The department of recreation, culture, and wellness develops vibrant and dynamic cultural projects and programs. With our partners, our goal is to develop a creative community and a place of discovery, learning and exploration for all residents and visitors. Learn more by viewing our Cultural Master Plan and our many Festivals and Events.

Ballroom Dance Social

Watch for the next date coming soon!

 

Past socials included:

Town of Pelham Valentines Dance Social

Saturday February 18, 2023 | Meridian Community Centre | 7-10pm | Tickets are required

Tickets are $15.00 and can be purchased from the front desk of the Meridian Community Centre.

Tickets include your entry, tea, coffee, water and light snacks.

Cash Bar will be available.
Comedy Night in Pelham 

The Garden City Comedy Festival is proud to present "Comedy Night in Pelham", an evening of laughs.

The next Comedy Night in Pelham - Saturday, July 29, 2023!
Meridian Community Centre - 100 Meridian Way, Fonthill.

Comedy Night in Pelham will return with another all star lineup, hosted by Niagara's own David Green.

Tickets are $25 or call 289-668-3425 to reserve a table of 8 for $150.
Bar service will be available for purchase. 

Doors at 7pm. Showtime 8pm.

Visit www.gardencitycomedyfestival.com for more information or to purchase ticket!
Culture Days
The Town of Pelham have prepared to provide a safe, yet interactive experiences taking place during Culture Days this year. Culture Days is a Canada-wide celebration that is the largest-ever public participation campaign undertaken by the arts and cultural community in this country. Culture Days features FREE activities that invite the public to participate in interactive arts and culture experiences.

These experiences, workshops and performances will provide interactive experiences which will be hosted throughout the Town of Pelham. 

All events are FREE to attend.
African Songs, Percussions and Dance

African Songs, Percussions, and Dance: by Djembe Master Amadou Kienou 

Saturday September 24, 2022 at 1:00pm at the Bandshell in Peace Park 

presented in partnership with La Maison de la Culture Francophone du Niagara in celebration of Franco - Ontarian Flag Day

 

AMADOU KIENOU (Bio)

Master drummer Amadou Kienou hails from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, West Africa, once part of the vast ancient Mandingo Empire. A descendant of the Dafin people, Amadou was initiated as a griot (an oral historian), one of a long line of griots whose role is to preserve and transmit their people’s history, culture, and values. The djembe is Amadou’s principal instrument. As he describes it, “the djembe is more than a musical instrument; it is an extension of the musician through which he expresses his life, his emotions.” Mastery of the djembe requires a lifetime of discipline and dedication, and the guidance of a djembe master, provided, in Amadou’s case, primarily by his father, the late revered Baba Kienou. As a griot, musician-composer, and choreographer Amadou Kienou has been active throughout North America, Africa, Europe, Asia, India, and the Caribbean. In recognition of his artistry, he has received numerous awards, including Best African Performing Artist in Canada 2019, Radio Kilimanjaro’s Best Male Performer of 2018 and Male Artist of the Year 2016, Cultural Ambassador of Burkina Faso in Canada in 2014, and Best Artist of Burkina Faso in 2011.His most prestigious award is being honoured with the Order of Merit in Canada in 2017. 

Presented in partnership with La Maison de la Culture Francophone du Niagara in celebration of Franco - Ontarian Flag Day

Célébrons ensemble! Chansons et percussions africaines, spectacle interactif par le maître du djembé Amadou Kienou et ses musiciens

Samedi 24 septembre à 13h00 au Bandshell de Peace Park (spectacle GRATUIT )
Présenté en partenariat avec La Maison de la Culture Francophone du Niagara.

For more information, visit: www.mcfniagara.com
Orange Shirt Day - Friday September 30th 
For more information visit the dedicated Sept 30th site at www.pelham.ca/sept30 
 
Arts Directory
Call for Local Arts Professionals and Facilitators:

The Town of Pelham is creating a local online artist directory. The directory will be utilized for any future opportunities for artists in Pelham.  In addition, the online directory will be available to the general public to discover local artisans, performers, teachers, art, music, photography, etc.

Artists of all mediums are encouraged to apply to the online directory.

To apply, CLICK HERE
 SAY IT! on Stage - Seniors and Youth Intergenerational Theatre On Stage

 SAY IT! On Stage 

Seniors and Youth Intergenerational Theatre

www.sayitonstage.com

 To join in on future SAY IT! On Stage projects please fill out this form and we will be in contact:

 

 More about SAY IT! on Stage
 say it logo

SAY IT! On Stage. “SAY IT” stands for “Seniors and Youth Intergenerational Theatre”.

It is a program designed to strengthen connections and encourage collaboration between teens and their elders. The Town of Pelham, students from E.L. Crossley High School, and community volunteers will be apart of this exciting creative process that will finish in the performance of an original dramatic production. Performance Dates and delivery change with each production. 

Through intergenerational conversation circles, senior participants will have the opportunity to share anecdotes and experiences from their lives; these stories will provide the foundation for a play that will be produced and performed by both youth and senior participants.

This initiative also seeks to showcase the broad range of talents and passions individuals bring to the project – music, dance, visual arts, crafts, trades. Our aim is to involve the community of Pelham in all of its diversity, including Indigenous presence and storytelling approaches.

 

We hope you will join us in this artistic endeavour.
  Goals of SAY IT! on Stage
  Goals of the Project: 
  • To provide opportunities for seniors to share their life stories
  • To validate and celebrate the life experiences of seniors within our community
  • To foster connections between seniors and youth through storytelling and drama activities
  • To encourage collaboration between high school students and seniors as they create, rehearse, and perform community theatre
  • To offer co-op placement and community involvement opportunities for high school students
  • To enrich cultural life for all residents of Pelham with a new performance arts initiative

 

 2022 Project - Stories Found
Live On-stage Performance - Nov 5 & 6 2022

Meridian Community Centre (MCC)

 

Link to the Live Recording of Stories Found - November 5 2022 

 

SAY IT! On Stage. “SAY IT” stands for Seniors and Youth Intergenerational Theatre. The program creates connections and encourages collaboration between people of all ages and circumstances. Through intergenerational conversation circles, participants share experiences from their lives; these stories provide the foundation for the live on-stage performance of "Stories Found." 

"A little antique and curiosity shop in a small town holds a multitude of memories. Step through the door with us. Precious moments from people’s lives will be experienced anew, rediscovered through objects that call them to mind. The value of material possessions cannot always be measured in dollars and cents. What really counts is the richness of the experiences that they represent. Stuff is the stories that we are made of."

  
 Unearthed - An Original Radio Play (2020 -2021 Project)
 

microphone

The second season of SAY IT! On Stage had us exploring new ways to be creative and stay connected. No longer able to meet in person, we have congregated in Zoom rooms, experimenting with a hybrid theatre art: old-time radio plays performed on a videoconferencing app of our own technological age. The project is as intergenerational as the participants!

recording a podcast group in large room with dividers 

​After months of meeting weekly to read through vintage scripts, we set to work creating a radio play of our own. Rehearsing from a living document in a virtual venue had its challenges, but neither unstable internet connections nor endless electronic versions of a monster draft document could deter us. 

 

With all the safety precautions, and when restrictions allowed, the group was able to record all of the performers' voices. When all the scenes had been read through and each sound effect included, the editing began!  The final result is the radio play..."Unearthed" 

 

 Shovel in Ground Unearthed Podcast

 

With the sound of sirens, the sleepy little town is awakened. Nothing ever happens there. Until it does...

 

Come along and help our armchair detectives unravel a delicious tangle of suspects and clues.

 

Listen to the original Radio Play Here.

 

 

 

 

 
Pelham Big Band Dance Night – Featuring the Jimmy Marando Swing Band
The Jimmy Marando Swing Band was formed in 1965 in Welland, Ontario by Jimmy Marando.
The band is still in 'full swing', bringing the best hits of the 30's through 70's to audiences throughout Niagara and beyond.
They continue to bring back musical memories of days when audiences danced to swing, jazz and classic (ballroom) standards. These include the best of Glen Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Broadway, Latin, and much more. Featuring guest vocalists.

 

Pelham Big Band Dance Night Featuring the Jimmy Marando Swing Band runs the third* Tuesday of every month in the Accursi Room at the Meridian Community Centre. 

 

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the band plays from 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

 

Donations are welcome for the band. 

Bar services available; food service is cash only. Free admission.

 

 

2023 Spring Event Schedule:

Tuesday April 18, 2023

Tuesday May 16 , 2023 

 

 

 

Learn more about the band here.
Meridian Community Centre Art Exhibit Rental 

Apply to have your art work showcased at the Meridian Community Centre:

Meridian Community Centre ATRIUM Application

Meridian Community Centre UPPER HALLWAY Application 

 Artist Directory

Call for Local Arts Professionals and Facilitators:

The Town of Pelham is creating a local online artist directory. The directory will be utilized for any future opportunities for artists in Pelham. 

In addition, the online directory may be available to the general public to discover local artisans, performers, teachers, art, music, photography, etc.

Artists of all mediums are encouraged to apply to the online directory.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be 18 years or older or have parent/guardian consent.
  • Persons with disabilities, visible minorities and Indigenous artists are encouraged to apply.
  • Applicants must reside in Pelham or have a Pelham based business.
  • All levels of experience and mediums are encouraged to submit an application. 

Terms and Conditions

  • The Town of Pelham is not responsible for any damages that may occur.
  • Information provided will be accessible by the general public.
  • Information provided from this application may be used as part of an online directory.
  • At any point you may request to be removed from the directory.
  • Completion of an annual participant form will be required to maintain up to date information.  

 

Painting 
 
Sculpture
 
Mixed Media
 
Photography
 
Drama 
 
Musical
 
Vocal
 
Other 
 

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