The Peterborough Public Library has shared a first look of the interior of the new library, slated for completion in the late summer of 2017.

The design rendering was created in collaboration with +VG Architects and Intercede Design Consultants.

“The objective with the interior space was to accentuate the existing curving design of the original architecture while transforming it to an open, airy and bright active community hub,” says Nicole Crabtree, Associate Partner at +VG Architects.

The Peterborough Public Library has been operating temporarily out of the lower level of Peterborough Square while the Main Branch on Aylmer Street has been under major renovations since June 2016. Now that demolition is complete, the construction of the addition has begun.

The integrity and shape of the building has stayed relatively the same, but everything else about this Peterborough landmark is being updated. From the new addition and glass entryway to the open concept design, the new library will be a flexible community space. There will be upgraded lighting, more windows and natural light, new floors, an updated HVAC system, and a number of new amenities which will make the library a bright and inviting space for the community to explore.

Seen in the image is one of the highlights of this project: the central staircase that leads down to the children’s area on the lower level. Accessible public seating wraps around the staircase, allowing patrons to use the library’s computers on one side, or sit comfortably enjoying a beverage from the onsite café on the other.

Visible at the far end of the image is the wall that once concealed the upper level of the library. It as been partially removed to create an inviting entrance into a completely re-imagined space. This upper level will be home to the Library’s new teen zone, the café, a new mid-size program room, and three smaller study/meeting rooms.

More details will be coming as the project gets closer to completion. You can see updates about the renovation project on the library website at www.peterborough.library.on.ca.

“I’m very happy that you moved to Canada. I hope you feel very welcomed. I hope your future is very bright and happy. – Aurora, St. Alphonsus School”

This is only one of the hundreds of cards containing hand-written messages welcoming newcomers to Canada. The cards are being displayed on a wall at the New Canadians Centre (NCC) at 221 Romaine Street in Peterborough.

Many of the cards were written by students at St. Alphonsus Catholic Elementary School School in Peterborough. Ryan Brooks, principal at St. Alphonsus, explains the school’s connection to wrote the cards.

“We’ve had the good fortune to welcome three students from Syria to St. Alphonsus School,” Ryan says.

“When we heard about the Message of Hope cards the NCC were asking people to fill out, we thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to get the entire school involved,” he adds. “It’s been a rewarding experience for everyone involved and it’s our pleasure to welcome these newcomers to our school and to our community.”

Since the beginning of December, NCC has been distributing simple cards — displaying a hand-drawn image of trees, the sky and sun, and a house with the words “Welcome Home” — in the mail and into the community. NCC ask people to fill out the card with a message of hope and support to newcomers to Canada and to return them to the centre.

“For people who feel powerless in the face of what is happening in the world today, a few words of kindness can mean a great deal,” says Yvonne Lai, Outreach Coordinator at the NCC.

In early 2016, the NCC was designated a Welcome Centre for Syrian refugees. The agency has been involved with the resettlement of close to 220 refugees since that time, including many families with young children. The cards are designed to let people know the community cares about them, especially at a time when world events are so catastrophic.

Photos of some of the cards on display on NCC’s “Wall of Hope”

All photos courtesy of New Canadians Centre.

As we head into the darkest day of the year, during one of the most challenging years for global news and developments, I feel compelled to bring some cheer to my column this week. The challenge with this is that I find the winter solstice to be disheartening and bleak. It’s my absolute least favourite day of the year. The only good thing about this day to me is that we turn the corner to my favourite day of the year: — the summer solstice in June, when we get 15 glorious hours of sunlight in The Kawarthas.

There are many who embrace the historic traditions of the winter solstice and to them I say: more power to you, but I’ll see you on June 21st. So to counteract my gloominess (yes, I’m a lot of fun at seasonal parties), I’ve reached deep into the kawarthaNOW.com database to find recommendations for these holiday days, including how to enjoy the outdoors and ways to keep the kids busy while out of school.

Celebrate the winter solstice

I mentioned this last week, but since it’s actually happening this week and is a true solstice event, they deserve a second mention. Celebrate the winter solstice with Light Hunters’ Promenade, which takes place for the first time on Wednesday, December 21st and has all the potential to become a popular annual event.

Join Atelier Ludmila and friends (best known for their Artsweek and local outdoor theatre productions) along with local artists, drummers, performers, business owners, and a host of light seekers, as they create a paper lantern-lit procession through the streets of downtown Peterborough. This lovely and creative event takes place from 6 to 8 p.m., beginning at the Peterborough Square courtyard behind Market Hall. Bring your own lantern or meet them at 5 p.m. to buy a lantern of your very own.

The event is based on timeless ceremonies celebrating the return of the light on the winter solstice. Members of Old Men Dancing, Peterborough Academy for Circus Performers will join the procession. The event is free to the public, but donations are gratefully accepted (the suggested donation is $10 per family). For more information, visit the Facebook event page.

Keeping the kids busy over the holidays

Let’s face it, when the presents are all opened and the turkey comas wear off, boredom soon sets in and every parent needs a plan. You might not be aware that our events database is constantly topped up and often boasts 900 to 1400 or more events at any given time, along with 1,200 or more venue listings. So my job this week it to point you to how to make good use of all that info! You can access all of our events columns here.

We’ve got lots of events for both kids and older kids listed in our Children’s Events column and our Youth Events columns — including public skating over the holidays.

Everyone likes to take in a film over the holidays, and we’ve got the only regional movie listings.

Skating anyone? We have, hands down, the most comprehensive listing of indoor and outdoor skating across The Kawarthas. Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter feeds for updates on when canal skating begins at the Lift Lock in Peterborough.

If you’re excited about the snow we have this year then you’re likely to also be excited by many of the outdoor events we’ve got listed in our Outdoor Events column.

If you’re wondering about what’s open and closed over the holidays, visit our site later this week for our popular “What’s Open and Closed” list of holiday hours for over 200 businesses, organizations, and services across The Kawarthas.

Ringing in 2017

If you’re planning now for what to do on New Year’s Eve (and New Year’s Day), we’ve got you covered. Our New Year’s Events column will be updated up to the last minute!

For both family-friendly and adults-only New Year’s Eve celebrations, our music columnist Josh Fewings has selected his top picks.

My own top pick for New Year’s Eve, based on entertainment value and local talent, is The Rocket Revue with special guest Beau Dixon at Parkway Banquet Hall. Tickets are still available, at either the Parkway Banquet Hall or at Moondance in downtown Peterborough. Read all the details here.

For family and kids, an early event for New Year’s Eve is the Annual Family NYE Party with local jug band Blues in the Bottle. This year, the party begins at 5 p.m. at the Nexicom Studio at Showplace Performance Centre and runs until 8 p.m. There’ll even be an early countdown to 2017 for children so they too can celebrate as well. Advance tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children and grandparents, or $20 for the whole family (or $30 at the door for a family).

Organizers also encourage people to bring a food item for YES Shelter for Youth and Families, and maybe a snack for the food table at the event. Tickets are available at the Showplace box office, online at www.showplace.org, or by calling 705-768-5658.

Save the date!

If you’ve been following my columns these past few weeks. you know that we’re in store for a huge spring of stellar entertainment.

Showplace has just announced a few more shows, with an extensive lineup of entertainment for the entire family and all musical tastes. Of special note are upcoming concerts by Murray McLauchlan, Colin James, Royal Wood, The Piano Men, Matt Andersen, Next Generation Leahy, Bubble Guppies Live, and many more!

You can find all of their upcoming concerts at our Showplace Performance Centre events column.

If you’d like to have your event considered as a top pick, your first step is to make sure to submit it to our event system.

If you want to be in the know about what’s coming up (and maybe win tickets!), you should subscribe to our VIP Enews which will arrive in your inbox every Wednesday morning — along with a link to the most recent version of this column. Sign up for our VIP Enews here.

Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think by posting a comment below.

The Canadian Canoe Museum thanked community supporters today (December 20) for helping them raise funds for an early Christmas present: a new van to support the museum’s public programs and outreach events and to help the museum safely transport artifacts.

Back in October, The Canadian Canoe Museum had applied to the Aviva Community Fund for up to $100,000 to purchase a van, along with a trailer hitch, vehicle wrap, and enclosed trailer. Despite lots of local support for the museum in the online competition, the museum was competing with 240 other worthwhile projects and wasn’t selected as one of the 15 finalists.

However, the momentum and community support generated during the Aviva campaign continued and, thanks to the efforts of museum advocates, the museum had raised enough funds and support by early December to purchase a used Mercedes Benz van, with only 62,00 kilometres on it, along with supporting equipment and a vehicle wrap.

Funds were raised through the Beaver Club Gala Committee and donations made at the Beaver Club Gala through the Paddles Up initiative, topped up by a donation by Les and Beverly Cassidy, and with support from Mercedes Benz Peterborough and Commercial Press & Design (for the vehicle wrap).

This new equipment will make it possible for the museum’s on and off-water programming to become more accessible to schools, community groups, and the general public.

“This is a game-changer for our on-water programs,” says Stacey Arppe, the museum’s Volunteers and Public Programs Manager. “We can now transport our paddling camp participants and all of our canoes and gear with ease, and having this self-sufficient transportation means we can continue expanding our water-based programming.

Specifically, the museum would use the equipment to transport children to summer paddling camps, to take the museum’s educational programming and workshops to schools and other locations, to transport the museum’s public paddling fleet for use on-water, and to transport museum artifacts to exhibits at partner museums.

The van, trailer hitch, vehicle wrap, and 20′ enclosed trailer are valued at $60,500.

Wolfe, a police service dog (PSD) with the Peterborough Police Service K9 Unit, had a busy Saturday.

Following a weekend break-in at a local medical clinic, PSD Wolfe located two male suspects hiding in a snowbank in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 17th. Later that evening, he located large quantities of illicit drugs in a suspicious vehicle police pulled over.

In the first incident, police received a call at around 1:30 a.m. on regarding an abandoned truck in front of a Medical Drive address.

The investigation revealed that two males had stolen the truck from the driveway of a Downie Street home, broke into the Peterborough Medical Clinic located on Hospital Drive, stole four cash trays from the ATM machine inside, and then attempted to flee the area in the stolen truck.

The truck became lodged in a snowbank and the two males then fled on foot. Officers and the K9 Unit were dispatched to the area and began a search for the suspects.

Following a track by the K9 Unit, Wolfe located the two males hiding in a snowbank in the area of Murray and Reid Streets at around 2:20 a.m. The two males were arrested on scene.

As a result of the investigation, Robert Lemieux, 52, of Melbourne Road in Strathroy, and Christopher Campbell, 53, of Culver Drive in London, were each charged with break and enter, possession of break-in instruments, two counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and theft of a motor vehicle.

Later on Saturday, at around 8 p.m., officers conducted a suspicious vehicle stop in the Brookdale Plaza parking lot located on Chemong Road. Previous information provided to police indicated that the accused had threatened a woman known to him then fled the area.

During the incident the K9 Unit was called to attend. During a search of the vehicle, PSD Wolfe located a large amount of cocaine and marijuana in the vehicle. A large quantity of Canadian currency was also located.

As a result of the investigation, a 39-year-old male of no fixed address, Peterborough, was arrested and charged with possession of a schedule II substance for the purpose of trafficking X2 (marijuana under 3kg, cannabis resin under 3kg), possession of a schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking (cocaine), possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000 (Canadian currency), and intimidation.

Due to the domestic nature of this incident, police are not releasing the name of the accused.