July 10, 2022

MARIPOSA WAS ABOUT LEGENDS FROM LIGHTFOOT TO MURRAY TO MAVIS

ORILLIA — Folk, rock and “down home blues” highlighted the 61^st Mariposa Folk Festival here this weekend.

The venerable music fest that began in Stephen Leacock’s fictional Mariposa in 1961 lived up to the city’s Sunshine City nickname with a lot of hot acts and cool names on bill around the shores of Lake Couchiching.

From Friday to Sunday the Tudhope Park peninsula was home to thousands of eager fans anxious to get out and mingle in person and hear what they’ve “so missed for the past two years.”

Roots to rock the fiddles, mandolins, guitars and more acoustic string and percussion leads and accompaniments were everywhere. From a dozen intimate stages dotted around the park to the main stage artists and performers were surrounded and enthusiastically applauded each day.

With the Weeknd’s concert tour start cancelled in Toronto due to the Rogers cell outage, music fans were treated to lively sets that were both relaxing and entertaining to the max as young and old friends and families sat on their own lawn chairs or stretched out on blankets.

Saturday’s highlights included Chicago blues legend Mavis Staples with some “down home blues.”

A member of the famed Staples family singers, the 82-year-old showed she still has the charm and pipes to reach a large multi-generational audience crammed deep beneath her feet cheering and offering their love.

Their enthusiasm barely contained by the restraints of the fenced barrier that kept them just three metres apart.

**Mavis Staple brought some “down home blues” from the Windy City to the Sunshine City yesterday at the Mariposa Folk Festival. Photos Mark Clairmont**

“Mariposa! I love that name.

“I’m in the right place now, yes indeed. My family, we used to come to Mariposa in the ‘’70s. I know all about ya all.

“We bring you greetings from the Windy City — Chicago, Illinois — the home of the down home blues.”

Then she went in to an hour-long set a mix of blues, rock and gospel that had the crowd cheering every word of every song of blues to funkadelic.

“I’ll Take You There,” she sang in a Staples family staple.

The theme was peace and love and included Change, Friendship, Slippery People. For What It’s Worth. This Is My Country and Can You Get to That.

“Let’s Do It Again,” she finished in another Staples Singers anthem.

She made no overtly political statements beyond the lyrics of her songs, including “We’ve come to far, brothers and sisters ….

Music legends was the theme of yesterday’s late afternoon concert.

Canadian folk legend and Orillia’s own Gordon Lightfoot made his usual Saturday afternoon appearance after he said last week attending a celebration of life for Ronnie Hawkins near Peterborough.

This time to present his friend Murray McLauchlan with the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Award.

**Murray McLauchan said he was honoured to accept the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame award from friend and fellow recipient Gordon Lightfoot.**

Lightfoot joked in his presentation comparing the number of awards the singer/songwriters had won.

“I think I’ve got by a couple of more Junos.”

The Scottish-born and Toronto-raised McLauchlan — who is best known for his hits Farmer’s Song, Whispering Rain and Down by the Henry Moore — said he was honoured to accept the award from friend and fellow recipient Gordon Lightfoot.

He then pulled out his harp and did juicy number with Blackie & The Rodeo Kings.

“Because nobody wants to hear speeches, they just want to hear music.”

After the Rodeo Kings wrapped up their rousing, rocking set and came of stage McLauchlan joked to them: “What kind of folk music was that?”

The evening ended with the Strumbellas rockin’ on till the midnight curfew.

Lightfoot, who didn’t play, returned Sunday to accept the Mariposa Hall of Fame award and to play a some of his classic numbers.

The final day’s main stage included Songs of John Prine a tribute to the late folk singer that included his son Tommy making a guest appearance after performing several other times during the festival on other stages.

Serena Ryder and Blue Rodeo finished one of Mariposa’s best festivals since it returned to Orillia 22 year ago.