It’s been a banner year for @kawarthanow on Insta this year! Just last week, we achieved over 15,000 followers. Not only that, but we’re the first local media company to achieve that level and we’re also the longest running media company on Insta — since early 2012. But as you may know, it’s engagement that really counts, and we are fortunate to have a strong fan following who engage with each and every post. Thank you all for your loyalty.
It’s that time of year again for the “top nine” compilations to be popping up on Instagram. If you’re a regular Instagrammer, you know it’s common practice to post your top nine photos of the past year. These top nine are shared across many profiles at this time of year, and they’ve been popping up in my feed for the past few weeks. While we post the top nine photos from our Insta account for every month, there have been just too many amazing images from local photographers in our feed over the past year to just post the top nine of the year — so I’ve decided to expand our list to the top 19 of 2019.
Even so, there are some not on this list who deserve to be there, including several talented photographers in our top 19 to 50 posts who have generouslyed allow us to share their work. We appreciate all of the local photographers who tag us regularly and allow us to share their photos — it promotes us and it promotes them. It’s a win-win all year long and we appreciate their faith in us to represent them.
Want to get on the list? All you need is an Insta account and to tag us at #kawarthanow. We share photos from across our readership area, which is the five-county area surrounding Peterborough which includes Peterborough, Northumberland, City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, and Hastings (we sneak in the occasional Algonquin Park picture as well, particularly if it’s by a Kawartha photographer).
Without further ado, here are the top 19 from 2019:
#19. Autumn treetops in the Kawarthas by Paul Hartley @paul_hartley_photo
Posted October 24, 2019. 8,286 impressions, 629 likes
#18. Only eight months to Canada Day by CanadaDayBobcaygeon @canadadaybobcaygeon
Posted November 2, 2019. 8,358 impressions, 544 likes
#17. Stoney Lake island by Scott Pearson @scottp.to
Posted September 27, 2019. 8,412 impressions, 663 likes
#16. Local monarch butterflies by Barry Killen @theburleighridge_beareh, Eileen Kimmett @eileen_kimmett, Bruce Hoover @hoover_bruce, Steve Paul @thepollin8tor, Dwayne Hall @dwayne_hall, and dlb_photos @dlb_photos
Posted September 19, 2019. 8,432 impressions, 585 likes
Photos of monarchs by local photographers in honour of the launch of The Monarch Ultra Project, where ultra-marathon relay runners follow the 4,300-kilometre migratory path of the monarch from Peterborough to Mexico.
#15. Fireworks over Little Lake by Adam @aarmitag
Posted May 19, 2019. 8,443 impressions, 588 likes
The annual Rotary Victoria Day fireworks over Little Lake at Del Crary Park in downtown Peterborough.
#14. Big Bald Lake dock by Joe Yusiw @kawartha_joe
Posted June 9, 2019. 8,523 impressions, 897likes
#13. The Highlands Cottages by Highlands Cottages @thehighlandscottages
Posted July 22, 2019. 8,618 impressions, 240 likes
Yes, our real estate editorials were popular in July: this top story was for our editorial about a $1.7 million estate at 3133 Peterborough County Road 36 in Buckhorn on the edge of Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park.
#12. Canoe and dock on Stony Lake by Andrew Arentowicz @aarentow
Posted June 15, 2019. 8,783 impressions, 846 likes
#11. 124 Lily Lake Road by The Galvin Team RE/MAX @galvinteamremax
Posted July 9, 2019. 8,889 impressions, 221 likes
Our followers obviously love local real estate! Our top-viewed story for July was our editorial about this $2.7 million luxurious century-style estate at 124 Lily Lake Road in Selwyn.
#10. The Trent Canal at the Peterborough Lift Lock by Dede Full of Wanderlust @mylifeofwanders
Posted October 18, 2019. 8,881 impressions, 708 likes
#9. Starry skies at Silent Lake Provincial Park by Vincent Yi Zhang vincentzhangyi
Posted May 20, 2019. 8,900 impressions, 694 likes
#8. Saturday stillness on Little Lake by Barry Killen @theburleighridge_beareh
A view of Crescent Street in Peterborough from across Little Lake.
Posted January 5, 2019. 8,977 impressions, 723 likes
#7. Spring trilliums by 10 photographers
Posted May 26, 2019. 9,031 impressions, 661 likes
We love trillium season in the Kawarthas! It’s not surprising that our top post for May is also one of our all-time favourites. Our photographers had been tagging us in their trillium photos for a few weeks and we wanted to share the beauty of trilliums in the Kawarthas in all their variations. The photographers are Robert Metcalfe @robert.a.metcalfe, Barry Killen @theburleighridge_beareh, Jo Pearson @glass.forest.art, Linda McIlwain @lindamac11, Chad Miller @miller.photo, Miss Amy G. @missamyeg, Karen Suggitt @karen_suggitt, Emily Provincial Park @emilyprovpark, Jen Mackenzie @foodworxjen, and Mariola Daher @marioladaher.
#6. Thankgiving weekend on the Trent Canal in Lakefield by Barry Killen @theburleighridge_beareh
Posted October 12, 2019. 9,207 impressions, 883 likes
#5. Balsam Lake ice trail by Fred Thornhill @kawarthavisions
The 1.4 km torch-lit ice trail at Balsam Lake Provinical Park was a popular article and post for us in January 2019. The ice trail was open for one weekend only during the annual Frostival celebration. Fred took this photo for @balsamlake_pp and @explore_kl.
Posted January 26, 2019. 9,919 impressions, 685 likes
#4. Sunrise at Lock 31 in Buckhorn by Nicole Michaelov @thewildinwe
Posted September 1, 2019. 10,159 impressions, 741 likes
#3. Snowy owl by Robert Metcalfe @robert.a.metcalfe
Everyone loves the sight of a snowy owl.
Posted January 5, 2019. 10,736 impressions, 837 likes
#2. Lighting Up The Night by Justen Soule @justensoule
Posted August 25, 2019. 11,973 impressions, 1,649 likes
Paddlers in lighted canoes and kayaks fill up the Peterborough Lift Lock on August 24, 2019 for the annual Lock & Paddle event, held in the evening for the first time this year. The event was presented by the Trent-Severn Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site and the Canadian Canoe Museum.
#1. Killer kayaker by Jesse & Susan @followmenorth
Posted October 31, 2019. 13,665 impressions, 1,009 likes
Our top Instagram post of 2019 was this clever Halloween photo that posed a chilling question: what if the character of Jason from the Friday the 13th film franchise enjoyed the great outdoors?
