Belly’s Lakeside Bar + Restaurant, Buckhorn
September 3-6, 6pm
The long weekend gets a proper lakeside soundtrack at Belly’s Lakeside Bar + Restaurant, with four straight days of live music running Thursday through Sunday. Add in food and drink specials supporting cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre, and it’s a weekend that mixes patio weather, local music and a good cause.
Jeanne Truax opens things Thursday at 6 p.m., and she arrives with some serious momentum. The Dunsford-raised singer-songwriter was named the Peterborough Folk Festival’s 2025 Emerging Artist, joining an alumni list that includes Serena Ryder, Melissa Payne and her older brother Nathan Truax. Her sound mixes rockabilly, roots and Canadiana, with influences including Wanda Jackson, Brenda Lee and The Beatles, while her original material pushes toward a more contemporary indie-pop feel. She released her debut single, “I Know What You Like,” in 2025 and has become a regular presence on Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes stages. (Jeanne Truax)
Jesse Byers takes over Friday at 6 p.m. The poster puts him in solo acoustic mode, making Friday the stripped-down stop in a weekend that moves through several corners of the local music scene. Reliable public biographical material on Byers is limited, so we’ll leave the résumé padding to somebody else and let the songs do the talking.
Saturday at 6 p.m. brings Rocky Islander, a Peterborough band built for anyone who thinks a good Saturday night should eventually start feeling like a Newfoundland kitchen party. The group mixes traditional and contemporary Irish and Newfoundland music, bringing the kind of sing-along, east-coast energy that tends to turn a restaurant gig into something considerably louder and looser. (kawarthaNOW)
Closing the weekend Sunday at 4 p.m. is Kelly Burrows, one of Bobcaygeon’s best-established singer-songwriters and music educators. Burrows studied music at Queen’s University, later formed the Toronto folk-rock band The Maevens, and has remained heavily involved in the Kawartha Lakes music community as a performer, songwriter and teacher. Her writing is melodic and story-driven, moving through travel, love, loss and reflection, with an understated acoustic style that can shift from delicate to intense. She also operates Red Door Music in Bobcaygeon, offering music instruction alongside her own performing career. (Kawarthas Northumberland)
The weekend also carries a bigger purpose. Belly’s will feature food and drink specials in support of cancer care at PRHC, with the live music sponsored by the Clark Curtis Team at RE/MAX.
Thursday, 6 p.m. — Jeanne Truax
Friday, 6 p.m. — Jesse Byers
Saturday, 6 p.m. — Rocky Islander
Sunday, 4 p.m. — Kelly Burrows
Four days, four very different acts, cold drinks and a lake in the background. That’s about as complicated as a long weekend should get.