kawarthaNOW | News, events, and community information for residents, visitors, and cottagers in Peterborough and The Kawarthas

encoreNOW for January 26, 2026 features (from left to right, top and bottom) the 2026 ReFrame Film Festival in downtown Peterborough and online, Terra Lightfoot at Peterborough's Market Hall, Stories & Songs of Stompin' Tom with Whiskey Jack at Lindsay's Academy Theatre, Heartbreak Hits: Billboard In Concert at Port Hope's Capitol Theatre, the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra's "Stars of the Silver Screen" at Peterborough's Showplace, and Alex Cuba at Peterborough's Market Hall. (kawarthaNOW collage)

encoreNOW – January 26, 2026

Featuring the ReFrame Film Festival, Terra Lightfoot, Stories & Songs of Stompin' Tom, Billboard In Concert's Heartbreak Hits, PSO's Stars of the Silver Screen, and Alex Cuba

Paul Rellinger - January 26, 2026

The audience at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough during the 2025 ReFrame Film Festival. According to the festival's executive director Kait Dueck, ReFrame brings people together for thought-provoking shared experiences that can help counter physical and emotional isolation during what is figuratively and literally the darkest time of the year. The 2026 festival runs in-person in downtown Peterborough from January 30 to February 1 and online across Canada from February 3 to 8. (Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival)

‘The arts are not a luxury’: executive director Kait Dueck on the importance of the ReFrame Film Festival

A woman checking on an elderly female neighbour. (Stock photo)

Community looking after community: inside Peterborough’s NORC Ambassador Program

Allegra Fulton and Ari Cohen in a scene from "Nine Letters," a short film noir written and directed by Linda Kash and produced by Gina Dineen. Also starring Peterborough's own Megan Murphy, the film will be one of up to 12 curated short films from Toronto's Cabbagetown Short Film Festival screened during "PAPA Loves Shorts in Feb," a love-inspired short film festival being hosted by the Proactive Academy of Performing Arts (PAPA) on February 6, 2026 at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough. (kawarthaNOW screenshot)

Proactive Academy of Performing Arts bringing love-inspired short films to Peterborough to fundraise for tuition scholarship

Older woman walking in a winter snow storm

Winter storm and heavy snow coming to southern Kawarthas region Sunday

15-30 cm expected in western Northumberland County with 10-20 cm in southern Peterborough County and southern Kawartha Lakes

kawarthaNOW - January 24, 2026

‘Much more than a machine’: Peterborough manufacturer Quickmill competes globally in large-scale CNC machining

Burlington-based SIREG Management Inc. has filed an appeal with the Ontario Land Tribunal after Peterborough city council denied its application to convert a townhouse complex of 128 three-bedroom rental units at 700 Parkhill Road West into condominiums. (Photo: SIREG Management Inc.)

Peterborough city council’s denial of Parkhill Place condo conversion appealed to Ontario Land Tribunal

An elderly man using a cell phone. (Stock photo)

Cobourg police remind public to be vigilant after 82-year-old man nearly loses savings in bank investigator scam

A person in the winter with their face covered and mittened hands over their ears. (Stock photo)

Cold warning issued for Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, and Northumberland as temperatures plunge this weekend

Lakelands Public Health warns wind chills as low as -36°C could pose serious health risks

kawarthaNOW - January 23, 2026

Muskoka-based contemporary folk singer-songwriter James Gray performs at Dusk to Dawn Brewing Co. in Millbrook on Friday night in his last Canadian show before heading off for a two-month tour of New Zealand. (Promotional photo via jamesgraymusic.ca)

nightlifeNOW – January 22 to 28

City of Peterborough staff are recommending changes to Ashburnham Realty's concept plan for a proposed 17-storey mixed-use building (pictured) on Crescent Street behind the Art Gallery of Peterborough, including to reduce massing of the tower portion, reduce the height of the podium portion, and increase setbacks. To accommodate the changes, city staff are recommending allowing Ashburnham Realty to increase the building height up to 20 storeys. (Graphic: Unity Design Studio Inc.)

Proposed 17-storey high-rise on Crescent Street in Peterborough could climb to 20 storeys

Peterborough ReStore manager Carmen Hawryszko celebrates the newly expanded store at 300 Milroy Drive. Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region (Habitat PKR) is inviting the community to attend a grand reopening celebration on January 24, 2026. (Photo: Habitat PKR)

Habitat PKR to reopen newly expanded Peterborough ReStore on January 24

Winter storm and heavy snow coming to southern Kawarthas region Sunday

kawarthaNOW - January 24, 2026

15-30 cm expected in western Northumberland County with 10-20 cm in southern Peterborough County and southern Kawartha Lakes.

Peterborough city council’s denial of Parkhill Place condo conversion appealed to Ontario Land Tribunal

January 23, 2026

Cobourg police remind public to be vigilant after 82-year-old man nearly loses savings in bank investigator scam

January 23, 2026

Cold warning issued for Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, and Northumberland as temperatures plunge this weekend

January 23, 2026

Proposed 17-storey high-rise on Crescent Street in Peterborough could climb to 20 storeys

January 22, 2026

Katy Shufelt wins Peterborough DBIA’s Holiday Shopping Passport grand prize draw

kawarthaNOW - January 12, 2026

Shufelt is donating a portion of her $1,500 prize of Boro gift cards to Wild Rock's ComPassion Project.

Boardwalk Board Game Lounge in downtown Peterborough first opened its doors on November 29, 2018. Opened and operated by brothers Dylan and Connor Reinhart, over the past seven years the small business has more than doubled its board game collection, greatly expanded its food and drink menu, and welcomed thousands of visitors to connect and experience the nostalgia of playing board games. (Photo courtesy of Boardwalk Board Game Lounge)

Boardwalk Board Game Lounge celebrates seven years of bringing ‘nostalgic’ fun to downtown Peterborough

December 7, 2025

From locally made gifts to holiday décor to hosting festive gatherings, locally owned independent small businesses on Water Street between Hunter and Simcoe streets in downtown Peterborough have you covered this holiday season, including Needles in the Hay, Watson & Lou, The Neighbourhood Vintage, Sweet Fern Floral Studio, and St Veronus and Bijoux Bar. (kawarthaNOW collage)

Shop the Boro: Find one-of-a-kind gifts and celebrate the holidays at the eclectic businesses of Water Street in downtown Peterborough

December 13, 2025

Give the gift of fresh cut flowers this holiday season by shopping at Sweet Fern Floral Studio on Water Street in downtown Peterborough. Owner and lead designer Angela McDonald offers stunning pre-made and custom floral arrangements and wrapped bouquets, including customizable holiday arrangements and centrepieces, as well as home décor, locally made art, and sweet treats to add to your gift or enhance your holiday celebration. (Photos courtesy of Sweet Fern Floral Studio)

Shop the Boro: Decorate your home with fresh cut flowers at Sweet Fern Floral Studio in downtown Peterborough

December 9, 2025

Alicia Doris, owner of the award-winning Living Local Marketplace in Peterborough, has set up a Christmas Marketplace at Horlings Garden Centre in Selwyn until December 22, 2025. The boutique shop's home for the holidays offers a wide range of products from Canadian artisans and small businesses while crafting a holiday experience that includes beautiful Christmas displays, hot cider and cookies while you shop, and gift wrapping services, with both customizable and ready-made gift boxes available, including for corporate gifting. (Photo: Amy Zand / Elmwood & Baker)

Know Your Locals: Living Local Marketplace’s new home for the holidays offers a one-of-a-kind Christmas shopping experience

December 6, 2025

encoreNOW – January 26, 2026

Paul Rellinger - January 26, 2026

Featuring the ReFrame Film Festival, Terra Lightfoot, Stories & Songs of Stompin' Tom, Billboard In Concert's Heartbreak Hits, PSO's Stars of the Silver Screen, and Alex Cuba,

‘The arts are not a luxury’: executive director Kait Dueck on the importance of the ReFrame Film Festival

January 25, 2026

Proactive Academy of Performing Arts bringing love-inspired short films to Peterborough to fundraise for tuition scholarship

January 24, 2026

nightlifeNOW – January 22 to 28

January 22, 2026

The seven films in the 2026 ReFrame Film Festival's "Flora & Fauna" collection are (left to right, top and bottom) "Ocean Seen From the Heart," "Tuktuit : Caribou," "Yanuni," "Fairy Creek," "Future Council," "Shropshire Sheep Scandal," and "Woolly." (kawarthaNOW collage)

Exploring the ‘Flora & Fauna’ collection at the 2026 ReFrame Film Festival in Peterborough

January 22, 2026

‘Much more than a machine’: Peterborough manufacturer Quickmill competes globally in large-scale CNC machining

Megan Gallant - January 23, 2026

Over four decades, Quickmill has grown into a world leader in large-scale CNC machining centres designed, built, and serviced from its Rye Street facility.

A sold-out crowd of 200 people attended the Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce's inaugural Luminary Awards celebration at the Great Hall of Trent University's Champlain College on May 8, 2025, which saw awards in five categories that recognize women at all stages of their careers presented to Sheena Howard, Jenisha Sanjit Arora, Rachel Stark, Tiffany Arcari, and Jeannine Taylor. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography)

You still have time to nominate an inspiring woman in business for the second annual Luminary Awards

January 20, 2026

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith with Cheesy Fromage owner Tanya Bailey and her Rural Entrepreneur award from Ontario's Ministry of Rural Affairs. The Lakefield business owner was formally presented with the inaugural award as part of the first Rural Inspiration Awards event at the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association (ROMA) conference in Toronto on January 19, 2026. (Photo: Office of Dave Smith)

Lakefield’s Tanya Bailey receives Ontario’s first-ever Rural Entrepreneur award

January 19, 2026

Junior Achievement of Northern and Eastern Ontario (JA-NEO) announced the nine inductees of the 2026 Business Hall of Fame in the lobby of the Venture North building in downtown Peterborough on January 14, 2026. Pictured left to right, front to back: Vance Robbins, Brenda Ibey, Jason and Niki Pulchinski, Peter Blodgett, Jim Bailey, and Chuck White. Not pictured: Dave Bucholtz and Martha Sullivan. (Photo: JA-NEO)

Junior Achievement of Northern and Eastern Ontario announces 2026 Business Hall of Fame inductees

January 14, 2026

Peterborough Golf and Country Club course superintendent Kevin Kobzan (left) and general manager Will Mitchell with their new Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses certificate. This achievement required the club to undergo a rigorous, multi-year process detailing how they care for the property's ecosystems and sustainably manage their turf. (Photo: Jackie Donaldson / GreenUP)

Peterborough Golf and Country Club’s golf course first in region to earn Audubon environmental certification

December 11, 2025

Community looking after community: inside Peterborough’s NORC Ambassador Program

kawarthaNOW - January 25, 2026

Program in naturally occurring retirement communities demonstrates how embedded resident-driven supports can reduce isolation and improve outcomes for aging seniors.

Some of North America's top snowshoe athletes are expected to compete in the inaugural Kawartha Lakes Winter Festival at Eganridge Resort, Golf Club & Spa in Fenelon Falls on February 1, 2026. (Photo: Spafford Health and Adventure)

Inaugural Kawartha Lakes Winter Festival will see some of North America’s top snowshoe runners coming to Fenelon Falls

January 18, 2026

Boaters navigate through Lock 32 of the Trent-Severn Waterway in Bobcaygeon. (Photo: Parks Canada)

Boat owners face new five-year licence renewals under federal rule changes

January 7, 2026

The winter edition of the Hike Haliburton Festival is returning to the Haliburton Highlands on February 7 and 8, 2026. Registration is now open for free guided hikes led by local experts, and the weekend also offers the opportunity for visitors to book excursions led by local outfitters and enjoy arts and culture. (Photo courtesy of Haliburton County)

Hike Haliburton celebrates winter with a weekend of outdoor adventure on February 7 and 8

January 6, 2026

According to Nicole Captain, an occupational therapist at Five Counties Children's Centre, it's important for parents and caregivers to set a good example for their children during the holiday season by regulating their own behaviour, emotions, and reactions so they remain calm. (Photo: Five Counties Children's Centre)

Five Counties Children’s Centre shares seven tips to help families navigate holiday stress

December 21, 2025

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