NEW! "Travelling Tiltons" Musical Show

By popular request, Upper Canada Village is increasing its crowd-pleasing music and entertainment program this year. Starting on June 28 the travelling musical family the Tiltons will roll into Upper Canada Village every afternoon, shamelessly promoting their “evening performance.” The show runs from 1:30 to 2:00 p.m. and includes song, dance, drama, and lively instrumental music. Fresh from their well-received visit to the capitals of Europe, the Tiltons are a talented family that can play most any instrument. The violin, banjo, melodeon, and saxhorns of different sizes will be featured in their mid-day show.

To drum up business, the Tilton wagon will roll through the village attracting attention before stopping at Cook’s Tavern for a performance on the front steps. In case of rain, the Cook’s Tavern ballroom will be their venue. A chaste and varied selection of tunes that are free from ribaldry or expression likely to offend is guaranteed to please all. Their 1860s repertoire includes: “The Boatmen,” “Kind Words Will Never Die,” “If Only I had a Moustache,” and “Blow On: A Pirate’s Glee.”

Their dance number is a wonder, inspired by their travels and all the folk dances picked up along the way. It has never yet been presented to the public. Theatrical pieces may include the Tiltons’ own special adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, or Beauty and the Beast, which encourage audience participation. Their celebrated remedy “Tilton’s Tonic,” which “keeps them all in such good shape for their lengthy travels,” will also be available for purchase (by anyone foolish enough to want to buy snake-oil).

Inspired by such period acts as the American family the Hutchinsons and the Canadian family groups the Hills and the Herons, the Tiltons brings the best of 1860s popular repertoire and the highest performance standards to Upper Canada Village. The “Travelling Tiltons” will be moving on to the next stop on their cross-Upper Canada tour after their September 1 performance, so don’t miss their limited engagement at the Village this summer. Regular musical programming, including the playing of the various keyboard instruments around the village, will continue.