With the 2006/07 season have wrapped up after a “Passport Holder Appreciation Night” on Friday night prior to the Ian Thomas concert, “tour de Fort” already is looking forward to the season ahead.
Passports for the 2007/08 season went on sale Friday—and already 258 of the 430 have been sold.
“We’re off to a wonderful start. We’re very excited,” enthused Christine Denby, who chairs the “tour de Fort” promotions committee.
Passports have been selling at last year’s rate—$95 for six shows—and will continue to be until May 15. The price after that date has not been determined yet.
Passports are available from any “tour de Fort” director, the Clover Valley Farmers’ Market (once it opens for the season), and at www.tourdefort.com.
“tour de Fort” president Dave Legg said it’s important for the public to understand why selling passports early is necessary.
“We are in the process of hiring acts right now,” he noted. “A lot of the contracts have been signed already, and the contracts require us to pay a substantial amount of money up front.
“That’s why we need to sell these passports—in order to get some of that revenue and pay for those acts for next year.
“It’s not that we’re just trying to collect money early just to have it,” Legg stressed. “We have bills to pay and we need to be able to pay them to go forward.”
While some contracts still are being finalized, at this point the 2007/08 lineup likely will include The Blues Brother Revival, country artists The Wilkinsons, Prairie singer-songwriter Connie Kaldor, tenor trio Romanza, Latin vocalist Eliana Cuevas, and one concert featuring trio Mike Stevens, Matt Anderson, and David Gunning.
Exact dates for these concerts will be announced in the near future, but it is know they’ll be spread out—with four before Christmas and two in the new year.
Looking further into the 2007/08 season, “tour de Fort” will be teaming up with the Fort Frances Museum to bring the Manitoba Theatre Company here sometime next year for a special performance.
Like the Dini Petty show held back in January, this event will be in addition to the passport concert series as a fundraiser for the museum.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
