Eight-piece horn band coming to Grace Tipling Hall

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Town of Shelburne is inviting local residents to take a musical trip back in time with an upcoming concert at Grace Tipling Hall.

The Town of Shelburne will be hosting a live concert featuring Boomerang, an eight-piece horn band known for their electrifying renditions of classic R&B and soul hits from the 1960s to 1980s, on Sept. 6.

The show is the first step in the town's revitalization project for the historic Grace Tipling Hall. 

“We wanted to create a space that would be used for entertainment purposes, but would also in the future become sort of the hub of the community,” said Carol Maitland, economic development officer for the Town of Shelburne. “We're testing the waters to see how responsive the community is with this show and we'll build from there.” 

In 2020, the Town of Shelburne received funding to conduct a feasibility study on Grace Tipling Hall, a historic 1882 venue located in Town Hall that is renowned for its outstanding acoustics, seating, and sightlines. The study's goal was to ensure the hall's sustainability as a vital amenity for promoting social prosperity. 

The feasibility study was funded through a $8,000 grant awarded to the Town of Shelburne from Innovweave (McConnell Foundation) and an additional grant of $4,500 from SENCO (Georgian College). 

Speaking with the Free Press, Maitland said the revitalization of Grace Tipling Hall is tied closely to the revitalization project of Jack Downing Park, which was completed in 2022 and designed to make the space the community's “living room”.

Improvements to the park included a stable ground surface suitable for canes, crutches, and wheels of mobility devices, an open space for scooters and wheelchairs, and textured and coloured concrete for the visually impaired.

Since the park's unveiling, the town has utilized it as the main location for its Fridays in the Park summer event series, an economic driver with the potential of bringing upwards of $200,000 into the local community and downtown core.

“This is the first concert we're putting on that has ties with economic development and my goal is to not only support the community, but also support our local businesses,” said Maitland. “We're hoping that people will go to the concert and they'll also visit the local businesses.” 

Outcomes for the Grace Tipling Hall revitalization include:

• Aligning with the Community Improvement Plan (CIP) long-term vision for a key public cultural asset

• Developing mixed public/private collaboration and investment 

• Serving as a catalyst for broader downtown streetscape and public events

• Enhancing and sustaining a heritage urban amenity that promotes social prosperity 

Based on the response to the concert, the Town of Shelburne will look ahead to inviting more entertainment to Grace Tipling Hall for 2025. 

“Hopefully, if it's successful, then we can put together a schedule and we can start really promoting it within the community,” said Maitland. 

Tickets for the concert are $30 and can be purchased on the Town of Shelburne website at www.shelburne.ca.