Centrestage for Community

Centrestage for Community. Stewart Park. , Historically, Perth has always boasted a thriving creative community with music, dance and theatre at the core of activities. That tradition continues today with many residents internationally known as award-winning artists, musicians and playwrights., Every July, Stewart Park becomes a centrestage for cultural exchange as it transforms from the customary sedate, serene space into a vibrant, pulsating and colourful outdoor music scene crowded with folks attending the annual Stewart Park Festival. The festival, which began in 1990, ushers in three free days of music highlighting world-beat, folk and roots to jazz, rock and gospel. The event is packed with concerts, workshops, children's activities, artisans' displays and culinary delights., The Tay River carries rhythms throughout the downtown core with cascading notes of a saxaphone, the ripple of children's laughter and a stream of festive energy on a warm summer's day., Perth Citizens Band , Performing since 1852, the Perth Citizens Band is Canada's oldest town band, providing jaunty airs for town parades, patriotic celebrations, boat excursions on the Rideau, strawberry socials and concerts in Stewart Park., In 1931, a new bandstand was erected behind Town Hall where the band played such pieces as "Moonlight on the Rideau" and "Tayville" and continues to delight music lovers here with their summer's eve concert series., [Photo captions, counterclockwise from top left, read] , . Photo of the Perth Citizens Band taken in 1931 at the opening of the new bandstand., . Sheet music for Moonlight on the Rideau, composed by William R. Spence in 1937., . Cultural events have long been enjoyed by Perth's theatre goers. In the late 1800s, the Marks Brothers comedy and theatrical troups hailing from Christie Lake, provided entertainment at Town Hall and Balderson Theatre., . Painting by Montreal artist John Field called "Town of Perth in Upper Canada, 1853"., . Crowds flock to hear high-calibre entertainment along the shores of the Tay.