Community comes out to support inaugural Rhythm and Reason event

By Kathryn Fraser

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Mystical Magical Music Day, the debut event for Rhythm and Reason, took place on July 25. 

The event raised money to support both local artists and Caledon Community Services, who partnered with Rhythm and Reason on the occasion. 

Many members of the community came out to see the local Caledon artists perform while also supporting Ethereal, a crystal shop in Caledon, that were also partners for this event. 

The event highlighted many local artists in Caledon who all came out and performed for attendees. 

Nicole Borelli was the first artist to perform and sang several different cover songs, including Chappel Roan's “Pink Pony Club” and Whitney Houston's “Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me”. 

During her time on stage, Borelli mentioned the importance of coming together and supporting both music and charity. 

“This is a lot about bringing together music and the community” says Borelli. 

A selection of drum performances was also heard as Brenen Pinto took the stage quickly after Borelli. 

Pinto dazzled the audience with his skills as he performed a number of drum performances, his most notable to the Outfield's “Your Love.”

The final headliner for the night was local up-and-comer Selena Villa who took the stage by storm.

The 16-year-old Caledon singer sang a variety of special songs throughout her set, with some very notable songs, including Justin Bieber's “Baby”, Miley Cyrus' “The Climb” and even Hilary Duffs' “This is What Dreams are Made of,” a song that Villa explained she performs at every show to remind her that she is on the way to achieving her dreams.

Villa also introduced an original song that she has released on Spotify titled “Back to Then” about losing friendships.  

Rhythm and Reason founder and Executive Director Lula Shaw said she was excited to see all of the community come together. 

“It was really lovely to see everyone come together and support,” says Shaw. “I truly couldn't be more thankful for the staff that helped out, all the generous donors and the community.”

In addition to the amazing local talent, attendees had the opportunity to participate in many activities including bracelet making, cookie decorating, giant Jenga, face painting and several other games. 

Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in a silent auction, which featured prizes from a large variety of generous donors including Massage Addict, Rock Garden Farms, Gourmandissimo, and many others throughout the event. 

The final moment of the night was the raffle for the acoustic guitar which was won by an excited participant. 

Reflecting on the event, Shaw says she believes that it was a big success and is only the start for Rhythm and Reason. 

Shaw is hoping to make this event an annual occurrence and says that this is only the beginning for Rhythm and Reason events in Caledon and hopes to find even more local artists and charities to help support. 

“Moving forward, we're still going to try to partner with new charities and scout other talents around the Caledon area,” says Shaw, “and see if we can throw some more events and support some more amazing charities that mean something to me and the rest of the community”.

Shaw is hoping to have a Battle of The Bands event and bring even more of a spotlight to more local artists in Caledon.