Elegance and Beauty", features Craig's unique glass art jewellery. The Heritage Inn hosts Odd Man Out, a Classic Rock group featuring Mike Maher from Page & Turners. You'll be dancing your toes off to their tunes. Local favourites, the Mississippi Blues Society will offer up great blues riffs at The Thirsty Moose. Just across the street, the duet of Robert Catalfamo and David Lajeunesse at The Good Food Company entertain with violin/fiddle, guitar, mandolin and bodhrán, a form of ancient Irish drum.

The Virtual Art Market and Surrounding Memories will feature exhibits of Arts Carleton Place artists, with original art and collectibles for sale along with live music and scrumptious desserts.

At the new Mexican Emporium, drop in for a refreshing drink, listen to music and view the beautiful pottery and art from down south. Olé!

St. James Gate keeps up the tempo with the jazz duo of Mick Collins on trumpet and David Paton on piano. Further along Bridge at Screentex, the Mississippi Mudds gives us "Mississippi Mudds Sing OUT!" highlighting songs from previous shows and favourite gospel songs. In between Mudds' sets, another favourite, Parvaneh Rowshan entertains with her interpretive Middle Eastern dance.

Make sure to stop in at Page & Turners for some rap, hip-hop style Spoken Word from the Ottawa Poetry Collective, returning to Carleton Place with their Slam style poetry. If you managed to catch their show here last April at Read's Book Shop, you already know how fantastic they are. For those of you who missed it, come out and see what the fuss is all about! Of course, our local poets and writers will also be participating in the literary event of the evening.

A new venue this year is Ballygiblin's featuring Fandango, a Latin/World Music trio that I hear is quite wonderful!

Other new locations: The historical Moore House is now just across the street from the Town Hall. Out front, the Carleton Place and District Community Band have organized an 8-member ensemble called Gesundheit! to offer German-style music. Polka, anyone? At this location as well, the Carleton Place and Beckwith Historical Society will offer information about the Mississippi River, Town Hall, and the Moore House itself. Look for the red tent where you will find the Chamber of Commerce offering goodies and promoting their year long photography and literary contest, "Reflections and Perceptions of Carleton Place".

The grand finale of the evening, of course, is the Town Hall concert featuring Sue Foley. Arts Carleton Place is very pleased to present her in concert as our Sounds of Downtown headliner!

Sue Foley is an internationally renowned blues/roots performer: singer, songwriter, highly accomplished guitarist and Juno award winner, considered to be a leading talent in contemporary blues. Born and raised in Ottawa, Sue's first gigs were at local clubs.

In 2000, Sue won FIVE trophies from the Maple Blues Awards as well as the Trophée de Blues de France for Best Female Guitarist. In 2002 she took another five trophies from the Maple Blues Awards.

This is going to be a fantastic evening. Last year's event was a sell-out. With a headliner like Sue Foley, and all the other entertainers on board, you’ll want to pick up your passports as soon as possible!

Passport locations: Page & Turners Bookstore, 135 Bridge Street, and at Lux Photographic Services, 11 Lake Avenue West. Cash or cheques only.

Don't forget to check out our artists on display around town this month:

Gayle Marshall is featured at Page & Turners, Jan Gilbert and Donna Naprstek are showing at Ballygiblin's after August 14.

For more information on the local arts scene check out www.artscarletonplace.com or drop by the Arts Café get together at Page and Turners, third Thursday of the month, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The following is an article by Carol A. Stephen that will be published in the August 2007 issue of The Humm.

CARLETON PLACE August, 2007- Sue Foley headlines Sounds of Downtown fundraiser September 8th in Carleton Place!

Excitement is building in Carleton Place as the programme for Sounds of Downtown, 2007 falls into place. If you attended last year's event you know what a great time it was! The evening takes place Saturday, September 8th, starting at 6:30 p.m. Entertainers will be performing in various venues on Bridge Street till about 9:30 p.m., followed by the Town Hall Concert at 10 p.m. Unlike last year's event, all performances will take place simultaneously, no staggered start times. That means you can start at either end of Bridge Street to enjoy the entertainment and free munchies at each location.

This year's lineup of talent is so fantastic we wanted to tell you about it early enough so you can make note to get your tickets early. During The Bridge Street Bazaar August 4th, Arts Carleton Place will have a table outside Page & Turners Bookstore from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to kick off the sale of passports. Passports to all venues including the concert at 10 p.m. are $25.00. Secondary passports for $15.00 will also be available permitting entry to all venues except the final concert.

And what will you get for your money?

Lux Gallery will feature Aestival String Quartet, along with the beautiful, dynamic work of Craig Angus, local glass artist. The Heritage Inn has booked Odd Man Out, a Classic Rock group formed last year, featuring Mike Maher from Page & Turners, Tony Stuart, Francois Richer and Marvin Flowers. These fellows, according to Donna Maher, "have a knack for getting you up and dancing to the songs you know and the songs you should know. If you don't feel like dancing, your toes will start tapping instead."

A perennial favourite, the Mississippi Blues Society will be on hand at The Thirsty Moose, with their usual great blues tunes. Just across the street, there will be musical entertainment from the duet of Robert Catalfamo and David Lajeunesse at The Good Food Company. Robert plays violin/fiddle, while David's repertoire includes guitar, mandolin and bodhrán, an Irish drum of ancient origin, similar to drums of the Mediterranean or North African regions.

The Virtual Art Market and Surrounding Memories will be featuring an exhibit of Arts Carleton Place artists, with original art, collectibles, wonderful items available for sale and live music too!

St. James Gate promises to keep things jumping with the jazz duo of Mick Collins on trumpet and David Paton on piano. Further along Bridge Street, at Screentex, the Mississippi Mudds will present the "Mississippi Mudds Sing OUT!" highlighting songs from previous shows and favourite gospel songs. In between Mudds' sets, the lithe and graceful Parvaneh Rowshan will wow us with her Middle Eastern dance interpretations.

Next stop, Page & Turners for some rap, hip-hop style Spoken Word from the Ottawa Poetry Collective, in a return engagement to share their Slam style poetry. If you managed to catch them last April at Read's Bookshop, you already know how fantastic they are. And no, it isn't strictly rap, for those of you who missed it. Come out and see what the fuss is all about! And let's not forget our local poets and writers who will also be on hand to take part in the literary event of the evening.

Continuing along, Ballygiblin's has arranged to present Fandango, a Latin/World Music trio that I hear is absolutely wonderful! This year, another new location, (in more ways than one!) is the Moore House, now found just across the street from Town Hall. Outside, the Carleton Place and District Community Band have put together an 8-member ensemble called Gesundheit to offer rousing German music. Polka, anyone? Also at this location, the Carleton Place and Beckwith Historical Society will offer information about the Mississippi River, Town Hall, and the Moore House itself.

And what do we plan for Town Hall? How does Sue Foley sound? Well, of course, we all know she sounds fantastic. Arts Carleton Place is thrilled to present her in concert as our Sounds of Downtown headliner!

Sue Foley is an internationally renowned blues/roots performer: singer, songwriter, highly accomplished guitarist and Juno award winner to boot. She is considered to be a leading talent in contemporary blues. Sue has been a working artist for more than 20 years, although still only in her thirties. And she's a local! Sue was born and raised in Ottawa, part of a large, music-loving family, and her first gigs were at local clubs. Leaving home for the West Coast at 18, Sue soon began touring across Canada to a warm reception. Then she found her way to Memphis, where her performance in front of club- and record label owner, Clifford Antone from Austin, Texas, led to a demo and then a recording contract. Her first album in 1992, Young Girl Blues showcased her extraordinary vocal style as well as her skill on guitar. Sue Foley moved to Austin to pursue a recording career, as well as touring Europe and Japan.

In 2000, Sue released Love Comin' Down on the Shanachie label, winning her the Juno for Best Blues album. That year she also won FIVE trophies from the Maple Blues Awards for: Recording of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, Guitarist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year. That same year, Sue was honoured with the Trophée de Blues de France for Best Female Guitarist. In 2002 she took another five trophies from the Maple Blues Awards.

Sue has 10 CDs out, plus a new collaboration CD released in May 2007, "Time Bomb", with Roxanne Potvin and Deborah Coleman. She also has a DVD: "Sue Foley, Live in Germany". And there is a book underway, a work about women guitarists, past and present.

This is going to be a fantastic concert. Last year's event was a sell-out. With a headliner like Sue Foley, you'll want to pick up your tickets as soon as possible!

For more information on the local arts scene check out www.artscarletonplace.com.

We were there and lots of friendly folks came down to say hello! We did a fun marble craft for the kids, and through a partnership with "Communities in Bloom" we were able to offer sidewalk chalk art!!! This was also our launch of ticket sales for our upcoming "Sounds of Downtown", which will take place on Saturday 8, 2007.

The Carleton Place and District Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a photo competition and literary event which will engage visitors and residents to share their perspectives and reflections on what makes Carleton Place special. For more details and to download the registration form and competition rules, please go to their website at http://www.cpchamber.com/photocomp.