6 fun things to do on P.E.I. this mid-September weekend

If you were hoping to drop by the Kings Playhouse in Georgetown, P.E.I., to watch comedian James Mullinger, his shows Saturday and Sunday are already sold out. The venue is however hosting a neat art show called Duality — one sister's photographs alongside her sister's paintings based on the photos. The gallery is open seven days a week 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

There are only a few weeks left to see two of the exhibits at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery — Artists by Artists and Setting the Table: Still-Life and Its After Effects.

And if you haven't seen this 2020 concert version of the musical Anne and Gilbert at The Guild in Charlottetown, this is the last of three weekends to catch the show.

If your interests are culinary — let's face it, we all have to eat — the annual Burger Love campaign is on now, with P.E.I. restaurants competing for the Island's most-loved burger of 2020.

Here are some other fun things to do this mid-September weekend on P.E.I.

Watch a P.E.I.-made movie

Summerside director Susan Rodgers has spent the last several years creating Still the Water, and for a limited time you can watch the film online as part of the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival. Viewers could begin streaming the film from home on Thursday — it'll be available online until next Friday, Sept. 25 at midnight.

The movie has been a labour of love for Rodgers, who is also the author of the popular online book series Drifters. It was shot completely on P.E.I. and features many Island musicians on its soundtrack including Catherine MacLellan, Irish Mythen and Lennie Gallant. It's about a disgraced semi-pro hockey player who returns home to his family on the Island, only to have old conflicts resurface.

"Any other year, a festival debut meant a limited audience," says Rodgers in a written release. "Now, through FIN's digital platform, all of Atlantic Canada can see my film. Maybe it was meant to be."

Lots of Islanders volunteered as extras for the film, so you might see your neighbours on screen!

Tickets to watch the movie are $9.99 each, or $19.99 for a "Bubble Watch" if more than one person is watching the film — and can be purchased on the FIN website. Once you hit play, you will be able to watch the movie as many times as you like for 24 hours.

Song Rise

Song Rise is a songwriters' circle at The Guild in downtown Charlottetown, but with an added element: audience members can interact with the performers online. There will also be 50 audience members allowed in the venue.

Saturday night's show starts at 7:30 p.m. and stars Tara MacLean, KINLEY, Joce Reyome and Catherine MacLellan, and is hosted by comedian Patrick Ledwell.

"It will be an intimate, passionate and powerful experience for those in attendance and those watching from home," The Guild's website promises. In-person tickets are sold out but you can still watch for free online: visit the The Guild PEI on Facebook, which will post a link to join as the show is starting.

Women and song

Saturday night, enjoy music from P.E.I. singer-songwriters Alicia Toner, Jill Chandler and Maureen Trainor at The Trailside Music Hall at their new home at The Arts Hotel on Kent Street (the old Myron's).

Doors open at 6:30 with music from 8 to 10 p.m. and food and drinks available before and during the show from The Salvador Dali Cafe in the same venue.

Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased here.

Virtual Open Farm Day

Many Islanders look forward every year to Open Farm Day, a Sunday when they can visit some of P.E.I.'s many farms that grow the food we eat.

This year, the 20th annual event is going virtual to keep people safe from COVID-19. Find out more about everything from alpacas and apples to vineyards and zucchini in video tours of Atlantic farm operations. P.E.I. has teamed up with open farm days Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, so viewers can tour the entire region.

Sunday morning, the event's Facebook page and joint YouTube "Open Farm Day" page will post videos of each of the 26 farms, from three to 10 minutes long. Maybe next year we'll get to pat the animals and smell the farm smells.

Head to the drive-in

There are only a handful of weekends left to enjoy watching movies ar the Brackley Drive-In just 10 minutes outside Charlottetown.

There are two screens at the drive-in now: on screen one this weekend is After We Collided, a sexy, soapy young-adult drama, and Broken Hearts Gallery, a cute young adult romance about a broken-hearted woman who starts an art gallery of trinkets from past relationships.

On screen two, the much-talked-about flick Tenet features John David Washington in the sci-fi thriller about time travel. It's rated PG. As the night gets darker, get the creeps as The Conjuring features a family who moves into a haunted farmhouse and tries to get rid of the demons. It's rated 14A

Early movies begin at 7:50 p.m with the second movies at 10:10 p.m. Admission is cash only at the gate: $10 per person or $30 for a family carload.

Bluegrass in the country

Sunday afternoon at 2 at the Red Dirt Girl Music Room in beautiful rural P.E.I., on the Dunk River Road between Central Bedeque and Kinkora, enjoy a concert with Ray Legere and Frank Doody.

Legere is a world-renowned fiddler and mandolin player from Sackville, N.B., who has played with many of North America's bluegrass greats like Alison Krauss and Doc Watson and has seven solo CDs too. He'll be joined by award-winning banjo and dobro player Frank Doody.

Tickets are $25 each and you are permitted to bring your own beverages. Message their Facebook page to reserve tickets. It's a cosy venue with room for just 25 people under COVID-19 physical distancing rules.

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