Dundas

[Rachel Peters]

Everyone who's anyone should do Dundas this year.
Why?
Because I said so.
And because maybe - just maybe - I'll be handing out free dollar store crap to performers when I'm around. No guarentees, but it's very possible.
Aaaaaaaaand I have convinced my old household (which is situationed just a few seconds to the east of Dundas, and remains my home-away-from-home) to let me take over the house for a day of bbq-style fun for Dundas fest entertainers. More info will come as the day approaches, but I'm hoping to know some faces when that day comes.
I don't it to end up being me and that guy who pan-handles down town, while randomly hitting a bucket with a stick. I'm afraid of him, and he smells bad.
Deadlines for applications tend to creep up fast, so I suggest all y'all get on it!
Dollar store crap and bbq in Hamilton Ontario! Can it get any better??

Sincerely,
Rachel C. Peters, F.L. ("Festival Loiterer")

[Rachel Peters]

I'm gettin' the June BUG, BABY!!

So, I've read that the Dundas Fest has been booked for June, 06.

I highly recommend that those not performing there still check it out, for fun. "Why?" You ask? Well, I sort of covered that already in the post below, man. BUT... if you're looking for more reasons to be in the Hamilton/Dundas Ontario area on the first week of June, I'll do my best to give you some:

1. It's a festival. 'nough said. Fun times.
2. Hamilton has the most Tim Hortons coffee shops per capita -- Home to Tim Horton, himself. Never been to a Tim Hortons? There's no better time.

3. Sunday evening, June 4th
Shin-dig at my (old) place.
You will have the opportunity to meet a cat named Pork n' Beans, who was adopted by my old roommate, Erika.
Pork n' Beans' skills include farting, drooling, and rarely landing on her feet. I've tried to tell Erika many times that this cat was in the pound for a reason . But on the upside, she has one blue eye and one green eye. Just like Erika.
You could also view our half-in-ground pool, which has never quite worked, and has become more commonly known as "The West Nile Experiment".
I also had a long-running game at that house called, "Guess what Rachel broke and fixed real fast while you were out!" It went on for quite some time, and still resurrects itself from time-to-time, usually when I come to visit.
One of my proudest moments was the back door that I kicked down, glued back together, and painted over on one crazy, low blood-sugar, Sunday afternoon. The only thing anyone noticed was different about the place was that the door worked better than it had before, and that we were out of wood glue.
Apparently (I just heard last week), that another roommate, Karen, re-kicked it down, while she was locked out of the house.
And lastly, there's Gloria. Gloria could kick all of our butts with her blackbelt in taiquando, but you'd never suspect it from her giggly, shy, and innocent demeanor. (PS: She's just about the best audience you'll ever meet, if she's not being shy. Usually, even if she thinks your joke isn't so funny, she'll point out why it's not funny and make that funny. ...it's a win/win. She just wants to laugh.)
So many fun things to experience in Hamilton/Dundas!
One of them being the BBQ at my old stompin' grounds, Sunday evening, June 4.
Ask me for details. But I'm sure I'll also be harassing you, if I happen to see you at the fest.
Hospitably yours,
Rachel C. Peters

[Isabella]

Dundas

We'll be at Dundas this year and I'd love to put a name to the face and see your newly-acquired fire skills!

Allison

Aerial Angels

https://www.angelsintheair.com

[Rachel Peters]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Dollar store toys for the acrobats!!

Huzzah!

[Dan, a balloon man]

Does the local dollar store sell fry pans??? I would like one please, but it'll have to wait till next year. I was booked already when the folks in Dundas inquired this year.
I do LOVE free Dollar store "swag"...where else are you going to be able to get an authentic "whoopee chicken" (kinda like a whoopee cushion with a small adjustment) I'm sure the idea of the "whoopee chicken" was a good idea while the dollar store engineers were downing the jack daniels and dodging inflatable fry pans while trying to figure out how to inflate a leprechaun without offending anyone.
Will Mr. Beans' farting routine be simulcast???

[Rachel Peters]

I don't know about frying pans, but I did find a pile of assembly required, wooden, model bathroom sets. Toilet, bathtub and sink.
Perfect for small children to choke on.

I bought some and mailed them to friends.

I spend way too much money on postage for crazy crap.

You never realize how heavy gummi candies are until you try to mail them. But they do act as great padding -- like those little foam peanuts.

-rp

[Rachel Peters]

and now that it's over I shall slink back into the shadows from whence I came.

Thank you to the performers of the Dundas Fest, 06 for a great final evening at the "Lamo Bay".
A thank you to the Handsome Little Devils for taking it upon themselves to scoop [one of] the dead and rotting squirrels from our pool (AKA: "The West Nile Experiment") and giving it a proper and respectful burial.
Thanks to one of Les Walkyries for demonstrating how she can contort her stomach in ways that shall surely keep me awake for weeks to come, frightened and twitching.
Thanks to Frisbee for humouring me and taking one of those horrid Giant Marshmallow Hamburgers home to San Fran with him. I don't know why I bought so many. Be assured, I will be mailing them to people who didn't take any home with them. I don't want 'em.
A big thanks to everyone for just showing up and having fun. It was great to see.
There are rumours in this house of this being only the first of an annual event. You all made me the coolest kid on the block.

I really enjoyed meeting great and comfortable people, after I've spent so many months "researching" and typing stuff.
I saw some top notch acts at this year's fest, and was amazed at their capabilities of keeping crowds through the pouring rain.

Just picking out a few first impressions:

Aerial Angels -- Strong, confident, funny, sexy women. (Now that's something, coming from a girl who can hardly say the word "sexy" without blushing like a fool and subsequently walking into a wall.)
I've noticed that I never realize how much I thirst for strong, independent female acts until I see them. It made me crave more.

Glenn Singer -- What would you say his show is about? That it's a guy riding a zebra? Brilliant acting, brilliant timing, brilliant concept, etc, etc. ...brilliantly funny. Just brilliant. BUT!!! I got equally as much entertainment from this improvisational, interactive crowd gathering and warm-up tricks. THIS is what made every single show brand new. I came back to multiple Glen Singer "pre-shows", just to see him gather a crowd. Have an in-depth conversation with a four year old. Or maybe a dog.

Sharon Mahoney -- Oozing "cool". Like, a real person "cool". Not a plastic, Hollywood, "too cool for the likes of you" cool. Cool, but makes you think that you can be cool too if you just work hard and stay in school. Hilarious. But here's what impresses me about Sharon Mahoney and "Tallulah"... A lot of other acts out there get adult volunteers up in the middle and they get to them to do outrageous an crazy things. But a lot of those volunteers (you can feel this tension as an audience member) likely leave the show feeling embarrassed and slightly violated. I've seen it countless times. The volunteer plays along because they don't want to ruin the show for everyone, but on the inside they feel mocked. You can feel them almost slink away, back into the audience. (of course, I'm describing the "humour at the volunteer's expense" extreme as my example here.)
BUT here's the thing!! Sharon Mahoney makes four grown men take off their shirts, wear women's gitch on their head, bear hug each other, pretend to take "a really big poopy" and somehow come out of it feeling like their all the sexiest, most solid and reliable men on the planet, as well as convincing the audience that they're four of the highest quality specimens of the male gender this country has to offer. She's all about building them up. That was so special. Apart from being just generally awesome and hilarious, THIS really impressed me. I know she's not the only performer out there who treats her volunteers this way, but she just does it so WELL.

And now my fingers hurt from typing. Thanks for your time. adieu.

[Rachel Peters]

http://www.rachelpeters.net/random%20pictures.htm << a few dundas pics at the end of the slide show.

[Rachel Peters]

Say, do any of you jokers know what time it is?

It's time to start applying to the Dundas Busker Fest.

If you'll kindly scroll down you'll see that it finishes off with a (unaffiliated) Busker BBQ and Beer BASH at my place, so all y'alls better be there.
Who's never been to Dundas (and thus, to Hamilton)? There's no better year than 2007 to check it out.
Who hasn't been for a while and misses it so much?
Who's retired and feels like they won't be complete without busking just ONE more small town festival?
Who's got a green card and is really itching to use it?
Who thinks Dundas is cooler than Ithaca? (which insists on running the same weekend, damn their eyes!)


Start applying for Dundas now. Don't delay.

This year's wrap party bbq will be held in the greatest venue in all of Hamilton. ...my very own, little house. It may still be a little empty by June, which means I'll need more buskers to fill it up.
I'll have roommates, and I've already informed them that my only stipulation in being a land lady is that they refer to me only as "Old Lady Jenkins" and always be in a tizzy that they'll make me upset. ...You may do the same.

June 1, 2, 3.

Dundas Ontario

http://www.downtowndundas.ca/getarticles/27

I may even be walking around the fest, handing out more hand-picked dollar store toys.
If all else fails, bribe.

[Frisbee]

Apply...listen to Rachel...the Dollar stuff is really worth it and the party will be fun...just stay away from the marshmallow burger...
They are so lethal that mine was confiscated at the border coming back into the states.
Dundas was a fun festival.

[Rachel Peters]

Are you serious? I thought the border comment was a joke!
I was going to try to find some new, equally as intriguing/disgusting theme for this year.
I had a hard time giving those 30 mallow burgers away.

[FireNix]

Add me to the list

Hi there Rachael

Well you can add me to the list for the BBQ and useless $ store items that I hate but cant pull myself away from. I always think I shall be able to put them to good use in my shows - then wonder what I was thinking after I pull them out of my case at the end of each country unused!!
Im thinking about hanging around in and around Dundas/Toronto after the festy. Is there any recomendations you would give as to places to visit, stay, busk, or gigs t work?
Any info would help me decide how long to stay, before heading back to Europe for the Summer season - Im thinking middle of June flying back - that'd give me 10 days to explore. I really wanna come to Canada to work later in the Summer or next season - so wanna scope the place out
Peas out to you and looking forward to something more discgusting than a Marshmellow heartattack burger
Peas
Rob

[Rachel Peters]

Hey!
Fun!!

So, I don't think that the Greater Toronto Area really has much of a busking scene outside of festivals.

I've been told that Toronto's Harbor Front has busking, but you have to audition in April.

There are events that go on all summer at Dundas Square (that's not Dundas, the town you'll be festivalling in, that's Yonge and Dundas STREET, in Toronto) and here's a link to what the Square has to say about events and artists:

http://www.ydsquare.ca/images/stories/gallery/Documents/prog%20outreach.pdf

I hope that helps a little bit.

You could TRY busking in Hamilton/Dundas outside of the fest, but there's a good reason no one ever does. ...nobody in downtown Hamilton has money and nobody in Dundas is alive.

Funny that they created assigned busking pitches in downtown Hamilton (you'll see stars painted on the pavement), but it's all in the "social services" part of town (which is where I live). Seriously -- not many people there have money enough to get a bus ticket. They'd love you to bits (because performance is rare to see there), but there'd be poor hat. I'm sure of it.
There used to be one regular classical guitar player, but I've even seen him move on up to Toronto over the last few years.
What Hamilton needs is to have the City convinced to hire performers in the summer time, to attract people to that "social services" part of town. I think they do on occasion, but never circle shows. I've only ever seen bands. There ARE good potential pitches. Maybe one or two.
I think that's why they painted the stars on the pavement -- to attract artists, to attract people. But without the money it's not doing much.
Somebody should get on that. ...Truly Odd?? You reading this??

Aaaaanyway, that was more information than you asked for. I'll stop now.

-rp

[Rachel Peters]

Re: Add me to the list

Originally posted by FireNix
looking forward to something more discgusting than a Marshmellow heartattack burger
Peas
Rob

As requested...

Jello Brains with gummi eyeballs and gummi teeth.

Oddly enough, I once saw an ovarian cyst in a jar that look just like this. (And oddly enough, I made that joke about 7 or 8 times during the course of the evening.)

...But seriously. I did see a cyst like that. But the cyst had hair. The jello probably had a few of mine in it as well.

fun times, fun times.

Sharon Mahoney used them as breast implants. She let me give them a squeeze.

[Rachel Peters]

Cleaning up and...

Somebody left behind an audience-tossed lighter with a picture of um... a tightly underpanted gentleman on it.

I cried over my compromised innocence for a while, but I think I'm ok now that I'm getting counseling.

Anybody need an extra lighter?
You can swing by and pick it up anytime.