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Sunshine City Festival Celebrates All Things 1912
Leacock’s Sunshine Sketches Turns 100

ORILLIA, ON – 22 December 2011
The Sunshine City, is throwing a big party and everyone is invited.

Officials in Orillia, Ontario will mark Stephen Leacock’s birthday on December 30th to announce their plans for the 100th anniversary of his Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town highlighted by a three-day celebration in July.

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The Sunshine City Festival will feature all things 1912, offering a glimpse Orillia’s heritage and life as it was in Ontario and in Canada at the time Leacock’s renowned story collection first appeared in print. Everything from horse and buggy rides to antique cars, from hot-air balloon rides to a heritage carnival, will be on display in Orillia from July 27-29, 2012.

You’ll be able to get an old fashioned shave, see a 1912 fashion show, hear live music and see vaudeville-style performances as well as enjoy a slice of homemade pie or an ice cream float. And of course Stephen Leacock will be there too.

“We’re beating the bushes for all kinds of displays, exhibits, collections and performances including demonstrations of crafts, skills and trades, all with a 1912 theme,” said Leacock Museum curator Fred Addis.

Orillia’s chief champion and promoter, Mayor Angelo Orsi added “It’s a chance for us to celebrate our heritage and to mark the achievements of our best-known and most prominent Orillian, Stephen Leacock. Everyone’s invited and we’re hoping the community will get on board for what’s sure to be lots of fun and entertainment.”

Sunshine Sketches of Little Town first appeared in print, in twelve serial installments, in the Montreal Star beginning in February 1912. The stories were collected and published in book form in England in August of that same year, followed by their publication in both the United States and Canada in September. To date, experts have pegged the number of copies sold at over one million.

Leacock’s beloved and mythical Mariposa has captivated the imagination of Canadians and readers around the world for 100 years. His little book about a small town and the characters in it defined our uniquely Canadian sense of humour and began a tradition of humour and comedy that has spanned the decades.

Numerous events on the Orillia calendar will celebrate Sunshine Sketches, but the Sunshine City Festival will be the best chance for visitors and tourists to see, hear and taste the heritage of the Sunshine City all that was 1912.

An old fashioned barber shop, a pie-social and tea, horse and buggy rides and vaudeville acts displaying feats of strength as well as song and dance will be showcased.

“We’re pulling out all the stops,” said Darcy Hoover, Orillia’s marketing manager, “It will be a real treat for everyone. Leacock put us on the map with his creation of Mariposa back in 1912, and it’s only fitting that we throw a big party to celebrate it.”

All community groups, choirs, musicians, clubs, sports teams, collectors, historians and early 1900’s enthusiasts that would like to be part of this unique celebration are asked to submit their ideas, proposals and suggestions to the Sunshine City Festival Organizing Committee at sunshinecityfest@leacockmuseum.com or call the Leacock Museum at 705-329-1908 before April 30, 2012.

Keep an eye on the museum website at www.leacockmuseum.com for further information on the Sunshine City Festival, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town and all things 1912.

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Media Contacts:
Fred Addis, Curator,
Leacock Museum National Historic Site
faddis@leacockmuseum.com
705-329.1908 x803

Darcy Hoover, Manager, Marketing,
Department of Culture & Heritage, City of Orillia
dhoover@orillia.ca
705.329-4283