“Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone…”

 by Joni Mitchell, Canadian folk icon Ontario Center for Performing Arts (also known informally as the Oswego Music Hall) is part of the Port City’s vibrant presence on Lake Ontario, in a city that has always proven welcoming to familiar faces and newcomers alike. Among small venues and the artists they serve, it is recognized nationally as a great performing hall on Lake Ontario. We’re aptly named after this majestic body of water we overlook, in common with many of the communities that share it’s shore. We’re fond of it’s true name, and ours. Our music hall has embraced this wonderful City, its people and spectacular waterfront. It is indeed special to be located on the shore overlooking this “lake of shining waters” as it was known to the Huron Indigenous people who flourished here before anyone spoke English or French. They called it “oniatari:io,” the root word for Lake Ontario, as it is known today and as it will certainly be known in the future. The executive order to rename our lake is a reckless imposition, a slight to Native Americans, and a silly grade school taunt to our Canadian friends and neighbors. It demonstrates ignorance of our history and disregards the culture and conventions of Lake Ontario communities. We stand with the Corradino administration, Oswego County legislators and our fellow residents in decrying this change in name. For nearly a half century, in partnership with the City of Oswego, we have provided family-friendly and affordable entertainment through a passionate, volunteer-driven organization that includes your friends and neighbors. Every year we bring great acts from across the states and from other countries, including our friends in Canada, to the McCrobie Civic Center on the edge of the water. Come to a show and maybe, just maybe, you will catch the sun slipping through the fading sky into this gorgeous body of water, Lake Ontario. Ellen & Mark Wahl President & Past President Ontario Center for Performing Arts