Reawakening: Stories by the Fire 2026 

with special guest and story-teller, Geneviève Gros-Louis 

Saturday, September 26, 2026 

5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 

Ball's Falls Conservation Area 
3292 Sixth Avenue, Lincoln ON, L0R 1C0 

In 2026, Reawakening returns with an engaging evening rich in sound, song, stories and community, featuring a three-part experience suitable for all generations.

The evening will begin with a community circle, where guests will be introduced to our hosts and the lands they will be learning on. From opening circle, guests will choose their path for part two of the evening, selecting between a 45-minute guided walk along the Sounds of the Forest Sonic Trail or an Every Child Matters beading workshop.

Sounds of the Forest Sonic Trail

Curated and produced in 2024 by Michele-Elise Burnett, Sounds of the Forest is an immersive journey through the living landscape of Ball’s Falls, where Indigenous story, song and teachings are woven into the water, forest and land itself.

Beginning in gratitude, guests are invited to slow down, listen and walk differently. Following Twenty Mile Creek and entering the coolness of the Carolinian Forest, they will hear the voices of Elders, Knowledge Keepers, singers and artists while encountering the many relations who share this place: moss-covered Grandfather Rocks, Tree Nations, native plants, birds, pollinators and the waters that continue to shape the land.

A gratitude prayer grounds the journey. Creation stories invite us to pause beneath the forest canopy. At the Upper Falls, we are reminded that Water is Life, before music and teachings carry us back through the trees and toward the fire.

The trail creates space to step away from the noise of everyday life and listen deeply enough to discover that when the voices become quiet, the land is still speaking. Guests can tune in to the sonic trail through their smart phone device and headset, or listen to the projected sounds, shared by experienced interpreters.

From the trail, the journey returns to the fire, where story and music continue in another form.

The Beading Workshop will take place around the fire, with facilitators guiding guests through a take-home beaded craft, weaving Indigenous teachings into tangible art.

Following the guided walk and workshop, guests will gather in circle under the stars, next to the Twenty Mile Creek, to hear Stories the Land Remembers. The telling of the Huron-Wendat Creation Story, memory, and classical violin by firelight with Geneviève Gros-Louis.

In the traditional circle of fire and story, Geneviève will share the Huron-Wendat Creation Story of Ya’ta’ Yätaentsic, Sky Woman, and the beginning of Turtle Island. From Creation, the story will move into the land beneath our feet and the waters beside us, sharing the Huron-Wendat story carried within the name of Lake Ontario, Ontari’io, and the enduring presence of the Huron-Wendat people, whose ancestors lived upon and travelled through these lands before displacement carried their communities elsewhere.

But this will not be storytelling in the way many of us expect, Geneviève’s violin becomes part of the story itself. Original compositions are woven between spoken words, memory and Creation, allowing the voice of the classical violin to rise from the firelight and carry the story in another form. At times gentle. At times powerful. At times holding what words alone cannot.

There is something extraordinary in that meeting, an ancient way of gathering around the fire, a classical instrument more often associated with the concert hall.

Huron-Wendat story, memory and contemporary composition coming together in one living experience. Not two worlds competing with one another, but two ways of expression meeting in relationship. Through story and music, Geneviève reminds us that Indigenous culture is not something held only in the past. It continues to move, adapt, create and speak across generations.

Around the fire, story and music will remind us that these lands still remember, and that when we listen deeply enough, the old stories continue to find their way home.

 Reawakening will offer an opportunity to reflect on Indigenous stories, songs, and histories, allowing us to consider the future and next seven generations, and the legacies that bind us to the Natural World, reminding us of the responsibilities and gifts we share.

About Geneviève Gros-Louis: 

Geneviève Gros-Louis is a Los Angeles–based composer, producer, and violinist from the Huron-Wendat Nation whose work bridges Indigenous tradition and contemporary sound. CBC spotlighted her as “the Wendat violinist weaving her culture into music for the masses,” a mission that runs through her work across film, television, concert halls, and stages worldwide. She has scored multiple seasons of National Geographic’s Emmy-winning Life Below Zero, Magnolia Pictures’ A Savage Art: The Life and Cartoons of Pat Oliphant (dir. Bill Banowsky), and the award-winning short film Courage (dir. Eric Michael Hernandez). Her recent film and television credits include OPB’s Guardian of the Land (dir. LaRonn Katchia) and Reclaim My Skin (dir. Marie Clements), Hallmark, and her original music has been featured on AMC Networks’ Dark Winds.

In 2025, she recorded her debut orchestral album at Abbey Road Studios in London with members of the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for Audio Network, and premiered Ya’ta’ with Ensemble Urbain in Montréal, bringing the Wendat clay-creation story to life, including a custom wood-fired clay percussion instrument she helped create. A #GRAMMYsNextGen artist and member of the Recording and Television Academies, her collaborations include Nelly Furtado, John Densmore (The Doors), the Clooney Foundation for Justice, Dancing with the Stars, and Indigenous music icons Pura Fé (Ulali), Keith Secola, and Tony Duncan. Her music has been featured at Cannes Film Festival, Paris Fashion Week, Santa Fe Indian Market, and in museums and cultural showcases around the world.

At the heart of her work is storytelling through music, composing living narratives that carry memory, honour community, and connect audiences to the pulse of the people behind the story.

For more information: https://www.genevievegroslouis.com/ 

Maximum Capacity: 

• 75 participants (space is limited) 

• Tickets are required  

Accessibility: 

• The majority of the evening will be accessible; however, the first 40 minutes will include a guided trail walk on natural trails, which have rocks, roots and may be slippery/uneven. 

• Trail difficulty is rated Easy-Moderate. 

• Please come prepared with appropriate footwear and outerwear for an evening outdoors and walking on the trail. 

How to Prepare: 

• All programming will take place outdoors. 

• Please bring your lawn chair or picnic blanket for Stories by the Fire, picnic tables will also be available for guest seating. 

• Please be prepared for an evening outside, including walking on natural and uneven trails. 

• Guests may choose to bring along a smart phone device and headset to enjoy the sonic sounds from the forest on the guided walk and audio tour. 
  
  
• The guided trail walk will include projected audio for those who do not bring their own device & headset. 

Important Information: 

• In case of inclement weather, ticket holders will be notified by email and/or phone in advance as soon as possible before the event start time regarding cancellation or postponement. 

This event is presented with support provided by: 

• Kakekalanicks  

• Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority 

• Bridges Niagara