Rain, rain, go away,

Come again another day.

Or not.

That droning childhood chant expresses in a few words what residents of this rain-soaked region have known for the past three months: unrelenting torrents interspersed by brief periods of sunshine do not for a pleasant summer make.

Unless you are the Orillia Power Corporation.

As of the end of June, electricity production at the utility’s three generating plants was up by more than a third over the same time last year, thanks to abnormally high water levels.

“July is likely going to be even better,” said president John Mattinson.

The additional power production translates into larger revenues as the municipally owned utility sells back into the provincial grid.

“It reflects in better returns to the community,” said Mattinson.

According to weather watcher David Brain, the Orillia area has received more than 350 millimetres of rain since May, up considerably over the same period last year.

“This is going to be the summer that never came,” Brain predicted.

 “Normally we should have had only 235 millimetres for that same period. We are four inches above normal for the summer.

“Back in the mid-80s we had summers where it was constantly raining and the weekends were washouts,” he added. “It is like a cycle.”

While precipitation has been plentiful, warmer temperatures have been harder to come by, with the mercury reaching 30 C on just two days.

“We should have had that on at least 15 days,” Brain added.

Repeated rainfalls have left farmers of some crops struggling with less-than-ideal growing conditions, he said.

“It’s not a good year for corn,” he said. “It needs the heat.”

And while some businesses reliant on tourists for the all-important summer trade are reporting lower numbers due to woefully wet conditions, at least one organization is reaping an unexpected benefit.  

Those who are coming are being driven indoors by the drizzles and downpours, says David Fanstone, artistic director of the local theatre group Sunshine and Company.

“So far, rain has been our friend,” said Fanstone. “If it rains on the day of the show, we can sell more tickets because people think they can’t do anything (outside) at night. If it rains at night, we sell even more, because people know they can’t do anything (outside).”

In the same breath, Fanstone said tourism operators across the region are drawing from a smaller pool of visitors this summer.

With that in mind, Sunshine and Company is aiming to woo local theatergoers to its current production – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.