‘This town shaped him. And in turn, his music shaped all of us,’ said local festival organizer on two-year anniversary of Orillia icon’s death
Two years to the day after Gordon Lightfoot passed away, fans, friends and festival organizers gathered in his hometown to celebrate his life and legacy with stories, songs and shared memories.
The gathering took place Thursday afternoon at Couchiching Craft Brewing Co. in downtown Orillia, where organizers of the annual Lightfoot Days Festival marked the anniversary with a heartfelt tribute to the Canadian icon. It featured local band, Brant Street Session.
“May Day, May 1st — the day that Lightfoot passed away two years ago — is a day of celebration,” said Daphne Mainprize, vice-president of the Lightfoot Days Festival. “Today, we gather not just to mourn his absence, but to celebrate the enduring legacy of a musical genius whose songwriting touched so many people far and wide.”
The tribute on Thursday afternoon followed a similar event held last year at the Golden Leaves Monument in Tudhope Park.
Mainprize spoke fondly of Lightfoot’s connection to Orillia and its landscape, quoting the legendary musician’s own words, “Orillia’s a little town, right at the top of the Great Lakes, and I’ve always maintained that the lakes were responsible for a lot of the songs that I came up with.”
“This town shaped him,” she said. “And in turn, his music shaped all of us.”
Mayor Don McIsaac echoed that sentiment.
“As we gather here on the anniversary of Gordon Lightfoot’s passing, it’s only fitting we do so in his beloved hometown of Orillia,” he told the crowd. “Gordon Lightfoot was more than just a musician. He was a storyteller who captured the essence of Canada and its people in his lyrics.”
The mayor spoke of Lightfoot’s timeless songs — The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and If You Could Read My Mind — calling them “anthems of our country.”
“But it wasn’t just his music that made Gordon Lightfoot a legend,” McIsaac added. “He was a humble and gracious man who never forgot his roots. He loved Orillia, and Orillians loved him back.”
The city has honoured Lightfoot in numerous ways over the years, from naming local streets and trails after him to commissioning the series of bronze sculptures in Tudhope Park — the Golden Leaves Monument — which depict moments from his life and lyrics from his songs.
John Swartz, a friend of Lightfoot and one of the driving forces behind the monument, spoke emotionally about people’s enduring connection to the songwriter.
“After he died, I started reading all the comments online,” Swartz said. “And people who maybe met him once, or got an autograph, were expressing the same feelings I had — that Gordon was writing to them, that’s his greatest legacy. The words in his music felt personal, It was like he was talking to you.”
Jeff Monague, a musician and former Canadian Forces member who grew up on Christian Island, recalled a chance encounter with Lightfoot in the 1970s while spending a summer day on the government docks.
“This sailboat pulls up,” Monague recalled. “He throws me a line, and I tie up the boat. I didn’t even say anything at the time — maybe out of respect, maybe out of awe. But later, I realized it really was him. And the boat’s name? Silver Heels, just like it is in the song (Christian Island).”
Monague would go on to spot Lightfoot sailing near Beausoleil Island many times over the years, and said those experiences, along with hearing his music while stationed overseas, inspired his own path into music.
“His songs made me feel like I was home,” he said.
John Winchester, president of the Lightfoot Days Festival, shared a personal memory from the day of the monument unveiling in 2015.
“I was teaching in Barrie, and I thought I’d missed it. But when I got to Tudhope Park, everyone was gone — except Gord and his driver,” he recalled. “I explained why I was late, and he signed a photo I had taken of him at the (Mariposa) Folk Festival for my dad’s birthday. I still have that photo.”
Winchester, like so many others who came to pay tribute Thursday, described Lightfoot not only as a cultural icon but as a cherished part of Orillia’s identity.
“Gord, we love you, buddy,” he said.
The Lightfoot Days Festival returns to Orillia from Oct. 30 to Nov 2. For more information about the festival, click here.
