In the Soil lineup announced

April 7, 2011

Niagara's homegrown music and arts festival will be back for its third year later this month, and organizers are hoping to wet people's appetite by announcing the lineup.

The festival runs from April 27 to May 1 and features 20 events with more than 75 acts taking place in 15 different venues downtown and at Brock university.

The main event is the Top Soil evening, which takes place at the Sean O'Sullivan Theatre at Brock University.

The concert, billed as a singer songwriters harvest, features acts Howler, Christine Bougie, The Peter Elkas Band and Mark Lalama.

Lalama, a Niagara native, recently released his first solo project, Home, which follows a lengthy career as a performer, producer, composer, and musical director for artists such as Mariah Carey, Jon Bon Jovi, Martina McBride and the CTV hit show Canadian Idol.

Tickets for this show are $20 and can be purchased by calling the Centre for the Arts Box Office at 905-688-5550, ext. 3257.

There are also a number of shows taking place downtown. Venues include The Merchant Ale House, The Mansion House, Mikado's, Niagara Artists Centre, Stella's, City Lights, Pan Café, Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre, St. Catharines Centennial Library, corner of St. Paul and James Sts, and street-level installations in downtown St. Catharines.

The events include such free events as a free family day on April 30 at the library and art installation on downtown streets.

Running throughout the festival at the Courthouse Theatre is a theatre showcase featuring original works. Tickets for each show are $10.

There are also a number of $5 shows at various licensed establishments. However, new this year, people can purchase a $25 downtown pass and see every event, depending on the availability of seating.

For more information, including a schedule of events, visit www.inthesoil.on.ca.