The Stephenville Theatre Festival succeeds with “Canada Rocks”

by Keith and Heather Nicol

     “Canada Rocks” is the Stephenville Theatre Festival ‘s big main stage production this summer and the show is a tribute to a variety of popular Canadian folk, country and of course rock music. The musical voyage starts in Atlantic Canada and moves west as the show progresses. We never knew that Canadians had produced so much great music and there were some songs we didn’t know were Canadian. For instance, who knew that the popular 1977 song “From New York to L.A.” was written and performed by Patsy Gallant from New Brunswick?  The young cast does a fine job with the songs and in many cases there is choreographed dancing which adds to energy of the show.  This show was originally presented at the  Charlottetown Festival in P.E.I. and director Keith Pike told us before the show that they have pretty much kept to that selection of songs with a couple of exceptions. Music from over 75 artists is presented including Shania Twain, K.D. Lane, The Guess Who, Gordon Lightfoot, the Rankins and many others. Another bonus were the skits that went with some songs like Stompin’ Tom Conners “Good old hockey game ”.  One of our favouite performances of the evening had to be Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”.  If you like Canadian music then you can’t go wrong with this performance. For more information on their schedule for this season and to book tickets phone 709-643-4553 or www.stf.nf.ca. The season runs from July 13-August 12, 2012. 

A scene from "Canada Rocks"

         If you are visiting the Stephenville area to see one of the shows then why not check out some of the walking trails nearby. One trail that really showcases this area's geology is the “Gravels” near Stephenville. This trail is well marked and can be found at the end of the gravelly spit that connects the Port aux Port Peninsula to the mainland just west of Stephenville. Here there is a large parking lot and interpretative signs have been posted describing the area. This trail winds along the shore and the sloping limestone bedrock has been carved by frost, wind and waves into intricate shapes in many places.  The route traverses past several scenic bays and in the distance you can see the Lewis Hills, which is Newfoundland’s highest point.  You can take side trails to the rocky headlands where you see various types of fossils.  There are numerous benches which make ideal resting points. The trail is 3.5 km one way and you can also take a side trail to Aguathuna, to visit the impressive large wooden church which was finished in 1925.  This is an ideal trail for walkers of all ages since the hard packed gravel trail is mostly level. For a video of this trail and more information on hiking options in Western Newfoundland see the following web page: http://www2.swgc.mun.ca/~knicol/.  

Along the rocky shores of the "Gravels"