Hitting right note: Finished bandshell sets stage for Midland Park events
‘The province is being the best partner ever this term for us,” says mayor as $150,000 Ontario Trillium Foundation grant completes safety and accessibility standards for redesigned Rotary Stage
grand unveiling of the redesigned Rotary Stage bandstand in Little Lake Park should be music to everyone’s ears.
An announcement was made Friday morning to celebrate an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant for $149,900 which provided funding for a roof to the performance area, finishing the reconstruction project which had begun in 2022.
“The new stage roof not only completes the vision for this outdoor venue, but ensures that performers, organizers, and audiences alike can enjoy events rain or shine with comfort and confidence,” said Leslie Stroud, representing Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop.
As noted by town operations manager Josh Fuller, the original stage was constructed in 2005 through the Midland Rotary Club to provide entertainment in the heart of Little Lake Park for residents and visitors.
An Ontario Trillium Foundation grant was obtained in 2022 which allowed the town to provide paved ampitheatre-type seating on the former natural slope of Little Lake Park. As well, a new roof had been budgeted in 2024 for the stage area.
“Building on that momentum,” said Fuller, “we were able to secure funds through another OTF-approved grant to help us put up our new stage and new bandshell, including the installation of the roof and ensuring the space is safe and modern, and accessible for all.”
A further redesign of the stage integrated modern infrastructure and accessibility features, such as lighting for performers and along the seating edges, and coverings for the performance area and electrical components.
“The (audience) lighting came in after the fact,” said Fuller, “because once we set it up, we felt it was very dark. We knew that the new bandshell would have lighting, but we wanted to make sure it was safe for everyone to use. The lighting came in with that last grant as well.”
Midland Mayor Bill Gordon stated that while it could normally take a municipality years of long-range investing to provide service improvements to public space, government funding brought the long-range into a short-term solution.
“The province supporting us with grant funding allows us to actually action some of our goals in our parks and trails strategic plans that we’ve made, and our master plans,” said Gordon, “and actually put them into action in the near term rather than the long term.
“From my perspective, the province is being the best partner ever this term for us,” added Gordon, “so I’m going to continue that relationship as long as I can, and make Midland better for it.”
Gordon also reiterated a council commitment for accessibility, noting that Midland-born former lieutenant-governor David Onley achieved great success as a champion for accessibility legislation within Ontario.
When asked how long the new bandshell would last given the two decades of the previous stage, Fuller replied: “I’m hoping double that. The Rotary Club who originally put up the stage did a fantastic job; nearly 20 years of service and memories that it provided to the town – you can’t beat that.”
Information on town-hosted live events at the Rotary Stage can be found on the community, tourism, and culture page of the Midland website.
Established as a provincial government agency in 1982, the Ontario Trillium Foundation handed out $105 million in grants to 730 non-profit organizations in 2024.
By Derek Howard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, MidlandToday.ca
