If the question is “what is there by way of entertainment in Cobourg”, the answer is “not much”. It’s not zero although some of it – but not all – is virtual. Way back when things were normal, the Victoria Hall Box Office had a whole collection of shows to book with venues such as the Concert Hall, the Loft, the United Church, the Firehall theatre and more. Victoria Hall and the Box office are now closed – possibly for all of 2021. However, the Loft is now operating albeit with fewer live shows. A web site dedicated to Cobourg entertainment (Cobourg Calendar) was full of events – but most of these are now labelled “cancelled”. There were also dinner theatre shows at the Best Western, Concerts in Victoria Park, Movies in the Park and of course the Waterfront Festival and Canada Day celebrations, which have all been cancelled again this year. Other notable events that have been cancelled are the Rib Fest and Port Hope’s Float your Fanny down the Ganny.
But there’s light at the end of the tunnel. With vaccinations now happening, the Highland games have rescheduled to September (from June), the Vintage Film Festival is planning for a September date and hopefully others (like the Poutine festival in September) are coming out of hibernation. Northumberland Players are planning to ramp up later in 2021 then a normal season in 2022. The Port Hope Drive in was open during lockdown and will hopefully re-open shortly.
What venues are currently available?
- Rainbow Cinemas are showing a limited program with first run movies aimed primarily at kids.
- The Cobourg Loft has a full schedule – mostly movies but with two live Les AMIS classical concerts.
- Restaurants are open for tables of 6 or less where you can entertain your friends with scintillating conversation!
- Many clubs are holding Zoom meetings pending getting back together (Clubs in Cobourg). Some are quite active e.g. Northumberland Photography Club.
- A limited number of people can be spectators at sports events (Register as a spectator at the Cobourg Community Centre)
- Take out “gala” meals from Arthurs and Cobourg Lions (facebook link). Several organizations have offered special meals that have a portion of their cost allocated to a cause.
The most active large virtual events are the Northumberland Learning Connection, Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre and Venture 13.
But the star virtual event would have to be the Town’s Civic awards on April 23 at 7:00 pm. Check with the Town for details on viewing (this site and the Cobourg Calendar site will also let you know).
With the situation still uncertain, it’s best to check web sites before making firm plans. You can get most links via the Cobourg Entertainment web site here.
But I see a pattern in the above: I see that there is hope for “normalcy” to return in September.
Links
Cobourg Internet Information pages
- Covid-19 Status in Cobourg
- Vaccination News for Cobourg
- Covid-19 Trend in Cobourg
- Active Venues in Covid-19 era
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Good to hear suggestions. I look forward Music Lover to the Wednesday concerts resuming. I attended the Tuesday night concerts previously. Until COVID is under control the library, a regular haunt of mine is limited. I looked forward to further involvement last year but then COVID and also attending one of the churches here.
I will continue to review this topic seeking further suggestions on activities in Cobourg. Not much for volunteering – hate the idea of taking a job from someone – recall the many, many unsuccessful resumes here when I sought work despite skills that should have qualified me – mostly local hiring and students over new residents, I knew many of them attending Watton as unsuccessful as I was here. Surprising to me as in a much larger more competitive setting I did just fine.
Cheers to all taking the time to offer suggestions.
Northumberland 89.7 FM Summer Music Series concerts are still under consideration with 8 outdoor free concerts for 2021. These concerts dates are already scheduled for Victoria Park bandshell with many of the performers who were selected for the “cancelled” concert series for last summer. The Summer Music Series concerts will be held every Wednesday evening (weather permitting) from 6-9 PM. Stay tuned to Northumberland 89.7 Truly Local Radio for updates on whether these concerts will be allowed to move forward.
“FESTIVAL” EN PLEIN AIR (OUTDOORS) Hopefully they won’t crank it up. We live here too with a big tax bill. The recreational committee and its chair never listened before. Some people are ill, have treatments at home, others are stressed out with difficult nervous problems (under covid is worse) lost lims, or lost loved ones. Can you enjoy yourselves without harming others? — Don’t be selfish, try to be civilized — we cannot all share loud music, this is not a zoo. I explain and offer a solution. We are 13,000 aprox. UofT aprox 70,000 and they are better organized. Would you like to be next to excruciating loud bad bells hymns, weeping of bag pipes (Scottish music created to scare the English enemy) and the beat of rap all season ? bad and off beat rock, loud humming cythar, shouting offkey singers, as a talent contest ? I heard a lot of purist American music on Canada day! Rarely I heard French folklore or heritage maritime songs with their legends, their costumes and traditional foods, but you will have a festival of poutine 🇲🇶 this year hey? (Picton has a great choice of Canadian bilingual songs, Canadian music and folk.) Okay it’s a start after 400 years of founding this country… BUT Northumberland has a lot of fields more than Woodstock, if Cobourg cannot turn the bandshell looking at the Lake, the beach, next to our most precious canopied space (trailer park location with washrooms) and use it like a real movie set! Well let’s talk about booking our music “en plein air” elsewhere .. I’ll supply the oatmeal along with other farmers. 🐄
If its a Social Life your after then No there is not much out there that is safe to attend
How ever there are plenty of on line courses out there Hobbies , music , art and continuing education of all topics . Great Movies of all sorts on Net Flicks
Zoom and Skip what’s missing ? and in reality even the Town is ticking along quite well
locked up and no staff We should be saving tax dollars this year .
Sad to say the pandemic cancelled all our brass band activities here in Town. I was registered for waltz dancing in Toronto it was also cancelled. I saw my last super floor show in Toronto pre covid time. In recent years some great courses were offered at the Painted Tree in Town. I always went to Toronto or elsewhere for my curriculum activities. I designed courses for a youth summer theatre and nobody came. I also volunteered painting and sketching classes at the depot and everybody had fun! I think people should give a free trial of what they can do. I see a need for creative writing, paper mâché, stone sculpture, clay pottery, rose gardens, community singing, community dancing, debutant astronomy for sailors and skygazers, yoga, cooking with health in mind, squadron courses, marine map reading for children (offered in USA libraries) wood shop for men and women etc.. libraries in Toronto have a lot of activities and are the center of great communications. They show people in a community how to use computers, design book markers, for little money, unlike a community college. They show movies with a discussion salon afterwards, sewing seminars (not quilts), arts and crafts, etc.. why not here downtown Cobourg? We have a great parkette on the grounds of our library, a lovely garden across, and it is near a boardwalk scalloping along the beach!
So again its mostly social interaction we humans are missing
every thing else is still available just a different format in which we receive or view it
by our selves But you would not know it by the crowds at the water front last week end .
Can I assume, Sandpiper, that you were part of the OverCrowded Crowd at the water front. How else would you see that problem occurring? Do you know that if we never paid any taxes, which seems to be your dream, then no money would be spent and soon no jobs would exist.
Every time we spend money the financial world spins around and jobs and incomes are created. Trickle up occurs and all of us become consumers and workers which helps everyone to earn a living.
Do you know that mostly trickle down does NOT happen. Give well-off people a tax cut and they generally do 2 things with that money – save it ..or, go on Foreign travel. Trickle down is a myth that benefits no one.
Did you know that wealthy Americans hide about 1.5 trillion $s in income each year and do not pay taxes on that amount – each year! That is how the rich collect their Welfare which is a lot more than the gov’t ‘GIVES’ to the poor each year.
We live in such fair societies that the Old Age Home and Nursing Home care workers, who are most at risk in this pandemic are paid about the lowest wages there are. Mike Harris could explain all that to you.
So let’s cut, cut, cut taxes and all, so we can sit back and watch our world go down. Maybe we could finally get all those darn people off our beach too!
Then we can really enjoy the future!
Yes you “humans” … but The arts has been classified as seven: painting, architecture, sculpture, literature, music, performing arts and cinema. You can’t leave this to one person, or one opinion. I remember when Mariposa was invited to Cobourg. The CEO thought it would involve the Hell’s Angel’s! Next door our neighbor PEC have a good balance of what can work out for them. Good food, great ambiance, some music recitals, plays, lavender and wine festivals, lots of good art. No junk.
One thing I have missed in Cobourg is large number of the community college interest courses that are offered in other cities. In viewing what is offered here through that venue they are very limited and mostly geared to training for a job. Don’t know about now but the school system in larger centres also offered a large number of interest courses in many topics.
Which raises the question: is it supply or is it demand that is the problem?
There is no supply Jim – the courses just are not offered and available. I am sure there would be many people interested if the wide variety of interest classes were available here as they are elsewhere. Languages, international cooking classes, computer, hand writing analysis, sewing, art, automotive are just a few of the classes offered in other centres but not here.
“ I am sure there would be many people interested…”
If anyone knows for sure it would be the colleges. They have ascertained that interest from Cobourg residents is insufficient to support the expense of offering it.
But maybe there is no supply because there is insufficient demand, just as we don’t have a Costco or Red Lobster or Leon’s or casino here because there aren’t enough potential customers in our feel-good little town to support the investment.
As you say, “… the school system in larger (sic) centres also offered…”
I agree 150% with what is said. There is hope. A library is the area where they can make a course to take shape and put a flyer out or on the air. In Toronto libraries have so much to offer, it is a cultural center! They will be pleased to help. Try. Covid will pass and they will need rejuvenation. They need 15 people to have a teacher in a library.. I’m sure that is not impossible to find. 💌
I get very concerned when people say ” In Toronto they do this ” and ” In Toronto they do that “. Cobourg isn’t Toronto and I really don’t want it to be. I sometimes wonder why people ( older usually ) move to Cobourg if they have such great amenities in Toronto.
I know what you mean. I used to apply for courses almost all my life in Toronto. Sometimes I was contracted by a company, that included the policy of paying 100% tuition if the student got honours marks. I enjoyed 12 free courses that year. Other companies were less generous and paid half, but it was all there and available. When I returned to Cobourg, I never expected such a big city bonanza in a small town. I knew enough to lower my big city expectations.
As the same colleges are established in many areas their branches should be able to offer courses here as well as the larger centres. Perhaps they just think people here aren’t interested. Myself I lowered my expectations not expecting multiple cinemas, big name restaurant chains, large comprehensive museums etc. etc. but did think theses large colleges would offer what they offer elsewhere.
They do when there is sufficient demand. You have little experience and much to learn of small town life. Welcome to Cobourg.
Sorry Wally, I’ve been preparing my income taxes – something I love to do! First go to Line …. then multiply by this per cent – product on line …Colour me mad but I like to do my income taxes – small math puzzles for the mind.
The subject was on entertainment in Cobourg. With that I made a suggestion which I thought with so many joining our bounds would be of value to them and long standing residents whom have stated “I am bored stiff in prior blogs and not just regarding times in further shut downs due to COVID. Even if a full spectrum was not offered of interest courses some could be added to the roster. A survey first, yes another dreaded survey! of people’s interests.
By stating I know nothing of small town life and my expectations of such are unreal. Do you honestly think I would move here without first thinking of what that life had to offer first? Visiting numerous times before the move, comparing current interests. Who said there aren’t many things in Cobourg I really enjoy in the new home I selected after first comparing life in Cobourg, a town I knew I would like.
Wally I just made a suggestion – what is your? Perhaps you could compile a more detailed history of pictures and articles to add to current town displays. It is important the culture of Cobourg continues – I am not sure about all the pot shops – one perhaps, times are changing but a multitude? Something else to do besides roll another one.
Liz–I have to agree with you. In the link from Fleming College from a decade ago(see below-2011), the Cobourg Campus was celebrating growth and an enrollment of 950 students. Today, that is close to zero. In that decade Fleming chose not only to leave Cobourg, but, to open new multi-million dollar campuses in Lindsay & Haliburton. Where were our elected officials?… That leaves Northumberland as the only community without any post-secondary facilities or funding between Ottawa & Windsor….The demise of Fleming also happens to be the major reason that a company like Weston Foods left our town and expanded in Belleville & Kingston–so the economic impact has been significant.
Our MPP happens to be the Parlimentary Secretary for Colleges—for that reason alone you would think he’d show some interest in seeing that our adult community has a location for continued education and that our children have a place locally to advance their skills after high school. Disappointing…….
https://flemingcollege.ca/news/2011/08/
Hello Dunkirk – I goodled Fleming again and found Cobourg Campus. What a joke is that Dunkirk. When you go through the site and click on Cobourg Campus it advised there are no courses available and also directs you to another Campus rather than removing Cobourg from its list as it offers no courses here now. Thanks for the info. What a disappointment! You’ld think as a growing community we would receive more consideration from Fleming especially if they took the time to run a survey.
A very sad state indeed. So Rollll another one, just like the other one …. Our promoted form of recreational outlet.