Signed memorabilia from historic Thunder Bay shows on the block
Alan Doyle. Jim Cuddy. Greg Keeler. Paul Brandt. Johnny Reid. If you’ve lived in Thunder Bay for a while, there’s a good chance you’ve seen them live.
These Thunder Bay Community Auditorium (TBCA) stars are a part of the city’s cultural legacy.
Now’s your chance to own a part of that history.
Signed guitars from all five artists are up for auction, and proceeds will go towards renovating the auditorium to improve accessibility and fan experience.
“We have a lot of history over the last 40 years,” said Andrew Edwards, Acting General Manager of the TBCA. “We don’t want (valuable items) collecting dust in our archives. It felt right to celebrate our past and let items go into the community where they can appreciate them.”
This is the first of four auction rounds hosted by the TBCA. A new round will open each month, with the featured memorabilia revealed as a surprise.
“The artists that we chose specifically for the first round of auctions were people that had some pretty extensive history of playing the building multiple times,” Edwards said.
Edwards says he has fond memories hosting some of their performances.
“Jim Cuddy’s backstage before one of his shows, and he’s just sitting there doing a crossword from the local newspaper, cool as a cucumber. And I’m like, man, this guy’s about to go be a rockstar in front of a sold out crowd, and he’s just dong a crossword right before like a normal person,” Edwards recalled.
“Paul Brandt comes into the auditorium and he knows his way around. He actually sets up a workout room in the basement and goes to town. Same deal with Johnny Reid, but he would actually travel with a personal trainer and set up his workout machines in the lobby. He would try and get staff to join in on his workouts too.”
Signed concert posters from artists such as Down With Webster, Jesse Cook and Coney Hatch are available for bidding as well.
