Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about 90 kilometres (56 mi) north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is part of the extended urban area in southern Ontario known as the Greater Golden Horseshoe. As of the 2021 census, the city's population was 147,829, while the census metropolitan area had a population of 212,667 residents.
Orillia is a city in Ontario, Canada, about 30 km north-east of Barrie in Simcoe County. It is located at the confluence of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a single-tier municipality. It is part of the Huronia region of Central Ontario. The population in 2021 was 33,411.
Clarington is a lower-tier municipality in the Regional Municipality of Durham in Ontario, Canada. It was incorporated in 1973 as the town of Newcastle with the merging of the town of Bowmanville, the Village of Newcastle and the townships of Clarke and Darlington, and was established on January 1 1974. In 1993, the town was renamed Clarington, a portmanteau of the names of the two former townships. Darlington today is largely suburban, while Clarke remains largely rural. Bowmanville is the largest community in the municipality and is the home of the municipal offices.
Simcoe County is located in the central portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. The county is just north of the Greater Toronto Area, stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west. Simcoe County forms part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe area, a densely populated and industrialized region, centred on the Greater Toronto Area.
Oro-Medonte is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, on the northwestern shores of Lake Simcoe in Simcoe County.
Springwater is a township in central Ontario, Canada, in Simcoe County, near Barrie. It is the county seat of Simcoe County.
Mariposa Folk Festival is a Canadian music festival founded in 1961 in Orillia, Ontario. It was held in Orillia for three years before being banned because of disturbances by festival-goers. After being held in various places in Ontario for a few decades, it returned to Orillia in 2000. Ruth Jones, her husband Dr. Crawford Jones, brother David Major and Pete McGarvey organized the first Mariposa Folk Festival in August 1961. The inaugural event, covered by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, featured all Canadian performers. The festival grew in popularity, size and rowdiness until the popularity of the 1963 festival, and the lack of sufficient security, led to a backlash from town locals. The city of Orillia secured a court injunction to prevent the festival from continuing in the town limits. The first festival held in the Toronto area, in 1964, was at Maple Leaf Stadium. The subsequent three festivals were held at Innis Lake in Caledon, northwest of the city. In the 1970s it was held on the Toronto Islands before shifting to Harbourfront (Toronto) and Bathurst Street and later Molson Park in Barrie. In 2000, the Mariposa Folk Festival was invited back to Orillia by city councilors Tim Lauer and Don Evans. The festival continues to be held in Orillia. As well as folk music, the festival highlights other aspects of folk culture including dance, crafts, storytelling.
AC Entertainment is a music promotion company based in Knoxville, Tennessee. They are the co-producers of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival with Superfly Productions and the producers of the WayHome Music & Arts in Barrie, ON, the Forecastle Festival in Louisville, KY, Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN, and the Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit in Asheville, NC. They also specialize in venue management and services, event booking and production and event marketing and sponsorships. They are also talent-buyers for several venues across the Southeast.
Barrie Speedway was a 1/3-mile tri-oval racing track located in Oro-Medonte, Ontario, Canada, north of Barrie. It was a member of CASCAR Super Series between 1989 and 1995, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for the Ontario Provincial and National (Continental) championships between 2007 and 2014, and also hosted a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series 10 races between 2007 and 2014. The track was replaced by Sunset Speedway in Innisfil, south of Barrie.
Elmvale is a rural town in Springwater Township, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the intersection of County Road 27 and County Road 92, 20 minutes north of Barrie. Elmvale is home to 2,314 people, as of 2016.
Maya Burhanpurkar is a Canadian researcher.
The Boots and Hearts Music Festival is a multi-day country music and camping festival produced by Republic Live Inc. and owned by Stan and Eva Dunford. The festival is held annually at the Burl's Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte, Ontario, Canada. Since its inception in 2012, Boots and Hearts has grown to become Canada's largest country music festival and the second largest music festival in North America behind only the CMA Music Festival.
Fierté Simcoe Pride is an annual festival held in Simcoe County, Ontario, during the end of July and beginning of August each year. It is a celebration of the diversity of the LGBT community in Simcoe County. It is one of the larger regional gay pride festivals in Canada, featuring flag raisings and proclamations from across the county, educational events, artistic and cultural events, and a large closing event. Since forming, the organisation has expanded gradually, involving more year-round events. In 2016, the organisation celebrated its fifth anniversary Pride.
WayHome Music and Arts was a music and arts festival held at Burl's Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte, Ontario, Canada. The festival was held in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
Alexander Nuttall is a Canadian politician who serves as the 47th and current mayor of Barrie. Previously, he served on Barrie City Council from 2006 until 2014, and as the member of Parliament for the federal electoral district of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte from 2015 to 2019. Nuttall won the 2022 Barrie municipal election and is now serving as Barrie's 47th mayor.
Douglas Richard Downey, KC is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario during the 2018 general election. He represents the riding of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, and is a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Downey was named Parliamentary Assistant to Finance Minister Vic Fedeli shortly after the government was sworn in. He was appointed to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs on July 26, 2018, vice-chair of the Select Committee on Financial Transparency on October 3, 2018; deputy government whip on November 5, 2018 and Attorney General on June 20, 2019.
Girl: The World Tour was the second concert tour by American singer Maren Morris in support of her second major label studio album, Girl (2019). The tour began on March 9, 2019, at Riviera Theatre in Chicago and concluded on November 16, 2019, at The Armory in Minneapolis.
Kansas Stone is a Canadian country band from Barrie, Ontario consisting of core members and longtime friends Brian Harwood and Matt Davey, both of whom sing and play guitar. Kansas Stone is a high energy country band that fuels off of many different styles. Hailing from Ontario, Canada they deliver a sound that ranges from old and new country, blues, rock, and more. Kansas stone has become notorious for their catchy melodies and well crafted original songs.
The 2020 Canadian Country Music Awards, honouring achievements in Canadian country music in 2019 and 2020, were presented on September 27, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the event was presented as an outdoor ceremony from the Burl's Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte, Ontario.
