The late Neil Peart grew up in the St. Catharines, Ontario community of Port Dalhousie, the lakefront home of Lakeside Park which inspired the lyrics to the 1975 Rush song of the same name. Back in 2020 the St. Catharines City Council, with the full support of the community, voted to name the newly rebuilt pavilion at Lakeside Park the Neil Peart Pavilion at Lakeside Park in honor of the hometown icon who passed away over 6 years ago in January of 2020. The Council also established the Neil Peart Commemorative Task Force, with the objective to commission a public work of art commemorating Peart's life and legacy. Back in January of 2021 the Task Force officially began welcoming artists to submit requests for pre-qualification via the city's website, and revealed the finalists in September of 2021 along with the launch of a fundraising campaign for the Memorial. In November of 2022 the Task Force finally revealed that the artist who will have the honor of creating the memorial is Morgan MacDonald of The Newfoundland Bronze Foundry. The project and its timelines were contingent on the Task Force raising the $1 million required for completion, and an official fundraising campaign launched in 2024 on Neil Peart's 72nd birthday. The campaign had been having trouble raising the funds until Peart's Rush bandmates decided to go on tour this past October, revealing that part of the tour proceeds would go towards the Memorial. Earlier today the Task Force revealed that Rush's donations have finally put them over the finish line:
... The $1-million fundraising goal for a memorial statue to Peart in his hometown's Lakeside Park has been reached with a $785,000 donation from Rush. The band's contribution comes from proceeds tied to VIP experience and package tickets sold during its Fifty Something worldwide tour that kicked off in June. "Rush was able to get us over the finish line with the fundraising. We're very, very thankful for all that they've done," said Eric Lamothe, the city's manager of community programs and parks. ... Peart's Rush bandmates Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson presented the committee members and city staff with the cheque for the rest of the funds needed to make the memorial happen before their Toronto concert at Scotiabank Arena on Aug. 13. The committee has kept a lid on the donation until now. "It's incredible. It's definitely a magical moment to be able to pay tribute to Neil in the park with the connection to the 'Lakeside Park' song that's world famous," said Lamothe, who's been a liaison with the task force since its inception. "Lakeside Park is such a beloved destination to begin with. To be able to add this and to celebrate Neil and his accomplishments, we very much expect to have guests from around the world to come and gather and reflect at that spot. "So it's a special moment for sure, I think, for Neil and the Peart family, residents and fans worldwide." ...
A report is expected to go to city council next week for final approvals, and the city now anticipates that the memorial will open to the public in late 2027. The installation itself will depict two bronze statues of Peart - one as a young artist and the other in his later years. A pathway will connect the two statues with interpretive panels about Peart's personal and professional legacy. A video depicting what the Neil Peart memorial will look like in Lakeside Park can be seen on YouTube. The announcement comes at an opportune time, as the new Neil Peart documentary No One's Disciple premiered at TIFF last week and will air on CBC Gem tomorrow.
