The Shaw Festival...

I think anyone who has ever visited Niagara-on-the-Lake has heard of the Shaw Festival! Judi and I have been visiting Niagara-on-the-Lake for years. We had heard a lot about the Shaw Festival, but never really knew it and what it could offer! That is, until Judi decided to give me a surprise anniversary gift! Judi had sold quite a number of her original paintings at the Cobourg Waterfront Festival and had earned some extra money. She decided to spend it on a surprise anniversary present. The present, you guessed it, was a romantic weekend in Niagara-on-the-Lake! And, the weekend included tickets to a play at the Shaw! Judi had planned everything and wouldn’t tell me anything! This silence even included directions to where we were going! Once we were on the Q.E.W. highway and heading towards Buffalo, it finally dawned on me where we might be going, but I still wasn’t sure and I had no idea what was in store for me! Our destination was the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Once we arrived, Judi instructed me to drive to the main town park. Here she unloaded the truck of our car with chairs, a folding table, glasses, cutlery and a picnic basket! She had packed everything the night before we left, without my knowledge (very sneaky!!). She laid the whole picnic out and we sat in our chairs quietly eating our lunch. It was the perfect start for what was to come next! After packing our picnic essentials back into the car, Judi instructed me to drive to the main street and head away from the downtown. She told me to stop and park at the Royal Park Hotel (now the Shaw Club Hotel). Our accommodations had already been reserved and we settled into the hotel to relax for a few hours. Then it was downstairs to the hotel’s restaurant, the Zees Patio and Grill. To say we had a fabulous meal would be an understatement! During the meal I wondered how much better the day could be. I was in for another surprise! I would get better! Right across from out the Royal Park Hotel was the Shaw Festival Theatre. Judi had purchased tickets to the evening performance! Judi told me to follow her. We crossed the road to the theatre and she presented our tickets! What a wonderful day and a fantastic surprise! Our anniversary extravaganza was topped off the next morning with a gourmet breakfast at the Charles Inn! The whole experience was choreographed by the Shaw Festival and the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Working together, along with local businesses, they put together excellent “Getaway Packages”. Ours suited us to a “T”!
The Shaw Festival has been an artistic force in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Canada since 1962. The Shaw Festival Foundation, established a year later in 1963, was to ensure the Festivals continuation. The Festival was originally set up to as a salute to playwright George Bernard Shaw but now features plays, each season, by many notable authors. From small beginnings the Shaw Festival is internationally recognized and attended by people from all over the world! The strength of the Shaw Festival is the Shaw Festival Foundation and its members! The membership, through their generous financial support, helps the Theatre’s creative team, directors, actors, writers, designers and artisans, sustain their work and their vision. There are several types of memberships available for all budgets. To find out more, go to http://www.shawfest.com/web/content.asp?docid=4_1_0_1.