The rain held off and the weather gods smiled down as the 2024 Braestone Endless Summer Celebration went off without a hitch Sunday evening.
Held on a hot night in the bucolic setting of Braestone Farm in Oro-Medonte Township, Endless Summer embodied the best things of summer: festivals, fun, incredible music and getting together outdoors ... in this case, for a fantastic local cause as well.
Endless Summer, along with its sister (or brother) winter event, the Braestone Winter Classic Pond Hockey Tournament, raises funds for the Hudson Regional Cancer Centre located at Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) in Barrie.
“So far, we have raised $250,000 for the cancer centre through our Braestone Winter Classic event,” said Ted Markle, organizer of both events.
The musicians performing this year were, firstly, top-drawer acts Rebekah Hawker from Barrie and Doghouse Orchestra from Toronto. Both sets of musicians performed at Mariposa Folk Festival this past summer.
Headlining this fundraising day was perennial favourite Jim Cuddy and his family band, with both his sons, Sam Polley and Devin Cuddy, making an appearance, as well as longtime Cuddy bandmates, Anne Lindsay on fiddle, and Colin Cripps on guitar.
Hundreds of festival goers of all ages enjoyed the eclectic mix of music, outdoor activities, including face painting for the kids, choice of food vendors, and beverages courtesy of local business, Quayle’s Brewery. Hot air balloon rides and horse-drawn wagon rides were also available for the more adventurous.
Signs urging attendees to Keep Life Wild, the RVH Foundation slogan, peppered the rolling hills of the farm, in between stages, vendors, activities, and hundreds of people enjoying the day.
At the main stage, just before the Cuddy family and band took to the stage, Markle and the man behind Braestone, Jamie Massie of Georgian International, as well as a host of dignitaries and special guests from RVH, appeared on stage.
Massie acknowledged that although he is "very committed" to raising money for RVH, he hadn’t had occasion to use the hospital’s services ... until the Wednesday
before the event.
“Last Wednesday, I wasn’t feeling very well,” he recounted. “So, I took myself to the RVH emergency department. And I found out I had had a heart attack. I was taken such good care of, by everyone there. By the next morning, they had removed the blockage in my artery, and the very next morning, I was back at work.
"I am so thankful for the excellent care we have access to, at RVH ... and now I personally know about it.”
After thanking Massie for the gift of the use of Braestone Farm for the event, and thanking sponsors for their support, Markle explained why the event is so vital.
“Hospitals and doctors are the experts at treatment, but community is what heals," he told the crowd. "Healing is the business of community, and this community, and these events are about healing. They're about coming together for the greater good, coming together to raise funds for our regional cancer centre.”
Markle said Sunday's Endless Summer Celebration raised more than $100,000. And they vow to raise a lot more..
“So, I'm very proud to announce tonight that Jamie and I are making a commitment, and we invite all of you to join us: to continue with the Braestone Winter Classic charity pond hockey tournament and the Braestone Endless Summer Celebration, to raise a total of $1 million for the Cancer Centre!”
Tremendous applause broke out in appreciation of this pledge of support for the RVH Foundation and the Hudson Regional Cancer Centre.
An hour later, as darkness fell, and the opening notes of the encore, Try, filled the air, the sky lit up with an incredible display of fireworks. It was a fitting ending to a special event.
