Music will once again be in the spotlight in Schumacher.
Leslie-Anne Dupuis is getting ready to launch In Session Timmins.
It's located in the former J.J.'s Ranch downtown Schumacher, which closed its doors in 2014.
There's a professional recording studio, as well as a main space that people will be able to rent for small parties.
“People can rent space to come and sing. If they’re writing a song or if they want to get a song ready for somebody’s birthday party, the room is endless, you can do all kinds of stuff in there,” she said.
To get her name back out into the community, she's also doing three events in 2020.
Each hearkens back to J.J.'s.
"I’m piggybacking onto J.J.’s because I was the manager for 10-15 years and I knew what worked and I’m taking those three events that we were very successful at and I’m bringing them out into the community,” she said.
The first is a Tribute to Elvis - Live in the McIntyre Ballroom on Jan. 10.
The entertainment will be provided by local artists, and also feature Dupuis and Sheldon Nickerson, the winners of the Northern Ontario Open Singing Duets Class 2019.
April 18 is a country greats concert at the Dante Club, and in the fall there will be a Halloween Karaoke party at the Mac.
The events, she said, are a way of letting people know they’re back in business.
“After that, who knows what kind of events we can have because there’s a lot of interest,” she said.
A website — insessiontimmins.ca — is launching Dec. 16, which will also be In Session’s grand opening.
“The website will hopefully be like a one-stop-shop for amateur and professional musicians for all of Northeastern Ontario,” said Jennifer Rowe, who has been helping Dupuis set up the business and is also a musician.
It may be packaged differently, but the vision of this new venture is similar to J.J.’s Ranch.
“We’re supporting local entertainment and I’m trying to find anybody who wants to be involved in entertaining because when I get enough singers in a certain field then I can put on a show and sell tickets and give them a place to entertain,” said Dupuis, noting there aren’t as many places to perform at anymore.
Networking and sharing information is another piece of the project.
Rowe said they’ll be touching base with local musicians to figure out what the needs are, and how to meet them.
“I really want to help other musicians in our community because I’ve been travelling all over Canada and the US and I know a lot of things that maybe they don’t know,” said Dupuis.
For musicians just getting started and, for example, entering a competition, she can help with paperwork or songs.
“I see the need for people to have somewhere to go and I see our local talent needs a home. I think this is going to be extraordinary,” said Rowe.
J.J.’s Ranch ran on the main drag in Schumacher for nearly 30 years, from 1986 to 2014.
The recording studio has on Dupuis’s mind since before its doors closed.
“This idea’s been going on since 2006 and it’s taken me that long to get the funding, mostly get the time to do it,” she said.
In the recording studio, there is a sound-proof booth and piano.
For people renting the main area for small, private functions of about 25 people - they would get access to the main room, washroom and a smaller room that offers an area that can accommodate bringing in catering or food.
Upstairs are three Airbnbs that people using the studio can rent.
While the project is helping the future of the local music scene, the space is an homage to its past.
What’s left of the piano from J.J.’s is mounted on the wall, as well as the popular saloon-style doors from the ranch.
There’s a door from the now-gone Maple Leaf Hotel where Stompin’ Tom and Shania Twain had their start. A table from the Northern Tavern is in the main room under a framed Flying Fathers jersey signed by Father Les Costello.
She also has the stage Twain played on back in the day at the Timmins Square.
“I’ll be putting that up in here as well, ‘cause we’re not getting rid of that - that’s memories for the community,” she said.
Even the setup of the studio is a callback.
“This spot right here, right where I am standing, is where everybody sang at J.J,’s,” said Dupuis, explaining it’s the same spot where people will sing karaoke in the new space.
The recording studio is also in the original stage area, with the ‘Ahead by a country mile’ beam still in place.
“We kept a lot of little things,” she said.
Pricing for the rentals is still being worked out and will be set for the grand opening.
For more information on the project, you can message J.J.’s Ranch Schumacher Hotel on Facebook.
If you want tickets to the Elvis show, they are $45 and can be bought by calling 705-465-0683 or emailing [email protected].
