IT’S HIGH NOON on a nearly cloudless August day, and a father and son are on their PWC, making their way through a lush, narrow inlet at the edge of Baptiste Lake, near Bancroft, Ont. They slow down as they pass the marina and raise their hands to block out the sun, trying to catch a glimpse of an unassuming boathouse and the hubbub happening on top of it. The duo linger for a few minutes, watching a steady stream of people working on a large deck atop the structure: there are giant speakers to set up, a small cache of instruments to ferry up the stairs, amps to carefully manoeuvre.
The PWC riders know what day it is, as do the other cottagers along this edge of Baptiste Lake. Every August long weekend for the last decade, save for a brief pandemic hiatus, the deck above the Phillips family cottage boathouse transforms into a stage for an annual concert. The father and son pause for a moment, give a thumbs up, then drive away. They’ll be back tonight, along with some 85 boats that will fill up the bay to catch the show. There will be rock. There will be dancing. There will be joyful whoops and exuberant boat horns and children doing coordinated dance routines in the water. But for now, there’s work to do.
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Perhaps you have experience with the cottage as a connector. A place to gather family members who don’t gather often, not as much as they used to anyway. Over the past decade now, the August long weekend has become a kind of sacred reunion at the Phillips cottage. But it’s not for a grandparent’s birthday or a religious celebration. The Phillipses are tethered by the show they will put on tonight.
The annual concert is a tradition brought to life by Sam Phillips, the de facto leader of the family band. Sam, 31, plays guitar, and
